Old school meet new school as Johnny Swinger brings his 80s vibe to Impact Wrestling in Canada

Jim Varsallone
·3 min read
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Johnny Swinger is an integral part of the Impact Wrestling roster, bringing experience and fun -- through an 80s vibe -- to the company.

Here is my video interview with The Swingman. He discusses all things Impact Wrestling including Sacrifice and Sacrifice Fallout March 24 and 25 from Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Swinger, 47, is a former NWA tag team champion with Simon Diamond in TNA Wrestling. They also teamed to win the MXPW tag team titles. Swinger held the Georgia Championship Wrestling tag team titles with Glenn Gilberti (aka Disco Inferno) and Bull Buchanan and was an Elite Wrestling Federation tag team champ with Scott D’Amore, who is currently the executive vice president of Impact Wrestling.

“I couldn’t have a better scenario there [at Impact with Scott D’Amore and Tommy Dreamer],” Swinger said. “Those two guys, great friends, great business associates, real backers of mine. All the way back, Dreamer, with ECW, facilitated me into WWE.

“Scott, got me started being a TV wrestler, when I was still a teenager. Go all the way back to the beginning of my career, those two guys in charge [of Impact] right now, I have never have to worry. When those guys tell me something, I can trust it; I can believe it. It’s been great thus far, and I look forward to many more years to come.”

Getting his pro wrestling start in Canada in 1997, Swinger has embraced his earlier learnings/travels and wants to share that with the current and next generation. Thus, Swinger ’s Dungeon wrestling school. It may have dungeon in its naming, branding, but it’s quite different from the Stu Hart version.

“I think [Swinger’s Dungeon] is a lot more fun,” Swinger noted. “People come up laughing, instead of crying. That’s the difference. Yeah.”

Zicky Dice decided to study there, and his career with The Swingman is flourishing.

Bandana approved.

Does Swinger have a bandana fav?

“Anyone of them that I can sell way more than I paid for it,” he said.

As for his longevity in the pro wrestling business, he said: ”Be on time. Do what they ask you to do, and don’t complain. Man, you can go forever doing those things, and just have fun with it. That’s all. If you get wind up too tight, you’re gonna fizzle out quick.”

Twitter: https://twitter.com/swinger_johnny

Swinger is the nephew of the late, great Tony Parisi, who won the NWA Florida tag team titles with Dominic Denucci in Championship Wrestling from Florida, the WWWF World Tag Team Championship with Louis Cerdan, the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (twice) with Johnny Valentine and Spiros Arion, the IWA World Tag Team Championship (five times) with Mario Milano, Dominic DeNucci, Don Leo Jonathan (twice), and Mark Lewin, the WWA World Tag Team Championship with Pedro Morales, the Canadian International Tag Team Championship (four times) with Gino Brito (three times) and Dino Bravo; and the NWA Texas Tag Team Championship with Wahoo McDaniel.

Impact Wrestling’s Sacrifice is March 24 and Sacrifice Fallout March 25 from Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Impact Wrestling’s Sacrifice on March 24 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, followed by Sacrifice Fallout on March 25.
Impact Wrestling’s Sacrifice on March 24 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, followed by Sacrifice Fallout on March 25.

The company’s television trucks will capture all of the in-ring action for upcoming episodes of IMPACT’s flagship weekly TV show “IMPACT! on AXS TV” (Thursday, 8 p.m. on AXS TV in America, Fight Network in Canada and Impact Insiders on YouTube).

Impact Wrestling is April 16 at the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto.

Impact Wrestling is April 28-29 at Cicero Stadium in Chicago.

Impact Wrestling returns to Center Stage in Atlanta on June 23-25 for Summer Sizzler.

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