Trey Miguel's IMPACT hopes almost went up in smoke, but now he's made his mark in the company.
As a member of the Rascalz, Miguel has become one of the most exciting acts they have. While he's there with his friends Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz, originally getting the call to come in didn't even seem like one.
"Zach[ary Wentz] calls me and goes, ?Hey, bud, guess what?? and I was sleeping at the time," Miguel told Fightful in an exclusive interview. "So, I wake up and I?m like, ?Yeah?? He goes, ?Guess who got signed to IMPACT, bud?? I was just like, ?That?s good for you, man.? But, I mean, I?m tired, man. You know? I really didn?t get any sleep overnight and he didn?t say, ?We got signed.? He?s like, ?Hey, man, guess who got signed? I did,? and I?m like, ?Ugh, I?m going back to bed.? He goes, ?Why do you sound so down?? and I go, ?I mean, it?s good for you, man, what am I gonna do? That and I was kinda sleepin?, bro, you just woke me up.? He goes, ?Well, they?re gonna sign you, too.? I was like, ?You coulda thrown that in there. You coulda said ?Hey, guess what few guys are getting signed to IMPACT??? It was so crappy ?cause I was not happy for him in that moment. I was so mad that he woke me up. I was so mad that he woke me up, ?I don?t care about you and your contract to television, Zach!?
Before he was actually brought in, Miguel heard those rumblings. For an early 20s indie wrestler, it was difficult to not share the word.
"It?s like finding out that Santa?s not real and you?re not allowed to tell your little brothers and sisters," Miguel said. "It?s like having the coolest news and no one can find out about it. Like, you won a lottery ticket, but you know if you go tell anyone that it?s in your pocket, you?re gonna get robbed. It?s kind of like that. You just want to tell everyone. It?s so exciting. We weren?t allowed to say a single thing. Couldn?t drop a dime."
Miguel navigated the waters of the independent circuit before his IMPACT run, but after his IMPACT debut, he got the opportunity to step up and work for PWG -- known as the mecca of the indies to many.
"They?re two different worlds," said Miguel. "I?ve only worked for PWG a handful of times and I remember at the end of my debut, I looked up at the ceiling and we?re in the Globe Theatre in downtown L.A, I?m looking at the artwork on the ceiling. We?re hearing the crowd bang on the apron, ?This was awesome!? It?s a different sense of the term ?I made it.? I feel like you can make it so far in independent wrestling and you can make it to the top of independent wrestling and make it to the top of contracts in professional wrestling, and it?ll be two completely different feelings. I haven?t made it to the top of contracts in professional wrestling, but I can only imagine what that?ll be like. But, making it to PWG was probably my biggest independent wrestling goal. So, debuting there against the two gentlemen that I did meant the world to me. I cried at the end of that match. It was the first match I ever shed tears in the ring for and then uh? I mean, I just? I?m going speechless again. It still means so much to me and that experience, it was amazing."
Coming in to IMPACT as a relative unknown, Miguel is now familiar to all modern fans of the brand. When asked how that transition felt, Miguel had a pretty specific answer.
"Have you ever shown up to a party that people were expecting you to be at? It?s kinda like that. You show up late, and everyone?s like, ?Dude! You made it!? It?s kind of like that feeling. It?s like showing up to your own party. It feels really cool to be recognized. Especially, you spend a lot of time on the independents maybe not getting some of the notoriety that you?re hungry for, not getting some of the eyes on you that you wish you had. Like you said, it feels very validating to show up, receive the love and support and all of the welcome. It?s truly welcoming," he said.
You can see our full interview with Trey Miguel at the top of the page. You can also watch him every week on IMPACT Wrestling, Tuesdays on AXS TV