Following his intense No DQ title defense against PCO at Impact Under Siege, IMPACT World Champion Steve Maclin recently shared his thoughts on the bout during an interview with Denise Salcedo for her Instinct Culture show. Maclin emerged victorious in a match that featured him using a staple gun on PCO’s lips and other brutal moments.
Regarding his mindset heading into the match, Maclin explained,
“To know it was No DQ and to know who my opponent was, I knew we were going to go out and try to do something different that people haven’t seen in a long time. I can relate it to almost like Shawn Michaels and Mankind at Mind Games in 1996, where that was one of those matches where, ‘Holy shit, this evolved both talents.’ So, this is a way to showcase the best that he is and the best that I am and my adaptability as well because I feel like I can get in the ring and work with anyone now. That’s one of those things where whatever situation you put me into, I’m going to take that opportunity and try to knock it out of the park. I think I’ve been trying to do that and I think we did that at Under Siege.”
When asked if they were restricted from certain spots, Maclin replied, “We were told a few of those.” He said,
“It’s just one of those things where he and I had enough trust in each other. We’ve worked before. It was one of those things where we just wanted to make it the best match possible, whether it stole the show or not. I thought the PPV as a whole was as strong as anything from start to finish and that was one of those things where we were the only match with a stipulation or weapons used and it built to it. It really was mayhem for all. I’m just proud of it. Walk away from it and think, ‘Okay, don’t have to do that one for a while.’”
Reflecting on the staple gun spot, Maclin revealed,
“Staple gun was one of those things where it just, okay, yeah, staple gun. You would think the cinder block and sledgehammer, but staple gun just skeeves me out.”
Discussing a cut he received on his forehead, Maclin shared,
“There was a point in the match where I went and wiped my forehead a little bit, which I shouldn’t have done anyways, and it looked like a big loogie of skin on my hand. I was like, ‘Ew!’ I just watched it hit the mat and it even made a splat sound. I was like, ‘That was gross.’ Just a big blob of skin, but it was pretty cool to have that.”
In other news, NJPW wrestler Togi Makabe is set to reprise his role in the Kingdom franchise, appearing in the highly anticipated Kingdom 3: Flame Of Destiny. According to Fightful, Makabe will be returning as Hairou in the upcoming film, which is directed by Shinsuke Sato and written by Yasuhisa Hara and Tsutomu Kuroiwa.
Makabe previously portrayed the character in Kingdom II. Joining him in the new movie are Kento Yamazaki, Ryô Yoshizawa, Kanna Hashimoto, and Masami Nagasawa. Based on the manga series by Hara Yasuhisa, the latest installment of the franchise is scheduled to premiere in Japan on July 28th. Check out the movie trailer below, providing a glimpse into the exciting storyline:
“It follows Li Xin and Wang Qi as they stand on the battlefield for the first time to fight off an invasion by Zhao, and it also follows Ying Zheng’s unknown past.”
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