Former TNA X-Division Champion Petey Williams was recently interviewed by Ring Rust Radio. You can see the full interview above or at this link, and the submitted highlights below:
Ring Rust Radio: There's a saying that time off can be a wrestler's worst enemy, but from your perspective, how did retiring and coming back to perform impact you? Do you believe it was beneficial, or was it a real challenge to work your way back to where you needed to be.
Petey Williams: It was a challenge; I didn’t feel like it was too big of a challenge. It’s not like when I stopped wrestling I stopped working out or just let myself go. I was continually in the gym, I just wasn’t working towards a goal of wrestling every weekend or every week or whatever the case would be. After three years, I stepped back in the ring and went to D’Amore’s school and started rolling around a little bit. My equilibrium was off a little bit. I was doing rolls like I normally do, and I got up and I was kind of dizzy and my body just wasn’t used to it. Just getting your body back used to it and adaptive to the way it was before takes a little bit. I think I had three 20-minute training sessions to get my foot work back before I got in the ring. I think it came back really quickly. Getting my wind and cardio back up took some time because that’s how the human body is. But mentally I remembered how to do it and it was like second nature to me. I wish I wouldn’t have taken the time off in hindsight because I wonder where my career would be hadn’t I taken the time off, but it is what it is. No regrets and I feel like I was back to where I was before.
Ring Rust Radio: With the rise of the cruiserweight division in WWE, have you ever been contacted by WWE about possibly joining the company and do you think you would be interested if that call were to come?
Petey Williams: I have not been contacted by them. When 205 Live started, I was still retired so they probably thought since I was retired that was that. If they contacted me, I don’t know. I have thought about a lot of different avenues and stuff like that. The big thing with going back to Impact Wrestling was their schedule. I know you won’t find a schedule like that in WWE or NXT. I feel if I did do anything with WWE, if I had to move to Florida that’s not something I am willing to do. To go move to workout out at the performance center, I am not willing to do that. Of course, I am interested in wrestling anywhere. My goal is to wrestle in front of people. If there are people there I will wrestle. To me, it doesn’t really matter who I wrestle for, I just want to do it. I am happy to be with Impact because that’s where I started, and I feel I am at home when I am there. I feel very comfortable. It doesn’t matter to me. This time around I am having fun and not worrying about the business aspect of it or anything and its fun for me this time around.
Ring Rust Radio: Perhaps the main thing you're synonymous with and always will be is the Canadian Destroyer, which is one of the coolest and most devastating moves in wrestling. What was the process of creating that move like, and how does it make you feel when you see other wrestlers around the world utilize it as well?
Petey Williams: That’s the big thing right now. I read on Twitter when I was still retired, and I would see other wrestlers say, “Attention all wrestlers; stop using the Canadian Destroyer.” It’s fine. Part of it I am like, guys everyone is doing it, why are you doing this? Then the other part of me thinks it’s kind of cool. Imitation is the best form of flattery they say. It’s not like they call it something else, they still call it the Canadian Destroyer or the Destroyer or some variation of the Destroyer, and so people still know what it is. It’s not being stolen from, it’s just being copied. I’m ok with it, it doesn’t matter. If you look into the future of wrestling, even when I’m dead years from now, there is still going to be the Canadian Destroyer. It will still be used probably by someone that isn’t even born yet. So that’s cool that I got to create something in wrestling that will stand the test of time and be there forever. Not many people can say they have done that.
