The Genesis of Impact Wrestling features TNA Champ and NFL alum Moose
Moose is the self-proclaimed TNA World Champion, and the moniker fits him well.
A former NFL player, he is starring with Impact Wrestling, gearing for Genesis on Saturday from the Skyway Studios in Nashville. The event will broadcast exclusively on Impact Plus.
Click http://impactwrestling.com/impactplus.
Pride is on the line as Moose will battle Willie Mack in an I Quit match.
What’s the plan?
“You’re gonna have to watch to find out,” Moose said.
No Don Jardine alerts here.
Moose has come a long way since his debut in 2012. He excelled in football, prior, but that was his job, not his passion. Pro wrestling is his passion, and it did not take him long to succeed in the ring.
Moose continued to impress, leading to 2020, where he resurrected the TNA title, after beating Hernandez and Michael Elgin.
“I felt good in 2020,” Moose said. “The world went through a rough time.”
Moose remained focused and positive, leading to an outstanding cinematic style match against EC3 at Bound for Glory. In this physical brawl, Moose beat EC3. He also recorded victories over Tommy Dreamer, Trey Miguel and Fallah Bahh.
“It’s been great [in Impact Wrestling],” Moose said. “These last three years have been awesome, and hopefully we keep growing as we’ve been and continue to make the product as good as we can.”
Moose attributes his success to hard work, consistency and discipline.
“As time goes, you get more comfortable daily in both aspects of it [in-ring and on mic],” Moose said. “The more that you do, the better you get at it.”
During Genesis on Saturday, Impact Wrestling also conducts the Super X Cup Tournament.
First Round
Ace Austin vs. Suicide
Daivari vs. Cousin Jake
Crazzy Steve vs. Tre Lamar
KC Navarro vs. Blake Christian
Semifinals
Austin/Suicide winner vs. Daivari/Jake winner
Steve/Lamar winner vs. Navarro/Christian winner
Finals
TBD
Jordynne Grace vs. Jazz, too.
“I think Genesis is going to be awesome,” Moose said. “Hard To Kill [PPV on Jan. 16] is going to be even better. Impact always does a great job putting on pay-per-views, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Impact Wrestling is going to have a great year in 2021.”
About Moose
Moose, 36, is a two-time Impact Wrestling Grand Champion and a Global Force Wrestling champ. He made his pro wrestling debut in 2012, after hanging up the cleats.
He signed with Impact Wrestling in 2016. During his tenure, he tagged with DeAngelo Williams, another NFL alum, at Slammiversary 2017 in a winning effort against Eli Drake and Chris Adonis.
Moose noted it was a one-time deal for Williams, who impressed but opted not to pursue any further in-ring competition.
In more high-profile action, Moose worked a program against Bobby Lashley and Team ATT (American Top Team), led by ATT leader Dan Lambert.
The 6-5, 300-pound Moose ponders stepping into the cage, the octagon, battling in MMA.
“It’s something I might do,” he said. “We’ll see.”
He also wrestled for Ring of Honor, Revolution Pro Wrestling, Evolve Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Noah.
Prior, he starred in football as an offensive lineman for DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. In his senior year, he earned All-Prince George County honors after helping the Stags go 11–0 en route to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Championship.
DeMatha is know for its basketball prowess first and foremost, and Moose initially tried out for that nationally ranked hoops team.
“I started out with basketball but didn’t quite cut it,” Moose said. “Coach told me I was an athletic kid and maybe I should try football, and that’s what I did.”
With his size and athleticism, football became his game and his ticket to a college scholarship and the NFL.
“It’s part of life; it’s part of who I am,” Moose said. “Without that experience, I wouldn’t be the man I am today. If I could do it over, I’d probably do the exact same thing.”
Even with that success, football not his passion. Pro wrestling is, and he knew one day he would embark on a pro wrestling journey. Just not yet.
Moose continued his excellent play on the Oline in college, competing for NCAA Division I Syracuse University. He does have a photo of him with the happy Syracuse Orange mascot.
Colleges expressed much interest in the big man. Boston College, Florida State, Maryland, Virginia to name a few, but he chose Syracuse, and he helped the Orangemen make history. He was part of an offensive line that blocked for the first Syracuse duo (Damien Rhodes and Walter Reyes to each run for 800 yards since 1979 (Joe Morris and Bill Hurley).
“That was pretty cool to be a part of something like that,” Moose said.
Moose competed for coaches Paul Pasqualoni and Greg Robinson at Syracuse. He protected quarterbacks R.J. Anderson, Joe Fields, Troy Nunes, and Perry Patterson.
Following college, the Atlanta Falcons selected him in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He never dreamed of playing college football, let alone make an NFL roster.
“I wasn’t really a big football fan,” Moose said. “I was more of a wrestling guy. It’s just crazy how I got into the NFL, not even wanting to play in the NFL as a little kid.”
His favorites growing up, pro wrestlers, not football players. Ric Flair, Razor Ramon, Goldberg. “I had a lot of favorites,” he said.
He also played for the New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts. The quarterbacks read like a Who’s Who -- Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan, Sam Bradford and Michael Vick.
“You don’t look at it as a game anymore. It’s a job,” he said. “You clock in. You clock out.”
Nowadays, Moose watches highlights of football games, “but I can’t sit there and watch a whole game,” he noted. “I think It’s boring.”
Moose never played defense at any level, only offensive line. Maybe that’s why.
Following his gridiron career, Moose began his professional wrestling career, training in 2012 under WCW alum Mr. Hughes at WWA4 in Atlanta. Discipline and work ethic he learned from his football playing days transitioned nicely to the ring. He also brought the nickname Moose, given to him by one of his Atlanta Falcons’ teammates.
“It was easy [to leave football] because I was going into something I loved and really wanted to do,” Moose said.
A protector on the football field, it seemed fitting during the early stages of wrestling years that he become a bodyguard. He protected the Bravado Brothers in Dragon Gate USA.
Recently, Impact Wrestling’s Don Callis and AEW Champ Kenny Omega joined forces, creating some interesting viewing on Impact Wrestling on Tuesday nights on AXS TV and AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights on TNT.
“It’s good for business,” Moose said. “We’ve had the most eyes on our product.”
Omega vs. Moose?
“Hey, I’m ready for anybody, but we’ll see” Moose said. “You’ll just have to watch and see.”
Moose Media Socially
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moosenation69/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MooseNation69/
https://www.tvinsider.com/918715/quinn-ojinnaka-moose-impact-wrestling-nfl/
Impact Wrestling Hard To Kill PPV
On Saturday, January 16, Impact Wrestling returns to Pay-Per-View with a stacked card for Hard To Kill.
AEW Champ Kenny Omega with Don Callis and Impact Wrestling Tag Champs The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) against Impact Wrestling Champ Rich Swann and the Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin).
Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champ The Virtuosa Deonna Purrazzo with Kimber Lee vs. Taya Valkyrie.
X-Division Champ Manik vs. Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju.
Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz vs. Havok and Nevaeh for the Impact Wrestling Knockouts tag team titles.
Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan in a barbed wire massacre match.
Eric Young, Deaner and Joe Doering vs. Tommy Dreamer, Cousin Jake and Rhino.
The Karate Man vs. Ethan Page.
For more info, click:
https://impactwrestling.com/2020/12/03/hard-to-kill-live-on-ppv-saturday-january-16th/
To order, click https://www.fite.tv/watch/impact-wrestling-hard-to-kill-2021/2p8k6/.
Impact Wrestling Hard To Kill Virtual Fanfest
Impact Wrestling hosts its second virtual fanfest, The Hard To Kill CELL-ebration, on Saturday, January 16.
The 2-hour event will start at 11 a.m. ET.
The Hard To Kill CELL-ebration will be on Zoom and give fans the opportunity to ask questions directly of some of their favorite Impact stars. Fans around the world can interact from the comfort of their mobile device or computer.
To register, click
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X8UGtY3mT96OM91LXnjNIg
IMPACT WRESTLING SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/impactwrestling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactwrestling/
My Pro Wrestling Talk on the Web and Social Media
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This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
