Outside the ring Thorne follows the straight-edge belief system just as his character does, however he claims to be less fanatical and more tolerant of other cultures than his character. Thorne became straight-edge so that he could avoid becoming like his alcoholic father. His father has since stopped drinking and the two have patched things up along with his mother. Since wrestling in Japan he has developed a "strong style" approach to wrestling and is recognized as a stiff wrestler. He once knocked a young enhancement talent legitimately unconscious with a kick to the head.