Cody Deaner had a good career with Impact Wrestling as the lovable and goofy member of the Deaners that hulked up by turning his hat around, but last year he turned heel by joining Eric Young’s Violent By Design faction.
Since then, he’s shaved his head and taken his Deaner personal to another level as he’s more aggressive and cut throat in the ring than previously.
But wrestling is a business, and after considering his options he decided to resign with Impact Wrestling to help grow what they’ve built.
Why return?
There a semi-hot debate on social media about the viability of Impact Wrestling as many think it died when they changed the name from TNA, or they went out of business, or aren’t worth watching because they’re on a small niche channel.
Because of that, many have argued the need for the WWE or AEW to buy Impact and they often question why anyone would sign with them.
One of the things we’ve heard more often than not is the creative freedom they’re given in their chose company, and that was one of Cody’s cited reasons when recently talked with Bob Kapur of Slam Wrestling as well as others.
He also made sure to point out the Forbidden Door aspect was a big reason in him returning to the company and he didn’t rule out going elsewhere if it was in his best interests.
Special thanks to wrestlinginc.com for the following transcripts.
“I believe that we have the best roster in professional wrestling. Both in terms of the talent, but also in terms of the morale of the company. Everybody gets along, and it really feels like a team, it feels like family. So I definitely wanted to stay with my family.”
“I mean, as a professional wrestler, I’m also a businessman. I’m always open to exploring talking to other companies. A businessman is always going to ‘take the meeting.’ They’re not going to close the doors.
“It’s a real interesting time in Impact Wrestling. One of the big advantages of being here is that you have access to these ‘Forbidden Doors’. There are multiple doors, with many companies working together in ways that haven’t been done in wrestling in many, many years. And Impact is one of those main places that gives you access to those doors. That played into my thought process, for sure.”
As for having creative input, he said he’s had a lot more than previously. In fact, his character change from Cody Deaner to Deaner was his idea.
“That was all my idea. All the ideas that I had for how (the change) should transpire, that was a team effort. It wasn’t just a piece of paper that was handed to me saying ‘you’re gonna do this now.’ I was part of that process. They’re really giving me opportunities to be heard, and opportunities to show the different skill sets that I have.”
A motivational speaker
Cody is also a motivational speaker during his downtime. He regularly talks to community groups, charities, and schools about his experiences and how to overcome hurdles with positivity.
“Being able to continue with the professional speaking business was a huge factor in my decision to re-sign with Impact. With Impact Wrestling, we have the freedom to follow our passions, and do things outside the bubble of the company. We can be our own businessmen and businesswomen and do these other projects.
“We don’t have these thumbs squeezing you down, saying ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ If anything, it’s encouraged get out there and positively represent Impact. It was very important for me to have the freedom to do the professional speaking and the charity work that I do.”
Cody is focusing on his in ring career at the moment, but he has plans to move behind the scenes at some point and help others fulfill their dreams.
“Eventually, I would definitely want to transition to a backstage role. I like to think I have a lot to offer, whether as a producer, creative, potentially doing some writing. That’s something that we’ve definitely discussed. I love every aspect of professional wrestling, not just the performing. What I’ve really come to appreciate – and what a lot of people don’t realize – is the amount of work that goes into putting a show together, and making a wrestling promotion operate at a high level.
“And that’s what Impact Wrestling is doing. So being a part of that machine is something that I’m very interested in. And I’ll definitely be looking at transitioning into those areas as my career progresses. I want to be a part of the professional wrestling business until my heart stops beating. I love this too much. And I want to be a part of it for as long as possible.”
We wish him the best of luck and can’t wait to see what’s next for him in Impact Wreslting.
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