Impact Wrestling has decided to retire the Grand Championship.
On Monday, June 4, 2018, the promotion officially announced that the Grand title has been merged with the World Championship, thus creating one title: the Undisputed World Championship.
BREAKING NEWS: @AustinAries has officially merged the IMPACT World and Grand Championship into one undisputed World Championship. pic.twitter.com/bY77HbJPqm
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) June 4, 2018
What are your thoughts on this decision and new design? Sound off in the comment section below.
Legacy Of The Grand Title
The Grand Title was introduced at the August 13th, 2016 Impact Wrestling tapings by then-TNA President Billy Corgan. It initially replaced the King of the Mountain Championship.
Matches for the Grand Title featured three 3-minute rounds and could be won by pinfall or submission. If there was no winner after 3 rounds, a panel of judges deciding the winner by considering physicality, aggressiveness, and control.
There was an 8-man tournament held to crown the first champion Aaron Rex (Damien Sandow) earned the achievement to be the inaugural Grand Champion at the 2016 Bound for Glory pay-per-view event.
If you recall, Austin Aries held both titles before the merger was announced. When Aries returned to the promotion in February of this year, he beat Eli Drake to become the new World Champion on his first night back. He would go onto beat Matt Sydal the following week to win the Grand Title. Although he would lose the World Title to Pentagon Jr. at the Redemption PPV, he would win it back on an episode of Impact Wrestling.
It was also announced on Monday who Aries would be defending the World Title against at the upcoming Slammiversary PPV event. For more on the two matches announced for this event, please click here.