After being in and out with the company since virtually the beginning, Sonjay Dutt can finally say that he is the Impact Wrestling X Division Champion. Similar to Tommy Dreamer having a storyline of never winning the ECW World Championship, which made his win against Taz in 2000 that much sweeter, Dutt has waited 15 years for this moment. Although Dreamer lost the title on the same event, Dutt has mirrored the narrative, although it was not originally planned to be that way.
I had the opportunity to discuss Dutt’s journey to winning the title with him on the latest episode of the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. He shared what advice to give indie wrestlers who are waiting for that big break, why he came back to Impact Wrestling, the idea behind him winning the X Division Championship, and more.
Here are the highlights.
Why he came back to Impact Wrestling:
“I was under contract for six total years, I left, I came back. I would come back, leave, I’d come back, I’d leave. And part of that was my own doing. I didn’t want to sign a contract. This time around, everything just kind of fit perfect, and in the midst of all those starts and stops with that company, I never lost sight of what I really wanted. To be a pro wrestler is the only job I had, and I continue to make a living with it without being under contract to anyone. I had some offers from ROH, had some offers from WWE, and it just shows that if you really do want something… you put everything into what you really do want.”
Why Low-Ki won the X Division Championship:
“That was by design. There’s reasons to everything, and I think we all realized that if this is the story we want to tell, the right players needed to be put in place. So, it was definitely not a coincidence.”
Why People Should Watch Impact Wrestling Again:
“I think for the past few years it’s been mismanaged, I guess that would be a good way to put it, but that era of the company is out the door. I think that this new day, the new regime that is here it’s very clear that, compared to the old, we do [focus on] pro wrestling inside and out. Maybe the past [regime] didn’t. They might have been experts on some other things, but when it comes down to the heart of it, this is pro wrestling, and you have to know pro wrestling.
“It isn’t making movies, it isn’t the right songs, it’s not all that. It’s definitely about getting in there and knowing a good product in the ring and out of the ring, and putting it all together. And I think that the shows for the past three months have proved that things are different. The faces are different, the stories are different, the way we’re telling the stories are different, and at the end of the days, it is about the personalities and the stories.”
Dutt also talked about plans for the Impact Wrestling and GFW merge, Impact having more time to build storylines than WWE, and more. You can hear the full interview below.
If this transcription is used, please credit the Pancakes and Powerslams Show via WrestleZone.
