All right Sean Lennon here and sitting to my right we have the walking weapon Josh Alexander and we are here for Black Label pro fancy wrestling in crown point Indiana and josh how are you today?
Josh: I'm good I'm dressed very fancy but if the camera could show my shorts you could see I'm very fancy but from this angle I look very plain and like a slob unfortunately, I'm good though man thank you, finally get to do this.
Sean: Absolutely, and you know I have a lot of questions for you you know but we'll start talking about AXS TV and impact wrestling and on the first episode you started off the first match with Marufuji so how important was just to kick things off?
Josh Alexander: Well for me its just like cool because I get to wrestle Marafuji right? But it was like in hindsight when like after the show happened it was like, I was just a tag team guy I was new to the company maybe like seven months in and it was like looking back on it was like the company trusted me to wrestle like this legend and have a dependable match, the first match and people are going to see on AXS and stuff so it was like a honor I guess it's like the best way I can say it. That they would trust me with that you know? It's all kind of snowballed from there to where we are now.
Sean: Definitely and congratulations on winning the impact world championship!
Now a two time you know talk about how all that came together and how you felt like you had the perfect opponent in moose, it was great storytelling you know told throughout you know how it just came together for you to be one of the guys who are going to win that championship.
Josh: Yeah like you can go out there and have great matches like its not be braggadocios or anything but like I can have good matches with a lot of people I've had like been fortunate enough to be in there with one off matches and impact with all these guys and you know a lot of good praise behind it and stuff like that but like it like if we left at me beating Christian you know what I'm saying?,
It would have been a great moment people would have been excited for it but like the way it turned about we made this like great adversary at moose and we made this like mountain I have to climb and made it that much harder that much more difficult now that its all paid off after Rebellion like moose was like, like you said the perfect opponent for me as like a baby-face the face of impact wrestling to like you know finally overcome and you know we finally did it a roundabout way after six months and uh I mean I can't be happier right
Sean: definitely definitely I'm sure that was moment for you but you know professional wrestling doesn't stop there's no off season so its always in the next show, so you have Slammiversary coming up in July
Slammiversary the 20th anniversary of Impact Wrestling
Josh: I'm pretty pumped because you know I watched the Wednesday night pay-per view the very first night and I think it was June 19th 2002
Sean:yeah
Josh:so you know roundabout way now you know as somebody that started ordering it as a 15 year old and watching it with my friends to now be like the world champion representing the company probably in the main event in that show anniversary it's just a dream come true but it's nothing I ever dreamed would be possible.
Sean: definitely and you also had a nice run with the impact world championship how about that? Working with some of the smaller talent In size obviously but you know they’re still tremendous
Josh: you mean the x division championship?
Sean:yeah yeah the x division championship sorry
Josh:like the x division just period was the thing that got me hyped
about pro wrestling that's the thing that like I was already a wrestling fan but when I saw that, when I saw this new type of wrestling that I never knew could be possible like
Low-Ki like AJ styles all these guys
They changed my perspective and I was just like damn I might be able do this you know you know what i mean I want to do that so like being able to be x-division champion that was like a dream come true that was the thing and then you know just you know wrestling guys like ace Austin you know and Taurus and even like Jake something who's you know a local guy in this area and stuff like that just like being able to like highlight pro wrestling and like make pro wrestling fans kind of tune in to impact wrestling just shows that we have some of the best stuff that could happen in the ring that meant a great deal to me yeah
Sean: definitely TJP the iron man match as well was excellent
Josh: yeah yeah that one uh that's the reason I'm here right now that's the reason why I'm the impact world champion I think you know uh I definitely knew at the time it was a big opportunity I knew it could hit a home run as they say with that because TJP is that talented. Share such great chemistry and like it exceeded all my expectations and you know it's gonna go down in history as something I never forget
Sean: Right and you've had a long journey you know 15 plus years professional wrestling career and it was at one point we didn't know you had gotten misinformation that you may not wrestle again so you know talk about about that you know how happy you are that you did get to come back and to know that was not your you know final destination?
Josh: yeah like everything that's happened after I had neck surgery in 2014 is just like, like i say its a lot of people because people have been coming around and congratulating on winning the world championship and stuff like that I'm just like dope
Everything I do from signing with impact winning the tag team championship
Having the longest running x division championship reign
Like the world championship now being able to travel around do shows with NJPW and do all this other stuff that is all just like icing on the cake that I never thought was going to be there right? So I'm just happy for every moment and every opportunity I get I'm trying to Make the best of it I'm just very fortunate that I was able to come back right?
Sean: oh yeah definitely I knew we had to take on some great guys in the area you know Calvin Tankman you also mentioned Jake something earlier a lot of great up and coming talent!
Josh: yeah Tankman is uh one of those guys that I think the world of you know?
He could be very successful in any of the major companies whenever he gets and shot he's just going to blow up hopefully you know he sticks with it he gets those opportunities and it's just the thing about pro wrestling like uh like seen come every once in awhile sometimes they don't come to the people
Sean: let's talk about Ethan page and you know he got on AEW, what do you think of his success?
You guys still talk?
Josh: like dude we live like in two different worlds like I keep up with everything he does, I don't know if he keeps up with everything I do per'se it'd be tough not to but uh you know I'm just happy that he's happy I got see him wrestle Chris Jericho, I got to see him wrestle christian I got to see him have a crazy match with Darby allin and stuff I know how talented he is I know he's going to be very successful its just waiting for those opportunities when you're ready just hit it out of the park and that's something he can do because you know he's one of the best
Sean: for sure and you know talking about working for impact wrestling how much you enjoy working for them
From the office side all the way to the talent to the people in production
Josh: well like when my contract came up recently like I highlighted this as like one of the reasons why I resigned with impact like I had no intention of leaving or anything like that it was just um that locker room you know the crew the people in the office just feels so comfortable with everybody it's such a good place like recently at Rebellion I brought my family, my wife, and son and just the way like everybody interacted with my son and because he's an enormous impact fan like I didn't see my son for more than ten minutes on each day and every time we were driving home afterwards and my wife was showing me all these videos of people in the ring wrestling with my son interacting with him and my son hasn't stopped talking about it since like it was a dream come true and he's never gonna do anything as cool as that like it was Disneyland to my son right? And like I'm just so thankful that we have such a good locker room and like our locker room is like I say it all the time the one thing is that everybody their has a chip on their shoulder,
You're talking Like Steve Maclin, Deonna Purazzo, Eddie Edwards,
Myself, Chris Bey, Ace Austin. All of us want to prove that we are some of the best wrestlers in the world. This company is one of the best wrestling companies in the world we can compete with AEW, WWE, NJPW, all those companies so it's just about highlighting
Getting the eyes back on us and uh you know once they do we'll be able to retain them.
Sean: and then for you I'm sure you you're looking forward for impact to come back to Canada so you get that homecoming welcome!
Josh: Fingers crossed man! Uh I the pandemic is throwing a wrench in those plans for a bit I think, I I think its difficult for international travel for some people but uh hopefully you know its fiscally possible for us to cross the border and do a few shows because yeah like you said I've championed Canada and Canadian wrestling my entire career and I still continue to do so, so just going back home with that world championship would mean a lot to me.
Sean: yeah yeah definitely and you did get to have that interaction with moose I think it was alpha one that we were there or another promotion.
Josh: it was destiny.
Sean: destiny okay yeah so you actually got to get a little bit of that impact!
Josh:Yeah it happens here and there.
We sprinkle it around destiny is like my home promotion in canada to me. It's the premier promotion in all of Canada you know Some of the main events they put on are absolutely insane uh you know just for giving their fans their money's worth and stuff like that it's just uh you know that's home to me other than impact wrestling.
Sean: definitely. And we're looking forward to seeing you back in Chicago hopefully we'll get impact back in chi-town because I know that was a memorable match for you and Ethan page walking out with the tag team belts and going home with them.
Josh: yeah bound for glory a few years back and you know Chicago is a wrestling um I have wrestled in Chicago the better of the the last decade I've been able to build a big fan base here you know through AAW, Black Label Pro, FREELANCE uh these other companies I've kind of been involved with you know its uh you know as much as I say like DESTINY is my second home for me I I've had a lot of success in the Midwest
Sean: definitely and then Ruby Soho that was a great match you guys had it now back in 2021.
Josh: Yeah Ruby Soho is one of my favorite opponents of all time.
I was lucky enough when I returned from my neck injury the very first match I had back was against Ruby Soho and I have an immense amount or respect and trust for her, I think she's one of the best wrestlers in the world regardless of like female, male doesn't matter like she can get in there and compete with anybody!
And I was just happy to you know have that match and return to AAW and uh yeah it's that one of the best matches I've ever had for sure!.
Sean: and you know you made that decision that jump from potential professional wrestler to being a professional wrestler full time you know
And you quit your job and then pursue it
Josh: Yeah like I could probably quit my job like a couple years before like when I originally signed with impact wrestling
It was just you know I have a wife I have two kids and I have a mortgage and stuff and it was just like "what if I get hurt?"
You know and all this stuff in the back of my head I just want to be cautious and you know really really solidify my spot so that you know I was covered in all angles but uh you know I finally made the jump and did it and like there's been no looking back since it was a tough transition actually because when I went from wrestling all weekend and flying home and going straight to work doing no sleep all this stuff and now I get to sleep in and stuff and I feel lazy you know?
Because I'm not running around non-stop l actually get to stop, relax and spend time with my kids which is so nice but yeah it's it's the dream come true that's the dream.
Sean: Yeah definitely I mean there's some other promotion's that run you know four or five shows a week so this is definitely what you prefer right?
Josh: Yes absolutely I get a little more time with my kids.
Sean: and you also get to do all these independent promotion's you know?
Think about when you're with these other promotion's they have nothing for you just sitting back stage you know so is that great? That you have that opportunity to go to those different shows when you're not doing an impact taping?
Josh: yeah it's very important to me that I was still able to do independent show's that not because like personally I like going around and you know getting to like kind of do my own thing and like working with other talent that isn't part of the IMPACT based locker room
And stuff like that you know I learn stuff and I see people and I like pick up on things and these shows, but also you know another thing is to come here and represent IMPACT wrestling and highlight myself as someone on the IMPACT roster and you know hopefully we can get some eyes from all these independent promotion's to tune in on Thursday nights too.
Sean: and you're on the road a lot so I have to ask what's your favorite convenience store? Is it WaWa, is it Sheet's or Buckee's?
Josh: yeah I'm not I have no idea the difference between Sheet's and Wawa's to me they're the exact same thing you go in you press a few buttons on the screen and you get some stuff uh but Buckee's would be better than all of them because I like remember somebody brought me into one in Texas for the first time and I was just like this is the Walmart of gas stations like it's just you can get anything there so and I'm a fan of their beef jerky.
Sean: Yeah well josh I appreciate you coming on Pro Wrestling Enforcer Podcast! so glad we could finally do this and you're definitely welcome back anytime if everyone wants to follow your social media and then you I'm sure you feel great when fans are wearing your merchandise so tell them how they can buy?
Josh: Yeah just everything to do with Josh Alexander’s Twitter and Instagram at Walking_Weapon I appreciate all the support you mean you don't have to buy anything if you do I really appreciate it but otherwise you know just tune in on Thursday nights on AXS TV at 8pm and keep watching impact wrestling because I'm gonna bust my ass trying to make sure that you know this is the best wrestling company in the world!,
Sean: awesome! And we love watching you do it as well so we appreciate you being on PWE, take care!
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