Twenty years ago, the very first Slammiversary aired on PPV. Eric Young was a part of the card when a young Josh Alexander was watching from his couch. This Sunday, Eric Young, already a multi-time TNA/Impact Wrestling Champion, will try to become the IMPACT World Champion again by defeating Josh Alexander. Despite knowing each other for a long time, the two have never squared off one-on-one before.
Their very first match will be even more important as they will main event a PPV that celebrates the 20th anniversary of a company that has made them who they are now. More than competing in a match, Eric Young and Josh Alexander will celebrate one of the longest-running national companies in the history of our industry, against all odds.
This Wednesday, D’Lo Brown hosted a press pass with the Champion and the Challenger. With some mutual respect, they talked to the media about the past, the present, and the future. Theirs and the company’s one.
.@IMPACTWRESTLING celebrates its 20th anniversary at #Slammiversary LIVE June 19th from Nashville, TN!
Order on FITE: https://t.co/XGzCrnBIbf
Be there LIVE: https://t.co/wvfT8haN17
Card/Info:https://t.co/FjqeEkFPWP#IMPACTWRESTLING pic.twitter.com/a7EW0Gww52
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) June 16, 2022
- A Battle of The Times?
Eric Young: “I think fate’s got a funny way of dictating our life and I’ve got the word fate tattooed underneath my right arm. It’s a word that means a lot to me, good, bad, or indifferent. I always believe I’m kind of exactly where I’m supposed to be and on June 19 in Nashville, Tennessee, main eventing one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world against a guy that I respect as long as the day is and in totality. It’s unbelievable that we’ve never wrestled one-on-one but I’m looking forward to the opportunity and the responsibility of that position. Storytelling is number one and this, without us touching at all, is an amazing story. Whether it has historical elements, it has real-world elements, it has the fact that we were born and raised in the same place, our start in the business was almost identical. Our paths to where we ended up here on June 19 are completely different. But, the work ethic and the sacrifice, all that stuff, are identical. And we have the same haircut too. So that’s cool.”
Josh Alexander: “Eric Young embodies the first 20 years of TNA/Impact Wrestling better than almost anybody on our roster currently. He’s done everything there is to do here. He’s a multi-time World Champion. And, while paying respect to the past because I was such a strong fan of it, I have followed it the entire time. I do represent at the present and it’s just Slammiversary, the main event, our first time ever one-on-one, me and EY, past versus present to find out who’s carrying the title into the future. I think it sums up the pay-per-view perfectly.”
- A matter of respect
Eric Young: “Josh is a high-calibre Champion. You don’t end up in that position by accident. Anyone that’s done this at any level understands that. To make it and to be the flag bearer of a company that’s seen worldwide, there are big dollars and big responsibilities on the line. It doesn’t happen by accident. I’ve known Josh for a long time, he’s a guy that I’ve always respected because he’s always kind of done things the right way and continues to do so. He’s on a long, long list of people that have the respect of me and have the respect of wrestling fans because they earned it the hard way. The list of World Champions on IMPACT is a who’s who of pro-wrestling, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Abyss, Bobby Lashley, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode… The list is long and to be a person on that list is something that can never be taken away from me. It is an honour that I take very seriously and I know that Josh would say kind of the same thing. He’s in the stage of wanting to cement his legacy. I don’t think I’m going to end that but my plan is to leave Slammiversary as the World Heavyweight Champion.”
Josh Alexander: “I don’t find it difficult at all because I have that kind of respect for him. In 2006, I was a year into my wrestling career. I picked up EY at the airport for a local promoter. He came in for an indie. I drove him like an hour to this show. And I still remember to this day, I asked him something about wrestling and he said I just wish I was good at something else. This is the only thing I’m good at. And it resonated with me because that’s exactly how I felt the first time I took a bump. I took a bump and it gave me this instant gratification of everybody telling me how good I was at this and how is it natural at this and how I needed to keep going. That’s how I built my self-confidence to become a wrestler. I have so much respect for EY because I see a lot of similarities in us. I also know that EY does the exact same thing I do when he’s in the ring. If you look at the past 20 years of his career, anybody’s been put in the ring with, he’s busted his ass and he’s made sure he’s delivered every single time. That’s something I’ve done too whether by osmosis from watching people like EY or just because I’m a hard-headed person that just doesn’t want to ever quit.”
Eric Young: “I don’t want this to be lost, I and Josh obviously have a healthy respect. We’ve crossed paths on several occasions, we work at the same company. But I’m not afraid to hurt him to take what I want. And I know that he will do the same. He’s got a family and kids, and he loves them. I don’t have that. Wrestling is my life. It’s the first thing that I loved, it’s the only thing that I love. And being the World champion is what I desire more than anything in the world. And I am not taking anything from him. I know that it means the world to him. And I would be a fool to think anything different. But my plan is that, and things usually go the way I want, I will leave June 19 as the World Champion, because that’s what I want more than anything on Earth.”
Josh Alexander: “My whole story has been about adversity, and everything over the years, whether it be injury or circumstance or anything. Even in big matches, I’ve always been kind of the underdog going into most of these matches, even most recently the one with Moose. The thing that always carries me through is my heart and my passion and it’s because of this obsession with pro-wrestling, and that’s where the respect between myself and EY is. We both have one of the most insane obsessions for pro wrestling and it shows in our work ethic and the way we carry ourselves as professionals. But, when we’re in there in that ring, one-on-one, the respect doesn’t go out the window, but it certainly doesn’t matter as much, because as much as pro wrestling is what it is, I’m a maniac, and I’m very competitive. And I think that’s one thing that has set me apart, my entire career, that’s going to be no different at Slammiversary.”
- On Emotions and Violent By Design
Josh Alexander: “I think there’s a various amount of unpredictability with Violent By Design being involved in this match. It’s not just EY, it’s Doering and Deaner as well. That’s why I requested the match with Doering. I figured I’d go up against the biggest and baddest guy in that group, right away to try to send a message. Even though the flag got involved, I’m not the one that brought it out but when it was there, I definitely tried to even the playing field a little bit. I think I sent all of them, including Joe Doering that if he messes with me at Slammiversary, the same might occur.”
Eric Young: “We’re a family. We don’t go anywhere alone. That’s the whole point of Violent by Design. I don’t trust anybody else. And those are the people that I know who have my back. I don’t trust Scott anymore. I don’t trust anybody on the roster. I trust those guys and they will be there with me, for sure.”
- The importance of the title and Impact Wrestling
Eric Young: “Obviously, prestige, obviously, the honour of carrying it. Eric Young, the TV personality, will tell you power and control and that’s what it’s about for Violent By Design, but Eric Young would tell you that it’s the responsibility of it. The first time you win one, you understand the responsibility of it, you understand the honour of carrying it, this is a million-dollar company that’s saying that you’re the flagship, and that is an irreplaceable drug. That’s the responsibility that I’ve been chasing from Day One. And I think Josh would agree. I’m again not going to put words in his mouth but, if you got into wrestling not wanting to be the World Champion, you’re in it for the wrong reasons where you’re a liar. Did I think I was ever going to win one? It was never part of my goals. The only goal I ever set was to sign my first contract to tell people that I did this for a living. And I did it in 2004. Then the goal mutates. It’s like that I want to win a belt. Then it was a tag belt. Then it was the X Division. Then it was TV. Then it was King of the Mountain. Then it was Legends. Then it was Global. Then it was World. Then it was World Again. Then it was a tag belt again. It just mutates but the responsibility of it is what I crave the most. And I want whoever I’m working for to trust me and to lean on me because that’s when the pressure arrives that I’m at my best.”
Josh Alexander: “I think EY summed it up almost like I would say it, especially now, being in the first run holding this championship. The pressure that you feel is enormous and it’s kind of terrifying. For me, since I started this journey in 2005 in pro wrestling, it’s been all things that terrify me. No matter how big the goal was, it was just the next step. That was the scary thing. It was all about me challenging myself to achieve that goal and push myself a little bit further because there are a lot of people that can’t handle the pressure. There are a lot of people that, regardless of how big the challenge is, just buckle under the pressure and they can’t achieve that. For whatever reason, that’s fine for me, I get my juice instead of challenging myself and pushing myself. In addition to that as the World Champion, it’s a representation of this locker room that I take very seriously, I’ve re-signed here because I love this locker room. I think we all have a chip on the shoulder. I think we all go out there and bust our asses every single time as a unit more so than anything else. Many times in pro wrestling, this is a singular pursuit and people look at it very selfishly but the Impact Wrestling roster is a team first and foremost. I take a lot of responsibility to be able to represent it.”
- Celebrating 20 years of TNA/Impact Wrestling and the next 20 years
Josh Alexander: “The growth over the past few years, since I’ve been here, I’ve been able to see it with my own eyes. I’m not a businessman. I’m a professional wrestler and, for me, to be able to notice these things, the growth, and all this other stuff that’s happened over the past three years. It’s undeniable that it is in the growth period. For us, it’s just everything we’ve done. Like every pay-per-view we have, every app special we have, we knock it out of the park. I’m a wrestling fan, first and foremost, before I’m a pro wrestler. When I watch these shows, I don’t think there’s much in pro wrestling that can compete with the type of quality we’ve been turning out show after show. So, all it is getting in front of more eyes and retaining those eyes. Once they are there, that’s not going to be difficult because the show quality is so high.”
Eric Young: “I agree with what Josh is saying, watching this, as a pro wrestling fan and as a person, that’s the reason I got into wrestling. Because I love it. And, minute for minute, this is the best pro wrestling show on television. That sounds biased because I work here but it’s the truth and it’s what I believe, it’s written by pro-wrestling fans for pro-wrestling fans. To grow, obviously getting it in front of new people, continuing to push the envelope and continuing to have an effort from top to bottom in whatever is given to the people on the roster. The production team has been killing it for a long time. They are undermanned and likely underpaid and you would never know the difference. It’s a cool thing to be a part of but you just want it to grow. The thing is it has that stigma, that TNA black cloud that just seems to follow us wherever we go. I think if people are being truly honest with themselves and open up their minds, their eyes, and their hearts, and just watch it for what it is, and take any bad experience that maybe you had watching it before because it’s made by different people. There are different people working here, it’s owned by a different group of people. I have nothing against the former management. I worked here when that was going on and I was proud then but there’s something very special about this group of people in front of the camera and behind the camera. When you see it and you truly open yourself up to accepting what we’re doing, I think people will see it. It’s just as simple as that. If you really give Impact Wrestling a chance, I believe it will become of your regular viewing and it should.”
Josh Alexander: “When this company started in 2002, the one thing that I take away from its identity other than being like the other option for pro wrestling when it first started was that it was the land of opportunity. This company had past stars from other companies that you would recognize but the thing that really made this company special was that it gave opportunities to these lesser-known people to go out there. They gave you the ball and they said, run and if you got your touchdown, you got your touchdown. There are so many people that got touchdowns in that time and you can’t them on two hands. I count them on like forehands. You got AJ Styles, Low Ki, Amazing Red, Eric Young, or Bobby Roode. You go over to the Knockouts, the entire Knockouts division when it started up in 2007. It’s just the land of opportunity, they took chances and I think now it’s the same thing. This main event is the representation of it. You’re looking at two guys in this main event fighting for the richest prize in this company on the biggest show of all time that they’ve ever had. Live on pay-per-view in the main event, there are two guys that may not have ever got an opportunity anywhere, there were just two guys that were given the ball and they did not fumble.”
Eric Young: “Josh sums it up properly. I think, for me, the big thing, like he said, is the opportunity to do something special. As a creative person or as a professional, you’re not always given that opportunity. And when you are, you have better do it. Josh said he’s going to give the same effort, match in and match out, and I think I’ve proven that I do the exact same thing. And that’s why this is going to be special, that’s what I believe. If you start with the base of two guys that are willing to do whatever to make it memorable. If you start there, it’s almost impossible to fail. Now, can we fail? For sure. That story still has to be written. But I know I will do everything in my power to make this memorable. I know that Josh will do the same and I’m willing to bet any amount of money that people will be talking about this in 30 or 40 years, whether Impact/TNA is still around and I hope God it is. This is going to be something that people are going to remember and I’m going to make damn sure of it.”
You can listen to the whole podcast here.
“Slammiversary 20” will air live on Sunday, June 19 at 8 PM EST (1 AM GMT) on PPV, worldwide on Fite TV, and on Premier Sports 1 in the UK. Impact Wrestling Special Events and PPVs also air on IMPACT Wrestling’s new YouTube membership Impact Insiders and on Impact Plus. IMPACT Wrestling is airing on Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV in the USA and around the world on IMPACT Wrestling’s new YouTube membership Impact Insiders, YouTube TV, and Impact Plus.
Very Nygma thanks to Mr. Deathman – All pics, videos, and screencaps courtesy of Impact Wrestling, AXS TV, Fight Network, and Fite TV