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Welcome to PWInsider.com's coverage of Impact Wrestling's media conference call with Don Callis and Scott D'Amore.
They said today is day one for them in the studio and day 11 in charge of the company.
They were asked why the company announced the Austin Aries title change. D'Amore said in the past other outlets would beat them to news so they announced it themselves.
They confirmed they would be working with Twitch and would have older content and original content exclusive for the platform, including behind the scenes content showing the lives of the talents. They is in line with what we reported last night here on PWInsider.com.
On the switch to a traditional ring, it was a decision they made. Callis said the only argument for keeping the six sided ring was that a six sided ring is different. He said the traditional ring is better for bumping for the talents.
They said they are open to working with everyone, including ROH and New Japan.
When asked about contracts that are potentially expiring soon, they said there has to be a mix of old and new talents to keep the company together and fresh. Callis joked the most feedback he received was to not put himself on TV. He said that the authority figure in wrestling is overdone and he won't be doing that. He has no plans to be on TV. He and Scott think they are good performers on camera but they are busy enough with everything else they have to do. Something suffers when you are both on screen and behind the scenes.
They are evaluating future PPV plans. Their current plan is under review, including the One Night Only shows. They confirmed our report there will be a PPV in April.
Callis said that it's been a big learning curve for him being back and he's really enjoyed being around the boys again.
When asked what parts of Impact's past product won't be seen going forward. D''Amore said you won't see talents put into scenarios where they are treated like assets instead of human beings, that there won't be a hierarchy that prevents creative collaboration and you won't see decisions made unless everyone agrees its the best thing for the company. You won't see an authority figure.
D'Amore said that if there is a talent they feel is a fit for what they are doing, they will explore that. They are seeking talent and seeking partner promotions to work with. They want to have talents from all over the country and the world. Everything is a worldwide scale now.
They were asked about Rey Mysterio's status in regard to potentially coming in. Callis said he's read a lot about different talents. He said there's been speculation about Chris Jericho coming in, which "if he is, I wish he would tell me, since we've been friends for 25 years." He said don't put stock in rumors.
They want to get back to the UK and get their talents back in front of those fans in such a hot market.
They were asked if the look of the TV would change. D'Amore joked there was a change as two sides of the ring disappeared and the green in the logo has been dropped. They are going to continue to evaluate the look and trying different things location-wise and the look of "The Impact Zone, wherever that may be."
There will be new championship belts ready by April to reflect the changes in the company and its identity going forward.
They were asked about a relationship with ITV. D'Amore said he was disappointed it didn't happen but they would be open and excited to work with ITV or World of Sport in the future if that opportunity was available.
They were asked how the Aries return materialized. They said it was a process over many weeks and it was a great collaborative process. They were excited to work with him.
They were asked about a potential return for the British Bootcamp reality series of whether it would make more sense to cherry pick talent. D'Amore said he didn't believe it had to be one or the other.
I asked Scott and Don abut what they intended to do to remove all the debris of the past and work on rebuilding their relationship with the audience. Don said that he's not aware of some of things that happened in the past and wanted to do what was best going forward. He said when you make a change, there is a honey moon period and you have to provide yourself during that period and that's what they are trying to do now. Scott commented that there's a lot of little things that need to be done. It's not going to be one flash decision or one move that changes the world of Impact. It's going to be a group of people who work hard and diligently to grow and help this company. The important thing is building trust with the fans, the wrestlers and others in the industry. They can say it all they want, but anyone in their seat is going to be met with skepticism and they need to treat everyone in a proper, businesslike manner and if they do that, they'll be in a better position at the end of 2018 and then even better at the end of 2019. They are looking to do this right and build the foundation.
They were asked about improving the marketing of the talent. Callis said they have to figure out "The Impact story" and have a great product, because the best press is earned press, not press that is paid for. He doesn't want to see them spend a lot of money that doesn't help them. They are working on the product first.
They were asked for an update on Moose being hurt. Moose is being evaluated after tweaking his knee, but they believe he is going to be OK.
A year from now, they are hoping they have built a buzz for the fans because they will increase interest, ratings and merchandise. If they can do that, in 12 months, they will be in a good position.
They would love to explore opportunities to create a new Impact videogame.
Callis thanked everyone for taking the time to talk to them and said they want to be accessible as much as they can. They want to make Impact a place that is a destination for fans and wrestlers. Scott thanked everyone for their professionalism on the calls. He said everyone loves a redemption story and Impact is on the path to being a viable company.
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