I recently sat-down with IMPACT star John Skyler ahead of this Saturday’s Bound For Glory pay per view in Las Vegas, where Skyler will be competing in a six-way match to crown the first ever Digital Media champion. Highlights from our talk, including the full video interview, can be found below.
What being the first ever Impact Digital Media Champion would mean to him:
It would mean a lot. First of all, I grew up a huge wrestling fan so to hear people like D-Lo Brown refer to it as the new version of the Television Championship is kind of it’s kind of cool because the guys I grew up watching idolizing… the Arn Anderson’s the beautiful Bobby Eatons, Tully Blanchard…you know even Fit Finley and Steven Regal… people like that. They were all television champions and I admire and pattern myself after all of them. So to know to that digital media and social media is such a big thing of of today’s generation and to know that it’s really changed the wrestling industry the way it has…to be the first digital media champion of a company is going to be huge because it means more eyes are going to be watching you. Anywhere you can find Impact Wrestling, there’s going to be more eyes on you than there’s ever been. And I think that that’s cool. And just anytime you can be the first of anything in wrestling, super, super cool thing or not to have to hang your hat on because I mean everybody after that is going to be next right? So to be the first I mean that’s really what I’m after is I’m ready I’m ready to make history this Saturday at Bound for glory, and write my name in the history books as the first digital media champion.
Who he believes poses the biggest threat to him in the match:
See, it’s such a hard question to answer because everybody brings something different to the table. It’s a very eclectic cast of characters and we don’t even know the last two competitors yet. So um, you know, if you look at the size of Fallah Bahh…he definitely brings the size advantage to the table. Crazy Steve is a wild personality very unpredictable. There’s no boundaries in terms of what he’ll do to somebody, he’ll be the first to thumb somebody in the eye or bite him or, you know, scratch and claw. Crazy Steve’s a bit of a wildcard. And then you got Jordynne Grace, who brings a lot of strength and power to the table, I know that firsthand, she definitely hits just as hard as anybody else that’s in that match. So it’s a very tough question to ask. Because in these kind of matches, you kind of have to have your head on a swivel. My game plan being a thinking man’s wrestler is I’m going to take my time. I’m not going to rush in and I’m gonna let everybody else make their mistakes. The world is watching this Saturday you know, the big stage of Bound for Glory the lights are going to be on bright as they say, and everybody’s nerves are going to be at an all time peak. So I’m going to be the guy that’s gonna sit back be cool, calm, collected with his head on a swivel, I’m gonna let everybody else make a mistake, and then I’ll capitalize and then I’ll leave digital media champion.
Says he’s really looking forward to the Christian Cage and Josh Alexander world title matchup:
Who would have thought 2021 that we’re sitting here talking about Christian cage defending the Impact Wrestling championship? When I saw somebody like Christian Cage come back. You know, we don’t know how long he’s going to be around. But you know, selfishly again, I want to be… I want to have the opportunity maybe to step in the ring with Christian because he’s one of the best of all time. And I’m not just saying that because I’m trying to promote a main event I’m saying it because it’s the truth. Josh Alexander could very well be the next you know, guy that Impact Wrestling hangs their hat on. And that’s cool too. Josh Alexander, great athlete, great wrestler. I’m just excited as a wrestling fan, to see that match and to see them fight for the the ultimate prize and Impact Wrestling. I’m also excited to see Deonna Purrazzo and Mickie James because, you know, again, going back to what I said about Christian who would have thought in 2021 we’d be talking about Mickie James making a comeback and fighting for the knockouts title? So like you said it’s a stacked card but I think the the Josh Alexander Christian Cage match is probably the one I’m looking forward to the most and I without a doubt can probably say it’ll be a curtain sell out for the for the talent as well.