Eddie Edwards says JDC’s retirement from pro wrestling has left The System in a bittersweet mood.
In November, Johnny Dango Curtis (aka Fandango and Dirty Dango) announced that he will be retiring from in-ring competition. Dango said he and his new wife reached a decision together and said that he would retire after TNA Genesis in January 2026.
His stablemate in The System, Eddie Edwards, tells WrestleZone that Dango had brought it up a few times in the past, but it didn’t seem like it was a serious consideration until he announced it on television.
“That’s when it really hit, like, ‘Oh man, it’s actually happening.’ Especially in wrestling, you don’t believe it until you see it, and then he says it, and it’s like, ‘Damn, alright.’ It becomes very real. I don’t think we can replace him. It’s not gonna be like a replacement for him, because we have this chemistry. He’s my brother, whom I’ve known for over 20 years at this point. We tagged together 20 plus years ago, on the indies, in the New England area. So it’s not gonna be a replacement like that.”
.@DirtyDangoCurty just dropped huge news about his future in TNA Wrestling and The System.
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) November 14, 2025
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JDC can’t be replaced, but The System does need to fill a void
Edwards says The System isn’t looking for a “new JDC,” but still wants someone that they can have a similar level of chemistry with. He isn’t sure that will happen, but hopes it is because the group’s dynamic depends on it.
“This whole run is gonna be very emotional for everybody, especially for him. But for us, who have known him for so long, and like you said, we’re having such a good time to see it come to an end. It’s sad, but also very proud of the man that he is. He’s been very open about everything he’s gone through in his personal life,” Edwards said.
“So, the fact that he’s in this spot, in this place in his life, where he’s confident in hanging ’em up, and he wants to do that. I would never judge him or try to prevent that. I am very happy for him, and we all support him in this decision, and we want to make this final run the best possible. That’s our goal as The System, like, ‘Whatever you need, Dango, you tell us and we’ll make it happen.’”
Eddie Edwards says TNA has given The System has plenty of say in a stablemate
More often than not, pro wrestling stables are put together for storyline purposes rather than behind-the-scenes relationships. The System are real-life friends and share a bond that is like the one shared between brothers. Edwards says they are looking at people on the TNA roster and free agents, and while they have a great deal of influence on who it will be, it must be a unanimous decision.
“It’s a little bit of both. We’re trying to be very open, whether it’s somebody on the roster or not currently on the roster. But we do have a lot of say,” he explained. “It’s not a perfect science, and we don’t know how it’s gonna work until they’re put in. But we do have a lot of say, which is great for us. It’s gonna be something that we’re all on the same page about, that we can guarantee. It has to be a unanimous [decision].
“[We ask,] ‘Do you think this will work, honestly?’ Because it is our livelihood, it is what we have going on right now. We’re very careful to not throw a wrench in those plans and mess it up by trying to force somebody who may not want to be there. It’s also on their end, too. ‘Do you want to be a part of The System?’ Maybe somebody doesn’t. So, as long as they want to be in it and we believe in them, that’s how we’re going about that.”
JDC will retire after TNA Genesis, which takes place on January 17, 2026 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, Texas.
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