PCO Discusses Negotiations With IMPACT Wrestling, WWE Releases Influencing Negotiations

On September 23, Pat Laprade reported that PCO had given his notice to IMPACT Wrestling.

His contract with the company is set to expire on October 30. 

Speaking to Laprade on Les Anti-Pods de la Lutte, PCO revealed that he had seemingly agreed to a deal with IMPACT, but then things went silent. 

“The company began approaching me in White Plains on the weekend of September 8 and 9. They said they wanted to re-sign me, that they wanted me to stay and all that. And that it was important for the company. I asked if they could increase my salary, and creatively speaking, if I could get more involved with my character,” he recalled. “The next day, I thought we were going to agree on terms. It came close twice, then it drew on a bit. Then, I was told that we had to reach an agreement, at least on the phone, before Memphis, which was the 22 or 23, in order to know how to book Memphis and Bound for Glory. On Saturday no news, no phone calls, radio silence in a sense. There are a lot of people around me in the locker room who have not been renewed yet and who finished on the 22. So I figured I wasn’t going to stretch it until Bound For Glory, since my contract finishes on October 30. I felt negotiations were tough so I decided to control how I was gonna leave.”

He continued, “I think that’s part of the negotiations too. When there’s radio silence after they tell you ‘We want you and we will sign you’. There’s like some kind of a war of nerves that is being played. Who will break first? If they show too much interest, they know you’re going to ask for the moon, but if they show less, they think you’re going to feel less important. The goal is to find the right balance.”

WWE released a handful of talent on September 21 and the days after, including Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Riddle, Mustafa Ali, Dana Brooke, and more. 

When asked if WWE releases may have influenced IMPACT’s decision to negotiate, PCO said, “Of course it did. Already there were names mentioned by people close to the office. The names that were circulating were (Matt) Riddle, (Dolph) Ziggler and Mustafa Ali. These are the three names that supposedly Impact would try to sign.”

Asked if there has been any new movement since it was revealed that he had given his notice, PCO said things have reopened a bit. 

“There has been some kind of a movement since I submitted my resignation. It seems that everyone has realized that PCO is leaving. It reopened the discussions a bit,” he said. “Therefore, it puts me in a position where I can take the best offer possible. There are many things to consider. How are you going to be used, how much are they willing to invest in a character like mine, which is a character that’s extremely expensive because sometimes, it takes pyrotechnics, sometimes it takes a coffin, sometimes it takes a hearse. It takes a lot of creativity. It would take me the equivalent in another company.”

PCO (Pierre Carl Ouellet) joined IMPACT at Hard to Kill 2022 after Ring of Honor announced its hiatus. PCO was part of the Honor No More (Matt Taven, Vincent, Mike Bennett, and Maria) stable and was regularly featured on television throughout his run with the company.

He most recently competed in the Feast or Fired match at IMPACT 1000.

Fightful will continue to update fans on PCO’s future when more is known.