10 Questions With TNA World Champion Drew Galloway
8. Putting Impact Back “On The Damn Map”
On the March 22, 2016 Impact, one week in television time after you had captured the TNA World heavyweight title from Matt Hardy, you said, in a speech full of vigour: “I want everybody to look at Impact different. I want everyone to look at this title differently. To paraphrase JFK, don’t ask what the title can do for you; ask what you can do for the title. I’m gonna be a fighting champion. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to put TNA on the damn map again.” What can TNA do to put itself back “on the damn map”?
“I think what we’ve been doing, to be honest. Just keep putting out a quality show. I’ve watched [Impact], and I’ve seen a difference. I can say that were parts of the show that weren’t so strong when it was on Destination America. Now, everyone’s working for the show, and doing their best to help in any way they can.
“I can see what’s happening, similar to in WWE when I won the IC title and Sheamus won the World title [at TLC on December 13, 2009]. Just like when Vince [McMahon] realised he had to start pushing some younger guys and making new talent, we realised that we had to make new talent because a lot of guys were going. We’ve been trying that, and I believe now that everyone has found their character and there are no weak areas of the show.
“I think it’s word of mouth, to be honest: people giving it a shot and hitting the reset button. I remember when I got there [in January 2015], people were burying the show to me. Now, when I’m travelling around, I speak to many of the same fans and they’re telling me, ‘I’m really enjoying the show. I enjoy this part and this part and this part.’ When I first went to [TNA], it was not that reaction at all. They were, like, ‘Why did you go there?’
“For me, my goal is, because I’m fortunate enough to be so busy and that I do travel probably more than any [other wrestler] in the world, and I do get the opportunity to go to all these countries and be the main guy in all these companies . . . Everyone’s been giving me the ball, and I’ve been trying my best to score every time. With that, I wanted to take the [TNA] title around. When people set eyes on me, I guess, [my thinking] is that if they enjoy my work, then they’ll check out [Impact] and they’ll see everybody else’s work. As champion, it’s my responsibility to make a difference.”