Former Knockouts Champion Su Yung has re-signed with Impact Wrestling. PW Insider first reported that the 30-year-old from Seattle, Washington has signed a new multi-year commitment to the promotion.

Yung is a 13-year pro having been trained by Bill Dundee and Kevin White. Yung is also married to former X-Division Champion Rich Swann. Her current persona in Impact is “Susie” a less murderous version of her Su Yung alter-ego.

• Impact Wrestling Results & 8 Takeaways (5/5/20)

Su Yung’s Knockouts Title Reign

Yung defeated Allie to win the Knockouts Championship in a Last Rites match on April 24th, 2018 from the Impact Zone in Orlando. The match aired on May 31st, 2018. She held the title until dropping it to Tessa Blanchard in a 3-way match that also involved Allie. In total, Yung spent 110 days with the title. She’s ranked at #17 in total days spent with the Knockouts title. Yung defended the title successfully against Madison Rayne, Katarina, and Saraya Knight during her reign.

Impact Wrestling This Week

This week on Impact Wrestling, the #1 contenders tournament kicks off. Trey will face Rohit Raj and Hernandez will face Madman Fulton in opening round matches this week. Moose will also defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Suicide. Also, Kimber Lee debuts for the promotion and goes up against Havok.

Impact Wrestling presented its first show since the conclusion of Rebellion last week. The show was headlined by a triple threat match for Willie Mack’s X-Division title.

Impact Wrestling 5/5/20 Quick Results:

1. XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero) defeated oVe (Jake Crist & Madman Fulton) w/ Dave Crist
2. Suicide defeated Johnny Swinger
3. Joey Ryan defeated Cousin Jake
4. Impact Tag Team Championships
   The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) defeated the Creeps
5. X-Division Championship
   Willie Mack (c) defeated Ace Austin vs Chris Bey

#1 Contenders Tournament Scheduled

Impact Wrestling announced a tournament to determine a new #1 contender to Tessa Blanchard’s Impact World Championship this week. The self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Moose, withdrew from the tournament, however, stating that Blanchard’s title was secondary to his. Josh Matthews reminded Moose that he didn’t actually win the title but Moose feels he’s earned it nonetheless less. Moose was replaced by Rohit Raju in the tournament.

The lineup for the tournament looks like this:

1. Rohit Raju vs Trey
2. Sami Callihan vs Michael Elgin
3. Ken Shamrock vs Rhino
4. Madman Fulton vs Hernandez
5. Winner of Match 1 vs Winner of Match 2
6. Winner of Match 3 vs Winner of Match 4
7. Finals

Willie Mack Retains X-Division Title

Chris Bey won a fatal 4-way match at Rebellion to earn a title shot against new champion Willie Mack. Ace Austin, however, made it be known that he wanted his contractually stipulated rematch. As a result, a 3-way match for the X-Division title headlined this week’s show.

Mack would pick up his first title defence by pinning Austin after a 6-Star Frog Splash.

After losing the X-Division title and then his contractually-obligated rematch, Ace Austin has suggested it’s time for him to move on to other things.

Moose To Defend TNA World Heavyweight Championship Against Suicide

Moose was interviewed by Josh Matthews this week. In addition to announcing he would not participate in the tournament to determine a #1 Contender to the Impact Championship, Moose stated the reasons why he’s the TNA Champion. He mentioned beating stars like Rhino, Ken Shamrock and Rob Van Dam. Next week, however, it was announced that Moose will defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Suicide.

Suicide defeated Johnny Swinger this week in single’s action.

The North Defend The Tag Titles In Canada

We traveled to the Don Kolov Arena in Mississauga, ON, Canada for this one. “Fans” which seemed to resemble dummy punching bags were set up along ringside and crowd chants were piped in. The North brought out “the Creeps” – not exactly top-challengers for the belts. Page and Alexander had their way with them in a montage-style segment that can be viewed above.

Kimber Lee Debuts, Confronts Havok

Kimber Lee debuted this week in Impact Wrestling. The former Chikara Grand Champion confronted Havok during an episode of Madison Rayne’s “Locker Room Talk.” Rayne had asked Havok about Nevaeh, who was shown watching Havok and Rosemary’s match at Rebellion. Havok neglected to say much about who Nevaeh is and why she is in Impact, however.

Kimber Lee got right up in Havok’s face and declared that the Crown Jewel has arrived in Impact Wrestling. Lee and Havok have fought quite a bit over the years. They’ve had title matches in both SHIMMER and AAW as well. A match between the two has been scheduled for next week.

Joey Ryan Scores Second-Straight Underhanded Victory

We got a rematch from Rebellion this week as Joseph P. Ryan (Joey Ryan) took on Cousin Jake from the Deaners. For the second straight week, Ryan used underhanded tactics to score the victory. This time, Ryan poked Jake in the eyes when the referee was out of position and then rolled him up with a handful of trunks to get the victory. Ryan may have lost his “penis power” but he’s making up for it with his new cheating ways.

The Cards Give Rosemary A Message

Rosemary is a little lost these days. She’s been looking for guidance since killing her enemies has left her feeling unfulfilled. This week she turned to the cards to see what they had to say to her. She did this while wearing a t-shirt which read “I Put the Fun in Funeral.” The cards appeared to tell Rosemary to seduce unsuspecting humans and bring them to their demise. She’s just not sure who to start with.

Next Week On Impact Wrestling

Next week on Impact Wrestling, the #1 Contenders tournament begins with two opening round matches. Kimber Lee and Havok face-off in Lee’s Impact in-ring debut. Moose will also put his TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Suicide.

• #1 Contenders Tournament (1st Round)
  Hernandez vs Madman Fulton
• #1 Contenders Tournament (1st Round)
  Rohit Raju vs Trey
• Havok vs Kimber Lee
• TNA World Heavyweight Championship
  Moose (c) vs Suicide

Ethan Page is 1/2 of the Impact tag team champions along with Josh Alexander. The team was unable to attend the recent tapings, however, due to travel restrictions. Page recently spoke to the WINCLY podcast about how Impact management has been treating talent during the ongoing pandemic.

“Personally, I have nothing but good things to say during this entire thing,” Page said on the show. “We had three events cancelled that we got paid for and we didn’t even have to leave the house. In my contract, it says if I don’t perform, I don’t get paid. But I didn’t perform and they still paid me. That just shows a different character than most companies in this situation and I’ll be happy to pay that forward, maybe even just telling you how good they’re treating us might be able to help them out.”

Last week on Impact Wrestling, Page and Alexander noted that they will defend their tag titles against a top Canadian team this week. Who this team is and where and when the match was filmed is not currently known, however.

The North recently became the first team in Impact/TNA history to hold the tag titles for longer than 300 days (303 days as of this writing). Earlier this year, Taya Valkyrie became the first Knockout to hold the title for longer than a calendar year as well. The North sits 4th all-time in total days spent with the tag titles behind the Wolves, Beer Money, and LAX.

• Impact Wrestling Results & 6 Takeaways (4/28/20)

Page’s appearance on the WINCLY podcast can be heard in the player below:

Impact recently taped months worth of content in Tennessee including the 2-part Rebellion event. Former Impact World Champion Sami Callihan took part in the tapings and his match against Ken Shamrock from Rebellion aired on last night’s show. When the global pandemic first began to impact live events, Callihan stated he would not be wrestling during this time. He spoke to SI.com recently about what made him feel safe taking part in the recent tapings for Impact.

“The reason that I was 100% OK with doing that was because Impact took amazing care of us,” Callihan said during the interview. “From the time we got there to the time we left, I knew no one from our crew was going to be in any danger. Impact took every precaution to make sure our television taping was the safest television taping going on right now.”

Sami Callihan on Recent Impact Tapings

Unfortunately, several members of the roster were unable to attend the tapings. Neither Tessa Blanchard nor Eddie Edwards attended. Tag champions the North were unable to travel to the state due to the US-Canada border being shut down. A Knockouts title match between Taya Valkyrie and Jordynne Grace has been scrapped from Rebellion as well.

“I put my entire trust in Impact management to make sure we all get taken care of,” Callihan continued. “I’ve wrestled for every major wrestling company on the planet, and Impact Wrestling truly is a family. I know it’s crazy to think how many ‘families’ there are in this crazy world, but our entire locker room and our entire staff took care of each other so we could all be safe.”

Callihan took on a new gimmick in Impact Wrestling shortly after losing the world title to Tessa Blanchard. He has been revealed as the hacker behind the “ICU” videos on the show. He spoke with Chris Van Vliet recently about the character.

• Sami Callihan Compares Current Gimmick With Solomon Crowe

Callihan also spoke about the freedom he has in Impact Wrestling. He noted that Impact is the first promotion to really take the shackles off of him.

“Impact Wrestling has been the first company to pull the shackles off me and say, ‘We want to give you the freedom to actually do you.’”

Impact Wrestling presented the first night of its Rebellion event last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The show featured an X-Division title match and was headlined by Sami Callihan taking on Ken Shamrock.

Impact Rebellion Night 1 Quick Results:

1. Tommy Dreamer, Rhino & Crazzy Steve defeated OVE (Madman Fulton, Dave & Jake Crist)
2. The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) defeated XXXL (Acey Romero & Larry D) and Fallah Bahh & TJP
3. X-Division Championship
   Willie Mack defeated Ace Austin (c) – New Champion
4. Kylie Rae defeated Kiera Hogan
5. Unsanctioned Match
   Ken Shamrock defeated Sami Callihan

Ken Shamrock Defeats Sami Callihan In Cinematic Main Event

Ken Shamrock got his hands on Sami Callihan last night to headline Night 1 of Rebellion. This unsanctioned match would spill to the outside shortly after Shamrock jumped off the stage and landed on Callihan. From there, things took a very cinematic turn. We’ve seen a lot of these matches in other promotions as of late but Impact has a fair amount of experience and history with this emerging genre of pro-wrestling. There was no magic or otherworldly powers involved here, though.

Callihan’s former OVE stablemates joined the attack and it looked as though Shamrock would be heavily outnumbered. Callihan took a baseball bat to the members of OVE, however, taking them out of the equation and confirming he is no longer aligned with the group. From there, Shamrock and Callihan agreed to take things outside to the street. Callihan had Shamrock locked in a rear-naked choke but Shamrock managed to get out. He then locked in the Ankle Lock on Callihan. The man behind the ICU videos who now claims to “see ev-ree-thing” would not tap but rather lost consciousness and the ref called for an end to the match.

Willie Mack Wins X-Division Gold

Willie Mack left Rebellion with X-Division gold after defeating Ace Austin in a match that seemed like it could go either way. Austin countered a Stunner attempt by Mack into a Fold but Mack kicked out from the champion’s finish. Mack then hit a pop-up Stunner which Austin kicked out of. As Mack went for the 6-star frog splash, Austin rolled away to an opposing corner. Mack then landed a coast-to-coast on the unsuspecting Austin. The finish of the match then came when Austin was setting Mack up for something on the turnbuckle but took a Stunner from Mack (who crotched himself on the turnbuckle in the process) and then delivered a 6-star frog splash for the win.

Mack becomes the 46th person to win the title and begins the 91st reign in its lineage.

After the title win, Rich Swann noted that there was no reason why they couldn’t still go for the tag titles. Johnny Swinger also showed up in the back and lamented the end of the “Mack and Pack Connection.”

Uncertain Impact World Title Picture

It was noted on the broadcast that neither Tessa Blanchard nor Eddie Edwards was able to attend the tapings in Tennesse. This left only Michael Elgin from the 3 wrestlers scheduled to compete for the world title at Rebellion. Elgin promised that a new world champion will be crowned next week, though it was never revealed how that will happen. Impact is advertising that the future of the world title will be revealed on next week’s show.

Kylie Rae Scores Big Win Over Kiera Hogan

Last week on Impact, Kiera Hogan made Kylie Rae stop smiling and get a little angry. Kylie snapped at Hogan that she was not very nice after Hogan noted that there were no friends in the Knockouts locker room setting up this match here.

Kylie was able to pick up the victory via submission with an STF. It was noted on commentary that when Kylie does the move, the acronym stands for “Smile, it’s The Finish.”

Tag Titles Stuck Up “North” As Rascalz Win Multi-Team Bout

Dez and Wentz from the Rascalz picked up a win in a triple threat tag match this week. While the win likely moves them up the rankings and closer to a title shot, the current champs are unable to cross the border into the United States at the moment. An interview with Ethan Page and Josh Alexander this week involved the team saying that they plan to defend the titles against Canada’s top teams as soon as possible.

Crazzy Steve Returns To Impact

Tommy Dreamer and Rhino promised a surprise partner to take on Madman Fulton and the Crist brothers this week. Their teammate turned out to be Crazzy Steve formerly of the Menagerie and Decay in TNA. Steve is a one-time tag team champion along with Abyss. Rhino would pick up the victory for his team with a Gore on Dave Crist.

Rebellion Night 2 Lineup

The Full Metal Mayhem match for the Knockouts title appears to have been scrapped. It has been replaced with Havok vs Rosemary in the same type of match but without the title on the line. It doesn’t appear as though either Taya or Jordynne Grace were able to make the tapings.

Here are the matches lined up for Night 2 of Rebellion next week:

• Joey Ryan vs Cousin Jake
• Full Metal Mayhem
  Havok vs Rosemary
• Suicide vs Chris Bey vs Trey vs Rohit Raju
• Update on the World Title situation

Adam Thornstowe is 1/2 of Impact Wrestling’s Reno Scum. Evidently, when he isn’t teaming with Luster the Legend and helping Ace Austin with his underhanded tactics, he is working long hours in a hospital during a global pandemic.

“Just taking a little break at the hospital to let everyone know what I’ve been up to,” Thornstowe says in the video. “This is pretty much it. 40-60 hours a week I’ve been down here in surgery. Just trying to help out my community and do my part. This is what I do besides from Impact Wrestling. I try to juggle both jobs as best I can.”

“Being here at the hospital, every now and then it’s just a little mentally taxing,” he continued.

“I guarantee we are all going to get through this together. Reno Scum and Ace Austin are going to be kicking a** in an Impact wrestling ring before you know it. Hope you are all staying safe, staying inside, washing your hands, telling the people you love that you love them. Stay safe out there and I’ll see you a lot sooner than later.”

Thornstowe’s video can be viewed in the player below:

Thornstowe also controversially noted in the video that he has gotten into the Sopranos but it, in his opinion, is not as good as Sons of Anarchy.

• Impact Wrestling Results & 9 Takeaways (4/7/20)

Impact Wrestling: A Message Of Safety

Impact has been posting videos with the #URTheImpact to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Dawn Marie Providing An Essential Service

There can be no debating that what Dawn Marie is up to these days is far more essential than pro-wrestling. The former valet for the Impact Players now works in nursing.

She noted that what she wears to work these days is far different than from her wrestling days:

Sami Callihan recently returned to Impact Wrestling. He took a brief hiatus from the promotion after losing the world title but returned as the man behind the ICU hacking incidents as of late. He is now scheduled to face Ken Shamrock next week on the 1st night of Rebellion.

During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Sami talked about his current gimmick in Impact and comparisons to his Solomon Crowe gimmick in NXT.

“Yeah but done the correct way,” Callihan responded when Van Vliet mentioned his current character is similar to the one he did in NXT. “And that’s not sh**ing on WWE at this point, they did not understand it at all.”

“We really didn’t even get to pull the trigger on the hacker cyber-punk character really at all,” he continued. “It was something that me and Dusty Rhodes had really written out, came up with ideas on and it was something that I came up with from being a big video game nerd and actually watching the movie Hackers.”

Callihan continued to say that when he suggested the character in NXT someone from the office asked him why a hacker would wrestle?

“Why would the Undertaker wrestle? He strikes dude with lightning bolts, I don’t think that’s really the hill to die on but it just didn’t click, I didn’t click,” Callihan said. He would continue to say that Impact is now trusting him to think outside of the box with the character, however.

The full interview with Chris Van Vliet can be viewed in the player below:

Eric Bischoff came into TNA Wrestling in early 2010 and was gone by the fall of 2013. At the time Bischoff came in, TNA had been using a 6-sided ring. The company would revert back to a traditional 4-sided ring shortly after Bischoff and Hogan signed. Bischoff was recently asked a question about the 6-sided ring in TNA on an episode of his “83 Weeks” podcast and the former President of WCW did not hold back his opinions.

“It was stupid, right?” Bischoff said about the ring. “Here is the logic that I heard ‘yeah but when people are flipping through the channels they’re going to see that 6-sided ring and stop and go ‘hey, what’s that? Maybe we should watch that.’ That was the entire psychology and strategy behind this 6-sided ring.”

“First of all people don’t click through channels anymore,” he continued. “Even in 2010, it was just an absurd rationale and strategy to come up with a 6-sided ring for no other reason than to capture the audience that maybe surfing channels or as it was put, clicking through channels, and stop because they were going to see something that looked odd to them. Think about that? That’s pretty fu**ing stupid. So, that was my approach coming in and I was very vocal about it.”

TNA Alumni Debate The 6-Sided Ring

• AJ Styles, Sting, & Jeff Jarrett Debate TNA’s 6-Sided Ring

On a recent episode of Table for 3, AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett and Sting gave their opinions on the 6-sided ring.

“I grew to love it,” Styles said. “I thought it made us so different from anything anybody else was seeing. It was kind of like with cagefighting, it looked like that. It made it more sports-oriented being so different to that box ring. We had 6-sides and looked like MMA kind of, it was different. I loved that look to the point where when I heard we were going to lose it, I was mad.”

“I wasn’t complaining when it was gone,” Sting added. 

Impact Wrestling is reported to have filmed enough content recently to cover several months worth of television. The company filmed at a studio in Tennessee last week but according to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, multiple key names were not in attendance.

The most notable name to not attend the recent tapings is the Impact World Champion, Tessa Blanchard. She is from the California area and is said to have not traveled to Tennessee. Blanchard was scheduled to defend her title against Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards in a triple threat match at Rebellion but it is now not clear if that match will take place.

“Blanchard not coming was her own choice, unlike with AEW where the California crew was told not to come,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Ethan Page and Josh Alexander, the North, looked as though they were about to enter a program with TJP & Fallah Bah but it is likely neither Page nor Alexander was at the last set of tapings. Page and Alexander are both from Ontario, Canada and would not have been able to travel in. They did, however, offer the recently released Eric Young a spot in their faction:

Although not confirmed, it is believed that Sami Callihan did attend the tapings after stating awhile back he would not be wrestling during the pandemic. His match against Ken Shamrock was announced as airing next week.

It’s not clear if one of or both Jordynne Grace and/or Taya Valkyrie missed the tapings. Valkyrie was scheduled to challenge Grace for the Knockouts Title in a Full Metal Mayhem match at Rebellion. That match does not appear to be advertised for the show anymore.

Impact Wrestling Rebellion Lineup

On the last episode of Impact, they announced several matches for night 1 of Rebellion (next week) but just one match for night 2.

Here is what the company has announced thus far:

Night 1:

• X-Division Championship
  Ace Austin (c) vs Willie Mack
• Kylie Rae vs Kiera Hogan
• Tommy Dreamer, Rhino & TBD vs OVE (Madman Fulton, Dave & Jake Crist)
• Ken Shamrock vs Sami Callihan

Night 2:

• Suicide vs Chris Bey vs Trey vs Rohit Raju

• Impact Wrestling Results & 9 Takeaways (4/14/20)

Former WWE Smackdown Executive Director Eric Bischoff recently commented on the ‘Monday Night War’ that saw TNA head to Monday nights back in 2010. On March 8th 2010, TNA would air on Monday nights head to head with WWE’s flagship RAW program. The experiment would only last until late April, when the company would move back to their Thursday night slot after losing a hefty chunk of their audience against WWE.

Eric Bischoff would claim on his 83 Weeks podcast that the move to Monday was never permanent. In fact, it was designed to give TNA a ‘kick start’ and market the product and get the wrestling audience to potentially ‘sample’ something they hadn’t seen previously.

Eric Bischoff on Competition

“It’s another strategy that we created” Eric Bischoff began. “It’s competition, it’s a way to get people to sample your product and that’s all it was. How do we make the biggest impact? How do we maximise the addition of Hulk Hogan to the TNA brand? Can we exploit that to the maximum potential? How do we do it?”

Bischoff would then describe how the ‘peripheral’ wrestling media would be instrumental to the ‘sampling.’

“We thought going head to head because we knew it would make noise. We knew that the ‘peripheral’ wrestling audiences or ‘peripheral wrestling industry’ would be buzzing about it. They’d either be ripping it apart or they’d be putting it over, one or the other. It did not matter, as long as they were talking about it, they would be encouraging people one way or the other to at least sample it out. Either to validate the criticism for going head to head or to validate the choice to do it.”

Small, Niche Product

Although some fans would argue that the pre-Hogan era of TNA was working, Eric Bischoff would comment on how the company needed to make a ‘big move.’ “TNA needed to make a big move. They were quite successful as a small niche product is in a certain segments of the country, right? TNA had some of the same problems that WCW had early on, in that they weren’t real popular on the West Coast. They didn’t have a lot of Upper Midwest kind of success. They were very popular in certain pockets of the country.”

“But for the most part it wasn’t a national kind of brand. They were pretty niche. And bringing Hulk Hogan in with Ric Flair was a way to change that perception, and that’s all going head to head was. It was ‘let’s let the world know we’re here, and we’re here to put on a good show.’ And there’s no better way to do it, in terms of getting an audience and attracting curiosity; if nothing else, it was to make a big move and go slap the giant [WWE] in the face and see what happens.”

As mentioned, TNA would eventually move back to Thursday nights on Spike TV as the experiment had failed. Or had it? Do you think that TNA were right to take the gamble? Let us know in the comments

If you use any of the quotes from this article please credit 83 Weeks Podcast with a h/t to SEScoops.com for the transcription.

Also Check Out:

• Hulk Hogan Reacts To Ronda Rousey’s “Work Yourself Into A Shoot” Tweet
• The Rock Still Loves Wrestling & Reveals What He Misses Most About It
• Kurt Angle Comments On The Coronavirus Pandemic

Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion pay-per-view has been changed to a 2-part episode beginning on April 21st and concluding on April 28th. The show will be free to air on AXS TV in the United States, on the Fight Network in Canada, and broadcast through Impact’s international broadcast partners.

Additionally, the show was filmed on a closed set with no spectators.

“In light of the restrictions placed upon live events as a result of the coronavirus, IMPACT Wrestling will hold its next major spectacular—IMPACT: Rebellion—on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance, as per the guidelines put in place by the CDC,” a press release from Impact Wrestling reads.

Impact Wrestling Rebellion

The following matches have been announced for Rebellion:

• Impact World Championship
  Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
• Knockouts Championship
  Full Metal Mayhem
  Jordynne Grace (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
• Ken Shamrock vs Sami Callihan
• Kiera Hogan vs Kylie Rae

Additionally, Willie Mack challenging Ace Austin for the X-Division title will likely occur on the show.

It’s not clear at this time if some Impact wrestlers scheduled for the event will no longer be taking part due to travel restrictions or personal concerns regarding the ongoing pandemic.

Sami Callihan is scheduled to face Ken Shamrock but has expressed concerns about performing during this time. On March 13th, Callihan posted that he will not wrestle during the ongoing crisis, though the Tweets have since been deleted.

Additionally, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that Tessa Blanchard may not be able to participate in the show.

“The word going around which is confirmed is that Blanchard, the Impact men’s world champion, who is based in California, is not leaving the state at this time,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

• More On Impact Tapings, Updated Rebellion Lineup

Impact Wrestling will reportedly be filming several episodes of its weekly show from an empty studio setting in Nashville, TN. Tommy Dreamer noted on Busted Open Radio that Impact will be taping 2 months worth of shows over a 2-day period. The Wrestling Observer has since reported that the location of the tapings will be in Nashville.

• Impact Reportedly Looking At Filming Empty Arena Shows

The tapings will likely include the Rebellion PPV as well. The show may be changed to a special on AXS TV rather than a traditional PPV, however. Similar to both AEW and WWE tapings, various safety measures will be taken including taking performers’ temperatures before they are on set.

The Executive stay-at-home order in Tennessee permits filming for television on a closed set.

• Impact Wrestling Results & 9 Takeaways (4/7/20)

Rebellion PPV Lineup

2 Knockouts matches were added to the show last night. Jordynne Grace will defend her title against Taya Valkyrie in a Full Metal Mayhem match. Kylie Rae will also face Kiera Hogan on the show.

The announced lineup for Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion show is as follows:

• Impact World Championship
  Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
• Knockouts Championship
  Full Metal Mayhem
  Jordynne Grace (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
• Ken Shamrock vs Sami Callihan
• Kiera Hogan vs Kylie Rae

Impact Wrestling presented a show on AXS TV and Twitch last night. The show emanated from the Coca-Cola Roxy from Atlanta, GA. The main event for the show was a tag team title match with the North defending against Tessa Blanchard & Eddie Edwards.

Impact Wrestling 4/7/20 Quick Results:

1. 2-on-1: Willie Mack defeated Reno Scum
2. Chris Bey defeated Daga
3. Havok defeated Madison Rayne
4. Rhino & Tommy Dreamer defeated Dave & Jake Crist (OVE)
5. Impact Tag Team Championships
   The North (c) defeated Tessa Blanchard & Eddie Edwards

Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 4/7/20:

Tessa Blanchard Refuses To Tag Eddie Edwards, Michael Elgin Attacks

After Eddie Edwards and Tessa Blanchard were forced to align last week in order to fend off the North, the two were granted a shot at the tag titles this week. With Tessa scheduled to defend the world title against both Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin in a triple threat match at Rebellion, however, she was a little hesitant to trust Eddie too much.

The end of the match came when Tessa hesitated to tag in Edwards and it allowed the North to hit their burning hammer into a spinebuster finishing move for the win.

After the match, Michael Elgin hit the ring and took out Tessa Blanchard with an Elgin bomb and stood tall with the world title belt to close the show.

Ken Shamrock Is Searching For Sami Callihan

Previously on Impact Wrestling, Sami Callihan was revealed as the hacker behind the ICU videos. He also delivered a fireball to Shamrock’s face. This week, Jimmy Jacobs interviewed Shamrock who detailed the impacts of Sami’s attack. The lights in the room began to flicker and Shamrock stated he knew who was behind it. The MMA legend and future Impact Hall-of-Famer then stormed off in search of Callihan.

Madman Fulton Takes Out Some Extreme Legends

Rhino and Tommy Dreamer defeated the Crist brothers this week after Rhino hit a Gore on former X-Division champion Jake Crist. After the match, Madman Fulton (who had been ejected from ringside during the match) returned and attacked both Rhino and Tommy Dreamer as the other members of OVE helped. On commentary, it was noted that the 3 members of OVE are lost without the leadership of Sami Callihan. Fulton and the Crists stood tall over a flattened Tommy Dreamer to end the segment.

“Susie” Drops Match To Kiera Hogan

Su Yung’s less murderous persona “Susie” faced Kiera Hogan this week in single’s competition. While Susie kept pace with Hogan throughout the match, a mistake she made would end up costing her. Susie reached for the bloody glove that Su Yung normally uses to apply the mandible claw but said glove was not there. This allowed Hogan to hit a swinging fisherman suplex for the win.

The win for Hogan helps her build momentum heading into Rebellion when she’ll face the newly signed Kylie Rae.

Havok Destroys Madison Rayne

For much of this episode, Madison Rayne was on commentary with Josh Matthews. For one segment, however, she wrestled Havok who is fresh off having stabbed James Mitchell to death in the undead realm. Havok caught Madison with a tombstone piledriver to pick up the win.

Johnny Swinger To Face “Young Buck” M. Jackson Next Week

Johnny Swinger appeared in a video this week with Rosemary. The two were in a bar where Rosemary was scouting souls to steal. Swinger approached Rosemary and said she could steal his soul or take him anywhere if she has a car. Rosemary explained that “the Valkyrie” would never let her live it down if she did anything with him, however. Swinger also said during this interaction that he’ll be taking on a “Young Buck” with the name “M Jackson” next week.

Chris Bey Steals Victory From Daga

After a fast-paced match between Daga and Chris Bey, the newcomer to the promotion grabbed the ropes during a pinning attempt to get the 3-count. While the win helps the 24-year-old move up the rankings, he showed this week he’s not afraid to bend the rules to pick up a victory.

Willie Mack Defeats Reno Scum, Attacked By Ace Austin

Last week on Impact Wrestling, Reno Scum attacked an injured Rich Swann during an interview segment. This week Willie Mack took on and defeated both members of the team in the opening match of the night. After the match, however, the X-Division champion snuck up behind Mack and delivered a vicious kick to the head. The members of Reno Scum then held Mack as Austin hit his finishing move “the Fold” on him to end the segment.

Next Week On Impact Wrestling

Here is what is scheduled for next week’s episode:

• Ken Shamrock and Sami Callihan contract signing
• Tenille Dashwood vs Taya Valkyrie
• Johnny Swinger vs M. Jackson
• Hernandez vs Rohit Raju

Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion PPV once scheduled for April 19th from New York City could take place in an empty arena setting. According to a report from PW Insider, the company has tentative plans moving forward to film new content without fans in attendance including the Rebellion PPV. It is also possible that Rebellion could be changed to a special on AXS TV rather than a traditional PPV, however.

Impact has continued to build toward several planned matches for the event on its weekly show. Tessa Blanchard is scheduled to make a world title defense against Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards in a triple threat match. Also planned for Rebellion is a match between Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock as well as Ace Austin defending the X-Division title against Willie Mack. It is also being reported that Impact will announce 2 new matches for Rebellion on tonight’s show.

The last set of TV tapings the promotion filmed was March 7th from Atlanta.

• Impact Wrestling Results & 10 Takeaways (3/31/20)

Impact Wrestling 4/7/20 Lineup

On last week’s episode, Kylie Rae’s signing with the promotion was made official. Impact also recently signed Chris Bey to its roster. He will compete this week against Daga.

The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling:

• Chris Bey vs Daga
• Dave & Jake Crist vs Rhino & Tommy Dreamer
• Ken Shamrock to address Sami Callihan
• The North vs Tessa Blanchard & Eddie Edwards
• Madison Rayne vs Havok

Kylie Rae recently announced that she has signed a long-term deal with Impact Wrestling. The 27-year-old took part in an interview with Alicia Atout recently and spoke about a variety of subjects including returning to wrestling after a brief hiatus last year.

“The day I made the return – like I had my first match in a couple of months, it didn’t feel real,” Kylie said about the response she got from the live crowd that night. “Like still to this day, somebody paid everybody to go to that show and cheer for me.”

Kylie continued to say that she didn’t get the kind of reaction that she did.

“Some fans that I do have, I’ve built up that friendship with them,” she continued.

“I’ve just been living every day like day-to-day at this point and just trying to enjoy the ride because it’s about the journey.”

The full conversation between Alicia Atout and Kylie Rae can be viewed in the player below:

Kylie Rae On Signing With Impact Wrestling

Rae spoke about signing with Impact Wrestling in a backstage segment on Impact Wrestling this week:

“I’m going to tell you how it feels, it feels amazing,” Kylie Rae said backstage. “You know what? It’s been one emotional year. We’ve had highs, we’ve had lows, we’ve had ups, we’ve had downs. But I knew from the moment that I stepped in this Impact wrestling ring, the arena, this is my home. I felt that, I felt that. That’s why I’m very proud to announce Kylie Rae just signed a long-term wrestling contract with Impact Wrestling baby!”

• Kylie Rae Officially Signs With Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling presented two shows on AXS TV last night. After the company’s regular weekly 2-hour show a special 1-hour TNA One-Night-Only special aired.

Impact Wrestling 3/31/20 Quick Results:

1. Josh Alexander defeated Eddie Edwards
2. Kylie Rae defeated Cassandra Golden
3. Moose defeated Kid Kash
4. Old School Rules
   Sami Callihan defeated Tommy Dreamer
5. Cody Deaner defeated Joey Ryan
6. Tessa Blanchard defeated Ethan Page

TNA Cross The Line 3/31/20 Quick Results:

1. Hernandez defeated Chase Stevens
2. Suicide & Manik defeated Kid Kash & Johnny Swinger
3. Rhino defeated Madman Fulton via DQ

Building To Tessa Blanchard vs Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards

In the main event this week, Tessa Blanchard defeated Ethan Page. Eddie Edwards came out to ringside and prevented Josh Alexander from getting involved in the match. This allowed Blanchard to hit Magnum on Page for the win. Earlier in the evening, Page had helped Alexander score the upset victory over Edwards but then Blanchard came out to prevent the 2-on-1 attack from the North. Edwards then repaid the favor to her in this match here.

After the match, however, Michael Elgin hit the ring and took out both Blanchard and Edwards with a clothesline. Elgin attempted to powerbomb Blanchard but Edwards hit him with a kick and the two babyfaces stood tall in the ring while Elgin stared at them from the outside to end the show.

It’s not clear when we will get this match but when we do, Michael Elgin will likely stop at nothing to come away with the belt.

Raven Attacks Tommy Dreamer As Rivalry Will Never Die

Rhino was just about to finish off Madman Fulton with a Gore in the main event of TNA Cross the Line this week. OVE came out and caused the disqualification, however. This brought out Tommy Dreamer who attempted to make the save but OVE still held the numbers advantage until the lights in the arena went out. When the lights came back on Raven was in the ring with a kendo stick and he promptly took out OVE leaving him alone in the ring with his rival Tommy Dreamer.

While it looked as though Raven was going to help his old rival, he then hit him in the head with a kendo stick and left the arena. This allowed OVE to go back on the attack against the babyfaces. The locker room then spilled out with TNA stars as they cleared OVE from the ring.

The TNA No Place Like Home event has been postponed. There is currently no word on when or where the event will take place but Impact is said to be looking into alternative ways to produce both it and the Rebellion PPV as well as other postponed shows. A disclaimer on the show this week directed fans to ImpactWrestling.com for more details.

Big Proper Pump? Scott Steiner Has No Time For Cancel Culture

On the TNA special following Impact this week, Scott Steiner cut a promo about how he is not very politically incorrect. This brought out Joseph Ryan who said that Steiner should have been canceled along time ago and offered him a spot in Cancel Culture. Ryan suggested he go by the name “Big Proper Pump.”

Steiner promptly tossed Ryan out of the ring and rejected his offer, however.

Sami Callihan and Tommy Dreamer Get Hardcore

Sami Callihan cut a promo this week on Impact saying that Ken Shamrock doesn’t get to cut the line here in this company. This brought out Tommy Dreamer who took umbrage with Callihan hitting Shamrock with a fireball recently. They then went at it in an old-school rules match which in Impact is a hardcore match or a street fight.

Callihan would pick up the victory but things continued after the match was over. Rhino came out to save Dreamer but that brought out the members of OVE who then had the numbers advantage over the extreme legends. It appears that Callihan might not be as aligned with his former cronies as much these days as instead of celebrating in the ring with the faction, the lights went out and when they went back on Callihan was gone and the rest of OVE was left alone standing in the ring.

Cody Deaner Avoids Cancellation via Cancel Culture

Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes didn’t join their Cancel Culture stablemate “Joseph Ryan” at ringside this week. Josh Mathews explained that the pair did not want to be around the Deaners’ “toxic masculinity.”

Deaner was able to pick up the victory after Cousin Jake got involved on the outside. Jake poured beer into the mouth of Ryan which set up a DDT from Deaner for the win. On commentary, they mentioned that Ryan may not be doing himself any favors by choosing not to use his “powers.”

Suzie’s Back, Realizes She’s Su Yung and Has Stabbed People…Which Is Wrong

Suzie is back. Su Yung’s less murderous persona appeared in a backstage segment this week after Su Yung and Havok went on an epic journey through the undead realm last week. Havok ultimately stabbed, killed, and sent James Mitchell to heaven in the segment. This week, Suzie was seen making the Deaners uncomfortable in the back. She mentioned that she now realizes that she is Su Yung as well but likes being just Suzie.

Kylie Rae Signs With Impact Wrestling

Popular Chicago-based wrestler Kylie Rae has signed a long-term contract with Impact Wrestling. She announced her signing in a backstage segment this week after having disposed of Cassandra Golden in single’s competition.

“I’m going to tell you how it feels, it feels amazing,” Kylie Rae said backstage. “You know what? It’s been one emotional year. We’ve had highs, we’ve had lows, we’ve had ups, we’ve had downs. But I knew from the moment that I stepped in this Impact wrestling ring, the arena, this is my home. I felt that, I felt that. That’s why I’m very proud to announce Kylie Rae just signed a long-term wrestling contract with Impact Wrestling baby!”

Reno Scum Attack Rich Swann On Behalf Of Ace Austin

Rich Swann is still on the injured list but was interviewed from his home this week. Swann said that he feels Mack will defeat Austin for the X-division title but the current champ interrupted the interview. Austin tried to sow the seeds of dissension between Mack and Swann, telling Swann that Mack seemed quite happy to move on without him. There was then a knock at Swann’s door and Austin informed him that he sent Reno Scum after him. Mack then tried to get at Austin later in a backstage segment.

Moose Takes Out TNA Alumni Kid Kash

Moose has been vocally critical of the former TNA Wrestling. This week, he faced former X-Division champion Kid Kash. Before the match, Kash cut a promo telling Moose he wouldn’t have cut it in the original TNA. Moose’s trash-talking of TNA probably won’t decrease after this match, however, as he was able to put away Kash with the No-Jackhammer-Needed spear.

Next Week On Impact Wrestling

The following matches were announced for next week’s episode of Impact Wrestling:

• Chris Bey vs Daga
• Dave & Jake Crist vs Rhino & Tommy Dreamer
• Ken Shamrock to address Sami Callihan

Kylie Rae was announced as having signed a long-term contract with Impact Wrestling on AXS TV last night. The often-smiling wrestling has appeared on Impact shows in the past but after a single’s victory last night Rae announced in a backstage segment that she had signed with the promotion long-term.

“I’m going to tell you how it feels, it feels amazing,” Kylie Rae said backstage. “You know what? It’s been one emotional year. We’ve had highs, we’ve had lows, we’ve had ups, we’ve had downs. But I knew from the moment that I stepped in this Impact wrestling ring, the arena, this is my home. I felt that, I felt that. That’s why I’m very proud to announce Kylie Rae just signed a long-term wrestling contract with Impact Wrestling baby!”

Kylie defeated Cassandra Golden in single’s action last night on Impact Wrestling.

Kylie Rae Joins Impact Wrestling

Rae was briefly a member of the AEW roster, having competed at the first AEW Double or Nothing. AEW President Tony Khan stated in a media scrum at All Out that she had requested her release from the company and was departing under “amicable” terms.

27-year-old Kylie Rae is from the Chicago area where she has been a fixture on the independent scene. She is a 3x Diamonds Division Champion for Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling promotion, a former Phoenix of RISE Champion, and AAW Women’s Champion.

• Kylie Rae Addresses Her Sudden Departure From AEW

IMPACT star Moose has discussed the growth of the promotion during a recent interview with Wrestlezone. Reflecting on the company’s live event success prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Moose noted how he’s happy to be a part of it. Despite this growth, however, he noted how IMPACT needs to begin to keep their talent signed to long-term deals, allowing them to develop deeper storylines over time.

“IMPACT has been growing steadily in the past year and a half, two years, and it’s all been great. You mentioned we’re doing house shows,” Moose said, “and you can see yourself we’ve been great on TV, and it’s only going to get better. I’m happy I’m a part of it.”

He continued, “The wrestling business, in general, is great, it’s just a weird place. A guy will be here for a year, then you’ll see him on AEW TV, or a guy will be here for two years and end up going to WWE or Ring Of Honor. It’s just how the wrestling industry is. You can’t expect a guy to be in one company forever, you know? Part of the struggle we have is keeping guys here long-term, but we’re not the only company that has those struggles. Every other company faces that.”

Moose wasn’t concerned over a lack of championship opportunities. He shared how it’s not something he’s losing sleep over, believing that if he wanted a world title shot, he could “easily get one.” Moose confessed that there are a lot of things he’s trying to improve and build on before he wants to step back into title contention.

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

D’Lo Brown recently took part in an interview with Talk Sport in the UK. During the interview, the former 4x WWE European Champion talked about Tessa Blanchard’s world title win and his role backstage in Impact Wrestling.

D’Lo was asked about the criticisms lobbied against Blanchard by some former co-workers about her backstage behavior leading up to the Hard to Kill PPV.

“I still think it was a big moment for her and for IMPACT,” Brown said about Blanchard winning Impact World Championship on the show. “Seeing it live and being there and hearing the reaction of the crowd, seeing responses days and weeks later – it was still a big moment. As far as the rumour and innuendo that was out there before? There’s nothing to speak on. I don’t know because I wasn’t there.”

Brown would continue to say he considers Blanchard a friend and a fine person.

“All I know is how Tessa is with me as an individual and I know she is one fine person, one fine individual and someone I’m proud to call a friend and confidant. To me, it was a big moment and she has many, many more to come.”

D’Lo Brown On The Impact Wrestling Roster

Brown was also asked about his backstage role in Impact Wrestling. He talked about some of his favorite people to work with on the roster.

“Anytime I’m involved with Sami Callihan, Tessa Blanchard, Eddie Edwards, Michael Elgin, The North, people like Rich Swann and Willie Mack – it’s fun to have that collaborative process, put together ideas and see them go out there and they become really great matches,” Brown said.

“That’s really fun for me. We have such an incredible roster, a really talented roster here at IMPACT. Anytime I get to work with any of them, I enjoy it immensely,” he continued.

Impact Wrestling recently announced they would not be hosting the Rebellion PPV in New York at Terminal 5. The promotion is said to be looking at alternative ways to produce the show, however. This week’s episode on AXS TV will be followed by a special “TNA One-Night-Only” special.

• AXS TV To Air “TNA One Night Only” Special Next Week

The interview covers many other topics as well. Brown spoke about the influence Ron Simmons had on his career and his time in the Nation of Domination. The full interview with D’Lo Brown can be read here.

Impact Wrestling and AXS TV announced today they will be airing a one-night-only special next Tuesday, March 31st at 10 p.m. following a regularly scheduled episode of Impact Wrestling. The show will feature names from TNA Wrestling’s past including Scott Steiner, Kid Kash, Chase Stevens, and more.

The special will broadcast all-new previously unaired matches. The main event of the show will pit former TNA world heavyweight champion Rhino against Madman Fulton. 

Scott Steiner will also appear on the special offering his honest and unfiltered thoughts in a segment titled “Scott Steiner Uncensored.”

Hernandez from LAX will take on Chase Stevens. Kid Cash and Johnny Swinger will also team up to take on Suicide and Manik.

“For years, the loyal fans of TNA have asked us to bring back some of their favorite wrestlers of the past,” said Impact’s Scott D’Amore, “and after the incredible response we received from the now-postponed ‘TNA: There’s No Place Like Home’ iPPV, we thought an AXS TV special would be the perfect opportunity to celebrate our history.

“Right now we’re dealing with unprecedented circumstances, so here’s a great reason to stay home, turn everything off and enjoy the excitement that is Total Nonstop Action wrestling!”

Impact Wrestling presented a show last night on Twitch and AXS TV. The episode featured a main event of Eddie Edwards & Tessa Blanchard against Michael Elgin & Taya Valkyrie. A segment from the Undead Realm was featured heavily on the show as well.

Impact Wrestling 3/24/20 Quick Results:

1. Willie Mack defeated Chris Bey, Acey Romero, Jake Crist, Rohit Raju, Cousin Jake, Trey, and Daga.
2. Moose defeated Chase Stevens
3. Reno Scum (Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend) defeated Rascalz (Dez & Wentz)
4. Rhino & Sabu defeated Madman Fulton & Dave Crist
5. Michael Elgin & Taya Valkyrie w/ John E Bravo defeated Eddie Edwards & World Champion Tessa Blanchard

Rosemary, Havok, & Su Yung Align In The Undead Realm

The undead division was on full display during this episode of Impact Wrestling. Havok and Su Yung were about to do battle in the undead realm when the Twitch stream cut-out and showed a disclaimer asking for fans to go to Impact’s YouTube channel as the content of the scene was deemed not suitable for the platform. In the end, the two battled until James Mitchell let it be known that both warriors were too much trouble and he banished both of them to the barren wastelands of the undead realm.

At the end of the show, Rosemary eventually teleported to where Su and Havok both were and asked the two to align with her to undo what Mitchell had done to them. Havok and Su returned to Mitchell and Havok stabbed him. The last scene was Mitchell waking up in heaven and asking “Who booked this s**t?”

Raven Gives Rosemary Advice About Revenge & Rivalries

Raven has popped up a couple of times in Impact Wrestling as of late and was also recently teased as the Exalted One in AEW. In general, wrestling is better when Raven plays a role. With legends coming back as managers nowadays, one has to wonder if Raven will eventually be in such a spot to offer guidance to someone. This week, he offered some solid advice to Rosemary about the nature of blood feuds.

Rosemary, who has been playing with the real wives of Slam town as of late, was shown in a bar this week. She noted that she spent two years trying to get revenge when Raven overheard her. He said that two years is nothing for revenge and rivalries.

“Two years? That’s it,” Raven said. “Why don’t you just tap out to a headlock?”

“Feuds, revenge, pain, all the damage you can do, you’re just starting to get good after 2 years.”

He would continue to explain how blood feuds continue through the years with comparisons to his feud with Tommy Dreamer.

“Sometimes I wonder, do I hate Dreamer or do I love Dreamer? I don’t care because it goes on forever!”

Eventually, this advice struck a chord with Rosemary and would play into her scenes with Su Yung and Havok at the end of the episode.

Sami Callihan To Face Ken Shamrock At Rebellion

Unfortunately, it is not clear when, where, or how Rebellion will take place but when it does, Sami Callihan will face Ken Shamrock. Callihan was shown this week cutting a promo from isolation about his fireball attack on Shamrock from last week.

Michael Elgin & Taya Valkyrie Earn Victory Over Tessa Blanchard & Eddie Edwards

With the status of the Rebellion pay-per-view currently unknown or uncertain, it’s not clear how long fans will have to wait before the Impact world title match between Tessa Blanchard, Eddie Edwards, and Michael Elgin.

Elgin picked up a victory in this week’s main event, however, when he pinned Eddie Edwards with an Elgin bomb in this hard-hitting mixed tag team match. There can be no doubt that Elgin is still targeting winning the world championship for the first time, and this win builds him momentum in that direction. When the match will actually take place, however, is still not clear.

Willie Mack Earns X-Division Championship Match Against Ace Austin

Impact kicked off with a fast-paced multi-man scramble match this week. An X-Division title shot was on the line. Everyone in the match was given time to shine including newcomer to the division Chris Bey. There were two big spots involving Acey Romero as well that played heavily into the match. Midway through the match, a tower of doom spot involved Romero being the man on the peak of the big suplex. Romero would also factor into the end of the match when a suicide dive to the outside took out all but a few members of the match. This allowed Willie Mack to hit Cousin Jake with a frog splash and get the win.

Mack and X-Division champion Ace Austin were shown in the back later in the show. Recently, Austin came to Mack’s defense in a tag match against Johnny Swinger and Disco Inferno. Swinger was also shown speaking with Mack in the back later in the night, suggesting that fans want to see the “Pack” and “Mack” face each other for the X-division title.

Cancel Culture Wants To Cancel The Deaners

Joey Ryan believes the Deaners suffer from “toxic masculinity” and need to be canceled. Ryan narrated a video from Cancel Culture this week about Cody Deaner and Cousin Jake.

The tag-team then lamented on all the great TV shows that had been canceled in the past. They concluded that if they want to avoid being canceled, then Deaner must defeat Joey Ryan.

Suicide Returns, Takes Out Moose

Moose is not happy that so many stars from TNA wrestling are showing up in modern-day Impact as of late. This week, Moose made quick work of Chase Stevens before Scott D’Amore came up on the stage and told him all he has to do is turn around to see more stars from TNA’s past. A new-look version of Suicide appeared and took out Moose to end the segment.

Next Week On Impact Wrestling

The following matches are scheduled for next week’s show:

• Josh Alexander vs Eddie Edwards
• Moose talking TNA
• Sami Callihan addresses Impact Wrestling
• An interview with Rich Swann

Impact Wrestling has announced it will not be hosting the planned Rebellion PPV from New York. The event was to emanate from the Terminal 5 venue. Tickets for the event had been taken down over the weekend. The promotion is still looking for alternative ways to produce the show, however.

Additionally, the promotion has canceled its planned shows in Toronto on April 17th and a set of tapings on April 24th and 25th scheduled for Columbus. Impact’s statement suggests they are looking at alternative ways to produce these shows as well.

Impact Wrestling Statement On Rebellion PPV Status

“As a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, IMPACT Wrestling will not be hosting “Against All Odds” on April 17th in Toronto, the April 19th “Rebellion” pay-per-view event at New York City’s Terminal 5 and the April 24th & 25th TV tapings in Columbus, Ohio,” the statement from Impact Wrestling reads.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and are looking at alternative ways that we can produce the events. All tickets will be fully refunded from point of purchase.”

“The safety of our fans, talent and staff is of utmost importance and we will continue to adjust plans as necessary while still delivering as much IMPACT Wrestling as possible.” 

Impact Lockdown, which was scheduled for March 28, has been postponed.

The news comes from Border City Wrestling, which was coordinating with Impact to hold the event in Windsor, Ontario, California. The independent wrestling promotion announced that the host of the event, St. Clair College, has canceled all scheduled events, including Impact Lockdown.

Here is the full statement:

“To our valued Border City Wrestling fans, as you may have heard, St Clair College has canceled all on-campus events, including Lockdown, until early April due to Coronavirus prevention efforts

We are currently exploring all available options for the event to take place while also taking into consideration public safety and guidelines from the health professionals.

Please keep checking this page for further updates.

For those who have already purchased a ticket and would like a refund, please contact your original point of sale.”

The company has said that they are waiting on word on the March Breakdown event set to be held the next day in Belleville, Michigan.

About Impact Lockdown

This Impact Lockdown event would have been the company’s first since four years. The steel cage-focused show was last held in 2014.

There have been 12 Lockdown events in Impact/TNA history. Along with Slammiversary and Bound for Glory, the event was at one point a staple of Impact’s PPV schedule. The last time the event was held was in 2016. The main event of that show was Matt Hardy taking on Ethan Carter III for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

Impact/TNA has also used a War Games-style match at these events in the past. While only one ring is used for Lethal Lockdown matches, two teams face each other and wrestlers from each team enter the match at staggered intervals. 16 of these matches have taken place at Lockdown events over the years.

Former Impact World Heavyweight Champion Sami Callihan has declared he will not be performing until the coronavirus pandemic has been contained.

Callihan shared his intentions via his Twitter account, stressing how “safety is the most important thing” for all concerned. He shared how he won’t be doing any wrestling shows before asking everyone to be as safe as possible.

“F–k characters, f–ks storylines…. our safety is the most important thing. Until this gets better I’m not going to ANY wrestling shows. I beg the world to be as safe as possible in this extremely scary time. Let’s join together like never before. We can get through this.”

Sami Callihan later sent a follow-up Tweet, noting how his family, pets, and himself were all more important than “fake fighting our underwear.”

“My family… my animals… myself is more important than fake fighting in our underwear. I’m sorry. I’m not going to show until this in contained. I hope everyone does the same. The world. Our loves. Is not worth it.”

Coronavirus Pandemic

Several events worldwide have been affected by the coronavirus. Concerts, conventions and entire sports seasons have all been postponed, rescheduled and cancelled in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

Although WrestleMania 36 still seems to be going ahead, plenty of other promotions have taken action to help combat spreading the virus. New Japan Pro-Wrestling has cancelled several New Japan Cup events, and ROH has recently cancelled their 18th Anniversary pay-per-view.

Impact Wrestling presented a show from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas last night on AXS TV and Twitch. The main event this week featured the final match in the best-of-5 series between Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards.

Impact Wrestling 3/10/20 Quick Results:

1. Rhino defeated Madman Fulton
2. The Rascalz defeated Desi Hit Squad
3. Knockouts Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) defeated Lacey Ryan
4. Willie Mack & Ace Austin defeated the Swinging Disco Balls (Disco Inferno & Johnny Swinger)
5. Best-of-5 Series: Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards ends with no declared winner.

Triple Threat World Title Match At Rebellion

Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards met in the main event this week. The match was the 5th and deciding bout in their best-of-5 series. The winner would earn a shot at the World Title at Rebellion. It looked like Edwards had the match won after hitting the Boston Knee Party but the original ref was down and the replacement ref was not able to get into the ring in time.

Then with two refs in the ring, Elgin had Edwards locked in a submission but Edwards turned it into a pinning combination. One ref called for the end of the match after Eddie tapped to the submission but the other counted Elgin’s shoulders down for three.

As the referees argued, Tessa Blanchard came out and announced she’d take them both on at Rebellion and we now have our main event set.

Sabu Returns To Impact Wrestling

Rhino defeated Madman Fulton this week in the opener with a Gore. The Crist brothers accompanied OVE’s monster to the ring but were quickly sent to the back by the ref. OVE returned to ringside after the match to deliver a post-match attack to Rhino. The lights went out and a fellow ECW alumni returned to the ring when Sabu appeared along with Super Genie. Sabu delivered a DDT on Fulton onto a chair.

Jordynne Grace’s Open Challenge Continues

Unlike the previous Knockouts Champion, Jordynne Grace has set out to be a fighting champion. She set out another open challenge for this week and Madison Rayne was only too happy to find a challenger to take her on.

Lacey Ryan answers the call this week and gave it her all but ultimately the champion retained with a Grace Driver. Madison Rayne did not seem pleased with the result.

Chris Sabin To Referee King of the Mountain Match At TNA: There’s No Place Like Home

Chris Sabin is a pioneer of the X-Division and his tag-team with Alex Shelley, the Motor City Machine Guns, is one of the most influential teams of the last two decades. Sabin will be returning to Impact Wrestling as the special referee of the King of the Mountain World Title match at the TNA: There’s No Place Like Home event on March 3rd.

Moose interrupted his interview and announced he will be in the match. Moose has had his issues with wrestlers from “TNA” as of late.

Taya & Rosemary Drink Away Their Sorrows

Taya Valkyrie is dealing with the impact of losing her Knockouts title while Rosemary is still reeling after the death of her friend the Bunny. Rosemary had thought that helping Suzie escape the clutches of James Mitchell would bring her peace but it hasn’t. The two unlikely allies found solace in each other at the bar this week.

Willie Mack Gets Help Against The Swinging Disco Balls

The Swinging Disco Balls (Disco Inferno & Johnny Swinger) wrestled in their second match for Impact this week. The match started as a 2-on-1 handicap match against Willie Mack but X-Division Champion Ace Austin ran to ringside to be Mack’s partner. Austin hit Disco with the Fold followed by Mack’s 6-Star Frog Splash for the win.

Is this a new side to Ace Austin?

Later in the show, Swinger and Disco were heard arguing and Disco stormed off.

ICU Secret To Be Revealed Next Week

The mysterious ICU has continued to hack into Impact Wrestling accounts. This week, they hacked into the official Impact Wrestling Twitter account but not only that, somehow ICU was able to hack into ShopImpact.com and put its own merchandise for sale!

ICU let it be known that the secret will be revealed next week:

The Rascalz Pick Up The Win Over Desi Hit Squad

The Desi Hit Squad has been on quite the roll since the return of Mahabali Shera but they weren’t able to handle the double-team moves of Wentz and Trey from the Rascalz this week. The loss will likely not sit well with Gama Singh. As for the Rascalz, they put themselves one step closer to a shot at the tag belts with the win.