Departing Star Discusses Negotiations With IMPACT Wrestling

IMPACT Wrestling

A departing star has discussed negotiations with IMPACT Wrestling.

As previously reported, PCO has given his notice to IMPACT Wrestling that he will not be signing a new deal with the promotion. PCO’s contract with the company is set to expire on October 30.

Speaking to Pat Laprade on Les Anti-Pods de la Lutte, the former ROH World Champion revealed that he had seemingly agreed to a new deal with IMPACT before things went silent. He said:

“The company began approaching me in White Plains on the weekend of September 8 and 9. They said they wanted to re-sign me, that they wanted me to stay and all that.”

“And that it was important for the company. I asked if they could increase my salary, and creatively speaking, if I could get more involved with my character,”

“The next day, I thought we were going to agree on terms. It came close twice, then it drew on a bit.”

“Then, I was told that we had to reach an agreement, at least on the phone, before Memphis, which was the 22 or 23, in order to know how to book Memphis and Bound for Glory.”

“On Saturday no news, no phone calls, radio silence in a sense. There are a lot of people around me in the locker room who have not been renewed yet and who finished on the 22.”

“So I figured I wasn’t going to stretch it until Bound For Glory, since my contract finishes on October 30. I felt negotiations were tough so I decided to control how I was gonna leave.”

PCO continued on to explain that it became a “war of nerves” after things went silent, saying:

“I think that’s part of the negotiations too. When there’s radio silence after they tell you ‘We want you and we will sign you’.”

“There’s like some kind of a war of nerves that is being played. Who will break first?”

“If they show too much interest, they know you’re going to ask for the moon, but if they show less, they think you’re going to feel less important. The goal is to find the right balance.”

On September 21, WWE released a handful of talent including Dolph Ziggler, Matt Riddle, Mustafa Ali and Shelton Benjamin.

When asked if WWE releases may have influenced IMPACT’s decision to re-sign, PCO answered:

“Of course it did. Already there were names mentioned by people close to the office.”

“The names that were circulating were (Matt) Riddle, (Dolph) Ziggler and Mustafa Ali. These are the three names that supposedly Impact would try to sign.”

On if there was any new movement since it was revealed that he had given his notice, Perfect Creation One said:

“There has been some kind of a movement since I submitted my resignation. It seems that everyone has realized that PCO is leaving. It reopened the discussions a bit,”

“Therefore, it puts me in a position where I can take the best offer possible. There are many things to consider.”

“How are you going to be used, how much are they willing to invest in a character like mine, which is a character that’s extremely expensive because sometimes, it takes pyrotechnics, sometimes it takes a coffin, sometimes it takes a hearse.”

“It takes a lot of creativity. It would take me the equivalent in another company.”

Transcription via Fightful

Think you know the most about wrestling? Join our Wrestle League predictions competition for free, and be in with the chance of winning $250 of Amazon vouchers. Make sure you subscribe to email notifications to make sure you never miss a show.

• departure
• negotiations
• PCO
• Impact Wrestling

Share this article with friends