Pro-Wrestling News: Johnny Impact on struggle after leaving WWE; Taya Valkyrie, Ricochet
What’s the story?
In a recent interview with ESPN, Johnny Impact opened up about his hard, albeit passionate, journey after leaving the WWE; revealing how he had to sell off his house in order to finance his movie.
Additionally, Johnny showered praise upon his fiancée and fellow Impact performer Taya Valkyrie for helping him traverse through their hectic schedule. The former WWE Superstar also praised Ricochet for the latter’s strength, agility and quickness.
In case you didn’t know…
Johnny Impact, whose real name is John Hennigan, has performed for several notable professional wrestling promotions and is perhaps best known for his time as Johnny Nitro/John Morrison in WWE.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion has performed on the indie circuit since 2012 and prominently featured in Lucha Underground as Johnny Mundo; besides making his debut as Johnny Impact on Impact earlier this year.
The heart of the matter
On performing alongside a highly regarded talent such as Ricochet, Johnny asserted that he finds it to be both impressive and scary to do so; adding that working with such a great performer forces him to bring his A-game to the table.
Furthermore, Johnny emphasized that he’s worked on his movie Boone: The Bounty Hunter for 5 years, and financed it on his own by selling off his house. He added that life after WWE has been tougher than he initially thought and that he’s been busting his rear end to create opportunities ever since. He also spoke about his fiancée, stating,
"Taya's got my back. I can't begin to tell you how helpful she is with the juggling of all the responsibilities (and) there's a lot on my plate, but the cool thing is everything that I'm doing I'm really into. I love Lucha Underground (and) I love Impact.”
“I love wrestling every weekend all over the world (and) I love promoting 'Boone: The Bounty Hunter' (besides) I truly believe in all these things; maybe most of all, my wedding with Taya. It feels like I don't have a lot of free time these days, but the time that I spend is well-used."
What’s next?
Johnny Impact and his fiancée Taya Valkyrie presently perform for Impact. Both of them are in, and around, their respective title pictures with Taya set to face Rosemary, and Johnny Impact set to face Eli Drake at Bound For Glory.
Author’s take
Johnny Impact is one of the most talented performers in the sport today, bar none. The man is following his heart and seems to be enjoying his time wrestling for Impact; as the former WWE Superstar is now one of many elite wrestlers who’re currently trying their best to salvage the company once known as TNA.