Exclusive: Eddie Edwards recalls almost losing his eye, being friends with Josh Mathews & more
Eddie Edwards used to be the nicest guy in wrestling, both as a character and a person. That is, until he took a shot to the eye with a baseball bat from Sami Callihan, and a darker side of his personality emerged.
Edwards is in the UK, catching up with media from across the world. He spoke to us at length and discussed a variety of topics pertaining to the world of professional wrestling.
So, what's been happening with you?
Edwards: Well, I'm just trying to let my eye heal and get my hands on Sami Callihan and oVe. That's pretty much my mindset right now.
We've always known you as the ultimate nice guy. What happened? (Laughs)
Edwards: I got hit in the face with a baseball bat (Laughs). Unfortunately, that will change a man. I don't know if you've been hit in the face with a baseball bat or not...
Never! (Laughs)
Edwards: And it's bringing out a different side of me. It's a side that I haven't tapped into yet. So, it's obviously a whole new world at this point. I'm looking forward to exploring the creativity and options I have going forward.
How has it been working with Tommy Dreamer? Were you an ECW fan growing up?
Edwards: Of course. When I really got into wrestling in my teenage years, I was into every type of wrestling there was. I was following everything I could. So, of course, I was following ECW and I was a big fan of Mr. Tommy Dreamer who was Mr. ECW.
So, to be working alongside him on TV is something that's really cool for me. Because, for so long, he's been a guy behind the scenes. He's always helping me. He's always helping the boys. He always gives his input and his opinion. He's always trying to make the business better.
Basically what we're doing on TV is what he's been doing behind the scenes a lot. He's trying to give words of wisdom to me. He's trying to help me out.
So, it's a unique opportunity for the past and present to get together.
How did the whole idea of bringing your wife into the program come about?
Edwards: It's something creative came up with. Because it's just something that fell into place. The timing and the opportunity. It was just the right situation I think.
All the stars aligned and it just made sense. What way to get more personal than to bring somebody's wife into the storyline?
So I think it was just meant to be. And I was more than happy to allow it to happen.
I had a chance to speak to you immediately following the injury during a teleconference. I remember you were not in a good state. Were you in favor of making a real-life situation into an angle?
Edwards: Yeah! When things happen why not take advantage of it? This is obviously a unique opportunity that we found ourselves in where we could take this real-life situation. There was a chance I could lose my eye. So, why not take all this real emotion and hurl it into the wrestling world?
Wrestling is as much about the action in the ring as it is about the emotion that we can bring out of people. People can feel that. People can relate to getting beat up and getting hurt. They can understand the anger behind it all.
So, I think it's a great way to tap into the fans' emotions as well as my emotions. So, I think I was always on board with it to turn a negative into a positive.
So Redemption received great reviews on social media. Is it the start of a new regime for Impact?
Edwards: It's a continuation of the regime we have right now. We're all going in the same direction right now. Day by day, they want to make the product better. Bring it back to the heights it was at before and then pass and eclipse that.
So, the Redemption pay-per-view showed everybody being on the same page. You could tell. Everybody wants to see the product exceed and excel.
Do you feel Scott D'Amore and Don Callis are the right people to lead the company into the future?
Edwards: I do. I have total confidence in what's going on in the office right now. Between Anthem, Scott, Don, Sonjay and stuff, it's a great combination. The lines of communication between the boys and the office are open. Everybody's on the same page. You can't have people pulling in different directions.
So right now, whether it's one or two steps at a time, we're all going in the same direction. I have full confidence in what the office is doing right now.
Did you have a chance to interact with Scott Steiner in the back? Do you have any stories?
Edwards: Just a bit of 'hi', 'how are you?'. A little bit of small talk here and there. I hope to sit with him, chat with him and get some real stories. That's yet to happen. Hopefully at some point.
Josh Mathews recently told me that he loves calling your matches because you're one of his best friends. Tell me about this friendship because there's nobody that has as much heat as he does.
Edwards: (Laughs) Yeah, imagine the announcer having more heat than any of the guys in the ring. But, I guess our relationship blossomed since I came into the company and we started working together. I never really knew him before. Maybe here and there.
We started working together. We're people with the same attitude and the same interest. Sometimes you just click with people and that's been the case with me and Josh. We have a good friendship. We can joke around. We can talk business. Especially on long TV days when you're hanging out in the back, you need guys like that to let loose and hang out with.
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