Interview: Jeremy Borash talks about Impact tapings in India, his love for Indian fans, Slammiversary 15 and more
We met Jeremy Borash during the Impact Wrestling tapings in Mumbai, India. I not only got to interview the legend himself, but we got to hang out with Jeremy the night before the show and discuss pro wrestling along with JB’s stories from the years that he has been in the business.
We spoke to the heart and soul of Impact Wrestling about the historic tapings in India, the fans here as well as Slammiversary 15. We also go an insight from JB into his years in the business. Without a doubt, it was a once in a lifetime experience.
PG: I’m with the one and only Jeremy Borash. Hi, Jeremy.
JB: Good morning, how are you feeling this morning? Not great, right? We were up really late doing shots till really late, weren’t we? No, we weren’t, I’m kidding.
PG: So this isn’t your first time in India. You were here before for Ring Ka King and now you’re back with Impact. How are you liking it so far?
JB: Great. I love it here. Every time we come here we see different things. I got to see more of Mumbai this time than last time we were here. Last time we were based in Pune. It’s an amazing city and there are about 75 amazing cities I want to go see in India. So there’s a still a lot to do, a lot of travelling.
PG: What did you think of the Indian fans in the Impact Zone?
JB: It was so much fun. I want to put them in a bag and fly them all to Orlando with me. We can use them there because the excitement and enthusiasm they exuded was incredible. Well, I wouldn’t put them all in a bag because it would be a terrible way to travel.
We’ll give everybody a business class ticket from Mumbai to Orlando to come to the Impact Zone because I love it, the enthusiasm of fans in India. Across my storied career in pro wrestling, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd as responsive and excited as we had the last two nights.
Hit me up in about a year and if I have enough money, I’ll fly everyone to the Impact Zone. That’s how much I loved everyone there.
PG: When you guys came down, did you guys expect the crowd to be this vocal?
JB: Well, you never know what to expect. That’s the excitement of coming here. For an old rugged journeyman like myself, sometimes it’s the unexpected that’s exciting. Here, for us, it’s all about the speedbumps and how you overcome them. There was a whole different bunch of speedbumps here but it was a lot of fun and we’re all so happy with the production, the crowd and the show.
Nobody really came over here and expected it to be as good as it was, believe it or not. We had high expectations but that’s just hoping for the best. I think the shows were amazing and I can’t wait for everybody to see them.
PG: You guys taped four episodes this time, what are your future plans for India and your expansion here?
JB: I’m going to be moving into your place in about a month and then we’re going to open up shop together, right? That’s what we talked about last night. You said that was your dream and that could be a reality, my friend, with the way things are going right now.
India is such an emerging market with different cultures and the more that you’re here, the more you realise that. The opportunities are just ridiculous here. An old codger myself, I’m a little bored with the American fans, to be honest. Well, not exactly bored, but it’s taken on a whole different kind of turn – the fan-wrestler relationship in the States and in a lot of places is different.
Here, I think it’s just genuine enthusiasm and excitement. Most of all, the fans appreciate good drama and they like a good show. I think that’s what brought me to wrestling – the show, the spectacle, the lights and the glamour and everything that goes with it. I think that’s really appreciated here in the presentation of it all. Sometimes I think that part is lost in America.
PG: You’ll be teaming up with Abyss to face Josh Matthews and ‘Big Poppa Pump’ Scott Steiner at Slammiversary 15. Do you have any message for Josh Matthews ahead of your epic beatdown of him?
JB: I know he’s going to listen because he listens to everything I do because he still wants to do this right. 17 years and he still hasn’t got it. But, I’ve known Scott Steiner for 20 years. That’s the part that bothers me because you know Scott… he isn’t exactly known for his ability to self-contain his emotions.
Some would call Scott a madman, some would call him insane and some would call me insane for doing this. It will be a lot of fun though. If I can punch Josh Matthews again then I think it will be worth the Slammiversary for me, maybe the best Slammiversary of all time.
PG: What can fans can expect from Slammiversary 15?
JB: We have 4 weeks of television building up to it on Sony Six which is going to be incredible. We were talking about this last night, I don’t remember a PPV that had a build like this one on Impact so I think over the next several weeks getting to Slammiversary, you’re going to see some really good shows.
I’m so excited over Lashley taking on Alberto El Patron. LAX will be involved in a big matchup that we will announce. Top to bottom it’s going to be a stellar card so I can’t wait for Slammiversary. I can’t wait for you to sing me happy 15th birthday Impact Wrestling because 15 is a big one. It’s a long time to be around and we’re happy to be here.
PG: You’ve had a long and storied career in pro wrestling. What are your fondest memories from your career?
JB: A lot of times it’s not even necessarily the show, it’s getting to travel around with the guys and for me coming over to a place like India is always a highlight. We went over to the UK for years and we love the fans there and have a great relationship with them which we still do to this day.
I’d like to establish that kind of relationship with the fans in India and get to know them personally. Next time we come back here, you and I are not going to do as many shots as we did last night but maybe next time we might do a shot less or two but still going to have a good time now that we know each other.
Now I can hear what you think, now we can hear what a person who watches or follows thinks. I’d call you a taste maker – where we want to find out what people think and feel to adjust the product from what you think it should be to someone else’s perspective.
The more you get on the ground, the more you talk to people, the more you find out about culture – I think I asked you several times last night what the fans here want and what will work and won’t work so we can judge what’s right and what’s wrong.
PG: Who are some of your favourite wrestlers of all time?
JB: I’m old school from back in the day so there were two wrestlers I grew up watching called The Crusher and Mad Dog Vachon. Of course, this was a long time ago. It might have been in black and white, that’s how long ago it was. But, these two guys really inspired me as a kid and showed me how wrestling was larger than life and the characters. These two are old school guys but I’ve worked with just about everyone that’s been inside the ring at a national stage over the last 20 years.
With the exception of a few people who’ve worked elsewhere throughout their careers, at some point, everybody from Hogan to Flair have gone through Impact Wrestling. I’m a fan of so many, especially AJ Styles, who has a huge place in my wrestling fandom. He’s incredible and still continues to be.
I really can’t just pick one person. Anybody who makes it to that level makes them so uniquely talented, to begin with, and just the fact that they’re on the national stage usually means that there’s a really interesting person behind the scenes which may or may not come out on camera. I got to work with some great people over the years and that’s great.
PG: I have one last question before I can let you go. Do you have any message for all the Impact fans in India and what they can expect in the future?
JB: To me, coming to India is like dating a girl for the first time – you just can’t stop thinking about her and to me, that’s what it was like this time in India. You have a little taste and you want a lot more. That’s what everybody’s feeling like now. That goes behind the camera, to the production guys, the TV channel and the wrestlers too. It’s like “Wow, what can we do next?”
When you leaving after taping a month’s worth of television and people keep asking what’s next, that’s a good sign.
PG: JB, it was a pleasure talking to you and hanging out with you. Any last words for our fans?
JB: Well, my last word is that you should not go drinking with this man. I just want to tell everybody that as a personal note. I would also like to thank everybody for watching Impact Wrestling on Sony Six on Fridays.
We hope you have a great time watching these shows air in the month of June. I’m really proud of them and we hope you have a great time.