Nic Nemeth wants to be the name fans think of when they hear about TNA Wrestling.
WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard spoke with Nemeth ahead of the TNA Rebellion pay-per-view. There, Nemeth will challenge Moose for the TNA World Championship.
Nemeth spoke about his mindset going into the match, noting how he’s experienced a lot of firsts after leaving WWE. Another first will be his match with Moose, who has been on an impressive run as of late. The “Wanted Man” says he wants to be champion and represent TNA to the best of his ability, and hopes Rebellion is what fans are talking about once it’s over.
“For the last few months, I’ve had a lot of firsts. Showing up in different companies, being in the ring with people that, one, I never thought would be possible or I’ve never seen before, or I’ve only seen footage of. But the decision to go to TNA and New Japan is purely based on, I saw what they had to offer,” Nemeth explained. “I saw their business model, their business plan. And they had long-term goals for the company, for the champion, for the brand, everything, and I said, ‘This is the place that I want be. And I want to help.’”
Nemeth said he had fun working with Steve Maclin, and now has his sights set on Moose and the world title. He said he could easily put Moose down since he’s a “bad guy” on TV, but he wanted to highlight just how good Moose is.
Nic Nemeth on challenging Moose
“He’s come into his own. He’s had the banner of TNA over his shoulder for the last few years. And someone who actually looks the part, backs it up, and can fight, can move quick. [He’s got] that linebacker breaking speed, he looks great, he can do a lot of different things,” Nemeth said. “The [intangible] he may lack is the experience. And I’m not [saying] experience like, ‘Oh, I’m old, I got experience. Cuz that’s the one thing…’ No, no. I have a ring IQ that’s very high.
“There’s a reason somebody who does not have a relative in the business, did not work the Independence, 5’11’’, 190 pounds, lasted 19 years in New York, two times as World Heavyweight Champion. It sure as hell wasn’t because I was getting favors done for me. It was someone who could break through even if they didn’t want me to. So my plan now, is to take that and pass that on. And I’m not just sitting around, giving advice to young up-and-comers. I want to be the best, I want to be World Champion, I want to represent TNA. I want everybody to think of me and [have my] name be synonymous with TNA.”
Nemeth said he not only wants to represent TNA, but also wants to be why fans are talking about how great the company is, noting that “it’s going to really shine through on Saturday.”
Tape study
Nic Nemeth says he “famously” does not watch his own work. However, he said that doing homework on your opponent is imperative, and he’s doing his homework on Moose.
“No, no, no. I famously don’t watch wrestling and that’s more of a dig that I just hated what I was doing for five years [in WWE] or maybe longer. But whatever, [that’s] a joke. But I mean, to complete and to be someone who has everything thought of in your head, because you have that ring IQ. No matter what the situation, you can’t just go in blind. You are robbing yourself and you’re robbing the fans. That’s just ignorant. You have to do some homework,” he explained.
“Whether it’s on just yourself, ‘What do I do in this position? What if I do like this? What do I do if someone runs out? What do I do if I hurt my shoulder? What if my shoulder comes out of place?’ Anything that you can think of. Of course, I do [watch tapes]. So, in this case, a couple of different shows,” Nemeth noted. “I’ve had to bounce around companies. Or even independent shows, if I didn’t know the person, I look up what they do, where they can be, what their movements are. And even still, not touching somebody and doing it one time, as that match has all eyes on you, you got to be good to go.”
No Asterisk Needed
Nemeth said Moose has The System backing him up, so he’s ready for that aspect. Nemeth also said he would be doing Moose a disservice by saying that’s the only reason he is champion now.
“But also, you have to give props where it’s due. If you do what it takes to cheat and still come out on top, if you’re still the champ. You’re not the champ with an asterisk by it; it’s not a Barry Bonds home run title,” Nemeth explained. “You’re the champ and it doesn’t matter, deal with it. However he finds a way to keep that title, that’s huge.
“I was World Champ and I didn’t keep it for too long,” he added. “So, that broke my heart. So, if I ever become World Champ again, it sure as hell [won’t help me if I don’t do homework]. [I can’t] phone it in and then just say, ‘Hey, I won this, that’s cool. We got this moment.’ And then let it go. It’s… That’s when the real hard work starts. And he’s really cementing a legacy as an up-and-coming very good wrestler.”
Nic Nemeth challenges Moose for the TNA World Championship at TNA Rebellion on Saturday, April 20. Check out our full interview with Nic Nemeth below:
