Impact Wrestling has announced the brackets for the upcoming Knockouts Tag Team title tournament. The 8-team single-elimination tournament will begin on Tuesday’s edition of Impact. The brackets are below:
Tenille Dashwood & Alisha Edwards vs Havok & Nevaeh
Killer Kelly & Renee Michelle vs Jordynne Grace & TBA
Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz vs Team Sea Stars (Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo)
Deonna Purrazzo & Kimber Lee vs Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary
Semi-Finals: Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 2
Semi-Finals: Winner of Match 3 vs Winner of Match 4
Finals: Winner of Match 5 vs Winner of Match 6
BREAKING: These are the full brackets for the Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament! The tournament begins TUESDAY on IMPACT! #TurningPointpic.twitter.com/vJydyFsuuG
In storyline, Jordynne Grace is having trouble finding a tag partner. She has almost formed a team with rival, Tenille Dashwood, but the “social media influencer” opted to choose Alisha Edwards as her partner instead.
Killer Kelly and Renee Michelle will each be making their Impact debut in the tournament. They’ll face Grace and a partner of her choosing in the first round.
The Team Sea Stars pairing consists of Ashley Vox and Delmi Exo. They are former tag champs in SHIMMER.
Knockouts Tag Team Championships
The Knockouts tag team titles didn’t have a long run in Impact. They were introduced in the fall of 2009 but were essentially gone by early 2012. Sarah Stock and Taylor Wilde were the first holders of the belts, after winning an 8-team single-elimination tournament similar to the one that has just been scheduled.
The titles were deactivated after ODB and Eric Young won them in 2012. Then Knockouts-division executive, Brooke Hogan, made the decision to strip them of the belts, though that didn’t officially occur until the summer of 2013.
Kylie Rae was scheduled to wrestle Deonna Purrazzo for the Impact Knockouts Championship at Bound For Glory. She did not appear on the show, however. While many details of the situation are being kept private, Kylie would later announce on Patreon that she is no longer a professional wrestler.
According to a recent update from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Kylie had been scheduled to defeat Purrazzo for the title. She was also expected to begin portraying a Marvel character as part of AAA’s new deal with the company.
“She was also going to be one of the two women playing Marvel characters in AAA which was going to be a high-profile mainstream spot, with lots of merchandise in Mexico and the possibility of it opening up in the U.S. as well,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Kylie released the following statement to her Patreon subscribers earlier this month:
“I’m truly sorry for the pain I’ve caused and miscommunication, I am currently unwell. I’m also sorry that I wasn’t able to get this out before your monthly subscription charge.”
“I wanted to take this time to say I am no longer a professional wrestler and am currently taking a break from social media. It’s been a very hard decision to make but please understand. When I am well, I will try to fulfill any obligations that have missed.”
Kylie has not been released from her contract with Impact Wrestling. Although Kylie has stated she is no longer a wrestler, the door has been left open for her if she decides to return.
Last night on Impact Wrestling, it was revealed that the Rascalz (Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, & Dezmond Xavier) are leaving the company. In storyline, the trio received an eviction notice after it was revealed they had not paid rent on their treehouse in 2 years.
The trio is actually done with Impact Wrestling. They are said to be leaving on good terms and finished up at the last set of TV tapings. On next week’s episode of Impact, Dez and Wentz will team against Rich Swann and Trey Miguel. The Rascalz are not booked to be at Turning Point on Saturday.
In addition to performing for Impact Wrestling, the Rascalz have teamed together for promotions such as CZW and PWG. Dez and Wentz are 2x CZW tag champions and 1x PWG champions.
The Rascalz came out to save Rich Swann from an attack by Sami Callihan last night on Impact. Callihan was going to hit Swann with a baseball bat before the trio made the save. Later in the back, Swann would book the tag match for next week which will be the final episode for the Rascalz.
According to a report at WrestlingInc, the Rascalz have a ‘standing offer’ from WWE and are expected to join the company soon.
Impact Wrestling is currently reeling from the attempted murder of John E Bravo on last week’s episode. This week, Tommy Dreamer has found his best Sherlock Holmes costume and is on the case.
Impact Wrestling 11/3 Quick Results:
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo defeated Su Yung (c) via DQ
Chris Bey defeated Trey Miguel
Doc Gallows defeated Ethan Page
Johnny Swinger defeated Cody Deaner
Sami Callihan & Eric Young defeated Rich Swann & Eddie Edwards
Tommy Dreamer Is On The Case Of Who Shot John E Bravo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVMDKnossB4
It was revealed this week that John E Bravo is not dead following being shot last week. Bravo is in a medically induced coma, however. Tommy Dreamer also announced that he is on the case after dressing up in his best Sherlock Holmes costume.
It’s clear that numerous people had a motive to shoot Bravo. Dreamer narrowed the list of suspects down to 10 names:
Johnny Swinger
Havok
Cody Deaner
Fallah Bahh
Referee Brandon Tolle
Hernandez
Larry D
Father James Mitchell
Rosemary
Taya Valkyrie
It might be some time before we find out who shot Bravo. We’ll all just have to following Dreamer’s investigation as it unfolds.
Knockouts Title To Be Defended At Turning Point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDajhO3lOBE
A rematch from Bound For Glory kicked off the show this week. Deonna Purrazzo faced Su Yung for the Knockouts title. Kimber Lee tried to give her ally an advantage by sliding a chair into he ring. Yung picked up the weapon, however, and was disqualified after using it on the challenger.
Following the match, Purrazzo’s attorney, RD Evans, argued that she wasn’t given a fair shot. Scott D’Amore then announced Purrazzo and Yung will face each other again at Turning Point on November 14th in a no disqualification match.
Sami Callihan To Face Rich Swann At Turning Point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2todUsLgQ7A
Sami Callihan teamed with Eric Young to face Rich Swann and Eddie Edwards in the main event this week. The team of Callihan and Young picked up the victory after some interference from Ken Shamrock allowed Callihan to pin Edwards. The trio of Young, Callihan and Shamrock seemed pretty aligned to end the show as well.
It was later announced that Callihan will face Swann at Turning Point.
Moose Wants A Shot At Rich Swann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATEYnixKPVs
Moose cut an in-ring promo this week about his victory over EC3 at Bound For Glory. He noted that he considers his belt the top one in the promotion and that Swann is holding a secondary title. Moose also talked about having attacked Willie Mack in the parking lot last week. Mack came out to confront Moose but found himself on the wrong end of the melee after bumping into the camera operator.
A match between Moose and Mack was later scheduled for Turning Point.
Chris Bey Also Wants A Shot At Rich Swann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-3ZlZDmYrQ
Chris Bey picked up a singles victory over Trey Miguel this week on Impact. We would later see him in the backstage area trying to convince Rich Swann to grant him a world title shot. Swann told Bey that if he wants a title shot, he’ll have to do something to earn it.
Rhino won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match at Bound For Glory, seemingly earning his friend Heath a contract in the process. Heath tore his groin during the match, however, and the team went to great lengths to hide this from Scott D’Amore this week. D’Amore eventually figured it out, however, and said that Heath will have to wait until he’s healthy to sign his new contract with the promotion.
Doc Gallows Picks Up Victory Over Ethan Page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUW3F-HKSdY
The North regained the Impact tag team titles at Bound For Glory but Ethan Page would face one-half of the Good Brothers, Doc Gallows, in singles action this week. Josh Alexander attempted to interfere in the match but Karl Anderson made the save. Gallows then hit Page with a thrust kick and got the 3-count. The North attempted to assault Gallows after the match but Anderson again made the save and the Good Brothers stood tall to end the segment.
Johnny Swinger Picks Up Victory With A Loaded Fanny Pack
Johnny Swinger picked up a rare singles win this week on Impact. He defeated Cody Deaner but the match was not without controversy. Swinger picked up the pin after hitting Deaner with his fanny pack. It’s not clear what Swinger loaded the pack up with but it certainly did the trick.
Swoggle was interviewed in the back this week. He was talking about his book “Life is Short and So Am I” when he was interrupted by Brian Myers. The Most Professional Wrestler called him a sideshow attraction and pushed him over at the end of the segment. It seems a feud between these two is brewing. A match between the two at Turning Point was made official later in the night.
Rohit Raju To Defend The X-Division Title Against TJP
Rohit Raju held another “Defeat Rohit” challenge this week. It was answered by TJP, however, who has already challenged the X-Division champion. The two ended up brawling after TJP threw hot tea on the champion.
Later in the show, D’Amore confirmed that Raju will defend against TJP next week and if TJP doesn’t win, he can’t challenge for the title again while Raju is champion.
Madison Rayne hosted another episode of “Locker Room Talk” this week. Her guests were Jordynne Grace and Tenille Dashwood (along with Kaleb). Rayne mentioned that neither of the two Knockouts have a partner for the KO Tag Team Championship tournament. Grace seemed okay with the idea of teaming with Dashwood but Dashwood asked Rayne to be her partner instead. The new team will face Neveah and Havok next week.
Upcoming Matches In Impact Wrestling
Next week on Impact Wrestling:
X-Division Championship Rohit Raju (c) vs TJP
Chris Sabin vs Acey Romero
Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood vs Havok & Neveah
Coming up at Turning Point on November 14th:
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Sami Callihan
Knockouts Championship No Disqualification Su Yung (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Impact Tag Team Championships The North (c) vs the Good Brothers
While their marriage isn’t acknowledged on-air, Su Yung and Rich Swann are both world champions in Impact Wrestling. At Impact’s Bound For Glory PPV, Rich Swann defeated Eric Young to win the Impact World title and Su Yung defeated Deonna Purrazzo to win the Knockouts title.
For Yung, it is her second time winning the coveted Knockouts belt. For Swann, his win at Bound For Glory was his first world championship, though he is a former X-Division and WWE Cruiserweight champion as well.
Su Yung took to Twitter to comment on their title wins:
once üpon a time. . .
4 oür fütüre 4 oür present 4 oür history love &&& so proüd of ü Richie ??? thank ü to all ?? we made history present &&& fütüre
Deona Purrazzo was originally scheduled to face Kylie Rae on the PPV but when Rae didn’t make the show, Su Yung was chosen as her replacement.
The celebration for Swann and Yung might be short-lived, however. A rematch between Yung and Purrazzo is scheduled for tonight’s show. The below matches are also scheduled for tonight:
Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel
Knockouts Championship Su Yung (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ethan Page vs Doc Gallows
Rich Swann & Eddie Edwards vs Eric Young & Sami Callihan
Additionally, Impact will likely address the murder of John E Bravo on tonight’s show.
Kylie Rae has announced she is taking a break from pro wrestling.
Rae was recently scheduled to compete at Impact Wrestling’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view. She no-showed the event, which set off concern due to her history of missing shows due to ‘personal issues.’
On Monday morning, Kylie Rae posted a message on her Patreon page announcing that she is “currently unwell” and “no longer a professional wrestler.”
She wrote to her subscribers, “I’m truly sorry for the pain I’ve caused and miscommunication, I am currently unwell. I’m also sorry that I wasn’t able to get this out before your monthly subscription charge.”
“I wanted to take this time to say I am no longer a professional wrestler and am currently taking a break from social media. It’s been a very hard decision to make but please understand.. When I am well, I will try to fulfill any obligations that have missed.”
We wish Kylie Rae all the best during her hiatus from pro wrestling. If you or a loved one is battling mental health issues, we encourage you to seek help independently or from one of the online resources available below:
Impact Wrestling 10/27 featured the first show since the Bound For Glory PPV. It was headlined by the wedding between John E Bravo and Rosemary. The wedding didn’t go as planned.
Impact 10/27 Results:
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) defeated Eric Young
Hardcore Halloween Match Tommy Dreamer defeated Brian Myers
Team XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero) defeated The Rascalz (Wentz & Dez)
The wedding between Rosemary and John E Bravo headlined the show this week. As the ceremony got underway, it appeared to be somewhat of a Halloween theme. Several wrestlers were in costume on the outside and Taya Valkyrie’s +1 appeared to be the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man of Ghostbusters fame. Father James Mitchell then made his arrival to officiate the wedding after having previously been killed in the undead realm.
Everyone involved in the wedding seemed to expect some type of disturbance. They looked surprised as several opportunities for such interference came and went without anything happening. They were declared man and wife but right when they went to kiss the lights went out. With the lights out a gunshot could be heard and when they came back on, Bravo was lying dead with a bullet wound in his chest.
The show opened up this week with Eric Young once again assaulting Rich Swann. The brawl spilled to the ring area before it was broken up by several officials. Scott D’Amore was in the ring as Young yelled that he wanted his rematch tonight. Swann agreed and the match was made official. Despite wrestling in dress shoes and not being prepared for the match, Swann managed to finish off the former champion with a Phoenix Splash, just as he had done at Bound For Glory.
Barrister RD Evans Ensures Deonna Purrazzo Receives Knockouts Title Rematch
Barrister RD Evans, who some may remember from ROH or others will remember from quitting his role as a WWE writer in dramatic fashion, had his legal services retained by Deonna Purrazzo this week. The Virtuosa claimed she should still be the rightful Knockouts Champion after Su Yung answered her challenge at Bound For Glory. She had originally been scheduled to face Kylie Rae on the card.
Scott D’Amore said Purrazzo could go through the legal system, but the courts are punting most cases down field during the pandemic, so things could take a long time. Or the former champion could face Su Yung next week. Purrazzo, Kimber Lee, and Evans consulted and agreed to the terms.
This brought out Su Yung who attacked everyone and blew mist in D’Amore’s face. She closed the segment by putting the mandible claw on Purrazzo.
Moose Claims TNA World Championship Is The #1 Title, Confronts Rich Swann
Rich Swann’s first night as Impact World Champion was not without multiple obstacles. After retaining the title in an impromptu rematch against Eric Young, Swann was celebrating in the back with the Rascalz and Willie Mack. He was then confronted by Moose who is now once again in possession of the TNA World Championship. He said that the TNA title was the #1 belt and that Swann seems to be celebrating just being #2. This infuriated Swann and he had to be held back by the Rascalz. Then Willie Mack got in Moose’s face and challenged him to a match. Moose said he’ll decide when that happens. Later in the show, Moose attacked Mack in the parking lot.
Rich Swann Confronted By Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock
After his confrontation with Moose, Swann wandered into a room where Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock were sitting. Callihan told Swann that while he hasn’t seen a lot of him lately, the new champion should get used to seeing both him and Ken Shamrock around.
There are no shortages of challengers awaiting to face the new champion, it seems.
Swoggle Helps Tommy Dreamer Defeated Brian Myers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn57plQKEXQ
The rivalry between Brian Myers and Tommy Dreamer continued this week on Impact. A Halloweed street fight was scheduled between the two. Dreamer came out with the same Road Warrior Animal tribute facepaint for the match.
After a match filled with plunder, Tommy Dreamer was able to gain the advantage when Swoggle emerged from a trash can and took a pair of tongs to the groin of Myers. Dreamer then delivered a death valley driver through a table for the win.
Team XXXL Moves Up The Tag Team Rankings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWkk9ohHsx8
Team XXXL pulled off what some would consider an upset this week when they defeated the Rascalz. Larry D pinned Dez after a massive splash from the top rope.
Later in the show, the former tag champions, the Motor City Machine Guns, were being interviewed when Team XXXL interrupted. The MCMG were stating that since they were never pinned at Bound for Glory, they were owed a rematch. Alex Shelley was seen sporting a neck brace, however, and a rematch will have to wait until he is cleared. Team XXXL said they aren’t willing to wait for their potential title shot and eventually attacked the former champions, leaving the injured Shelley on the floor.
It looks like Team XXXL is gunning for a title shot and they don’t want to have to wait for MCMG to get their rematch first.
Tasha Steelz & Kiera Hogan Pick Up Victory As Knockouts Tag Division Returns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgf1BPXOxro
Impact has announced an 8-team single-elimination tournament will determine the new Knockouts tag team champions. In the backstage area, Jordynne Grace and Alisha Edwards formed a loose alliance. They would take on the established team of Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz.
In the end, it would be a miscommunication between the less experienced team that would make the difference. Alisha charged at Steelz in the corner but missed and hit her partner, this allowed Steelz to roll her up for the 3-count and pick up the win for her team. After the match, Grace and Alisha didn’t seem too pleased with each other.
Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV saw some unscheduled changes take place. In the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match, Heath was in obvious discomfort and needed the ropes to hold himself up. Alex Shelley was taken out of the 4-way tag-team match early and Kylie Rae did not perform in her scheduled match against Deonna Purrazzo.
According to updates from the Wrestling Observer, Heath suffered a hernia in the gauntlet match. At the time, he thought he suffered a torn groin. Heath was also scheduled to win the match but the plan changed after he was injured. In storyline, one of either Heath or Rhino needed to win the match or they would both be gone from Impact. An on-the-fly decision saw Rhino defeat Sami Callihan in the finals of the match. This keeps Rhino and Heath in the company from a storyline perspective, though now it is Rhino who has a title shot owed instead of Heath.
The North attacked Alex Shelley before the tag title match at Bound For Glory. This forced Chris Sabin to wrestle the match by himself. The North would regain the tag titles in the match. Shelley provided his own detailed medical evaluation on Twitter:
Wrestling is a really dangerous sport and sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to. I apologize to @BLabelPro and @SORBilly who was coming out of retirement as well as any independent companies I was negotiating with. Piledrivers are very dangerous. https://t.co/VzRCxTUlJq
So, the C6 nerve root controls your pointer finger and bicep and C5 can refer to your pectoralis. If you feel intense burning in either of these areas following trauma, please seek medical attention. I feel somewhat grateful to have the education to know what the red flags are.
Kylie Rae also missed the show. According to a report from PW Insider, she traveled to Nashville but was unable to make it to the venue Saturday evening. The reason she missed the show is a private matter and Impact has said they won’t publicly comment on it. She is said to be doing well and is in good-standing with the company. She’ll be back when she is ready to be.
At Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV over the weekend, the company announced the Knockouts tag team championships will be returning. New champions will be crowned on the next Impact PPV at Hard to Kill on January 16th.
BREAKING: You've asked for it – the Knockouts Tag Team Titles are BACK!
Sarita and Taylor Wilde were the first-ever winners of the Knockouts tag team championships. They won a tournament and defeated Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky in the finals. Awesome Kong and Hamada would defeat them for the belts 106 days later.
The titles were then vacated when Awesome Kong left the company in 2010. The Beautiful People would then win the vacated belts that March.
In March of 2012, Eric Young became the first male wrestler to win 1/2 of the titles. His team with ODB defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne to win the belts. Impact executive Brooke Hogan would eventually strip them of the titles due to Young being a male competitor, however. The titles were eventually deactivated.
UFC legend and veteran wrestler Ken Shamrock was inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame during the pre-show for tonight’s Bound For Glory PPV event by none other than The Rock via a video message.
Shamrock was announced for the Hall Of Fame in February this year and last month he asked The Great One if he could send greetings for this induction.
The Impact star had called his time with the Rock his ‘greatest memory’ in wrestling and The People’s champion had replied to his request positively.
Tonight’s pre-show then saw Shamrock receiving video messages from the likes of WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, Bas Rutton, Ariel Helwani, and Chael Sonnen congratulating him on his induction.
The final message was from the Rock who credited his rivalry with Ken Shamrock as a big moment in his wrestling career and congratulated the former champion for the achievement.
Shamrock then delivered a speech where he thanked his friends and family. He also thanked pro wrestling personalities like Bret Hart, The Rock, and even Vince McMahon for giving him a shot in WWE:
This induction makes Ken Shamrock the ninth person to join the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame alongside people like Sting, Kurt Angle, and Team 3D.
My pleasure, brother. Ken was very instrumental early in my career and I’ll always be grateful to him. Thanks to you as well for being so kind to me on that Indy show we did back in ‘97. Tell all the Impact boys (and girls) I said keep working hard and have fun ??
Former WWE star Rich Swann became the new Impact Wrestling World Champion in the main event of tonight’s Bound for Glory pay per view event.
Swann faced the former champion Eric Young in a one on one match in the main event and he got an early advantage over the champion, forcing Eric to hit the floor to collect himself.
The world champion however, came back and took control of the bout after hitting a big neck breaker on the challenger. Young continued to beat up the former 205 Live star for the next few minutes.
Though Rich Swann never stayed down for long and the two lightweight stars had a hard-hitting match for the biggest prize in Impact Wrestling.
The ending of the bout saw Rich Swann trying to hit a phoenix splash but the Impact champion wrenched his ankle against the turnbuckle.
The challenger countered this with a handspring cutter. Rich Swann then finally delivered the phoenix splash and pinned Young to become the new Impact World Champion.
After the match, several Impact babyfaces came to the ring to congratulate the new champion and the show ended with him celebrating in the ring with other wrestlers. You can check out some photos of the bout below:
This title change ends Eric Young’s second reign as the Impact World Champion of 70 days and marks the beginning of the first World title reign for Rich Swann.
Deonna Purrazzo spoke with Wrestling Observer Radio this week to promote her Knockouts title defense against Kylie Rae at Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV.
Purrazzo discussed her time in Impact thus far, her NXT run and her character, The Virtuosa.
“The Virtuosa persona really started at Ring of Honor back when I was there and building their women’s division and I just kind of needed something other than Deonna Purrazzo, is kind of how it was explained to me,” she said during the interview.
Purrazzo said the name “Virtuosa” at the time was just meant to tie in her Italian heritage. The term literally means, ‘a woman who excels in the technique of an art.’
Pitching The Virtuosa
“Going into NXT right from Ring of Honor, I didn’t expect to need a character more than I was. I was just like ‘I’m a wrestler!’ you know what I mean? I’m Italian.”
She continued to talk about developing her character and pitching it to management.
“I wrote up a character synopsis. I wrote up promo ideas, I pitched to have a manager because I know promos aren’t necessarily my strongest thing. Then the feedback was, it’s too outlandish of a character, you need to be more real-life.”
She would continue to talk about not getting a great reception from NXT management about the Virtuosa character. Purrazzo said she was told that they didn’t get what Virtuosa meant.
“Then it was ‘we don’t understand what Virtuosa means’, I just felt there were so many excuses. I was the person that it didn’t matter what I said or did or changed. They had an opinion and that was that.”
After being released from NXT in April, she then pitched the same character to Impact.
“There was obviously hesitation going into Impact and pitching the same thing. I was a little hesitant to hear their feedback but because I had presented it in such a way of like this is exactly who I am, this is how I want to speak, this is how I want to dress, here’s my entrance music, here’s my gear, I just have constantly been able to evolve that. I think I gave them no choice and because it was a fresh start, they were willing to let me explore myself and explore this persona a little bit more.”
She continued to talk about how she’s happy to see the character working in Impact after having it be rejected in NXT.
“For 18 months I was told, it doesn’t work, we don’t understand, no no no, and to then have it work is kind of like ‘okay, now you see it and you missed out on it.'”
Ahead of tonight’s Bound For Glory PPV, Impact Wrestling has made its streaming service, Impact Plus, free for the entire weekend.
“In celebration of the biggest weekend on the IMPACT Wrestling calendar, IMPACT Plus has been unlocked – MADE FREE – so every fan can get ready for tomorrow’s huge event. Dive into the vast IMPACT Plus library and relive every previous BOUND FOR GLORY, all the moments, all the shock and all the championship glory,” Impact’s press release reads.
BREAKING: @IMPACTPlusApp is FREE this weekend – every single episode of IMPACT, every PPV and every event is now unlocked FOR FREE!
Impact Wrestling Roster Comments On Bound For Glory
Several members of the Impact Wrestling roster have commented on the importance of Bound For Glory.
“Headlining BOUND FOR GLORY is everything to me. I’ve trained so damn hard for this. I’ve going to soar higher than ever this Saturday. I’m bringing everything I’ve got to this match,” said Rich Swann who will challenge Eric Young for the World Championship on the show.
“BOUND FOR GLORY always has a special feeling. It’s all about creating memories. Moments that will live on for years to come, moments that we will never forget, moments that will be around long after we are gone. Last year, I won the Gauntlet Match. I feel like that victory was my reset button. That win set me on my path to becoming the IMPACT World Champion for the second time,” said Eddie Edwards who will wrestle Ken Shamrock on the show.
Impact Wrestling is back with another show, so let’s take a look at the card for the Bound For Glory pay-per-view event.
Bound For Glory takes place on Saturday, October 24, 2020 from Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion Eric Young vs. Rich Swann is expected to serve as the headliner.
The show kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be distributed on cable, satellite and digital pay-per-view, including DISH, DirecTV, iN Demand, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw and Sasktel across North America, and streaming live globally exclusively on the FITE.tv app
This will be the third PPV event of the year for Impact. The card that features several big matches appears to be finalized.
Bound For Glory Final Card
It’s possible the promotion announces more matches but here’s how the card looks like for now:
World Champion Eric Young vs. Rich Swann
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo (C) vs. Kylie Rae
X-Division Champion Rohit Raju (C) vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Willie Mack vs. TJP vs. Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel – 6-Way Scramble Match
World Tag Team Champions The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs. The North vs. The Good Brothers
Moose vs. EC3 – Unsanctioned Match
Ken Shamrock (with Sami Callihan) vs. Eddie Edwards
Heath, Rhino, Hernandez, Acey Romero, Larry D, Tenille Dashwood, Taya Valkyrie, Brian Myers, Tommy Dreamer, Havok and more – Call Your Shot Gauntlet
The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz) vs. The Deaners (Cody Deaner & Cousin Jake) – Pre-Show
Throughout its near two-decades in existence one thing Impact Wrestling/TNA has consistently received praise for is its Knockouts division. Even during periods where women’s wrestling wasn’t a featured part of other promotions, Impact has seemed to have always had a pretty stacked division.
Impact Hall-of-Famer Gail Kim was recently interviewed by Forbes and talked the past and present of the Knockouts division.
“Just to see where we started, and to be along for that whole ride to see where the Knockouts division is now…of course, there are so many women—not just in our company, but across the board in the industry—so many talented women that I would have loved to have worked with,” Kim said.
“I guess it is a little more special to me to have broken out in a time when women’s wrestling wasn’t so hyped up as it is now, and as big as it is now, so I wouldn’t change a thing,” she continued.
Kiera Hogan On The Present Knockouts Division
Forbes also spoke with Kiera Hogan during the interview. Hogan has been teaming with Tasha Steelz as of late in the promotion and feels the Knockouts division is the best in the business.
“I feel like, as a unit, we are the best. As separate personalities and characters, we are the best, so I feel like if it was ever a thing—if it was company vs. company vs. company (WWE vs. AEW vs. IMPACT)—IMPACT would win hands down,” she said.
The Knockouts title will be on the line at Bound For Glory this weekend. Champion Deonna Purrazzo will defend the title against challenger Kylie Rae.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOVBjLeOnNA
Knockouts Championship History
Purrazzo became the 24th wrestler in history to win the Knockouts title when she defeated Jordynne Grace at Slammiversary this year. Gail Kim leads almost all historic categories when it comes to the championship aside from longest single-reign. That record belongs to Taya Valkyrie (377).
Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo will not be leaving Impact Wrestling anytime soon. Impact announced during Impact Press Pass on Wednesday that the 26-year-old has signed a long-term deal with the promotion. Specific terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Purrazzo returned to Impact Wrestling in May this year and immediately attacked then-champion, Jordynne Grace. She won the title from Grace at Slammiversary and then successfully retained it in a 30-minute Ironman match on night 2 of Emergence.
Purrazzo took to Twitter to comment on the news:
I’ve been waiting to be able to talk about this publicly!!!
Purrazzo spoke with Chris Van Vliet in June about her decision to go to Impact Wrestling. She mentioned that other promotions had contacted her but Impact was where she ultimately decided to go.
“I mean like, some people had reached out, but it was all kind of like fleeting, there was no like, ‘You’re gonna have a meeting’ or, ‘We’re gonna sit down and do this.’”
“Luckily, I had been to Impact before, I know the people there and it was right away like, ‘We’d like to have you, let’s talk about it when we can.’ It was just more of a secure thing.”
Purrazzo is scheduled to defend the Knockouts title against Kylie Rae this Saturday at Bound For Glory.
Impact Wrestling 10/21 was the go-home show for Saturday’s Bound For Glory PPV. The North faced The Good Brothers, a 5-way would determine who enters last in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet at BFG, and Havok took on Rosemary with James Mitchell’s possible reincarnation on the line.
Impact Results 10/20:
Winner Enters At #20 In Call Your Shot Gauntlet Hernandez defeated Rhino, Heath, Alisha & Cousin Jake
Rosemary defeated Havok
Sami Callihan defeated Eddie Edwards
Willie Mack, TJP & Trey Miguel defeated Chris Bey, Jordynne Grace & X-Division Champion Rohit Raju
The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) vs The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) – No-Contest
The Good Brothers Stand Tall To End The Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRmCfwIF5WU
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows appear to have all the momentum heading into Bound For Glory. They met Josh Alexander and Ethan Page, the North, in the night’s main event. The Good Brothers appeared to have the match won when they hit the Magic Killer on Page but Alexander was able to make the save. Shortly after this, all 4 men began brawling in the ring, causing the ref to call for the bell.
The chaos brought out the other two teams in the tag title 4-way match on Saturday. The MCMG and the Good Brothers cleared the ring of Austin & Fulton and the North. The Good Brothers then delivered a Magic Killer on Sabin and stood tall to end the show.
Ken Shamrock Assaults Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fslgptf80xE
At Bound For Glory, Ken Shamrock will face Eddie Edwards. In recent weeks, Shamrock has been under the control of Sami Callihan and seems more vicious than ever. This week it would be Edwards and Callihan rekindling their rivalry. Edwards appeared to have the upper hand but right when he went for the Boston Knee Party, Callihan pressed that button he has which turns the lights out in the building. When the lights came back on, Shamrock was at ringside. The distraction allowed Callihan to roll up Edwards for the pin. Shamrock then attacked his BFG opponent to soften him up before the PPV.
Eric Young and Rich Swann Brawl Days Before Bound For Glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6xOT51fUO4
Eric Young and Rich Swann will clash for the Impact World Championship on Saturday. Young has attacked Swann numerous times but the former X-Division Champion keeps training hard and getting cleared by Impact’s medical team. Young was cutting a promo stating that he’ll continue to attack people if they get in his way when Swann attacked him.
EC3 Says Moose Is Becoming Who He Is Supposed To Be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KysbLTEhv1Q
Jimmy Jacobs had the unfortunate task of interviewing both Moose and EC3 this week. Moose was his normal pleasant self, having recaptured the TNA title seemingly having done little to improve his mood. After Moose stormed off set during the interview, EC3’s minions put a hood over Jacobs and took him to an undisclosed location to meet with EC3.
EC3 said that when he was fighting Moose on the bridge last week (when Moose repossessed the title) he saw the kind of guy he wants to fight. He saw the version of Moose that he should always be. EC3 called Moose a false idol but has potential to be something more.
“Lessons not learned in blood are lessons you will forget,” EC3 said. “Moose needs to learn who he has to become but he also must learn at my hands.”
Rosemary Earns James Mitchell’s Reincarnation With Win Over Havok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaP7rbmndR4
This may take some explaining. Rosemary is getting married to John E Bravo on next week’s show. Since she is a demon, however, she needs someone like Father James Mitchell to officiate the wedding. That would be all fine and good but Mitchell was killed by Rosemary and Havok in the undead realm in a previous storyline. Rosemary needs Havok to agree to help bring back Mitchell to officiate the wedding. Havok agreed to this match with the stipulation that if Rosemary won, she’d help bring back the Sinister Minister. Rosemary picked up the victory with two spears, meaning Father James Mitchell may return to both Impact and the living realm next week for the wedding.
Hernandez To Enter Last In Call Your Shot Gauntlet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4njCE9cIDM
A 10-person tag last week was held with the winning team facing each other this week. The winner of this match would then be granted the #20 entry into the Call Your Shot Gauntlet at Bound For Glory. The winner of the Gauntlet match can challenge whichever champion in the promotion they want. Also, Scott D’Amore has said to Rhino and Heath that if one of them doesn’t win the match, they are both gone from Impact.
Hernandez would pick up the victory here and earn the final entry at BFG. The finish of the match came when Rhino attempted to gore Hernandez, missed, hit Alisha, and then Hernandez rolled him up for the pin.
Everyone’s Gunning For Rohit Raju’s X-Division Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69tKYo1GDP4
X-Division Champion Rohit Raju has done everything he can to avoid facing the top challengers for his title. He’s in tough at Bound For Glory, however, as he’ll have to defend his title in a 6-way match. All 6 competitors in the match were in this tag-team match but the champion’s team failed to get along.
Raju and Chris Bey began arguing over who should pin their opponents and it became clear they were not on the same page. The champion attempted to attack Bey but took a springboard cutter for his trouble. Trey Miguel then kicked Bey in the head and pinned Raju to win the match for his team.
Bound For Glory Lineup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R2-IB099AM
Here is the lineup for Saturday’s Bound For Glory PPV:
Impact World Championship Eric Young (c) vs Rich Swann
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Kylie Rae
Impact Tag Team Championships The Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs the Good Brothers vs The North vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
X-Division Championship Rohit Raju (c) vs Jordynne Grace vs TJP vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Willie Mack
2020 has been a year of releases with many big names becoming free agents and jumping ships and now another name seems to have joined the list in Impact Wrestling star Daga.
According to reports from WrestlingInc, the high flying star had asked for his release from the company a while back and the officials have now granted his request.
Daga made his Impact debut in February last year and the company had held off his release request while trying to re-sign him but the management did not succeed in their efforts.
The now-former Impact star is probably best known for his time with AAA in Mexico where he spent six years of his career from 2011 to 2017 and won multiple titles, including the AAA cruiserweight championship once.
He was asked about a potential AEW signing last year but Daga had confirmed that he hasn’t talked to the promotion, though he had shown interest in growing his name in the American market.
Now it would be interesting to see where the former Impact star goes next after his release and if WWE or AEW officials show any interest in signing the Mexican wrestler to their promotion in the coming times.
Sami Callihan will go one-on-one with his longtime rival Eddie Edwards tonight on AXS TV and Twitch. At Bound For Glory, Callihan will be in Ken Shamrock’s corner as he takes on Edwards. Shamrock and Callihan have formed an alliance in the promotion. They previously feuded and then formed a tag-team.
“If you told a 14-year-old Sami Callihan that he’d be tag-teaming with Ken Shamrock, he’d freak out,” Callihan said in an interview with Slam Wrestling. “But, now, as a grown man, I don’t just look at him like a legend – I look at him as an equal, a co-worker. I look at it as a big feather in my cap that I’m the person they put with him after he came back to wrestling after being gone for so many years. Because they knew we could really do good business.”
Callihan also spoke about the last couple of years he has spent in Impact Wrestling. He won the company’s world title and has had high-profile feuds with Rich Swann, Tessa Blanchard and others.
“To go from someone like Pentagon Jr. then to Brian Cage, to Rich Swann, to Tessa Blanchard, then to Ken Shamrock. Anyone you put me in the ring with, I’m going to bring out the best in them.”
Former President of TNA/Impact Wrestling, Dixie Carter, recently sent out a Tweet promoting the Bound For Glory PPV scheduled for this Saturday. Carter was responding to a Tweet from Scott D’Amore when she made the comments. D’Amore is promising to send a personal video to anyone who pre-orders the PPV from FITE.
Elijah Burke Says Dixie Carter Doesn’t Get Enough Credit
Elijah Burke recently mentioned that he doesn’t feel Dixie Carter gets enough credit for her work in wrestling. He was speaking with the Wrestling EpiCenter podcast when he said Dixie gets a bum rap.
“Certainly, she gets a bum rap and she doesn’t get enough credit for what she did do, which was take a company that was going under and made it a national company and made it a somewhat profitable company. Sure, she was not the wrestling genius or wrestling mastermind, as so many other people have pointed out. But, when it came to the promotion and what needed to be to get IMPACT to a respectable number 2 at the time, she did that. She did that!”
The Lineup For Bound For Glory
Here is the lineup for Saturday’s Bound For Glory event:
Impact World Championship Eric Young (c) vs Rich Swann
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Kylie Rae
Impact Tag Team Championships The Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs the Good Brothers vs The North vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
X-Division Championship Rohit Raju (c) vs Jordynne Grace vs TJP vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Willie Mack
Gallows and Anderson have started a number of new business ventures since leaving WWE and it has made many wonder if this is a sign that their days in the ring are numbered.
The Good Brothers were recently interviewed by Entrepreneur.com where they talked about things like their future business plans, getting released from WWE and more.
During the interview, Gallows and Anderson were asked if the new projects they have undertaken are a sign that they are planning their retirement and the two responded negatively:
“We are not counting down the days until then. We want to be out there when we’re 50 if we can be. There’s a chance our bodies don’t hold up, so we want this brand that we’re creating now to be the thing that carries us into the next thing.”
The fact that the duo decided to sign with Impact Wrestling and make the company their home base in the US surprised a lot of people because many were hoping Gallows and Anderson to sign with AEW.
When asked about it, the duo claimed that Impact officials put together a very good deal for them and they explained that the company is promoting them as their top stars. You can check out the full interview at this link.
Eric Bischoff made some interesting comments about WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling.
While speaking on his After 83 Weeks post-show, the former SmackDown Executive Director spoke about the differences between TNA about 7 years ago and today’s NXT.
“I don’t think NXT is as good as TNA was when TNA was at its peak.”
He continued by noting that something being at its peak is subjective as some people like it at various stages. He stated that a lot of people liked it because it did feel different in the very beginning or because it was new or it had a smaller presentation. He noted that more than anything, everybody loves a competitor.
“But if you go back and look at TNA in terms of its peak across the boards, not for a moment in time but for an extended period of time across the boards in terms of television ratings, PPV buys and house show attendance. That’s going to be that period of time that I was describing earlier.
Right around the Aces and Eights peak storyline period with Brooke [Hogan] and Bully [Ray] and all of that when they were putting 2500, 3500, 5000 people in a venue.
Yes, they did, and they actually paid for it. I don’t know that NXT is doing anything better than TNA was when TNA was at its peak. I would be pretty sure…that I would bet that there are a lot more resources being pumped into NXT than there ever were being pumped into TNA.”
Bischoff came into the promotion in January 2010 alongside Hulk Hogan. He would be behind various storylines including the Aces & Eights group and Bully Ray becoming TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
Impact Wrestling will present Bound For Glory on October 24th, 2020. Several big matches are confirmed for the show including a Call Your Shot Gauntlet match. Scott D’Amore recently revealed to Rhino that if neither him nor Heath win the match, they will be gone from the promotion.
Impact recently announced 10 wrestlers who will participate in the gauntlet match:
Heath
Rhino
Hernandez
Acey Romero
Larry D
Tenille Dashwood
Taya Valkyrie
Brian Myers
Tommy Dreamer
Havok.
“At last year’s BOUND FOR GLORY, Eddie Edwards emerged victorious after a brutal struggle in the inaugural Call Your Shot Gauntlet. Eddie bided his time until this past July’s Slammiversary, picking exactly the right moment to strike and win the World Championship,” said Scott D’Amore in a press release.
“As you can imagine, everyone on the roster wants to win the Call Your Shot Gauntlet and we’re excited to announce the first 10 participants.”
The rest of the participants will not be revealed until the day of the show.
IMPACT World Championship Eric Young (C) vs. Rich Swann
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (C) vs. Kylie Rae
X-Division Championship: 6-Way Scramble Match Rohit Raju (C) vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Willie Mack vs. TJP vs. Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel
World Tag Team Championship The Motor City Machine Guns (C) vs. Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs. The North vs. The Good Brothers
Unsanctioned Match Moose vs. EC3
Ken Shamrock (with Sami Callihan) vs. Eddie Edwards
Call Your Shot Gauntlet Heath, Rhino, Hernandez, Acey Romero, Larry D, Tenille Dashwood, Taya Valkyrie, Brian Myers, Tommy Dreamer, Havok … and more to be announced.
Impact Wrestling 10/13 continued the build to Bound For Glory on October 24th, 2020. Doc Gallows faced Madman Fulton, Kimber Lee faced Kylie Rae and more.
Moose finally found EC3 this week in the final segment of the show. EC3 was holding the TNT World title that he called a false title for a false idol. He put the title down and dared Moose to fight him, which Moose quickly obliged to. The two brawled in some undisclosed location, just as they will at Bound For Glory.
Moose got the better of the exchange and walked away from a bloody EC3 with the TNA World title in his grasp.
Rich Swann Cleared To Compete At Bound For Glory
Eric Young closed out this week’s episode with a promo. He asked Scott D’Amore to officially announce that Rich Swann would not be medically cleared for Bound For Glory. Young attacked Swann again last week in a gym. D’Amore announced that Young had done extensive damage to Swann’s ankle last week but he would be cleared to compete at the PPV.
Young then attacked D’Amore but Rich Swann came out for the save. He hit a springboard cutter off the ropes, seemingly not favouring his ankle at all. Young escaped the ring and Swann celebrated with the title to end the segment.
Doc Gallows Defeats Madman Fulton In No DQ Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGHwpPrJ3u8
Before this match could begin, the Good Brothers cut a promo. They noted they are happy they signed with Impact but that they need to become the tag-team champions. They will have that opportunity at Bound For Glory in the 4-team tag match. This week, Gallows would face Madman Fulton, who will team with Ace Austin at Bound For Glory.
Fulton and Gallows were first counted out but the match was restarted as a no-dq no-countout match. Gallows finished his opponent off with a double-handed chokeslam onto two tables for the win.
Kylie Rae Shows A More Vicious Side Ahead Of Bound For Glory Title Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuEUljInQKw
Kylie Rae will face Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title at Bound For Glory. This week she took on Purrazzo’s run-in buddy, Kimber Lee. Rae scored the victory with the Smile To The Finish submission but the newly aggressive Smiley Kylie wouldn’t let go of the hold.
Purrazzo hit the ring and attacked her challenger from behind but Kylie fought back and took the champ down with a superkick. Rae mounted the champion and reigned down the blows but Purrazzo found away to escape to end the segment.
Heath Or Rhino Need To Win Call Your Shot Gauntlet To Remain In Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M5HBnEepGY
After contract negotiations between Impact and Heath broke down last week, a new deal was worked out between Rhino and Scott D’Amore this week. They agreed that Heath would be entered into the Call Your Shot Gauntlet on the PPV but if neither Heath or Rhino win, then Heath will be given no more opportunities in Impact and Rhino will forfeit his contract as well.
This week a 10-person tag was scheduled with the winning team facing each other next week in a 5-way match. The winner of that match will be given the #20 spot in the gauntlet on the PPV.
Heath picked up the win for his team by pinning Johnny Swinger with the Wake-Up Call.
Havok Agrees To Help Re-Incarnate Father James Mitchell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHY7jtUIqXA
The Knockouts division seems to have several tag-teams working together at the moment. This week’s opening match featured 3 of them. The team of Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie might be busy planning for the Demon Assassins wedding but they were able to focus their efforts enough to pick up the victory here.
The finish of the match came after Taya had taken out Neveah, Havok, and Kiera Hogan on the outside. This left Rosemary in the ring with Tasha Steelz. Rosemary hit a spear followed a double undertook sit-out slam type move.
After the match, Rosemary and Taya stared down Havok & Neveah in the ring while Hogan and Steelz watched on from the ramp.
Rosemary needs Father James Mitchell to officiate her wedding to John E Bravo. For this to happen, she needs Havok’s (who helped murder Mitchell) help. Later in the show, Havok and Rosemary agreed to a match for next week. If Rosemary wins, the Sinister Minister will be brought back, if Havok wins, he will not be.
Crazzy Steve Picks Up Victory Over Fallah Bah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLnu0YoKvQ
There is a wad of cash that is flowing through the Impact Wrestling roster like the sisterhood of the traveling pants (unless I misunderstand what that movie is about). This started when Hernandez and Rhino were feuding over gambling debts and arm-wrestling. Then last week Fallah Bah obtained the cash in the backstage shower area. This week Fallah Bah and Crazzy Steve met in singles competition with the wad of cash playing a significant role.
Steve kept trying to get Fallah Bah to take his shirt off, potentially revealing the wad of cash’s location. The finish of the match came when Steve ripped Bah’s shirt off and revealed he was keeping the cash attacked to a necklace. Steve hit a schoolboy on the distracted Bah and picked up the 3-count. Bah escaped to the back still with the cash, however. Josh Matthews noted on commentary that Hernandez will now know for sure it was Fallah Bah who stole the cash from him.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1llCwNe5bE
The following matches are scheduled for next week’s show:
Hernandez vs Cousin Jake vs Rhino vs Alisha Edwards vs Heath
Eddie Edwards vs Sami Callihan
Chris Bey, Rohit Raju & Jordynne Grace vs TJP, Willie Mack & Trey Miguel
The North vs The Good Brothers
Updated Card For Bound For Glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQW1A6W9GyM
The following matches are scheduled for Bound For Glory:
Impact World Championship Eric Young (c) vs Rich Swann
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Kylie Rae
Impact Tag Team Championships The Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs the Good Brothers vs The North vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
X-Division Championship Rohit Raju (c) vs Jordynne Grace vs TJP vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Willie Mack
Impact Wrestling star Heath has reflected on his time in WWE, believing his former employer “never really wanted me to get over as much as I could.”
Heath joined Sitting Ringside for an interview where he detailed his issues with WWE. He believes WWE took issue with him for pitching ideas whenever he could earn some momentum with fans.
“They would work and then they would switch it. Then they end the story and put me on ice and you would not see me for a year and a half,” Heath explained. “If you do, it’s me putting over this guy. Once that happens to you four or five times, you get frustrated.”
Heath continued, “Then you start asking questions and they say you are asking too many questions and you’re being a bother. What can I do? There is no communication between the lines. You are paying me. You have a guy that wants to work and wants to do things but you can’t get anywhere. It’s like tires spinning.”
Heath was let go by WWE earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure by the promotion in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Since leaving the company and joining Impact Wrestling, he has claimed several WWE Superstars have contacted him expressing their interest in making the jump between promotions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M5HBnEepGY
Posted October 14th, 2020 in News, TNA. Tagged: Heath.