Mickie James has commented on winning the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship for the fourth time.
James challenged Deonna Purrazzo for the gold at Bound For Glory. Mickie ended the 343-day reign of Purrazzo.
Mickie James Admits Knockouts Title Win Means More To Her Than She Thought It Would
Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Mickie James said that despite winning numerous world titles throughout her career, this one was special.
“It feels so good. Honestly, I didn’t think it would matter as much to me as it did in a sense because I have been a champion several times and I’ve had such a tenured career. We always go, ‘God, I don’t need the championship. I’ve done so much.’ There was nothing sweeter than winning the championship. I hadn’t won a championship in eight years. My last championship was the one that I lost in IMPACT against ODB. When I think about that I go, ‘Wow, that’s a long time.’ I’ve done a lot, but not really for me. It was a great moment, it was powerful, and it felt good.”
It’s a feel-good moment for Mickie, who was released by WWE back in April. Mickie aired out WWE for being unprofessional by sending her stuff in a trash bag. WWE acted quickly and fired the person responsible.
Since being released by WWE, Mickie played a key role in the creation of an all-women’s NWA PPV. Billy Corgan has credited her with making a lot of the cross-promotion deals a reality.
Many fans who tuned in last night to Bound for Glory may have been expecting Braun Strowman to show up. Last week, PW Insider reported that Strowman was all but locked down to debut with the promotion. As it turns out, however, no deal has been signed and it is not clear if one will be.
According to a report from Fightful Select, the two sides have talked but no deal has been made. It is not clear if Strowman will end up there or not.
In terms of Bray Wyatt possibly debuting for Impact Wrestling, he was reportedly contacted by the promotion but a deal between the two sides has never been close. It does not sound like there are currently plans for Wyatt to end up in Impact, although things could change.
Bronson Reed was also reportedly booked to be part of the upcoming Impact Wrestling tapings. He was later unbooked, however. No reason for the change has been reported.
Impact is bringing in Minoru Suzuki for this week’s tapings in Las Vegas, however.
Here are the results from last night’s Bound For Glory show from Las Vegas.
Knockouts Tag Team Championships The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay) defeated Decay (Havok & Rosemary) (c) (8:58) – New Champions
X-Division Championship Trey Miguel defeated El Phantasmo and Steve Maclin (13:23) – New Champion
Heath & Rhino defeated Violent By Design (Deaner & Joe Doering) (w/Eric Young) (5:59)
Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match Moose defeated Ace Austin and Alisha and Brian Myers and Chris Sabin and Eddie Edwards and Johnny Swinger and Laredo Kid and Madman Fulton and Matt Cardona and Melina and Rachael Ellering and Rich Swann and Rocky Romero and Rohit Raju and Sam Beale and Savannah Evans and Tasha Steelz and The Demon and W. Morrissey (29:38)
Impact Tag Team Championships The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) (c) defeated BULLET CLUB (Chris Bey & Hikuleo) and FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (9:56)
Knockouts Championship Mickie James defeated Deonna Purrazzo (c) (13:21) – New Champion
Impact World Championship Josh Alexander defeated Christian Cage (c) (18:53) – New Champion
Impact World Championship (Call Your Shot Gauntlet Cash-In) Moose defeated Josh Alexander (c) (0:07) – New Champion
Moose has become the new Impact Wrestling world heavyweight champion after picking up a couple of big victories during tonight’s Bound For Glory PPV event.
The former NFL player was part of the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match on the show. He won the match and a future title opportunity by defeating Matt Cardona last.
The main event of the night then saw Christian defending his Impact world title against Josh Alexander. The former champion had given up his X Division title for a shot at the world championship.
Alexander won this match after a tough battle between the two stars. He put Christian in an ankle lock and made him tap out. Josh won the match after stepping on the former WWE star’s hand to stop him from getting to the ropes.
Christian showed respect to the new champion by hugging him and handing him the title before heading to the back. Alexander’s wife and son who were in the front row then made their way to the ring to celebrate.
This is where Moose entered the arena again and cashed in his trophy. Josh Alexander moved his family out of the way, only to take a spear from Moose and lose the title.
Latest report suggests that the partnership between AEW and Impact Wrestling may be ending soon. If so, this was a good way to write Christian off the Impact TV and build a feud between Moose and Alexander to move the storyline further.
The IInspiration has finally arrived at Impact Wrestling and the duo has picked up a big win in their debut match at the Bound For Glory event.
The promotion had announced that the former WWE stars will be making their debut for the company during their biggest show of the year. They had confirmed that the former IIconics will face Decay for the knockouts tag team titles.
The female stars then opened the show. They walked out to Harley Cameron singing The IInspiration’s theme song for the pair’s first entrance in the company:
The two introduced each other by their new names and claimed that they are here to inspire people. The tag team did their signature pose before kicking off the championship match.
The ending of the bout saw all four competitors getting in on the action. Havok hit a choke bomb on Jessie McKay and a forearm to Cassie Lee.
Though Lee managed to fight off both the opponents and sent Rosemary on the floor. The IInspiration sent Havok into the corner a couple of times and then into the ring post outside.
Rosemary got up to send McKay back into the ring but Lee tagged herself in. Lee delivered a big knee to Rosemary and hit a neckbreaker on her opponent to pick up the victory for her team.
There is no word yet on the length of their contract with Impact Wrestling. Although the championship win suggests that The IInspiration is here to stay.
Impact Wrestling is back with another show, so let’s take a look at the card for the Bound For Glory pay-per-view event.
The event takes place tonight (Saturday, October 23, 2021) from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada. Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion Christian Cage vs. Josh Alexander is the main event.
The show kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be distributed on cable, satellite and digital pay-per-view, including DISH, DirecTV, iN Demand, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw and Sasktel across North America, and streaming live globally exclusively on the FITE.tv app
Impact World Champion Christian Cage vs. Josh Alexander
Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mickie James
Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers vs. Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Hikuelo) vs. FinJuice
Trey Miguel vs. Black Taurus vs. El Phantasmo – a three-way match for the vacant X-Division title
Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champions Decay (Rosemary & Havok) vs. The IInspiration
Violent By Design vs. Heath & TBA
Competitors announced thus far: Chris Sabin (#1) vs. Rich Swann vs. Brian Myers vs. Moose vs. W. Morrissey (#20) – 20-man Call Your Shot gauntlet match
Pre-show: John Skyler vs. Fallah Bahh vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Chelsea Green vs. Madison Rayne – six-way match for the inaugural Digital Media Championship
Pre-show: Awesome Kong induction into the Hall of Fame
Women’s wrestling has been celebrated and honored all week long, alongside the release of this year’s PWI Women’s 150. Among that list, included the IMPACT Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purrazzo, as she reigned supreme as #3 in the rankings.
Purrazzo is scheduled to defend her Knockouts Championship against Mickie James this Saturday, October 23rd at Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV.
Ahead of this title defense, SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay caught up with “The Virtuosa” to discuss her thoughts on some of her fellow female competitors, including “The Russian Dynamite” Masha Slamovich.
The full interview with Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purrazzo, can be viewed below.
Masha Slamovich Joins Impact
Masha Slamovich
Purrazzo’s thoughts on Masha Slamovich signing with IMPACT Wrestling after Knockouts Knockdown:
“I’ve said for 18-months that I want this division, while I’m on top, to be the most coveted around the world. I want everyone to be a part of our Knockouts Division, to want to be a part of the Knockouts Division, to want to be the Knockouts Champion. And we need women like Masha Slamovich, who is one of the best in the world coming up, putting the best out there, and putting her best foot forward.
So, I’m really honored that I kind of got to be a part of that [moment] and that it turned out she was offered a contract. That was not planned or intended, that’s just how good she is. She earned it live and in that moment. We need women like Masha, we need women like Lady Frost.
We need these up and coming independent talent who are ready to make a name for themselves and just looking for the right company to give them an opportunity. I feel very synonymous with those girls because I was very much in that same position for a long time and I’m really happy to see them thrive, because in turn it makes our entire Knockouts division thrive.
Iron sharpens iron is what I said about Masha. I feel like that’s true for so many women on the independent scene right now that could come in and have incredible matches and tell incredible stories for our Knockouts Division.”
Mercedes Martinez
Mercedes Martinez
Deonna Purrazzo also expressed high regard to the winner of the Knockouts Knockdown tournament champion, Mercedes Martinez:
“She’s someone that I wrestled some of my first matches against. She’s someone that obviously I get to wrestle now so to see her kind of being in the same space that I was when I was released from NXT, kind of just being like ‘I want to go out there and I want to do everything I can do, and I want to work for every company that I can, and make you regret it’ is how I felt.
To see she kind of has that chip on her shoulder makes me really happy because she’s more than capable. And I’d love to see her land a spot at IMPACT as well, because we need those veteran presences in our lockeroom.
We have quite a few women on our roster who have been with IMPACT for a long time and have that presence, but I think Mercedes Martinez is an entire entity of her own. There is no one quite like her and if you’re going to have the best division in the world, we need the best talent in the world. Mercedes Martinez is definitely in that conversation for me.”
Besides the addition of Slamovich to the Knockouts Division, like previously mentioned, IMPACT Wrestling will also be welcoming The IInspiration (formerly Peyton Royce and Billie Kay in WWE), at Bound For Glory. They vie for the Knockouts Tag Team Championships against Decay.
The IInspiration
The IInspiration is comin to Bound For Glory
Deonna Purrazzo also discussed her thoughts on the IInspiration coming to IMPACT:
“I am so excited that The IInspiration is coming because I wasn’t sure if they were or not, so when it was announced at the end of Knockouts Knockdown it was like ‘hell yeah! Another victory for us’. I’m going to say the same thing I said about Mercedes [Martinez] about Cassie [Lee] and Jess [McKay], I think that they are unique in their own ways.
They could be serious and want to wrestle, but then they have this really fun, quirky, comedic side of them that I think is different, and brings something different to our Knockouts Division.
I’m excited to see who walks away as the Knockouts Tag Team Champions at Bound For Glory, but at the end of the day, the more talent that lands at IMPACT–and more than then them coming in, I really am enjoying the fact that IMPACT has become this landing zone, and people are actively seeking out IMPACT Wrestling to give them the opportunities they maybe feel they didn’t get anywhere else. So, for them to come in, I’m really excited to see what else they can do as a tag team.”
IMPACT Wrestling will be hosting Bound For Glory on Saturday, October 23rd from Las Vegas at 10pm est / 7pm pst.
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Former WWE NXT Star Bronson Reed is still on the free agent market, but he is gaining some interest from two promotions – New Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact Wrestling.
NJPW has reportedly made a big play for Reed (via Fightful), who is going by his previous moniker of Jonah Rock. Impact is also interested in signing him, but those in the promotion were said to not be confident that he would be making his debut this weekend.
Impact holds its Bound for Glory pay-per-view event on Saturday night and then TV tapings on Sunday and Monday.
Reed was let go by WWE earlier this year after his reign ended as North American Champion. He had a 30-day non-compete clause due to him being under an NXT contract so he’s been free and clear to sign with anyone since early last month.
Before Reed had been released due to budget cuts, the company had him work several dark matches at a time where they were trying out various NXT stars such as Karrion Kross, Shotzi Blackheart, and Teagan Nox before calling them up to the main roster.
Last week it was revealed that former WWE star Buddy Murphy would be joining the promotion to work on their United States brand.
It looks like former WWE Superstar Braun Strowman (Adam Scherr) is indeed bound for Impact Wrestling.
Last week, Scherr was spotted with Impact EVP Scott D’Amore a hotel bar in Detroit, Michigan. The two had a lengthy discussion, presumably about him appearing for Impact. Details about how the meeting went were scarce, until Friday.
PWInsider has provided a significant update to this story. Scherr was seen taking a flight from Chicago to Las Vegas, site of Saturday night’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view.
The PWInsider report notes that Scherr is all but confirmed to be joining Impact Wrestling. He won’t be able to use the name Braun Strowman, which is owned by WWE. Instead, Scherr will be using the nickname, The Titan.
In addition to Bound For Glory, Impact will be holding TV tapings from Vegas as well. In the event that The Titan does not appear at the pay-per-view, we could see him on a future episode of Impact on AXS TV.
Strowman was released by WWE back in June. His release was part of a slew of talent cuts for budget reasons that also included current AEW star Malakai Black.
Stick with SEScoops this weekend to find out if Adam Scherr / Braun Strowman debuts at Bound for Glory.
Acey Romero has detailed why he decided to request his release from Impact Wrestling.
Back in August, Fightful brought word that Romero asked Impact to be let go from his contract. Near the midway point of October, Jon Alba reported that Romero got what he was asking for. Romero is now free to sign wherever he pleases and already has a couple of independent bookings secured.
During an interview with Cultaholic, Romero revealed the final nail in the coffin as far as his run with Impact Wrestling is concerned.
“I just want people to know I’m not talking sh*t or trying to bury IMPACT. The last straw was we were going to be booked in August but we were pulled the week of. I’ll be honest, IMPACT was a big chunk of my income and my deal was if I wasn’t there, I wasn’t paid. I was paid per appearance. So I was counting on that loop to help me financially.
“I was ready to go. We were leaving on a Friday and it was a Monday and just, ‘Hey, bad news. Creative has gone in a different direction and you guys aren’t on the loop this month.’ That’s when the frustration really built, like ‘What the hell?’ I would call them and say, ‘Can we do something better? What can we do to come back?’ I just felt like we were getting d*cked around, for lack of a better phrase.”
Acey Romero had been one-half of the XXXL tag team along with Larry D. He had been with Impact since Oct. 2019. Romero hadn’t been used by the company since a set of tapings back in April.
Impact Wrestling will air a tribute to Daffney show following its regular weekly programming on AXS TV next week. The show will air in the normal “Impact in 60” slot on October 28th at 10 PM.
Additionally, CollarxElbow has partnered with Daffney’s family to sell a t-shirt. Proceeds from sales of the shirt will be donating to the CTE Foundation at Boston University.
Impact also honoured Daffney by holding a memorial Monster’s Ball match at Knockouts Knockdown recently. The match was won by Savannah Evans. Gail Kim spoke to Sports Illustrated about what holding that match means to the company.
“She was one of the first to break the mold and become this hardcore queen, and the Monster’s Ball match was an important part of that,” Kim says. “It’s a great event to bring back, but it means so much more than that this time.”
“There is a very strong bond in our industry of brothers and sisters,” Kim continued. “It’s an undeniable one, and we always unite for these moments that touch us. It’s a business that moves very quickly, but we all slowed down when learning about Daffney. It is time to come together and honor her, beginning with this Monster’s Ball match.”
More and more signs are pointing towards Braun Strowman (Adam Scherr) being on his way to join the Impact Wrestling roster, sooner rather than later.
According to a new report from PWInsider, the monster among men was recently spotted meeting with Imapact EVP Scott D’Amore. The two met at a hotel bar for the Motor City Comic Con in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday.
D’Amore arrived earlier and he waited for Strowman to show up.These two seem to have had an in-depth conversation as according to the site they were sitting ‘for a long time.’ Though detail of their exchange is not available.
Impact Wrestling is said to be working on several surprises for their Bound For Glory event this Saturday. Whether Braun Strowman turns out to be one of them remains to be seen.
Japanese wrestling legend Minoru Suzuki continues to make the most of his trip to the United States.
Suzuki didn’t participate in this year’s G1 Climax tournament for New Japan Pro Wrestling. As a result, he’s been taking dates in America for the likes of AEW and GCW. Now, the leader of Suzuki-gun will be making his way to Impact Wrestling.
Impact Wrestling took to its Twitter account to announce that Suzuki is making his way to the promotion for upcoming TV tapings.
BREAKING: See @suzuki_D_minoru LIVE at our television tapings at @samstownlv in Las Vegas on October 24th and 25th!
“BREAKING: See Minoru Suzuki LIVE at our television tapings at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas on October 24th and 25th!”
Suzuki’s AEW endeavor hasn’t ended either. On Oct. 15, he will be taking on Bryan Danielson during the AEW Rampage Buy In show. You can catch the live stream of the Buy In show on the SEScoops homepage at 9 p.m. ET.
As for Impact Wrestling, the company has been enjoying great success with cross-promotion. Impact has finally made amends with NJPW and has been bringing in the likes of Juice Robinson, David Finlay, El Phantasmo, Jay White, and others.
It’ll be interesting to see what Minoru Suzuki has in store for Impact Wrestling and who he will target upon his arrival.
Impact Wrestling on 9/14 was the first show since the Knockouts Knockdown event that aired on Saturday. It’s the second final episode before Bound For Glory on October 23rd.
Impact 9/14 Quick Results:
X-Division Championship Tournament El Phantasmo w/ Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Hikuleo) defeated Rohit Raju & Willie Mack
Savannah Evans w/ Tasha Steelz defeated Lady Frost
Rich Swann w/ Willie Mack defeated VsK w/ Brian Myers
Chris Sabin defeated Chris Bey
Winner Enters Call Your Shot Gauntlet #20, Runner Up Enters #1 W. Morrissey Last Eliminates Chris Sabin to Win
El Phantasmo Qualifies For X-Division Championship Match At Bound For Glory
We now have the 3 wrestlers who will face off for the vacant X-division championship at Bound For Glory. Joining Trey Miguel and Steve Maclin will be Bullet Club’s El Phantasmo. After his Bullet Club teammates provided a distraction on the outside, taking Willie Mack out of the picture, ELP spiked Rohit Raju face first into the mat and got the 1-2-3.
Savannah Evans won the Monster’s Ball match at Knockouts Knockdown and followed it up with a win here over Lady Frost. As for Frost, this is two losses in a row for her as she was also eliminated in the first round of the tournament on Saturday when she lost to Rachael Ellering. Evans got the win with a full nelson slam. So, it looks like she is headed to the top of the division.
The Iinspiration Feel Their Title Shot At Bound For Glory Is “Well Deserved”
The former Iiconics, now known as the Iinspiration, had a letter sent to Gail Kim from Sydney, Australia. Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay said that their tag team title shot against Decay is well-deserved despite never having competed in the division. The letter also requested that it be read out loud in an Australian accent.
Swann picked up revenge this week after VSK attacked him after a match recently. It looks like Mack and Swann are moving into a feud with the Learning Tree here. Swann landed numerous strikes followed by a Phoenix Splash for the win.
Since Impact have moved its tapings to Las Vegas, Swinger’s Palace is no longer able to operate. Chris Sabin and others paid tribute to the underground casino closing this week.
Heath Wants His Partner Back
It's been a long road but @HEATHXXII finally has his IMPACT contract.
Heath signed his Impact contract with Scott D’Amore this week after a long time on the shelf with injury. He requested a match pitting him and Rhino against Violent By Design but nobody is too sure where Rhino’s head is at these days or who he is aligned with.
FinJuice came out to support Chris Sabin in this match here against Bullet Club’s Chris Bey. Bey also had his stablemates at ringside but after some commotion on the outside both teams were sent to the back, leaving just Sabin and Bey to go one-on-one. Sabin then picked up the victory with the Cradle Shock.
W. Morrissey Wins Battle Royal, Will Enter Last In Call Your Shot Gauntlet
The stipulation here was that the winner of the battle royal will enter the Call Your Shot Gauntlet at Bound For Glory last but the runner-up will enter first. So, a lot on the line. It came down to Chris Sabin and W. Morrissey. Moose provided some assistance on the outside, preventing Sabin from throwing the big man out and this allowed Morrissey to toss Sabin out instead to pick up the victory.
A sit down interview with Josh Alexander and Christian Cage was held this week. During the segment, a clip from a Impact fan fest was shown where Christian said he didn’t know who Josh Alexander was. Cage said it was just good natured ribbing but Alexander was clearly upset. He said he has lost his respect for Christian and stormed off. This will no longer be a friendly contest at Bound For Glory.
Coming Up in Impact Wrestling
Next week:
Mickie James vs TBD (Picked by Deonna Purrazzo)
Trey Miguel vs Alex Zayne
Impact Tag Team Championships #1 Contendership FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) vs Bullet Club (Chris Bey and HIKULEO)
Bound For Glory (October 23rd)
Impact World Championship Christian Cage (c) vs Josh Alexander
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Mickie James
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Decay (Rosemary & Havok) (c) vs The Iinspiration (Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee)
X-Division Championship (Vacant) Trey Miguel vs Steve Maclin vs El Phantasmo
Call Your Shot Gauntlet W. Morrissey to enter last, Chris Sabin to enter first
The IInspiration will be getting a title shot during their debut for Impact Wrestling. They will be facing the current Knockouts tag team champions, Rosemary and Havok, at Bound For Glory for their titles.
The promotion had confirmed earlier this week that the former WWE stars will be making their debuts during the upcoming show. Though they hadn’t revealed what the duo will be doing at the PPV.
The company then announced via a tweet earlier that the team of Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay will not only be wrestling at the event, but The IInspiration will be getting a title shot at Bound For Glory:
Previously known as Peyton Royce and Billie Kay of The IIconics, the duo made their name wrestling for WWE. Both of them were released as part of the coronavirus budget cuts in April this year.
Bound For Glory Updated Card
This is the seventh match that has been announced for Impact Wrestling’s biggest show of the year. Here is the updated card for the show after the latest announcement:
Impact World Championship Match: Josh Alexander vs. Christian Cage
Impact Knockouts Championship Match: Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo
Impact World Tag Team Championship Match: FinJuice or The Bullet Club vs. The Good Brothers
Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship Match: The IInspiration vs. Rosemary and Havok
Impact X Division Championship Triple Threat Match: Trey Miguel vs. Steve Maclin vs. 1 TBD
20-Man Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match: Brian Myers vs. Rich Swann vs. Moose vs. Eddie Edwards vs. W. Morrissey vs. 15 TBD
Pre show Inaugural Impact Digital Media Championship Tournament Finals: John Skyler vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Fallah Bahh vs. Jordynne Grace or Johnny Swinger vs. 2 TBD
Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory will be taking place from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas on Saturday, October 23. The show is scheduled to begin at 10:30 pm ET.
Impact Wrestling has confirmed the signing of indie star Masha Slamovich after her recent match against the Knockouts champion Deonna Purrazzo.
The indie star faced the Impact champion during this past Saturday’s Knockouts Knockdown event. She delivered an impressive performance but failed to win the bout.
Impact Wrestling released post-show footage from the PPV yesterday. In the video, current Impact producer and Hall Of Famer Gail Kim is seen approaching Slamovich after her loss.
The Impact veteran offered her a contract to join the promotion. The 24-year-old accepted this offer and she then received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Masha Slamovich is then seen heading backstage where she receives applauds from the Impact roster. Backstage, she mentions how she has been doing it for long and claimed that she is very thankful for the journey:
One of the wildest moments of my career. Thank you @gailkimITSME ?
— Masha Slamovich ??????????? (@mashaslamovich) October 13, 2021
The ‘Russian Dynamite’ was trained by people such as WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Rodz and The Amazing Red. She began her career 5 years ago in Japan.
Masha made her Impact wrestling debut in June 2019. She had matches with the likes of Havok and Jordynne Grace but she wasn’t able to pick up a win.
Since then, she has wrestled for promotions such as CZW, Beyond Wrestling, GCW, and NWA. She also made her AEW Debut recently, losing a match to Hikaru Shida during the September 20 edition of Dark: Elevation.
Nobody knew that the All In event would become the catalyst of a big revolution in the wrestling business when it originally took place. Though WWE still warned their talents against attending the show, according to Chelsea Green.
The Impact Wrestling star talked about the PPV event on her Green With Envy podcast. She discussed things such as her fatal four-way match at All In and more.
Chelsea then said that she wanted her fiancée Matt Cardona fka Zack Ryder to be at the event. However, he couldn’t do it because he got a text from WWE:
“I will say that I really wish Matt had been able to go. Every one at WWE who had a spouse or a partner that was on All In got a text the week or two out from talent relations at WWE, saying they were not allowed to be at All In.
So originally, of course, Matt and people like Deonna and Adam Cole, so many people were going to be at All In, just backstage watching us.” said Chelsea Green, “And when they sent that text, I mean, it was way too risky for any of them to be there, especially after being told not to.”
Chelsea Green also revealed how she was able to participate in her fatal four-way All In match against Britt Baker, Madison Rayne, and Tessa Blanchard, despite already having signed a WWE contract.
She explained that she didn’t say anything about being part of the show to the officials. Instead, she just told them that she had to finish up her bookings before reporting at the performance center.
After taking part in a WWE tryout, the female star was signed to a contract in August 2018. Though she didn’t report to the performance center until October, a month after the All In PPV in September 2018.
Acey Romero is no longer under contract with Impact Wrestling.
Back in late August, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that Romero put in a request to be released from his deal with Impact. He hadn’t been used by the promotion in months and it appears he had enough of the inactivity.
Jon Alba is now reporting that Acey Romero has been granted his release from Impact Wrestling.
I’m told IMPACT Wrestling has released Acey Romero, and he can now work with any promotion.
Romero hadn’t appeared on TV since early spring after he contracted COVID-19, and @SeanRossSapp reported last month he requested his release after not being used for months. #IMPACT
“I’m told IMPACT Wrestling has released Acey Romero, and he can now work with any promotion.”
Romero first signed with Impact back in 2019. He never won any championships during his time with the promotion. Romero was last seen on Impact teaming with Larry D as XXXL.
He hadn’t been used since a set of Impact tapings back in April. Acey then had a COVID-19 scare in May. The good news is, Romero was able to avoid long-term issues from the virus. He has been taking bookings and has a few shows lined up in October and November.
Fans can see Acey Romero compete against KC Navarro in Limitless Wrestling’s Fresh Blood on Oct. 23. He’ll also be in action on Nov. 14, taking on Buddy Murphy at Pro Wrestling Magic’s Underdogs show.
Cassie Lee and Jessica McCay, formerly known as The IIconics in WWE, will debut at the upcoming Bound for Glory pay-per-view from Las Vegas. The duo has reportedly signed with Impact, according to PWInsider.
A video package aired during this weekend’s Knockouts Knockdown event announcing their arrival:
The Australian stars joined WWE in 2015 and were paired together on the NXT brand that year. They were widely regarded as one of the most entertaining, yet underutilized acts on the roster. They were released on April 15th, 2021.
Since their departure, Lee and McCay launched the Off Her Chops podcast and have been making appearances at wrestling conventions. Now, they’re Bound for Glory.
Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV takes place Saturday, October 23rd from Las Vegas, Nevada at Sam’s Town Live. If you’re in the Las Vegas area, tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.com.
Impact Wrestling on 10/7 featured future opponents Christian Cage and Josh Alexander team up in the main event against Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. This was also the go-home show for this weekend’s Knockouts Knockdown event.
Impact 10/7 Quick Results:
Bullet Club (Chris Bey, HIKULEO, & El Phantasmo) defeated Chris Sabin and FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson)
Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans & Mercedes Martinez defeated Lady Frost, Kimber Lee & Brandi Lauren
X-Division Title Match Qualifier Steve Maclin defeated Petey Williams and Black Taurus
Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated The Learning Tree (Zicky Dice & Manny Lemons)
Christian Cage & Josh Alexander defeated Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Impact’s Bullet Club faction of Chris Bey, HIKULEO, and El Phantasmo picked up a win in the opening contest against Chris Sabin and FinJuice. The finish of the match came when Sabin had Bey set for the Cradle Shock but HIKULEO attempted to enter the ring with a chair and distracted the ref. This allowed ELP to hit what appeared to be a low blow on Sabin, and Bey then hit the Art of Finesse for the win.
Meanwhile, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson were shown in the back watching the match. They’ll face one of FinJuice or Bullet Club with their titles on the line at Bound For Glory.
Heath came out and talked about his long recovery from injury. He noted that during that time he lost his best friend Rhino. Heath said Rhino never called him, never returned his messages, all the time he was with Violent By Design. Eric Young and VBD then came out, but Rhino was not with them. Young said Rhino belongs to him and then VBD attacked Heath. The fans chanted for Rhino but he never came out. VBD draped their flag over top of Heath to end the segment.
In a preview of this weekend’s Knockouts Knockdown tournament, Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans and Mercedes Martinez and took on Lady Frost and Su Yung’s minions of Kimber Lee and Brandi Lauren. The finish fo the match came when Mercedes entered the match illegally and took out Kimber Lee with a big knee but the ref wouldn’t allow her to make the pin because she wasn’t the legal competitor. This allowed Tasha Steelz to cradle Kimber Lee for the win. Steelz refused to tag in Martinez throughout the match and the two ended up jawing at each other after.
Alisha Edwards then hit the ring with a kendo stick (Kendra) and took out Su Yung’s minions. She was doing this out of revenge for Lauren and Kimber attacking one of the Swingerellas in the back recently. Later on, Alisha challenged Kimber Lee. Gail Kim entered the picture and told Alisha she’ll be in the Monster’s Ball match at Knockouts Knockdown and she can get her revenge there.
Steve Maclin Qualifies For X-Division Title Match At Bound For Glory
In the second triple threat qualifying match for the triple threat X-division title match at Bound For Glory, Steve Maclin defeated Petey Williams and Black Taurus. He now joins Trey Miguel as the second person to qualify for the match. The finish of the match saw Williams deliver a Canadian Destroyer to Taurus but then get caught in Maclin’s Mayhem for All finisher.
Christian Cage was being interviewed backstage when he was confronted by Christopher Daniels. The Fallen Angel told Cage that he wants a shot at his title and it doesn’t matter to him if it is in an Impact or AEW ring. Daniels then told Christian he’d give him some time to consider his challenge.
The Learning Tree Use Numbers Advantage To Beat Down Willie Mack and Rich Swann
Rich Swann and Willie Mack teamed up to defeat the Learning Tree team of Zicky Dice & Manny Lemons this week. After the match, however, Brian Myers and the rest of his faction attacked and beat down both Swann and Mack.
Mickie James To Pick Deonna Purrazzo’s Opponent At Knockouts Knockdown
Mickie James and Deonna Purrazzo got in a backstage altercation this week. Scott D’Amore then announced there is a no-contact clause in their Bound For Glory contract. Gail Kim then announced that they will each have the opportunity to pick the others’ upcoming opponents beginning at Knockouts Knockdown this weekend when James will choose who Purrazzo faces.
Christian Cage & Josh Alexander Defeat Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Christian Cage and Josh Alexander teamed up this week ahead of their title match at Bound For Glory. The finish of the match came when Alexander seemed to have everything in control against Austin, he landed Chaos Theory suplex but Christian tagged himself in and gave Austin the Killswitch while looking at Alexander for the win. The two future opponents jawed at each other a little at the end of the show as Alexander was frustrated, saying he had Austin where he wanted him.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Knockouts Knockdown airs on 10/9. The lineup for the show is below. Veda Scott and Mickie James will be on commentary.
Knockouts Knockdown 10/9:
Knockouts Knockdown Tournament (1st Round) Tasha Steelz vs. Jamie Senegal
Knockouts Knockdown Tournament (1st Round) Chelsea Green vs. Renee Michelle
Knockouts Knockdown Tournament (1st Round) Lady Frost vs. Rachael Ellering
Knockouts Knockdown Tournament (1st Round) Brandi Lauren vs. Mercedes Martinez.
Daffney Memorial Monster’s Ball Match Alisha Edwards vs Kimber Lee vs Jordynne Grace vs Savannah Evans
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Decay (Rosemary & Havok) vs The Influence (Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood)
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo vs TBD (Mickie James’ choice)
Bound For Glory (October 23rd)
Impact World Championship Christian Cage (c) vs Josh Alexander
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Mickie James
X-Division Championship (Vacant) Trey Miguel vs Steve Maclin vs TBD
Kurt Angle admits he was nervous ahead of the major announcement that he signed with TNA Wrestling.
When Angle signed with TNA back in 2006, it was a big deal. TNA Wrestling was the new kid on the block. The promotion hired a slew of former WWE stars but at that point, they hadn’t signed a megastar who was in their prime. That’s why when the promotion announced that Kurt Angle put pen to paper, it threw the wrestling world for a loop.
During a recent edition of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medalist reflected on shooting the secret vignettes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqIB4CWDkiM
“They were very quick. There were background lights and water falling and it was just me doing poses and revealing myself at the end of the pay-per-view when I made my debut. ‘It’s real, it’s damn real’ and I started laughing. Those were the vignettes that I did. It didn’t take us very long. We got them done and out of there.”
Angle took note of fans chanting Goldberg’s name before the announcement was made and he went from being excited to sweating bullets.
“Everybody thought it was Goldberg. I was scared. When they were chanting ‘Goldberg’ I was like, ‘oh sh*t. I hope they’re not disappointed it’s me.’”
It’s safe to say that no one inside the Impact Zone was disappointed on that night.
Angle would stick around with TNA until 2016. He made his return to WWE the following year and earned a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. Angle is now retired from the pro wrestling industry, citing injuries throughout his career, his age, and wanting to focus on other things.
If you use the quotes in this article for your website, please drop a h/t to SEScoops with a link back to this article.
Tensions have been running high in the IMPACT Zone recently, specifically between reigning Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and three-time champ, Mickie James.
Months of brewing animosity reached a climax on last week’s episode of IMPACT, where Purrazzo shocked James with an unannounced visit to her personal home, in Nashville, Tennessee.
In the horse stalls of James’ backyard, the two Bound For Glory opponents traded strikes and fiery words in one of the most hectic brawls in IMPACT Wrestling history. There is certainly high levels of tension between these two fierce wrestling competitors, but perhaps, not ALL love is lost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xXiI88Pzk
SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay recently appeared on the latest edition of IMPACT Wrestling Press Pass and chatted with current IMPACT producer, Gail Kim, alongside the Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purrazzo, and “Hardcore Country”, Mickie James.
In the spirit of celebrating women’s wrestling this weekend at IMPACT’s Knockouts Knockdown event, James and Purrazzo shared one admiration they each had towards their fellow women’s wrestler.
“I will say what I admire most about Deonna is what she’s done since she’s walked into IMPACT Wrestling and she’s really carved out her own name,” James explained. “I think that you’ve done a remarkable job, Deonna. I will say that, from professional to professional. She’s an amazing talent. I’ve watched her matches and her ability to go in there with all of her opponents and have what I like to say is the match of the night, and I know that at Bound For Glory, regardless of what anyone says, you’re going to be up for the fight of your life, and I expect nothing less than that from you. So, the real winners, hopefully, are the fans.”
Deonna Purrazzo on Mickie James
Deonna Purrazzo then similarly expressed a positive regard towards Mickie James:
“I admire most how headstrong Mickie is about women’s wrestling, and how much she loves it, and wants, again like we’ve been talking about, to put it at the forefront of professional wrestling. That is something I dreamt about doing myself as a child growing up, wanting women to be more than they were perceived to be. So to be working with women who feel that same way, and are in a position to make it happen, is very special to me. So that is what I most admire about you [Mickie].”
Deonna Purrazzo is scheduled to defend her Knockouts Championship against Mickie James on October 23rd in Las Vegas, at IMPACT’s popular Bound For Glory pay-per-view in a dream match anticipated by many.
It will be interesting to see if the conversations held at Press Pass will hold any value to either competitor going forward, or if things will continue to heat up ahead of this historic bout.
You can view the entire 10/5 edition of IMPACT Press Pass on Facebook or in the player below:
The Suicide character in Impact Wrestling has been portrayed by more than half a dozen wrestlers over the years. One of them is the former WWE star TJP. The former cruiserweight champion recently had an interview with Cageside Seats. Among other things, he explained how he got chosen to play the character.
TJP first recalled the time the character made its debut in December 2007 portrayed by Frankie Kazarian. The high flying star remembered how Kazarian was reluctant about it and Christopher Daniels had joked that he should play the character instead:
“He [Frankie Kazarian] didn’t want to do it, he wasn’t having it. We all sat around the locker room and Christopher Daniels joked, ‘TJ should just be Suicide, he’s already in a mask,’ because I was Puma at the time.”
How TJP Got To Be Suicide
Perkins finally got the chance to play the character in May 2013. Explaining how he got the role, TJP revealed the officials originally wanted to bring it back for one night only. Since his Puma character was not being used at the time, the former 205 live star volunteered for the role:
“They were bringing it back for one night only as maybe nostalgia. I don’t think they knew who they wanted to portray it. I said, ‘If you don’t have any idea for this, I’d be happy to do it.’ At the time, I was tired of sitting at home. They said, ‘Good idea.’ One night turned into two, turned into three.”
The former Impact star continued to portray the character for a while before Suicide was revealed to be Perkins during an episode of Impact in June 30, 2013. His ring name was changed to Manik. TJP continued portraying the Manik character till he took his mask off in September 2015. Suicide has since made a few appearances on Impact and he even teamed with Manik in March 2020.
W. Morrissey has changed his tune when it comes to signing a long-term deal.
Morrissey has been with Impact Wrestling since April of this year. He is formerly known as Big Cass in WWE. Morrissey’s run with WWE came to an end in 2018 after some behavioral issues and going against the script on an episode of SmackDown.
Back in July, W. Morrissey appeared on the Pro Wrestling 4 Life Podcast and said that he wasn’t looking to sign anywhere long-term for the time being. Now that a few months have passed and his contract with Impact is coming due, Morrissey knows the place he wants to call home over the long haul.
During an interview with Bison Talks, Morrissey said he’s ready to put pen to paper with Impact Wrestling for a long-term deal.
“I’m with IMPACT through October. The end of October is Bound For Glory. It’s definitely something I want to do, stick with IMPACT for the long-term. I want to be the IMPACT World Champion, for sure, that’s my goal. That’s been my goal since I got there. I want to be the guy. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. That’s my goal and that’s where I’m going to get to or I’m going to die trying. My ultimate goal is to become the IMPACT World Champion and represent IMPACT on a grand stage.”
At the moment, Morrissey has aligned himself with Moose. In storyline, Morrissey and Moose attacked Sami Callihan and caused an injury to write him off TV. The reality is, Callihan suffered a broken tibia and fibula due to a suicide dive done wrong.
There is some more information about the new Impact Wrestling Digital Media Championship.
Impact introduced the championship during a promo video on Sept. 30. The video package included both male talent and Knockouts. Of course, this led many to speculate that female competitors can also challenge for the gold.
That assumption is correct. In a press release, the EVP of Impact, Scott D’Amore confirmed that Knockouts can challenge for the championship.
“In the fine tradition of the iconic television titles from pro wrestling history, IMPACT Wrestling will add a fourth singles championship on October 23rd. The inaugural Digital Media Champion will be crowned in a six-way match, with the winner making history.
“Twelve contenders, drawn from both the Knockouts and male rosters, will compete in six single-elimination matches over the next three weeks. The winners of those matches will be the final six who go on to BEFORE THE GLORY and the Digital Media Championship six-way.”
A tournament will begin on Oct. 5 with the finals taking place on the pre-show of Bound For Glory on Oct. 23. On top of that, elimination matches will be airing on Impact Plus. Those who are Ultimate Insiders on Impact Wrestling’s official YouTube channel will also have access to the matches.
It appears this title was created as a way to help boost the subscription count for Impact’s digital offerings. It appears all matches involving the new championship, at least for now, will be exclusive to subscription services. It makes sense given the name of the title.
What do you make of the new Impact Wrestling Digital Media Championship?
Impact Wrestling on 9/30 featured the return of Christopher Daniels for the first time since 2014. It also saw Eddie Edwards face W. Morrissey in a main event street fight.
Impact 9/30 Quick Results:
X Division Championship Match Qualifier Trey Miguel defeated Alex Zayne & Laredo Kid
Knockouts Tag Team Championship #1 Contendership The Influence (Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne) (with Kaleb) defeated Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering
Christopher Daniels defeated Madman Fulton
Street Fight Eddie Edwards defeated W. Morrissey
Trey Miguel Qualifies For Bound For Glory X-Division Title Match
With Josh Alexander having cashed in the X-Division title using Option C to face the World Champion at Bound For Glory, Scott D’Amore set up a tournament of sorts to crown a new champion. 3 triple threat matches will take place in the build up to the PPV, with the 3 winners meeting at BFG with the vacant title on the line.
Trey Miguel picked up the win here and qualified for the PPV by hitting a meteor on Laredo Kid.
Meanwhile, Drama King Matt was shown watching the match from the back. He would later cut a promo challenging Laredo Kid to a match.
The Influence Defeat Grace & Ellering, Advance To Knockouts Knockdown
Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood will move on to Knockouts Knockdown (October 9th) to take on the Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Havok & Rosemary. They defeated the former champions, Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering to earn that right this week.
The finish of the match saw Kaleb cause a distraction on the outside, which allowed Rayne and Dashwood to hit a double-team face slam on Ellering for the win.
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo traveled to Mickie James’ ranch this week and a massive brawl ensued. These two will meet at Bound For Glory but fought this week with rakes, water hoses, and various barn-related objects. Purrazzo got the upper hand in the melee.
Christopher Daniels Wrestles First Match In Impact Since 2014
After returning to the promotion last week, Christopher Daniels wrestled his first match for Impact since 2014 this week. He was up against Madman Fulton, who had a considerable size and strength advantage here. The story of the match was basically Daniels using his speed and skill to avoid the big man’s attacks.
Ace Austin attempted to get involved from the outside but this brought out Josh Alexander, who brawled with him to the back. This allowed Daniels to hit the Best Moonsault Ever on Fulton for the win.
Scott D’Amore would later book Ace Austin and Madman Fulton vs Christian Cage & Josh Alexander for next week.
Heath Returns, Attacks Violent By Design
.@HEATHXXII is BACK and out for revenge on Violent By Design.
Rhino was asked if he was with Violent By Design or against them after the recent dissension he’s shown with the faction. He wouldn’t give an answer this week, however. Instead, Heath returned from a long absence and brawled with the members of VOD. Meanwhile, Rhino didn’t get involved and gave no indication of which side he is on.
Impact announced a new title belt this week. There will be a tournament to determine the 1st ever Impact Digital Media Champion. The first matches scheduled in the tournament are Zicky Dice vs John Skyler and Hernandez vs Crazzy Steve.
Eddie Edwards Defeats W. Morrissey, Attacked By Moose
After W. Morrissey power-bombed Alisha Edwards recently, Eddie Edwards has been on the war path to get revenge. In this week’s main event, he’d get a measure of revenge by picking up the win after delivering a barbed-wire chair assisted Boston Knee Party.
After the match, however, Moose hit the ring and speared Edwards through a table. Then Moose and W. Morrissey turned their attention to Alisha. They forced her to watch as they wrapped Eddie’s head in a chair and threw him into the steel post. Moose continued to hit Eddie with a chair before eventually him and Morrissey went to the back to close the show. The fans chanted for Eddie as the show went to black.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next Week:
Christian Cage and Josh Alexander vs. Ace Austin and Madman Fulton
Impact Tag Team Championships #1 Contendership FinJuice and Chris Sabin vs. Bullet Club (Hikuleo, Chris Bey, El Phantasmo)
X Division Championship Match Qualifier Steve Maclin vs. Black Taurus vs. Petey Williams
Bound For Glory (October 23rd)
Impact World Championship Christian Cage (c) vs Josh Alexander
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Mickie James
X-Division Championship (Vacant) Trey Miguel vs TBD vs TBD
