Exclusive: Eli Drake on almost leaving Impact, being allowed to improvise & thoughts on 'Sports Entertainment'
Eli Drake is one of Impact Wrestling's top stars at the moment, even if he currently seems to have no discernible direction or purpose and doesn't look to be getting on the card for the upcoming Bound for Glory show.
That being said, the former Impact World Champion and the man with 'The Facts of Life' seems to be undergoing a natural slow-burn face turn with the Impact audience loving his Rock-like charisma during promos and catchphrases.
Luckily I was able to sit down with Eli Drake during his visit to Manchester, England for Wrestling MediaCon where he gave me 'The Facts of Life' surrounding his thoughts on the current state of Impact Wrestling, the rumors surrounding his potential exit from the company to WWE and whether or not Impact Wrestling attempting to tell more controversial storylines is a good thing or a bad thing.
You were at Wrestling MediaCon in the UK, what do you particularly enjoy about attending an event like that?
Drake: It's always cool you get a good idea of what the fans like, who they like, things like that. Whenever I see the line start to grow in front of me I think 'okay I must be doing something right'. Someday when that line disappears I'll be like 'oh, I [messed] it up somewhere'.
It's also a good gauge to see what shirts are selling. I can be like 'this one's good, this one's good' but beyond all that it's good to meet the fans, people who are watching the show, watching the product, who support what we do.
On that note Impact has a broadcasting deal in the UK, are you happy that you're reaching a bigger audience? You must be, right?
Drake: My biggest thing in wrestling is always, I want more eyes on whatever I'm doing. I feel like I'm putting on an amazing show, I feel like we as a group are putting on amazing shows but at the end of the day if nobody sees it then who cares. If a tree falls in the woods and nobodies there to hear it or however the saying goes, but you know what I mean, you want as many eyes on you as you can.
Beyond that then it helps more people to hear 'oh wait a minute, did you see Impact yesterday, did you see what happened there, oh great I'll watch what channel is it on, oh cool!' and then more people, more people, more people so yeah it's amazing."
Next: Eli Drake discusses almost leaving Impact Wrestling and how he feels about 'Sports Entertainment'