IMPACT! News (2018)

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Vincenzo
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IMPACT! News (2018)

Messaggio da Vincenzo »

Inizio questo topic del 2018 con una lunghissima, ma molto interessante, intervista a Scott D'Amore per il giornale Mirror UK

Immagine
Spoiler:
It's fair to say 2017 was an eventful year both for Impact Wrestling and you personally.

It was certainly an interesting year, with lots of unexpected twists and turns. I never imagined myself being back in the wrestling industry at this level. Even when I was first approached about just coming in strictly as a consultant, I was like 'no, my time in the industry is done'. But as they nudged me along and I went down there... the bug bites you. Things progressed and Anthem started setting their course for the company for 2018 and beyond. We had conversations and it was kind of like 'yeah, you know what? Hell with it, I'm excited, let's go all in'.


Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in.

That's it. That's a line I use often ha ha.

Anthem bought Impact in January and appointed Jeff Jarrett to run the company. He brought in several trusted backstage figures, including you as vice president of international relations, the position you previously held in his company Global Force Wrestling. What did that entail?

The job title was something that got carried over from the GFW days. It was more of a symbolic title. I handled our relationships with New Japan and I along with other people looked at stuff in the UK. I came over to Impact and I set up our relationship with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and helped co-ordinate some of the stuff with our Mexican partners [Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide]. I think it was more symbolic - I wasn't an officer of the company. It was more as Jeff struggled to explain what I was doing. When you say you're a consultant, what does that mean? My role really was just providing my input and thoughts on things. Clearly I still have the wrestling bug and it's not out of my system yet.

You mentioned working in the UK. A big project that a lot of people were excited about was the World of Sport Wrestling relaunch. Mirror Sport interviewed Jarrett at the ITV/Impact Wrestling press conference in Manchester in March, when it was announced TV tapings for 10 episodes of WOSW would be held in Preston. However, there was a breakdown between ITV and Impact and the series was cancelled. Can you tell us what happened?

I think ultimately there wasn't an agreement that everybody was comfortable with, on all sides. It's unfortunate. I can wholeheartedly say it broke my heart because one of the things I was super-excited about was the prospect of being part of the relaunch of World of Sport, because I watched it when I was younger. I first went over to the UK in 1996, I was over there doing holiday camps and such, and spent time in Germany too. World of Sport is such a big part of not just UK wrestling history, but wrestling history in general. It's a 'who's who' of talent, superstars worldwide, over a long period of time.

I was excited about that. I have family from England so I have at least a surface level understanding of the cultural significance of World of Sport too. I was super-excited to be part of it and my hope is that sometimes, a deal is not dead. It's just not the right time. If things fall together and ITV is looking to do World of Sport and there is a way we can be part of bringing such a wrestling and culturally significant brand back, then I would jump at the opportunity, if we can dot all the Is and cross all the Ts and make it an arrangement that works for everybody. I think it would be a fantastic project.

Jarrett left Impact in October for a variety of reasons, including personal issues. You became head of creative, shortly before Impact held its biggest show of the year, Bound for Glory, in your native Canada, at the Aberdeen Pavilion in Ottawa, Ontario on November 5.

It was interesting. You had a group assembled by Anthem but in good part by Jeff. Really he left day-to-day in September. The thought process was we had a team that was together. Ed Nordholm came to us, he asked if me and Sonjay Dutt, together with 'Big' John Gaburick, were comfortable with our team to see through Bound for Glory. Obviously Anthem came into this, they had never been in the wrestling business, as of January 2017 they ended up running a wrestling company and they were concerned that with Jeff not being there, that the workload couldn't get done.

We stressed to them 'don't make a snap decision, you've got people in place, the ship can be steered'. So it was decided in the interim basis, to take that great group, to get through the show and the TV that followed. Before Jeff's departure the Bound for Glory show had been written and the TV to lead to that recorded, so part of it was taking those 10 weeks of television, post-Bound for Glory, and steering the ship. I think everybody - Sonjay, Big, Abyss, Jeremy Borash, Dutch Mantell, everybody who was part of the process, the production team with Kevin Sullivan and all the crew, I think everybody did an amazing job. One of the hardest things to do sometimes is when a head coach gets fired, to still go out there and play the games. We went out there and said 'we know we're in place for a short period of time, but let's make sure that doesn't reflect in the product we put out'.

On December 5, you and Don Callis were announced as Impact's new executive vice presidents, working directly with Ed Nordholm. You are now one of the top figures leading Impact into 2018.

I was adamant that I didn't want to have any firm commitment, that I was happy to consult and help how I could. But I felt I was at a crossroads in my own career. It was time to jump in or jump out. The way I see it, me and Impact Wrestling had been dating for most of the year, so now it was time to either be all in, or say 'get the people who are going to be all in'. That's one of the things I stressed to Anthem. They were very kind in making clear to me throughout the whole process that they hoped I would be part of the team moving forward. I thought we're just in such a great period of time in the industry and I looked at the opportunities this company has ahead of it and said 'I want to be part of this'. This is a real chance to build something and have a positive influence on the industry.

You possess a wealth of experience, having held just about every position in the wrestling industry. You wrestled for both WCW and WWE in the early 1990s founded your own company Border City Wrestling in Canada and run the training facility Can-Am Wrestling. You're also an Impact original, having been with the company from its early TNA days in the Asylum. How does your past inform your view of what wrestling is and should be?

Well I think the great thing is, when you put different people together, everybody has different tastes and thoughts on things. I certainly have some on what I think wrestling is and should be, but one of the only absolutes in wrestling, is there is no one right answer to anything. There is what works and what doesn't work. Sometimes in wrestling we get too caught up in what we think is right. If something works, it works, even if it's not what I would have done or what I was thinking. If it works, it's successful and a positive. What we want to bring here is an open environment and let the best idea carry the day, regardless of who it comes from. One of the things we want to be is more collaborative with our talent and other partners and companies.

You saw the first step with the idea of doing something that has never really been done in the wrestling industry previously. We are signing over rights to the intellectual property to talent as part of their agreements with us. So they know when they leave Impact Wrestling, if and when, which of course happens in this industry with changeover and influx of talent coming in and out, they know when they leave us, anything they have been part of creating when they have been with us, they still have the rights and ability to use when they leave. That is so uniquely different, coming from an industry that historically, in the modern era, has always said 'if it was done while you were with us, we own it, you have no rights to it and don't you dare use it when you leave'.

Our approach is being collaborative and we look at it as a partnership between us a company and each individual talent. Where each talent helps build our company and helps make Impact Wrestling better as a company and a brand, so on the flip-side, we help the talent by giving them a platform to perform and grow on and showcase their talents and skills and to use their creativity to maximise their value. We work together to make our brand the best and we work to make their brand, their individual company, their character, as successful as it can be. Then inevitably when the time comes for them to move on, they still get to take that and continue to prosper with it. That's something that has been pretty well-received so far and that's something we think shows we are going to try to take a different approach to how business is normally done.

We live in an era where more so than ever, amazing talent is choosing a quality of life, where they get to choose how they work and when they work and get to choose creative freedom. You see lots of guys who historically in years past would have signed a big deal with a major company, who are now saying 'we're going to do our own thing' and 'we're going to work here and there, have more creative freedom and do our own thing and be part of multiple products and that's the lifestyle we want'. We can be part of providing a creative and fun platform for people to be part of, without handcuffing them and saying 'you have to go here, on this day' and laying out their entire schedule 365 days a year.

Mirror Sport spoke with Johnny Impact and he outlined how that freedom was a big part of his decision to join Impact. Another example is Cody, who has worked for Impact, Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling since leaving WWE.

Yeah, I think the wrestling business on a global scale is as strong as it's ever been, certainly at a grassroots level. There are so many smaller but great promotions out there doing good business, drawing great crowds, which the fans are engaged in. It's a great opportunity for talent to be able to say 'I'm going to fly over and work these shows in the UK, then I'm going to go to Japan and work these shows, then join Impact and be part of this television and this creative process, then go and do this tour in South Africa'. There are so many more opportunities. They also have - and it's equally important - the right to say 'I'm going to sit at home with my family for a month, I'm going to heal up and enjoy spending time with my family'. I think this type of situation is going to get a lot of talent excited about being a part of what we're doing. It truly is a different era to when talents were treated like cattle or assets to be used however a company saw fit and then discarded when they were done.

I presume this change in approach was informed by the problems with Matt and Jeff Hardy when they left Impact at the start of 2017. Their departure led to a legal battle and public spat over who owned the intellectual property around the 'Broken Universe' - the gimmick they used to great success in Impact in 2016.

Yeah, I mean certainly the Broken Brilliance issue was at the forefront of things for a good chunk of the year. I think in some ways if you take an honest look at it, you say that both sides in some ways suffered from it. If we're going to continue to fight over this, why should Matt and company be robbed of the rights and ability to use that amazingly entertaining creation, which they were obviously a huge part of creating? Why should wrestling fans be deprived of seeing it? And why should Impact as a company not step in and say 'we were a big part of developing that, let it continue to succeed'/ It just shows that things we do here can be successful on multiple platforms and stages.

You were a booker during TNA's heyday in the mid to late 2000s. Do you have a clear idea of what made TNA great at that time and what do you want Impact's identity to be in 2018?

I think what made TNA successful during that time period and allowed for some tremendous growth is the fact we tried to listen to what wrestling fans wanted and tried to provide that to them. We didn't try to worry about being what anybody else was, we didn't worry about competing with other people, what we did was focus on 'okay, what do we think wrestling fans want to see?' and said 'let's try to give that to them'. A lot of the stuff we did in 05-06 when myself, Mike Tenay, Jeremy Borash, Dutch Mantell and Bill Banks had our creative run there as a committee, is we really kept things in a lot of ways more simplistic than they have been in wrestling a lot of times.

We brought in a guy like Samoa Joe, who was obviously a unique and special talent, and we didn't try and do anything funky or weird with him, we just let him go out there and kick ass. We gave a platform for him to go out there and show people who Samoa Joe was. We worked with him - Joe was a smart guy, as smart as there is in the industry and he fleshed out a lot of what Samoa Joe was - we just worked with him on some of the nuances and put him in the ring with chances to succeed. You look at him and AJ Styles, so many of the others that came up in that time and grew, it was just giving them the chance to succeed. Putting them in a situation where you take their talent, showcase them and don't ask them to do something that's not their strong-point, but highlight their strengths.

I think the addition of guys like Sting and Christian Cage coming over, when the bulk of our roster was still a good TNA roster at the time, we mixed in some really good veterans and stars that both helped tutor our guys, but also really gave a legitimacy to us. Just like today, having guys like Alberto El Patron and Bobby Lashley gives a legitimacy to us and a bit of a rub to the guys coming up fresh underneath, guys like Dezmond Xavier, Ortiz and Santana in the new LAX. They need to be around and interact with talents that have been successful at the top level.

LAX is a perfect example because if you see behind the scenes, you see that Konnan, who is as big a star as there has ever been in Mexico and a huge wrestling star in general, he took every one of those LAX members under his wing and he truly tutors them. He doesn't just do it with the LAX guys, anybody he is around, you see him with people passing on thoughts. Sometimes it's words of encouragement and sometimes it's Konnan as he says 'keeping it real' and telling them something they are doing isn't right and to do it this way instead. That's the sort of stuff that is going to help the talent grow and be the building blocks for the success of this company.

One of the biggest things for Impact to succeed again is the need for a period of consistency. It has been difficult with so many shifts in direction and re-brandings for fans to keep up with what is going on. Do you hope Impact will now be on a stable footing, where the company is allowed to just be a wrestling promotion, rather than a news story?

Yeah, I think that what you've seen historically with a lot of the changes - and it's not a problem unique to just this company - so many people when they come in, when there are so many changes in power and control, it's a complete upheaval. It's hitting the reset button and as you said, there is a lack of stability. I think that it's important that we approach it as a company and that hopefully the fans and viewers out there understand, that lots of people have tried to do the quick fix here. That's not what is going to succeed. What is going to be successful is if we make a lot of small decisions right over a period of time, to put us in a position to make some of the big decisions. So consistency and stability are very important at this stage.

We need to gain the trust of wrestling fans all over the world, of wrestlers, of other promotions. There has been so much going on with us, we need to have our own house in order, consistently put on a good product, consistently treat our performers with respect and as the partners they are, and consistently be friendly and co-operative with other promotions. As we do that, the course will be chartered. We're not saying 'we're taking over January 1 and in three months we will be rocking and rolling'. We're putting together a six-month, 12-month, 18-month and 36-month plan. When you're building a sports team, you don't come out of the gate on day one with the team you'll have a season or two later. We are going to evaluate and make changes, but try to put out a consistent, compelling and entertaining product. We will make some mistakes along the way and when we do, we will evaluate and adjust to them.


A key strength of Impact has traditionally been its UK fanbase and position in the UK market, which used to include an annual UK tour. Is touring in the UK again on your agenda?

Absolutely. I think anyone in this industry who doesn't have a goal of being in the UK market, then they don't have any real plans or intentions of being a global company. The UK market is stronger than I have ever seen it, it has such a large and passionate group of fans, and in our situation we're lucky to have a great television partner in Spike in the UK. Historically we have done big and rowdy crowds in the UK and one of our goals when we start to tour again, which won't come immediately but will be a benchmark, is we want to come back to the UK. We want to be back out in front of the UK fans on a one-on-one, personal basis. Until then we want to entertain them with our product on Spike UK and ask them to continue to support the Global Wrestling Network App. We ask them to be patient with us, stay with us and they can be a big part of our future.
Ultima modifica di Vincenzo il 08/01/2018, 10:23, modificato 1 volta in totale.



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Vincenzo
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Re: IMPACT! News (2018)

Messaggio da Vincenzo »

PROSSIMI TAPINGS DI IMPACT WRESTLING
Impact dopo aver annunciato i prossimi tapings di Impact Wrestling (che si terranno dal 10 al 15 Gennaio ad Orlando,Florida), ha annunciato che il 3 Febbraio - in collaborazione con la federazione WrestlePro - organizzerà un evento chiamato “Brace for Impact” che si terrà nel New Jersey e che verrà registrato e mandato in onda durante i prossimi episodi di Impact Wrestling.

Tra i wrestlers che vi parteciperanno ci sono: Eli Drake, Bobby Lashley, Moose, Alberto El Patron, Sonjay Dutt, Allie, KM, Braxton Sutter, Eddie Edwards, Matt Sydal, Fallah Bah, Mario Bokara, Tenille Dashwood (conosciuta in WWE come Emma), Angelina Love, Dan Maff e altri.

Impact tornerà poi a registrare episodi "normali" di Impact Wrestling nel mese di Marzo, molto probabilmente alla Windsor Arena nella città di Windsor (Canada).

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Vincenzo
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Re: IMPACT! News (2018)

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JERICHO VS. OMEGA IN IMPACT WRESTLING?
Immagine

D’Amore and Callis are in deep talks about the rematch being at the Impact PPV. As I’ve stated before the Impact/NJPW relationship is good now and has transitioned into a working agreement.
Jericho is 100% on board with this and Omega is down if it gets the OK from NJPW officials.

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Bearded Outlaw
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Re: IMPACT! News (2018)

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:stupito:

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Rob Van DAMN!
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:esterefatto:

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Vincenzo +4

norrisjak
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Re: IMPACT! News (2018)

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LO ESIGO IN SEMIFINALE MINIMO

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Vincenzo
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Re: IMPACT! News (2018)

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Non capisco il problema.

Questa news gira su social e siti di wrestling da ieri, l’ho letta e postata. Mica l’ho scritta io o inventata?! Bah.

Che poi non avverrà è un altro discorso, ma io posto news qui, non opinioni o seghe mentali inventate

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Saimas
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Re: IMPACT! News (2018)

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Fonte? Cosmopolitan?

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Devixe
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D’Amore and Callis are in deep talks about the rematch being at the Impact PPV. As I’ve stated before the Impact/Hejiang YiYteng relationship is good now and has transitioned into a working agreement.
Lanzafame is 100% on board with this and Piovaccari is down if it gets the OK from Hejiang Yiteng officials.

Immagine

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cloudropis
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Devixe ha scritto:
Beh sono in una quote box entrambe, ora non so davvero a cosa credere

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cloudropis ha scritto: Beh sono in una quote box entrambe, ora non so davvero a cosa credere
Ma io sono uno staffer di un sito di wrestling e moderatore di un forum. Sono anche colorato in modo diverso

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Saimas
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Si, ma fonte? non posso rischiare di non dormire questa notte.

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Saimas ha scritto:Si, ma fonte? non posso rischiare di non dormire questa notte.
Io sono la mia fonte.
Quella di Vincenzo non la so, ma a quanto pare l'unico messaggio del genere su Reddit è stato cancellato

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Hoak
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Re: IMPACT! News (2018)

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Piovaccari :love:

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