Josh Alexander clears the air.
TNA previously announced that they picked up Josh Alexander’s contract option. A graphic on social media initially noted that he had re-signed, but an update clarified that his option had been picked up. Some fans have speculated that Alexander was unhappy with the move.
Speaking with Tim Battle and Eli on the Battleground Podcast, Josh Alexander was asked about the situation.
“Rumors on the Internet? No, come on, guys. This isn’t a real thing [laughs],” Josh Alexander said. “No, two years ago, I signed a contract, it was two-years plus a third-year option, which is a team option for TNA, IMPACT Wrestling at the time, Anthem, blah, blah, blah. I didn’t even know that my contract was coming up, go be honest. All this stuff happened with the termination of Scott D’Amore and stuff like that, and I looked up my contract, like, ‘Oh, man, February 14, that’s like in three days. That’s weird.’ [Laughs] So I had to inform Anthem that my deal was lapsed, and they had ten days to pick up the option if they wanted to.
“If you don’t ask, you might never find out. So I certainly asked if they could not pick up my option and we could negotiate something different because I feel like I’ve outworked that contract I’ve signed. But it was a team option. The ball is in their court. I signed the deal, and it was totally within their rights to pick it up. I’m completely fine with them picking it up. It’s still a good deal. It’s not something that I’m upset about by any stretch.”
Josh Alexander Wanted TNA To See What He Would Be Worth On The Open Market
Josh Alexander continued by saying that the claims that he was being held “hostage” were inaccurate. He stated that he knew what he was signing up for. However, Alexander noted that he wanted to see what he was worth on the open market. That being said, he made it clear that he would honor the deal.
“To read tweets and stuff like I’m being held hostage and all this stuff and forced to stay here against my will, that’s not the case,” Josh Alexander said. “I signed that deal two years ago. I knew what I was signing when I signed it. At the end of the day, at the end of my career, I want to be able to look in the mirror, hold my head high, and say that I carried myself as a professional first and foremost, above anything else I do in this business. I want to say I did things right. I signed that deal, I’m gonna honor that deal, and we’ll see what happens in the next 12 months. Something could be re-negotiated for something long-term. In the meantime, Anthem has certainly mentioned that they would be interested in something like that.
“But at the same time, I thought it would be cool for the first time in my career to kind of hit free agency and see what I was worth on the open market, and then renegotiate then and see what could happen then. But yeah, I’m totally cool here staying in TNA. I’ve dreamt of being in TNA since I was a 15-year-old kid. For that to happen, finally get in a TNA ring at Hard To Kill and then the next day against Will Ospreay for Snake Eyes, that’s a dream come true. So I want to see this thing through and I will for the next 11 months or whatever it is and then we’ll see where we go from there. But not being held hostage [laughs]. That’s a little dramatic for me.”
The full interview can be seen here:
If you use these quotes, please credit the original source and link back to WrestleZone with an h/t for the transcription.
