Eric Young talks his TNA exit: 'Things don’t end because they’re good'

We've already heard from Bobby Roode, now it's time for the other former TNA World champ to tell us why he decided to leave Impact Wrestling after 12 years working for the promotion.

Eric Young was on Busted Open Radio (h/t 411mania.com for transcription) to answer questions about that topic and what comes next.

While doing his best to not shovel "dirt", EY basically confirmed what PWInsider reported yesterday - there were business issues between he and the company that he didn't think were going to get fixed, or better:

For me, it's twelve years and, sometimes, it's time to move on. I'm not saying it's because I wasn't fulfilled with what I was doing there or the people I was working with. It just became time.

I'm not a "dirt' guy or "drag people through the mud". TNA's been my home for twelve years. They allowed me to make a pretty good living in professional wrestling for twelve years and I wish them all the luck.

Things don't end because they're good. People don't get divorced because they're having an amazing love life and still love each other and things are great. Things end because they're not the way they're supposed to be. Things weren't the way they're supposed to be for me in my opinion, so it was time for me to step away and do something else.

He did address his fellow Canadian's comment that TNA had gotten "stale". Young was bit more diplomatic than Roode, but in defending the Impact Wrestling product, again hinted at behind-the-scenes frustrations:

I think what he was trying to say, I don't know exactly, but what he's trying to say is he's a guy that's done all of it... He's done everything and is feeling stale himself. I don't think he meant the brand. If it maybe came across that way, you'd have to ask him himself...

For me, I was excited with what I was doing. I liked doing the heel thing. That was completely new to me. It has nothing to do with feeling stale for me. It was just time, professionally, to move on. It had nothing to do with in-ring.

Often, the problems of the wrestling business get in the way of wrestling. That's what it comes down to. The wrestling business got in the way of me being happy and things being right so it's time for me to go do something else.

Like Roode, Young doesn't have a plan in place (although he does have a couple of independent bookings already announced and says there's " big stuff kind of in the works for television", probably alluding to more projects like Off the Hook, his reality fishing/outdoors show for Animal Planet). That would again point to this not being a case like AJ Styles leaving New Japan to sign with WWE, and more a decision by EY and Bobby that it was just time to go regardless of what comes next.

Boasting about having "the f***ing biggest tool chest" when it comes to wrestling - referring to his ability to work any style from comedy to heavyweights, and any role from in-ring to commentary - Young isn't worried about landing a gig in the industry. And it sounds like WWE and NXT are on his radar:

Obviously, it's a definite possibility. From the second that something was put up, of course, the parallels are being drawn and it's something that's definitely an option for me. The book is wide open and never in my career have I had that.

I've always been a TNA guy... It's exciting to say that I'm going to open another chapter. I've got a good foothold in pro wrestling and it's cool to kind of be able to choose and have that ability because not everyone gets the choice. It's a very cool thing, very flattering.

Give the interview a listen on Soundcloud, and let us know what you think. Surprised by his exit from TNA? Want to see Super-Eric on WWE Network? The floor is yours, Cagesiders.