Michael Elgin was on a recent episode of the IMPACT Wrestling Press Pass podcast, and I had the opportunity to ask him about coming back to a national spotlight domestically after his extended tenure in Japan.
Elgin had previously worked for Ring Of Honor and held their World Championship, but some fans might not have followed him over internationally. Elgin said it’s hard to pinpoint one specific thing that would seem different or improved in fans’ eyes, but he worked very hard on becoming more well-rounded and believes his time in Japan made him a better overall performer:
“It’s hard to pinpoint where the strongest growth has come from because I feel that the time in Japan has made me a much better performer on all aspects. I’ve wrestled so many different people with so many different styles that it made me evolve as a wrestler in the ring. I would say I’m a completely different animal than I was when I competed for Ring Of Honor.
Like I said, it’s hard to pinpoint certain things, but I feel that I definitely gained more confidence in myself. I’ve worked on a lot of aspects outside of wrestling that help wrestling—my conditioning, my weight training, my strength, agility—all of that. I was just trying to become a complete package while I spent time in Japan. I felt that I had done a very good job of preparing myself to be back on that national level. What better place to do that on a national level than IMPACT? So, I think I’ve changed completely from who I was with Ring Of Honor, and I look forward to showing the world that in the months to come with IMPACT.”
