Entertainment
IMPACT legend Frankie Kazarian once got put on probation after creative row – now he’s back at Bound For Glory-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
Kaz reflects on his long history with TNA and IMPACT Wrestling.
Frankie Kazarian wants to win IMPACT Wrestling gold at Bound For Glory (Picture: AEW)
Frankie Kazarian finds himself coming full circle as he returns to IMPACT Wrestling for another special night at Bound For Glory.
The former X-Division champion, who is contracted to AEW, is back tonight (October 7) to face Mike Bailey for that same title after a rollercoaster career covering every extreme in the promotion’s wild history from the TNA days to now.
Reflecting on the more challenging times in the company’s past with certain regimes and disappointing creative directions, he exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘Oh I was vocal about it at times.
‘I pick my battles though, I knew what hills I wanted to die on and what hills I did not want to die on. There were times that I questioned the booking and I was, for lack of better words, called out on it and brought to the principal’s office
‘And one time that even led to a, like, 90-day [probation thing] where if I messed up in 90 days, I was gonna be in big trouble.’
Plenty of people have tried to write IMPACT off over the years, but it’s endured, with Kaz explaining that although he sometimes had issues with ‘who they put in managerial and booking positions’, he never doubted his fellow talent.
‘I always believed in the wrestlers,’ he said. ‘Our work ethic and our passion was never in question.’
He added: ‘And you’ve got to give credit to Dixie [Carter] and what she did to keep the company running and everybody that has come in her wake basically. They kept this place running and it’s still a strong wrestling company that people are watching.’
A large part of IMPACT’s appeal was, and still remains, the X-Division, which has continued to evolve, with stars like current champ Bailey flying the flag in 2022.
‘Mike Bailey is pretty much everything that embodies the X Division. He’s taken what we did in 2002, 2003, 2004 and so on to another level, much like a lot of guys in this generation have,’ he said, praising his opponent.
As much as the new guard are excelling, Kaz still feels like he’s coming home when he gets backstage at IMPACT and reunites with the likes of Chris Sabin, Gail Kim, Alex Shelley and boss Scott D’Amore.
‘I see a lot of the crew and the production people – guys and girls that I grew up with in the business. There’s still a part of that, kinda the old familiar – the faces have changed, the production is different, the regime is different, but it’s still IMPACT Wrestling,’ he smiled.
‘I still have roots there and I’ll do whatever I can to continue to help that brand. I’m where I am in a lot of ways because of what IMPACT Wrestling and TNA did for my career.’
That passion is why, back in the day, he – and others like Christopher Daniels – were as vocal as they were, in a bid to help the company ‘be better’.
‘Chris got similar trouble because he was vocal. But it wasn’t just to be – we weren’t being vocal for the sake of being vocal, we were doing it because we wanted things to be better,’ he said.
‘That was taking as us complaining or b****ing. I was a younger man back then and I probably didn’t go about it as diplomatically as I could have or as I would have now.’
Looking to the future, Kaz insisted he is planning to stick around beyond Bound For Glory, particularly as he hopes to add to his five X-Division Title reigns.
‘Well, I’m fighting for the X Division Title and I plan on winning the X Division title,’ he teased. ‘So yes, you’re gonna see more from me, because I plan on winning the new version. I want to be the guy to come back and reclaim his throne.’
IMPACT Wrestling: Bound For Glory airs Friday night (October 7) at 1am on Fite TV.
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