Jonah On His Impact Wrestling Contract, New Japan, etc.

 Jonah was a recent guest on Busted Open Radio, where he spoke about his contracts with New Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact Wrestling. He admitted his deal with the latter is only short-term as the former WWE star teased his future.

“I think 2022 I am very excited for myself and professional wrestling. But I think it’s exciting for everyone that’s a fan of professional wrestling as well. You’re going to be able to see people wrestle different places and wrestle different opponents that you never thought you were going to be able to see. Almost some dream matches will happen next year, I think.

“There’s that Forbidden Door that people keep walking through,” Jonah said. “For someone like myself, I have an agreement with New Japan and I have a short-term agreement with Impact. You never know where I could be in 2022.”

Jonah has now been part of three major locker rooms within 2021. The former North American Champion opened up about the differences between them all. He revealed that the culture has changed backstage in wrestling as of late.

“I feel like everywhere has their own vibe. Obviously, everyone has people that are more comfortable in their locker rooms because they’ve been there for a longer time and it’s about fitting into those places. I’ve always been one that’s easy to fit into any locker room. I’m a pretty respectful guy, but I’m easy to get along with as well. I like to go there, do my business, and then leave, but also have a fun time as well.

“I think Japan is very business-centric people, pretty quiet backstage. But then, they do love a good rib the Japanese wrestlers themselves. Sometimes those things are fun. Whereas now the backstage of NXT or in Impact, you get such a varied age gap between someone that’s like 18, 19, or 20, and then people that are over their 50s. So, it is a very different culture backstage now in wrestling.”

Jonah also spoke about debuting with New Japan Pro Wrestling. He admitted he’s wanted to work with the company for a while. The former WWE Superstar also commented on what the fans are like.

“It felt amazing,” Jonah said on his New Japan debut. “It’s a company that I’ve wanted to work with for a long time. I did work with Pro Wrestling Noah for about a year, I lived in Japan for about a year. So, I know what the Japanese crowd is like and what the fanbase is like.

“I think the big difference is, obviously wrestling fans in the Western world they love pro wrestling, they love everything about it. But it’s almost like the Japanese fans watch it as a sport, so they’re a little bit more engaged during the match. Promos and things like that, maybe not so much,” he admitted. “But during the match, you can see that they’re with your every move.”