Eric Young: "It feels good to be part of something I believe in again" [Exclusive]
Last month, at Slammiversary, Eric Young made his return to IMPACT Wrestling after four years away from a company he'd previously spent 12 as a mainstay at, becoming a Triple Crown Champion and, quite frankly, a legend.
The World Class Maniac made his return at Slammiversary and found himself right back in the main event picture. Eric Young tore off a mask to reveal himself as the fifth man in the main event after a swerve from Rich Swann to claim the fourth spot, which had been pre-advertised for a mystery competitor.
Sportskeeda meets Eric Young
How does Eric Young fit in back at IMPACT Wrestling? Well, a few weeks removed from Slammiversary, Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda caught up with the World Class Maniac to ask all about how he has rejuvenated as a part of the company where he made the world take notice in the first place.
You can watch the entire video of our interview with Eric Young below, or read on for the full transcript.
I need to start off by asking, you're someone whose name came up a lot even before Slammiversary when I asked any talent, "Who do you want to see back in IMPACT?" They were all saying, "Eric Young." You were out of the company for a pretty big chunk of time and a lot has changed in that time. What was it like returning to IMPACT? Was it like coming home or was it like debuting somewhere completely new?
"Yeah, I mean, it's kind of a little of both. It's interesting because the history of the company and I'm a pretty big part of that history, but the truth is it's all new personnel. The wrestling world is a small place so it's tons of people that I've crossed paths with, tons of people I've worked in other companies with and a few people that are still there."
"For me, it felt good for my soul, it felt good to be part of something that I believe in again - which is very important for anybody that is creative or who does anything creatively, or puts it out there anyway. To be part of something you're proud of is, I think, one of the most important things for professional growth and professional happiness, so it was a big deal for me to be back, obviously a great spot for me to step in and it was a very cool experience."
"The people who were at IMPACT or before TNA who were there for the last couple of years who brought this company back from obscurity, I was talking to Josh Mathews and Madison Rayne about this, they can be so proud of the work that they've done just to get the company to the point where it's at now. Obviously the point for me and for everybody there, the entire locker room, is to grow the company and grow ourselves but from where it was, even a year and a half, two years ago, it's night and day and it's definitely cool to be a part of that."
Next: Eric Young reveals whether any of IMPACT's new recruits asked for advice before signing