TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards recently took part in the ‘Five Questions’ portion of this week’s Sports Illustrated Week In Wrestling. You can read a few excerpts below:
Eddie Edwards comments on his experience at Total Nonstop Deletion, and who actually won the title match between himself and Lashley:
When I was training at Killer Kowalski’s professional wrestling school, I never thought I would be wrestling a match on top of a volcano built by Jeff Hardy. It would have taken a while to turn Killer into a fan of Total Nonstop Deletion, but eventually we would have. The experience was other-worldly. That’s the best way I can describe it. Being at the Dome of Deletion in Cameron, North Carolina was basically like being in another world. Jeff was building volcanos and there was a giant Matt Hardy face on the entranceway. I fought Lashley all over the place, and technically it was a no contest, but it’s possible that we may still be fighting. Bobby Lashley may be waiting to spear me into my Christmas tree right now.
Edwards compares his TNA World Championship win to his Ring Of Honor title reign:
Winning the title against Bobby was the top moment of this past year for me. At the start of the year, I never thought I would be in that position. The way the cards fell, I found myself in the world title picture. It was unexpected, and the unexpected surprises are always the nicest. It was definitely a proud moment, and it was cool to hear from so many other guys.
Defeating Roderick Strong for the Ring of Honor title was the moment that elevated me into the main event and the world title picture. A lot of people only saw me as a tag wrestler, and a lot of people thought my Wolves tag partner, Davey Richards, would be the first one of us to win the world title, so it was another surprise, feel-good moment. It’s actually very similar to winning the TNA title. A lot of people were shocked, and I remember feeling the building shaking after the three-count. It took a moment for it to hit, and the place just erupted. That moment with ROH really helped elevate me in the world of professional wrestling, and the win over Bobby was another step up.
I can’t say which one was better, but winning the world title in TNA is a big step forward. I always like to set goals for myself, and first it was get a job with Ring of Honor. Then I wanted to win the tag titles, win the TV title, and eventually win that world championship. It’s been the same thing in TNA—get a job there, win the tag titles with Davey, win the X Division, and then win the world heavyweight title. It’s a great feeling to accomplish those goals.
Edwards reveals his goals for 2017 as TNA World Champion:
I would like to defend the title. The live shows have a different feel to them, and it’s a new year with new ownership, so let’s kick this off with a bang. I love being the underdog, whether it’s in life or in the ring. I’m working to bring new fans to TNA to show them what we’re all about. People have brought up me wrestling Davey, and I love wrestling Davey, but I’d love to hold that off for as long as I can so we can tag together. Davey and I can be put together at any time and we won’t miss a beat. We can have amazing matches any time we’re together, so I’d like a healthy dose of tagging and singles matches when Davey comes back. I’d love to even wrestle twice a show, and see how everything unfolds with the storyline. I’d also love to do some one-on-ones with Matt and Jeff Hardy, and I’m sure there is a rematch with EC3 coming my way. I’d also love to have a world title match with Drew Galloway and Mike Bennett.
I want to be an old-school world champion and defend the title around the states and the globe for any company that would have me. I can never express how happy I am and how grateful I am for the fans and the amount of support I receive. Things happen so fast in wrestling, so it was amazing to step back and enjoy the world title victory with the people who have cared about me for so long, so I would like to say a true sincere thank you to all of them.
