At Slammiversary, surprises not only came from TNA. Champions were meant to come back and the world to change. But, when came the main event and the mystery fourth participant was about to walk the ramp, a member of the Impact Wrestling roster made his way to the ring, with his magic smile on his face and his eternal joie de vivre. Rich Swann was back after being sidelined for months. But a fifth participant made an unexpected entrance, former TNA World Champion Eric Young.
That night, Swann pinned Young out of the match. And Young attacked Swann out of his career. He hit that leg so hard Swann had no choice but to announce a few weeks later that he had to retire as Young re-injured his leg and doctors told him, this time, it was over for him. Despite the doctors’ warnings, Swann came back 2 weeks ago and asked for one last match, a World Championship match against the man who crushed his leg, Eric Young. Even if Rich Swann should never be wrestling after that match, he wanted it so badly Impact Wrestling EVP Scott D’Amore gave it to him.
On October 24, at Bound For Glory, the main event will bring the fans to places they have probably never expected to come before. Eric Young and Rich Swann were the guests of Impact Wrestling Zoom media call this Wednesday, and the conversation was as hot as fire.
On a much more personal match to come
Eric Young: “This is me in my purest form. It’s going to take some getting used to or everyone it’s going to take some getting used to for me, but this is my truth, this is me in my purest form. I’m the Champion, and I don’t hide. I understand that means that there is a target on my back and, unfortunately, I tried to do this the right way. I tried to show Rich the easy way, and he refused to take that. I don’t know if that’s pride, courage, or stupidity but there’s usually a pretty fine line in between those things. I’m going to drag him into the deepest waters, come Bound For Glory, I’m going to take you to a dark place. Rich, you’ve been doing this a long time, you’re a talented guy, you’re a talented performer and a talented wrestler, you caught me by surprise, but the reality is I’m going to take you to a place that you haven’t gone before and, unfortunately for you, this isn’t a place that I visit, this is a place I live. I am a permanent resident of the hell we’re going to visit, come Bound For Glory.”
Rich Swann: “You don’t know the person you’re talking to. I’ve been in the deepest waters. I’ve been in the darkest places. I have come up by myself, raised myself. There is nothing that you can do that is going to scare me, there is nothing that you can say that is going to take me out of my mindset.”
On main-eventing Bound For Glory
Eric Young: “Bound For Glory is one of the biggest PPVs of TNA Impact Wrestling, it’s an honour, and it’s something that I take deadly serious. Representing the company is a big deal to me, being in the main event is a big deal to me, and holding on to what I have is a big deal. This is my life, there are other interests I have and other things that I do outside of this, but pro wrestling has been my entire life since I’ve been three years old. It became an occupation for me in 1997, and I’m still doing it at the highest level. Rich said earlier, I’m going to have to do some things very dastardly, look into my eyes, and tell me I’m not willing to do those things. I’ve already shown you the easy way what I’ve done to this point is what I consider the easy way. What do you think is going to happen when the world is watching on pay-per-view? What do you think is going to happen when we’re at Bound For Glory, the biggest pay-per-view of the year for this company, the crowning achievement for me? Another feather in my cap, Rich. Now you can say that you’re not scared, and you’re not worried, you know what I’m willing to do, and the problem for you is I’ve only shown you a fraction of what I’m willing to do. I’m showing you the easy way. From here on out, Rich, it’s going to get very hard for you. BFG is the biggest event of the year, and I’m going to make sure that people remember.”
Rich Swann: “The last 2 years for me in Impact Wrestling has definitely been like a re-charge. It’s been something that brought me up. As everybody knows, before Impact Wrestling, I was on downtime, and I was retired, but then some people brought me back and brought me into Impact Wrestling. And I’ve done nothing but take opportunity after opportunity that’s been given to me, and I am nothing but grateful for Impact Wrestling for giving me these opportunities. Now that I’ve gotten the opportunity to wrestle Eric Young at Bound For Glory, I’m going to seize it.”
Eric Young on Rich Swann
“I’m well aware of Richard’s success. I followed him very closely. The truth is going to Slammiversary. I was well aware
of who Rich was as we’ve crossed paths before. The truth is I’ve been Rich Swann, I’ve been that guy. I had my breakout, I was the fun-loving guy. I was a version of what Rich Swann is, and the truth is that I’ve mutated to something better, something pure, because of my longevity, my time in the wrestling business, my time in my position atop of the heap. I understand things that Rich can’t because of experience, but there’s no way that I’d take him lightly. He is an incredible athlete, he is an incredible competitor, he is scratching claw for everything, he is a spectacular professional wrestler, but I’m willing to do things that he’s just not willing to do because he’s worried about what people are going to say, what people are going to think, and the ramifications of that. I am prepared for Rich because I was Rich. I’ve been that guy. No one understands Rich better than me because he’s living my truth. My old truth.”
Rich Swann on how his injury could change the match
“I have been working on a very good game plan because I know, just because of the fact that after I beat him and he knew that it took seven long months for me to get back to where I was. Those first seven long months of training and busting my tailbone get to that main event of Slammiversary. As you saw in Slammiversary, my style, if you compare it to before I crushed my ankle and broke my leg and my back, it was very similar, and I was doing the high flying. I was very fast. I was quick on my feet. It was almost like I never missed a beat. But, now since Eric Young has re-aggravated and re-injured me, and I really haven’t been able to test out if I can still do the same things I could do. But, the thing is, I have been studying Eric Young for a very long time. I’ve even buried up some old tapes of his, and I got some little tricks up my sleeve.”
On main-eventing an Impact Wrestling PPV
Rich Swann: “Impact Wrestling for years has always had a different drive. It’s always had the most athletic competitors, Eric Young being one of them. He is a person that, in my young wrestling career, I watched. Eric, the only thing that you have done has shown that you are a coward, you’ve attacked me from behind, you have put my leg in chairs and stomped it. What I have over you Eric is a victory. There’s a smile on my face, boy. That made you lose your sanity. That made you go a little crazy. Made you a maniac, right?”
Eric Young: “Is this your attempt at mind games with me, Rich? I don’t play games. I’m not a coward. I’ve never been afraid of anything or anyone in my life. The form that I’ve taken, the place that I am right now, I won’t be deterred, I won’t be confused. I won’t be turned off of the goal. This is a big deal, this is a big deal for you, and it’s a big deal for me. IMPACT is the #1 professional wrestling show in the world. I am a professional wrestler. You are a professional wrestler, and when it comes to BFG, we are going to make history. There’s not a single doubt in my mind. I can see that you’re passionate about it. I can see that you’ve convinced yourself that you have the ability to be there, you have the ability to last, you have the ability to swim in the deep waters, but Rich, this is going to be different.”
On the stipulation they could choose for this match
Rich Swann: “For me, because this dude tried to break my leg and make sure I could never walk the right way. I would choose a Last Man Standing Match because I would beat him into a bloody pulp until he couldn’t walk anymore.”
Eric Young: “Last man standing sounds like a lot of fun. Rich, it’s humorous you beating me to a bloody pulp, you have half the experience, you’re half my size, you’re half the performer, you’re very good at what you do, but don’t get it twisted, Rich, I am in a position much different than you. I am world-class. You haven’t swum in these waters before, so you better just watch what you wish for, there are many weeks in between now and Bound For Glory, don’t forget that the power lies with me. I have control, Rich, I’m the Champion. I have the power, you have nothing.”
Rich Swann on what will be next for him if he loses at BFG and the World Champion he wants to be
“If I lose or draw, Eric Young is going to know that I was there. Eric Young is going to know that he was in a fight, and if I do lose, it’ll never be over because this man tried to end my career and change my life. Eric, you’re going to have to do some dastardly things to really put me away.
“My title reign would be different than Eric’s, and that is because I’m going to be an honourable champion. I’m going to be somebody that you can respect. I’m not gonna be going around taking people out, jumping people behind their backs, throwing temper tantrums, and being jealous. That has gotten him to the spot to where he is today, but I just got a little bit more pride in myself and in my work to not get to that level.”
Eric Young on potentials World Title contenders after BFG
“This locker room has unlimited potential, and that’s just being real. That’s from the pro wrestling fan in me, looking around and seeing. Potential is what the word means. It doesn’t mean that it will manifest itself. It doesn’t mean it will become what it could be, but it’s exciting to look around and think I could do something with him, that would be special, that would be interesting. So the potential is unlimited. Sharing the ring with Rich is something I’m excited for. It’s a very wide canvas that we get to paint with a story first, and I think that’s something that, I think he would agree with me. It’s exciting to look around and see the potential that’s there. There are all kinds of hard work in front of us, we’re growing the audience, we’re collecting eyeballs, but the hard part is keeping those eyeballs and multiplying them. It’s exciting to see where it can go, and I will be excited to be defending the World title on further future pay-per-views.”
IMPACT Wrestling is airing on Tuesday at 8/7c on AXS TV and Twitch in the USA. The show is available to view in the UK from 2 am Wednesdays on the IMPACT Plus app and airs on 5STAR on Fridays in the late evening (please check local listings weekly). Bound For Glory will air live on Saturday, October 24 at 8 PM EST (1 AM BST) worldwide on Fite TV.
All pics, videos and screencaps courtesy of Impact Wrestling, AXS TV and Basil Mahmud.