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Anyone who's followed the story of Impact Wrestling will be familiar with Scott D'Amore. From an on-screen manager to a key backstage figure, he's donned many hats for Impact Wrestling.
In December 2017, we found out that D'Amore and Don Callis (also the colour commentator for NJPW) would be co-executive Vice Presidents, going forward. Mr D'Amore graced us with an interview and spoke at length about his future plans!
Q. I've interviewed you in various capacities, over the last few months. Did you imagine you'd be the Executive Vice President of Impact Wrestling at this point?
A.: (Laughs) No, I mean it certainly wasn't something that was expected. It's something that I'm excited about. I'm honoured to have been asked and chosen and I think we're assembling a great team that can continue the growth of Impact Wrestling in 2018.
Q. You've worked under many Impact Wrestling regimes. How will the Callis-D'Amore era be different?
A.: One of the things that you've already seen and you're going to see more of is an open collaboration with talent. In wrestling, you see talents being told that we own the rights to your name and all your Intellectual Property. One of the things we want to do is approach this as an open-door, talent-friendly company.
We're working for the betterment of Impact Wrestling but each individual talent has their own sub-brand, whether it's Fantasma, or Bobby Lashley, or Eddie Edwards or Moose. They all have their own brands that they want to build up and we want to be partners in a relationship that helps both sides.
One of the revolutionary things that we've done in the wrestling business is we're telling talent that when your relationship ends with us, you're going to be able to take all of those creations created while you were with us, and you're going to get to continue to use it.
This is so drastically different from what has usually happened in wrestling and we think one, that'll make a more excited and engaged talent roster and we also think it'll allow the talent to fully commit, develop and become these characters.
Q. This is a commendable step, but in light of all the departures from Impact Wrestling, do you think it'll help in retaining talent, going forward?
A.: Absolutely. The response we've been getting from talent and from fans has been overwhelmingly positive. It's going to create an environment that talent want to be part of. It's an important part of the culture that we want to build.
We want to be a place and a culture where fans know when they tune in, when they show up and buy a ticket, they're going to be supporting a strong product with passionate people who're going to be putting out great, creative, entertaining programming.
Q. When you'd come to India, you'd come under the Jeff Jarrett regime, so to speak. Do you have an update on Jeff Jarrett and how he's doing right now?
A.: I think it's important that we all respect the privacy of Jeff and the Jarrett family. There are so many people in the industry who owe a debt of gratitude for Jeff for starting this company and everything that he's done. I think there's support for him to get where he needs to be in life, and I wish him the best with that.
Q. Fair enough. One of the buzzwords of the Jarrett regime, however, was 'Make Impact Great Again'. Do you think that was achieved with the previous rule, or do you think you have to begin everything from scratch again?
A.: It's an interesting statement to make- 'Make Impact Great Again'. I know it was the slogan throughout the year under the previous regime. Our approach is going to be we're starting here and we're in a position where we have a solid company and a worldwide base.
We're just going to make the smartest, the most intelligent and calculated decisions we can to help the company continue to grow. Sometimes when you make statements like 'Make Impact Great Again', it sends a connotation all of a sudden everything's going to change in one day, in one week, in one month.
That's not how it works in entertainment, or sports or business. It's going to be a lot of smaller decisions that are going to add up to helping this company grow and explode, on a global level. We all want Impact Wrestling to be the absolute best it can be. We all want Impact Wrestling to be great, but we're not going to be out there making grand statements.
We're going to work very hard with a dedicated group of people, both talent-wise and officewise, to run and develop this company to be as successful as it can possibly be.
Q. There's been a lot of speculation about a possible tie-up with NJPW, with Don Callis coming on board. Do you think something like that could be on the cards?
A.: Certainly. NJPW is an amazing company. They have one of the best talent rosters in the history of wrestling. They're a great company that's been doing good business. Don has been working there and that's what brought him back to the wrestling business. He's going to continue to provide commentary services for them.
I've had a long-standing and good relationship with New Japan like I have with many other companies not just in Japan but around the world. We feel that in the wrestling industry right now, we're at an amazing time where there's so many good companies out there and so many great alternatives for fans to watch amazing products.
Our belief is, there's no reason for companies, as we've seen historically, to fight each other or feud with each other, or not get along. Even if we're not going to be directly working together and running shows together, if your initials are not WWE, there's no reason for there to be any animosity with any other wrestling company out there.
Our belief is that everyone in the wrestling industry should have an open mind toward other people. There's such a great array of different products out there and any collaboration is only a win for the wrestling industry and certainly, for wrestling fans.
Q. Are there talents in the current roster you see as long-term prospects from a homegrown perspective?
A.: I think we have a great roster with a mix of guys who have been around and guys who haven't had that exposure yet. Trevor Lee is an amazing talent. I don't want to pigeonhole him by saying he's an amazing X-Division talent, although that's how he competes now because he has the talent to transcend every division in our company.
Guys like him, guys like Dezmond Xavier, LAX, Ortiz and Santana, what you've seen with oVe. There's a lot of talent that hasn't had national or international exposure. We can take those talents and showcase them to a worldwide stage.
Q. What was the concept behind Global Forged? What plans do you have for Hakim Zane, the winner?
A.: The world that we live in is so much more than broadcast television. When you look at how viewers and fans consume content, it's no longer turning on the TV in your living room. So many people now consume content on their tablets, their phones and their computers that you have to start diversifying what you offer.
There's so much great undiscovered, raw wrestling talent right now that we wanted to go out there and put our own little spin on a concept you've seen in the past where you give hungry young talent a chance to compete for the opportunity. Hakim Zane came in from day 1 and we had over 40 people vying for that spot, through the digital show, Global Forged.
He went out there and showed his skill level with Ishimori who's an amazing talent for Pro Wrestling Noah. We look forward to him joining the Impact Wrestling roster on a full-time basis and look forward to him developing and showing, if you really have the skill set, you could be one of the very best in the industry.
Q. Why was there no Hall of Fame Ceremony at Bound for Glory this year?
A.: It was one of those things with so much upheaval and so many changes going on at that time, we felt that we couldn't give the time and attention to putting together a Hall of Fame Ceremony. If we were not going to do it right, we wanted to not do it this year. Because when we do a Hall of Fame we want to give it the attention and respect it deserves.
We just felt that if we rushed and did it with all the changes that happened in September, and have it ready for our Bound for Glory weekend, we wouldn't do true justice that is needed when you have a Hall of Fame ceremony.
Q. We also saw Santino Marella or Antony Carelli in the crowd at Bound for Glory. Was that a one-off appearance or does he have a bigger role in Impact Wrestling?
A.: He's a friend and supporter of Impact Wrestling. He's actually a friend and supporter of all wrestling. He has his own training centre which is world class called Battle Arts Academy where he trains professional wrestlers, MMA fighters, boxers and kickboxers. He's an individual who's very passionate about our industry and our sport.
We thought it was amazing to have a guy of his calibre, who has the notoriety he has, show up, sit in the crowd and basically say - 'Hey guys I'm here. I love it. I'm a supporter of wrestling.' Would we be excited to, sometime in the future, work with Anthony in some kind of role with Impact Wrestling? Absolutely.
We've all seen what an amazing, entertaining talent he can be. He's one of the funniest talents that's ever been in this industry. He has a great wrestling mind. As we grow and nurture the culture with Impact Wrestling in 2018, we'd love to welcome Anthony into the fold when the time's right from both sides.
Q. When you look at Bobby Roode and your long association with him, how do you feel about all his success outside of Impact Wrestling?
A.: Bobby Roode is a guy I met very early in his career and he was such a raw talent that wasn't getting the opportunity he deserved. We brought him in to Border City Wrestling and put him on our television show. He was such a great part of what we were doing. We had Rhyno, and Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley and Petey Williams and Bobby Roode.
He was so special to us as being a launching platform. What Bobby has done moving on, first with our company through his history with Impact Wrestling...obviously he's been one of the best talents and greatest characters in the history of this company.
Anyone who questions his ability to move over to NXT or WWE or anywhere else and succeed at the very highest level wasn't paying attention to him because every time he's been given an opportunity he's excelled with it. That's exactly what he's doing there. I'm just honoured and humbled to play a role in the career of a guy that's not just a great talent but such a good human being and class act. I'm honoured to be part of his journey.
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