Impact Wrestling presented the first night of its 2-week branded event, Emergence, last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The card featured the Motor City Machine Guns defending the tag belts against the North in the main event.

Impact Results 8/18:

1. X-Division Championship
   Rohit Raju defeated TJP & Chris Bey (c) – New Champion
2. TNA World Championship (Unofficial)
   Moose (c) defeated Trey Miguel
3. The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) defeated Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
4. Wrestle House
   Kylie Rae defeated Taya Valkyrie
5. Impact Tag Team Championships
   Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) (c) defeated The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page)

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact 8/18:

New X-Division Champion Crowned

Rohit Raju had been attempting to convince Chris Bey that he would make a good run-in buddy for him. Raju even said he was only in this triple threat match to ensure Bey walked away from it still the champion. It may have been all a ploy, however, as Raju would be the one to leave with the belt here.

TJP had Bey locked in a submission but Raju grabbed Bey’s arm to stop him from tapping. Shortly after, Bey was looking to land a move on TJP from the top turnbuckle when Raju tossed TJP off the buckle and Bey landed in a tree of woe position. Raju then hit a double foot stomp on Bey and pinned him to win the championship.

Raju is the 46th wrestler to win the X-Division title and begins the 93rd reign in the title’s lineage. Bey’s reign ends at 31 days.

Motor City Machine Guns Retain

The main event of Emergence Night 1 saw the North cash in their rematch clause against the Motor City Machine Guns. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander had said leading up to this match that they were worn down after a year of defending the belts and that is the only reason why MCMG were able to take the titles off of them.

The North would control much of the match, forcing the MCMGs into two hot tag situations. Ultimately, however, it was the tandem moves by the innovative Sabin and Shelley that would help them prevail. They finished off Page with a combination neck-breaker splash for the win.

MCMG are in their 2nd reign with these belts. Their combined 212 days plus (as of this writing) puts them 5th all-time. They are just ahead of the Hardys (at 205 combined days as champs). They trail the North (383 days) for 4th on the all-time list.

EC3 Steals The TNA World Title

Moose defeated Trey Miguel in an unofficial TNA World title match this week. Trey fought valiantly against his much bigger opponent but in the end, Moose would pick up the win with a Lights Out spear.

After the match, EC3 came out of nowhere and attacked Moose. He delivered a reverse DDT to him before grabbing the TNA World title and leaving.

Previously, EC3 has said he wants to destroy his past, which includes the TNA World title. Impact is advertising we will hear more about EC3’s reasons for stealing the belt next week.

Wrestle House Craziness Continues

Quite a bit happened on Wrestle House this week.

Larry D of Team XXXL had a spell put on him by Rosemary to make him fall in love with her. He told his partner Acey Romero this week that he is wearing the new cologne “Ring Rust” made from real ring rust. A rather dapper dressed “Lawrence D” now has a date set up with Rosemary for next week. Rosemary is just trying to make John E Bravo jealous, however.

Somebody stole The Deaners’ beer. Cody and Jake accused several people but as of yet have not gotten to the bottom of the mystery. Jake and Susie are a little awkward around each other as well after their bad date.

The big match of the week pitted Kylie Rae versus Taya Valkyrie with Rosemary as the special referee. Taya has been rather cruel to Kylie throughout their time at Wrestle House. Kylie has been hoping to get back to the ring soon since she is the #1 contender to the Knockouts title but Taya wants everyone to stay and watch highlights of her matches. Kylie would pick up the win with a superkick as Rosemary begrudgingly counted the 3.

The Good Brothers Get Revenge On Ace Austin & Madman Fulton

After weeks of sneak attacks, ambushes, and even having the cops called on them, the Good Brothers picked up a measure of revenge on Ace Austin and Madman Fulton this week.

The finish of the match came when Fulton missed a kick on the outside and got his foot stuck in the guardrail. Gallows then tossed him to the other side of the guardrail, taking him out of the match. This allowed Anderson and Gallows to hit the Magic Killer on Austin for the win.

Brian Myers Is “The Most Professional Wrestler”

Willie Mack was being interviewed by Jimmy Jacobs in the back about Eric Young’s recent attacks on his friend Rich Swann. Brian Myers came out of nowhere, hijacked the interview and forced Jacobs to interview him instead.

Myers said he spent years “being a good hand” and not rocking the boat but it only got him fired. He said he was sick of decisions about this business being made by a 70-year-old man. Mack then came back into the picture and the segment ended with the two brawling on the floor. A match between Myers and Mack has been scheduled for next week.

Heath Still Campaigning For An Impact Contract

Heath has been purchasing advertising spots on Impact Wrestling as of late. He is hoping fans will use the hashtag “Heath4Impact” to get it trending and encourage Impact to sign him. He noted this week that had he been hired by now, he could have helped Rhino last week when he was beaten up by Reno Scum. Heath also noted that he still has kids.

Emergence Night 2 Lineup

The following matches have now been confirmed for the second night of Emergence next week:

• Knockouts Championship
  30-Minute Ironman Match
  Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Jordynne Grace
• Impact World Championship
  Eddie Edwards Open Challenge
• Brian Myers vs Willie Mack
• More from Wrestle House
• EC3 Explains why he stole the TNT World title

Impact Wrestling presents the first night of its 2-week branded event, Emergence, tonight on AXS TV and Twitch. The company recently finished taping several weeks of television from Nashville. According to Fightful Select, the company filmed episodes to take them all the way up to October’s Bound For Glory PPV.

News coming out of the tapings says that Sami Callihan is also not expected to play a major role in the company’s storylines leading up to the October PPV. It is unclear why this is, however. Callihan has been a featured performer with the promotion for some time now. At Slammiversary, he teamed with Ken Shamrock in a loss to the North. He has since been involved in an angle with Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes on recent editions of the weekly show.

Some new faces were also present at the tapings. These are not big names from WWE or ROH, however, but rather independent wrestlers getting another look, possibly on episodes of Xplosion. Alex Shelley recently posted a photo of some of the names Impact is currently looking at:

AXS and Impact are also said to be looking to increase their media presence as a result of the successful Slammiversary PPV.

Taya Valkyrie and TJP were evidently frustrated with their commute home from the recent tapings.

Emergence Night 1

• Impact Results (8/11): Brian Myers Is “The Most Professional Wrestler”

Impact will present night 1 of Emergence tonight. 6 matches have been confirmed for the show.

• Impact World Championship
  Eddie Edwards Open Challenge
• Impact Tag Team Championships
  The Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs The North
• Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
• X-Division Championship
  Chris Bey (c) vs TJP vs Rohit Raju
• Wrestle House
  Taya Valkyrie vs Kylie Rae
• TNA World Heavyweight Championship (Unofficial)
  Moose (c) vs Trey

Impact Wrestling star Ethan Page will become a free agent soon and will have some leverage thanks to AEW. 

Wrestletalk reports that his contract with Impact is set to expire on Thursday, December 31. As of this writing, there’s no word on whether he is negotiating a new contract. What is known is that it was noted he has interest from other promotions. 

AEW just so happens to be one of those promotions, but there’s also no word on whether the two sides have started talking just yet. 

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has stated in a past Q&A that he’d be interested in bringing “All Ego” to AEW. 

Page first appeared in Impact back in November 2017. He has also worked for promotions such as ROH and EVOLVE among others. He is currently in a tag team with Josh Alexander, known as The North. 

Their historic Impact Tag Team Titles reign recently came to an end after holding them for 380-days. 

It happened when they lost the straps to the returning Motor City Machine Guns on the post-Slammiversary edition of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV. 

• Ethan Page Says Impact Has Paid Him For Cancelled Shows

Tessa Blanchard and Impact Wrestling parted ways this summer while Blanchard was still the Impact World Champion. Impact vacated the title which is now held by Eddie Edwards. It had been reported that Blanchard was asking for a large sum of money to return the title.

This was disputed by Blanchard’s team who stated they only got an address to send the belt to the week of Slammiversary.

Konnan recently spent some time on his podcast talking about Blanchard’s departure from Impact and what might be in store for her next.

“It almost feels like to me, and I could be wrong, like she got heat over it, people found out, now she’s sending it back but that should have been sent back before the match. As a matter of fact, she probably should have defended it,” Konnan said.

Konnan then speculated something must have happened between the two sides.

“Who knows what happened but something happened for her after she was put over Brian Cage, Sami Callihan, and all these other people, first woman to ever have the belt. Something happened for her not to want to come back one last time and lose the belt. So, who knows what happened?”

• Update On What Tessa Blanchard Wanted To Drop The Title At Slammiversary

Konnan’s comments can be heard in the player below:

IMPACT Wrestling Tag Team Champion and former TNA Champion Chris Sabin recently appeared on the Chris Van Vliet show.

Chris Sabin is one of the names synonymous with TNA’s X Division, with the former X Division Champion having appeared in the most amount of ‘Ultimate X’ matches in company history. Ultimate X would become the crown jewel of the division, with Sabin having appeared in 17 matches and winning 8.

Chris Sabin on Ultimate X

“I don’t think you can” Chris Sabin would reply, when asked how he would prepare for the Ultimate X match. “I remember the first Ultimate X match we did? They [the company] weren’t even prepared.” The first Ultimate X match took place on August 20, 2003 and saw Sabin face Michael Shane (Matt Bentley) and Frankie Kazarian.

“They put these posts…like they hadn’t had the structure set up yet” Sabin would continue. “So we went there the day before just to like see the structure, climb up on it. Make sure see how sturdy it is, just to get a feel for it. And I remember when they had recently put these posts in the corner posts, like just these long poles and they had two cables going across.”

• Former WWE Star Makes Impact Return (Video)

Chris Sabin would elaborate further, saying “I remember Frankie [Kazarian] climbed up and grabbed down in the middle and tried to hang on it. And then those posts? They just kind of bent in, like, ‘oh no what are we going to do!?’ So they were scrambling to figure out a way to build a structure because they had this match advertised!”

“And then, what they finally ended up doing was using like the light trusses. They used straps to strap it to the ring posts and that ended up being strong enough” Sabin continued.

“So we didn’t even have any experience with it, we didn’t even get to climb on the structure at all, get a feel for it at all. Basically when the match happened? That was the first time we were climbing on that thing so we were just kind of hoping that this thing stays together!”

Brian Myers, formerly known as Curt Hawkins in WWE, returned to Impact Wrestling for the first time since 2015 during Tuesday night’s show.

Myers jumped right into the deep end of Impact Wrestling by answering an open challenge by World Champion Eddie Edwards. Myers put up a good fight, but Edwards ultimately put him away with his Boston Knee Party finisher.

Below you can see footage of Brian Myers answering the open challenge of Impact World Champion Eddie Edwards:

Curt Hawkins’ first run with WWE started in 2006 and it ended in 2014. The former WWE star spent most of his time during this run on the various development territories of the company.

After his release from the company, Myers had returned to the independent circuit and he had a short run with Impact Wrestling in 2015 as well where he represented the GFW promotion.

Hawkins was brought back by WWE in July 2016 and he has been making regular appearances on WWE TV ever since.

However, his latest run came to a halt due to coronavirus and the company released him as part of their budget cuts in April earlier this year.

Myers has been teasing his wrestling return in the past few weeks and he has been promoting himself as the “most professional wrestler” on social platforms.

Now it would be interesting to see if he ends up being a regular performer for Impact after his return and if his latest run lasts longer than his previous stint.

Pro wrestling personality and former TNA backstage employee Jim Cornette recently discussed Dixie Carter and her influence on the TNA product. Cornette was responding to recent comments from WWE Superstar AJ Styles on his Drive Thru podcast.

AJ Styles stated “Do I believe Dixie ruined IMPACT? Well, it was TNA back then, and 100%. IMPACT, there was a time when it was really gaining ground. The problem was, Dixie wanted to be WWE-lite and that’s not what people wanted. They wanted to see something else. All she had to do was let us do what we do, it was really that simple. Had she left it to the writers, I think TNA would still be around and be bigger than what they are, but not knowing what’s best for business? She hurt TNA” 

Jim Cornette on Dixie Carter

“Dixie had talent she liked” Jim Cornette began on the Drive Thru. “And I’m not saying that in an inappropriate way. She thought that Hernandez, and she was correct in this, should be a Latino Mexican superstar at one point. I fully agreed with that.”

Cornette would then elaborate further on this, blaming Vince Russo for ‘destroying’ the potential they had with LAX member Hernandez. “Unfortunately for Hernandez? She’d [Dixie] picked an idiot to write her show [Vince Russo] who didn’t know how to get that guy over. And when I left? That was the end of that [Hernandez’s run], because he [Russo] didn’t understand it.”

Jim Cornette would then blame Dixie Carter for bringing in Vince Russo to oversee the writing of the product, thus somewhat agreeing with AJ Styles. “Dixie was responsible for creative in terms of who she hired to be in charge of it. And Jeff Jarrett to his credit, while he was there was able to balance most of the bullsh*t out with actual sh*t that made sense. OR, wouldn’t harm talent when you presented him with a better way to do it.”

“Dixie may have sat in on a few production meetings, not that many” Jim Cornette would continue. “Sometimes she wasn’t there at television and other times she would get there right before taping started. She’d be flying in from somewhere, she’d get there just in time to get her makeup done to go out in front of the fans and take post pictures holding the TNA title belt. But if you had a creative question, or if I did? I went to Jeff Jarrett.”

Do you agree with Cornette’s assessment? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

• Impact Wrestling EVP Open To Interpromotional Match With FTR
• Update On Impact Wrestling’s TV Ratings
• Impact Signs Kimber Lee To Contract
• Impact Wrestling Emergence: 2-Week Special Event Announced

Fans could be in store to see the first interpromotional match between two tag teams in AEW and Impact Wrestling.

FTR and The North have gone public through social media about how they want to wrestle each other. Although FTR is under contract with AEW and The North is with Impact wrestling, Impact EVP Scott D’Amore says he’s down to make it happen.

This possibility all started when Dax Harwood quote tweeted a video of their match from Dynamite this week.

He stated, “Real quick; this is what makes us a great tag team. Not fancy double teams. Not 30-second sequences. Keeping the freshman in, using your partner, knowing where each other is at all times, feeding him & he executes. That’s all. Back to the ice!”

This led to Ethan Page responding to the tweet where he mentioned how they needed to work together right away, which Harwood agreed to the belief. 

D’Amore then chimed in with a suggestion with, “Well Dax, you know I have mad respect for you & [Cash Wheeler]. I can assure you that [Impact Wrestling] supports making it happen,” he tweeted. “How about a home & home series between FTR and #TheNorth?”

It should be noted that D’Amore also tagged Chris Jericho about how they can make this happen. AEW President Tony Khan has yet to comment or any other AEW executives. 

• Brian Cage Talks Why He Left IMPACT Wrestling for AEW

Impact Wrestling on AXS TV’s audience is skewing older than the audiences of other wrestling companies at the moment. Average monthly ratings for the promotion were recently published in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Impact Wrestling Average Monthly Viewership:

* Key demo is people aged 18-49

• January 2020: Averaged 169,000 viewers per show (0.04 in the key demo)
• February 2020: Averaged 181,000 viewers per show (0.04 in the key demo)
• March 2020: Averaged 161,000 viewers per show (0.03 in key demo)
• April 2020: Averaged 144,000 viewers per show (0.02 in key demo)
• May 2020: Averaged 153,000 viewers per show (0.03 in key demo)
• June 2020: Averaged 141,000 viewers per show (0.02 in key demo)
• July 2020: Averaged 153,000 viewers per show (0.03 in key demo)

What is notable is that the percentage of Impact’s fans that fall into the key demo is lower than for AEW or WWE shows. Impact’s key demo was just 28.8% of its audience for July. In comparison, 38.2% of RAW’s audience is from the key demo, 32.7% for NXT, and 34% for Smackdown. More than half of AEW’s audience is in the key demo at 51%.

Impact is also reportedly the most-watched show on AXS TV. Anthem Sports and Entertainment purchased the station last September.

• Impact Results 8/4: Rich Swann Retires, Assaulted By Eric Young

AJ Styles has reacted to the recent news that former WWE Superstars Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows want to see him back in Impact Wrestling.

Speaking during a Twitch stream, “The Phenomenal One” addressed his former O.C. stablemates’ comments. Styles admitted he didn’t know what to make of it, adding how fans “know how I feel about that.”

“Yeah, Gallows and Anderson are trying to get me back [in Impact Wrestling] is what they said. Never say never but I also have said that I would like to finish my career in the WWE. So, we will see.”

Styles acknowledged how Impact Wrestling has “a lot going on right now,” especially after its influx of former WWE Superstars. He stressed how Impact’s roster was good beforehand, but with the addition of The Good Brothers, EC3, Eric Young and more, “they’ve upped it just a little bit more.”

Looking at the prospects on the horizon for Gallow and Anderson, AJ Styles expressed how thrilled he was for his friends, saying, “Man, I am so happy for those guys. I’m happy they’re happy, you know what I mean? ‘Cause there was a tough time there for all of us. So, they’re kicking tail right now anyway.”

Gallows and Anderson were released earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure by WWE due to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on business.

Impact Wrestling on AXS TV for August 4th, 2020 featured an emotional retirement speech from Rich Swann followed by a heinous attack by Eric Young. Both the TNA and Impact World Championships were on the line and Wrestle House was back as well.

Impact 8/4 Quick Results:

1. TNA World Heavyweight Championship (Unofficial)
   Moose (c) defeated Heath
2. Wrestle House
   Susie & Alisha Edwards defeated Johnny Swinger (referee: Cody Deaner)
3. Impact World Championship
   Eddie Edwards (c) defeated Sami Callihan
4. TJP & Fallah Bah defeated Chris Bey & Rohit Raju
5. Wrestle House
   Kylie Rae defeated Rosemary (referee: Taya Valkyrie)

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact 8/4

Rich Swann’s Retirement Speech Ends With Vicious Assault By Eric Young

Rich Swann made a surprise return in the main event of Slammiversary. Swann was returning from an injury that doctors said might end his career. He cut a promo this week and spoke about how hard he had to work to return only for Eric Young to assault him on the PPV. With his leg in a walking boot, Rich Swann announced he was retiring.

The entire Impact locker room emptied out and banged on the mat in support of Swann. As the former X-Division champion looked to take one final moment on the stage, Eric Young sprinted out and assaulted his already badly injured leg before running away. Young has quickly become the most hated man in the promotion since returning.

Rob Van Dam Takes Out Sami Callihan Ahead Of World Title Match

Sami Callihan was set to take on Eddie Edwards for the world title this week. As he was making his entrance, however, he was assaulted by Rob Van Dam and twerked at by Katie Forbes. Callihan had interrupted Forbes’ new website reveal last week.

Despite the assault, Callihan managed to make it to the ring for a match with his longtime rival. Even after taking a beating before the match, Callihan was competitive and almost won the title for a second time. He grew frustrated after not being able to pin Edwards after several piledrivers, however. Callihan picked up a chair but then thought better of using it. He then took two Boston Knee Parties from the champion and was pinned. One has to wonder how this match would have gone had Callihan not been assautled by Rob Van Dam beforehand.

Doc Gallows Arrested, Ace Austin & Madman Fulton Assault Karl Anderson

The Good Brothers are walking back to their truck when they noticed it was open and beer cans were on the ground next to it. As it turns out, this was a trap set by Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. During a melee with Austin and Madman, Gallows accidentally gave a back elbow to a police officer who had arrived to investigate. The police then arrested Gallows, leaving Anderson on his own.

Later in the show, Karl Anderson was on the phone saying he was going to get Gallows out of jail. He was then jumped by Ace Austin and Fulton and the two delivered a 2-on-1 beatdown to the Good Brother.

Wrestle House Returns

Wrestle House continued this week and there is a lot to cover here.

Susie and Cousin Jake seem to have a budding romance. Alisha offered to help Susie with her love-interest but this drew some comments from Johnny Swinger. As a result, Susie and Alisha took on Swinger in a 2-on-1 match at Wrestle House with Cody Deaner as the referee. It didn’t take long for the two Knockouts to land a double splash on Swinger for the win.

Kylie Rae is motivated to get back to the Impact zone as she is the #1 contender for the Knockouts title. Rosemary said nobody is leaving until John E Bravo (who Rosemary has been trying to seduce) “gets the hint.” Later, Kylie would inform Bravo of this who then seemed to not really understand and left the house. This infuriated Rosemary and set up a match between her and Kylie Rae.

Taya would be the special guest referee here, which is notable as she seems to find Kylie quite annoying. Kylie seems comedically oblivious to this. With the referee in her back-pocket, Rosemary seemed to have the match won. John E Bravo then returned and began cheering for her. Bravo’s reappearance seemed to please Rosemary and while she was distracted, Kylie super kicked her in the face. Taya reluctantly and slowly counted the pin and awarded the match to Kylie.

Heath Suffers Loss To Moose, Still Without Contract

Scott D’Amore granted Heath a match against Moose this week with the stipulation that if he could defeat the self-proclaimed TNA champ, he’d earn a contract. While Moose isn’t officially the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, he has been victorious in numerous unofficial title defences. He would do the same thing here, finding a way to snatch victory from the claws of defeat.

The referee got bumped during an irish whip into the buckle. With the ref down, Heath hit a reverse bulldog which he is now calling “The Wake-Up Call” but there was no ref to count the pin. Moose then hit a low blow and got the 3-count after the ref recovered.

The North Cashing In Rematch Clause Against The Motor City Machine Guns At Emergence

Yesterday, Impact Wrestling announced a special 2-week event called Emergence. The branded shows will take place August 18th and 25th. The North announced during this segment that they will be cashing in their rematch clause on one of the two shows.

Jimmy Jacobs sat down with Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin for an interview this week. The team talked about how they had been training together for a return and decided to reunite. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander then came out and said MCMG didn’t beat them when they were at 100%. Page said that defending the titles for over a year had left them injured and far from the team they can be. The North said they will be at 100% for Emergence.

TJP Makes X-Division Champ Chris Bey Submit In Tag-Team Match

Chris Bey defeated Willie Mack to win the X-Division Championship at Slammiversary. This week, he teamed with Rohit Raju to take on the team of TJP and Fallah Bah. The finish of the match came when Bey went for his patented springboard cutter finish but was countered by TJP. Bey then submitted to a cross arm-breaker possibly setting TJP up for a future shot at the X-Division title.

Kimber Lee Agrees To Take Out Jordynne Grace For Deonna Purrazzo

There was a backstage segment this week featuring Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and the newly signed Kimber Lee. Purrazzo is set to defend the title against Jordynne Grace at Emergence. Kimber Lee offered to take Grace out ahead of the match on the condition that she receive a title shot after. Purrazzo agreed to the deal.

Impact Wrestling’s Doc Gallows, formerly WWE Superstar Luke Gallows, has expressed his interest in Impact developing a working relationship with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). 

Gallows joined a recent episode of This is Wrestling on TSN 1200, where he spoke about what he hopes to achieve with his new run in Impact Wrestling.

“I’m in my prime,” Gallows said. “I’m not slowing down. I just want to grow this IMPACT brand as big as we possibly can and keep it pushing forward. Yeah, this ain’t my last wrestling contract. Oh hell no! I’m not going to stop.”

Luke Gallows On Momentum & Working Relationships

Luke Gallows noted how he wanted to keep The Good Brothers’ momentum going now they have arrived in Impact Wrestling. He shared how he believes there are more tag team championships in the future for the team. He noted how they will, in some shape or form, always be together as a team. That being said, he added how they would naturally support each other in a singles run.  

Ultimately, Gallows wants to see Impact Wrestling continue to grow and evolve. He would also like to be in a position to help their friends sign once their contracts have expired with other promotions. 

He then stressed how part of this promotional growth would see Impact Wrestling engage in working relationships with other promotions:

“I think it would be great. I would love to see New Japan and IMPACT form a working relationship at some point. I think it would be beneficial for both sides, and I would really love to see that. Hopefully, [I] can be a part in making that come together.”

Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson recently made their in-ring debut in Impact Wrestling. The team are former IWGP Tag Team Champions in NJPW. They were released by WWE earlier in the year as part of the company’s cost-cutting methods due to the coronavirus.

Kimber Lee is now officially a member of the Impact roster. She has been performing on recent shows since the promotion began empty arena tapings. Impact announced today they have locked her up to an official contract.

The 30-year-old is a former CHIKARA Grand Champion. She also performed in WWE as part of the NXT brand from 2016 to 2018, sometimes under the name Abbey Laith. Kimber Lee defeated Havok twice to kick-start her run in Impact. She has since been defeated by Jordynne Grace, Neveah, and Deonna Purrazzo on episodes of Impact on AXS TV.

The company took to Twitter to announce Kimber Lee’s signing:

Tonight’s Impact Lineup

• Impact Results (7/28) The Good Brothers Make In-Ring Debut

Impact Wrestling is back on AXS TV tonight with a stacked card. The former Heath Slater will make his in-ring debut for the promotion. Eddie Edwards will look to defend the Impact title for the first time this reign as well.

The following matches have been announced for tonight’s show:

• Moose vs Heath (if Heath wins, he earns an Impact contract)
• Impact World Championship
  Eddie Edwards (c) vs Trey from the Rascalz
• Chris Bey & Rohit Raju vs TJP & Fallah Bah
• Motor City Machine Guns interview
• Rich Swann update
• Wrestle House continues

Impact Wrestling has announced Emergence, a 2-week event that will air on AXS TV later this month.

These will be special editions of Impact’s weekly TV show, similar to AEW Fyter Fest and NXT’s Great American Bash.

Impact Wrestling: Emergence will air Tuesday, August 18th and Tuesday, August 25th. A teaser released by Impact states, “Personal rivalries will be settled and championships will be on the line.”

The first match confirmed for Emergence is Deonna Purrazzo defending the Knockouts title against former champion Jordynne Grace. The contest is scheduled for Emergence Night Two on 8/25.

• Gallows & Anderson Trying to Lure AJ Styles Back To Impact Wrestling
• Gallows & Anderson Discuss Impact’s Influx Of Former WWE Talent

We expect Impact to announce more details for Emergence on tonight’s broadcast.

Former WWE Superstars Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have previously spoken about their decision to become a part of Impact Wrestling’s roster. They weren’t the only former WWE Superstars to sign and debut with the promotion, however.

Speaking with Sportskeeda, The Good Brothers, discussed the opportunities that await their fellow WWE colleagues. The two pointed to how they evoked interest over their impending debut as an example of creating opportunities for themselves.

With the coronavirus pandemic still affecting business, Anderson believed that announcing their debut ahead of time would be an exciting, different approach:

“I would say, if this was in front of a live crowd, it may be there are ways to have a surprise, and you get that reaction from the surprise that maybe you could have held off. But I think in this Covid-19 environment, and with there not being a crowd, I think us announcing that we were coming to IMPACT actually got a lot more eyes on the pay-per-view, and that’s what made it so cool.”

Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows And More Sign With Impact

Alongside The Good Brothers, Impact Wrestling signed EC3, Brian Myers, Eric Young and Heath Slater. All were cut from WWE as a cost-cutting measure due to the coronavirus impacting business.

Gallows revealed how they were all discussing business options together due to their friendship. It’s something Gallows believed “came off beautifully.” He noted how due to their success outside of WWE, people would often seek their advice. He pointed to Slater as an example of someone who asked for help, explaining how he had been a part of WWE’s system for 14 years.

“They don’t necessarily know what it’s like outside, so we don’t mind helping our brothers along when they need it. But I think we were a huge part of that.”

Anderson shared how Impact Wrestling fans are in for something special with this influx of talent looking to prove themselves. He highlighted Slater and Myers as two to watch, promising how most haven’t seen what Myers is fully capable of.

Karl Anderson then acknowledged how EC3 has previously enjoyed a main event run in Impact and that Eric Young is a previous Impact World Champion. He stressed that this level of ability makes it an “exciting time” for Impact.

The former Heath Slater (Heath Miller) will make his in-ring debut for Impact Wrestling next Tuesday night on AXS TV.

Impact has announced that the four-time WWE Tag Team Champion, who is now going by just the “Heath” name, will challenge TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose on next week’s Impact Wrestling episode.

Heath first debuted for Impact on July 18th at the Slammiversary pay-per-view. He then declared himself to be a free agent, but was interrupted by Rohit Raju. Heath fought Raju off, and then had a brief backstage segment with his former WWE partner, Rhino. Heath was told to leave the arena by Impact executive Scott D’Amore, because he wasn’t an employee. This week’s Impact episode saw Heath interrupt a Moose interview. Moose invited Slater to come back next week for a match, and D’Amore agreed.

.@HEATHXXII will face @TheMooseNation NEXT WEEK and if he wins he gets a spot on the IMPACT roster! #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/FfIUtbgPhu

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 29, 2020

Heath was released from his WWE contract back on April 15th due to the cuts brought on by the negative impact of COVID-19. He had been with WWE since first signing a developmental deal in 2004.

Below is the current line-up for next Tuesday’s Impact episode:

* Rich Swann will make an announcement

* Tag Team Champions The Motor City Machine Guns will give an interview

* X Division Champion Chris Bey and Rohit Raju vs. Fallah Bahh and TJP

* World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards will put the title on the line in an Open Challenge

* TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose defends against Heath

https://twitter.com/HEATHXXII/status/1288297572604534785

Impact Wrestling 7/28 was the second show since the company began its new era at Slammiversary. The show kicked off with Eddie Edwards making his first title defense against Trey and would conclude with the Good Brothers making their in-ring debut.

Impact Results (7/28)

1. Impact World Championship
   Eddie Edwards (c) defeated Trey
2. Wrestle House Match
   Acey Romero defeated Crazzy Steve
3. Deonna Purrazzo defeated Kimber Lee
4. Wrestle House Match
   Cousin Jake defeated Cody Deaner
5. The Good Brothers defeated Reno Scum

Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 7/28:

The Good Brothers, Ace Austin & Madman Fulton Brawl To End The Show

After being attacked by Reno Scum last week, The Good Brothers made their in-ring Impact debut against the punk-rock team from Nevada this week. Ace Austin would come out and sit on the stage to watch the match.

The Good Brothers picked up the win with a Magic Killer. After the match, however, both Ace Austin and Madman Fulton attacked. The brawl spilled to the back and then to the very parking lot where Reno Scum attacked Anderson and Gallows last week. The show concluded with Gallows booting Fulton into the camera.

EC3 Wants To Destroy His Past

A video featuring EC3 was shown this week on Impact. In the video, the former TNA World Champion says he’s not coming back home, he’s coming to destroy his past.

“The things I had to do to become who I am are the things I have to re-evaluate. I have to face them head-on. I don’t fear my past anymore. My past is my biggest foe and I am here for the destruction of my past,” he said on the show.

Eric Young Stares Down Eddie Edwards

Impact Wrestling kicked off this week with a world title match between new champion Eddie Edwards and Trey from the Rascalz. Trey picked up a near-fall by countering a tiger driver but this seemed to only motivate the new champ. Edwards landed a lariat, tiger driver, and Boston Knee Party in succession to pick up the win.

After the match, a new returnee to the promotion Eric Young walked down the ramp and stared down Edwards. Young faked like he was going to get in the ring but then backed away. As he left, Young said that he’d take on Edwards when he decides.

Jordynne Grace Attacks Deonna Purrazzo

Deonna Purrazzo faced Kimber Lee in a non-title clash this week. Much like she did at Slammiversary, the Virtuoso used her submission skills to gain the victory.

After the match, former champion Jordynne Grace marched to the ring with her arm in a sling. As she faced down Purrazzo, however, she took off the sling and delivered a takedown to the champion. Purrazzo eventually escaped Grace’s attack and hightailed it out of the ring.

Sami Callihan Ruins Katie Forbes’ New Website

Backstage this week, Katie Forbes confused Sami Callihan with a fan who walked backstage and attempted to have him kicked out of the building. Later in the show, Katie Forbes came out to debut a series of new photos for her website. Callihan managed to hack into the photos, however, and cropped his head onto all her pictures. This infuriated Forbes and RVD. It also will likely lead to a feud between Callihan and the legend from ECW.

Wrestle House Debuts!

Wrestle House debuted this week and even led to two matches. It was revealed that the house is an investment property of Tommy Dreamer’s and he seems to be serving as host to some degree.

Taya attempted to leave the house but when she opened the door there were flames, fire, and Abyss holding a bag of thumbtacks. Some jokes were made regarding where Abyss is nowadays.

The Deaners and Team XXXL seem to have declared a truce with each other at the urging of Susie while in the house.

It was revealed that there are only 6 bedrooms in the house which led to a match between Acey Romero and Crazzy Steve with Kylie Rae as the ref. The two wrestlers both wanted to sleep in the ring but only the winner of the match would be granted the right to do so. Romero picked up the win and the right to sleep in the ring.

Later in the show, Cousin Jake defeated Cody Deaner in a match meant to solve the mystery of who was snoring throughout the night.

Heath Can Earn An Impact Contract By Defeating Moose

Moose was shown backstage this week with his TNA World Championship belt. He was confronted by Heath, who in storyline is still not signed to the promotion. Scott D’Amore informed Heath that if he can defeat Moose next week, he’ll be signed to a contract.

The Motor City Machine Guns Want To Prove They Are The Best, The North Want Their Titles Back

A video featuring the Motor City Machine Guns was shown this week. They said they want to prove they are the best tag-team out there. Meanwhile, the team they beat for the titles, The North, cut a promo saying they plan on regaining the titles after cashing in their rematch clause.

Former WWE Superstar EC3 has opened up about his frustrations during his WWE tenure in a recent interview with Busted Open Radio. 

When asked if he felt he had anybody supporting him backstage, EC3 shared how “I think I had people in my corner but nobody that would openly step up because everyone is job scared and apprehensive.”

He continued, explaining how “no one wants to rock the boat.” EC3 would be frequently told how they found it difficult to understand how he wasn’t being given promo time. However, when these same people were in production meetings where they could say something, nobody seemingly pushed for him.

EC3’s Pitch Meetings With Vince McMahon

EC3 then revealed how he had been in several “one on one” meetings with Vince McMahon. According to EC3, Vince saw him for what he was:  

“I look good, work good, but I’m not the workhorse. He doesn’t make money off those guys. He makes money off guys with charisma which I have. I have natural ability,” EC3 argued. “Whatever promo he saw of me, he saw one promo and thought it was over the top. Well, that was one, and you know I can always scale it back.”

He conceded how, although how WWE used him was “killing” him on the inside, the production was ultimately Vince McMahon’s show. He would leave those meetings feeling good but was continually disappointed when nothing ever came from them.

“I pitched him a bunch of different things. There’s a video I shot with Drake Maverick and we think this will be great. Ha, I love it! That’s great and then it never happens,” EC3 said. “After a while, you become desensitized and I will take accountability that I stopped caring because nothing mattered. So, I’m totally to blame for nothing towards the end from happening besides the fact I was out with a concussion, but, it all worked out, I guess, how it should.”

EC3 was released by WWE earlier this year as a coronavirus cost-cutting measure. He has since returned to Impact Wrestling, making his first post-WWE appearance during Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary show. 

We have a rare look at Impact Wrestling viewership data for the company’s weekly TV show on AXS TV. Earlier this year, AXS TV began to be rated with Nielsen allowing for Impact Wrestling TV ratings to be publicized.

According to information obtained by PWTorch, Impact averaged 174,000 viewers per week for the first quarter of 2020. During the Q2 COVID-19 ’empty arena’ era, that number fell to 147,000.

Slammiversary generated significant buzz for Impact. That spike in interest carried over to the Impact TV show two days later. The post-PPV edition of Impact averaged 163,000 viewers, up from 156,000 the previous week before and 135,000 two weeks prior.

Impact Wrestling is the most-watched show on AXS TV by a considerable margin.

In the 18-49 demo that advertisers care most about, Impact brought in a 0.05 this week. In comparison, NXT did a 0.17 in the key demo this week and hovers around 600,000 to 700,000 viewers per week on the USA Network.

• Impact Results (7/21): A New Era Begins

Impact began a new era this week at both Slammiversary and on AXS TV. The Good Brothers, EC3, Eric Young, and more either made their return or debut last week. This week on the show, The Good Brothers will face Reno Scum in tag-team action. There will also be an Impact World Championship match between Eddie Edwards and Trey from the Rascalz.

Current WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles has revealed who he believes can be blamed for ruining TNA’s Impact Wrestling show. As far as he’s concerned, blame can be fully attributed to Dixie Carter.

Reflecting on his time working for the promotion during a Twitch stream, Styles confessed how he loved Vince Russo as a person. However, when it came to working creatively together, he admitted they often “butted heads.”

“[…] but I realized when we butted heads, it was because he was getting things from Dixie the whole time. It must have been very difficult to work with this woman who has no idea how wrestling works and wanted everything to be done to it and it didn’t make any sense.”

Style then stressed how “Do I believe Dixie ruined IMPACT? Well, it was TNA back then, and 100%.”

He explained how, at the time, Impact was gaining positive momentum. Styles believes the problem stemmed from Dixie Carter’s need to be “WWE-lite,” something Styles claimed people weren’t interested in.

AJ Styles argued how instead of providing WWE-lite, fans were eager for “something else.” He shared how all Dixie Carter had to do was “let us do what we do.” He added how—had she left the creative direction to the writers—TNA would still be around and would probably be more popular than they currently are as Impact Wrestling. Styles added how, because Dixie Carter didn’t know what was best for business, she ultimately ended up hurting TNA.

Impact Wrestling refers to its women’s division and championship with the term “Knockouts.” Some fans have expressed the belief that this is an outdated term akin to how “Diva” was used in WWE. According to Gail Kim, however, conversations have taken place backstage about the term and the Impact roster is in favor of continuing to use it.

“Knockouts is the perfect name for the women past and present of Impact(TNA) Strong, powerful, tough and kick ass. All different and beautiful in their own way. I will always be proud to be the Original knockout,” Tweeted Traci Brooks.

The conversation got started when Courtney Rush (aka Rosemary) responded to a fan on Twitter.

Chelsea Green, who performed under her Hot Mess character in Impact, agreed with Rosemary:

Allie, who left Impact after her character was killed off in the undead realm, echoed the sentiment.

The Knockouts Champion also commented:

Madison Rayne noted that the term represents a positive history in women’s wrestling:

Deonna Purrazzo is the current Knockouts Champion. She defeated Jordynne Grace for the title at Slammiversary. Purrazzo is the 24th wrestler to win the championship and begins the 55th reign in the title’s lineage. Gail Kim has won the title 7x and held it for a combined 711 days, the most in both categories.

• Update On How Well Slammiversary Did On PPV

Impact Wrestling has said that Michael Elgin will no longer appear on their programming. This announcement was made in the wake of allegations against Elgin as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. Elgin recently put out a series of Tweets and videos regarding his situation.

“It’s hard and I’ve tried to go about all this the right way and I don’t want to attack people because what has happened in society, not just wrestling, is very just. People who use power or their position to take advantage of others, I’ve never agreed with,” Elgin said in the video.

“Wrestling should be a sanctuary for male, female, Black, white, Asian, straight, gay, trans, it should be a safe place.”

Elgin then mentioned he has sent Impact information about the allegations against him. He has also spoken with an attorney.

“So with that, I sent Impact all my info of what accusations were made and I have sent it to an attorney. If things don’t get sorted, I don’t want to post these online.”

Elgin then released the following Tweets regarding the allegations made against him earlier today:

Elgin’s videos are below:

• Joey Ryan Releases Video Refuting Allegations Made Against Him

Elgin is a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion, NEVER Openweight Champion, and ROH Champion.

Former WWE Superstar and O.C. member Luke Gallows has revealed whether he and his tag partner, Karl Anderson, talked with AEW following their WWE release.

Speaking with The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast, Gallows confessed there “weren’t a lot of talks” between the two parties. He shared how he and Anderson felt “if we already didn’t take that option maybe that option won’t be available again.”

According to him, there wasn’t much back and forth outside of friendly conversation. They never pushed for a spot and AEW allegedly never really offered one. Regardless, Gallows shared how the team is in “constant communication” with The Young Bucks on a daily basis as they are good friends.

Why Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson Signed With Impact Wrestling

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson would eventually reveal they had signed with Impact Wrestling. He revealed how, from the moment WWE released them, Scott D’Amore was “aggressively” looking to sign them. 

Gallows explained what made Impact Wrestling so appealing to the team. He noted how the promotion has a “solid belief in us as a commodity.” He then added how “Scott said let’s do this together and co-promote all this stuff you guys have got” in regards to Gallows and Anderson’s numerous side projects.

“All of these things WWE would never allow me to do and if it was getting away with it, I wouldn’t be allowed to talk about it. I don’t know how much availability there would have been for stuff like that with AEW,” Gallows said. “Scott basically opened his arms and said everything you guys are doing we’ll help and co-promote. We said if somebody is gonna offer that to you and afford you that opportunity, then let me wave the Impact flag higher than ever…”

Gallows added how having a company that believes in them and that is willing to acknowledge, co-promote, and help brand-build “means the world to me and to the both of us.”

The Good Brothers recently announced they had signed two-year contracts with Impact Wrestling. They made their first appearance since their WWE release at Impact’s recent Slammiversary show.

IMPACT Wrestling Champion Eddie Edwards recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Edwards won the Championship at this past weekend’s Slammiversary event; winning a Five Way Elimination Match against Ace Austin, Trey, Rich Swann and a returning Eric Young.

During the Busted Open broadcast, Eddie Edwards was asked how he felt about the company’s current management team. Edwards has been part of a number of changes during IMPACT and TNA’s history, and he had high praise for the current crop of leaders behind the scenes.

Eddie Edwards on IMPACT Locker Room

“You know it’s kind of like I said before, right now I feel like IMPACT is all on the same page” Eddie Edwards began. “That’s the boys and girls in the locker room to the front office. I know speaking for myself I have a very open relationship with the office. You know Tommy’s (Dreamer) one of my good friends and I can talk to Scott (D’Amore) and Don (Callis) anytime.

Eddie Edwards elaborated further, saying “I feel like they’ve [management] done a good job of leaving that door open with talent. We have D’Lo (Brown) as kind of the mediator in-between. I think we have a good relationship between the boys and girls and the office. It’s clear that you know we’re all dealing with stuff at the same time, like things change, things happen, and we’re all in this together.”

Edwards would then talk about the difficult set of circumstances surrounding the Slammiversary PPV event. With the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic ongoing the company were forced to make changes over the past few months, specifically when it comes to talent. “So, if anything, the circumstances of Slammiversary and circumstance leading in? It has kind of brought us closer together. I text with some of the boys and stuff on the side and I’m constantly reminded that we are on the same page and we have that same frame of mind. ‘Let’s just show what IMPACT’s about.'”

The IMPACT Champion finished by saying “I’ve been here through numerous changes and stuff and you know it doesn’t change our job in the ring. We go out there, we kill it and we do our job; and we hope that things work out on the back end. But I feel right now, you know? That we’re in a good place.”

Do you think that IMPACT is changing for the better recently? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

• Update On How Well Slammiversary Did On PPV
• Impact Results (7/21): A New Era Begins
• Curt Hawkins Sends Virtual Superkick To Vince McMahon After Impact Return…
• IMPACT Champion Working on a ‘Per-Appearance’ Contract

Impact Wrestling presented Slammiversary this weekend. The show was promoted on the idea that several of the wrestlers recently released by WWE could appear. The Good Brothers, EC3, Eric Young, Heath (Slater), and the Motor City Machine Guns would all either debut or return to the promotion.

According to a report from PW Insider, early indicators are the show did well on PPV. FITE doesn’t publish streaming numbers and traditional PPV numbers won’t be available for awhile, however. Reports are that the Slammiversary buy rate was the best the company has done in “a long time.”

Slammiversary Social Media Numbers Break Records

Impact sent out a press release to note how well their social media numbers did during the show as well.

“IMPACT Wrestling captured the world’s attention on Saturday night,” said IMPACT Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore. “Slammiversary 2020 was the result of two-and-a-half years of hard work by our incredible team and talented roster, along with new additions who have decided to bet on IMPACT.”

In terms of Twitter impressions, Impact nearly doubled their previous record. The top post for the company was the one in which it was revealed the Good Brothers had officially signed. Instagram impressions increased by 172% from their previous record.

“During the month leading up to Slammiversary 2020, IMPACT’s YouTube Channel saw its total views rise by 26.5 percent and total watch time grow by 32 percent,” a press release reads. “The channel, which already ranks as the No. 2 most-subscribed wrestling account on the platform, added over 100 thousand new subscribers, marking a 20% rise in monthly subscriber rate.”

Fans can check out Impact Wrestling every Tuesday night on AXS TV as well as Twitch.TV. Impact has its own streaming service, Impact Plus, featuring events from the promotion’s history dating back to 2004.

• Impact Results (7/21): A New Era Begins