Impact: Steve Maclin on World Title Victory, Tommy Dreamer Taking Break from Wrestling, Deonna Purrazzo

Apr 18, 2023

Steve Maclin Comments on World Title Win at Impact Rebellion 2023

This past Sunday’s Rebellion 2023 event for Impact Wrestling in Toronto, Canada featured Steve Maclin defeating KUSHIDA to be crowned the new Impact World Champion.

Sports Illustrated held a recent interview with Maclin. One of the topics discussed included Maclin’s thoughts on his recent Impact World title victory.

“From dirt holes in Afghanistan to winning the Impact world title, this is something I’ll hold on to. A lot of my brothers there told me I was going to be an action figure one day, that I’d become a pro wrestler. To me, it was just a dream. It taught me the importance of earning life. There are brothers that aren’t here anymore. I try to earn every day. That’s my approach in life, and it’s no different in the ring.
I was never a chosen one. I came to Impact and I’ve worked my ass off. I kept my head down, I kept grinding, and this is only the beginning. The easy work is over. Now the head work begins. Whether you believe in me or not, I’m out there proving people wrong. That’s the way it’s always been, and it’s not going to change now.
This is a night I won’t forget. It’s even more incredible that my wife won the women’s title. It’s a hell of a way to start a rebellion.”

Tommy Dreamer Announces Break From Wrestling

This past Sunday’s Rebellion 2023 event for Impact Wrestling in Toronto, Canada also featured Team Dreamer defeating Team Bully in a 10-Person Hardcore War match. Prior to the match, Dreamer stated in a backstage interview segment that this past week was the most challenging week of his life due to issues related to his mother being hospitalized over a brain bleed medical emergency.

Following the match, Impact held a digital exclusive backstage interview with Tommy Dreamer. In the interview, Dreamer stated that he will be taking a break from both Impact and wrestling for the foreseeable future.

“I’ve known Frankie Kazarian since the original ECW, he was just starting training. He came up with Killer Kowalski, and he got in the ring, and years later we joke about it, where he was like, ‘This was the greatest experience and the scariest experience in my life.’ Tonight was a pure example of what I love about professional wrestling. It’s an escape. It’s an escape for me. There’s no other place I wanted to be than the middle of that ring tonight. I have received so much love from the professional wrestling community. I just gotta say thank you. I’m gonna go away for a while. Mentally, I’m not here, and I gotta get better. Somebody else needs my love. Yuya, Bhupinder, Killer Kelly, Frankie, I wish the world always sees through my eyes. When I walk out there, I see a whole mass of people from different countries, races, creeds, all showing their love for one thing, and that’s professional wrestling. It’s a beautiful world that I’ve lived in, and it’s gonna be the hardest one that I have to leave. But again, for tonight, I just want to say thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. I have literally wrestled in front of billions of people. Thank you for today, thank you for everything. I love you guys.”

EXCLUSIVE: IMPACT cameras caught up with an emotional @THETOMMYDREAMER after Hardcore War! #Rebellion pic.twitter.com/b7F0fVmcjc
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) April 17, 2023

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

Deonna Purrazzo Comments on Being Open to Working On-Screen with Her Husband Steve Maclin in Impact

A recent episode of Fightful’s In The Weeds podcast featured Deonna Purrazzo as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Purrazzo’s thoughts on being open to the idea of working together as an on-screen couple with her husband Steve Maclin in Impact Wrestling.

“Steve and I have always talked about, we’re not huge intergender wrestlers, but if there’s a story and it made sense, it’d be something we’d be open to. Right now, IMPACT does not allow us on screen together. We’re not allowed to talk about each other. We do not exist in each other’s world yet in IMPACT Wrestling. I don’t know that it will be something that happens, but I think that it makes a lot of sense and if it was something that was brought to the table, I think Steve and I would absolutely be open to it.”

Purrazzo also stated that it was Impact’s decision for them not being an on-screen couple.

“That’s an IMPACT call. I kind of just turned babyface, I’m a good guy, and Steve is super super bad. No one likes Steve Maclin. Those lines in IMPACT can’t be blurred, especially with Steve being World Champion and getting the opportunities that he’s gotten. It’s really important right now to make sure he’s getting the reactions that they need from him and he’s keeping up that persona. Steve Kupryk, in real life, my husband, is the complete opposite of what we see on TV every week. He’s a legit teddy bear. It would take that edge off of him and we’re not ready for that.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com