Eric Young, a veteran wrestler with over 26 years of experience, recently revealed he has turned down lucrative offers from WWE, choosing instead to focus on his current work in TNA Wrestling.
Speaking on the HUGE POP! podcast, Young discussed his ongoing passion for the sport, emphasizing that the moment he no longer enjoys wrestling, he will walk away.
“I even said this when I was 17: ‘I’m not gonna do this if it hurts me. I’m not gonna do it if I don’t like it.’ If I go to Spartanburg on Friday and I don’t have fun, I’ll quit and fly home on Saturday morning. 100 percent… And it’s not lost on me that I have that choice. I’ve walked away from a whole pile of money in the WWE. I could work there, I think, right now if I felt like it. But I am where I am and I’m enjoying what I’m doing.”
Young also spoke about the challenges of the wrestling lifestyle, noting that the most difficult part isn’t the in-ring work but the constant travel and time away from home.
“The only part that I fully really enjoy is the creative process and actually doing it. Unfortunately, that’s only 10-to-20 minutes of my day. They’re not paying me to wrestle. I’d do it for free. They’re paying me to live out of a suitcase, live in a hotel, crammed in a car for 300 miles, sitting in economy 24F beside the bathroom on overseas flights. That’s what they’re paying me for.”
As Young continues his TNA run, he remains content but acknowledges that he is prepared to retire whenever he feels the time is right.
“As long as I can do it at a high-level and I don’t think, I know I can still do it at a high-level, I will continue to do it. That could end this weekend and I’d be fine with that.”
Young is set to appear at upcoming TNA television tapings in Nashville, with proceeds going toward Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
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