Tommy Dreamer knows what he likes in a pro wrestling company. And he should; along with his well-known status as an ECW Original, the New York native has wrestled in promotions large and small, worked as a producer and coach, and run his own school and promotion.
In short, he’s done everything there is to do in the business. Dreamer now finds himself staring down the potential end of his in-ring days thanks to a Title vs. Career match with Kenny King at Impact Wrestling’s Victory Road on Sept. 8 — and he vows that if he loses, this really is it for him.
Dreamer says he doesn’t need the money, and he certainly could take it easier and simply chill as a host on the insanely popular “Busted Open” show on SiriusXM. But he sees something special in Impact at this particular moment in time, as he told host Phil Strum on the Under the Ring podcast.
“You have a lot of hard-working men and women behind the scenes as well,” Dreamer said. “It’s wrestlers running a wrestling company, and it’s from different aspects of the industry. That’s a big key, because everybody’s who’s helping behind the scenes gets it. You get the wrestler’s point of view.
“You understand the trials and tribulations of travel or any other thing that pops up that a lot of people, or in a corporate world, they don’t understand those things.”
Dreamer also said he appreciates the way Impact has been continually innovative, noting that the company probably doesn’t always get mentioned enough in that vein.
“AEW has their stuff they do with the Forbidden Door, cool; Impact’s been doing it for a long, long time,” Dreamer said, mentioning the company recently bringing in Sanada and snagging Will Ospreay for Bound for Glory. “They’re willing to work with everybody.
“Another thing you say about Impact, I don’t think it’s ever gotten the credit for all the stuff that it’s done historically in professional wrestling, what they’ve done first. And there’s been a lot of firsts.”
Dreamer and Strum go back a long way, which you can tell by listening to their full conversation above. Among the topic they covered were:
- What’s unique about the Westchester County Center, the site of Victory Road and Impact 1000 — and what the building means to Dreamer personally
- Tommy’s mixed emotions about putting his career on the line, and the real life factors that got folded into his challenge to King
- What Impact needs to gain more overall awareness, and the importance of strong platforms in the current era of pro wrestling
- Many great stories about the late Terry Funk
- How Dreamer hopes he’s remembered when he’s completely gone from the business
Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included AEW’s Powerhouse Hobbs, veteran wrestler Greg Gagne, and AEW star and recent All In headliner Adam Cole (bay bay).
To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.