matthew rehwoldt

Matthew Rehwoldt Looks To Forge Something New With IMPACT, Partnering With Deonna Purrazzo ‘Clicked From Moment One’

By Colby Faria

Matthew Rehwoldt is always going to be the “Drama King” but he wants to make sure the character evolves with IMPACT Wrestling.

Matthew Rehwoldt recently spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about joining IMPACT Wrestling and linking up with Deonna Purrazzo upon his arrival. After noting how his debut was teased at Slammiversary 2021 with a cryptic promo (and the irony of last year’s “whiskey” teaser), Rehwoldt talked about what led him to IMPACT now and how he’s clicked with Purrazzo from the start.

“It was a crazy year for me, like it was for so many of us, not just in wrestling, but the world at large in 2020 going into 2021. There was a lot of figuring out my next steps and figuring out the next moves. I spent a lot of time with “Wrestling With Whiskey” and I started a Twitch channel, things like that. But I’ve always kept in touch with some of my friends in the wrestling business, primarily guys like Eric Young and Sami Callihan, guys who are IMPACT Wrestling ‘stalwarts,’” he explained, “and they were like ‘hey, IMPACT likes you, and if and when the right opportunity comes up, they’d really like to do something.’

“So, sometimes it takes a little bit of time, it takes the stars lining up so to speak, and with this year’s Slammiversary and then shortly thereafter, the Homecoming Tournament that was being planned, they were looking for a partner for Deonna Purrazzo and Deonna, as we all know, is a very high-formed athlete, she walks on air in the wrestling world, and rightfully so. So, I’d like to think the Drama King is [on that level] too, so the timing and the marriage of styles worked out and it seemed like a perfect fit. It’s one of those things that seemed perfect on paper and when I showed up and we started working together,” he noted, “it clicked from moment one and off to the races we went.”

Matthew Rehwoldt saw plenty of success as Aiden English in WWE, especially with Miro as the duo behind the “Rusev Day” movement. Since both left WWE last year, fans have speculated on the team getting back together outside of that promotion, and Rehwoldt has shown his appreciation for those thoughts and the characters themselves. He’s now presented as an equal to Purrazzo instead of a sidekick and says it’s fun to show that appreciation for his past, but he wants to keep pushing the “Drama King” forward.

“You hit the nail on the head, especially as you said over the last year [I’ve been asked about the Rusev Day reunion]. I have no problem with it and nostalgia has its place in both entertainment and wrestling especially,” Rehwoldt explained, “and I’m a huge fan and I say it publicly a lot, but I’m a move forward kind of person. I don’t want to live in the past. I’ll totally acknowledge it and recognize all the great things that have happened, especially to me, but any time I step into somewhere new, I want to forge something new.

“Even if it’s building off of things that I’ve done before, I’ll always be the ‘Drama King’ but let’s evolve that forward. So, even something small, like I came IMPACT and said I can be ‘this name’ or ‘that name,’ I was met with, ‘Well, why don’t we use your real name? We’ll call you Matthew Rehwoldt, nobody has that name.’ I always thought it was hard to pronounce and nobody will like that, but they were like, ‘No, that makes you different, and that makes you interesting,’” Rehwoldt said.

“To be able to evolve this character that I’ve kinda had going for several years and to be put on a platform on the same level as someone who’s as well-respected and well-loved as Deonna Purrazzo is an honor unto itself. And then to be able to use this platform to continue to evolve and move this persona and character forward,” he noted, “it’s huge for someone in this business, especially me.”

Matthew Rehwoldt faces off with Trey Miguel on Thursday’s episode of IMPACT Wrestling, available to watch on AXS TV and the IMPACT Insiders YouTube subscription.

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Colby Faria
Colby Faria

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