Eddie Edwards thinks that defeating Mike Santana and becoming TNA World Champion would show what the System is about, Last Word on Pro Wrestling can exclusively reveal. The members of the System recently changed as JDC retired from wrestling, and Moose was excommunicated from the faction.
In an interview with Last Word on Pro Wrestling and WorldWide Wrestling, Eddie Edwards discussed various subjects. This includes AJ Styles’ retirement, the “new” System, having a chance to become TNA World Champion, who he would like to dethrone to become Champion for the third time, the TNA on AMC era, and more.
The “new” System
“Sometimes, it’s like something just kind of clicked over time. If you don’t deal with Moose on a daily basis, you’re not going to understand. But there are a lot of things that went into making the decision that it was time for the System to make a change. I think we felt, Brian and I, that we became stagnant as a group. We kind of peaked, and we realized that in Moose’s mind, it was all about Moose. Whenever we were in the back, he wasn’t concerned about what was best for the group as a whole. He was worried about what’s best for Moose. What do I need to do? What does he need to do?
“Meanwhile, everybody else in the group is trying to worry about what we can do as this family that we thought we had. But in the end, we have to make tough decisions. But I’m very confident that we made the right decision because now it’s just about the System. We replaced him with Cedric (Alexander) and Bear (Bronson). No more JDC, no more Moose. And now, it feels like the wheels are turning again. Now, we’re all on the same page. Bear and Cedric are hungry. They’re ready to get out there and make a name for themselves within the System, which is exactly what we need right now.”
WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?@TheEddieEdwards just took out @DirtyDangoCurty AND @TheMooseNation with the help of @Myers_Wrestling, @CedricAlexander and @bearbronsonBC!#TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/xEaZJChHka
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 23, 2026
A new brotherhood with Cedric Alexander and Bear Bronson
“We looked at guys who wanted that shot that they’ve been waiting in the wings, waiting for an opportunity. That’s been Cedric for a while in TNA. He came in and had a few opportunities for the X-Division Championship. Cedric wasn’t able to win it, but you could see he wanted more. Bear came in and did a couple of matches for us. He won that battle royal and had the World Championship match against Frankie (Kazarian). You could see he’s hungry; he just wanted a chance.
“For us, it’s the perfect pair to bring Cedric and Bear in when Moose is just worried about Moose and focused on that. What you could tell about Bear and Cedric is that they needed and wanted this environment. They wanted a family atmosphere to help get them to the next level. I think that’s what we were able to do with JDC, but he’s retired now. It was about his farewell, but it wasn’t about what was best for the System next.
“And now, we have Cedric and Bear, two guys who are just ready to go out there and prove the loyalty within the System, which is exactly what we need. We needed, like you said, that new blood, and it was the perfect jump start to the System to get us back on the right track to where we need to be.”
Did @MrsAIPAlisha just walk out of The System!?@TheEddieEdwards @Myers_Wrestling @CedricAlexander @bearbronsonBC #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/S2veUyKi2E
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 30, 2026
Becoming World Champion again
“In wrestling, you never say never, and you never know what’s right around the corner type of thing. Going into that (Feast or Fired) match, my brother Myers sacrificed himself by jumping off that top rope to allow me to grab that briefcase. We’ve been doing as a group as the System, and for myself, I feel like I’ve been doing my job to the best of my ability for a long time now. So, I’m always prepared for that next opportunity.
“When I get that opportunity for the World title, or whatever it may be, I make sure that I’m ready. Especially with everything that’s going on within the System, that’s kind of like this is the perfect place to be. This is the perfect scenario in which we want to really make a statement for the System. Capturing that World title would be the best way to do it.
“I think I would gladly defeat Mike Santana at this point. He has put in a lot of work to get to where he is, but I’ve tried to tell him that I’ve been where he is, and I know how it feels to have those targets on your back. Santana tends to be this lone wolf who wants to brush people off when they try to give him advice, and stuff like that.
“So, I would happily be the one to dethrone Mike, especially right now. I think that would be the best thing for The System and me if we can really show our dominance right now by defeating Santana, who’s been on fire. He’s a great World Champion. So, for me to go in and defeat him, I think that would really set the tone for what the System is all about right now.”
.@TheEddieEdwards wasted no time confronting TNA World Champion @Santana_Proud! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XeNkyZPgxH
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 30, 2026
TNA on AMC
“There have been a lot of people who have busted their asses to get to this point, to get to that TV deal, who aren’t a part of the company right now, but they put their blood and their sweat and their tears into this company to get to where we are now. And it’s just collectively as a whole to be able to sit back, take a step back, and realize that this was the goal we wanted. This is what we’ve been aiming for.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs, moments where you didn’t think this time would come. You didn’t think that you’d get this new TV deal, but now we’ve done it, and we’re on AMC. It’s good to be able to step back and be like, we did it. This is an amazing feeling for me and for the locker room as a whole because we have battled to be able to do it now.
“It’s an amazing feeling, but we also have to understand that this is still just the beginning. This is what we wanted. Now, we have to go out there, deliver each and every week, and put on the best show that we can. And I’m confident we can do it, but we can’t stop working now. This is when the real work begins.”
.@AJStylesOrg kicks off the @AMC_TV Era!
Watch Thursday Night #TNAiMPACT on TNA+: https://t.co/uQB9XKpvkP pic.twitter.com/L0XOAbXf0k
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 16, 2026
AJ Styles’ retirement
“I’m not going to be able to say anything that others haven’t said. He is truly one of the best of all time. And that goes inside the ring, but also outside of the ring. Anybody who’s ever met him or talked to him outside the ring, he is a genuine human being, a genuine nice guy, which sometimes in wrestling can be hard to find. Nobody around is going to say a bad word about AJ Styles because that’s the type of guy he is. He’s somebody who’s always led by example.
“If anybody wants to try to model their career, whether you’re getting into wrestling or you’re already in wrestling, you look at a guy like AJ Styles, and that’s somebody who has done it right. So, AJ, if you ever see this, I would like to say thank you for everything you did for TNA, and I try to tell him that every time he comes by TNA, thank you for being here because TNA as a whole wouldn’t be here without him.”
