Published on October 31st, 2019 | by Darren Paltrowitz
0IMPACT World Champion Sami Callihan On The Company’s New York Shows, His Future & More
IMPACT Wrestling has been in the news a lot lately, as it was announced a few weeks back that its flagship weekly two-hour program IMPACT! is now airing on AXS TV. Meanwhile, IMPACT Wrestling has a big two-night stand coming up in New York City next week at the Melrose Ballroom on November 7th and 8th. These shows will air on AXS TV and feature all of the company’s top stars.
One of the IMPACT stars who has people talking is Sami Callihan. As shown this week within the debut of IMPACT! on AXS TV, Callihan became the company’s new World Champion after defeating Brian Cage within a steel cage. While being World Champion of IMPACT Wrestling is far from Callihan’s first title reign, it is significant in showing that the Ohio native is finally “the face” of a major wrestling company.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Sami Callihan by phone on October 30, 2019. In addition to the full audio of the interview with the man known as “The Draw,” below as an exclusive to The Hype, is a transcription of a few minutes from the discussion. More on the IMPACT Wrestling’s World Champion can be found online at www.twitter.com/TheSamiCallihan and/or www.impactwrestling.com.
On who did his metal-based ring entrance music:
Sami Callihan: That song was actually done by my brother-in-law who’s a bad-ass recording artist who’s trying to break into the field right now. He made that on a whim for me and absolutely killed it… They don’t have a band name right now, his name is Stefon Galifanakis and he’s going to be a big star in the music world someday as a songwriter or producer. He made that entire song by himself — the drums, the guitars, the vocals, every aspect by himself. I’d love to get him more work with IMPACT Wrestling because I think he has a real knack for professional wrestling entrance music.
On whether he’s always been a metalhead:
Sami Callihan: I’m an everything guy, just like in life. I’m not one style in anything. Some days I like Billy Joel, some days I like Prince, some days I like Elton John, some days I like Metallica. Some days I like A Day To Remember, some days I like Bowling For Soup, some days I like The Misfits. I like every style of music. It all determines what I’m going through in my head at that point. There’s days where I may listen to some Kanye West, some days I may listen to a little old-school Run-DMC. It all depends on what I’m feeling at that point.