Since the debut of TNA on Spike TV in October 2005, Young has adopted a new character who is highly paranoid and afraid of almost anything and anybody. The character was introduced at the mock funeral staged by Planet Jarrett and their associates for Team 3D on the October 15, 2005 episode of iMPACT!, when Young was startled after Abyss crushed a box of tissues that were offered to him, and then speculated that the funeral parlour was haunted by a ghost named "Katie" (a tongue-in-cheek reference to the WWE "Katie Vick" storyline). The simplest things began to frighten Young, including the pyrotechnics that accompany Team Canada's entrance.
The character has drawn comparisons to South Park characters Tweek and Butters, and has often been used for comic relief. During an interview about the World X-Cup by So Cal Val during TNA Global iMPACT!, Young stated "Foreigners frighten me. They're from other countries, and I don't know how to deal with that."
However, although Young may be paranoid, he is not necessarily always wrong. Two weeks after Sting and Christian Cage defeated Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown at TNA Final Resolution 2006, Sting made his iMPACT! debut and announced his retirement. Jarrett wasted no time in pointing out that "after one match with me, Sting took his ball and went home", and most of Planet Jarrett agreed with that assessment. However, Young became convinced that Sting was not gone, and raised the ire of Jarrett and Scott D'Amore by frequently expressing that belief. In an attempt to persuade Young that Sting had left, Jarrett commissioned Alex Shelley to obtain footage of Sting at home with his children; however, this failed to allay Young's fears. He insisted that Sting would come back and get each of them, he would even go as far as to insist that the fellow Planet Jarrett members should not call him by his nickname "Showtime" any more, due to Sting's catchphrase "It's showtime, folks!".
Young lost to Sting in the main event of the April 13, 2006 episode of iMPACT!.
Young's paranoia did not always hinder his abilities during a match. He remained aggressive (even putting people through a table), would not hesitate to cheat, and was not afraid to capitalize on outside interference. He continued to be aided by Team Canada and Planet Jarrett.
When Jim Cornette became the new face of management in TNA and said someone would be fired, Young was afraid it would be him. He was seen on iMPACT! holding a up a sign in the crowd that read "Don't fire Eric Young" as the fans chanted "Don't fire Eric!" along with him. On the June 29 episode of iMPACT!, Young wrestled like a classic babyface out of fear of being fired, and tried to prevent his fellow Canadians from doing anything underhanded. Cornette announced later that night Team Canada was now disbanded, but Young was more happy than upset because it was Earl Hebner who got fired, not Young. On the July 14 episode of iMPACT!, Team Canada lost an "all or nothing" match (their only chance to stay together), keeping Team Canada disbanded.
At Victory Road, Team Canada joined together in the ring for one last time. After running through how he felt about each member, Scott D'Amore stopped at Eric Young. He then blamed Eric for their demise and made him strip of any Team Canada items as they were no more. Scott D'Amore then said that he believed Eric Young would still be fired as he was to blame for Team Canada's end. Eric then remained in the ring after the others had left and began a secret petition with the fans to keep his job. He would soon start being announced from "An Undisclosed Location". Young continued to be worried about his job security, creating his own "Don't Fire Eric" shirts.
Young's paranoia proved warranted yet again as he was fired on the October 5 episode of iMPACT after being hit with a golf club by Larry Zbyszko causing Young to lose a "Loser gets fired" match. However, due to Zbyszko's interference, Jim Cornette gave Young a chance to get his job back by facing Larry Zbyszko in a "Loser Gets Fired" match at Bound for Glory 2006. Young won and got his job back.
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