To hype Slammiversary on July 20th at the Verdun Auditorium, in Montreal, TNA held a Press Pass media event on Thursday with two Quebecers, PCO and Speedball Mike Bailey.
Tom Hannifan was the host. He hyped that Slammiversary would be a historic event, celebrating 22 years of TNA Wrestling and it’s the first time back to Montreal in 2011. It will be the first time ever for a televised event in Montreal.
Right from the start, PCO was pumped. “You guys don’t know how much hype is going on in Montreal for this show. People from all around the Province of Quebec are coming to Montreal. Get online early on Saturday because tickets will go fast,” he said.
The 56-year-old wrestler also addressed his infatuation with Stef Delander. “I don’t know. In my mind sometimes, I don’t know if it’s an electrical malfunction. I’m also very focused on Saturday night the 20th. It’s going to be pretty crazy. I can’t wait. It’s going to be awesome.”
Bailey talked about tonight’s episode of TNA and his match with Trent Seven. The winner will challenge Mustafa Ali for the X-Division Title, a title he’s held before.
“It’s very hard not to look ahead to Slammiversary,” said Bailey. “I hope whatever happens will live up to my expectations. Beat Trent, beat Mustafa Ali, take the tag belts and then challenge Moose at Slammiversary as the X-Division Champion and as the tag team champion.”
“That will be quite the triple crown scenario,” said Hannifan.
Here are some of the other highlights from the media call:
On the history of wrestling in Montreal:
PCO: “The history of wrestling for me, Dino Bravo was who I tried to emulate. During his career, seven years as champion, that’s the guy I wanted to become. It was always Dino. I’m not in this business because I need the money. I’m here to achieve goals.”
He talked about Andre the Giant and others who were important to Montreal wrestling.
“Dino was really the guy I wanted to be,” PCO said.
Bailey: “As the wrestling world changed, and the wrestling world changed, PCO was a huge part of that. He had a huge career in the ‘80s and ‘90s and then reinvented himself. We share the same goal in trying to make ourselves household names.”
Their careers
Bailey: “PCO and I would not be where we are if we were not incredibly ambitious. I’m not going to put any barriers on what I can accomplish. I don’t plan to stop until I’m at least as old as PCO is right now. I think that’s setting the benchmark.”
PCO: We’re not under the radar. There’s a lot of talent here (Canada). I have to go to Europe and Puerto Rico before I got signed. To Mike’s credit, he did the same. Many guys would have thrown the towel in. We’re building the same kind of way. I came back in 2017 to a lot of adversity. Wrestling is very mentally challenging. The fact that we’re from here and went through so much adversity is what makes us warriors. There’s nothing else than pro wrestling in my life. There’s my family, but pro wrestling is my main focus. May 20th will be in front of my mom and dad. It will be a special moment for me.”
Personal Favorite moments or matches in TNA:
Bailey: “Going one entire hour, or nearly, 59:48 with Josh Alexander. Having, at that point, the highest rated match in Impact history. My most cherished moment was winning the X-Division Championship at the Slammiversary 2022, the 20th Anniversary of TNA.”
PCO: Under Siege against Steve Maclin. “One of the craziest matches in my career. To me it meant a lot because I’m chasing that world title since I’ve been in TNA. I really believe that I’m going to get that title. It was mentioned as match of the year by many fans. It was violent, maybe too violent. There were a lot of things that maybe I’d do differently. The big thing about PCO’s character is that kids are in love with that character, the monster. I got the parents because it’s about persistence and not quitting. Life is not over at 40 or 50 years old. I got those two extremes that are my fanbase, and in between. My feud with Jonah, my feud with Eddie Edwards. It was more feuds than matches for me. For me, if I’d have to say a match, it was an Indy show with Walter. That was my 5-star match. I know if I’m put in a position, I can deliver that.”
Post-Scott D’Amore era in TNA and what’s stayed the same and changed:
Bailey: “I have great appreciation for Scott and what he did. Everyone has the same vision. We have to keep moving along in the idea and philosophy in TNA. I think we’ve done a great job.”
PCO: “Scott had great vision. He wanted TNA to be big and one of the biggest companies in the world, as does the new regime. That’s why we are in Verdun Arena, one of the greatest arena’s in the world.”
Milestones both men share:
On the same night of Slammiversary, PCO will celebrate his debut July 16, 1988. Bailey will celebrate his birthday. “That anniversary might be wrong,” admitted PCO.
Bailey: “I won’t be celebrating on my birthday, July 16, I will wait until July 22 to celebrate.”
As well, Bailey said he’d like to do a Monster’s Ball Match, being locked in a cage for 24-hours like Elevation X.
“We’d have to go without food and water, but we do it all the time, so why not do it in front of the people?” PCO said.
“AJ Styles vs Rhyno was pure genius,” Bailey said.
Hannifan added that you can watch the match on TNA Plus.
When will TNA be back in the UK:
No one had an idea of when they would be. Bailey talked about how fantastic he heard the tour in the UK was last year.
“TNA in Italy and Germany would do great,” Bailey said.
“The UK is where my career really took off,” PCO said. “My daughter has a little bit of the UK in her blood.”
Hannifan commented that some of his greatest wrestling memories have occurred in the UK. He also said the UK has a great and deep connection with TNA. He loves it in the UK and is ready for a road trip.
On both men being French/Canadian and if it creates a bond between them:
PCO: “Me and Mike are both from Quebec but we are not always together. He travels with other people than I do. I have so much respect for Mike because I know what he’s been through and where he started. I have tremendous respect for Mike. He’s on the verge of exploding even more and that means so much to me. I’m proud of him.”
Bailey: “I feel the same way. I wish I still had the accent like PCO. I have great admiration for PCO. Wrestling was very different when PCO was starting.”
Both men agreed the TNA locker room is a great place.
PCO: “I’ve seen Dynamite Kid beat the hell out of a 17-year-old kid just because he was sitting in the wrong place. It’s nothing against Dynamite, that’s just how it was. We have such a great locker room and there is a lot of competition between all of us. But I feel like we all get along.”
On wrestling under the TNA brand
PCO: “Not that I wasn’t proud of being in Impact, but I wear those letters with a lot of pride now. The history of the company is pretty great. All the big names that have come through all the years like Hogan, Sting, Savage, sometimes we forget about that. For us, it’s about elevating the company to a super-major status.”
Bailey: “My feelings are a little different. I have great fondness for Impact. In just the two years we spent in Impact, we saw a lot of change. The thing that I appreciated the most about the name change was that in those two years, we show so much growth. The return to TNA is just a great way to highlight the evolution.”
Bailey plugged the TNA Plus App and how great it is.
On their legacies:
PCO: “I have to look at the whole wrestling career and what I want to leave as a legacy. Along the way when you’re doing it, you try to inspire people to be better. Pay your dues and go the extra mile and things like that is what really matters to me. How can you grow as a human? I feel proud of myself to achieve the goal I set for myself. If along the way, it helps people, I’ve done my job.”
Bailey: “The art of pro wrestling is great tool for self-betterment. I see so many find their true personalities in the ring. That’s the goal, to inspire people to be great. TNA Wrestling allows people to be themselves and amplifies that. The ultimate goal is about making that connection with other human beings becoming better people through pro wrestling.”
One Slammiversary match they would pick to show a new fan:
Bailey: “Main event of 2022 with Eric Young and Alexander. It did such a great job of painting a picture of TNA History. It was an absolutely fantastic match between two men who have done so much for this company.”
PCO: “I don’t want to just pick one. Me, personally, Slammiversary is the most important pay per view. Not just because it’s in Montreal, but I’d rather focus on the next one and make that one unforgettable.”
To close out the event, Hannifan once again plugged Montreal Week, telling fans to go to TNAWrestling.com and once again mentioned a reminder that tickets go on sale this Saturday for the July 20 Slammiversary Show at Verdun Arena in Montreal.
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