AEW President Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone of the What Happened When podcast returned to Impact Wrestling with another paid advertisement this week.
Both Tony’s took shots at Impact and ‘public access’ channel AXS TV. Khan is glad to purchase time during Impact and addressed the Kenny Omega and Don Callis situation. He welcomed both men to Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite on TNT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4f4yE15IA8
Impact Wrestling executives Scott D’Amore and Don Callis reacted to the ad spot. D’Amore and Khan exchanged trash talk. ‘The Invisible Hand’ thanked Khan for generating revenue for Impact.
Ethan Page and Josh Alexander, collectively known as The North, are 2-time Impact Wrestling World Tag Team champions. It’s rumored that Ethan Page is leaving Impact Wrestling when his contract expires at the end of December. Alexander’s deal runs for several more months.
Impact booked Ethan Page to have a “mental breakdown” this past Saturday at Final Resolution. After losing his match to Karl Anderson, Page had a ‘mental breakdown’ and got into an argument with Josh Alexander. The angle fueled speculation that Page is leaving Impact, casting more doubt on the team’s future.
Ethan Page appeared on The Push podcast this week to address the situation. Page says The North was created before they teamed together in Impact Wrestling. They’ve invested in each other, they are best friends in real life and nobody will dictate if they break up.
“If you think for one F’N second that we’re going to let Impact dictate whether we break up, or we don’t, or whatever you’re out of your damn mind,” said Paige.
“I’m telling you guys. Everyone watched Final Resolution, and everyone saw my mental breakdown, whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’m telling you guys that no matter which way this goes The North are not splitting.”
He continued, “Wherever I land in 2021, we are not breaking up. That’s my best friend in real life. That’s my best friend on screen. So, that’s not something that I’m willing to toy with to make a couple dollars in the entertainment industry.”
Page reiterated that whatever happens in the years to come, The North is the best tag team int he world. He believes there is still plenty for them to do. It doesn’t matter if they’re known as The North or get rebranded elsewhere. “This is a forever friendship and the friendship is tied to the tag team.”
“The Ultimate Finesser” Chris Bey challenged Rich Swann for the Impact World Championship Saturday night at Final Resolution. He was seemingly in two places at the same time as he also competed in New Japan’s Super J-Cup tournament that night as well.
Bey recently took part in an interview with Wrestling Headlines. During the discussion, Bey was asked about the Impact and AEW partnership and mentioned some potential dream match-ups he’d like to see.
“I’ve seen a lot of people post stuff like they wanted to see me versus Kenny, then they wanted to see me versus Darby Allin, or they think because of the charisma through the roof they wanna see me and Ricky Starks,” Bey said before revealing the dream match he wants.
“There’s one in particular that stands out to me that I need to check off my bucket list personally because it all started a little over a year ago, but I need…for the sake of my story…I need Dashing Chris Bey versus Dashing Cody Rhodes. That’s the one that I need.”
Earlier this year, Bey was mentioned by Rhodes as someone AEW may have their eyes on.
“I’ve been doing a deep-dive on YouTube, on a guy named Chris Bey,” Cody said on a media call back in February. “He’s a prime example of somebody who could potentially be good for our singles division. We haven’t spoken to him or anything of that nature, but I’m sure this call will have some sort of… he’ll hear about it in some capacity.”
“A night of history man. A night of history indeed,” Bey said about this Saturday. “It’s a weird world we live in. It’s a great time in professional wrestling where people are able to show up on multiple platforms in one night. It creates more buzz…it gets the fans more interested and it makes the realm of possibilities just endless.”
“So for me it was great to represent IMPACT Wrestling in the Super J-Cup because not only does the tournament have so much history behind it but also I feel like I’m that guy whose gonna be able to now crack the door open a little bit more for anyone else who wants to work between these two companies.”
The full interview with Chris Bey can be read here.
Impact Wrestling returns to tonight on AXS TV. The company looks to capitalize on the success of last week’s show, which saw Impact’s highest viewership in years.
Tonight’s broadcast will see:
Karl Anderson vs. Chris Sabin in singles action. Impact has teased possible involvement between Karl Anderson and Kenny Omega.
X-Division Champion Manik vs. Chris Bey.
Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament: Tasha Steelz & Kiera Hogan vs. Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary (Second round match).
Plus, we will see the return of AEW World Champion Kenny Omega with Don Callis. Omega and Callis made an impact last week. The Invisible Hand is teasing that if fans thought last week was shocking, just wait until they see what’s in store tonight.
Saturday night on Impact Wrestling’s Final Resolution, Karl Anderson reunited with his former Bullet Club stablemate, Kenny Omega. Callis, Omega, and Anderson spent some time on the luxury bus that was parked outside the venue before Anderson had to wrestle Ethan Page that night.
Anderson took to Twitter to comment on his reunion with Omega on the show.
Anderson and Omega talked about their history as members of Bullet Club on Saturday night. Callis and Omega told Anderson they wanted to see the old “Machine Gun” that night against Ethan Page, the version of Anderson that went to the G1 finals in 2012.
Anderson would go on to defeat Ethan Page, though not as quickly as Callis and Omega had suggested he could. Following the match, Josh Alexander and Ethan Page showed some dissension. Page then spent several moments in the ring after trying to explain to anyone that would listen that everything is going to be fine.
Omega is scheduled to be back on Impact this week. He also has a match scheduled against Joey Janela on Dynamite. The full lineup for that show is below:
No Disqualification, World Title-Eliminator Kenny Omega vs Joey Janela
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent), The Varsity Blondes (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison), Top Flight(Darius Martin & Daunte Martin) & Brandon Cutler vs. The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, MJF, Ortiz, Sammy Guevara, Santana & Wardlow)
Diamante & Ivelisse vs. Big Swole & Serena Deeb
Cody Rhodes (w/Arn Anderson) vs. Angelico (w/Jack Evans)
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) vs. SCU (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) & Matt Hardy vs. The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) & Adam Page
Deonna Purrazzo retained the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship at Saturday night’s Final Resolution event. Earlier this week, she spoke with Wrestling Epicenter about the current storyline with Don Callis & Kenny Omega, her plans for 2021 and much more.
Impact Wrestling viewership spiked this week on AXS TV, thanks in part to the involvement of AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. Purrazzo said Tuesday’s show was “definitely eye-opening” and thinks the entire wrestling industry is shifting. She thinks that AEW working with Impact Wrestling presents some exciting opportunities for the months ahead.
“I think it is amazing when people are able to put aside their differences, whatever they are, to work towards a common goal,” she began. “I don’t know what this is leading to. I don’t know what Kenny Omega and Don Callis have planned as far as cross-promotion or whatever it is. But, I’m real excited to see what is going to happen in the near future.”
Many fans believe that Impact Wrestling has one of the strongest women’s divisions anywhere. Naturally, as the champion of that division, Deonna Purrazzo agrees.
“Head to toe, there is not one woman on the roster that I do not want to be in the ring with,” she said. “There is not one person who I don’t think brings something different to the table. I speak about it all the time. I can’t tell you how incredible I think our women’s division, the Knockouts division, is.”
She also commented on the downsides of social media, including trolls who body shame female wrestlers. “There was one person who tweeted to me that I needed to lose 30 pounds and do some squats,” she revealed.
“That struck me because I was a little girl that grew up wanting to be a wrestler in a time where women’s wrestlers were size 0 models and they weren’t real women who came in a variety of sizes and shapes. For me, 30 pounds is a lot of weight! I’m not unrealistic with myself. I’ve been through the ringer with anxiety and depression and reclaiming my emotional health and my mental health this year. All of those things contribute to what your physical health looks like.”
Impact Wrestling held Final Resolution 2020 Saturday night on Impact Plus. Here are the quick results:It features three championship matches.
Tommy Dreamer defeated Larry D in an “Old School Results” match. Per the stipulation, Larry D must go to jail for the attempted murder of John E. Bravo.
Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb defeated Alisha & Eddie Edwards.
Hernandez defeated Fallah Bahh. Kiera Hogan was the guest referee and Tasha Steelz served as guest ring announcer.
Eric Young (w/ Joe Doering) defeated Rhino. After the match, The Deaners confronted Young. Cody Deaner turns on his partner and family Cousin Jake.
Manik defeated Rohit Rajuto capture the X Division Championship.
Knockouts champion Deonna Purrazzo w/ Kimber Lee retained against Rosemary w/ Taya Valkyrie.
Kenny Omega & Don Callis invited Karl Anderson on to their luxury bus. Omega and Callis said Anderson should be able to defeat Ethan Page very quickly. They encouraged him to bring out his inner “Machine Gun.”
Karl Anderson defeated Ethan Page w/ Josh Alexander. As a result, The North will not get another title shot against the Good Brothers. After the match, it appeared that Page and Alexander broke up.
Rich Swann defeated Chris Bey to retain the Impact Wrestling World Championship. After the match, Moose handed the Impact title to Swann and the two had a stare down.
Impact posted a bunch of videos from the pay-per-view to the Impact YouTube channel. You can see some highlights below:
IMPACT Wrestling EVP and the ‘Invisible Hand’ behind the AEW Champion Don Callis recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Callis discussed a number of topics during his time on the show, these included the buzz he and Kenny Omega have created and how his ‘family’ member is the best professional wrestler on the planet.
“I’ve said it on IMPACT” Don Callis would begin on Busted Open. “I didn’t get back in this business [just] to do the Killing The Town podcast. I certainly didn’t get back in it to be a commentator, there was always a plan. And it was? It was playing the long game.”
With Don Callis and Kenny Omega transitioning between both IMPACT and AEW over the past week, it has created some massive intrigue across the wrestling landscape. Callis would discuss how he and Omega have created a ‘buzz’ in wrestling, something that has been somewhat lacking over the past year or so with the pandemic.
Don Callis on ‘Buzz’
“One of the side benefits of that has been buzz” Callis would continue. “Buzz is one of the things that I think is difficult to create. If everyone could create it? Then everyone would have it, and everyone doesn’t have it. I don’t set out to try to make buzz or those sorts of things? But I do set out with a grand plan. I’ve always been big plan motivated.”
“I care about what happens in history, and they say the winners get to write the history” Callis stated. “Kenny Omega and I right now are in a position where we are writing the history. Two guys from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, are the talk of the wrestling business. We have not once, but twice, changed the entire wrestling business.”
Are you excited about the ongoing Kenny Omega and Don Callis storyline? Who do you want to see Kenny Omega face in IMPACT and elsewhere? Let us know in the comments
Impact Wrestling’s Ethan Page and Sami Callihan reportedly both have contracts that expire at the end of the year. According to a recent report from PW Insider, one is expected to leave the promotion and the other is expected to stay.
Sami Callihan, a former Impact World Champion, is expected to stay with the company. Callihan debuted for the promotion in late 2017 and has been a featured performer since the current management regime came in around the same time.
Ethan Page, 1/2 of the North, is expected to leave the promotion at the end of the month. His tag-team partner, Josh Alexander, still has somewhere around 9 months left on his deal. Page recently spoke to SI.com about his pending free agency.
“Impact has been amazing. They’re allowing me the opportunity to chat with other companies, and they’re handling this in an extremely professional manner. I’m open to chatting with other people, but my interest is hearing how Impact values me and what they’re willing to offer,” he said.
As expected, Impact Wrestling has already announced that Kenny Omega will make another appearance on their weekly television show.
On Friday afternoon in a statement posted on social media and their official website, the promotion confirmed that the AEW World Heavyweight Champion would be appearing on Tuesday’s show on AXS TV.
Impact’s statement was short yet to the point as it read, “We have confirmed that AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Don Callis will return to IMPACT! this Tuesday at 8/7c on AXS TV!”
This comes off Omega’s most recent appearance on this week’s episode of Impact, which was a huge success for the promotion in viewership.
On Thursday, Impact touted the success of the crossover from one of All Elite Wrestling’s biggest stars.
Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore brought up how big of a deal Omega’s appearance on Impact in the presser that was sent out that noted it led to more than 750,000 fans tuning in to AXS TV or have logged on to official streams to watch the segment.
“It is hard to compare apples and oranges, and some digital media provide better watch-data than others, but we feel confident over 750,000 US-based fans watched the episode in the first 24 hours and 1 million fans have clicked on the various highlights we’ve put out on social media.”
This episode of Impact will feature the fallout from Saturday’s Final Resolution event.
It was a big week for AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Impact Wrestling Vice President, Don Callis. They appeared on both Impact and AEW Dynamite this week. Omega teased on Impact that he had become something of a collector and alluded to perhaps wanting to win some of Impact’s championships.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Omega is expected back on Impact next week. He’s also expected to headline some PPVs for the promotion. Dave Meltzer wrote:
“We do know that Omega will make appearances on Impact television, including back on 12/15, and headline at least some Impact PPV shows.”
Impact teased a program between its world champion, Rich Swann, and Omega last week. Swann was seen being denied access to Omega and Callis’ luxury bus because he “wasn’t on the list.”
Swann is scheduled to defend the Impact World Championship against Chris Bey this Saturday at Final Resolution. The show will air on Impact’s streaming service, Impact Plus. Moose has also been angling for a shot at Swann’s title.
Impact Wrestling has announced a staggering audience for this week’s episode of IMPACT! on AXS TV. According to a press release sent in to SEScoops.com:
“More than 750,000 fans tuned in to AXS TV on December 8 or have logged on to official streams to witness the historic, industry-shaking episode.”
Impact Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore credits the crossover storyline with All Elite Wrestling. “The intrigue of what Kenny Omega and Don Callis were going to do on IMPACT! on AXS TV powered a huge night for us,” he said.
According to Nielsen, 244,342 people tuned into the live broadcast and the replay later in the evening. The Twitch peaked at 55,396 viewers and averaged 42,953 viewers for the two-hour show. Encore presentations on Facebook and YouTube added 68,918 and 268,414 viewers respectively to the television audience.
A clip of Josh Matthews interviewing Kenny Omega and Don Callis has racked up more than 197,242 views on Facebook, 342,000 views on YouTube, 146,000 views on Instagram and 219,000 views on Twitter.
D’Amore explained the math behind Impact calculating more than 750,000 people tuned in to this week’s show. “It is hard to compare apples and oranges, and some digital media provide better watch-data than others, but we feel confident over 750,000 U.S.-based fans watched the episode in the first 24-hours and 1-million fans have clicked on the various highlights we’ve put out on social media.”
When asked if Kenny Omega will be back on Impact next week, D’Amore said, “Don Callis alluded to this being years in the making; paradigm’s don’t shift in one night. See you on Tuesday.”
You can watch the full episode of this week’s IMPACT! on AXS TV here:
Tuesday’s Impact Wrestling drew all-time high viewership on AXS TV thanks to an historic appearance by AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
The 12/8 episode of Impact on AXS TV averaged 221,000 viewers and did a 0.08 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic to rank 96th on cable for the night.
Last week, Impact on AXS averaged 166,000 viewers and a 0.05 rating and ranked 121st.
The television viewership was strong, but that was not the only indication that wrestling fans are interested in the inter-promotional storyline. The live stream on Twitch peaked at over 55,000 viewers. This is more than 10x the typical audience and double the previous record. #IMPACTonAXSTV was the top trend on Twitter for the night.
AEW on screen coach and former WWE agent Arn Anderson recently discussed IMPACT Wrestling and other promotions outside of AEW.
AEW and IMPACT have now developed a working relationship that has seen AEW Champion Kenny Omega already appear on the AXS TV IMPACT programme. Anderson would however reveal on the ARN podcast this week that he doesn’t watch wrestling outside of what happens in AEW.
Arn Anderson on AEW ‘Being Different’
“I don’t watch a lot of wrestling” Arn Anderson began. “When I’m off? I try to concentrate on just our [AEW] product, on our product alone, without getting so many outside influences. Because we want to be different in AEW, we want to be different than everybody else.”
Anderson would elaborate further, saying how he wants to impart knowledge to talent but not in a way that belies their own personality. “I want to hand my stuff to the right guy, to where it enhances his character. I don’t want it to be ‘well, all that’s Arn Anderson’s influence on the guy’ you know? It should be things that help them without being so obvious that is something that I showed him.”
Anderson would finish by re-iterating that he doesn’t watch much pro wrestling outside of the AEW bubble. However Arn would state that he believes IMPACT have some really talented individuals. “So, I don’t watch a lot of wrestling I’m sorry to say. I’m sure they’ve [IMPACT] got some tremendous talent working there.”
Are there any IMPACT talents you’d like to see Arn Anderson’s talent Cody Rhodes face? Let us know in the comments
There can be no doubting that Kenny Omega’s advertised appearance on Impact Wrestling this week was a draw. The viewership of last night’s broadcast on Twitch was more than double Impact’s previous record on the platform. By the end of the show, over 55,000 people had tuned in on Twitch.
The promotion sent out the following Tweet to note the achievement:
?Trending #3 right now. ?Double our previous all-time viewership record on Twitch. ?Top 5 channel on ALL OF TWITCH right now. #IMPACTonAXSTV
Much of last night’s show was hyping up Saturday’s Final Resolution event. The show will air on Impact’s streaming service, Impact Plus. The following matches have been scheduled for the event:
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Chris Bey
Karl Anderson vs Ethan Page
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo vs Rosemary
Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb vs Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards
Old School Rules (If Larry D loses he’s charged with attempted murder, if he wins, he’s not) Larry D vs Tommy Dreamer
Eric Young vs Rhino
X-Division Championship Open Challenge (Defeat Rohit Challenge) Rohit Raju (c) vs TBA
When Impact Wrestling aired last night on Twitch and AXS TV, it had been 6 days since Kenny Omega won the world championship and Don Callis promised they would appear on Impact this week. Omega’s interview segment would close the show but we also saw the final 1st round match of the Knockouts tag title tournament, Josh Alexander take on Chris Sabin, and we continued the build to Saturday’s Final Resolution event on Impact Plus.
If you haven’t seen it, the entire full show has been put up on Impact’s YouTube page here:
Impact 12/8 Quick Results:
Chris Sabin defeated Josh Alexander
Brian Myers defeated TJP
Eric Young defeated Cody Deaner
Knockouts Tag Team Tournament (1st Round) Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary defeated Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee
Chris Bey & Moose defeated Rich Swann & Willie Mack
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact 12/8:
Kenny Omega Explains Why He Has Arrived In Impact Wrestling
Josh Mathews’ sit-down interview with Kenny Omega and Don Callis would close the show. First, Don Callis explained the relationship between him and Omega and how he was trained by Omega’s Uncle the Golden Sheik. Callis explained that just as Omega’s Uncle used to take care of him, Callis does the same for Omega.
He talked about the history of their early days in the business, up to Callis getting back into the industry after a 13-year hiatus. They talked about Callis being there when Omega won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, about Callis’ role in booking Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome. Finally, Callis explained that he is the “Invisible Hand” behind Omega’s whole career.
What is Kenny Omega doing in Impact?
Omega was asked what he is doing in Impact. He explained that he is now something of a collector, with the AEW World Championship being the prized gem of his collection. Callis and Omega insinuated there were titles in Impact that Omega was interested in collecting.
Omega’s comments were likely heard by Impact World Champion, Rich Swann. Just before Omega’s interview segment, Swann was seen being told he could not visit the luxury bus that Omega and Callis were in because he “wasn’t on the list.”
Has Omega come to collect Rich Swann’s title?
Tony Khan Purchases Advertising Time On Impact Wrestling
Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone were both on Impact Wrestling this week as well. Khan purchased advertising space on the show and a commercial of sorts aired. The AEW President said if he wanted to, he could shut down Omega’s appearance on the show but he’s chosen not to. He continued to say that he knows Omega will be on Dynamite tomorrow and then invited Callis to come on as well. Khan and Schiavone then hyped up this week’s episode of Dynamite on TNT.
The Many Challengers To Rich Swann’s Impact World Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FonA9Hy2iBI
The last we saw of Rich Swann on this week’s show, he was angrily leaving the building after being denied access to Omega and Callis. While Swann likely feels disrespected by the AEW World Champion, he has plenty of challengers waiting for his title. On Saturday, Chris Bey will challenge Swann for the belt. The self-proclaimed TNA World Champion, Moose, is also waiting in the wings and has made no secret that he considers Swann’s belt secondary to his.
This week’s main event saw Swann team with his longtime friend, Willie Mack against Moose and Chris Bey. Moose and Bey were not on the same page at all, with Moose using his partner as a weapon and tossing him against their opponents.
The finish of the match came when Mack missed a frog splash and Moose delivered the Lights Out spear. Instead of going for the pin, however, Moose got in the full mount position and started delivering elbows to Mack’s head. Moose has been winning matches via referee stoppage this way as of late. Swann came to Mack’s rescue but this allowed Bey to swoop in and pin Mack for the win.
Saturday night at Final Resolution, Chris Bey has a chance to become Impact World Champion.
Dissension Between The North?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrVFHafL54I
It appears there is a little dissension brewing between Ethan Page and Josh Alexander. This week’s show was opened up by Josh Alexander taking on Chris Sabin in singles competition. The finish of the match came when Alexander was in control but Page was yelling instructions from the outside. As Alexander was listening to Page, Sabin scored a pinning combination and got the 3-count for the win.
As for the Motor City Machine Guns, they are working on their path back to the tag titles now that Shelley has returned. They defeated Team XXXL last week and said the North was next.
Eddie Edwards Gets A Measure Of Revenge On Sami Callihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcMdR_qQ_-E
The feud between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan has been reignited. Callihan recently tried to recreate the infamous baseball bat incident from a few years ago and busted Edwards wide open. With Edwards out of the picture, Alisha Edwards ditched her tag team with Tenille Dashwood to focus on getting revenge. Alisha attacked Sami last week and confronted him this week.
Callihan cut a promo about being the Draw and the history between him and Edwards. Alisha then came out to confront him and the distraction allowed the returning Eddie Edwards to attack from behind. The attack sends Callihan scrambling away from the ring area.
Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary Advance In KO Tag Title Tournament, Eliminate Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlBUnBW5u2Y
Knockouts champion Deonna Purrazzo and her run-in buddy, Kimber Lee, were perhaps too distracted with Su Yung in the build-up to this match. They enlisted Father James Mitchell to abduct the undead bride last week. They had stiff competition in the 1st round of the KO tag title tourney, however, when they faced two former KO champions, Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary.
Rosemary would pick up the win for her team after hitting a double-undertook sit-down slam. She and Taya will now face Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz in the semi-finals.
Cody Deaner Unable To Get Revenge On Eric Young
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enolZeeU6XE
Eric Young and Joe Doering have been attacking everyone in Impact Wrestling as of late. This included Cody Deaner, who took special offence to it considering the history between him and Young in the business. He said he wanted to prove to Young that he isn’t a nobody and requested that Cousin Jake not interfere in their match tonight.
While Deaner fought valiantly, it wasn’t enough to defeat the former world champion. Young picked up the winning with a devastating looking piledriver.
After the match, Young and Doering continued the attack on Deaner. Cousin Jake looked to make the save, but they took him out too. Finally, Rhino would come out with a lead pipe to make the save and end the post-match attack.
Brian Myers Defeats TJP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTrohvzpMCY
TJP is the latest wrestler in Impact Wrestling to take issue with Myers’ attitude towards the rest of the roster. He confronted Myers last week, leading to this week’s singles match between the two. Myers pulled out the victory after delivering a spine buster followed by a lariat. That’s 4 straight wins in singles matches for Myers, having defeated Swoggle, Crazzy Steve, Fallah Bah, and now TJP.
Larry D Can Get Out of Attempted Murder Charges If He Defeats Tommy Dreamer At Final Resolution
Larry D was recently revealed as the person who shot John E Bravo. While the Team XXXL member says he was set up, Dreamer still challenged him to an Old School Rules match at Final Resolution. If Larry D wins, he will not be charged with attempted murder. If Tommy Dreamer wins, Larry D will be charged with attempted murder. When Larry D asked Dreamer how such a match stipulation could take place, Dreamer just answered that he can do whatever he wants.
Lineup For Saturday’s Final Resolution On Impact Plus
Here are the matches confirmed for Saturday’s Final Resolution event on Impact Plus:
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Chris Bey
Karl Anderson vs Ethan Page
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo vs Rosemary
Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb vs Eddie Edwards & Alisha Edwards
Old School Rules (If Larry D loses he’s charged with attempted murder, if he wins, he’s not) Larry D vs Tommy Dreamer
Eric Young vs Rhino
X-Division Championship Open Challenge (Defeat Rohit Challenge) Rohit Raju (c) vs TBA
Impact Wrestling’s Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have opened up about declining WWE’s offer to host a podcast. Last year, WWE kickstarted its own podcast network featuring several of its Superstars. During their time with the company, the pair were offered the chance to partake in the new initiative. However, it wasn’t something that interested either of the Good Brothers.
“WWE came to us and said they were going to have a podcast network, and we want to have [Corey] Graves and you guys,” Luke Gallows told the Cut Wrestling Podcast. “And we were like, ‘Ehh, it’s not the same.’ Besides us not liking the business offer on it, it’s not the same. It’s not Talk ‘n Shop without [co-host Rocky Romero], so we declined the offer on it. We said, ‘Let’s just do it and see if it catches on.’”
Gallows noted how only four weeks after being extended the offer, he and Anderson were cut from WWE. He shared how since leaving the promotion, their podcast has taken on “a life of its own.”
Anderson added how WWE pulled them both aside and informed them, “we want you to do a podcast.” They were told how they would be given a private room before Monday Night Raw each week to interview guests.
According to Anderson, “We looked at them and said, ‘F*** that!’ If you want us you have to come to the hotel with some wine and beer, and they agreed. Then they told us the money they wanted us to do it for it, and we were like, ‘Nope, we are out.’ Podcasting ain’t that fun.”
Both Gallows and Anderson were released by WWE earlier this year. WWE claimed the cuts were due to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on business. They would eventually sign with Impact Wrestling.
After the controversial finish to the AEW World Championship match between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley during last week’s episode of Dynamite, Don Callis had announced that the new AEW champion will make an appearance on this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling to explain things.
The new champion then made an appearance on the show alongside Callis where he set down with Josh Mathews and the two opened up about the events of this past Wednesday night.
The interview began with Mathews asking how long the AEW and Impact alliance has been in work, to which Callis replied that it all began when he met Kenny at the age of 10. From there Callis made it his mission to be in Omega’s corner and so the idea has been in works for nearly 27 years.
Omega Explains His Actions
Josh Mathews then moved the conversation towards the AEW title match. Josh asked the former NJPW star why he decided to use a microphone as a cheap shot to gain victory over Moxley, despite saying that he wouldn’t do so during their gentlemen’s agreement.
Replying to it, the new champion explained that Moxley shouldn’t have hit Don Callis saying “When you involve family, when you lay your hands on the invisible hand – what do you expect me to do?”
Later in the interview, Kenny Omega declared that collecting world championships is his new hobby and he wants to face other world champions from different promotions, including Impact.
The duo concluded the interview by claiming that they have a big announcement to make at this week’s episode of Dynamite on Wednesday. You can check out Kenny Omega’s Impact Wrestling appearance in the video below:
Kenny Omega’s declaration that he wants to face other world champions is very interesting. we will have to see what other crossovers it leads to in the coming times and if it means that AEW world title will be defended at other promotions.
Joey Ryan was released by Impact Wrestling following numerous allegations against him as part of the #SpeakingOut movement earlier this year. Ryan filed suit against Impact in late-September and is reportedly seeking $10 million.
According to a report from PW Insider, Impact would request an additional 30 days time to respond to the lawsuit that Ryan’s team filed on September 24th. They then missed that deadline and Ryan’s team filed to have a judgment made in their favor as a result on November 27th. Impact then responded to the lawsuit in a filing on December 4th.
In their response to the lawsuit, Impact is stating that they only made a public comment about Ryan’s release so that fans would not expect to see him on their shows. There is also a dispute between the two parties over Ryan’s Impact contract and the wording around what he could be fired for and what process would have had to be followed. Impact’s response states that they believe they did not breach their contract with Ryan.
Ryan’s legal team is seeking $10 million from Anthem Sport and Entertainment, Impact’s parent company.
Ryan, along with Dave Crist, was fired from Impact Wrestling this June. The company announced at the same time that Michael Elgin would not longer be appearing on its programming.
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Don Callis will appear on tonight’s episode Impact Wrestling TV. According to a HeelByNature, AEW President Tony Khan is also scheduled to make a cameo on the broadcast.
Khan and AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone are expected to appear on the show in a “paid advertisement.” This sounds similar in format to when the NWO would run promo spots during WCW programming.
Longtime fans remember the black and white segments that began with a voiceover stating, “The following announcement has been paid for by the New World Order.”
Impact Wrestling Preview
In addition to the Kenny Omega & AEW involvement, the following matches are announced for tonight’s Impact Wrestling:
Cody Deaner vs Eric Young
Brian Myers vs TJP
Josh Alexander vs Chris Sabin
Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament (1st Round) Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary vs Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee
If you don’t have access to AXS TV, you can watch for free at the Impact Wrestling Twitch Channel starting at 8PM (Eastern). Melissa Santos hosts during commercial breaks. Note that a replay of the show is not available on Twitch after it has aired, however.
AEW Dynamite Preview
AEW has announced the following matches for tomorrow night’s show:
Dynamite Diamond Ring Match Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Orange Cassidy
The Young Bucks vs The Hybrid2
FTR vs The Varsity Blondes
Lance Archer and The Lucha Bros. vs. Eddie Kingston, The Butcher & The Blade
Dustin Rhodes vs 10
Abadon vs TBA
Additionally, Sting will appear in a speaking segment and the Inner Circle will decide if they should disband.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed the working partnership between IMPACT Wrestling and AEW. Henry would say that he is a fan of the two brands working together.
“I do think it will work” Mark Henry began on Busted Open Radio. “I think that is something that for a long, long time? Fans have wanted. They’ve wanted to see fantasy booking. They wanted to see who was the best from WWE versus the best at WCW, and they got that. Look how successful that ended up being!”
Mark Henry on WWE ‘Invasion’
Henry would then address a rumor that was originally being discussed amongst the likes the of Vince Russo. “Just a few months ago there was a rumor, and it was just a rumor, because if it had any legs? It would have happened. An invasion from WWE to AEW, and I was like, ‘oh, man. That would be cool.’”
It seemed odd for Henry to address this rumor as it appeared to be fairly baseless from the get go.
“AEW made [the partnership], they made it a reality with IMPACT” Mark Henry continued. “There’s some good, really outstanding talent on Tuesday nights, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that’s gonna happen.”
Mark Henry would finish by mentioning how the relationship with NWA has helped AEW. Specifically, with the National Wrestling Alliance allowing the likes of Thunder Rosa to appear on All Elite programming and PPV. “I mean you see Thunder Rosa is coming in and wrestling the women at AEW, and she’s adding a lot to their women’s division. So it’s good relationship for both and it’s good for every company involved.”
AEW Champion Kenny Omega will be appearing on IMPACT this week. The newly crowned Champion took the belt last week with help from IMPACT’s Don Callis.
Will you be watching IMPACT this week? Let us know in the comments
Former WWE Superstar and IMPACT wrestler Heath Slater recently appeared on The Ryback Show podcast. The former Nexus member discussed a number of topics during his time on the show, including what it is like to work for IMPACT.
Heath was let go from WWE earlier this year due to budget cuts stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Slater was one of the more shocking releases, seeing as he was a much beloved member of the roster and has a ton of experience in the WWE style.
Heath on the IMPACT Locker Room
“It’s really a chilled locker, people are very cool, they’re laid back” Heath began on the show. “But the best thing? There’s communication, you know? Like, if I text or call or email? I can expect a response.”
A number of former WWE talent have talked about the lack of communication from WWE management. Ryback himself has been very vocal about the higher ups in WWE not making instructions clear and creating a land of confusion.
“So, there’s communication. And they actually listen to your ideas to where like, I’m not really used to this!” The former Heath Slater would continue. “Like, what sucks? Is this damn pandemic man.”
Heath would then finish by saying how he misses the feel of a live crowd when he is performing. “Feeding off the people? All of that? I miss the people so much. It’s not just me, it’s everyone. Me, actors, Broadway performers, like we miss the damn people so much. It kind of feels like a practice match when you walk out there sometimes you know?”
“Except you’re in full gimmick now and people are going to see it, so you got to get moving. But my goodness, the energy from the people? I missed the sh*t out of it.”
Have you enjoyed seeing Heath’s run in IMPACT? Do you think that he’ll be part of the proposed tie-in with AEW? Who would you like to see him in the ring with if that is the case? Let us know in the comments
Former WCW President Erich Bischoff reflected on his time in TNA back in 2010 during an episode of his 83 Weeks podcast on AdFreeShows. The episode saw Bischoff and Conrad Thompson looking back on TNA Final Resolution 2010. During their conversation, Bischoff also addressed how Dixie Carter handled Jeff Hardy during that time.
Bischoff confessed he did not enjoy his time in TNA back in 2010. He claimed he wasn’t in “TV shape,” explaining how he was carrying “15 or 20 extra pounds” at that time.
“I didn’t put forth the effort. My performances were generally decent or pretty good, but my physical appearance, I look back and I’m embarrassed,” Bischoff confessed. “I wished somebody would have pulled me aside and said get a haircut and lose 20 pounds, dress a little better and show up next week.”
He admitted part of the reason behind his lackluster approach was because he “really wasn’t into it.”
Bischoff added how it wasn’t his goal to be on TV in TNA. He wasn’t excited about being involved as, he argued in comparison to WCW and WWE, “TNA was a notch or four down.”
Bischoff explained how he’d “already been to that mountain.”
However, “I didn’t say that to myself when I got there. I didn’t say that to myself every time it was time to go out and do a scene, but deep down inside, that’s how I felt about it.”
Eric Bischoff acknowledged how TNA’s usage of him stemmed from wanting to get the “biggest bang for their dollar.”
He acknowledged how “Part of it was me. I’m not going to put it all on somebody else. That would not be fair or honest. I would allow myself to get sucked in because it made sense on paper, but I wasn’t passionate about it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzPoilF17JE
Dixie Carter’s Handling of Jeff Hardy’s Issues
Eric Bischoff then turned his attention to how Dixie Carter handled Jeff Hardy’s substance issues whilst maintaining her TNA duties. He stressed how “Dixie loved Jeff Hardy.”
He added how Dixie Carter was a “healer” and a “fixer.” According to Bischoff, she would “look for broken people and fix them.” He explained how Dixie almost became like a mother to Jeff during that difficult time.
“Dixie didn’t talk a lot about Jeff to me or probably to anybody else. What a mistake, right? But the intention was there. Her intentions were honorable and good,” Bischoff said. “I think because of the lack of wrestling experience or lack of experience in general on Dixie’s part, she knew she was taking a risk but I don’t think she realized how big a risk she was taking, not only for Jeff, but for the people Jeff was in the ring with.”
Jeff Hardy defeated Matt Morgan at TNA Final Resolution 2010. They competed in a No Disqualification matchup for the TNA World Championship.
Heath revealed how he was actually meant to win his matchup. He shared how “I got in there and I hit three moves that I hit for the last 15 years of my career. I slide and Myers throws the clothesline. I duck it and that neck breaker felt like somebody stabbed me with a knife. I thought, oh God, what was that?”
He explained how he continued on thinking he was okay until he dropped down. Heath recalled not knowing what was happening. It wasn’t until he climbed up to the top rope that he realized the extent of the damage.
“I’ve never felt pain like that. It felt like every time I moved, somebody took a knife and twisted it. It wasn’t a hernia. The person at the hospital said I had a hernia. Then I went to a hernia specialist in Charlotte and he said it wasn’t a hernia,” Heath said. “He said I ripped my abductor muscle off the bone and I slightly tore my groin. He said I didn’t need surgery. He said once I ripped my abductor muscle, they can only suture it back to the bone.”
Heath’s Road To Recovery
Heath was told to ice the injury and “do nothing for two months.” Heath then detailed how the damage was discolored from black to blue to purple and yellow. He knew it was bad as he could barely walk at the time.
Thankfully, the worst seems to have now passed. Heath revealed he can get around easier and, although still bruised and uncomfortable, it’s nowhere near as bad. He then revealed that he is due back in January 2021.
To help with his journey back to in-ring action, Heath has been seeing a physical therapist and “hoping for the best.” Although he put on weight as he nursed his injury, he shared he has since cut back down to 235.
