Since Hard to Kill we have seen an invading faction of former Ring of Honor talent appearing in Impact Wrestling. The sight of Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Maria, Vincent, and PCO appearing on Impact television is something unexpected, but something is missing. If the OGK is suppose to be considered "invaders" then where is the security when these "invaders" appear where they aren't suppose to be. The length of time that it took for security to appear when the "invaders" are attacking an announcer.
Seeing them at Hard to Kill and there first appearance it was no surprising that it took security sometime to appear because of the shock and awe of the appearance of the "invaders." However, if the intention is to make these stars seem as though they don't belong there then the company should bring in more security and keep them on standby to allow for reality to take precedent. Hearing Scott D'Amore mention calling Baltimore to find out what exactly is going on shows that they are trying to make this seem as real as they can. Using technology to make this "invasion" seem more on the real side of things phone cameras, social media, YouTube videos and the like are all ways to use technology to make this seem real. Filming in front of or in proximity to Sinclair Headquarters or Ring of Honor's Headquarters. Bring in Carey Silkin for a face to face with Scott D'Amore to add another layer to the "invasion." I do like the idea of having former Ring of Honor star appear in Impact as invading forces, but the only detail I have a gripe with is the lack of security when those invaders appear. It isn't a loss yet, but they need to change the small detail and if they do that then this could help bring some more positive headlines to Impact Wrestling and again find another way to keep the fans talking about Ring of Honor.
0 Comments
In the years since Scott D'Amore and Don Callis took control of Impact Wrestling it is impossible to understate what the two men have been able to accomplish. The brand they were able to help rebuild in a new image with the help of Anthem Entertainment. After all the years of uncertainty and mismanagement to know that the promotion finally found security and stability. Impact needed an identity to finally establish this security and those in management finally were able to do exactly that it took a long time, but it happened.
The second part of this tweet is what any championship is suppose to do especially the World Championship. Think about what the World Title had done for Nick Aldis in the NWA or what the WWE Championship did for John Cena. Though the credibility of most championships have been diluted over the years it is safe to assume that each company had the one championship they always tried to protect. I for one thought that once Kenny Omega dropped the World Title it would be not just to a member of the Impact roster, but someone who would instantly be made. Think about though Tony Khan's desire to have someone from another company lose to a member of another companies roster. AEW and Impact shocked wrestling by getting into a working agreement, but clearly there were limitations. Omega was the only member of the AEW roster thus far to appear on Impact Wrestling and needed protection. The World Champion is suppose to be the most protected member of the roster especially if he was working for another company this has always been a delicate situation.
With Bound for Glory around the corner it is time for Impact to again prove why they're flying under the radar. Last year was one of the few successes of an insanely tough year and saw a number of former WWE stars a new home. It didn't seem forced and they really just fit in perfectly with the product and the company unlike it had come off in the past. There have been rumors this year and we won't know which rumors are true right now until we hit Bound for Glory what we do know is there will be more then one surprise.
As far as, the upcoming World Championship match at Bound for Glory Christian winning the World Title from Kenny Omega was a meant to be a placeholder. Christian was given the title in my opinion, as a way to get the gold off Omega and bring it back to Impact Wrestling. With everything that Josh Alexander has done with elevating the X-Division championship there should be dollar signs around the idea of him becoming World Champion. The only question that needs to be answered is does the transition end at Bound for Glory and is Josh Alexander the right person to take the gold from Christian or is it still time to give Christian his chance in the spotlight. If there is one thing that Impact has done as good or better then any other promotion in recent years it is find how grown talent to build an extremely deep roster. I have sang the praises of Ace Austin in the past and he's only gotten better with time. Austin will be World Champion one day it's only a matter of when and I think the time will be soon, but not right now. Shifting gears to the #1 contender for the World Championship Josh Alexander.
Alexander has kept his stock high and himself in the conversation going from being one half of the most talked about tag team in wrestling alongside Ethan Page to one of the most underrated stars and most dominate X-Division champions. Alexander has been given the spotlight to shine in Impact Wrestling and has done exactly that for the better part of the last year as X-Division champion. Now he recently cashed in option C which means he will vacate the X-Division title for a chance to challenge Christian for the World Title. It's time for the "Walking Weapon" to graduate into the main event of Impact Wrestling and to be able to do it on the biggest stage of the year there is no better time or chance to do so. Christopher Daniels has seemingly returned to Impact Wrestling for the first time in seven long years which is one of the first few times the AEW working agreement has shown real benefits for Impact Wrestling. Daniels was not just a founding member of the roster, but he helped lay the foundation with which Impact Wrestling was built. Daniels hasn't been seen much in AEW following the split of SCU, but getting one more run and a Hall of Fame induction could be in the cards for one of the legends of Impact's past. Tonight is one of the biggest events of the year for Impact Wrestling, and it promises to be full of surprises. In my opinion, Impact has done what they do best recently, and that is continuing to fly under the radar. Last year, Impact took advantage of WWE lightening the load by bringing in some fresh talent like the Good Brothers and Eric Young. Later in the year, Matt Cardona and Brian Myers would join the fold, but either way they've benefited the most from the WWE releases. The biggest question is now who is next for Impact, or will they leave the former WWE stars alone and fill the surprises from elsewhere. Don't forget, Impact has reconciled with New Japan and still is working with AEW!!
Odds are though former WWE stars will appear tonight at Slammiversary it's just a matter of who will it be, and I think one of them will likely be the former Laurel Van Ness as her husband Matt Cardona is in need of a partner for a mixed tag match tonight. The only difference this time around will be that she might not reprise her old gimmick and might reappear as Chelsea Green instead. Another name that is possible is the former Kalisto for many reasons, but the main reason is that Impact is always looking for ways to improve the X-Division and Kalisto would absolutely help create depth for and improve the X-Division. I would be remiss not to mention some of the rumors I've been hearing about New Japan stars possibly appearing tonight. Dave Finlay Jr and Juice Robinson helped reopen the door everyone thought was permanently closed, so it's possible current New Japan talent could come over for the night. I also heard a slight rumor of us seeing Great Muta, but I'm not sure the validity of the rumors, it just shows the amount of buzz that has been created around tonight's event. Impact has impressed this year and may not defy expectations as they will likely do what they do best and that is keep flying under the radar of wrestling fans. Omega just won the Impact World Championship at Rebellion at the end of April last month changing the business. A sight we haven't seen since the territory era when one man held the World Title in two different promotions. Actually Vader held the World Title in three different continents covering Europe, Asia, and United States. Vader worked with New Japan, Catch Wrestling Association in Germany, and World Championship Wrestling. Omega holds the World Championship in AEW, Impact, and AAA in Mexico covering three different promotions across North America.
The main issue with Kenny holding the World Championship in different promotions is that Tony Khan stepping in to stop Kenny from losing in other companies before he loses his World Title in AEW. It was a risk that he forfeited some aspect of booking to his champion and a risk of him possibly getting injured during a match. Omega is one of the few wrestlers around getting a ton of heat right now from the audience due to his entitled attitude forcing people to hate him. Similarly to Roman Reigns, Kenny is on a hot streak and is in the prime of his career as a heel. I think that all the companies will benefit from keeping the title on Kenny for the time being, but they need to be aware that something will be needed to strike fire back into this hot run. At this point, though they should have an idea who he will be dropping the gold to don't need to know when just who. There have been rumors of El Idolo (Formerly Andrade) winning the AAA World Title at Triplemania from Omega, but other than that nothing is really known, and it's too early to tell. In my opinion, any working agreement in wrestling can't work if it's too one-sided favoring one promotion over the other. Thus far the agreement with AEW and Impact has been completely one-sided in favor of AEW for the most part, but could shift in the future. Although it is obvious that AEW is a bigger company then Impact that doesn't mean AEW should always beat Impact's top stars. The only way this experiment will be a success is if Omega can help make a new star or someone a bigger draw for Impact then they were before this working agreement came to pass. Impact has been fighting for their spot at the table for their entire time in business, and they've never given up. The wrestling world was turned upside down when it became clear that Impact Wrestling had formed a working agreement with All Elite Wrestling and Kenny Omega was appearing on Impact. A World Champion from a top wrestling company is appearing on Impact Wrestling while still being under contract to another company. Don Callis has finally started using his friendships with wrestlers that he has formed over the last three decades in wrestling to help Impact. Callis and D'Amore have done so much good for Impact Wrestling it is impossible to state how much good these two have done for Impact. Rich has been World Champion leading the charge for Impact since last October, and most fans may not look at Swann as someone who isn't on Omega's level which is true. Swann doesn't have the same credibility as a draw like Omega who has helped draw sell out crowds in the Tokyo Dome. Omega worked to become a box office draw and Swann is one of Impact's biggest draws and stable presence in the company. Impact Wrestling has struggled, but finally found their identity and AEW is still attempting to find their identity. Omega is a proven commodity in Japan not in America or not yet in America, but winning or losing this will raise his stock within wrestling. I've been watching Impact Wrestling since 2004, even though I've given up on the company from time to time I always seem to come back and give them another chance. I've never seen Impact Wrestling invest so much into the promotion of one match. This company is investing so much into this match and making this card mean more than any card or event that they promoted. Rebellion will definitely not be a one match show and has the makings to be the biggest event in Impact history. I have a question for long time Impact Wrestling fans when was the last time you saw Impact put together a press conference to promote a match. I've watched Impact for 15 years at this point and have never seen them do a press conference to hype an event.
On April 25, Impact Wrestling Rebellion will be held and the biggest match outside WWE will happen when Rich Swann takes on Kenny Omega championship vs championship. This is the biggest contest ever booked, because of the first time two top North American wrestling companies will have their World Champions compete and one World Champion will come out of the match. In the past it was just billed as champion vs champion never actually being designed to crown one World Champion. Rich Swann has done wonders for Impact since being crowned as World Champion last October. For once Impact has a champion they made into a box office draw much like Kenny has become in AEW.
One change has made Kenny Omega into a superstar like everyone thought he would be when he made the move from Japan back to the United States. One feud made Rich Swann into a star, and it was his rivalry with Eric Young last year which started at Slammiversary last year off one injury. Swann was on the cusps of retirement last year and became Impact World Champion. Impact Wrestling has pulled former WWE announcer Mauro Ranallo into the hype for the match to everything seem all the more important. Impact has never drawn much mainstream attention unless they were getting laughed at by the media or fans, but now they have changed the perception. Mauro elevates any card or match that he is a part of based on his imagine and notoriety from WWE and his time on Showtime. The best wrestling announcers brings believability to the program, because if he invests emotionally then it's easier for you to do it. Mauro brings that exactly to the every match he's a part of and will do that again for this match on April 25. It doesn't matter if it's a one shot deal or something more consistent either way April 25 is Impact's moment in the sun.
With NXT officially moving to Tuesday nights following Wrestlemania this brought up a question if Impact who had been on Tuesdays for around a year or so would have a new running mate. Our question was answered quickly when we found out that Impact was moving back to Thursday nights with there first edition of Impact back on Thursday being last week head lined by a huge six man tag match. Kenny Omega was back to team with the Good Brothers against Rich Swann, Eddie Edwards, and Willie Mack. For the first time since he debuted back in January on Impact, Kenny Omega suffered a loss and even he didn't get pinned his team did lose with Karl Anderson getting pinned by the Impact Undisputed Champion.
The train is now going full speed down the tracks to April 24 and the next big event for Impact Wrestling that being Rebellion. In my opinion, this event is the most anticipated wrestling card since Impact moved to Canada a few years ago after Anthem purchased the promotion. The AEW partnership with Impact has unquestionably allowed for more eyes to pay attention to Impact wrestling, but it is still not only one sided, but very early on in the partnership. On April 24 we will get our answer if the "Belt Collector" will add another world title to his collection or if Rich Swann can shock the world. If Omega does win though it would be then when Impact stars should begin to invade Dynamite and do what AEW has been doing to them since January. Names like Matt Hardy, Kenny Omega, Private Party and even Tony Khan himself have appeared on Impact, but the same can't be said for Impact stars appearing on Dynamite. Come April 24, if Omega does win the Impact World title that needs to change and we would need to start seeing Impact stars making their presence known on AEW's programming to return the favor and trying to get their World Title back. It is rare to see an official unification match take place, but Impact Wrestling is officially back to having one championship. Swann has been leading the charge for Impact bringing some stability to the brand finally and it was unexpected, but Swann has been a great World Champion for Impact. Moose has unquestionably improved a ton over the last year and added more layers to his gimmick including crowning himself the World Champion instead of actually winning the title. To avoid both giving away a match between Moose and Omega and the idea that if Kenny won then the new champion would've lost the title only a few months after winning the title Impact made the smart decision to go with Swann. Also Swann is the flag bearer for Impact and clearly the top star in the company next to Eddie Edwards so pretty much the only fitting person to be put in this spot with Kenny Omega at Rebellion.
On another note, the Good Brothers dropped the tag titles to the debuting FinnJuice which was expected, but at the same time unexpected. However, Anderson & Gallows have been booked super strong since they debuted in Impact last year so them getting a rare loss isn't a major deal. Considering the fact that Juice and Dave Finlay Jr are both under contract with New Japan this could be a good sign about a working agreement coming up with Impact and New Japan. You have to wonder if Impact and AEW's partnership has helped open the door once again with New Japan. A new partnership with New Japan would be nothing, but beneficial for Impact continuing to move forward. The interest level for wrestling will keep growing especially with the upcoming title vs title match with Omega and Swann set for April's Rebellion event.
First off it has been announced that at the upcoming Sacrifice special event set for Saturday March 13 on the Impact Plus app. For the longest time Rich Swann has been the leader of Impact Wrestling as World Champion since defeating Eric Young last year. Soon after Swann was crowned champion Moose dug up the old TNA World Heavyweight Title which before two weeks ago was considered an unsanctioned championship. But just as the championship was made an official title it was announced by VP Scott D'Amore that we will see Rich Swann vs Moose in a Unification match to crown one official World Champion for Impact.
Following the crowning of one official champion they will have a tough defense at Impact Wrestling Rebellion on April 24 against current AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. The Invisible Hand had played his part to make it happen with his friend Kenny returning to Impact for his chance at the Impact World Title. Before this announcement I wasn't sure if Impact and AEW were still working together, but they were waiting for the right time to come back together and it seems like they may have a long term plan. Almost forgot it will not just be Omega challenging for the Impact title, but it will also be Swann or Moose challenging for the AEW World Title.
|
AuthorThe one stop shop for all things TNA Wrestling. At first you may not agree, but every now & again you might be surprised. Archives
January 2022
Categories |
About Wrestling Express |
Stay Connected with Wrestling Express |