Deonna Purrazzo recently appeared on the Women’s Wrestling Talk podcast.

The reigning Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion spoke about Impact’s women’s division and wanting to work with several competitors in WWE and AEW. Video of the full episode can be found below.

Purrazzo touted the depth of Impact’s knockouts division. “There are so many of those matches with Impact and our roster right now,” she said. “The first person that comes to mind is Tasha Steelz just because we’ve traveled together, trained together, and I just think it’s come full circle for us to be in the same company at the same time. So, first and foremost, it’s always Tasha.”

She also named Kiera Hogan, Naveah and Tenille Dashwood as standouts.

Deonna Purrazzo on WWE’s Four Horsewomen

Purrazzo spoke of a women’s dream match featuring herself, Britt Baker, Chelsea Green and Karen Q vs. WWE’s Four Horsewomen.

“I feel like it’s a cliche answer, but I also feel like each of us individually have like a dream match with these people. So, I feel like us four versus the Four Horsewomen – Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky [Lynch] – those four. I think we each would like to wrestle one day or if that opportunity presented itself, it would be a dream match for us. So I’m gonna go with that, whether that’s cliche or not.”

Impact & AEW

Finally, Impact Wrestling’s partnership with AEW opens up the possibility for several inter-promotional matches. Purrazzo has been vocal about wanting to wrestle AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida. She’d also like to work with her best friend, Dr. Brit Baker, in some capacity.

“I’ve not been shy about wanting to have champion vs. champion against Hikaru Shida. I would absolutely love that. I think she’s absolutely phenomenal. She’s kind of been just this strong champion and fixture of their women’s division in AEW. I would absolutely love that if we’re going to do crossover with women. Obviously, Britt Baker is my best friend, so I don’t want to wrestle her, but I’d love to tag with her.”

Check out the full episode embedded below:

Impact Wrestling is less than two weeks away from their next big event, Sacrifice on March 13th. This week’s show added several matches to the show.

Impact 3/2 Quick Results:

1. X-Division #1 Contendership
   Ace Austin defeated Black Taurus and Chris Bey
2. Tenille Dashwood defeated Havok
3. The Good Brothers & FinJuice defeated Reno Scum & Team XXXL
4. Eddie Edwards defeated Brian Myers via DQ (Referee: Matt Cardona)
5. Deonna Purrazzo defeated Jordynne Grace and Kiera Hogan

ODB To Challenge Deonna Purrazzo At Sacrifice

This match was originally supposed to be just Purrazzo vs Grace but after Fire N Flava interrupted a backstage promo earlier in the night, Kiera Hogan was added to the bout. The finish of the match came shortly after Grace dove to the outside and took out Susan and Kimber Lee. Grace then attempted to deliver a splash to Hogan but Tasha Steelz pulled her out of the ring. This then allowed Purrazzo to roll up Grace for the win.

After the match, as Grace and Tasha Steelz brawled to the back, Purrazzo was left alone in the ring. ODB then bolted out from the back and attacked the Knockouts Champion. Last we saw ODB, she had been attacked and left unconscious in the back. Based on ODB’s actions here, it seems she knows exactly who attacked her. Shortly after, it was revealed that ODB will challenge Purrazzo at Sacrifice.

The Good Brothers To Defend Tag Belts Against FinJuice At Sacrifice

Impact Wrestling didn’t waste any time getting Juice Robinson and David Finlay into the tag-team title hunt. There had been dissension between teams when The Good Brothers and FinJuice teamed up to defeat Reno Scum and Team XXXL this week. Later in the show, FinJuice managed to bait the Good Brothers into challenging them to a match for the belts at Sacrifice. Just like that, two of the best tag-teams in the world will clash in just 10 days.

Tony Khan Says AEW and Impact Are On The Same Team

There was a stark difference in attitude from the two Tony’s this week. After Tommy Dreamer was critical of the tone that has been used in the AEW ads as of late, this week Khan stated that AEW and Impact are on the same team. Don Callis, Kenny Omega, and the Good Brothers are on the other team although Khan didn’t specifically say as much. The two Tony’s then ran down the card for tonight’s episode of Dynamite.

Matt Cardona Disqualifies Brian Myers In Match Against Eddie Edwards

Matt Cardona and Brian Myers are former tag partners, longtime friends, and podcast co-hosts. They have not gotten along well so far in Impact Wrestling, however. Earlier in the show, Cardona told Myers he was going to call the match “right down the middle” which Myers didn’t like. Then during the match, Cardona caught Myers loading up his elbow pad and disqualified him after he hit Edwards with it. Something is brewing between these two.

Ace Austin Qualifies For X-Division Title Shot

Ace Austin earned a shot at the X-Division title with a win in triple threat action this week. He had actually teamed with Black Taurus and Chris Bey last week in a victory over Willie Mack, Trey Miguel and Josh Alexander in 6-man action with the stipulation that the winning team would face each other this week.

An X-Division match between Ace Austin and champion TJP was then made for Sacrifice.

Sami Callihan Invades Trey Miguel’s Wrestling School

Callihan continued his harassment of Trey Miguel this week. He has been critical that the former Rascalz member has no loyalty or passion. Callihan showed up at the school where Miguel is a head teacher. He was confronted by one of the school’s trainers, CK3, and a student before the segment cut out.

Tenille Dashwood Picks Up Win Over Havok

Tenille Dashwood had been lobbying for Havok to be her new tag-team partner but things didn’t work out as planned. Instead, the two would face off in singles action this week. Dashwood picked up the win off of Kaleb Konely’s distraction. She hit the Spotlight Kick on Havok to get the pin. Havok’s tag partner came to the ring and took out Kaleb after, leading to speculation that Havok and Neveah may have resolved their recent conflict with each other.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling: Sacrifice on March 13th:

• Impact World Championship
  Rich Swann (c) vs Moose
• Knockouts Tag Team Championships
  Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) (c) vs Jordynne Grace & Jazz
• X-Division Championship
  TJP (c) vs Ace Austin
• Knockouts Championship
  Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs ODB
• Impact Tag Team Championships
  The Good Brothers (c) vs Juice Robinson & David Finlay

Don Callis is the latest guest on Gallows & Anderson’s Talk’n Shop podcast. The ‘Invisible Hand’ the Good Brothers for a conversation about the ‘Forbidden Door’ storyline involving AEW-NJPW-Impact, as well as some other interesting topics.

Callis revealed that he and fellow ECW alumnus Joey Styles almost joined WCW in 2001 as their new commentary team.

Vince McMahon and WWE purchased WCW in 2001 for a measly sum, but things almost unfolded entirely differently. Former WCW Eric Bischoff almost purchased the fledgling promotion alongside Fusient Media. Unfortunately, the deal did not go through, as Bischoff and Fusient were unable to secure a television deal in time.

Don Callis’ Brush With WCW

“In 2001 when WCW was about to go out of business, I had a gig lined up with Bischoff,” Callis revealed. “Joey Styles and I were gonna go in and be the commentators.. I was gonna make more money than I ever made, but that deal fell through.”

It was a tumultuous time in the pro wrestling industry. Callis recalls having leverage one minute and the deal falling through soon thereafter.

“All of a sudden, it was like, I went from being able to leverage three companies (WWF, WCW and ECW), to a monopoly (WWE). And I knew when a monopoly happens, guys on top like Jericho do well, but the guys underneath, don’t do well.”

Callis currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Impact Wrestling. He’s also the manager of AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.

Listen to the full episode of Talkin’ Shop with Don Callis at MLWRadio.com.

Impact Wrestling 2/23 featured Moose defending the newly reinstated TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Jake Something. We also got the main event confirmed for Sacrifice.

Impact Wrestling 2/23 Quick Results

1. Tables Match
   Jake Something defeated Cody Deaner
2. Chris Bey, Ace Austin & Black Taurus defeated Trey Miguel, Willie Mack & Josh Alexander
3. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) defeated Team XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero)
4. Eddie Edwards defeated Hernandez w/ Brian Myers
5. #1 Contenders For Knockouts Tag Team Championships
   Jordynne Grace & Jazz def Kimber Lee & Susan w/ Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo
6. TNA World Heavyweight Championship
   Moose (c) defeated Jake Something

Key takeaways from the show are below:

Moose vs Rich Swann Confirmed For Sacrifice

In the night’s main event, Moose defeated Jake Something with his Lights Out Spear. After the match, however, Moose wasn’t finished. He continued to attack Jake with a steel chair until Impact World Champion, Rich Swann, made the save. Scott D’Amore then announced that finally Swann and Moose will collide with the title on the line at Sacrifice on March 13th.

FinJuice Takes A Shot At The Good Brothers

Last week on Impact, Juice Robinson and David Finlay made their promotional debut by defeating Reno Scum. The Good Brothers then came out to congratulate them, though Anderson and Gallows appeared to talk down to the team, noting that they were young lions back when they were winning titles in NJPW.

This week, The Good Brothers defeated Team XXXL in non-title action. Later in the show, they ran into FinJuice in the back. Things seem to be getting slightly more contentious between the two teams. Robinson appeared to be complimenting the Good Brothers but then said Anderson is actually just the best at wrestling while hungover.

Broadway Is Closed, But You’ve Got A Front Row Seat At “The Tonys”

Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone opened up their segment this week by saying that even though Broadway is closed, you’ve got a seat at “The Tonys.” Speculation is that somebody feels very proud about that joke.

The two Tonys ran down Impact and then ran down the card for tonight’s AEW Dynamite.

Sami Callihan Has More To Say To Trey Miguel

Trey Miguel had a chance to get one step closer to an X-Division title shot this week. A 6-man tag match pitted Trey, Willie Mack, and Josh Alexander against Taurus, Chris Bey, and Ace Austin with the winning team facing off next week in a triple threat to determine the next challenger for TJP’s belt. Bey picked up the win for his team by hitting The Art of Finesse on Mack, however. After the match, Miguel ran into Sami Callihan in the back. Callihan continued to tell Trey he doesn’t have what it takes, but this week, Trey answered back by attacking Callihan. Security had to break up the melee.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Officially Reinstated

Moose has been the self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Championship for 10 months. Scott D’Amore finally reinstated the title officially on this week’s show. It happened after Moose attacked Jake Something following the night’s opening match.

Something had just defeated his cousin, Cody Deaner in a tables match, when Moose attacked. Moose threatened to hold the show hostage but D’Amore came out, announced the title was reinstated and that Moose would have to defend it in the main event.

Jordynne Grace & Jazz Earn Knockouts Title Shot

Jordynne Grace and Jazz earned a shot against Fire N Flava for the Knockouts tag-team titles this week. They defeated Susan and Kimber Lee after Grace hit a Grace Driver on Susan for the win. When they got to the back, however, they found their ally ODB unconscious after having been attacked by as-of-yet-unknown assailants.

Brian Myers Hires Legal Representation

Eddie Edwards was supposed to face Brian Myers in singles action this week. Instead, Myers revealed that he has hired Mark Sterling as his legal representation. Sterling announced that Myers can’t compete tonight because of the unsafe conditions at Impact and his eye injury. Instead, Hernandez is chosen to face Edwards. Edwards then defeated Hernandez with a second-rope Boston Knee Party.

Then later in the night, D’Amore pointed out that Myers has actually been cleared to compete. D’Amore then said next week it will be Myers vs Edwards in an eye-for-an-eye match with Matt Cardona as the referee. D’Amore then just said he was joking about the eye for an eye thing, as nobody in their right mind would book such a match.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Next Week:

• Eddie Edwards vs Brian Myers – Matt Cardona to referee
• X-Division #1 Contendership
  Chris Bey vs Taurus vs Ace Austin

Impact Sacrifice March 13th:

• Impact World Championship
  Rich Swann (c) vs Moose
• Knockouts Tag Team Championships
  Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) (c) vs Jordynne Grace & Jazz

Impact Wrestling star Heath Miller will undergo hernia surgery in a few weeks.

He’s been out of action for the past several months. We last saw him action at Bound for Glory in October, when he competed in the “Call Your Own Shot” Battle Royal.

Heath has been getting a lot of messages from wrestlers and concerned fans asking where he’s been. He tweeted a video message on Thursday addressing his condition.

He’s been visiting several doctors in hopes of getting a proper diagnosis and game plan for recovery. Heath revealed that he’s got a sports hernia on the left side of his pubic bone, another hernia on his right side, his abductor muscle is ripped off the bone and he’s got a rip in his abdomen wall on both sides.

“It’s a little bit of a mess,” he joked. He described the situation as “an up and down roller coaster ride of crap.”

Heath finally found a surgeon that will attempt to fix all of his ailments. The procedures are scheduled for March 1st.

You can check out Heath’s video message below. We wish him a speedy recovery!

Impact Wrestling drew its best rating of the year on Tuesday night with an episode that featured the promotional debut of Juice Robinson and David Finlay. According to ShowBuzz Daily, Tuesday’s episode drew 197,000 viewers on AXS TV and a 0.06 rating in the key demo.

The show finished 117th for the night. The top show on Tuesday night was NBC’s “This is Us” and the #2 show was the debut of “Young Rock.”

The rating is up from last week’s go-home show for the No Surrender event. That episode garnered 153,000 viewers on AXS TV and a 0.04 rating in the key demo. The Kenny Omega debut episode on December 8th, 2020 drew 221,000 viewers and a 0.08 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Interest for Impact’s latest episode likely increased following the No Surrender event on Impact Plus this weekend. It was announced at the conclusion of the show that David Finlay & Juice Robinson would make their promotional debuts this week. FinJuice defeated Reno Scum on Tuesday night before being confronted by The Good Brothers, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows.

The following matches have been booked for next week’s show:

• Winning Team Faces Each Other For X-Division Title Shot
  Ace Austin, Chris Bey and Black Taurus vs Willie Mack, Josh Alexander and Trey Migue
• #1 Contenders Knockouts Tag Team Championships
  Jordynne Grace & Jazz vs Kimber Lee & Susan w/ Deonna Purrazzo
• Tables Match
  Cody Deaner vs Jake Something

The company also announced this morning that their next streaming event will be on March 13th, 2021.

Sammy Guevara was reportedly sent home from the recent Impact tapings in Nashville. According to a report from Slam Wrestling, Guevara rejected a storyline that would have seen the 27-year-old debut in the promotion.

Chris Jericho is said to have come up with an idea for Guevara to appear in Impact Wrestling. This would take place after he quit the Inner Circle on Dynamite. Guevara, however, is said to have contacted Impact directly with complaints about the creative direction. Impact then contacted Jericho and Tony Khan about Guevara’s comments. It’s not known what Guevara’s complaints were or what he said to Impact.

It doesn’t appear as though Jericho was happy about whatever Guevara said to Impact, however. Jericho is then said to have reached out to his longtime friend, Don Callis, about “banning Guevara” from the premises. Jericho is then believed to have sent Guevara a text instructing him to head home and not attend the tapings in Nashville.

*Update*

The issue was covered recently on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.

“AEW and Impact are still working together. From an AEW standpoint, there’s not any heat on Sammy for what he did. From the Impact side, I’m sure there is. That’s just what the deal is,” said Dave Meltzer.

There had been speculation amongst fans online that Guevara could turn up in Impact Wrestling. Evidently, there were plans for this to happen at one point.

At the conclusion of last night’s No Surrender broadcast, Impact announced that NJPW Juice Robinson and David Finlay are coming to the promotion. Private Party and Matt Hardy have been in Impact for the last month. Kenny Omega frequently appeared on the show throughout December and January.

It was revealed during last night’s IMPACT No Surrender event that Juice Robinson and David Finlay would be heading to the promotion this week. Alongside KENTA, that makes three mainstay NJPW stars that have appeared on both AEW/IMPACT programming over the past few weeks.

It’s now common knowledge that All Elite and IMPACT have a working relationship; this began on-screen at the December 2nd ‘Winter Is Coming’ episode of AEW Dynamite. Kenny Omega and Don Callis aligned at the end of that show and Omega began appearing on IMPACT television.

It does appear however that there’s even more to come. Dave Meltzer confirmed on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that NJPW star Kazuchika Okada will be part of the ongoing partnerships between NJPW, AEW and IMPACT. Meltzer also noted that he does not know where Okada will be appearing first; but he stated that he is coming to either AEW or IMPACT.

Kazuchika Okada in TNA

This is another interesting wrinkle in the ‘Forbidden Door’ storyline that seems to be engulfing the major promotions outside of WWE. When Okada was originally in the TNA promotion back in 2010-2011. Whilst there Okada was used as a lower card performer, with a ‘Kato’ gimmick from The Green Hornet.

The way that Kazuchika Okada was used by TNA was so appalling that NJPW cut all ties with the promotion shortly after, vowing never to work with Total Nonstop Action again. Reportedly in 2017, representatives of the now IMPACT Wrestling spoke to New Japan officials. Members of the IMPACT team actually apologised for the way Okada was used earlier in the decade. It’s likely that the people who apologised weren’t even involved in his booking at that time.

• Jon Moxley Says Kenta Has To Answer For All Of His Trash Talk

If Kazuchika Okada were to make an appearance at an AEW or IMPACT show? It could be a huge power move for all involved. Okada is classed as one of the greatest IWGP Heavyweight Champions in history; there’s plenty of dream match scenarios that could occur if the ‘Rainmaker’ comes to the United States.

Doors between professional wrestling organizations are being opened and walked through with increased frequency lately. As announced on last night’s No Surrender event, NJPW’s Juice Robinson and David Finlay are headed to Impact Wrestling.

At the conclusion of last night’s broadcast on Impact Plus, a video promoting the debut of Juice and Finlay in Impact was shown.

Impact has also announced that both Juice and Finlay will be on the show Tuesday night.

Collectively known as “Fin Juice,” the pair are former IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. They also won the World Tag League tournament in 2019. Robinson is also a former 2x IWGP United States Champion.

Don Callis On Juice Robinson

Don Callis had previously expressed that Juice Robinson was someone he would like to bring into his promotion. On an episode of his old “Killin the Town” podcast in 2018, Callis had the following to say about Juice.

“Juice is a tremendous performer with unlimited likeability and unlimited charisma,” Callis said. “He definitely is a rock star.”

“I really like him a lot,” Callis continued. “He’s a guy you build a company around.”

In the same interview from nearly 3 years ago, Callis made some prophetic statements.

“I agree with a lot of the conjecture online that talks about the fact that there are walls being broken down in the business right now,” Callis said. “I might just be the guy holding the hammer.”

A new one-hour weekly TV show from IMPACT Wrestling – BEFORE THE IMPACT – will debut next Tuesday, February 16, on AXS TV, it was announced last night.

‘BTI’ will air at 7pm ET/4pm PT every Tuesday night on AXS TV^® as a lead-in to the action-packed flagship IMPACT! show which airs at 8pm ET/5pm PT.

Nashville-based sportscaster Jon Burton will be BTI’s host. The NewsChannel5 anchor will be joined by reporters Gia Miller and Josh Mathews.

Mathews, who also serves as BTI’s senior producer, said: “BTI will feature in-depth previews of the biggest matches, exclusive interviews with IMPACT Wrestling stars, behind-the-scenes access you won’t see anywhere else and an exclusive match each week.”

BTI will feature exclusive news on the pro-wrestling industry from insider George Iceman – the “Iceman’s Intel” segment is expected to be a highlight of BTI.  

“BEFORE THE IMPACT will be IMPACT Wrestling’s version of a pregame show,” said IMPACT Executive Vice-President Scott D’Amore. “Fans have been asking for more IMPACT action on AXS TV and we’re excited to debut a new show and format with BTI.”

The premiere installment of BEFORE THE IMPACT will feature a collision between Team XXXL and the recently reformed, new-look Decay.

The “Forbidden Door” is the phrase used to describe the metaphoric barrier between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. According to AEW President Tony Khan, he’s the forbidden door and that door is now wide open. Fans should expect a lot more crossover in the months ahead.

Khan and Tony Schiavone returned to Impact Wrestling this week with their latest ‘paid advertisement’ on the program. Khan says that everywhere he goes, people have been asking when he’s going to open the forbidden door. People want to know, when is New Japan going to come to AEW?

He’s been telling people that he doesn’t know where or what the forbidden door is. “And then I figured it out. The Forbidden door is me! I am the forbidden door!” Khan emphatically stated.

“I just had to open myself, and that comes from being here with you IMPACT Wrestling! Doing these paid ads, I’ve learned so much about myself. I’ve opened myself up to new experiences, and look at all the great things that have happened. We did a great rating for Dynamite this week with IMPACT people there. We had people from New Japan, who knows who is going to be there next week?”

Tony Khan: “Let’s Do This Every Week”

Khan continued, “One thing I do know? The Forbidden Door has been opened. I can’t wait for this week’s main event tomorrow night on AEW Dynamite. One of the biggest matches ever on Dynamite, Falls Count Anywhere, anything goes.”

He then made a huge statement regarding the future of AEW Dynamite allowing talent to ‘cross borders.’

“I just have to say, thank you Kenny [Omega]. Thank you Don Callis, nobody ever expected me to say that. But thanks to you two and everything you’ve done in AEW? You’ve opened me up, you’ve changed me, and you’ve opened the Forbidden Door. I love it, I want to do more big ratings, I wanna have more people show up! Let’s do this EVERY WEEK.”

Tony Khan finished by confirming that the Forbidden Door swings both ways; with IMPACT Wrestling set to see more of the AEW President inside the IMPACT Zone with All Elite talent. You can see this week’s “paid ad” in the player embedded below:

AEW & NJPW

Tony Khan has been outspoken about his desire to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen the groundwork of a full-blown inter-promotional war coming into focus.

The conclusion of last week’s AEW Dynamite saw the surprise appearance of KENTA, who is feuding with AEW star (and IWGP United States Champion) Jon Moxley. They will square off later this month (2/26) at NJPW’s New Beginning USA event.

This heated feud is just one element of the AEW-NJPW storyline that’s unfolding. Also in play – Bullet Club in AEW and NJPW, AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and IWGP World Champion Kota Ibushi teasing a program.

The main event of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite will see Jon Moxley and Lance Archer teaming up against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and KENTA. AEW has billed Moxley as the reigning IWGP United States Champion, another example of relations improving between the two promotions.

The possibilities for the coming together of these promotions is almost limitless. Thus far, we have seen Tony Khan bring AAA, the NWA, Impact Wrestling and now NJPW to AEW programming. Originally it was rumored that the NJPW/AEW ‘deal’ was purely for New Japan to get use of Jon Moxley. As mentioned, the former WWE Superstar is the current IWGP United States Champion, and with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic New Japan wanted to still have use of one of their prized assets. This meant that Moxley would have to work in the United States under the NJPW banner; something that would involve striking a deal with All Elite as he is contracted to only appear on major promotions for them in the US, much like Chris Jericho.

It appears as though the deal has now been completed, with a huge shift in the momentum for the 2nd and 3rd biggest pro wrestling promotions in the world coming together. Once again AEW have managed to make Dynamite, IMPACT and even NJPW Strong appointment viewing.

• Update On AEW & NJPW Working Relationship: “The Deal Is Done”

Kiera Hogan recently took an indirect shot at Sasha Banks during SmackDown, where she called out The Boss for copying her look and attire.

The Impact Wrestling star took to Twitter and posted the following about the supposed similarities between her and the SmackDown Women’s Champion’s attire and entrance, along with a GIF of herself: “Imma leave this here, Check my fit though ? often imitated never duplicated and that’s on periodt ? you can’t do it like me boo #HottestFlame.”

“‘If you want it come and get though! Make sure you want it for I give it though” and that’s on PERIODT POOH ? #HottestFlame #BlueFlame #FirenFlava.”

The one half of the current Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion didn’t name The Boss of course, but fans were quick to figure out who she was talking about.

Even though it’s true that the style seems a bit similar, with Sasha Banks sporting blue colored hair and dressing in all black for her promo, it is most likely just a coincidence as she has been using attires similar to this one for a while now.

Sasha Banks hasn’t responded to the post, most likely because her username wasn’t mentioned directly and both the wrestlers are separated by companies.

However, many of Banks’ fans were quick to defend her and flooded Kiera Hogan’s Twitter mentions. When she started getting Banks’ fans in her replies she posted a reaction GIF of a person laughing with the caption, “Insecure?! Y’all got me…”

Hogan seemed pretty unbothered by all the attention, however, as she snapped back by posting, “Y’all profile pictures aren’t even pictures of you! Outta here! Big mad! Be true to you boo and stop worrying about me”

This begs the question: will we get to see the two of them in the ring anytime soon? Probably not, as Kiera Hogan is under a multi-year contract with Impact Wrestling at the moment. But it will surely be interesting to see both the blue-haired stars have a go at it.

Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first time Hogan has said someone has stolen her style. Back in 2018, in an interview, she claimed that Ember Moon stole her gimmick when the two were at a WWE tryout together in 2015.

Trey Miguel’s former Rascalz stablemates, Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier, are now known as MSK in WWE NXT. Miguel didn’t follow them to the company, however. He returned to Impact Wrestling last week. Shortly after Dez & Wentz were signed to NXT, Triple H was asked about why Miguel was not with them during the TakeOver: War Games post-event media scrum.

“Well look, I do not want to talk about why people are or are not here, there’s obviously a lot that goes into all of that, but for me, the people that do come here, it’s seeing the heart and the passion,” Triple H said. “That’s really what it comes down to—it’s a passion business, you have to be all in.”

Following these comments, Miguel released the below Tweet:

Miguel recently appeared on Taylor Wilde’s “Wilde On” podcast and clarified his decision to turn down WWE and return to Impact Wrestling. He said that what Dez and Wentz need from wrestling right now is different from his situation.

“Zach’s married (to Kimber Lee) and Dez is engaged now and they just need wrestling in a different way than I do right now,” Miguel said. “They need it to do different things for them than I do.”

“I feel like (Impact) ran out of things to do with the Rascalz,” he continued. “There’s no need in just staying if there’s nothing to do with.”

Trey Miguel On Things He Still Wants To Do With Impact

Miguel would continue to say that while they may have run out of things for the Rascalz to do, he still feels he has things left to accomplish in the promotion on his own.

“I have ideas for Impact and I have things I want to do and things I haven’t gotten done yet,” he continued.

Miguel would continue to say that working at Impact allows him to stay home near the wrestling school he is the head trainer of. His school is called Skull Bones Professional Wrestling and Fitness.

“Impact also affords me the luxury of being able to stay home which is super-duper important to me because we have a wrestling school here and I’m one of the head trainers there.”

“I’m there every single day and I’m so close to the kids that we have there and the other trainers too and I have a lot of family here.”

Trey Miguel On Not Wanting To Move Away From Family

Miguel reiterated earlier statements regarding not wanting to move away from his family.

“Wrestling has my heart more than anything in the world but I’ve just been through so much personally that I can’t pull myself away from my family right now.”

“I have a brother that passed away in 2013,” Miguel continued. “My oldest brother just had my most recent nephew and he was born premature because his mother fell ill so they actually induced her.”

“He’s home now but he was in isolated care for two months and they named him after my late brother and I couldn’t imagine moving to f***ing Orlando, Florida a month after this little miracle, you know what I mean?”

“It’s not like if I don’t go to Orlando, I don’t get to wrestle anymore. I still get to wrestle more than anyone at NXT. I train whenever I want!”

The comments transcribed above begin around the 15-minute mark of the below podcast.

Alex Shelly was originally expected to be part of Impact Wrestling’s Hard To Kill main event but he was pulled from the show a day before the PPV without any explanation. This sudden change without a given reason had started many rumors about his status and now the high flying star has come forward to clear the air.

Shelly took on his Twitter recently to post a lengthy statement and one half of the Motor City Machine Guns explained that his day job as a physical therapy clinician prevented him from making an appearance at the PPV:

“I am a physical therapy clinician, physio is my livelihood and career. Wrestling is my livelihood and passion project. At my company, due to the volume of sick and injured patients we are in care of, we modify our COVID-19 mandates as needed.

As numbers went up, so did restrictiveness. To circumvent the topic, I could not be at Hard To Kill due to my career. I respect the decisions made by our company surgeons and doctors: I look to them for advice and guidance. I am unable to travel and wrestle until I am vaccinated. “

• Impact Hard To Kill Main Event Changed: Alex Shelley Unable To Appear

Alex Shelly then discussed how he does not want to receive the coronavirus vaccine so soon but he wants to help the people in therapy and wrestle as well:

“But I want to wrestle very badly while I help people in therapy. So there’s no option. @IMPACTWRESTLING was supportive and understanding and as someone who doesn’t have nor want a contract at this point, my hands were tied. Thanks for your support everyone.”

There is no word yet on how long Alex Shelly will have to stay away from action. Impact Wrestling taped a few months of content coming out of the Hard To Kill PPV and the former tag champion did not work these tapings.

The next Impact PPV Rebellion is scheduled for April 24 and we will have to see if the former champion is able to return to the ring before that.

You can check out his full statement below:

36-year-old Moose is reportedly set to be a free agent in a few months. According to a report from Fightful Select, Moose’s Impact contract is up in June. In March of 2019, Impact announced Moose had signed a multi-year commitment to the promotion. It was noted in storyline, however, that Moose had recently signed a 2-year deal with the promotion.

Moose made his first appearance in the promotion in the summer of 2016. He held the Impact Grand Championship on 2 occasions and is currently the self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Champion. A program pitting current Impact World Champion, Rich Swann, and Moose appears to be brewing, however. At Genesis recently, Swann revealed he’ll grant Moose a title shot after Moose had just defeated Willie Mack in an I Quit match.

Moose began his pro-wrestling career in 2012 after his NFL career ended. He played in 62 NFL games but was cut by the Rams in 2012. Moose then trained with Mr. Hughes to start his pro-wrestling career. He landed with Ring of Honor in 2012 and then with Global Force Wrestling in 2014. Moose was named the Rookie of the Year in 2015 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

Moose wrestled in the 8-man tag-team main event on Impact Wrestling Tuesday night.

Trey Miguel returned to Impact Wrestling on this week’s Impact on AXS TV. The former Rascalz member was announced as the mystery teammate for Rich Swann, Willie Mack and Tommy Dreamer in the night’s main event.

His return to Impact comes shortly his former stablemates, Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier arrived in WWE’s NXT brand. Wentz is now known as Nash Carter and Xavier as Wes Lee. Collectively, their team is now known as MSK.

You can see video of Trey Miguel’s return to Impact in the player embedded below:

Trey Miguel Post-Rascalz

Shortly after Wentz and Dez signed with WWE, Trey put out a statement on Twitter.

Miguel’s statement was posted after Triple H was asked about him during the NXT War Games post-event media call.

“Well look, I do not want to talk about why people are or are not here, there’s obviously a lot that goes into all of that, but for me, the people that do come here, it’s seeing the heart and the passion. That’s really what it comes down to—it’s a passion business, you have to be all in.”

“Sometimes, I’ve seen a few people that have been at it a long time and it shows. They’ve been at it a long time and I don’t know, sometimes that passion isn’t there. I’ve seen people that are new to it, like ‘oh, they like this’ but it’s not everything to them.”

Miguel recently appeared on the Iron-On Wrestling podcast and spoke about his upbringing.

We are just hours away from an all-new episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV (and Twitch).

The following items are advertised for this week’s broadcast:

• Impact World Champion Rich Swann teams up with Tommy Dreamer, Willie Mack and a Mystery Partner against TNA World Champion Moose, Chris Bey, Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock.

• Matt Cardona makes his Impact in-ring debut. He teams with Josh Alexander against Ace Austin and Madman Fulton

• Joe Doering vs. Cousin Jake

• Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers

• Tenille Dashwood vs. Rosemary in Knockouts action.

Plus, AEW stars Matt Hardy and Private Party return to Impact. Private Party are the #1 contenders to The Good Brothers’ Impact World Tag Team Championships.

We’ll have our weekly Impact Wrestling Results & Takeaways feature live on the site Wednesday morning.

Private Party defeated Chris Sabin and James Storm this week on Impact to claim the #1 Contenders spot for the promotion’s tag-team championships.

Impact has announced that the match between current champions, The Good Brothers, and Private Party will take place on February 13th at No Surrender. The event will stream on Impact Plus.

Private Party in Impact

Matt Hardy brought Private Party to Impact this week. Tony Khan would later say that he sent Hardy to the promotion as revenge for Impact stars showing up on his show. Jerry Lynn and Tony Khan were ringside for Private Party’s match on Impact this week. Lynn even got involved in the match, holding onto Sabin’s foot so he was unable to escape from the Gin and Juice.

The Good Brothers have two other big matches upcoming. On next week’s AEW Dynamite, they will team with the Young Bucks against the Dark Order. The following week at Beach Blast, Gallows and Anderson will team with Kenny Omega to take on PAC, Fenix, and Jon Moxley.

Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen seem to be warming up to Matt Hardy’s coaching, even if they aren’t happy with the financial side of their agreement. Last night on Dynamite, Kassidy used a steel chair to give his team the advantage, perhaps suggesting they have turned heel along with their mentor.

Impact Wrestling on 1/19 featured the first episode filmed during the tapings over the weekend. Some significant events took place on the show including an in-person appearance by Tony Khan. “Big Money” Matt Hardy brought Private Party into the promotion as well.

Impact 1/19 Quick Results:

1. Eric Young defeated Rhino
2. Kimber Lee & Susan defeated Jordynne Grace & Jazz
3. Brian Myers defeated Fallah Bah
4. #1 Contenders Impact Tag Team Titles
   Private Party defeated Chris Sabin & James Storm

Here are 8 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/19:

Tony Khan & Jerry Lynn Help Matt Hardy & Private Party Qualify For Tag Title Shot

Earlier in the night, the Good Brothers were cutting a promo when they were interrupted by Chris Sabin. With Alex Shelley on the shelf with an injury, James Storm also came out as Sabin’s new, albeit temporary, partner. All 4 men were then interrupted by Matt Hardy making his return to Impact Wrestling. Hardy was decked out as “Big Money Matt” and lobbied for his clients, Private Party, to be added to the tag title mix as well. The Good Brothers then pointed out that Private Party and Sabin/Storm could face each other with the winner facing the Good Brothers down the line. This set up the main event for later in the evening.

Before the match began, Tony Khan and Jerry Lynn came out in person and set up chairs at ringside. Lynn, of course, has a long history in Impact. Along with guys like AJ Styles and Low-Ki, Lynn is a pioneer of the X-Division.

After a fun back and forth match, Lynn would get involved in the finish. Sabin was on the top turnbuckle as Private Party was looking to set him up for their Gin and Juice finisher. Sabin tried to escape but Jerry Lynn ran to ringside and held onto his foot, holding him in place for Private Party to hit their finisher and get the win. Now, Private Party has earned a title shot against the Good Brothers.

Taya Valkyrie Arrested For Attempted Murder, Future Plans Teased

It’s not clear if Taya was really at these tapings or if they just filmed this scene ahead of time. Regardless, it appears Taya Valkyrie’s run in Impact Wrestling has come to an end. What a run it was too. She held the Knockouts Championship for the longest single-reign in history and was involved in major storylines throughout her entire time here. I don’t even think she missed anytime for injury either.

Acey Romero brought new evidence to Tommy Dreamer this week that proved Taya Valkyrie was the one who shot John E Bravo. She was taken away to prison after sharing an emotional moment with Rosemary.

After Taya was gone, Tommy Dreamer, Acey Romero, and John E Bravo had a very humorous exchange where they commented on what “prison” Taya might be going to. I’ve taken the liberty of transcribing their comments:

Tommy Dreamer: “If she’s lucky, she’ll go to Jacksonville (AEW)….state prison. But for what she did and she’s not that lucky, I think they are going to send her to Stamford (WWE) Maximum Penitentiary for 2 years, maybe an option for 3, and trust me, that will change a person’s soul forever.”

Acey Romero: “I hope they don’t send her to Baltimore (ROH)”

Tony Khan Explains Why He Sent “Big Money Matt” To Impact

After Matt Hardy had made his first appearance on the show, we were treated to another Tony Khan video this week. Tony Schiavone wasn’t with him this time, however, rather it was Jerry Lynn by his side. In this video, Khan explained why he sent Matt Hardy to Impact. Khan explained that he can’t “out carny” Impact because he’s a nice guy, and not a carny. Big Money Matt is a carny, however, so Khan sent him to Impact to cause chaos in response to Impact stars showing up on his program.

Moose and Rich Swann Rivalry Continues

At Genesis a couple of weeks ago, Moose earned a title shot against Rich Swann by defeating Willie Mack in an “I Quit” match. Then, after their Hard to Kill main event match where they teamed together along with Chris Sabin against Omega and the Good Brothers, Moose attacked Swann in the back. Swann cut an in-ring promo this week and said he had trust issues with Moose in the match at Hard to Kill. He calls out Moose, who joins him in the ring. Swann said he wants to give Moose his title shot tonight, but Moose declines, saying he wants the match to take place on his terms. The champion can’t wait, however, and goes after Moose and sends him retreating to the back after a Phoenix Splash.

Violent By Design Takes Out Rhino

Eric Young and Rhino faced off in singles action to kick-off Impact this week. Both had been involved in the trios “Old School Rules” match at Hard to Kill. Young had Joe Doering and Deaner at ringside and Rhino brought Cousin Jake with him. Deaner would provide a distraction at ringside that allowed Doering to hit a brutal clothesline on Rhino and toss him back into the ring where Young was waiting. Young locked in a heel hook and made Rhino tapout for the win.

After the match, the faction continued the assault on Rhino’s leg, much like Young has done to Rich Swann in the past. They wrapped Rhino’s leg in a steel chair and Doering stomped on it, possibly leading to an injury. It might be awhile before Rhino is 100% again.

Kimber Lee & Susan Pick Up Win Over Jordynne Grace & Jazz

Su Yung was Susie and is now Susan, a straight-laced business-suit wearing persona. She teamed with Kimber Lee this week and had Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo on the outside. Their opponents were the team of Jordynne Grace and Jazz, who went to the semi-finals of the Knockouts tag-team title tournament.

The finish of this match came, when Kimber Lee had the ref distracted, allowing Purrazzo to hit Jazz with the Knockouts title. Susan then covered Jazz and picked up the win for her team.

It appears Susan is something of a “Susan” as well:

Brian Myers Defeats Fallah Bah, Will Face Eddie Edwards Next Week

The “Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers didn’t shy away from taking shortcuts to pick up the win this week. He was taking on Fallah Bah, who has lost a dramatic amount of weight lately and is looking good. The finish of the match came when Fallah Bah inadvertently poked Myers in the eye. As Myers was explaining this to the referee, he was able to hit a low-blow with the ref out of position. Myers then hit a big clothesline and got the pin.

Later in the show, Myers went to Dr. Ross Foreman to get his poked eye evaluated. At the time, the doctor was treating Eddie Edwards for the many injuries he sustained at Hard to Kill. This set up a match between Myers and Edwards for next week.

Next Week On Impact Wrestling

The following matches have been confirmed for next week’s Impact Wrestling:

• Brian Myers vs Eddie Edwards
• Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs Josh Alexander & Matt Cardona
• Joe Doering vs Cousin Jake
• Tenille Dashwood vs Rosemary
• Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz host “Fire & Flava Festival” in celebration of tag title win

In 2 week:

• Rohit Raju vs TJP (Non-title)

Taya Valkyrie is done with Impact Wrestling. This week’s episode of Impact on AXS TV featured a segment to write her off TV. PW Insider was first to report this would be her last appearance for the promotion.

Valkyrie originally signed a two year contract with Impact back in 2017. Officials chose the option to roll over her deal for another year in 2019. The extended contract expired last month. The former Lucha Underground star decided to stay with the company until last Saturday’s Hard To Kill PPV where she put over Deonna Purrazzo.

This week’s episode of Impact then saw a segment featuring Valkyrie where it was revealed that she was the one who shot John E. Bravo at his wedding segment with Rosemary. The explanation for her actions were that Taya was trying to protect her friend Rosemary without realizing that the demon Mary was using Bravo to get his “virgin blood.” Tommy Dreamer then had Taya Valkyrie taken to jail as a way to write her off TV.

Dreamer also joked about Taya’s future saying that she will go to Jacksonville State Prison if she is lucky, referencing AEW. However, if she is not lucky she will end up at Stamford Correctional where WWE’s headquarter is situated which, according to Dreamer, changes a person’s soul forever.

• Rosemary Talks Relationship With Taya Valkyrie & Hard to Kill PPV

You can check out the full segment below:

Kenny Omega didn’t appear live on Impact Wrestling this week, but it didn’t stop other AEW stars from invading the show and the episode saw the return of Matt Hardy to the Impact Zone for the first time since 2017, alongside appearances from several other stars from his current company.

A segment during the show saw The Good Brothers bragging about their victory at Saturday’s Hard To Kill main event but they were interrupted by Chris Sabin who wanted a rematch for the Impact tag titles. Gallows and Anderson pointed out how Sabin did not have his partner Alex Shelley on his side again but Chris said he has another guy and introduced the returning James Storm.

The two then tried to get into the ring but they were interrupted by AEW stars Matt Hardy and Private Party. Hardy praised the AEW tag team and said that they should be the ones getting a shot at the tag titles. Hardy also claimed that he saved the company from collapsing in 2016 and the Hardy Boyz technically never lost the Impact tag team titles before they left the promotion.

The segment resulted in a #1 contenders match for the tag titles being announced between the teams of Storm & Sabin and Private Party for the main event of the show. The episode interestingly also featured another paid advertisement from Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone but AEW producer Jerry Lynn was at Khan’s side this time.

The AEW president alongside Lynn showed up at the Impact Zone for the main event match to get a closer look at the action. Matt Hardy was already on the ringside to support Private Party. The match saw Private Party winning the bout and becoming the new #1 contenders for the Impact tag team championships thanks to interference from Jerry Lynn.

The Good Brothers came out to face off with Private Party after the bout but they were attacked by Sabin and Storm. The show went off air as a big brawl broke out among all the stars. There is no word yet on when Private Party will get their title shot and after the brawl, it would be interesting to see if Chris Sabin and James Storm are also added to the match.

Don Callis has boldly compared himself to the one and only Advocate of pro wrestling, Paul Heyman. In fact, the Invisible Hand is so confident that he proclaims to be working at “a much higher level” than “characters” like Heyman. With all due respect.

Callis is the mastermind behind Kenny Omega, the reigning World champion of All Elite Wrestling. During a recent discussion with Chris Van Vliet, he was asked about people who have influenced his career. Among the names were [Kenny Omega’s uncle] The Golden Sheik, former WWE Superstar Bad News Allen and the esteemed Paul Heyman.

There are certain similarities between Callis and Heyman. Aside from guiding the careers of men at the very top of the sport, they both seem to play 4D chess while others are playing checkers. Callis didn’t just cite Paul Heyman as an influence, though. He thinks his current work with Kenny Omega is on a whole different level.

“I’ve been happy for Paul that he’s had the success that he’s had, because he’s a very talented and hard-working guy,” said Callis. “He did a lot for me. There have been people now that have been comparing us, and I think it’s an unfair comparison for Paul because Paul is a tremendous wrestling performer, a character on a television show. He does a wonderful job of that. I’m not a character. I am the essence of who I am and what I do is done at a much higher level than what characters like Paul, with all due respect, can do.”

• Don Callis Wants To Run The Wrestling Business

You can watch Don Callis’ full interview with Chris Van Vliet below:

Don Callis & Kenny Omega

Don Callis and Kenny Omega will return to AEW Dynamite. The return follows Saturday’s Impact Hard to Kill pay-per-view, which saw Omega pin Impact Champion Rich Swann in the main event.

AEW is advertising that Omega will “reflect on his dominance.”

In the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV, Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers wore Bullet Club branding. Karl Anderson wore a Bullet Club hoodie, Doc Gallows had the faction’s logos on his gear, and Kenny Omega wore a cut-up Bullet Club Halloween special edition t-shirt. Branding for the faction appearing on Impact was addressed recently by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Everyone thinks it has something to do with New Japan, it’s got nothing to do with New Japan,” Meltzer said.

The words “Bullet Club” were never mentioned on commentary.

“I cannot imagine that wearing a t-shirt would be illegal in any way shape or form. I mean, if he was selling the t-shirt that would be illegal. Giving them publicity for wearing a t-shirt? No, there wouldn’t be anything illegal about that at all. They should be happy that he’s publicizing their t-shirt on television.”

“Why would (NJPW) ever get mad about something like that?” Meltzer continued. “Gallows and Anderson are going to be in New Japan soon enough and they are going to be in Bullet Club. Or at least the theory is they will be in Bullet Club, I don’t know that 100%”

Impact Wrestling is back tonight with the first episode from the tapings held over the weekend. Eric Young will face Rhino, and Jordynne Grace & Jazz will face Kimber Lee and Susan (aka Su Yung) on the show.

Impact Wrestling returns tonight with an all-new episode of Impact on AXS-TV. This will be the first episode featuring the new commentary team of Matt Striker and D-Lo Brown.

Impact will feature fallout from Saturday night’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view:

• How will Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swann react to getting pinned by AEW World Champion Kenny Omega?

• Moose filled in for Alex Shelly in the main event of Hard to Kill. He put on an impressive showing, despite his team coming up short. Will Moose turn his sights

• Fire ‘n Flava (Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan0 are the new Knockouts Tag Team Champions.

• Deonna Purrazzo is still the Knockouts Champion.

• How will X-Division Champion Manik (TJP) react to being unmasked at Hard to Kill?

• Matt Cardona is hinting that he’ll be at Impact following his debut at Hard to Kill. Impact is selling a new Matt Cardona t-shirt, so it does look like he’ll be sticking around.

Impact Matches

Impact is advertising the following matches for this week:

• Eric Young vs. Rhino

• Kimber Lee & Susan vs. Jordynne Grace and Jazz in Knockouts tag team action

How to Watch Impact Wrestling:

• USA: Tuesdays at 8pm EST on AXS TV & Twitch
• Canada: Tuesdays at 8pm on Fight Network & Twitch
• UK: Wednesdays at 10pm on FreeSports & Wednesdays at 3am on IMPACT Plus

The lawsuit involving Jeff Jarrett and the owners of Impact Wrestling, Anthem Sports and Entertainment, has been officially dismissed. The lawsuit can be re-opened, however, if the agreed-upon settlement between the two parties falls through. Jarrett and Anthem are reported to have reached an undisclosed settlement in the first week of January.

According to a report by PW Insider, sources within WWE have stated that Jarrett has been in a “great mood” since the settlement. This would seem to indicate he is happy with what was agreed upon. The settlement follows more than 2-years of legal battles between the two parties. Jarrett was officially released by Impact Wrestling in the fall of 2017.

Jarrett filed a lawsuit against Anthem Sports and Entertainment following the 2017 attempt at combining his Global Force Wrestling with Impact Wrestling. At some point during the aftermath of the falling out between the two parties, tapes of Jarrett’s GFW Amped show were deleted.

Jarrett won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 6x while with TNA. He was inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame in 2015. Jarrett appeared on WWE RAW last night. He gave his opinion of the scheduled Drew McIntyre vs Goldberg match at the Royal Rumble.