Scott D’Amore Says He’s Honored and Humbled to be a Part of Bobby Roode’s Journey, Explains Why the Current Impact Wrestling Regime Will be Different, and Respecting the Privacy of Jeff Jarrett and His Family at the Moment

– Sportskeeda recently interviewed Impact Wrestling co-executive Vice President Scott D’Amore, who discussed changes in Impact Wrestling and the future of the company going forward. Below are some highlights.

Scott D’Amore on how the new Impact Wrestling regime will be different: “One of the things that you’ve already seen and you’re going to see more of is an open collaboration with talent. In wrestling, you see talents being told that we own the rights to your name and all your Intellectual Property. One of the things we want to do is approach this as an open-door, talent-friendly company. We’re working for the betterment of Impact Wrestling but each individual talent has their own sub-brand, whether it’s Fantasma, or Bobby Lashley, or Eddie Edwards or Moose. They all have their own brands that they want to build up and we want to be partners in a relationship that helps both sides.”

“One of the revolutionary things that we’ve done in the wrestling business is we’re telling talent that when your relationship ends with us, you’re going to be able to take all of those creations created while you were with us, and you’re going to get to continue to use it. This is so drastically different from what has usually happened in wrestling and we think one, that’ll make a more excited and engaged talent roster and we also think it’ll allow the talent to fully commit, develop and become these characters.”

Scott D’Amore on if he thinks that idea will help retain talents in the future: “Absolutely. The response we’ve been getting from talent and from fans has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s going to create an environment that talent want to be part of. It’s an important part of the culture that we want to build. We want to be a place and a culture where fans know when they tune in, when they show up and buy a ticket, they’re going to be supporting a strong product with passionate people who’re going to be putting out great, creative, entertaining programming.”

Scott D’Amore on what’s going on with Jeff Jarrett: “I think it’s important that we all respect the privacy of Jeff and the Jarrett family. There are so many people in the industry who owe a debt of gratitude for Jeff for starting this company and everything that he’s done. I think there’s support for him to get where he needs to be in life, and I wish him the best with that.”

Scott D’Amore on Jarrett’s idea of “Make Impact Great Again”: “It’s an interesting statement to make- ‘Make Impact Great Again’. I know it was the slogan throughout the year under the previous regime. Our approach is going to be we’re starting here and we’re in a position where we have a solid company and a worldwide base. We’re just going to make the smartest, the most intelligent and calculated decisions we can to help the company continue to grow. Sometimes when you make statements like ‘Make Impact Great Again’, it sends a connotation all of a sudden everything’s going to change in one day, in one week, in one month.”

Why Bound for Glory didn’t have a Hall of Fame ceremony this year: “It was one of those things with so much upheaval and so many changes going on at that time, we felt that we couldn’t give the time and attention to putting together a Hall of Fame Ceremony. If we were not going to do it right, we wanted to not do it this year. Because when we do a Hall of Fame we want to give it the attention and respect it deserves. We just felt that if we rushed and did it with all the changes that happened in September, and have it ready for our Bound for Glory weekend, we wouldn’t do true justice that is needed when you have a Hall of Fame ceremony.”

Scott D’Amore on Bobby Roode’s success outside TNA/Impact Wrestling with NXT and WWE: “Bobby Roode is a guy I met very early in his career and he was such a raw talent that wasn’t getting the opportunity he deserved. We brought him in to Border City Wrestling and put him on our television show. He was such a great part of what we were doing. We had Rhyno, and Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley and Petey Williams and Bobby Roode. He was so special to us as being a launching platform. What Bobby has done moving on, first with our company through his history with Impact Wrestling…obviously he’s been one of the best talents and greatest characters in the history of this company. Anyone who questions his ability to move over to NXT or WWE or anywhere else and succeed at the very highest level wasn’t paying attention to him because every time he’s been given an opportunity he’s excelled with it. That’s exactly what he’s doing there. I’m just honored and humbled to play a role in the career of a guy that’s not just a great talent but such a good human being and class act. I’m honored to be part of his journey.”