The Rascalz are back together in IMPACT Wrestling with the return of Zachary Wentz at the end of June. However, we are seeing things different this time as there’s a more aggressive attitude as seen when the Wentz returned and helped his best friend, Trey Miguel attack Chris Sabin.
In the run-up to IMPACT’s latest PPV, Slammiversary, airing tonight on Fite TV, PWMania.com‘s Lee Tarrier, sat with Wentz to talk about his return, creating a new legacy of the Rascalz with Trey Miguel, his time in NXT and his dream of working with The Hardyz, Seth Rollins and Will Ospreay.
You can check out the complete interview below:
It’s great to see you back in Impact with your boy Trey Miguel. We talked to him at the start of the year, and he spoke about you guys reuniting, and you’ve done so by jumping Chris Sabin and reuniting the Rascalz. Why now?
I just want to have the Rascalz name in the limelight again, man. That’s the Rascalz, it’s our baby and it’s near and dear to my heart and, you know, know for a long time the Rascalz were synonymous with Tag Team greatness and we want to get back to tag team greatness. Also, Trey Miguel is my best friend, my absolute best friend, my brother. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t talk to him in some aspect, facetime, texting or whatever. So I just want to be back with my friend. Do good stuff with my friend.
What are the ambitions this time upon returning?
Get the one championship that has eluded me. I want the Impact Tag Team Championship. I want those bad. We didn’t get to get those last run. This run is going to be different, Rascalz are going to be on top, we’re gonna stay on top. That’s just what it is.
Looking back on that first run. What are your best memories what your best matches that you had during that time?
Honestly any match that we had with the Lucha brothers, LAX. It seems like we were always attached at the hips and then also the North as well. It seems like the tag division at that time was absolutely insane. All those matches that we had with and of them were always insane. And then even right before we left, being attached to Motor City Machine Guns and having those matches. I loved those matches so much. And then also the Treehouse, man, they brought something different to the world of professional wrestling. And I just love them.
When can we expect you to go for this gold?
Listen, if it were up to me, we would have the tag titles now, right? There’s nothing too soon for the Rascalz. I want to have a word with management, tell them to put us in that four way match. But you know, I’m not management. So I can’t say anything. No matter what, just know that the Rascalz are going to make an Impact at Slammiversary.
Everyone we speak to from Impact talk about the team spirit behind the scenes and the rapport between you all. Who in the company do you enjoy working with in front of the camera and behind the camera? And who do you love learning from?
I mean, obviously, like, everyone’s pretty great. Alex Shelley is phenomenal because he still teaches you know, you don’t have to do that, but he still teaches. He takes time out of his day to make sure that, you know, if you want knowledge he is going to give you knowledge and then even like, I know business is business and we got to mess these guys up if we want their titles, but ABC are great too, you know. I came up with Ace Austin. We lived together for a little bit of time and then Chris Bey, I consider them my homies and it just felt like coming back felt right again, almost like a family reunion. Tommy Dreamer has always helped me. He’s always looked out for me and even still, like giving me advice, telling me how I can present myself even bigger than it is, and Dreamer, just his mind for professional wrestling is on one of the best minds out there.
What do you still learn on a on a daily, weekly or monthly basis? What do you learn while at the peak of your powers?
You just just gotta find stuff, you know what I mean? Like, especially with tv wrestling, you got to figure out how certain people shoot certain ways and stuff like that, especially with this new edgier side of the Rascalz. You know, I’ve pretty much been like the happy go lucky guy this whole time. Now, I’m trying to figure out how to present myself in an aggressive role. So you know, there’s always like, if you feel like you know everything in professional wrestling, you don’t. You just don’t if you’re not constantly learning, evolving, and figuring stuff out, then you’re not at your full potential.
I guess there’s a difference from the independent scene and then going into television and pay-per-view. Is there a real difference between the way you craft your matches and the way that you set out your game plans in terms of time, terms of ability and how you’re going to show yourself to an audience?
Oh, absolutely. Because you know, live crowd, you’re playing to what’s in that building at the time. You know, and for a TV show, you have to make sure that you present yourself in a way that everyone watching at home can see what I’m seeking to do. You got to do stuff in a certain way that makes sure that this camera gets the angle and just so you look like a superstar.
There’s a pressure that when you are on TV, you have 5, 10, 15 minute moments to really show a global audience what you can do. How do you find it, finding the sweet spot to show yourself off in the best light in the time you are given?
You just have to like know who you are and you have to know what your position is and what you should be doing. If you start worrying about what everybody else is doing, you as individual will get lost. And I feel like I’ve always done that fairly well when it comes to television as we’ve always known what the Rascalz are. I’ve always known exactly what it takes to show off my best work.
We saw you in NXT for a time where you were Tag Team Champions with Wes Lee as MSK. You guys put on a series of great matches there and worked with some amazing names. Who would you say have been some of the people you loved working with alongside Wes Lee and creating magic with for a global audience?
GYV (Grizzled Young Veterans) GYV is my favourite tag team. They are the lads. You know, they’re they’re the boys. They’re absolutely incredible, what are they called now, the Dyad? Those guys are top notch, they are literally one of the best tag teams ever. Those guys mind for everything. I know I say that a lot but just how they put together tag team wrestling is truly an art form and I learned so much from them. So those guys and also Legado Del Fantasma. Those guys. Beautiful.
GYV made their name here in the UK, then they went on to NXT. There’s been talk for a while that they’re leaving when their contracts expire and that they’re looking to go elsewhere. Do you think Impact would be a very rich place if they had them involved there?
If Impact can get. them. If they decide to leave and Impact can get them. Please. Get them! Please, please please, please, please. I want to be in the ring with them again. Because you know, it is a new dynamic of The Rascalz. Me and Wes wrestled them, now I want to wrestle them with Trey because yes, we are The Rascalz, but there are still small components of who we are as this combination that could match with them in a different light and make more magic.
Wes is doing well in NXT. Have you continued to watch the show and support him?
Absolutely. Absolutely. It’s a brotherhood man. Like, we’re not just people together on TV. You know, that’s one of my brothers. I still talk to him all the time as well. I never stopped watching and I have a bunch of my friends there and my girlfriend’s there. You know, of course, I always support.
How do you think Impact sits within this new boom period of wrestling and how far do you think this company can grow?
Dude, the sky’s the limit with Impact Wrestling. The talent and just everyone involved is hungry. You know? And I think we could do lots of stuff, man. I really really really really believe that. They just did a tour of Australia and had a very successful tour. If you watch social media, they trend every single week now. Last week was one of the biggest episodes and I just feel like especially with the additions of people such as Nick Aldis who is coming in for the World Heavyweight title, and you have Lio Rush and you had Trinity come in. It’s just growing. It’s continuously growing and I’m so happy to be a part of this growth and I can’t wait to see what happens.
As you say, the show trends every week. How do you think Impact differs from offerings from WWE and AEW?
I think the biggest difference with Impact is they have a good mash of styles. There’s that WWE TV style, where you get the characters and you get all of that and then there’s also the fast pace and boom, boom, boom style you get from AEW. I think Impact is a good combination of those two styles. You know, it’s the best of both worlds.
If you could pick anyone in the world, who would your dream matches be right now in tag and singles in 2023?
Tag, I want The Hardyz, absolutely, that’s one I’ve wanted my whole life because that’s the team that I grew up loving. That was it for me. And then singles wise man, that’s a hard one. I’ve never had a singles match with Osprey. I’d like one with him. I’ve never had a singles match with Lio. I would like one with him. I would really, really, really like to work with Seth Rollins in a singles match. Just because I was always a huge fan of him. And his style is just phenomenal. He’s phenomenal. So yeah, I could keep naming off names, but we ain’t got time.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this interview, please credit PWMania.com with an h/t to PWMania.com for the transcription.
