Matt Sydal Talks Kofi Kingston's WWE Title Run, Eric Bischoff's WWE Firing, Teases 2020 Plans

Eric Bischoff's latest WWE tenure lasted just a couple of months, but his departure allows him to be a part of a wrestling event in Qatar next month. Matt Sydal will also be at that Qatar event and he was asked about Bischoff's WWE dismissal when he spoke to Wrestling Inc. on our WINCLY podcast.

"I don't really pay attention to WWE stuff as it's just not for me. But I do find it cool that we would be on a show like this from Qatar because we both look at wrestling from a unique perspective. We have an outsider perspective while being an insider so I think Bischoff brings a great perspective to wrestling," Sydal said before adding that Bischoff pushed the business forward in WCW such as the way he gave cruiserweights more TV time.

"He's got a great vision for what the fans want and he knows how to deliver that. As long as he does his research and is ready to rock and roll, he's the perfect kind of guy to be in charge."

Many see wrestling as a vehicle to unite different countries and cultures and Sydal talked about its influence for him personally.

"I've been doing it for almost 20 years and I sign an autograph 'Peace and Love.' I don't wanna say I'm anti-military as my mission is the exact opposite and I'm a unifying force. I'm there to show everybody that we're all the exact same. When we work together, we can make the world a better place and you'll notice when these wrestling companies started working together, we all benefitted from this new golden age of wrestling," stated Sydal.

He mentioned all of the various wrestling companies now working together and Sydal was asked what he makes of the current pro wrestling landscape with WWE, AEW and several big indies.

"It's a great time to be a fan because the access to wrestling is so much easier. I loved wrestling when you had to get a VHS tape from a stranger," recalled Sydal. "I came from a time of scarcity and now there's a surplus. So, I don't think it's about comparing one company to another as there's a surplus of content and people can find what connects to them and enjoy it."

He added that one promotion isn't better than the other, they are just different and speak to people differently.

"For me, I'm not trying to be the flavor for everybody. But I'm just proud when people I respect or people that I want to be my fans are my fans," said Sydal.

Sydal, as Evan Bourne, was a tag team champion alongside Kofi Kingston in a team called AirBoom. He was asked about his former partner and the run he had in 2019 as WWE Champion.

"I've known guys like Kofi and Ricochet and AJ and Samoa Joe. I've known that they are the best in the industry forever. So when they get recognized, it's old news to me. These are guys who, when they are at the top, they keep pushing the envelope further," stated Sydal.

"I remember Kofi from FCW. When I got down there, he was a legend already. We got to interact there and then later on the road as we're both buddies with Punk. We had one of my favorite matches ever with me and Kofi vs. Epico and Primo at MSG. We had special moments all over the world. He's a ton of fun being around much like traveling around and being IWGP tag champs with Ricochet."

Sydal said he wouldn't be surprised at all to see Kingston be WWE Champion again as both he and Kingston still both have long careers ahead of him.

"We were pretty successful when we were young, and our determination and focus hasn't shifted to other things," said Sydal. "I'm not trying to be really good at knitting or anything else. I grow cacti and maintain a family, but other than that my life is obsessed with wrestling."

Sydal was then asked what goals he has for 2020 and he said he wanted to make amends for 2019.

"I've set a lot of goals for 2020. The unfortunate thing is that I feel I let a lot of my fans hanging [in 2019]. I wasn't able to get out to all of the cities I wanted to because of my knee surgery in January. I wasn't able to be as seen or as heard. The plan for 2020 is for that to increase substantially," said Sydal.

"All of the good vibes that people have been putting my way, they're gonna get that back ten-fold. All I'm gonna keep doing is the same thing I've always been doing. It's a simple mission of going around and trying to help everybody open their third eye. That's the mission of 2020. We're gonna have crystal clear vision and everybody will see what I'm saying."

Matt will head to Doha, Qatar on February 21st for Qatar Pro Wrestling's SuperSlam 2. For more information please visit QPW-wrestling.com.

Sydal's full interview with Wrestling Inc aired as part a recent episode of our WINCLY podcast. It can be heard via the embedded audio player at the bottom of this post. In the full interview Sydal discusses Qatar Pro Wrestling, what it's like wrestling in the middle east, pro wrestling spreading western influence, what pro wrestling shows he is watching at the moment, AEW's launch in 2019, his plans for 2020 and more.

You can check out past episodes of the WINCLY here. Subscribe to Wrestling Inc. Audio on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to the show via Spotify here or through TuneIn here.