Mike Bennett Talks Long-Term TNA Goals, A Possible Kingdom Reunion, Backstage Atmosphere, EC3, More

- As heard above, new TNA star "The Miracle" Mike Bennett recently spoke with Ring Rust Radio about his future with the company, a possible Kingdom reunion and more. Courtesy of TNA Asylum, below are highlights from the interview:

A feud with Ethan Carter III:

To me, this whole EC3 thing is exactly what TNA needs. They just bring in a free agent and they already have the guy that the company is based around ? let's take these two young guys that people seem to be buzzing about and let's build this company around them. I'm ready to take this company and put it on my back. I feel like me and Maria have already started doing that, but one of the reasons why I love this idea of Mike Bennett versus EC3 is because of the mic work that we can do and the promos. I think he's one of the best on the mic right now. I'm a huge fan of his in-ring work. I think we have two different styles, but we have the same mentality when it comes to wrestling. I think this is the feud that a year from now, people are going to say 'Wow, that's just what TNA needed.'

Becoming a top singles star:

I feel like my most successful run in wrestling has been this past year, but it's been in tag team wrestling. There's something extremely satisfying and extremely motivating about a company coming to you and giving you the ball and wanting you to run with it. I never got that opportunity in Ring of Honor. I got it in tag team wrestling and I'm super grateful for that, but I never got it as a singles wrestler. Now, TNA is coming to me and they're giving me the ball. I saw what someone who is hungry enough and talented enough can do when they get the ball and they run with it like EC3 did, so I'm like 'Yeah, give me the ball.' I know I can do this. Put the company on my back and let's roll.

A possible Kingdom reunion in TNA:

I could totally see us coming back together in TNA. I put out a tweet just to tease the fans, but I feel like kingdoms don't die ? they expand ? and I feel like that's what The Kingdom is doing right now. We talk about The Kingdom as what we see on TV, but The Kingdom, in reality, is kinda like what The Kliq was in WWE. The four of us are all best friends. Me and Maria are husband and wife. I've known Taven since he broke in. Me and Adam Cole got each other a job at Ring of Honor. We are best friends; we talk on a daily basis. The Kingdom is not just what you see on TV. The Kingdom is 100% real and I think that's why it works so well. For me to say no, that's never going to happen, it would be foolish of me because that would be like saying the four of us are never going to be friends again. I can see the four of us in TNA running roughshod like we did in Ring of Honor. I would be very surprised if you never see The Kingdom together again. I would put money on the fact that The Kingdom will definitely get back together at some point.

The atmosphere backstage at TNA:

It's been great. To me, the biggest thing that stood out is the work ethic of every single guy in TNA. It's unbelievable. To do five tapings in a row is extremely grueling not only for the guys that are filming Impact matches, but they're filming Xplosion matches and One Night Only matches. I think Eric Young might have wrestled 12 times and he went out there and killed it every single time. Bobby Roode, James Storm, Kurt Angle ? it's so inspiring. The locker room inspired me to be better. I thought there was never going to be a locker room that was going to do that besides Ring of Honor and New Japan, and then I came here and I felt the same way. I hate this perception that the morale is down and the morale is low. No, everyone just wants to kill it. Everyone believes in what TNA is bringing. The morale, if anything, was through the roof. Everyone was like, holy cow, we have a great thing here from production to writers to wrestlers. Let's put this on the map. Let's go show that Pop invested in the right wrestling company, and let's go kill it. That's what I loved about it.

His long-term goals in TNA:

I want to take this company, put it on my back and say let's go. That's my motivation. My motivation is the pressure of being that guy. I want to be World Champion. I want to be to TNA, what Stone Cold Steve Austin was to WWE during the Attitude Era. I know that's a huge statement, and I'm not comparing myself to Stone Cold because I think he's one of the best who has ever laced up a pair of boots, but I want to be looked at as that guy. Well, this is what happened but then Mike Bennett showed up and it was gravy train from here on out. I want to be that impact player, I want that pressure. To me, that's what it's all about. If you don't live for that, then what's the point of being there?

Source: Ring Rust Radio