Eric Young has opened up about how he’d love to share the ring with fellow Canadian Kenny Omega, suggesting the AEW World Champion might be the “most talented guy in the world right now” following Omega’s increasing presence in IMPACT Wrestling.
Inside The Ropes‘ Lead Writer Gary Cassidy recently asked the World Class Maniac in an exclusive interview for Inside The Ropes about IMPACT’s partnership with AEW, and All Elite Wrestling’s World Champion Kenny Omega appearing in IMPACT.
“Obviously, Kenny [Omega], bell-to-bell, might be the most talented guy in the world right now. If he’s not in the top three, he’s definitely in the top five. The excitement of having him show up on the show is everywhere as you know – you’re a wrestling fan. I’m a wrestling fan, I’ve always been a wrestling fan – and it’s cool, man. It’s uncharted waters. We’re living history and the thought of him appearing and other guys perhaps coming across and us going over there and, you know, all the fantasy booking – people are losing their minds, and so are we!”
Check out our own @WrestlingGary's interview with @IMPACTWRESTLING's @TheEricYoung!
Eric discusses IMPACT's newfound partnership with AEW, working with @NikkiCrossWWE, the late Brodie Lee, @KennyOmegamanX and more!@IMPACTUKhttps://t.co/sUjtCG0PKS
— Inside The Ropes (@Inside_TheRopes) January 7, 2021
Young, who was a World Champion in 2020 himself, spoke of his excitement at potential involvement and crossover matches with AEW stars.
“It’s exciting for me. Even though I’ve been in IMPACT close to a year now, there’s so many guys on the roster that I want to and have yet to work with and vice versa at AEW. There’s a long list of guys that I would love to get in the ring with and Kenny being near the top of the list.”
But where will the partnership with AEW and IMPACT lead? Well, Eric Young says he doesn’t know, but says it’s exciting and gives us an update on how it’s going.
“Nobody knows at this point what’s going to happen, how long this relationship will last. You know, it is wrestling and everything changes day-to-day but, man, it’s so exciting to be in a locker room where we have a working relationship with another company, it’s how it should be and unfortunately, it’s not – with money, ego, politics, things like that that ruin things like this and that doesn’t seem to be getting in the way. That’s so exciting, man.
“I’m not directly involved but, I mean, I’m right on the fringe of being involved and part of a company that is involved in this. It’s exciting to be part of that.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdmurvK7BhQ
With the suggestion that Eric Young was IMPACT World Champion until very recently, I asked if there’s any frustration that he isn’t the first IMPACT man to face Omega – which he rebuffed. The World Class Maniac said he takes pride in being an employee willing to do what’s right for the business, claiming Rich Swann becoming champion was exactly that, but confirmed he hasn’t given up hope on a match with The Cleaner.
“Would I like to share a ring with Kenny Omega? Yes, we’ve crossed paths – both being Canadians – and I can remember hearing about him right when I was first kind of leaving to go to IMPACT in 2004. I can remember guys working with him on the indies and him coming up to Ontario some, but we never crossed paths there and I don’t think we’ve ever actually met in person. But obviously we know each other. We know what each other has done. And that is something that, I look forward to at least having the possibility of sharing a moment with him – and a whole bunch of other guys that are over there as well.”
Young would go on to list Jon Moxley, Miro and The Young Bucks among other AEW talents he’d love to face.
You can read the full interview here.
Thanks so much to Eric Young for taking the time, and to IMPACT UK & Ireland for facilitating the interview. Fans in the UK & Ireland can catch IMPACT! every Wednesday on FreeSports at 10pm. Hard To Kill is available via Premier Sports in the UK, and also via Fite TV worldwide.