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Just before the first edition of Impact Wrestling in 2018, Johnny Impact (former WWE superstar John Morrison) and the Impact Global Champion Eli Drake took part in a teleconference with international media.
During the teleconference, both superstars talked about the company going into 2018 as well their return to Orlando for the next set of Impact tapings on January 10th through the 15th.
Eli Drake became a world champion for the very first time when he won the 20-man Gauntlet for the Gold match by pinning Eddie Edwards in August. Johnny Impact made his debut with the company in that same Gauntlet for the Gold match but only made it to the final three when Drake eliminated him.
The host of the teleconference asked the champion, Eli Drake, his thoughts on returning to Orlando for the next set of tapings. Drake stated that the return to Orlando is about cementing his legacy as being the greatest Impact Global Champion of all time. He's going to continue to win, continue to grow, and continue to get bigger than he's ever been.
My first question was directed to the champ. I first congratulated him on becoming the Impact Global Champion in 2017. Looking forward to 2018, I mentioned that we know that Chris Adonis is a trusted ally, but is he looking to make Jimmy Jacobs a trusted ally like we saw in the final episode of Impact Wrestling in 2017:
Well, you know it’s funny. People online talk about the Global Champion, they talk about the world champion, it’s one in the same. It’s all same thing, right? Hell, If you believe in dumb stuff, you could call me the Flat Earth Champion as well if you like. Here’s what it comes down to, Chris Adonis is there.
He went on to say the following:
That’s my boy, he’s there ALL the time. He’s making sure things work just right, and guess what, I’m making sure things work just right for him as well. Now Jimmy Jacobs, where does he fit in? You’re talking about a one-time business deal. Is the opportunity to do further business in the future? Maybe, but for right now it is what it is.
My next question was directed towards Johnny Impact. I mentioned how unfortunate it was that Taya Valkyrie couldn't compete in the Ottawa tapings (due to visa issues), and I asked Johnny how excited is she to get back in the action with Impact Wrestling to start the new year?
Before Johnny could answer, Eli jokingly interrupts and said, "She tells me she's very excited, oh wait, that's not for me? Never mind." A clear attempt by Drake to make Johnny Impact jealous!
After Eli's interruption, Johnny would continue:
She’s unbelievably excited. She was super bummed with the shenanigans that came up that prevented her from leaving the country to go to Ottawa. She’s ready to bring the pain for the Orlando tapings. All the Knockouts in the division, get your boxing headgear on because Taya’s coming with a vengeance. The Performance Center is the place that does the boxing headgear doesn’t it? Oops!
My next question was for Johnny Impact, and I mentioned that he had an underground movement, so to speak, elsewhere (the Worldwide Underground in Lucha Underground) to help get him to the top. I asked Johnny if he was planning to put together a similar faction in Impact Wrestling this year or if he is going to try to get to the top alone?
Looking at different companies, as completely different places with different strategies. Thus far, I’ve been really excited to be Johnny Impact and doing everything on my own without help from anybody. That is one of things I’ve enjoyed the most about Impact is a clean slate, clean character, clean history. Sometimes I think the best strategy in wrestling is to figure it out on the fly, as the vets say call it on the fly. But I’m really enjoying being on my own.
I followed up by mentioning that his compadre on the phone, Eli Drake, does have a little someone in his corner. It wouldn't hurt to have a couple of friends, right?
Of course it would help, but negates what I just said. A lot of the strategy and thinking changes when you introduce another person into the equation. Like I said, I’m calling it on the fly, if I’m walking out to the ring and all of a sudden Eli has got Tom, Dick, Harry, and Chris Adonis, sure I might need to bring some backup, but for now I’ve got the situation handled.
My final question of the session was directed at Eli Drake, and I asked him if we could expect a return of The Fact Of Life in 2018?
Ah man, I haven’t done one of those in over a year. You never know, that’s all I can tell you. There is going to be a lot of New Year’s shenanigans I’m sure. There were a lot of New Year’s shenanigans in my own home. Sure, some of that might carry over to Impact. Will it come out in a Fact Of Life, you never know, but keep your eyes open.
I mentioned that a lot of us are missing the segment, and Drake confirmed that a people are always telling him on Twitter and Instagram that they are wanting it to return.
Johnny Impact would then interrupt with his own wish, that they would remake the television series The Facts Of Life, but cast Eli Drake, Chris Adonis, Jimmy Jacobs, and a couple Knockouts.
Eli simply responded with, "if you've got the money, I've got the time!"
The session then closed out with final thoughts from Johnny and Eli heading into 2018. Johnny would say the following:
It’s been real talking to you guys. Looking forward to Impact 18. Soon as I hang up this phone I’m going to hop on the cardio machine, then head over to the gym and work on some of that parkour as they say in France, and think of new and interesting ways to take Eli Drake to Slamtown as well as the rest of the Impact roster.
Eli would then give his final thoughts in a long promo. He mentioned in about 30 minutes he'll hop in his Corvette and drive down to a beach in Santa Monica. Waiting at the beach is a beautiful young woman who is going to give him a massage right there.
He mentions how the beautiful women of California breathe life into him, how they make him younger, like Benjamin Button. He thinks he's 23 again. He would close with:
Let’s look at it this way, when I come in to Orlando, I already said it before, I’m coming in Impact Wrestling Champion, when I leave Orlando, I’m leaving again Impact Wrestling Champion. Guess what, everywhere I go I’m going to hear it, you’re gonna hear it, everybody saying E-LI DRAKE E-LI DRAKE, its’ everywhere you go, you can’t get away from it.
This is how Eli Drake brought the curtain down on the conversation...
And guess what you’re going to see the t-shirts everywhere, and by the way get those t-shirts at Shop Impact, prowrestlingtees.com/elidrake, wherever you want them you got em because you got one guy who’s the global champion, and it ain’t anybody else but Eli Drake, and that’s not an insult, it’s a fact of life, YEAH!
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