Impact’s Steve Maclin on his violent PCO match, following Josh Alexander’s title reign

Steve Maclin first won the vacant Impact World title at Rebellion after defeating KUSHIDA. Since then, he has had two successful title defenses, one of which had people buzzing online due to the violent nature of the match.

Ahead of his Friday title defense against Alex Shelley as part of Against All Odds, I talked to the champion about his first World title run, that bloody affair against PCO last month, and former champion Josh Alexander. 

You can watch the video above on YouTube and read some highlights below.

Winning the title

Maclin was scheduled to face then-champion Alexander at Rebellion, but Alexander had to relinquish the title due to a triceps tear, thus ending his 335-day reign. That set the Maclin vs. KUSHIDA match into motion.

Not only did he win a championship, but his wife, Deonna Purrazzo, regained the Knockouts title for a third time by defeating Jordynne Grace in the evening’s main event.

“To win that night in Toronto, especially the night my wife and I won the world titles, it’s just cool to come out of that and share the moment together,” he said.

Maclin feels he is now the “flag bearer” of the company and simply wants to have the best matches possible, whether or not they steal the show. 

“I want to go out there and give the fans their money’s worth. I want to set the tone for what the World title should be, in my eyes, of how it should be defended and how you should fight for it,” he said.

The PCO match

Just a few weeks ago at Under Siege, Maclin fought PCO in a no DQ title defense and managed to retain the title after a bloody and violent spectacle. 

Maclin felt that at Under Siege, the two men showed what the “World title means in Impact Wrestling” and that they were able to “create a little bit more buzz” on a very busy wrestling weekend.

“I knew we were gonna go out there and try to do something different that people haven’t seen in a long time,” he said.

As champion, he said he puts the weight on his shoulders to help Impact keep growing because he believes that they have the “best professional wrestling show out there.” 

He added that he could relate his match against PCO to Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind at WWE In Your House: Mind Games from 1996, describing it as “one of those matches that evolved both talents.”

“It really was mayhem for all,” he stated.

Following the match, Maclin said he and Purrazzo spent his birthday night in the emergency room while he waited to get stitches on his head:

Josh Alexander’s reign 

When Alexander was Impact World Champion prior to Maclin, his reign became historic as he held the title for 335 days. I asked Maclin if he felt any pressure having to follow that.

As it turns out, Maclin feels “no pressure” at all from that. While he did want to be the one to defeat Alexander for the title, that was not able to happen due to the injury.

“What I worry about is whatever my next match and my next opponent is going to be. I have my body of work, he has his body of work. I am going to leave my version of a lasting legacy, he’ll leave his version of a lasting legacy. That’s what anybody does in wrestling. I think if you start worrying about other people, then that’s when you have problems with yourself and that’s where you start to lose confidence. I worry about me. But when the time comes and he is healthy, I am looking forward to that matchup,” he said.