PCO speaks on the record.
It had been reported by Pat Laprade of TVA Sports that PCO gave notice to IMPACT Wrestling and would be departing the company when his contract expires on October 30th.
Laprade sent out highlights from an interview he conducted with PCO and the former ROH World Champion spoke on the record about his negotiations with IMPACT. He shared that the company wanted to re-sign him and expressed that it was important.
PCO asked for a salary increase and to be more creatively involved with his character. He was told an agreement had to be reached before the television tapings in Memphis, Tennessee on 9/22 and 9/23. There was no contact between the two sides so PCO opted to hand in his resignation. He claims there are others on the roster who have not been renewed and who finished up.
The company began approaching me in White Plains on the weekend of September 8th and 9th. They said they wanted to re-sign me, that they wanted me to stay and all that. And that it was important for the company. I asked if they could increase my salary, and creatively speaking, if I could get more involved with my character.
The next day, I thought we were going to agree on terms. It came close twice, then it drew on a bit. Then, I was told that we had to reach an agreement, at least on the phone, before Memphis, which was the 22nd or 23rd, in order to know how to book Memphis and Bound for Glory. On Saturday, no news, no phone calls, radio silence in a sense. There are a lot of people around me in the locker room who have not been renewed yet and who finished on the 22nd. So I figured I wasn’t going to stretch it until Bound For Glory, since my contract finishes on October 30th. I felt negotiations were tough so I decided to control how I was gonna leave.
I think that’s part of the negotiations too. When there’s radio silence after they tell you, ‘We want you and we will sign you’. There’s like some kind of a war of nerves that is being played. Who will break first? If they show too much interest, they know you’re going to ask for the moon, but if they show less, they think you’re going to feel less important. The goal is to find the right balance.
In December, All Elite Wrestling is coming to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. PCO said if he’s on those shows, he could make the media rounds and promote AEW.
I’m sure that if I’m on the shows (AEW in Montreal), I would see tickets. We could do a lot of promotion, a media tour, conventional media, and then explain what All Elite Wrestling is. I think it could make a big difference. Because we see it when Kevin (Owens) and Sami (Zayn) come to Quebec. Quebecers get behind us in a strong way.
Former IMPACT World Champion Sami Callihan wrapped up with IMPACT and he is going to be entering free agency. Callihan is now taking independent bookings.
