Gallerie » given some career advice at his victory news conf

Theres an infectious quality to newly crowned WWE cruiserweight champion?Rich Swanns?entrance song, Around the World, which perfectly mirrors his high-energy style and?positive aura.The songs constant refrain of Can you handle this? has become something of a mantra for Swann -- and its a fair question to ask of fans at live events who may be unprepared for the wave of electricity that follows when Swann appears, transforming any arena into a dance party.From the #RAW #Cruiserweight division to #WWENXT, @GottaGetSwann is all over the place! Can you handle it?! @WWENXT pic.twitter.com/mSH6TVs71K- WWE (@WWE) October 7, 2016But regarding the pressure that comes with being the face of WWEs newest division, the question becomes moot when applied to Swann himself. In fact, if theres anyone perfectly equipped to handle it all -- the fame, demand and responsibility that come with the title -- its him.You know I can handle the pressure, Swann told ESPN.com. There aint no sleep, there aint no breaks and thats what I love about this business. Thats what I love -- Im always on the go, baby!Swann, who captured the title from?Brian Kendrick?during the premier episode of 205 Live on Nov. 29, has the kind of feel-good comeback story that resonates with WWE fans. His?journey through tragedy and the obstacles hes had to overcome are only made more relatable by Swanns refreshing willingness to share his stories so openly over the years.The 25-year-old grew up in a rough section of Baltimore. His father was an alcoholic, and his mother battled lupus. Domestic violence was a constant theme. When Swann was 14, his father was murdered. Two years later, his mother died due to complications from the disease that dominated the latter stages of her life.At just 16, Swann found himself living alone, and he fell into a bad crowd. He began using drugs to cope with the emotional toll of his trauma, and the darkness he experienced is something hed like to help others avoid at any cost.The reason why I feel like I should share something like that is because its going to inspire people who have gone through things like that, Swann said. I feel like people should know that side [of my experience] -- it brings out the vulnerable side in the person.Pro wrestling -- the wild spectacle that first caught his eye at age five, when a televised match between Psicosis and Rey Mysterio Jr. brought his love for the acrobatics of the Power Rangers to an entirely different level -- ultimately provided him salvation by allowing him to pull himself out of the darkness.Already enrolled in the Combat Zone Wrestling school in nearby York, Pennsylvania, where his aunt lived, Swann decided to take his training more seriously and slowly pushed away the more negative elements in his life. After high school, he began to tour on the independent scene.The support of his brotherhood in pro wrestling after he first turned pro raised his spirits and provided the feeling of a family that hed sorely been lacking. But above all else, in his mind, it was Swanns first trip to Germany that he credits as the true turning point in terms of getting his life on the right track for good.That really opened my eyes, to see that there are other things in the world, he said. The experience helped Swann walk away with nothing but positive thoughts, inspiring him to really take your shot at this, really try your best, really try and see. To take nothing for granted -- thats just how I felt.Swann quickly became a darling of the indies, adopting Lionel Richies All Night Long as his entrance music, which helped forge an almost instantaneous connection with fans. Years later, when he made his WWE debut in August at the Cruiserweight Classic, Swann entered the Full Sail University Arena in Orlando, Florida, to his new theme song and enjoyed a moment with the crowd that reminded him of how far he had come.To hear the crowd chant All Night Long and to get [chants] of Can you handle this? -- it became infectious, and I got with it, and the people got with it, he said. It was just a connection from the people there, and its never going to go away.The reaction of the CWC fans to hearing his new theme song for the first time wasnt that different from Swanns initial response when the WWE first approached him.The first time I heard that I was like, Man, thats hot fire! Thats something else. Thats hot soup right there! I mean, yes! Swann said. Thats what I thought. Apparently everybody else thinks its pretty hot fire too.Thanks to WWEs decision to not just showcase the cruiserweights on Raw, but give the division its own weekly show on Tuesdays following SmackDown Live, Swann quickly became a fan favorite on the main roster. He takes that responsibility seriously, in terms of sharing his positive message and being open about his past.[My story] shows that anybody can make it in anything that you do and anything you want to succeed [in], no matter what is in your path, Swann said. And Im not ashamed of it. These are things that have happened. I would never change anything.Swann says his parents would be equal parts proud and shocked if they could see him today. And he remains the rare superstar in WWE who competes under his given name, which makes sense, considering how close he says his character is to his true personality.Being billed of late as The Outlandish Rich Swann is something he says suits him well.I feel like I have to go out there and keep on entertaining, keep on dancing and keep on being me, he said. Keep on doing things that I do -- Beat It dances, splits, excitement, keeping the smile going. Thats what I got to do to keep up with that Outlandish nickname, because I am outlandish, after all.As he becomes a household name and continues to put out the most entertaining product he can possibly produce on a day-to-day basis, Swann realizes how far hes come and how rare an opportunity hes been given. Its what keeps him motivated to become that much better as he maximizes on the spotlight cast upon him as the WWE cruiserweight champion.This is an opportunity that so many people would do anything for, and I just dont want to take that for granted, he said. Wholesale Penguins Jerseys . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Pittsburgh Penguins Pro Shop .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/ . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Pittsburgh Penguins Gear . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Fake Penguins Jerseys . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. NEW YORK -- They were running in a field of 52,049 people, the largest ever to run a marathon. But nothing else about them is commonplace. After the way they routed their respective fields in the 46th running of the New York City Marathon on Sunday, they should be called The Queen and The Kid.Kenyas Mary Keitany is 34 years old and Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea is just 20. Both are fierce competitors. But they are at such opposite ends of their career, Ghebreslassie often dismisses prerace questions as if he doesnt have a serious doubt in the world, whereas Keitany comically arched an eyebrow and laughed wearily when asked if she thinks she can match Grete Waitzs three-decade-old record of five consecutive titles now that she just captured her third straight New York win by dominating the field.?Maybe ... yes, Keitany haltingly replied, her tone prompting laughter.This was Keitanys first big event since Kenyan selectors left her off their countrys 2016 Rio Olympics team, a snub that she admitted had spurred her training since.?Ghebreslassie might have never been an elite runner at all if his father had his way, but he defied his dads orders to stay in school, and his father got onboard once his son began excelling. Now, he is Eritreas first major marathon champion two times over and has the potential to trouble the likes of Kenyan champion Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopias Kenenisa Bekele well into the future. It could be dazzling to watch.For now, Ghebreslassie knows his running career is unfurling all in front of him, and he speaks and acts as if he believes he can handle anything in his way.The marathon is an event where conventional wisdom used to hold that better performances arrive later in a runners career, once you learn to manage yourself and the varying courses and the 26.2-mile distance. Many elite runners start out building experience and a mileage base at shorter distances, often in track races. But not Ghebreslassie. Hes a bit of an outlier.Last year as a 19-year-old, he surprised the field in Beijing by becoming the youngest man to win the marathon world championship. Sunday, he also became the youngest winner in the history of the New York Marathon, beating Alberto Salazars and Sheldon Karlins previous record by two years. That makes him a wunderkind, not just The Kid. His winning time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 51 seconds was just five seconds off his personal record, too, though he was running alone for the last five miles of the rugged five-borough course that has a reputation for being slower than other top marathons like London, site of his previous personal best.When asked the biggest concern he had during Sundays race, Ghebreslassie said, Only the wind. It was a little bit tough for me.Thats it?Told he?seemed supremely confident from the moment he hit town insisting that he wouldnt be hampered by having run the Rio Olympics marathon in 70-some degree heat just 11 weeks ago (he finished fourth but compared the time there to a training run), Ghebreslassie gave a little insight into his philosophy.He says its essential to run confident, and its essential to run with a little healthy respect for the fact that in a marathon, especially, anything can happen.ddddddddddddIn order to achieve what you need during the race and before, you must have full confidence, Ghebreslassie said. If you lose your confidence, then you are hopeless. If you lose your hope, you cant do anything.When I took the lead the last couple miles, I was feeling all right, but if I told you I was feeling good and I was confident, I would be lying to you, he added. Theres nothing guaranteed until you cross that finish line. ... I didnt think I had it until I came to [Central] Park and then 400 meters and then 200 meters to go.Perhaps. But the?path to victory just never looked like a struggle for him, or Keitany, for that matter.Related story from Competitor.com: Sundays top finishersRelated story from Competitor.com: 45 reasons we love the NYC MarathonGhebreslassie, Kenyas Lucas Rotich and Ethiopias Lelisa Desisa made their first break from the rest of the pack at about the halfway point of the race, but Desisa was dropped as they ran onto the Willis Bridge and mercilessly picked up the pace between Miles 19 and 20, at one point throwing down a 4:35 mile split. By mile 22, Desisa abandoned the race completely. By then, defending champ Stanley Biwott was long gone too, dropping out nine miles in and blaming a calf injury. Only Ghebreslassie and Rotich were now left, and Ghebreslassie noticed when Rotich couldnt stay with him by the time he turned on First Avenue with about just five miles to go.He stole a look over his shoulder and motioned to the 23-year-old Rotich with his left hand as if to say to Cmon. But Rotich couldnt keep up.I was a little bit angry with him because we were helping each other, Ghebreslassie said.Today was his -- he was stronger than me, Rotich said with a shrug.Ghebreslassie, even in victory, remained enough of The Kid to be given some career advice at his victory news conference by 39-year-old Abdi Abdirahman of the U.S., the surprise third-place finisher among the men. He listened patiently as Abdirahman urged him to seek great results, not just fast cash. It seemed like good advice.Keitany, meanwhile,?probably?doesnt have as many miles or race days in front of her as Ghebreslassie does. But she was still on a record pace by the 20-mile mark though she had been running alone the last half of the race.Her winning time of 2:24.26 gave her a 3-minute, 34-second margin of victory, the biggest in the New York womens race since Waitzs 1988 win. Joyce Chepkirui of Kenya was second (2:28:07), and U.S. Olympian Molly Huddle added to Americas recent uptick in distance running results with an impressive third-place finish (2:28:13) in her marathon debut.Despite their 14-year gap in age, Keitany and Ghebreslassie both came to New York chasing the same thing.?Keitany said, This was a chance to make history.Ghebreslassie added, Im very proud. ' ' '