IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander wants to wrestle in Japan.
Alexander has become the face of IMPACT Wrestling, and he recently broke the record for the longest-reigning world title run in the company’s history. In 2022, he re-signed with the company and, in doing so, cemented his commitment to the promotion.
Speaking on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, Alexander detailed his decision to re-sign with IMPACT. When asked whether he views working with the company as a stepping stone, Alexander made it clear that he wants to be one of IMPACT’s building blocks, like AJ Styles and Abyss were during its early years. He emphasized that while some stars come to IMPACT to reinvent themselves in the hopes of landing with a bigger company, he’s happy there, and he doesn’t see why he’d want to leave.
“I grew up as a fan of IMPACT wrestling. I think when I grew up and I was really idolizing guys like AJ Styles and Abyss and these homegrown impact talents from the very beginning, and I saw them stick with the company throughout the growth and even some of the downturn of the company… I’m a real loyal guy,” Alexander said. “If everything’s good for me, if my family’s taken care of, if I’m happy and I’m getting opportunities, that’s all that matters to me really. I just do what makes me happy. That’s why I’ve persisted and stuck with wrestling for so long. That’s why I was still around 14 years into my career, to even get noticed and signed by IMPACT Wrestling. This is the only thing that really makes me happy and gives me fulfillment.
“So as long as I can do that and be happy, I’m good, man. I can’t say I’d ever want to leave. I want to be a guy like an Abyss and an AJ Styles in the early years and a building block now as we continue to grow. I think since around the time that I started in this company, maybe a year before when the management changed, it started a slow growth period, and I think you’re seeing everything come out of that now, with guys like Chris Bey and Ace Austin and people like Jordynne Grace and all these other people that have kind of been the homegrown IMPACt talents. For so long in these past seven or eight years, IMPACT Wrestling’s really been a place for people to leave those bigger companies and come back and reinvent themselves and try to go back. It’s been a place for lesser-known people to come in and be discovered so they can go there, like Trevor Lee and Killer Kross and stuff like that. So hopefully, I’m betting on IMPACT and the growth of this company, and it won’t be a problem where I have to leave or anything like that.
Alexander went on to describe how he’s starting to set goals for the first time in his career, and wrestling in Japan is at the top of his list. He stated that if he can do that, while staying with IMPACT and getting the opportunities that he has been, he’ll be quite happy.
“I do have goals. I’ve started setting wrestling goals for the first time in my career. A year or two ago, I just happy doing what I was doing and getting to wrestle. Now it’s like as I achieve these things, such as being longest-reigning world champion and stuff, I’m starting to set bigger and bigger goals for myself. IMPACT gives me a ton of freedom. I just want to be able to wrestle in Japan. That’s the one thing I have to do, especially in the prime of my career.
“So I’ve spoken to them about that, and they know that I really wanna go, so hopefully we can make that materialize. If that happens and I can do that and be in IMPACT Wrestling and do all this stuff, I’ll be happy as a pig in sh–. I don’t see a reason for me to go anywhere.”
Alexander will defend the IMPACT World Championship in a Full Metal Mayhem match against Bully Ray at IMPACT Hard To Kill on January 13.
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