Don Callis isn’t sure what Rohit Raju needs to get to the next level, but one thing that won’t help is his current catchphrase.
Callis and Jimmy Jacobs were on the debut episode of the IMPACT Wrestling “After Shock” post-show and Don talked about Rohit Raju’s tenure so far after his loss against Trey Miguel. He said Raju is finally in a place where he’s in control of his own destiny and maybe he needs some guidance, but he’s right on the cusp of breaking through.
“I mean we can speak candidly on this show, right? I mean look, Rohit Raju has had a really rough ride so far in IMPACT Wrestling. We’ve seen that. And I think sometimes, guys like Rohit, they let their anger and their emotion get the better of them, and I think Rohit has consistently bitten off more than he can chew. But for once, he’s finally in charge of his own destiny, and I think that’s a new thing for him.”
“Look, he’s a talented kid. He’s a guy that always has good matches. But what that difference between someone who has good matches and someone who’s actually over, someone who’s actually on the cusp of a title. I don’t think he’s there yet. He seems like a guy who’s in need of an advisor. I don’t know who that is. It clearly wasn’t Gama Singh.”
“But Jimmy. That one line’s gotta go: ‘My mother calls me son because I shine like one’. My mother called me ‘dumbass’ but I wouldn’t be bragging about that on this show, so there you go.”
Thanks to Himanshu D for contributing to this post.
The Watch List takes a look at what matches you should be watching while you’re at home and they come recommended by your favorite professional wrestling stars.
“I don’t know. I just got the X Division title and I like having the title. Plus, you have to give it up to get a shot at the World Title, and that might end up backfiring. You could end up titleless in the end, which would suck. But hey, who knows?”
Diving back into TNA history, I noted that Mack was right about Option C not always working out. Rockstar Spud was unsuccessful in challenging Kurt Angle back in 2015, and Brian Cage walked away empty-handed after last year’s Homecoming pay-per-view.
“That’s the thing. You go in as the champion and I could give up the title with the hopes of winning [the World Championship], but you could end up with nothing and sit there with your hands out, like ‘what did I do?’”
Mack was a fan of TNA / IMPACT before he joined the promotion, and praised some of the work of the pioneers of the X Division. He noted that it’s hard to pick one match since there are so many, but noted that the classic match from TNA Unbreakable 2005 with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels fighting for the X Division Championship stood out to him.
Another name that is linked to innovation in wrestling is Rob Van Dam, a man Mack is very familiar with. The two had previously squared off on IMPACT TV, but they’ve also worked together at PCW Ultra Fantasm in 2017. Mack says he’d want another shot at beating the ECW Original, and took a playful jab and said he had a better frog splash than RVD.
“Oh yeah, I’d want to get my rematch back since he beat me there. I can’t keep letting RVD put his hands on me and think he’s going to get away with it scot-free. Plus my frog splash is better.”
Stay tuned for our full interview with Willie Mack where we talk about his title win, adjusting to performing in front of an empty arena, his experience with cinematic wrestling, Chris Bey as a challenger in the X Division and much more.
We added some recommendations to the list and selected a good mix of bouts from Mack’s career, including highlights from his X Division title win and full-length matches Mack picked. Check out the full-length, free-to-watch matches at this link.
Willie Mack vs. Rob Van Dam
PCW Ultra Fantasm — January 20, 2017
Kurt Angle vs. Rockstar Spud
IMPACT Wrestling — May 10, 2015
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe (Super X Cup Final)
TNA Sacrifice — August 14, 2005
Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
TNA Unbreakable — September 11, 2005
Willie Mack vs. Sam Shaw (NWA National Championship)
CWFH Milestone 2018 — December 9, 2018
Keith Lee vs. Willie Mack vs. Jeff Cobb
FSW The Mecca — September 24, 2017
