Deaner re-signs with Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling star Deaner (fka Cody Deaner) has signed a new contract with the company.

The Violent By Design member recently spoke with Bob Kapur of Slam Wrestling and revealed that he has re-signed with the company, citing increased creative freedom and other reasons that influenced his decision.

“I believe that we have the best roster in professional wrestling,” Deaner said about why he re-signed. “Both in terms of the talent, but also in terms of the morale of the company. Everybody gets along, and it really feels like a team, it feels like family. So I definitely wanted to stay with my family.”

Deaner noted that he did not rule out possibly signing with other companies before making his decision, but he did not confirm if there was any interest from WWE or AEW. He also said the “Forbidden Door” access in Impact was a compelling factor in his decision to stay with the company

“I mean, as a professional wrestler, I’m also a businessman,” he said. “I’m always open to exploring talking to other companies. A businessman is always going to ‘take the meeting.’ They’re not going to close the doors.”

“It’s a real interesting time in Impact Wrestling. One of the big advantages of being here is that you have access to these ‘Forbidden Doors’. There are multiple doors, with many companies working together in ways that haven’t been done in wrestling in many, many years. And Impact is one of those main places that gives you access to those doors. That played into my thought process, for sure.”

It was noted that another compelling factor was how Deaner now has a lot more creative input into his character and storylines, more than ever before. This comes after he underwent a significant transformation in 2020, from the fun-loving redneck Cody Deaner, with partner Cousin Jake, who is now known as Jake Something, to Deaner, the Violent By Design member.

“That was all my idea,” he revealed. “All the ideas that I had for how (the change) should transpire, that was a team effort. It wasn’t just a piece of paper that was handed to me saying ‘you’re gonna do this now.’ I was part of that process. They’re really giving me opportunities to be heard, and opportunities to show the different skill sets that I have.”

Another huge factor in re-signing with Impact was being able to continue working as a motivational speaker in his downtime. Deaner speaks to students, charities and community groups when he’s not wrestling, sharing his experiences and teaching them to overcome adversity with positivity.

“Being able to continue with the professional speaking business was a huge factor in my decision to re-sign with Impact,” he revealed. “With Impact Wrestling, we have the freedom to follow our passions, and do things outside the bubble of the company. We can be our own businessmen and businesswomen and do these other projects.”

“We don’t have these thumbs squeezing you down, saying ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ If anything, it’s encouraged get out there and positively represent Impact. It was very important for me to have the freedom to do the professional speaking and the charity work that I do.”

Deaner is now focused on continued success with Eric Young and Joe Doering in Violent By Design.

“Now that Eric (Young) is back in the fold after coming back from his injury, we have our eyes on multiple goals,” he said. “As a group, we’ve got three top guys in Eric, Joe (Doering), and myself. We want to take over, and there’s no reason we can’t. It’s not just a catchphrase when we say ‘The world belongs to us.’ All three of us have been in this business longer than most guys on the roster. The amount of years combined that we have – the chip on our shoulders is real. It’s legit.”

Deaner also revealed interest in eventually transitioning into a behind-the-scenes role.

“Eventually, I would definitely want to transition to a backstage role. I like to think I have a lot to offer, whether as a producer, creative, potentially doing some writing. That’s something that we’ve definitely discussed,” he said. “I love every aspect of professional wrestling, not just the performing. What I’ve really come to appreciate – and what a lot of people don’t realize – is the amount of work that goes into putting a show together, and making a wrestling promotion operate at a high level.

“And that’s what Impact Wrestling is doing. So being a part of that machine is something that I’m very interested in. And I’ll definitely be looking at transitioning into those areas as my career progresses. I want to be a part of the professional wrestling business until my heart stops beating. I love this too much. And I want to be a part of it for as long as possible.”

Deaner has been wrestling since 2000. He first had a run with TNA/Impact in 2009, then worked with GFW from 2016-2017. He returned to Impact in 2018 and has been there ever since.

Stay tuned for more.