Doc Gallows is proud of the IMPACT roster and management for giving them a chance to succeed on their own.
Gallows spoke with Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp and discussed IMPACT's roster and the batch of new faces who have been able to thrive as themselves. Gallows said he respects IMPACT for giving wrestlers a chance to get over and not have to rely on some character. In respect to current IMPACT Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, Gallows said she is one example of someone coming into the company and doing very well from the get-go.
"It's been great and she has really flourished since she made the move to IMPACT. A lot of people will say and you hear it in these interviews and when you leave you there is some bitterness. I'm glad that that happened but honestly, it's been the best blessing of my entire career and some of the most creative freedom of our entire career. We're launching this whiskey brand. We have a bottle signing Friday night... They're letting us push this stuff on television. They're letting us push our beer. They're letting us just really grow this brand and mutually grow each other and I couldn't be happier to wear the IMPACT hat. Then again, on the Deonna thing, what a great story there is there and to actually see her go out there and perform at the level she deserves to be able to get showcased on, I think is a complete blessing. Hats off to Don Callis, Scott D'Amore and everyone over at IMPACT Wrestling for being wrestling purists and seeing it for what it is and giving people a chance to really go out and get over on their own and not just portray a character. I portrayed a character for a lot of years and it's fun to be me now. It took a long time but I'm thankful for it," Gallows said.
One thing Gallows said about IMPACT is the versatility of the roster and the fluidity of the card, preventing wrestlers from being locked into one thing to do on the roster or one spot on the show. Even though Sami Callihan is not wrestling at Bound For Glory, Gallows believes in Callihan's abilities and says he can jump right back to the top of the card.
"There's a lot of room for movement and we have such a versatile roster that you can plug people anywhere now. You keep them viable on the television show and I can see Sami jumping right back up the card... It's a motivated roster. It's a motivated brand. I said it on Full Keg and it got a lot of play, but if you're sleeping on IMPACT, it's time to wake up. I truly believe it," Gallows said.
Going into more specific examples, Gallows mentioned EC3 and Brian Myers as guys who did not get much of a chance to shine on their own at times during their career. Gallows lauded EC3's promo skills and Myers' abilities to give great performances and carry a main event on his own.
"Yeah, I think it's a beautiful thing. Kudos to EC3. I mean, he's always been one of the great promos in the business, but now you're seeing another layer, another character layer and IMPACT was cool enough to go, 'Yeah, we'll do this deal with you for however long it will be and go do Ring Of Honor.' It's kind of cool to have those options and it's no secret that he's a buddy of mine, but I thought his talent was slept on for a long time as well as Brian Myers, the most professional wrestler. You're seeing him, and I hate to give star ratings to anyone, but give a five-star performance, top of the line performance where he can carry a main event and do great. I'm proud of these guys. I'm proud of our roster and it's fun to be on a team that is in there consistently swinging. Nobody has a bad idea and everything is up for discussion," Gallows said.
You can check out the full interview in the video at the top of the page. Fightful will have live coverage of Bound For Glory, airing on October 24, as well as a post-show podcast. Gallows' TalkNShopAMania runs on November 13.
