Magnus Talks: Being TNA Champion & Blood In Wrestling
IMPACTWRESTLING.com
TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Magnus spoke with Brian Fritz of Orlando sentinel and here the highlights:
Returning to London as a heel and champion: “Well, it was satisfying because that was what I was going for. You know, it’s amazing to me how many people ask me about that because it seems like in the wrestling business these days a lot of talent seems to forget what their job is. A lot of people seem to want to be a heel but then they also want to get cheered by people and that, to me, is the dumbest situation you can be in. Everyone else seemed to be more concerned about this than I was. I said look, these fans are wrestling fans. They’re not just a bunch of British people who filled up an arena. And as far as you’re representing Glasgow, Glasgow and England have always had a huge … The last time I was in Glasgow I had a ton of heat anyway. It was a house show so no one saw that but I did because there’s a huge rivalry between Scotland and England and I always play off of that. So, yeah, sure, I think I just proved by the fact that in 2013 I walked out in Manchester and London as a babyface and got the biggest pop of the night and one year later came out as a heel and got the loudest boo of the night. I think that, if anything, I can do both.”
On blood in a pro wrestling match: I think that’s it. That’s the first time I even bled in a wrestling match. And for me it was … I think that it’s. I’m not going to harp too long about whether it was once overdone or anything but I just think that what we do, depending on how you look at it, we’re telling stories and we’re making movies. And I think that when you have a situation like that if it’s necessary and safe and doable and adds to the realism and drama of the match, I think that when you go back and look at it especially as time goes on when you see two guys who are bleeding then you realize it’s serious. I think that if it’s used sparingly I can be a valuable tool.
What’s it like being TNA champion? “Sure. It would be hard not to. You’re required to do more media. You’re required to be on all the live events. It’s tougher on your body. It’s a tougher schedule. At TV (tapings) you generally tend to have more segments and more responsibilities. And then on top of that there’s that knowledge of knowing everybody’s after your spot. I didn’t ask for it. I didn’t politic for it. I was put in that position because somebody at some point felt that I was the right guy and that’s a good thing. All I’m doing is trying to work hard and make that mean something.”
On TNA returning to Orlando for Impact! TV tapings:
“I’ve always had an affection for Orlando. When I first started with the company, it was very much our base because I was still in England at the time. I would come over for long periods of time and so I would spend quite a lot of time in Orlando. I have a genuine affection for it. It’s a fun place. Sometimes we get bogged down in all the other kind of B.S. of wrestling, the politics and the rumors and what’s going on and all that kind of stuff. You have to it you want to take it seriously but sometimes you have to talk about it. Right now, I’m traveling with Robbie E and EC3 (Ethan Carter) and guys like us, we’re all young guys and we’re enjoying our lives and our careers. Sometimes we just have to sit back and go we get to go to Universal Studios in Orlando and we get paid to go and be wrestlers and hang out in one of the most popular vacation spots in the world. That’s great.”