To say there’s been a lot of bad blood between Moose and Eddie Edwards in IMPACT over recent weeks is an understatement. On August 30th, Moose and Eddie Edwards were set to team up against Austin Aries and Killer Kross, but after Moose was attacked backstage, it became a handicap match. During the main event, Moose came to the ring seemingly to aid his long-time friend, but in a weird turn of events, he attacked Edwards and aligned himself with Aries and Kross, forming the most dominant force in Impact Wrestling.

Moose’s reasons for turning his back on Edwards seem a little weak, especially under the circumstances. He claims that after being there for Eddie after his match with Tommy Dreamer and during the hard times he’s had over recent months, Edwards didn’t once check on him after Moose’s loss to Aries. Leading up to Slammiversary XVI Eddie Edwards was in a bad place. He was battered and bruised both physically and mentally after his rivalry with Sami Callihan, throwing his friendship with Tommy Dreamer into jeopardy after accusing him for having a relationship with his wife, Alisha Edwards. Edwards grew to be more sadistic as time went on, but after defeating Dreamer at Slammiversary XVI, and getting passed the torch by his former friend (the torch being Dreamer’s weapon of choice, the kendo stick), it seems as though Eddie Edwards was beginning to find himself again. Unfortunately, when Moose attacked him, it may have set him off on yet another dark path, and who knows just how brutal this rivalry is going to get.

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A few weeks ago it was announced that the two of them will go head to head at Bound For Glory on October 14th, and knowing just how emotionally charged this match will be has gotten a lot of fans excited. Moose’s meteoric rise within IMPACT has been welcomed by many, but after his recent heel turn the only people stood behind him are Aries and Kross. The relationship Eddie Edwards has had with his wife Alisha has hit some significant bumps, but it looks as though his feud with Moose has given him focus, and having his friend Kenny the kendo stick in his corner may just give him the edge at IMPACT’s next PPV.

During a recent media call with the two individuals, to say it was anything but civil is an understatement. Every question was interrupted by the other, mockery on Edwards’ part and Moose’s disrespectful jibes provided quite entertaining, and it was amazing anyone got a word in edge ways. The two clearly despise each other, and after listening to the two display their pure disdain for one and other only hyped their encounter at Bound for Glory.

The former NFL player turned professional wrestler has become a forced to be reckoned with, and it wasn’t that long ago he lost to Astin Aries and missed out on becoming the next IMPACT World Champion. You’d think that that urge to become champion once again was still there, eating away at him, but according to Moose, he’s not interested right now. Getting to a point where you are the top contender isn’t easy, and once you’ve had a taste, it must become an addiction.

I asked him if he was still wanting to become World Champion, and that after Bound for Glory, would that be his main focus? Eddie didn’t like it too much, interrupting to say,
“You assume he’s going to beat me? Woah, who’s the crazy one here?” This was very much the tone of the interview, with both guys showing how much they hated each other throughout. “To answer the question to my English friend, after Bound for Glory, if Austin – when Austin Aries beats Johnny IMPACT, there’s no need for me to go after the world title.” One comment was interesting to me, in fact, one word that could be construed as something more. “If.” Is Moose truly behind Aries – does he actually believe Johnny IMPACT is going to lose to Austin Aries, or is that doubt in Moose’s comments a true reflection of how he feels about his new friend?

Continuing on with the matter of Moose wanting to be the champion, he wasn’t exactly a fan of the question. “Don’t try to cause chaos or cause trouble between the most dominant force – the most dominant group of professional wrestlers. Austin is a great champion, and has done a great job as World Champion, and right now we don’t need another champion. But if for some reason Johnny IMPACT gets lucky at Bound for Glory, you best believe I’m going to go after that title and beat the hell out of Johnny IMPACT.” Again, it seems pretty clear that Moose has the World Championship in his sights, even if he’s trying to hide it. In a fair fight, I believe Johnny IMPACT would get the three count on Austin Aries, but that’s the thing – this isn’t a fair fight. Regardless of what happens in the title match, it seems as though Moose wants that belt, and with three men as strong-minded within the same faction, things could blow up at any minute.

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Things didn’t get much better between the two of them, as Edwards continued to wind him up by singing little ditties about how “Moose is a big dum dum,” and making jokes about how Moose kept saying “I can’t wait for Bound For Glory,” saying, “can you wait for Bound For Glory, or can you wait? I can’t quite make it out.” One thing is for sure – these two guys are going to go for war. It’s hard to know what the outcome is going to be, whether Eddie Edwards is going to manage to get the victory with Aries and Kross circling the ring like sharks is a mystery. There are still two weeks of IMPACT left, so more stipulations may be added, and if anything has been learnt over the last month, the two of them might not even make it to Bound For Glory in one piece.

Bound for Glory will air live this Monday at 1 AM on Fite UK.

All pics and videos courtesy of Impact Wrestling