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Mike Johnson: Obviously the AEW talent exchange and working agreement has been talked about quite a bit. I want to ask you about New Japan because I know from the point that Anthem got back involved with Impact you and Donald Callis and Ed Nordholm had gone to Japan to try and mend the fences with New Japan Pro Wrestling. We just came off a number of appearances from Satoshi Kojima. Obviously the door is open there for additional appearances. There's been some Impact talent that is appeared on New Japan Strong, including Josh Alexander. Chris Bey popped up in the Super J tournament. How hard was it to kind of mend those fences and to rebuild that relationship with New Japan? And what are your expectations and hopes for the future in terms of Impact and New Japan working together as we get out of this unfortunate situation that we were all in over the last year and a half?
Scott D'Amore: Yeah, and that's a great question. We came out of the gate hot in the beginning of 2018. I've had a long great relationship with New Japan, especially with Tiger Hattori. Who I think so many of the listeners and readers certainly know, who's like an icon of Japanese wrestling. He's a day one guy from 1972 with New Japan. Had a great rapport with him, Don Callis is working there. It's like we're going to go there, we're going to repair this relationship and we're going to make it good. And I'll be quite honest, I didn't realize how deep some of the problems ran. Because I was, for the most part, as you probably know, I was out of wrestling.
With the exception of teaching some classes in my dojo, with the exception of being involved in running a Border City Wrestling show here or there in Windsor here. I mean, I didn't know. So I mean, it's like we try... And you can go there and you can tell people so much so often. And it's just to me, it's the same as the relationship we've had with fans. We can go there, like we flew to Japan and said, "Here we are, we're new, we're different. We're not like it used to be." But just like, we had to prove it to our fans, day after day, week after week, month after month. I don't think that the powers that be in New Japan were in a position, we're really in a mindset of saying, "Okay, we're going to give Impact another chance."
They had other working relationships in play, of course, that I'm sure played a role. But at the end of the day, it boiled down to, I think people in New Japan had to see week after week, month after month. And really, by the time the ice had melted, year after year, we had gone out there and been a company that went out there and put on good events. Been a company that went out there and delivered on what they said, not just on the show, but behind the scenes. And went out there and did our best to do good business.
Certainly having guys like Rocky Romero, and the guys that they have over there, that whole crew. Certainly, I always felt like when the time was right, there would be something. But it's just... I mean, I think maybe it's almost like when you want something and you work for something and then you're almost like, "Geez, I don't know if it's ever going to happen." And then boom. Almost like when you've almost written it off, it starts happening.
It was a soft shoe type of thing. It was a casual conversation that led to another conversation, and then it became like, "Hey, look, we can take a look at a little something. We can dip our toe in the water." And I think it's been a good relationship for both sides. It's been a limited relationship in this situation right now because it's all happened during the pandemic. Think about an open world where we can help load up a show at the Tokyo Dome. And then load up a show at Sumo Hall, and some of those things.
I would certainly be remiss if I didn't mention the Good Brothers, because obviously their history and their relationships in New Japan, and guys like that, especially Karl Anderson. Who came through the dojo system and everything else, a guy like him saying, "Hey, look, we're going to Impact." And then people are like, "What?" "Yeah, we're going to Impact like, we almost went there a while ago. We ended up resigning with them. We're going to Impact because Scott D'Amore is there, he's our guy, he's our friend. And we believe in him, and he believes in us."
I think people in New Japan said, "Oh, wow." And then it kind of like starting leading the snowball effect of, like I said, the conversations and moving forward. And then it's just making sure we do things differently, making sure that whether it's Kojima or whether it's El Phantasmo, whoever it is, anybody who's coming in, we need to him right. We need to treat him with respect. We do that. We need to feature them right. We try to do that. I think it's been the start of a tremendous relationship. And I think that it's going to continue to grow. And I think that the timing on it is great, because if you look at it for so many years in quote, unquote, modern wrestling companies didn't work together. But now they're starting to. And it's not just us and New Japan, it's not just us and AEW, but it's lots of companies. Those barriers are falling.
I think people are starting to understand and get on board with something that we have certainly said since the day we took over, which is a stronger together type of approach. Just because we are in some ways competitive in the sense that you put on a wrestling show, we put on a wrestling show doesn't mean we need to be enemies. There's things we can do to help each other. Even if sometimes that just to be able to pick up the phone and talk and there's no direct thing that translates onto the screen or onto the event. There's open communication, which is a wonderful thing and to me, that's one of the cool things about wrestling right now in 2021 is those barriers have fallen, borders have started opening up and we've seen that there is value. There's value in the Good Brothers being with us, and then popping up in New Japan being able to do stuff there. Popping up in AEW. Josh Alexander going to New Japan, and these different things. We have great relationships with New Japan, AAA, AEW many, many other promotions out and about that we continue to foster and grow with. So I'm excited about the New Japan relationship. I think that it's a great step and I think for two companies that I think have such great rosters and in such great organizations, I think that working together more deeply, and strengthening this relationship is going to be great for both sides. And it's not just a win-win. It's a win-win-win, because the third one is certainly for the fans.
Mike Johnson: What do you say to some of the fans that are critical about the AEW relationship, and they feel the Impact talents haven't been featured enough on AEW programming, and that AEW gets more out of that relationship that Impact has thus far?
Scott D'Amore: Yeah, it's funny, because sometimes I look at things and I see, and there's people that are saying, "Well Impact doesn't get enough from this." I see other people that are saying, "Impact is getting everything out of this." We're not locked and intertwined together between the two companies. Which like I said, it doesn't necessarily always have to be. From our point of view we've had Kenny Omega come and make many appearances on Impact Wrestling. The Good Brothers have went there and made many appearances on AEW. We've had Matt Hardy pop up, which what a great moment to have that feeling process when there's so much bitterness and everything in between Matt Hardy and Impact Wrestling, stuff like that.
I think there's been certainly some upswing in business associated with it. I think there's always going to be wrestling fans who are going to point out a little dip or any little downside. But the fact is, we're just, we're coming off with Rebellion, our most successful pay-per-view I won't say in history, but in certainly the last decade. Hugely successful, from a financial standpoint, hugely successful from a optics, as far as for the quality of the show. And as far as the coverage and the reach. We have a digital department that is growing exponentially almost day after day.
We continue to expand, where we can deliver our show around the world. Is there things? Certainly. Can you sit there and say, "Hey, I'd rather make it go this way or this, or this way?" Sure. But you have two completely independent companies that are coming together. If we can agree on something great. We do it. If we can't agree on something, but one side wants it, and the other side doesn't, I mean it's not happening. And that's okay.
So we're in a position where like, I think certainly, with Don Callis and the Good Brothers doing their stuff over in AEW. I think AEW certainly got something out of it. And I think with Kenny and others appearing on our show, I mean, I know that we've gotten value out of it both bottom line and as far as for buzz, which in many ways is as valuable or more valuable sometimes than pure bottom line. So I think it's been a great relationship. I think Tony Khan and the people over there have been really good in their approach on things and how they are open minded. And I'm happy for them and all their successes, and I'm proud to be associated in doing business with them.
Interview continues on Page 3!
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