Larry D: If It Wasn’t For Sami Callihan, I Don’t Feel Like I Would’ve Gotten An Opportunity With IMPACT

Larry D discusses the state of independent wrestling before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 changed the world of professional wrestling in many ways, both good and bad. The pandemic wiped out a number of smaller promotions such as EVOLVE, CHIKARA, and Shimmer, as well as many others.

However, the pandemic also allowed for smaller promotions such as GCW and ICW No Holds Barred to grow their footprint in the landscape of independent wrestling.

In a new interview with Fightful, Larry D said that the pandemic scared a lot of people in wrestling, as it was hard to invest in the future if you didn’t know what was coming next.

“I think it scared a lot of people. It’s hard to invest when you don’t know the future. But you know, we’ve always been one of like, ‘Let’s just go after it.’ We know our plan of attack and we know that we can’t worry about what’s coming from the outside or what’s to happen or what could happen, and the best thing to do is just stay forward, stick your plan and just move on. I think Sami [Callihan] has done a great job of that. You know, he thrived in that COVID era as well. But he has a great library of great wrestling men he can find all over the place.”

Larry D went on to chat about his time with Wrestling Revolver, a promotion that he competed for on a number of occasions in recent years.

“I absolutely love Sami Callihan and the Wrestling Revolver. I’ll never forget when I first walked into Iowa, I got to I got to be one of those IMPACT+ shows. I think that’s where IMPACT was kinda like, ‘Hey, maybe, maybe we can do something with this guy.’ If it wasn’t for Sami booking me and putting me in positions like that I truly don’t feel like I would have gotten the opportunity at IMPACT Wrestling. If I didn’t get that match with John Morrison or Johnny Impact, should we say, he kept putting me put time after time after time that I can hang with the next level talent. I think, without Sami Callihan’s blessing that I would not have had that opportunity up there.”

Larry D’s retirement match against Moose will go down at Generation Next Pro Wrestling’s ‘Last Stand’ show on Saturday, November 4. Fans can learn more by clicking here.

Elsewhere in the interview, Larry D went in depth about helping out the next generation of wrestlers.. Fans can learn more here.

Fans can see Fightful’s full interview with Larry D in the video linked above.