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IMPACT WRESTLING EVP SCOTT D'AMORE DISCUSSES TONIGHT'S BFG PPV, IMPACT STARS WHO HAVE SHINED IN 2022, RAVEN'S HALL OF FAME INDUCTION, GETTING FORMER IMPACT EXECS TOGETHER AT SLAMMIVERSARY AND MORE

Impact Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D'Amore sat down with PWInsider.com earlier this week for a conversation about the promotion and this Friday's Bound for Glory PPV.  Elite subscribers can listen to the entire 45 minute discussion at this link.  Here are some highlights from the discussion, transcribed by Billy Krotchsen.

Talents who have shined in the last year, including Tasha Steelz and Steve Maclin: "Yeah, I think you brought up two great examples of people that have come in from two very different situations. Tasha Steelz was somebody who had been out there on the indy scene and hadn't gotten her shot. She came into Impact Wrestling, and made the very best of her opportunity and showed how good she really is. And that's why she's a staple of this company. That's why she's one of the building blocks that we look to build on for the future. And that's why we're excited to have her here. Steve Maclin, on the other side of the spectrum, is somebody who was somewhere else and kind of got lost in the shuffle. So when his time there ended and we had the opportunity to bring in an athlete, a performer like Steve Maclin we jumped on it. Tasha Steelz was the unknown. Maclin was one of those guys that people looked at and said why is this guy not out there at the plate? You know, swinging that bat night in, night out. This guy's got all the tools. So I think they're two great, but different examples of what we are very good at doing. And I think we do that a lot. I think you take a look at Mike Bailey. Mike Bailey is a guy who spent five years basically held hostage not being able to perform in the US, which for a professional wrestler is a very tough hand to be dealt. You know, he could have moped. You know, could have quit, could have done a lot of things. Instead, he spent five years focusing on his craft, whether it was coast to coast in Canada, whether it was the UK, whether it was Germany, whether it's Japan, he went out there and wrestled and improved. And now you look at a guy who's jumped right into the mix. I think right now we've got Yuya Uemura, who's over here on loan from from New Japan. He's doing his excursion here, which is to me, is such a huge monumental moment for this company because I think without dwelling on the past too much, we know how previous excursions have went for New Japan talent. And the fact that they gave us one of their future aces and said, "We want this guy with you. We want you to be the company that develops him and gets him ready to come back here." This is a guy who can be the next Tanahashi, the next Okada and he's gonna be in an Impact Wrestling ring night in and night out for a very long time. That's super exciting. So I mean, I think there's, I think there's a lot of pieces of the puzzle that have really came together here over the last year. You know, and there's there's three examples. Another one is and I mean you know, Cody Deaner, is a guy who toiled and went out there on Canadian independents for years. He's super talented in the ring. He's a great mind for the business, and he's became a real influence for our company. Not just as a talent, but working behind the scenes as well. So as we look at things like that, I mean, that's, when you talk about putting together a well rounded team, you know, right there. There is four different examples of people that came from four different places that are all key cogs moving forward for Impact Wrestling in the weeks months, and in some cases, years to come."

Raven's Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction: "You know, every time we look at it, there's there's a lot of factors to consider. When we look at it this year, certainly being in Albany, a great town there that Raven has some great history in the area and the fact is, if you look at Impact Wrestling's history, Raven is one of the key players in the growth and success of Impact Wrestling. I always say go back to those Asylum days. There was a jolt of a life brought into the product that night when Raven came in, laid out Jeff Jarrett, and stood there arms out with the NWA title, and then the multi year quest to fulfill his destiny, as you would say. I think those are those are real key moments for Impact Wrestling. He came in with a jolt. It was like taking those titles and banging a body and bringing it to life, like he was a jolt of energy. And it led to the, you know, that night that he challenged for the World Title the first time was, in my time here, cause I wasn't here for the first few months, it was the first true sell out we had at the Asylum and he was a constant player in things and then he was also, when we were in a tough period where we were in between FOX Sports and Spike, Raven was the guy who could carry us through those, when I say dark days. I mean dark in the sense we had no broadcasts. We were just on our website. He was the guy that carried us through that, and he's been a constant creative force. When you look at the things that Raven's done both in the ring and creatively both in Impact Wrestling and out at wrestling, I would certainly sit here and I feel comfortable saying professional wrestling would look very different today if it didn't have Raven in it. So for all of those reasons, I think Raven is a great person to be inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame and it's going to be great to see him and have them drive me nuts again for a couple of days."

Whether this opens the door for Raven to return to the company in some fashion: "It's certainly possible, Mike. Raven had done a little bit of producing for us right before the pandemic. He was just recently with us in Atlanta when we were there and he'll be with us in Albany. I mean, Raven is somebody who is a core part of this company's history. He's somebody who is well respected for his creative mind and his wrestling IQ, and he's somebody that over the years that I've you know, I've always had a ton of respect for and you know, truly developed a unique friendship with. So I mean, the door's always open, if it's the right situation for him and us. We're always going to work together. It's just gonna be a matter of whether those stars align."

Getting Billy Corgan, Dixie Carter and Ed Nordholm all together after all the past legal issues: "You know, to me it was a pretty cool moment. You know, I'll say this - that was a great moment, Mike, and I do agree, like you had Dixie Carter, you had Billy Corgan and you had Ed Norholm there. That was super cool to me. Dixie and I had exchanged messages the day before.  In an ideal world to me, Jeff Jarrett would have been there, and so would have Jerry Jarrett, and we know this is impossible, but, you know, Bob Ryder, who I'm sure was there in spirit, would have been in that building. But to see a healing of some of the things over time, between the three of them. To have Billy, who is very busy with his music career, and obviously with what he's doing with the NWA and having Dixie who hasn't been to an event since she departed, to me, to have them there and be part of such an important, such a historic day for the company celebrating 20 years. You know, you can't celebrate without honoring the past. And, you know, I know a lot of fans, you know, take shots at people for their involvement. But those two individuals, really those three, because I mean, I don't think that Ed Norholm gets enough credit for being a defender and supporter and active force for Impact, you know, for the past six years, but I mean, Dixie Carter, Billy Corgan, and Ed Nordholm standing there together, to me that was a proud moment and I got to be there, that it happened, one and two, that I got to be part of bringing together was pretty awesome."

Why fans should order the PPV tonight: "I think that Impact Wrestling at this point has a 20 year history of innovation. We push the limits. We try new things. We go out there and we try to innovate. And when those innovations work like Ultimate X and many others, we stick with them and are proud of them, they become part of our lexicon. Every once in a while we come up with a reverse battle royal, or something that we just kind of nicely forget. But we'll continue to push the, you know, the boundaries. We'll continue to look for new ways to tackle the same problems and stories and will continue to develop new, intriguing talents and give them a platform to go out there and really engage people. And there's one thing I feel pretty, pretty strongly about, I think if you subscribe to one of our subscription services or buy a standalone on Fite TV, I think our Impact Plus specials, those monthlies that we do are three hours of great wrestling, as good as anything out there and we give you great entertainment, and that steps up a couple of notches when it comes to the four pillars as we'll call them. The four big pay per views that we do, and if you pluck down your money, if you purchase Bound for Glory, you're investing your money, obviously, but also your time and your emotional attachment. And I think that we will reward you with an amazing experience, a lot of fun and great wrestling, and a time where you sit back afterwards and go, Okay, I'm glad that I was part of that experience. I think we've done that consistently over the last few years. Our big show performances are as good as anybody. And if you give us a shot we are gonna entertain you this Friday."

Impact Wrestling will present Bound for Glory tonight on PPV, FITE.TV and more.  

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