By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Insight With Chris Van Vliet with guest Scott D’Amore
Host: Chris Van Vliet
Podcast available via Podcasts.Apple.com
On his TNA exit: “The funny thing is, obviously not the choice of how I wanted things to play out. Took me by [surprise a bit]. I can’t say I was shocked when it actually happened, because I could see the process playing out where we weren’t quite on the same page on things. And as I said on Busted Open, I found out two days before Hard to Kill.”
On why he was let go: “We saw things differently as far as how we wanted to proceed. So I think partially, they just wanted their guys in charge. And I mean, I had a good seven years with those guys, but I’m not an Anthem guy. I don’t sit in that Toronto office. I have my thoughts, and you could say it’s my ego. I just don’t think it was the right move, and I don’t begrudge them. They’re doing their thing. They’re still going, and they’re going to run that company. I always say that everything is bigger than one person, even me. If I’m gone tomorrow, things will still go on.”
On announcing that TNA is back at Hard To Kill: “By the time we announced the TNA announcement, that’s at Bound for Glory. I’m jazzed about what we’re doing, but I also know on the corporate side we’ve got a couple of things where I’m not overly thrilled. The funny thing was there was no promo. The most ironic thing is, of all people, the person who said, ‘Somebody needs to say something here’ was Lance Storm. He was the producer of the segment. And that was just kind of like, Hey, we’re going to air this video, and then we’re going to come up and the talent’s going to be in the ring. Then Lance is like, ‘I think somebody needs to say something.’ We talked about it for a little bit, and it was Lance, myself, Lou D’Angeli was there, and there was one other person. Lance is like, ‘I think it should be you.’ I was like, Okay. I said, I’ll say something, and then we did that. That was impromptu. I mean, I had no idea what I was going to say, I was so concerned about so much time and effort went into that reveal video, crafting that, and keeping it a secret, and the whole thing that it was like, let’s get through that. Then it’s just lights come up, the crowd’s going to cheer and chant TNA. Okay, sure, I’ll thank the people, or whatever. So I might have been a little jazzed up.”
On offering to buy TNA: “I presented it to them. I actually sent it to them the day that the Jericho Cruise was leaving. I know that because I wanted to get it out before going on that cruise, because then I don’t know how [the Wi-Fi was]. I was on the first Jericho Cruise, and the Wi-Fi was really rough on the first one. And people said, no, no, it’s better, but I don’t want to be trying to do business on the Jericho Cruise. So got the offer out then and then waited for the process to play out for them to say yes, no, or come back and negotiate. And ultimately, it wasn’t something that they were looking at, we weren’t going to come to a deal.”
On the rise of Joe Hendry: “It’s something that should have happened ages ago but never did. It’s great that it’s happening now. My massive ego loves the fact that I got to be part of starting it. But to be clear, it didn’t happen because of me, it happened because of the right thing. I’m honored to be part of that and I can look at it and smile. Look, here’s Joe Hendry. Joe grabbed me one day and he goes, ‘Scott, Did I ever tell you why I chose to come to Impact?’ And I’m thinking, he probably did and I don’t remember. I was like, I don’t think so. And he told me a story. First, he told me a story about he was someplace else and his music was playing, it’s like, okay, here I am and it was a big moment. His music has a spot where he comes out and somebody pushed him and said, Go! They pushed him out before it was the moment. He’s kind of like, these guys don’t get me.
“Then he goes in that moment as I went to the ring I thought of an interview you did in the UK years ago, I think it was like 2018-19, long before he ended up coming, because he ended up going to Ring of Honor. He goes, ‘You did an interview and they asked you a question about future World Champions, you mentioned Moose, Josh Alexander, and Joe Hendry.’ I was like, oh, so glad I did that. He goes, ‘I heard that, and I was like there’s a guy who gets me.’ He didn’t come then, but then when he became free again, he’s like, okay, maybe there’s more money for me somewhere else, but right now, I want to go somewhere where there’s people that that get me, and let me be clear, it’s not like I was the only one. But that’s the type of stuff that really makes me feel good. The fact that he gambled on coming to us at Impact, to TNA, because he trusted us that we would handle him right. I think we have and he’s obviously delivered. Those type of things make me happy.”
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