Moose Says Kenny Omega Spanish Fly Spot Meant More Than Doing It On An Impact Talent
As a former NFL offensive lineman, Moose has always been on the "thicker" side both in terms of football and pro wrestling physiques. But over the past few months Moose has transformed his body and gotten into the best shape of his life.
Moose discussed what spurred this transformation and which fellow Impact wrestler he credits for helping him in an interview on The Angle Podcast.
"It's funny because they still announce me as being 300lbs when I wrestle, but I'm not anywhere near that. I'm at 254 this morning. I've dropped around 30lbs just in the last 3 months," revealed Moose. "When EC3 and I did the Control Your Narrative storyline, it wasn't just about the in-ring aspect of things. It was a lifestyle change. Getting your food right. Getting your faith closer to God. It was a total transformation in and out of the ring. EC3 is a good buddy of mine."
Moose got a somewhat late start in the pro wrestling industry thanks to spending seven years in the NFL before stepping into the ring. However, he admits he always wanted to be a wrestler, even as a kid, and revealed that the NFL got in the way of that goal.
"Pro wrestling is something I wanted to do since I was kid, since I was 8 years old. I took a halt because I played in the NFL," stated Moose. "Football was one of those things that I didn't know I was good at, so I tried it out and got scholarships from all of these schools and I got drafted. It kind of derailed my original goal, which was to be a professional wrestler.
"It was hard because a lot of wrestlers who come from football suck and the stigma of being a 'football guy' comes along with it. I'm still fighting that stigma."
For the last few months Moose has been walking around with the TNA World Heavyweight Title around his waist, not to be confused with the Impact World Championship which Rich Swann currently holds. Moose has referred to himself as "the real-world champion" and he talked about how it feels to hold that prestigious championship.
"It means a lot. I remember when creative gave me the idea of bringing it back and it was an opportunity to take it and run with it and that's exactly what I did. COVID ruined the original way we were supposed to bring it back, but we've still done a good job working it through COVID," said Moose before he was asked if there are plans to integrate that title into the Impact World Championship.
"I can't tell you what we're going to do, but I've heard great ideas from fans. Honestly, I don't know what's going to happen. I'm like you guys, I find out as it happens. They don't tell us the long-term plan with the fear of it getting leaked."
Impact has had a cross-promotion partnership with AEW over the last few months and Moose has had the chance to work with a number of AEW talents. He was part of a six-man tag match alongside Swann and Chris Sabin against Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers at Impact's Hard to Kill.
Even though Moose's team came up short, perhaps the spot of the night was when Moose hit a Spanish Fly on Omega. He talked about the reaction that move generated and why he picks his spots when it comes to big moves.
"I wasn't surprised by the reactions; I can work any style. Kenny Omega, I love him as a wrestler. I don't know him much, but I will say he's one of the top 5 best wrestlers in the world and being in the match with him I understand just by the way his mind thinks. In my mind, it was just another day in the office. I know how good I am and I just had to do what I know I can do," said Moose.
"I pick my spots to do stuff for fans who don't watch weekly. When I do something, it's for the right moment or the match needs it, for example, hitting the Spanish Fly. I thought hitting a Spanish Fly as a guy who's my size would pop people and that me doing it to Kenny Omega, that's what everyone would be talking about – that Moose hit a Spanish Fly against Kenny Omega. Nothing against anybody on our roster, but if I hit a Spanish Fly on Shera, nobody would give a hell about it. Nothing against him, but Kenny Omega is not the same name value. So, you have to strategically pick the right spots and the right place to do them."
You can check out the interview below: