Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Larry D
Date: 10/20/2020
Your Host: James Walsh

XXXL is Impact Wrestling’s largest tag team and Bound for Glory is Impact Wrestling’s largest pay-per-view of the year. With both members of the team set to appear in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match at the PPV, it only makes sense that we catch up with Acey Romero’s tag team partner Larry D who is Bound for Glory!

In a fun chat with the wrestling veteran, “Legendary” Larry D discusses why Impact was the place he knew he wanted to sign after getting a taste of the company working a joint-presented Twitch show last year. Plus, hear how he and Acey Romero came together and stay close even though they’re apart more than usual due to the pandemic. Plus, a chat about Impact’s reality styled segments Wrestle House where Larry D got to show many sides of his personality in a brand new way. And, of course, the reason for the chat, Bound for Glory and the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match!

Impact Wrestling presents Bound for Glory on Saturday night, October 24th on pay-per-view. Can’t wait until Saturday? Impact’s TV home AXS TV will be presenting the first ever Impact Week including special Impact programming throughout the week including a live pre-show to the PPV on Saturday night. Check your local listings and visit www.ImpactWrestling.com for details.

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LARRY D:

On finally signing with Impact Wrestling after being part of cross-promoted Twitch shows with the brand:
“It has been beyond everything I hoped it would be. I came in and everyone met me with open arms as if they were so happy to finally see me walk through the door. And, I can’t tell you what a thrill it was for me to look across the ring and see Scott D’Amore with a contract that I was completely unaware of. Seeing what I’ve dedicated my life to come full circle… I knew when I was on the Impact Twitch combo shows that this is where I wanted to be. There was never any other option, in my heart of hearts, than Impact Wrestling.”

On what brings he and Acey Romero together as a team:
“I think both of us just wanting to be the best we can be for Impact Wrestling is what we have in common. I feel that we have proven that not only in the ring but away from the ring with our own weight-loss tourneys and how we push each other from different states. From a far, we still motivate each other in our weight-loss and how we work out in the gym. And our work outs? I can’t tell you how much that means to me because I know I’ve got someone that has got my back and we’re doing the best we can with Impact Wrestling who has treated us so well over this last year.”

On wrestling trending away from the big man and more towards smaller athletes:
“I just think we’re all competitors and it doesn’t matter what size you are. I can’t speak for Acey but I can tell you I just want to be the best competitor I can be. I might not have a body that is chiseled in stone but I want to prove that if you don’t have that body chiseled in stone but go out there and have the best match that you can, good things happen if you work hard! I give hope to people that might want to be in wrestling but don’t think they have the right body type to be successful – I want to prove that you can! I want to be the door opener for the big man again. There are so many big men wrestlers out there that deserve to be on a big stage like I am on right now and I’m blessed to be on this stage that I’m on right now.”

On his time on Wrestle House:
“I loved it! I absolutely loved it! I got the chance to show that I can be more than just Larry D with the chain around his neck or just the one punch or that I have a decent right hand. Because, I know my right hand is good. But, I want the chance to show that I can do more than just knock someone out. I feel Wrestle House gave me the chance to prove that and to show all the things I learned while dedicating my life to pro wrestling. I feel I got to go outside the box a little bit in front of my peers and show that I do deserve to be in Impact Wrestling and I do deserve this spot and here is why. That was my favorite part of Wrestle House. It was a lot of fun to watch and it was an amazing piece that Impact Wrestling put together.”

On Wrestle House defining personas in a new way:
“I totally agree and I think those of us that were there needed that so we could continue to become the best we can be to help Impact Wrestling on this huge rise that we’re on. That only helped.”

On if he’d take part in a second Wrestle House:
“Sign me up! It was truly special. Sometimes I have to wake up and smack myself in the face and say, “This is really happening!” (laughs) You know? It is the coolest thing that I’ve ever been a part of in my life.”

On being part of the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match Saturday at Bound for Glory:
“Nerves aren’t even an issue right now. Right now I have to get myself into position to do what I need to do which is call my shot. That is exactly what I plan to do. If anyone walks by while I’m in the ring waiting, all I can tell them is I’ve got a right hand waiting. I think Bound for Glory is the biggest stage that we can be on and I know for sure that it is the biggest stage that I’ve ever set foot on and I am going to make sure that my name is going to be remembered. It will happen right there in that match when I walk out and everyone knows who the best hand in the house is.”

On the stipulation putting the careers of Rhino and Heath on the line:
“You know, as a professional, I would hate to see those guys exit out. But, also, as a father of 4 and as someone who wants to continue to see himself rise, I can’t just, as bad as I don’t want to see these guys go… If my right hand has to be the thing that ends their career at Impact Wrestling and ends their time there. Then that is just the way that it has to be.”

On if he’d be ready to take on a Knockout as Taya Valkyrie & Tenille are in the Gauntlet:
“If you look what what the Knockouts do in the Knockouts division, there is no doubt in my mind that they can go with any guy, any athlete in the world today. They’re phenomenal! And, we’re all fighting for the same thing. They want to call their shot, I want to call mine. I just want to call mine a little more than theirs. I have to do what I have to do to win.”

On what shot he’d call if he wins:
“You never know. I have to cross that bridge when I come to it. I feel like I’m walking to that bridge now. I’ve got a few thoughts that have crossed through my mind. Everyone that is in that match has some sort of ties with one another be it personal, professional, or any other way. But, we have to think, first and foremost, what is best for us as a whole.”

On other matches he’s excited to see at Bound for Glory:
“I’m going to be watching the tag title match because that is where my interests lay first and foremost. If the Good Brothers win, I feel like Acey and I, we’ve got a good shot against the Good Brothers. If the Motor City Machine Guns win, I feel like we have a good shot against them. I’m hoping that they do! I’m hoping that they win because we have proof, it is on tape, Alex Shelley wants a piece of Larry D and Acey Romero! And, we want a piece of them! So, if they win, that is a direct shot at the Impact Wrestling World Tag Team Titles!”

On if there is more pressure to perform in an empty building on PPV than with a live crowd:
“I feel like there is always pressure. That is why we’re here. That is why we’re Impact Wrestling stars! Because we can handle the pressure. I can’t tell you how excited I am sitting here right now talking to you – I can’t wait for Saturday! I want that pressure! I think all of us want that pressure and that is why I am sure we’re going to trend #1 on Saturday night worldwide. Slammiversary trended #1, there is no doubt in my mind that Slammiversary will do the same!”

On the future of Impact Wrestling in 2021 and beyond:
“I think we continue to rise! I think over the past year or more, you’ve seen Impact Wrestling continue to get better and better. Look at the free agents we have brought in. Look at the Good Brothers! Look at the Motor City Machine Guns coming back together. Everyone that is brought in can help push Impact Wrestling back to the top end of professional wrestling because that is what we are and we know we are.”