Insight with Chris Van Vliet
Frankie Kazarian On Becoming TNA Champion, Leaving AEW, Ultimate X Matches, WWE Run
01 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: How did Frankie Kazarian become the TNA World Champion?
Chris VanVleet! VanVleet! It's Inside with Chris VanVleet! Man, thank you so much for coming in. Thanks for having me, man. Glad we finally got to do this. Yeah, seriously. We've been talking about this for a long time. A couple years. And now there's no better time to have you in than as the TNA World Champion. Yeah, it's pretty cool, man. Yeah, how does it feel? It's pretty cool.
You know, a lot of times, you know, guys get jaded and say, oh, the belt's just a prop and this and that. The belts is, you know, the company recognizing your ability and your talents and, you know, what you can do not only inside the ring, but outside the ring, how you can represent the company.
Chapter 2: Why did Frankie Kazarian leave AEW to return to TNA?
And it's, you know, look, it's an honor to have this title. You get into this business, or at least I got in this business. I don't want to just be a regular wrestler. I want to be a world champion wrestler. And it took me a while, but here we are, TNA world champion, man. you became the CNA world champion for the first time at 48 years old. Yeah.
Did you get to a point where you thought maybe it's not going to happen? Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, there was a time early on like 2007 ish where I was kind of, you know, on the come up as a single baby face, you know, getting some good matches and had a lot of good momentum, but you know, just seeing, you know, who was above me on the ladder was like, Just don't think it's going to happen for me.
And I will say at the time, from an in-ring standpoint, I think I was a very good wrestler. I don't think I had developed my personality and promo skills to where, you know, what you need to be a world champion. And then, yeah, then, you know, years went by and...
Chapter 3: What was the significance of the first Ultimate X match?
It kind of became a fleeting thought. Like, it's just, you know, not going to ever happen. But, you know, I always like to say this. Dreams do not have an expiration date. So, you know, 48 years old or 28 years old, doesn't matter. I got the job done. So, yeah. I think people were surprised when they saw that stat. They were like, what? Frankie's 48? Yeah. I mean, you look amazing.
Oh, thanks, man. Thank you, man. You know, I try to live as healthy of a lifestyle as I can.
Chapter 4: How did Frankie Kazarian's first WWE run influence his career?
You know, not only this is a very, it's obviously an aesthetic business. You have to look the part. And I've always really gone out of my way to try to look the part and look like a star and look healthy. But more important than that, I want to be around a long time for my son. I want to live a healthy life and, you know, be able to play with him and be very, very active.
And, and this business keeps you young. So it's like, I always say like, oh, I can be the old guy, but I'm not going to be the old out of shape guy. You know what I'm saying? So like, I kind of, I kind of, you know, look at, I'm in a locker room full of like, you know, 20 and 30 somethings. And I do not want to look like the old guy and I'll be damned if I ever do. So that's, that's just it.
And it's, it's just part of my lifestyle and it's the lifestyle that I enjoy. But when you look at footage of you from 20 years ago, you're in better shape now in your forties. I think so. And you were in your twenties.
Chapter 5: What challenges did Frankie Kazarian face in his wrestling journey?
I am. Yeah. Uh, you know, and with like weight training, nutrition, all of that diet, uh, it's trial and error.
You know, I just, in terms of like, you know, how, if you want to be, you know, big, this, you, if you want to be lean, if you like all of that and you figure out eventually what kind of works for you, like, like we were discussing earlier when I broke into the business to get even looked at by a WWE, you had to be big, like big.
And I was always told when like, I would be scouted by WWE, just put on some size, put on some size, but you know, And I would put on 10, 15 pounds and I just would look soft and kind of dumpy. And it's like, and I realized that after a while, after a long while, you know, my frame is only going to support so much. So just look like an athlete, you know, it's better for me.
I move better when I'm leaner, you know, when I'm, when I'm not carrying extra weight I have a lot more energy and stamina. So yeah. So now it's just a matter of looking, looking as good as I can possibly look as lean as I can possibly be. And yeah, It's a constant battle, man. It takes a lot of... You know how it is.
Chapter 6: What is the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a wrestler?
It takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but it's my lifestyle. Are you the type of guy who's traveling with meals? So I don't do the meal prep, man, because... Um, uh, it's so, uh, so much easier to eat healthy on the road nowadays. You know, I do travel with shakes and bars and that stuff. So I always have something in case I need it.
Uh, back in the day, you know, after a show, there was like a McDonald's or a Denny's or something. So, you know, that's, but even those places now have healthy options, uh, and door dashes of things so that, you know, I can get, I can get chicken or rice delivered to my door. So, um,
i travel with enough belts and scarves and gear and everything i don't need the meals with me um so no i don't do the meal prep and you know i i'm pretty familiar with most towns i'm in now and know where i like to eat and know where has you know the good restaurants and stuff but god bless those guys that do the meal prep because it's you know that's again that's just carrying so much extra stuff on the road you know so what's a go-to meal after a tna taping
Oh, man, are we talking if we're still eating healthy? It really depends where we are geographically. What if you're in a decent-sized city? I mean, like, you know, a good steakhouse. Okay.
Chapter 7: How does Frankie Kazarian view the evolution of wrestling?
You know, like a good steakhouse. Even like an Outback. You know, like an Outback, you can get a good, you know... Fairly inexpensive. Get a good steak, sweet potato. You know, if you're, you know, if you're with a couple of guys that want to spend some money, you can go to like a Fleming's or, you know, or one of those. We're in Canada with the keg. Oh man. Yeah.
We just, last time we were out there a few months back, me and myself and the system, basically Myers and Eddie and Moose and everything. uh, and Eric Young, uh, we all hit up the keg and just went nuts. But, uh, so yeah, like a good steakhouse like that, you know, and then there's times when, um, you know, Cracker Barrel is one of my favorites. How do you eat healthy at Cracker Barrel?
Cracker Barrel is easy. For breakfast, I get the chicken tender, the grilled chicken tenderloins with egg whites and, uh, sourdough toast, dry, no butter and, uh, plain grits.
Chapter 8: What are Frankie Kazarian's thoughts on the future of TNA?
Oh yeah. And same with Waffle House too. Chicken, egg, chicken, egg whites. Usually I probably usually sometimes I do steamed hash browns. So yeah, I got, I got, I got my healthy order and I got my, my not healthy order, but. Well, whatever you're doing, it's working for you. Oh, thank you, man. I appreciate that. Thanks. Do you think about how much longer you can wrestle?
You know, it's, it's, it's crazy. Cause I, I mean, I get asked that a lot, especially now because like, you know, my peers and my friends are, are already have retired. Christopher Daniels isn't doing this anymore, which is still blowing my mind, you know, cause he's, you know, he's a little bit older than me, but he's still looks incredible.
And he was still working at a high level, you know, old pal, John Cena's, you know, had maybe the best run ever. And he's finishing up. AJ has made it known that he's finishing up. And, you know, so, you know, when, when this all started to happen, I started to think like, man, is, you know, is my hourglass, how's it looking? But, dude, I feel better than I have any right to feel.
I'm in the best shape of my career, and I think I'm having the very best matches of my career, and I'm on top of my game from a character standpoint, and I'm having way too much fun. So, you know, I can't really put, you know, a timetable on it. I do want to get out once I start slowing down, once I can't be Frankie Kazarian.
Like one thing I'm very proud of right now is that I'm not, not doing anything that I did 20 years ago. I was always very smart about having a style that could be sustainable. So like when you see Frankie Kazarian, it's not a parody of what I was doing in 2003 in the X division. It's, you know, it's still, I'm still doing that same stuff, you know? So. Yeah. It's a paradox, right? Cause. Right.
You've gotten better as you've gotten older. And then it's like this idea of like, oh man, if I was only this knowledgeable. Yeah. When I was starting out, think of how great I could be. It's an interesting paradox, right? It really is. Yeah. And, you know, I was, my one, you know, mistake was always early on was always, you know, my wrestling will get me over.
My wrestling will get me over, which is. You learn in this business, wrestling is just kind of one ingredient of what it takes. You know, I wasn't really focused on the character and the connection and the talking aspect. That all came to me, but it came to me much later because I was so focused on just being the best in-ring performer I could be.
When do you feel like you flipped that switch on character work? Honestly, really when Chris Daniels and I started teaming in 2012, you know... because I could feed off of him, uh, him and our best friends in real life. Uh, and he's this timing and his wit and just everything, um, It just, it was just incredible.
And, you know, we worked because the way we talked and the way we did promos and everything was just like how we were like in the car. So like I became very, very confident and very comfortable once, especially when I had him out there with me because we just fed off of each other so well. And he, he helped me a lot in that aspect.
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