Although nothing had been announced as of the first quarter of 2020, it was widely speculated that IMPACT Wrestling hand plans for a United Kingdom tour in 2020. Now, we finally get some clarity, as well as how IMPACT handled the World being shut down and handling that situation.

In an exlucise interview, local UK media outlet Real Rasslin.net host WILL sits down with IMPACT/soon to be TNA Wrestling President, Scott D’Amore to discuss how the pandemic messed up plans for the company to tour the UK in 2020.

Will – Personally as well, I think TNA or IMPACT at the time was the best through lockdown/COVID. I watched the show every week, it was the best. It was the best content of wrestling.

Scott – “Thanks, thanks for that. I really am proud of what we did. I always say during COVID there was only 3 people in the world – it seemed – producing content. There was 2 billionaires and us. There was no sports, no entertainment in Hollywood, nothing was getting produced other then wrestling – and you literally had two companies that are run by billionaires and then us here. I was really proud of our approach on how to tell stories differently, how to take some risks during COVID. I think when we’re doing what we do right, that’s when it is that we as a company we can take risks. Sometimes they work out and they’re amazing, and sometimes we say ‘well, we’re not going to do that again.’  But I think you never get true change, true progress, without taking risks. That’s what I love about TNA/IMPACT Wrestling is we’ve taken those risks.

It was a hiccup getting back to the UK market because we came over here in Manchester, I think we did one event in 2019, and then we were planning a tour over here in 2020. Then the world shuts down and low and behold its 2023 before we get back here. In some ways it was a blessing because it allowed us to really focus on our product, which I think was important to us.”

(If you use any of the quotes above, please credit original source, as well as giving a H/T to Bodyslam.net for the transcription.)

Full interview:

During the pandemic, IMPACT Wrestling was working out of an empty Skyway Studios and welcomed an influx of New Japan Pro Wrestling talent, including: FinJuice (Juice Robinson/David Finlay), Satoshi Kojima, and others.

It was unfortunate for the talent having to adjust to an empty studio, but IMPACT filtered in crowd noise here and there to try and defeat the silence.

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