Steve Maclin says the TNA Digital Media Championship had lost its way.
Maclin is the current TNA International Champion and he is a proud defender of the title. But before it was the TNA International Championship, it was the TNA Digital Media Championship and it was something that, towards the end of its existence, started to matter less and less.
That's according to Steve Maclin, who recently appeared on Fightful Overbooked's In The Weeds. During his interview with Jeremy Lambert and Joel Pearl, Maclin discussed the lineage of the TNA International Championship, how it evolved from the TNA Digital Media Championship, and his plans for the title in the future.
This is a new challenge for me, being an International Champion. It’s brand new and changing from the Digital Media Championship to this. Not saying the Digital Media Championship didn’t mean anything, but it kind of lost its way for a little bit where it was meaningful and it kind of got pushed to the wayside because of different creative ideas and the change in regime and the rebrand. Things happened out of our control. When Santino came to me and asked if I wanted this opportunity to become the International Champion, ‘Hell yes. Give me all the opportunity.’ To wrestle twice on one pay-per-view was a first for me. Kind of reliving that Bret Hart King of the Ring moment as a kid, that I loved watching.
I got to beat Ace Austin and Eddie Edwards, two talented professional wrestlers. Ace, I don’t think he gets enough credit. His moment is coming, it’s just a matter of time and when. Eddie is just a night off, any time I get to work with him. He is one of those guys where if I can work with him, I’m chomping at the bit to get more time and get a story and really dig in deep with each other and get that deep story we can tell. I think that’s somewhere down the road. Beating EY for the fifth time and AJ Francis to culminate as the first-ever champion, I thought was a really cool moment to have," Maclin said.
Maclin was asked if he plans to defend the title internationally.
"I’m trying," he said. "I know we just announced AAA with TNA and WWE, so you never know if I could pop up there. Do I wish I was part of that announcement? Yes, but obviously I need to work a little harder. That’s okay. I take no fault for it. They have creative plans somewhere else and it means I keep making this title as mean as much as I can."
Steve Maclin is the inaugural TNA International Champion. The last official TNA Digital Media Champion was Steph De Lander who said she won the belt in the divorce proceedings with the previous champion, PCO.
Maclin is currently scheduled to pariticpate in the Tunnel 2 Towers Foundation's T2T Tower Climb on June 1, 2025. The climb, according to the T2T website, is the "only opportunity for the public to ascend 104 stories—or 2,226 steps—from the basement to the finish line on the 102nd floor."
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was designed to tell the story of Stephen Siller.
According to the T2T website, Siller was "A NYC firefighter who was off duty during 9/11, he drove his truck to the entrance of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, strapped his 60lbs of gear on his back and by foot ran through the tunnel to the Twin Towers where he ultimately lost his life.
"Started by his brother Frank, T2T helps support our nations heroes and their families by paying off mortgages and/or providing mortgage-free homes for families of fallen first responders, especially those with young children.
"More recently, T2T has expanded its work and is building smart homes for injured veterans and first responders. They have begun buying properties across the country to build “Veterans Villages” where they will house homeless veterans and provide supportive services to get these heroes back on their feet. Villages are currently being built across the country in places like Atlanta, GA, Bradenton, FL, Memphis, TN, Harrisburg, PA, Detroit, MI, and Las Vegas, NV, just to name a few. "
Maclin, a former Marine, filmed a commercial back in October, professing his support of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
.@SteveMaclin joins the @Tunnel2Towers Foundation in their mission to do good.
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) May 4, 2025
Maclin shares his 9/11 story, what led him to enlist in the Marines and how that service continues to impact his life today.
WATCH: https://t.co/MEMFZcSPsl
