IMPACT star and former world champion Moose recently spoke with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp about his decision to remain with the promotion when it seemed he was ready to jump ship and go to WWE. Check out why Moose stayed, which includes him revealing the amount of respect he has for top IMPACT executive Scott D’Amore, in the highlights below.
Says he was ready to walk to WWE but IMPACT and Scott D’Amore showed him how much they valued him:
“A lot of people don’t know this, but I was pretty much about to walk into WWE. Yeah and I was literally gone and the last talk I had with Scott D’Amore really showed me how much they wanted me. It’s one of those things, I talked to my wife about it, I said, ‘There’s still a lot of things I haven’t accomplished at IMPACT. So leaving to go to the WWE really would be not fair to myself and not fair to Scott, who I really look up to as a mentor and a big brother.’ So I decided to give it one more shot. IMPACT has done a great job keeping some of their core guys and homebred guys. I’m hoping we keep doing the same. I think Scott’s done a phenomenal job with the turnaround he’s done with IMPACT and it’s only gonna get better.”
Recalls signing with the company during the Dixie Carter era where talent would scarcely get paid:
“I’ve been there since when people wasn’t getting paid. I remember my first contract I signed with IMPACT under the Dixie Carter era and I got paid when I first signed and I didn’t see another paycheck until four or five months later. I’ve been here since that era. Now Scott taking over has really, really turned the locker room around in terms of what IMPACT is known for. He’s made it an actual company people want to come work for. We have the Briscoes with us now and hopefully that’s gonna be a long term thing based on a long term build with us. I’m really hoping that gets done with them. A name like the Briscoes, probably the best tag team in all of professional wrestling signed with IMPACT after the Good Brothers just signed with IMPACT. After we just got Jonah and Morrissey, all these guys that come in. Hopefully that shows that, ‘Man, IMPACT is the place to go and actual names want to go there.’ That’s what I’m praying and hoping for. So we’ll see what happens.”