Part 2 of the interview can be found in the print SteelChair Magazine now available to pre-order at SteelChairMag.bigcartel.com with cover star Rockstar Spud.
This week we at SteelChair Wrestling Magazine sent Craig Hermit to speak to a man who is a former TNA World Heavyweight Champion, a two-time TNA X Division Champion and a five-time TNA World Tag Team Champion alongside Davey Richards, we are talking about Eddie Edwards.
CH: We catch you just after the Superbowl, The Patriots have won and they did it in a nail biting finale, the first time ever the Superbowl went into over time no less, you thoughts on this being a Patriots fan?
EE: My thoughts (laughs) today I’m tired, I couldn’t believe it. First half obviously was not very good, I’m sitting up the whole time in the hotel room just watching, debating I was actually thinking I might just go and get some sleep cause this game might get ugly. I’m texting with my family, my mom, my brothers, my friends and then it gets to the point where no one is texting anybody because everybody is just angry. But man as soon as I turn around even when they started to score and making some plays I was not getting myself excited yet, I was not gonna let them pull me back in. (Jokes in a dramatic voice) Just to break my heart! Either get blown out or don’t make it close I don’t care. When they scored you could see on the Falcons sideline they hadn’t been in that position before but the Patriots have, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have, so you could see that look, it’s something special. As soon as it got to overtime, it was insane.
CH: The fact that it went to overtime, first time ever, 3rd quarter, 28 to 9 to the Falcons and then the Patriots just went with it.
EE: Yeah, everybody was just texting like “Did this really just happen?” you know “did this game just happen?” (laughs) The funny thing is Boston sports now have had two of the best sport comebacks ever, between the Red Sox and The Yankees coming back from three down to win and then this, it’s so mind-blowling. I’m so lucky to be alive for all of this good stuff cause you hear about all the pain from older fans like my Dad, my Grandfather, Uncles and Aunts we just watched the worst of the worst, when the Patriots were just awful and we had to deal with it but now I’ve seen so many great things, in Boston it’s truly a special time.
CH: Aye the Sox, sometimes they have had the most painful ones through the years and you’ve sitting there going C’mon?! and you’re feeling the pain.
EE: Its like brutal, especially like back in the day getting so close to winning too, you so close to beating the Yankees and just drop the ball and losing. You know it was almost like last night, “I’m not gonna let you do this to me again” (laughs) You not gonna do it!
CH: Focusing on TNA, they have now launched their TNA App, just for fans who may not know about it or got the scoop on it, what do you get on it?
EE: What do you get? You get everything, as soon as the episode streams or aired in the states you can stream it right there on the app. But it’s not just that you can watch all the past pay per views, all the past episodes, past matches, you hear about a great match, you can search it and watch it right there in the app. You even hear about shows with a great segment, or shows with a great atmosphere you can go back and watch it. You even want to watch the best of the best you can go back and watch it. I think that is almost as cool as being able to watch it as soon as it airs, I mean you can follow how a whole story is played out over time and how it unfolded over time. I think that is something really cool. I think its TNA is trying to give something back to the fans, you know, you enjoyed that, hey watch this, watch how it began, you know what I mean?
CH: Yeah, I remember seeing yourself and Davey Richards flanking MVP live in Glasgow after your debut, I’m pretty sure you can catch up on moments just like that in the App.
EE: Go back and see how The Wolves started in TNA, how The Wolves became 5 time TNA Tag Team Champions in the short time, go back and watch our Title matches, go back and watch our best of series with the Hardy’s and Team 3D something that me and Davey truly take a lot of pride in those matches. I’m gonna go back and watch that, (laughs) I wanna watch that again, go back and check it out.
Photo by Tony Knox
CH: Looking back at your time in Ring Of Honor, you were a ROH World Champion, TV Champion and Tag Team Champion, looking back at your time there, how do you relate to what you accomplished there to your time now as a multi time Champion in TNA?
EE: When I was on the Indies, in Japan and travelling about, much like I was on Impact, I set these goals. First goal was to get into Ring of Honor, I finally get that shot and now it was time to make a name for myself, not just be a part of a show, not just be part of an act but be THE act and be something special, that was when I joined Sweet and Sour Incorporated. Then myself and Davey became the Wolves and then we won the tag titles. When it was time to crown the first TV Champion, why not win that? I won that and from there, World Title. It’s important to set those goals and it gives you that sense of accomplishment, because you’re not just doing it for nothing but it was cool to do it step by step.
CH: I remember watching Ring of Honor previously and your matches with Davey Richards, your battles with each other was something that cemented both your careers, even though you were united together, known as the Wolves and were Tag Team Champions previously, how did you guys feel knowing you were going into those matches against each other?
EE: It was cool, because we are tag team partners but we knew bring out the best in each other, I had to try and keep up with Davey and Davey wants to try do this to try and keep up with me, we helped push each other. Davey was in ROH and he was a well known in ring commodity already, and I wanted to elevate myself to his level. So we began tagging with each other and we were having the best tag matches, so naturally when we were facing each other, we put that pressure not just on each other but ourselves. Okay we want to go out there and put on best match we can have. We want to do things and push each other to the next level and see if we can do it. Well, we know that when me and Davey wrestle each other, we’re gonna get hurt, we’re gonna get beat up with those type of matches and with that intensity especially for the position we were in, the World Title, you can’t keep anything in the tank, especially not against Davey. He’s gonna be kicking, we’re gonna be head butting and chopping and I really enjoyed those matches, because at the end of those matches you feel just drained, I feel like I was in a war and should feel that way, because after a big match you should feel like you just wanna lay down. In a match like that you want to leave it all out there and with Davey, I always felt that. In the Best of the World match, I don’t know if a lot of people know this, but at half way into the match he was knocked out and in the finish of the match I was knocked out and your like (laughs) things happen. A lot of people say that is there favourite match, and we are grateful but we don’t really want to do those type of matches again because they do take their toll on you, mentally and physically so you don’t really want to do them all the time.
CH: Moving slightly away from wrestling, your also a NOW Ambassador, for fans who don’t know what NOW is, what is that?
EE: Yeah, I’m a NOW Foods Ambassador, they have basically anything you need, they have supplements, they have food, they have snacks, like beauty products, skin cream, you know natural products, shampoo and they are who I get my stuff from. In the hotel room, I have my multivitamins and joint support from them, I take there products everywhere I go, especially travelling and wrestling. In everyday life you aren’t always going to get everything you need and vitamins from just food, it’s just to tough to do, so go to the next level and put the good into your body, the more good you put in the more good you put out you know what I mean. They have been really great with me, they are grateful to work with me and I’m grateful to work with them cause there a great company to work with, with great products, www.nowfoods.com check them out.
CH: Looking at other companies your associated with, it’s not just Impact Wrestling and NOW Foods but your also working with Future Legends, who actually have some great stuff out there.
EE: (Shows off the baseball cap and T-shirt) Future Legend, a product that was born in the street of New York. I took to them because they have the same attitude as myself, the T-shirt says “We don’t chase dreams, we live them” and I think thats a great line to live by and thats something I really truly believe in. They have another line, “Dream big, live large”, of course its there shirts, there caps and clothing but if its something you can believe in and wear, and like me I wear it with pride. The T-shirt’s say Future Legend, people wear it, first of all it makes a mark and it’s a cool thing I wanna be a Future Legend. They are really good guys, you have a lot of MMA fighters, wrestlers and a lot of people out there are Ambassadors and it’s getting really close to taking off. The guys there really believe in the product and if you believe in a product, it helps it get further out there.
CH: Picture the scene, your getting ready for a match, you’re psyching yourself up to it, what music do you have on getting ready for it?
EE: You know in general I like a lot of different music, for something i like old music, gangster rap, like Ice Cube, N.W.A, Easy E, and Wu Tang Clan that will get me revved up, but if I’m just chilllin and stuff, depending what mood I’m in, in Summertime, I like country music, not the older type of stuff, poppy type of music, you having a cook out and everyone is having a good time. Hip Hop when I’m cruising, Metal when I’m in the gym. If you looked at my iPod, you’d be surprised at the stuff what is on there.
CH: Recently we seen Rockstar Spud in Progress Wrestling, will we ever see Eddie Edwards in Progress or ICW perhaps?
EE: You know I would love to, I’ve heard and seen nothing but great things from Progress and ICW, there is so many great companies across here, the more I’m here the better, I always enjoy my time coming across here, its been a little too long between trips and I always like to try an take part on all the shows and see what each one is about thats how you learn what the good ones are. And Progress, heard nothing but good things and that would be awesome.
Of course, this is only part one, part two of the interview with Eddie Edwards when he discusses Impact Wrestling, his thoughts on a TNA Uk Tour, Uk Wrestling, Uk talent, TNA Behind the Scenes and much more, you can find in the new SteelChair Wrestling Magazine available to pre-order at http://steelchairmag.bigcartel.com