Impact Wrestling’s Josh Mathews recently spoke with Scott Fishman for Channel Guide Magazine while promoting this weekend’s Slammiversary pay-per-view; you can read a few excerpts below:
Josh Mathews comments on how his hated ‘G.O.A.T.’ on-air character came to be:
“When Jeff Jarrett came to TV for the first time again in January we were talking, and I had only met Jeff a couple of times up to that point. We have exchanged a few direct messages on Twitter. I was getting ready to go out, and I said, ‘Watch when I go out. They don’t like me.’
He sort of laughed thinking only a few people might boo. When I came back at the end he said, ‘They really don’t like you. They hate you.’ He said he had an idea, and that was it. We shook hands. Then the next set of tapings this all sort of rolled out.”
Mathews comments on his feud with Jeremy Borash leaving the commentary table and entering the ring:
“When it first came about, we both weren’t sure about it. We said we would do it the best way we can. Not that we didn’t want to do it, but I think we were a little uneasy about it. The way it has come about and the ease it has been. I think we are all in the same boat together. Everyone wants the company to succeed above all else. So we thought if this is what will help, then we thought let us do it the best way we can.
…I’ll do whatever. I love this business. I’ve been doing it since I was 19. I can see myself in that role; I don’t know if I would call it a manager role in 2017. But I also love broadcasting as well. I love being a play-by-play announcer. It’s hard work. I told Jeff when we were India and we did the thing with the Swanton and the one match. I said, ‘That’s it? That’s all I have to do? I don’t have to call anything?’ I sort of laughed, and this is not an insult, but told him being a wrestler was easy. Obviously, it’s not. Whatever they think work, and we sit down and talk about it and know where it’s going, I’m open to doing anything.”
Mathews comments on Impact Wrestling’s reputation with fans and building some momentum:
“The negativity can be frustrating, but I do get where the criticism from fans is coming from. The constant year-over-year with the new network or new whatever it is. I understand it from a fan’s point-of-view,” Mathews said.
“I see how it can get frustrating. ‘Hey, stick with us this time. This is different.’ I think you have to prove it. So going to India and doing four shows. Having a digital presence that is there constantly and doesn’t go away. You don’t have something that you create, and it goes away in a couple of weeks. To me, classic TNA is where things start and it becomes, ‘Eh, we’ve lost interest.’ And then nobody’s held accountable. It just ends. To me, that was the classic TNA that frustrated me when I got there. Those types of things are going away, and people are being held accountable. So now things are actually happening.”
