Santino talks some IMPACT.
On April 22nd, IMPACT Wrestling presented their 'Redemption' PPV with a match card that closed out with Pentagon Jr. becoming the new IMPACT World Champion. Along with Tessa Blanchard making her debut in the company and the impromptu team of Eli Drake & Scott Steiner capturing the IMPACT World Tag Team Championships, the card was "awesome" according to former two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella.
Marella currently co-hosts 'Behind The Lights' with 'Destiny Wrestling's' 'Iceman' on IMPACT's Twitch channel. The two parties will discuss everything pro wrestling and MMA once a week and during a portion of the premiere episode they talked IMPACT's 'Redemption' PPV. Marella had high praises for the show and shared that it symbolized a positive change in the company.
?I thought it was awesome." Santino stated. "It solidified the notion of the change of direction for me. It?s funny because to be competition with WWE already means that you?re on the map, you?re on the radar, but you can?t compete with the budget. You can?t compete with the juggernaut marketing machine that they have, but you don?t have to have a massive budget to have that one creative genius especially with the different platforms we have today to be able to get out there. So before it was only TV, and now because of all these different mediums you can compete with TV.?
Two men at the helm of the change in IMPACT Wrestling are the co-Vice Presidents Don Callis & Scott D'Amore who Marella feels are locked in on developing fresh storylines and new talent to present to the IMPACT Wrestling faithful.
?I tell you what, IMPACT Wrestling, this is such an interesting phenomenon, because they?ve had different incarnations; TNA, IMPACT Wrestling. Sometimes there?s somebody new at the helm and then people wonder, ?How is this going to turn out??, and sometimes, ?Ah it?s kind of the same thing, they?re shuffling old guys, whatever, whatever?, and it hasn?t really connected in the past in terms of that renaissance." He said. "But this one here there?s a different feeling. Again, Scott at the helm and Don, there?s real change. It was getting a reputation in the past of being, ?Oh they?re just recycling old WWE guys? you know, hand-me-downs, and that was the reputation they had for a while." He continued, "Now that?s not the case. Now they?re developing fresh, new talent that?s not? I mean if there?s someone there from WWE that?s fine, but the roster?s not comprised of leftovers anymore. The mentality, the direction they?re going in, it?s very good for the business because you need competition. There was a long time when there was no competition to WWE. Now there?s places to go.?
You can watch the full broadcast by heading over to IMPACT Wrestling's official Twitch channel.
If you are going to use any of the quotes above, please credit 'Behind The Lights' with an H/T to Fightful.com for the transcriptions.