Steve Maclin shares his thoughts ahead of his world title match at IMPACT Rebellion.
At the pay-per-view on April 16, Maclin will face KUSHIDA in a match for the vacant IMPACT World Championship. Maclin was set to challenge reigning champion Josh Alexander for the title, but Alexander had to relinquish the gold due to a torn triceps.
Speaking with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard, Maclin looked ahead to his objectives following his potential title win. He made it clear that he wants to put the world on notice. Maclin emphasized that he will be excited and emotional, given the significance of the match. As far as his potential reign is concerned, he stated that any challengers are welcome to step up.
“I’m going to put the world on notice,” Maclin said. “Whatever I say, and I don’t know how I’m going to feel after I win, and even the possibility of losing is there too, I know that. But to go in confidently, why wouldn’t I? It’s the biggest match of my career, why would I go in with doubt. But I don’t know. I don’t know how I’m going to feel. I’m going to be excited and probably very emotional on the inside as well of having this moment of being the IMPACT World Champion, for lack of a better term, being forgotten no more and having a reason for being remembered. So it’s one of things I’m just going to feel out the next week on TV, or maybe even that night say something. We’ll see. But any and all comers that want to challenge me for the IMPACT World title when I am the champion, please.”
Maclin also shared his thoughts on the Monster Factory, where he trained to be a wrestler, and noted that he’s happy for the way the school is being highlighted in a reality show on Apple TV. He looked back on how the school taught him to be a professional and rely on his fundamentals.
“I would say the time frame I was going to now, especially with the Monster Factory on Apple TV’s new reality show, I’m so happy for them,” Maclin said. “It’s a different animal there now for Monster as you could say. The strategy still stays the same though, you learn from the ground up and you learn the basics. I try to tell people that all the time when I get asked, ‘What’s the comparison between the military and pro wrestling?’ and it’s just knowing the basics of fundamentals. It’s what you rely on when things go array or things happen in the ring we don’t expect to happen, you just rely on your own fundamentals.
“That’s what I was taught and what was ingrained in me at the Monster Factory of knowing how to be a professional, to carry myself, and not have the ego, but have an ego where it’s not so outgoing you’re an asshole, but you just have that cockiness and arrogance once you step through that curtain, but once you’re back through that curtain it’s all professionalism and back to business.”
The IMPCACT Wrestling star continued by discussing Monster Factory coach Danny Cage and noting that he briefly thought about flying out for IMPACT Rebellion, but Maclin encouraged him to stay home with his kids.
“That’s one thing a lot of people don’t realize is Danny, he’s loud-mouthed and says what’s on his mind, and he speaks from his heart in that way,” Maclin said. “Sometimes it may come off aggressive or pissed, but what he says, he means from the heart, and that’s what I love about him. He never holds it in, he just lets it out. If he has a true, honest opinion, he just tells you. That’s the one thing I took away from there, and still even how now, especially when we chat here and there, we were chatting the other day about him possibly flying out to Toronto. I told him, ‘Just stay home and watch. Don’t worry about the trip. I appreciate the thought, but just stay home with the kids and watch, and we’ll see how it goes.'”
IMPACT Rebellion takes place on Sunday, April 16 and it is available for purchase on FITE. WrestleZone will have coverage of the show as it airs.
Watch our full interview with Steve Maclin below:
