Steve Maclin was the inaugural TNA International Champion until recently, and is also a former TNA World Champion since his time with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. Maclin debuted with TNA in June of 2021 and has been a huge part of this company ever since. The creative freedom that Maclin has been granted since coming to TNA has been unparalleled. Prior to TNA/IMPACT, Maclin worked for WWE under the NXT brand as Steve Cutler.
Steve Maclin spoke with the Mark Hoke Show Pro Wrestling Radio/Podcast and discussed how he feels his TNA Wrestling run has been the opposite of what he experienced in WWE NXT:
“I love my home of TNA right now. It’s funny to be on this side, one of the top talents in TNA… being a part of that rise, because I was on the opposite side of it in NXT.
“Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Kevin Steen (Owens), Finn Balor, Hideo Itami – or Kenta – Shinsuke Nakamura, all these talents were coming in from elsewhere into NXT and I was on the sidelines.
“I got to watch that rise then, and now being on the flip side of it with TNA Wrestling, being one of the top talents there and being one of the main players, it’s such a fun experience and cool to be a part of, because I’ve seen it and I’m like ‘Okay, this is how I want to do it. How can I implement myself into these situations?'”
Steve Maclin shares his thoughts on TNA Wrestling’s partnership with WWE, from a talent’s perspective:
“‘Let’s see where it goes.’ I think as a talent, you can only control what you can control, and that’s above our pay grade in a sense. That’s up in the higher echelon of, I guess the promoters, bookers, investors, all that’s taken care of on that end.
“Carlos Silva is the one that deals with all that now. That’s his job and I don’t envy that, but I also love to throw him a few ideas here or there. Like, hey, this could possibly happen, this could be an idea.
“That’s then on us as talent to pitch ideas that could possibly work to make the company money, get more eyes on both, and that’s also what the relationship is doing too. It’s bringing more eyes to the TNA product, with the rebrand.”
Steve Maclin won the TNA International title back in April at TNA Unbreakable. He held the title proudly and defeated every challenger who came along; that is, until Frankie Kazarian beat him at TNA Victory Road on 9/26. Maclin revealed last week that he is booked to get his contractual rematch for the International Title at the upcoming TNA Bound For Glory PPV on October 12.
Get your TNA Bound For Glory tickets here.
Matches announced for Bound For Glory PPV:
TNA World Title
-NXT star Trick Williams (c) vs Mike Santana
TNA Knockouts World Title
-NXT star Kelani Jordan (c) vs. Indi Hartwell
TNA Tag Team Titles – Tables Match
-Matt & Jeff Hardy vs Team 3D (Bully Ray & Dvon Dudley)
-Call Your Shot Gauntlet
TNA X Division Title
-Leon Slater vs. NXT star Je’Von Evans
TNA International Title
-Frankie Kazarian (c) vs. Steve Maclin
Hardcore War
-Order 4 (Mustafa Ali, John Skyler, Jason Hotch, Agent Zero, Tasha Steelz) vs. The System (Moose, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, JDC, Alisha Edwards)
Countdown to Bound For Glory
-Hall of Fame ceremony for Mickie James, Velvet Sky, & Angelina Love
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