Cody Deaner Recalls Emotional Experiences Working with Hulk Hogan and Kurt Angle, Talks Current Impact Run

– Cody Deaner spoke with Fightful for a new interview talking about his run in Impact Wrestling, working with Kurt Angle and Hulk Hogan, and more. Highlights are below:

On being trained by Derek Wylde: “I was so lucky to have Derek Wylde as my trainer and the man who introduced me to the wrestling business. He taught me so much and I owe so much of my success to him. He taught me the basics of ring psychology and hammered home the fundamentals… all the things a new young wrestler really needs. He also stressed the importance of looking the part and carrying myself as a professional… something that is unfortunately lost on some young talent these days. Furthermore, he helped get me exposure in a variety of independent scenes that I wouldn’t have had access to if he didn’t put me in his car and bring me along. I traveled all over, wrestling him and if it wasn’t for him and his generosity and belief in me, I definitely wouldn’t be on TV living my dream today.”

On working with Kurt Angle in WWE and Hulk Hogan in TNA: “I remember being very emotional after these matches because ever since I was five years old, my dream was to maybe wrestle in the same ring as my childhood hero – Hulk Hogan. When I finally did that, it hit me real hard and I got very emotional. I also remember being extremely confident before and after these matches as well. I was confident that I could hang in the ‘big time’ going into these matches, and I proved that I could in these matches. So, it did wonders for my confidence moving forward. Oh… I also remember Kurt Angle kicking me full force in the face on SmackDown and not being able to eat solid food for 2 weeks. That was awesome.”

On his current run in Impact: “I see this run as being a lot different from my last one. Not just because I’m in a tag team now with my Cousin Jake, but because I’m being brought in under a whole different light. With my first run with IMPACT, I was essentially a comedy act. I was a sidekick for O.D.B. to help add to her character and I was not allowed to show my wrestling skill. I was actually in matches where I had to pretend I couldn’t wrestle because I was supposed to act like a ‘fan’. I’m not complaining. That was just my role, and I did it to the best of my ability. But, I definitely wasn’t given the freedom to show what I can do between the ropes. I’m an almost 20 year veteran now, and with this run, IMPACT management is giving me the freedom to show the world what I really have to offer. Both on the microphone and in the ring. I’m super excited to show the world what me and Jake can do and show the world that we can really GIV’ER.”

On if he’s excited about the Impact tag team division: “Absolutely. The IMPACT tag division is more stacked with quality teams than it has been in a long time. Possibly ever. To be in the current crop of tag teams in IMPACT is extremely exciting. All the teams have something different to offer and bring to the table. So the possibilities of cool match-ups and clashes of different styles is exciting for me. I hope it’s exciting for fans too.”

On doing motivational speaking: “I started speaking professionally about five years ago. I got asked to speak at a school event from a friend and it snowballed from there. Now I travel all across North America telling stories about my wrestling career and life lessons I’ve learned along the way. Much like my TV character and wrestling persona, I legitimately grew up in a small rural town in the middle of nowhere. No one from my town went on to do anything big or inspiring, because the expectation was that we wouldn’t be given opportunities to do cool things because we were so secluded in our small area. I was able to break away from that and find opportunities to follow my dreams. I now speak at schools and community events and encourage kids that just because they might live in a small town, that doesn’t mean they have to have small dreams. They can be whatever they want to be… if they put in the work, and I know that’s true, because I’m living proof.”