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It's something that you were, I mean, expecting isn't really the word, but you know, obviously excited for, and what was the reaction when you found out, sold out 4,000 plus Montreal SLAM aversary? It just means we're doing the right thing. TNA is moving on the right direction. The momentum is there. Obviously the relationship with now with NXT, and TNA is maybe boosting that, but I think we were kind of on that ride, and it just kind of added it to the wave, just let more people hop on, and people are getting more eyes on what TNA is, and what it's been doing for the past three years and said, "I've been here." So it's just an upward, just more on this rise, and it's so cool right now to be a part of something like this, because I got to be a part of the beginning of NXT when I first got there in NXT with black and gold, was getting that rush, and it's kind of the same vibe here now with TNA, where here we are getting into this new generation of this rebirth of what TNA is and getting more eyes on the product, and now with the TNA+ app, getting more people to watch that, so please subscribe to the TNA+ app, and you get to watch everything, especially SLAM aversary, which hopefully you watched after we have this interview, because it's going out what, one, two weeks after it maybe? Probably, maybe it'll be after the show, so, you know, listen, last time you and I spoke in person, we did your contract re-signing interview with myself and Jeremy and Sean, that was a heck of a conversation for us, but last time you and I sat down was in Vegas at Hard to Kill, all the way back in January, things had just changed in the landscape of TNA, did it, the TNA rebrand had come back, you were on the pre-show, you and I talked about being on the pre-show, here we are six months later, you are now seven months even, now you're in the main event, and it's a big main event, and it is a six-man elimination match, it's a long match, but talk to me about getting, you know, starting from the pre-show everywhere that we've gone to from there, and just that feeling of, you know, the upward trajectory. Wrestling is not a sprint, it's a marathon. That's the best advice I can give to anybody that's getting into wrestling, or even as a fan watching, you have to just play the long game and watch how things unfold, things are always ever changing behind the scenes, you never know what's going to happen on the political side of things, on the business side of it, and then on the wrestling side, I can only control what I can, I'm going to go out there and do my part by going out there and performing the best of my abilities, and I think I've done that since my time here in TNA, being a former World Champion and now competing at Slammerversary, for the World Title and a six-man match with five of the best competitors that TNA possibly has to offer, and it just shows the testament to what I have in myself and believability, and you just take the opportunities that come with you. So if you want to say six to seven months, I went from a pre-show to here, and like I told you then, for hard to kill, to be the pre-show and the rebirth of TNA, to be the first person to set the tone, and here I am at Slammerversary, to just to testament to my work, and also to testament to the opportunity and the trust that the company has in me. A lot of this roll-through for the last six months have involved you and Mike Santana and of course, you know, we've talked about your work with Mike, and Mike has talked about working with you. One thing you and I didn't get a chance to talk about was the tag team match, and how different of a role you had to play as a character going into that match and coming out of it. Because I think people can figure out that once in a while you and I will exchange a message, and I said during one of your matches, I said, I can't get used to you working pseudo babyface, and you said not a babyface. It's a gray area right now, so it's whatever you perceive me to be, and I'm going to act the way I want to act and be the way I want to be perceived, and if you see me as a baby everything in my best ability. And for me and Mike, for that to be a one-off, it stinks that it was a one-off because it worked very well, and I thought we gelled very well, and we have good chemistry, whether we're working together or even against each other, so hopefully we get back to that down the road, but it's been pretty cool to kind of tread those waters a little bit. After the match, you two had that moment. You had a big smile on your face. Of course, you guys have won the match, you beat the rascals, and then the crowd was chanting for you to hug, and you had a big smile, and it felt like it was genuine. You would really enjoy the match, and then you gave them the big hug, and that was very uncharacteristic of you. What was kind of your rationale just kind of do? Was it just, I'm going to act in the moment, or was it-- Respect. Respect for Mike. With everything we did, even though the immerse coming out for hard to kill, and then just everything leading up to that tag match, I think we're very similar, both of us. And for how we've gone through this business, and we obviously have our different stories, but for where we are and where we want to make a name for ourselves as individuals from being in a tag team for so long, and now we're stepping into the light on our own, and trying to be a single star, I think it's the respect factor. No matter what, if we go one-on-one, we're going to fight, and that's what it's going to come down to. We know what the goal is, and that's to be the world champion. You want to be the best, you've got to work through and fight the best, and I think Mike's one of the best that TNA has to offer, even in the wrestling industry in general, he's one of the best competitors out there, and especially for me, that was a lot of fun. So to have that moment, and for the crowd in Chicago to just kind of-- I don't know, it was cool to just feel the crowd for once, too, like that way, and just the energy, especially setting the tone that night, we opened up the night. So it was a good moment, and it just more or less respect towards him, and for what he's accomplished, and what we even did that night. With the mention of the Rascals and the match and everything, that's another team that's now reformed as a trio through the TNA and NXT partnership. You and I have mentioned it, you know, is there a place for Steve Maclin in the NXT universe? If that happens, it happens. Maybe that Cutler guy that's there, we can wrestle there one day. He's still around? I don't know. Maybe. He's stuck there in the PC somewhere. Been there for years. But no, if that relationship happens, that would be great. My focus is always on TNA. Like, for a slim adversary, and then whenever this does come out, to have the gate we had and to just keep that moment of going within TNA. And I try to keep my focus on TNA, and if that relationship with NXT happens for myself to go over there and cross over there, that'd be awesome. But my focus is on TNA and TNA alone, making this brand as best as possible. So if I ask you the question that everyone else asks, every single TNA or NXT star, who do you want to face cross-brand, have you thought about that? Well, obviously it'd be somebody that wasn't TNA, whether it's AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley. Those were probably... You're going out. Yeah. I don't deal with NXT. I had my time with NXT, like nothing against talent there, but I would go up towards main Raw and SmackDown just because that's where I feel my level is. And that's the level I think I can compete at as well. I've been there. Things obviously didn't work out the first time, but it's obviously working out here in TNA. So if they wanted to cross that line, that I would gladly appreciate that. This is cool moment you were just talking about, you know, seed cutler is still stuck at the PC. That brings me to the idea of training and the idea of coaching. And while you have quite a ways until maybe you wrap up your in-ring career is coaching something that you've thought about or something that you'd like to do somewhere down the line. Maybe. I don't know. You would have to get every bit of wrestling that I want out of me gone as a competitor, just because then you have to be able to shut that off and be a coach. And you can't sit there and tell somebody how to wrestle the way I would wrestle because you have to be your own individual self, you have to be your own character, and you have to find yourself. And then that would have to have me be able to shut off my competitive edge, my creativity of what I would want to do and have to just project it towards you and see what you would want to do and help you the best I can in my abilities, if that makes sense. Yeah. That doesn't make sense. It's always something that I think about when it comes to any wrestler who's like, if you're doing seminars, or if you're doing any kind of behind the scenes training, are you looking to impart that knowledge down the road? Or is there something else that you plan to do post? And even when I do seminars and stuff on the indies, I have fun with that, but it's also very hard for me because I have a certain way that I like things I love, basic fundamentals. And if that to me is the foundation of anything in pro wrestling, anything in life, whatever career you are in any foundation that you have, the fundamentals, that's what the building block that you start with. And that's how you have to go. Same with you with interviewing. I'm sure you have your certain questions, you have your set up, you have your microphones that like you have your way of doing things. Same thing in wrestling. I like to properly just safely feed and know how to get from place to place with organically instead of just putting like, if that makes any sense. Yeah, it does. I can imagine you versus let's say a speedball in your style of educating or coaching. I can assume it's very different, but also similar in the aspects of the fundamentals like you're saying. But of course, speedball's way of wrestling is going to be different from your style. Yes. And he has different fundamentals. And he's another one that I love to like work with just because it's fun behind the scenes with Mike is I have my ways of how I learned TV wrestling with WWE. And we've had a few matches in the indies where like, why did you come this way? Why did you have walls work in the house? He's like, Oh, you don't have to move. I'm like, no, no, no, I'm working the entire perimeter so I can work the crowd, work the hard camp. I'm never going to shut that off myself. And that's where the creative like as competitors and even just as coworkers, like that's the fun part of wrestling where we learn from each other. And like I can get into his mind and he can get in my mind and we both take away from each other. And that's how we learn to make each other better. Is there anyone on the roster that you kind of learned from the most? And I don't mean that as a slight to anyone in particular on the roster, but like that somebody speak to the most that's like, you know, you go to it for advice or you really pick their brain and you're like, Oh, that really resonates with me. Frankie, EY, Josh Alexander, and then even my producers where they steal in Lance Storm. Those are those are guys I kind of go to where if I have an idea, I just like I run it by them. Hey guys, I'm here to tell you about eBay Auto. eBay Motors is the leading online platform for automotive dealers to get their inventory in front of over seven million ready to buy shoppers who are buying cars and trucks on eBay Motors every three minutes every single day. They make it easy to find parts for cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles and more. 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Hey, what do you think of this and they'll tweak it a little bit and it's just always having a third party where if you and I are having a match, we have a producer there and even when it was a referee sometimes too with Ref Eddie Rengo and WWE, we'd have tag matches and I would love it because I'm like, "Hey Eddie, what do you think of this?" Like, "Oh, you're kind of doing this, maybe you just eliminate this part and it'll just simplify it." I'm like, "Oh, okay." It just, it dubs it down and helps you just make it simpler and to keep it simple, stupid method is very true to pro wrestling and it just resonates towards fans where you can sit there and you're like, "Oh, okay." Where you don't want to bury a referee or you don't want to bury us, you just don't want to ruin a spot and I love to just try to make things simpler and that's kind of how I try to work and navigate with producers and other talent as well when I go to them for advice. On the flip side of things, are people starting to come to you more for advice because you are now a tenured member of the TNA roster and someone who works the NVs and is out there. There's times people are like, "Hey, did you get the chance to see my match?" Like, "Yeah, I'll be like this, this little things because I'm always kind of, if I'm not wrestling or if I'm always at the monitor, I'm trying to watch the show or I'm trying to peek through the curtain and watch live." Just because I like to see how everybody's reacting to certain different things or what's getting over and what can I do with that talent when I have a match with them. So it's kind of nice to have people come to me for advice but at the same time, I still don't feel like it's my place to give advice. I'll always be that way. I'm like, "I haven't been doing this that long." So I just, I always feel that way where I'm just like, "It's not my place. I'm not Rick Flair or Ricky Steamboat or I'm not a coach at the PC." You know what I mean? I haven't done it forever so just, but I don't know, I think I try to give sound advice. Okay. I think that's fair because if you see yourself as someone who can do it but not someone who has to do it. Yes. Yeah. Listen, this is a little out of left field, but he's in the match tonight, slam aversary. You and Joe Hendry want to do a, you want to do a duet with him or? No. No. I don't care about Spotify, I care about what happens in the ring. He cares more about the Spotify and the ratings that he gets on his views and YouTube. I'm more about the pro wrestling side of things and taking care of his. It's great. Working for him. No, it's great for him but it's going to die down eventually. Okay. I mean, let's talk about his rise for a second. So, again, we're not trying to bury Joe Hendry. No, we're not. But if you believe in him, good for you by all means, there seems to be a lot of people I'm waking up to texts and I'm waking up to DM saying, you know, do you believe in Joe Hendry? And I'm saying like, I believe in Joel Pearl, but I appreciate Joe Hendry. His rise has been meteoric in a lot of ways and what do you, I want your opinion because there is the entertainment side, but I've also seen a change in his wrestling style. And that's, and I go to you for some of that stuff because I find you're a good resource for the difference in someone's style when they start to rise up the card or anything like that. What have you seen that's been different in Joe that has brought him to the point where now he's in the main event at a pay-per-view, like, slam-a-versary? I think he's embracing it, which is great. He's believing in himself as much as people are believing in him. He's believing in himself more and more that he's getting out there and getting the reps. He's someone that I eventually hopefully get a one-on-one with because I think that'd be a great program as well. I'd get a lot out of him and he would get a lot out of me on the flip side of things for just making each other better. For the entertainment side, he is what pro wrestling kind of really is, is entertainment. It's the entertainment side of things, but I'm very happy for him and his success, but obviously with, never this airs, with slam-a-versary, hopefully he's not the world champion and I am. Granted, I have five other competitors that I'm facing, including Moose and the system being out there, possibly, Josh Alexander, Frankie, and Nick Nemeth. He got my number a few months back, so he's another one that I'm looking forward to hopefully getting in the ring again with one-on-one. Yeah, you're acutely wrapped around everyone in this match and something. Yeah, and I think Joe Hendry and I, and Josh Alexander, the only ones that have beaten Moose. Yeah, and I've beaten Moose twice. Yeah, that's true. And I know that you've teamed with Moose and beat Joe Hendry. Yes. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. And Josh Alexander. That's right. We're one-on-one now, Josh and I. Yeah, there were two, there was a tag match and a six-man tag where you beat Hendry but you didn't do it because again, six months ago, we had a good conversation about we're big wife guys here. We were talking about your wife, Gianna Prazo and she had just made the jump to AEW and she had also had her first match the same night as hard to kill. We're doing it again tonight. It's kind of funny. It's her first lumberjack match in AEW as of the time of this recording. It's her. It was a lumberjill. Is it a lumber? I don't know. What's the PC way of saying it now? I think that- Let's go lumberjack. Yeah. I think the WWE-ified way was to go lumberjill because they wanted to make it sound like it was only the women. But I don't know who's around the ring. And call lumberjack. There's some pretty jacked girls there. That's right. That's true. So let's talk about the different six months later in maintaining that relationship. I know you two have been on the road. You're no strangers to being a part. But you know, things have changed a little bit in the last six months. Her work in AEW has been fantastic. It's been very strong in your work. Obviously, we've talked about it. It's good. But let's deconstruct the relationship. Mine is good or hers is good. Yes. But let's talk about just the differences that you've seen. And also, this is my follow-up will be the big question. But let's talk about Diana and her time in AEW and what you've seen and what you've been able to experience being a part of it all. It's fun to see the journey of how she has to now re-establish herself. For how much she accomplished when she was with TNA and Impact. For being a multi-champion, tag team champion. And just for her to go from that high and then make her debut. And then now she has to work again. And I love seeing her work just because when my wife's driven, she's. Get the fuck out of her way. You really need to because she doesn't take no for an answer. If she wants something, she's going to go and get it. And it's the best thing to see even with her just vignettes that she just shot. We got to do that together. And it's fun to help kind of like produce behind the scenes with her. And like, oh, maybe do this. And we're getting the candles set up. I'm like, nope, get this in there because we're doing the camera angles. We had two different shots. I know. Get it like this. And then if you want to see if I made my AEW debut and that vignette, I kind of did with my hand on the one. My hand made a debut. But there before that you were behind the scenes and you were helping out with that. All right. There you go. There's your scoop here. If you want to select, that'll be like the one thing. Steve Macklin makes AEW debut. No, no, I did not make my AEW debut, please. But no, it was just really cool to just see her vision and try to help her just kind of get that across and what she wanted. And then she shot herself and brought it to work. And then they put it on television for her. So like, that's just the testament to her hard work and her vision and what she sees and where she wants to go. And for the story with her and Thunder now, I know it's kind of been a little bit stop and go, but they're getting the momentum, I think. And I think the girls there, especially, are fighting more and more now to get television time and they're killing it. Tony and Mariah, that story alone, I told Dee when that dynamite ended, I was like, that was freaking beautiful. The shot was great now, just that's just good television. But for her and Thunder now, and just her sinking her teeth into a story, it's just fun to see. And she's just, my wife just wants to kick ass. She wants to be the best and she is. And she's getting there, it's just, you're re-establishing with a new crowd and people are getting to understand you. And obviously, at the beginning, she was a babyface, which was very confusing because my wife is not a babyface. She's not, well, she's a good person, but not a good person. That makes sense. But it's your character. It's a question. Yes. She is very much a mob wife, and it's the best thing in the world and I love it. She's really honing into her jersey and Italian background, so it's just fun to see. And I just, I'm proud of her every time. She started borrowing a few moves from the Steve Mackling cow lot. Yes. What happened there? Because I'm not expecting that. That made me laugh. It made me think back to when Sean Michaels was wrestling, Leaf Cassidy, back of the day, and Brett was on commentary, and then Brett's like, "He's doing my moves." And then I'm sitting there on the couch, and I'm texting Blake, and I'm like, "My wife's doing my moves. I'm dynamite, this bitch." But no, she did it to pop me, and it really got me. I'm like, "Hell yeah." I'm like, "Use it. Just use it." I was like, "It's awesome." She's getting her over. That means if I have one day go there, and I do it, people are like, "Well, I don't know. They might have to think I'm stealing from my wife." But it's just pretty cool to just see. That means you're going to start using the armbar? Maybe. Okay. I want to see you lock into Venus de Milo tonight. I don't know if many guys, I don't think shoulders can get that way unless I'm just ripping it out of the socket. We could try. This smallest guy in the match, not the smallest, but you know what I mean. Most limber, I would say, is Nemeth. Nemeth. Nemeth would be the most limber, so we'll give him maybe give it a shot. If it's there, I'll go for it. If it happened, comment. Yes. You did the thing. Do I have anything else for you? We're going to check my notes real quick because this is what we do. No, we did it. Oh, yeah. I had life. That life's great, man. Two and a half year old. He was an absolute monster. Good. And the best possible. Wait, look at this kid. I don't show him on camera. Look at that thing. You want to bury Ajay Francis? He does it himself, so. He did it with Step to Lander. She absolutely went to town. So good for her. Yeah. I'm not a big burial guy. I kind of let it be known. I let people bury themselves. Okay. And I don't have any animosity with Ajay. He's a good dude. Probably. Yeah. I think most people have understood at this point. Yeah. He's just very much his character. He's a very larger-than-life character. And he's turned that dial up to 12 and not 10, so he's very good at what he does. Well, we covered all. We did it all. We did it. We did it. Hopefully, I'm a world champion right now if this is post slammerversary. And if we do it again and you are the world champion, we'll do it over zoom and celebrate. Yes. We'll be on the weeds. I mean, shoot. You bring me as a guest. You always will. Day after, yeah. Well, it's not always my call when you get to. No, it's not. But regardless. We did it today. Slammerversary is tonight. Obviously, this will have already been posted in both shows. Yes. But, Anaklin, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Thank you. You want to plug anything before we get on out of here? @stevemacklin, Instagram and Twitter. Pro Wrestling T-Store Steve Macklin, Shop TNA. All your Steve Macklin merchandise and TNA merchandise. And just, let's keep this ball rolling and getting the TNA buzz out there and TNA+ app as well. Subscribe. Do things. Click. You're going to put a thing at the bottom. They can click. You're going to put an ad for the TNA app on this? I don't think it's sponsored. Damn it, Kamek. Link, if you want to talk to them about it, like, I can subscribe to the TNA+ app. Let's keep this ball rolling on TNA, getting this momentum. We want more than 4,000 people. We want 10,000 people, 12,000 people, 20,000 people for these shows just to get TNA even bigger than it already is. It's the best wrestling show out there. And, well, you get to watch yours truly. Tag them, bag them and bring them mayhem. For Steve Macklin, I'm Atrel Pearl. Ladies and gentlemen, friends, be on the binary. We'll see you in the next one. Cheers. [BLANK_AUDIO]
