Eric Young is a TNA legend and a veteran of the pro wrestling business. During a 20-minute interview with Brass Ring Media founder Zack Heydorn, Young opened up on a variety of pro wrestling topics including the differences between TNA now and when he started with the company, Triple H, the TNA partnership with WWE, Matt & Jeff Hardy, and more.
Zack Heydorn: So, talk about that a little bit about how you're a veteran of the of the wrestling business in general, have had quite the run in in TNA recently, kind of getting back into the fold with the company not all that long ago. How does the company today differ from when you started out there?
Eric Young: I mean, they're, in a way, that's a similar vibe. But, I mean, when it first started, it was just like this thing that nobody thought would survive. Me included. You know, they were doing these weekly pay per views, and that seemed unsustainable, and they're hiring all these people making all this money, like there’s just no way that can last forever. And then I start working there full-time and just, you know, hoping that it was going to last. And like,it's been my home. It's been the place I've spent my most time in my wrestling career and I've had really, really unbelievable times here. I've had bad times here. I've worked under 10 or 11 different regimes, including the new one. But, it is home. And it's not like I'm addicted to being the underdog, like nobody wants to be the underdog forever. But what comes with that is this kind of like different energy, this camaraderie, and I say it still to this day that the locker room is a very tight group of people. Look, we're all independent contractors and we all have to look out for ourselves, because nobody else is going to do it. But in the end it does feel like a very joined group of a joint effort to put out the best product possible. And right now, I mean for your money, if you're a pro wrestling fan, this is a pro wrestling show written by pros and fans. And the minute it is not, I'll quit or I'll go somewhere else. I'm very proud to be part of it.
Zack Heydorn: Do you think that TNA has found its place in the new pro wrestling landscape with AEW and WWE and all these other places. Being somebody that has been a part of TNA for so long, like you said, do you think it's found its place in that world?
Eric Young: Yeah. I mean, I think it's definitely found its place. I think the other part of that is Impact as a television show has been on network television for 20 years. It's an insane accomplishment. And we have never been the big dog on the block. Like we don't work at the Staples Center or the Air Canada Center – we're not filling up places like that. But, I can say that very seldom do we leave a building where someone feels taken advantage of, or someone feels like they didn't get their money's worth. Right now in the last year or two there really does feel like there's this really positive momentum, especially after the switch back to TNA wrestling, which was something I was kind of scared of. I was here when it was Impact, when it was TNA, and there's this weird kind of dark cloud around it, and it didn't matter how good we were or how good the matches were, or how well the stories were written, people just weren't impressed. It was that we were the Nickelback of pro wrestling. I like Nickelback. And I think if people listen, they're just trying to write fun rock and roll music. At one point in time, it was cliche to hate them and say that to anybody that would listen. And I think TNA was that at one point. And when it came back, like I can say coming through the crowd when they're playing that (return) video, and Frankie Kazarian is coming out of the pond, and I'm riding my motorcycle, and, you know, it's like this really kind of like, this core group of people that had been here or were champions at the time. I don't know if I've experienced anything like that ever, and I've wrestled in front of 20,000 people.
Zack Heydorn: Do you think you know a streaming platform for TNA is a good model for the company and for the promotion moving forward, both to take advantage of the past and the future, because you mentioned 20 years on television – there's a major back catalog there of stuff available.
Eric Young: A lifetime (of stuff), yeah. Literally, a lifetime. You could watch it every day and never get through it all and it just keeps adding and multiplying. Obviously, you know, being a person in the entertainment industry, I think anybody that's in network television understands that network television is dying. You know, it's not gone yet. It's still the big boy, but it's going the way the dodo bird and streaming apps are the future. As soon as Netflix starts playing for things like this and $300 million budgets for movies, it seems like 14 people are going to watch like they're changing the way it's done. TV is mutating into that. The faster that we can get to that point, the better.
Zack Heydorn: You're probably the best person to ask this to because you spent time in WWE, you spent time in NXT, and you know that system. There is this partnership with TNA and WWE/NXT. What are the benefits in your eyes, having been in both systems? Why can this relationship be fruitful for you and other talents in TNA?
Eric Young: I mean the biggest thing is Hunter is a genius. It's the reason the WWE is as good as it is right now is because of him. And it starts with him and ends with him. It’s obviously not one person. There's a million super talented people pulling the rope, just like there is at AEW, just like there is in TNA, but the partnership, you know, it's the tip of the iceberg right now, and there's no telling where it could end up. I got ideas that I'd like to see happen and wrestling fans are talking about it. And the truth is, the forbidden door, or the portal, or whatever you want to call it today, it's a real thing, and the WWE has never been in that position. They've always been in a position to do it because they're the big dog, and they have all the cards. They can do whatever they want and it's not going to hurt their business, but they just have never done it. I think you know why, and I know why, and I think an average wrestling fan understands why that never was a thing, but it's a completely different regime run by completely different people that get that it's only good for pro wrestling, and in turn, good for the WWE. (The partnership) is advantageous and what you're doing is you're growing your audience and it's costing you nothing. It's getting free advertising on another person's show. People that WWE obviously want to keep, they still want to keep them busy. Them coming over and vice versa, people going up there and getting a taste of that machine and understanding how that machine works, and getting exposure from the WWE and the social media, it's just advantageous for everybody. And the fact that it's taken this long to happen is criminal and stupid, is the truth.
Zack Heydorn: Recently, we saw the return of Jeff Hardy to TNA. The Hardys are going to be on tour with you guys for your summer events. What does it mean to have the Hardys back in the fold?
Eric Young: It's a huge feather in TNA’s cap. A huge feather in the locker room’s cap and pro wrestling fan’s cap. The Hardys are combined and singularly, two of the most popular performers in the last 20 years or 30 years. If you've ever been to a WrestleCon, or any of those things, it doesn't matter who else is there, The Hardy's line is the longest period the end. Having those guys return to the company by choice is spectacular, because what it's showing the rest of the wrestlers in the world is that this is a valid choice. It's an option. There's not just two places. There's three. And you can make a good living here and you can be part of something that you can be proud of. They're doing it because they love pro wrestling and they're excited to be where they are. They chose that. That wasn't something they were forced or coerced or part of some weird, elaborate deal that they chose to come here. They chose it because there's people here that they know and trust. I think me being one of them and other guys saying it's a fun place, that it's a good place to work, and it's a great environment.
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