Josh Mathews Talks AEW Launching, Impact Wrestling Moving To Pursuit
Impact Wrestling's weekly television program will begin a new era next week when the show makes its debut on Pursuit Channel. It will be TNA/Impact's sixth television network in the program's history, but Josh Mathews only sees the advantages in the show now airing on a channel in which Anthem Sports & Entertainment is a minority owner of.
Mathews talked about the move to Pursuit with Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman earlier today.
"When you look at the state of different properties on television, to have a network or channel that the parent company owns a part of is mutually beneficial to everybody to be together," said Mathews. "We're on the same wavelength and can grow together and build together."
Mathews also said that the Impact program won't have the same pressure as before to deliver a certain rating every week since the parent company of Anthem also has a stake in Pursuit.
Pursuit Channel isn't available in as many homes as Pop TV, but that allows both Impact's audience and the network to grow together.
"Obviously, Pursuit has a smaller reach. But I think as wrestling fans will find the channel, it will grow," stated Mathews.
Mathews then said while TNA has been around 15 years, Impact and Anthem are still in their infancy so there will still be some growing pains.
The conversation then shifted to All Elite Wrestling entering the professional wrestling market with their recent and upcoming announcements. Mathews told Wrestling Inc. that their presence will be good for the business even though he isn't quite sure what exactly AEW will be.
"It's exciting for everybody," Mathews said of AEW forming. "In the business it's been just WWE for a while and then Impact comes along and that's just more places for the boys to work... If we ever get to a place where everyone's working together, that would be even better. But right now everyone is building their thing and seeing what their thing is.
"While I support AEW and what those guys are doing, I don't think we really know what it is just yet. We know they're going to have a show and I think things will get more interesting when they have their rally in Jacksonville early next week."