Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard has finally responded
to the allegation of racism that was made against her after a tweet last week.
Blanchard responded to the controversy via a statement on
Twitter and the female star claimed that she absolutely did not use the word
and it’s not in her dictionary.
She continued by saying that racism is an awful part of American history and she stands ready to use her platform to fight against racism in whatever way she can:
For those who don’t know, Tessa Blanchard had recently made a tweet saying that women should support each other and in response, several female wrestlers had called her out.
Allysin Kay was one such female star who had claimed that the Impact Champion spat in La Rosa Negra’s face backstage during a show and used the N-word.
Renee Michelle and AEW star Shanna later also supported
these claims from Kay and Shanna even went on to say that Tessa did more nasty
stuff while she was in Japan.
When asked about the controversy during a recent interview, La Rosa Negra had said that she was glad that the incident was brought up. Though she also expressed that she would like to move on from it.
Impact Wrestling presented its first show since Hard to Kill on AXS TV and Twitch last night. The show featured a sit-down interview with the new Impact World Champion, Tessa Blanchard.
Impact Wrestling 1/14/20 Quick Results:
The Desi Hit Squad defeated Reno Scum, TJP & Daga, and the Rascalz (Wentz & Dez) – fatal 4-way tag match. (taped at Hard to Kill)
Joey Ryan defeated Johnny Swinger (taped at Hard to Kill)
X-Division Championship Ace Austin defeated Moose, Eddie Edwards, and Fallah Bah – fatal 4-way match. (taped at House of Hardcore)
Here are 5 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/14/20:
Sami Callihan Threatens Tessa Blanchard
Losing the Impact World Championship might not be sitting well with the already unstable Sami Callihan. Tessa Blanchard’s sit-down interview this week was interrupted by a video message from Callihan.
Highlights of Blanchard’s title win was shown as well as clips of the entire locker room coming out to celebrate with her after the PPV ended. Blanchard then sat down with Josh Mathews and spoke about the importance of her title victory. That’s when Sami Callihan interrupted.
Calihan’s video panned out and revealed he was somewhere in the same studio Blanchard was. When Blanchard went looking for Callihan, however, a new video was shown. This video featured Callihan telling Blanchard that when he gets revenge, she will never see him coming.
RVD, His Girlfriend and His Girlfriend’s Girlfriend Celebrate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzk2moM8iNQ
RVD defeated both Brian Cage and Daga at Hard to Kill. He held a celebration with his girlfriend and his girlfriends’ girlfriend in a hotel room this week. RVD noted that Forbes and her girlfriend weren’t even born yet during ECW’s heyday. RVD also noted that wrestling nowadays is basically a tribute show to him, with everyone doing his moves.
Eventually, the celebration got so steamy that the Impact Plus app had to cut in with a clip of the Deaners as “the Hard Workers” from the retro show they did a few weeks back.
Joey Ryan Gives Johnny Swinger His Comeuppance
Joey Ryan and Johnny Swinger met in single’s action this week. This match stemmed from the epic Wrestlers Court segment a few weeks back. Then last week, Tommy Dreamer caught Swinger trying to put somas in Ryan’s water. Dreamer eventually forced Swinger to drink the soma water instead.
Swinger hurt himself in this match when he attempted to deliver a headbutt to Ryan’s groin. Ryan then hit a penis suplex on Swinger but Swinger grabbed the referee during the move, taking him out momentarily. Ryan would then pick up the win with a lollipop assisted superkick.
Ace Austin Retains X-Division Title In Fatal 4-Way From House of Hardcore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l1h6rtySb0
Ace Austin was in tough this week. He had to defend his title in a fatal 4-way match against Eddie Edwards, Moose and Fallah Bah. The match was filmed at a recent House of Hardcore event.
The end of the match came when Edwards took Moose out with the Boston Knee Party. Edwards was then leveled with a powerbomb by Fallah Bah leaving Austin and Bah as the only two wrestlers standing. Austin then hit Bah with the Fold from up top for the win.
It is not clear if Trey’s mother was watching. Trey still has a grudge against the X-Division champion, however.
Desi Hit Squad Pick Up A Big Tag Win
A fatal 4-way tag match kicked off this week’s episode of Impact. The match was taped from the Bomb Factory at Hard to Kill on Sunday but did not air on the PPV. It was noted on commentary that TJP normally teams with Fallah Bah but as Bah has another match scheduled on the show, Daga as his replacement partner in this match.
Rohit Raju and Mahabali Shera picked up the win for their stable this week after a Sky High. Josh Mathews noted on commentary that the win likely puts the Desi Hit Squad in a position to challenge for the Impact tag team championships.
It has been 4 years since Impact Wrestling held a Lockdown event but the steel cage-focussed show will be returning in 2020. The event will be exclusive to Impact Wrestling’s streaming service, Impact Plus. Lockdown 2020 will emanate from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
BREAKING: The most dangerous event of the year returns.
Lockdown is coming to @StClairCollege on Saturday, March 28th LIVE on @IMPACTPlusApp in association with with @bcwonline!
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.
The entire 2009 Lockdown is available on Impact’s YouTube page:
Lethal Lockdown Match
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.
The last Lethal Lockdown match occurred in 2016 when the Doll House defeated Velvet Sky and Gail Kim. The year prior a team representing TNA defeated a team representing Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling.
Brian Cage was defeated by Rob Van Dam via referee’s stoppage at Hard to Kill on Sunday. Cage was bleeding from the mouth and took a Coast-to-Coast dropkick from RVD before the match was stopped. Since the weekend, numerous reports regarding Cage’s injury and contract status have been published.
According to a report from PW Insider, Cage is believed to have been dealing with a torn bicep and that is what led to the short match with Rob Van Dam on the PPV.
It has also been reported that Cage had signed a deal with AEW but this report has since been refuted by Cage’s wife, Melissa Santos. The website SoCalUncensored reported the news and Santos responded to the Tweet.
Really?? How can you confirm something that isn't true???? I'm his wife and I can CONFIRM, he hasn't signed on any dotted line. @socaluncensoredhttps://t.co/ao2EZ67PsR
PW Insider is now reporting that Cage has not signed anywhere just yet but is mulling over several options. His deal with Impact Wrestling is up, however.
Cage signed with Impact Wrestling in early 2018. He won the X-Division title later that year and was voted the X-Division competitor of the year by fans. He won the Impact World Championship last spring on the Rebellion PPV by defeating Johnny Impact. His reign was hampered by injuries, however, and he dropped the title to Sami Callihan on the first episode of Impact to air on AXS TV this fall.
Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie recently talked to media ahead of her title defense in a triple threat match at the Hard To Kill PPV event.
During the interview, she was asked about possible
inter-promotional matches and which stars from other wrestling companies she
would like to face in 2020.
Replying to it, the Impact Champion first took the name of the AEW Women’s Champion Riho and while commenting on the WWE side, she said that there are a few dream matches there:
“As far as WWE, there are a few dream matches there, obviously, for me; I look at someone like Charlotte Flair. I look at lots of the girls in NXT.
I’ve only wrestled Mia Yim once; I think that she’s very
talented and would love to do that again one day. Candice LeRae and I barely
touched. We’ve just only ever really wrestled in a tag match.”
Valkyrie continued by saying that it’s crazy for her to
think that she hasn’t wrestled these people but it’s 2020 and who knows what
can happen.
She explained that in 2020 with everyone working together
and the wrestling community coming together can make these dream matches
possible.
Taya Valkyrie defended her title against Jordynne Grace and ODB at tonight’s Hard to Kill event in Dallas. You can check out her full interview at this link.
Ken Shamrock competed in the opening bout during last night’s Impact Wrestling event, Hard to Kill. He defeated Madman Fulton. At one point in the matchup, Shamrock locked in a kimura. Whilst talking to media in a post-match press conference, he expressed concern for his opponent, confessing that Fulton’s shoulder “popped.”
Ken Shamrock’s Concern
“Yeah, there’s no question in wrestling. And even though Fulton can get under your skin and can be a jerk… you know, genuinely you’re concerned about people when you’re in there working,” Shamrock stated. “Cause it’s a way of living, right? These guys make money, and they put food on the table, and they’ve got families to support. This is no different.”
He continued, “I had him. I sunk it in, we both spoke at the same time, and his shoulder popped. There’s no question his shoulder got hurt. I thought it was over, I thought we were done. He wasn’t going to have it, so I had to do what I had to do. I didn’t feel good about it, but I did what I had to do. He wanted to keep going, so I had to finish it.”
Last night’s Hard to Kill event was headlined by Sami Callihan versus Tessa Blanchard. Blanchard made history by becoming the first woman to hold the Impact Wrestling World Championship following their heated rivalry.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
Impact Wrestling star Taya Valkyrie successfully defended her Impact Knockouts Championship last night during the promotion’s Hard to Kill show. She defeated Jordynne Grace and ODB to retain, continuing her notable title reign. Following the matchup, Valkyrie took part in a post-match media press event. During this, she made her intentions clear: she wants a championship versus championship match against the Impact Wrestling World Champion.
Taya Valkyrie’s Claim
Valkyrie made her claim ahead of Tessa Blanchard’s championship match against Sami Callihan, saying:
“The only thing I have to say about Tessa Blanchard is, if she wins tonight, I’m the number one person in line to take her on,” Valkyrie claimed. “I think I proved that again tonight that I’m the number one woman in this company. That’s the only thing I will touch on with Tessa Blanchard because right now, she’s got something on her mind. I have what I came to do. If she comes to do what she says she’s gonna do, then it’ll be me and her: championship vs. championship.”
Blanchard was able to defeat Callihan in their matchup, making history by becoming the first-ever woman to hold the Impact World Championship. With this win, Blanchard has joined names such as Kurt Angle, Sting and AJ Styles as having held the promotion’s top title.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
Joey Ryan was drawing interest from companies like AEW and
WWE in 2019 but he chose to stick with independent wrestling and later signed a
contract with Impact Wrestling.
His signing with Impact turned many heads due to the other
offers he had and during the media scrum ahead of the Hard To Kill PPV, the
indie star explained the reason behind his signing with the promotion.
Ryan first explained that he ‘loves’ independent wrestling
and the fact that Impact offered him a non-exclusive deal was probably the most
appealing part of their offer:
“The fact that Impact offered me a deal that was non-exclusive, and I could still do the independent scene, that was probably the most appealing part to it. I don’t think I ever want to give that up. I’m exclusive, as far as national television … which meant I can still do a lot of the independents that I really, really enjoy.”
Later in the interview, Joey Ryan was also asked about his
dream opponents in Impact and while he didn’t take any names, the Impact star
showed interest in wrestling some knockouts.
He explained that he has done a lot of intergender wrestling
and since Impact really embraces intergender wrestling, he would like to do
some stuff with Knockouts in the Knockouts Division.
Tessa Blanchard has made history by becoming the first woman to win the Impact World Championship at their Hard To Kill PPV this Sunday Night.
Impact had announced that Blanchard will be getting a shot at Sami Callihan’s World title at the PPV. The match took place in the main event of the show and both the stars put on a great performance during the bout.
Callihan tried to distract the referee towards the end of the fight by bringing the world title into the ring. He then put on his brass knuckles while the official was putting the title away.
However, Tessa Blanchard countered his attack by hitting a low blow on the Impact Champion and the match continued after a failed pinfall attempt from the female star.
The ending moments of the match then saw Blanchard hitting two Canadian Destroyers. The second Destroyer came off of the second rope and Tessa then pinned Sami after hitting him with a buzzsaw DDT:
With this win, Tessa Blanchard joins a long list of wrestling legends who have held the Impact World title in the past including the likes of Kurt Angle, Sting and AJ Styles.
Now it would be interesting to see how long her reign as the
champion lasts and what challenges Blanchard has to face during her run with
the title.
Impact Wrestling is back with another show, so let’s take a look at the card for the Hard To Kill pay-per-view event.
Hard To Kill takes place tonight (Sunday, January 12, 2020) from The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. Impact World Champion Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard is expected to serve as the headliner.
The show kicks off at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be distributed on cable, satellite and digital pay-per-view, including DISH, DirecTV, iN Demand, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw and Sasktel across North America, and streaming live globally exclusively on the FITE.tv app
The building has a maximum capacity of approximately 4,300 people. This will be the first PPV event of the year for Impact. The card that features several big matches, appears to be finalized.
It’s possible the promotion announces more matches but here’s how the card looks like as of this morning:
Final Card for Impact Wrestling Hard To Kill
Impact World Champion Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard
X-Division Champion Ace Austin vs. Trey
Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace vs. ODB – Triple Threat Match
Impact Tag Team Champions The North vs. Willie Mack and Rich Swann
Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards
Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage
Moose vs. Rhino
Madman Fulton vs. Ken Shamrock
Impact has released this special preview for the event that you can watch here:
Sami Callihan is sick of the term “intergender wrestling.” The Impact Wrestling World Champion shared his thoughts on the issue in a recent interview. He also addressed why he believes himself to be the hero of his feud with Tessa Blanchard.
Speaking with the WINCLY podcast, Callihan explained how he was the first to provide equality in pro wrestling by looking at a woman as an “actual competitor and an equal.”
When it comes to why he believes Blanchard is the heel in their feud, Callihan points to her being a “millennial brat.” He noted how people have more in common with him than her.
“I feel more people have stuff in common with me than they do Tessa Blanchard who is just another millennial brat who’s been able to do whatever she wants. She hasn’t had to bust her ass for anything. She’s been handed everything since day one for every company she’s walked into. Now she’s been wrestling for 5-6 years at most and she thinks she’s on the same level as me.
Sami Callihan Is Done With The Term “Intergender Wrestling”
With Callihan being so open to wrestling against female challengers, he feels the term “intergender wrestling” has become antiquated. For him, there are no gender boundaries anymore in matchups. It’s all just professional wrestling.
“I’m sick of the term intergender wrestling because at this point it should just be professional wrestling,” Callihan stated. “I’ve said this in every interview I’ve done in the last six months. The term intergender wrestling isn’t something we need in 2020 as everyone needs to be looked at as equals. Male or female – whatever you consider yourself, you need to be considered just a professional wrestler because professional wrestling is supposed to be for everyone, correct?”
Sami Callihan defends his Impact Wrestling World Championship against Tessa Blanchard this Sunday. Blanchard has previously shared how their match will see them “shattering ceilings.”
The two will clash at Impact Wrestling’s Hard To Kill event. The show takes place in The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.
Impact Wrestling star Tessa Blanchard recently opened up about intergender wrestling “shattering ceilings.” She also discussed her upcoming matchup against Sami Callihan at this Sunday’s Hard to Kill event. The two clash for Callihan’s Impact World Championship. She made her championship interests clear following Callihan’s victory over then-champion Brian Cage back in October.
Using Platforms To Make An Impact
Speaking with Busted Open Radio, Blanchard explained how she feels women are now being given a platform in multiple promotions.
“[…] you’re seeing the first this and the first that, and the first this and the first that, and I think it’s so great, it’s so great for the evolution of women’s wrestling and women’s athletes all together,” she said. “And one thing that stood out to me about all that was, at first I let it bother me a little bit, it would kind of give me an itch that, oh man, I want to be part of the first this and the first that and this to happen, but I want to be different.”
She continued, “I want to make an impact on the business in a way that is different than anybody else has, and I feel like Impact is giving us the platform to do that through intergender wrestling which is really cool to me.”
Tessa Blanchard On “Shattering Ceilings”
Turning her thoughts to her match with Callihan, Tessa Blanchard reflected on the amount of attention their main event bout has received. She speculated that the match could generate even more buzz after Sunday as “what we’re doing is really special.”
“[…] we’re really breaking the mold, we’re shattering ceilings, it’s making people, it’s either disrupting them or people are supporting it,” Blanchard stated. “It’s cool that we’re getting a reaction either way because it’s drawing awareness to intergender wrestling which we view as just pro-wrestling because we’re in the time in 2020 where women are looked at as athletes. Women can go out there and kill it better than men, if not, the same as men. It’s a cool thing where we are in 2020. And for Sami and I to be looked at as kind of a bullet point in the evolution of it all is a really cool thing.”
Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill takes place this Sunday, January 12th from The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.
Impact Wrestling was back in their usual timeslot on Tuesday nights this week. This week’s show was the go-home edition for Sunday’s Hard to Kill PPV.
The show was headlined by Moose & Rob Van Dam teaming up against Brian Cage and Rhino. Impact this week would also feature a special look at the Hard to Kill main event of Sami Callihan vs Tessa Blanchard.
Impact Wrestling Results (Jan. 7)
Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards
the Desi Hit Squad defeated TJP, Fallah Bah & Daga
One of the biggest world championship matches in Impact Wrestling’s recent history takes place Sunday at Hard to Kill. Blanchard debuted with Impact Wrestling in the spring of 2018 and has steadily risen up the rankings ever since. Hard to Kill will be the 3rd time Callihan and Blanchard have met on Impact Wrestling. Callihan has won the first two.
At Hard to Kill, both ODB and Jordynne Grace have a chance to win Knockouts gold from Taya Valkyrie in a triple threat match. This week on Impact, ODB stole the pin on Taya away from Jordynne Grace. After Grace had delivered a second-rope Avalanche drop to the champion she was thrown out of the ring by ODB who then got the pin on Taya herself.
If OBD does the same thing on Sunday, she’ll walk away as the new Knockouts Champion.
Brian Cage & Rhino Defeat Rob Van Dam & Moose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyCQM-2eZRI
The night’s main event previewed 2 upcoming matches on Sunday’s PPV. Brian Cage will face Rob Van Dam in a dream match and Rhino and Moose will go one-on-one as well.
Rob Van Dam appears to be no longer doing his more popular moves as he does not want to give the fans what they want. He acted as though he was going to deliver Rolling Thunder at one point but then decided against it. Moose, however, attempted his own 5-star frog splash during the match, missed, and was promptly Gored by Rhino. Cage then hit Moose with a clothesline and pinned him to pick up the win for his team.
Havok Beats Rosemary As James Mitchell Continues To Manipulate “Suzie”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HXI6g_X5gM
Father James Mitchell has been shown in backstage vignettes recently along with “Suzie” who appears to be the memory-restricted Su Yung. Rosemary has been attempting to stop Mitchell from continuing his association with Suzie.
This week on Impact, Mitchell locked Suzie in a closet while he accompanied Havok to the ring for her match against Rosemary. Suzie wandered to the ring during the match, however, prompting Mitchell to attempt to cover her ears and eyes. This distracted Rosemary who was then put in a tombstone piledriver by Havok for the win.
Swinger was shown backstage this week attempting to put Somas in Joey Ryan’s water bottle. Swinger was caught in the act by Tommy Dreamer and attempted to lie his way out of it. He told Dreamer it was his water bottle and he was just putting his medication in his water. Dreamer asked Swinger to drink the water to prove there was nothing too terrible in there but Swinger was reluctant. Dreamer then showed Swinger a kendo stick and Swinger took a big gulp from the Soma-infused water.
Later in the show, Swinger was shown passed out backstage. Joey Ryan and Petey Williams then debated drawing on his face with a sharpie. Swinger and Ryan will face each other next week in single’s action.
Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards Don’t Wait Until Hard to Kill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt9pq1m0S7E
The show opened up this week with a brawl already in progress ringside between Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin. Edwards said they don’t have to wait until Hard to Kill and an impromptu match between the two was booked.
Elgin would win the match with an Elgin bomb but these two will square off once again when Impact presents Hard to Kill on Sunday. The stipulations will be bigger on Sunday as well. Later in the show, Josh Matthews revealed that when Elgin and Edwards meet on the PPV, Edwards’ “Call Your Shot” trophy will be on the line.
The Desi Hit Squad defeated TJP, Fallah Bah & Daga
TJP and Fallah Bah joined forces with Daga this week in trios action against all 3 members of the Desi Hit Squad. Callis noted on commentary how well the Desi Hit Squad worked together under the guidance of the Great Gama Singh. Teamwork may have helped the faction but in the end, it was the brute strength of MahabaliShera who would win the match with a power-bomb on TJP.
Hard To Kill On Sunday
#HardToKill isn't just based on our company history.
Our commitment to giving you the best wrestling in the world is Hard To Kill.
This Sunday we plan to deliver AGAIN on PPV in Dallas.
Taya Valkyrie is already in the middle of the longest reign with the Impact Knockouts title in history. Today marks a special milestone for her title reign, however. Valkyrie is now the only wrestler in history to hold the Knockouts title for an entire year. She originally won the title from Tessa Blanchard on January 6th, 2019.
Today marks one full year as Knockouts Champion for @TheTayaValkyrie.
Valkyrie won the title at the Impact Wrestling Homecoming PPV last year from Nashville, TN. There was quite a bit of controversy to the match as Gail Kim was assigned as the special guest referee. The Impact Hall of Famer and Blanchard had been at odds leading up to the match and Kim got involved physically, costing Blanchard the title but allowing Valkyrie to win it.
Since winning the title, Valkyrie has defended it a total of 17x over the last year. That’s 5 more title defenses than she is required to make under the 1 title defense every 30-day rule in Impact. Taya has made quite a point of that rule on Impact television.
Taya Valkyrie Title Defense History:
1/12/19 – defeated Tessa Blanchard in a street fight
2/17/19 – lost to Jordynne Grace via DQ
4/4/19 – defeated Jordynne Grace, Katie Forbes, Rosemary in a fatal 4-way
Rebellion PPV – defeated Jordynne Grace
5/3/19- defeated Madison Rayne
6/6/19 – defeated Su Yung via DQ
6/8/19 – defeated Jordynne Grace
6/28/19 – vs Mortar – No Contest
Slammiversary – defeated Su Yung, Havok, and Rosemary (fatal 4-way)
Impact Wrestling presented part II of its “Best of 2019” this weekend on AXS TV. The promotion is back in their usual Tuesday night timeslot this week for the go-home show for this weekend’s Hard to Kill PPV.
Here are 6 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/4 the Best of 2019 Part II:
Tessa Blanchard Wins Wrestler of the Year
"I've always said that I want to make history in my own way and this is just another way that I have." @Tess_Blanchard responds to being the first ever woman to win IMPACT Wrestler of the Year. #IMPACTonAXSTVpic.twitter.com/y6YdYdy050
As she prepares to wrestle for the Impact Wrestling World Championship at Hard to Kill this weekend, Tessa Blanchard has been named the 2019 Wrestler of the Year for the promotion. Since signing with Impact, Blanchard has been a featured performer for Impact and the culmination of a long-term booking strategy could take place at Hard to Kill on Sunday.
Blanchard joined Impact in the spring of 2018 and quickly rose to be the top heel in the Knockouts division before winning the title. She would only lose the title after her and Gail Kim’s disdain for each other led to the Hall of Famer costing her a match against Taya Valkyrie. Blanchard would be too distracted in her rivalry with Kim to regain her lost championship. After dispatching of Kim, and winning her respect, Blanchard turned babyface and entered a feud with Sami Callihan.
Blanchard’s forway into inter-gender wrestling potentially hit a snag when plans for a Blanchard vs Eli Drake feud were scrapped and Drake left the promotion. He landed in the National Wrestling Alliance where he is currently feuding with Ken Anderson.
Sami Callihan picked up the ball, however, and didn’t hesitate for a second with it. Blanchard and Callihan have had two previous matches in Impact, with Callihan winning both but Blanchard coming close each time. Perhaps, Blanchard will finally defeat Sami this weekend en route to making history.
Tessa Blanchard’s Victory In #1 Contenders Match Re-Visited
With Tessa Blanchard vs Sami Callihan 3 set to take place this weekend, Blanchard’s victory to earn her title shot was re-visited this week on Impact Wrestling. Blanchard won a multi-person Gauntlet match and eliminated former Impact World Champion Brian Cage with the final elimination.
The North Win Tag Team Of The Year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9szeRCLTtQ
Following the departures of the Lucha Bros and LAX, one team rose to the very top of Impact Wrestling’s tag team division in 2019 and has stayed there. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander were formerly two well-respect indy guys around the Toronto/Hamilton Ontario, Canada scenes. Since arriving in Impact Wrestling, however, they have quickly become a dominant team.
To put it in perspective, if the North can retain their titles for the next 3 weeks, they will hit #4 all-time in terms of combined days spent with the Impact tag titles behind only LAX, Beer Money, and the Wolves.
Their match this year against Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji & Eddie Edwards was revisited this week.
Re-Visiting Rich Swann’s Elimination Match Spoiler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_f2nJBhKtk
Rich Swann has overcome the odds quite a bit in his career. The former X-Division Champion almost overcame the odds in the #1 Contender Elimination match he competed in recently as well. Swann pulled off a huge upset during the match by pinning perennial top-contender Michael Elgin. Swann looked to have momentum going into the rest of the match but Elgin made sure he wouldn’t have anything left after delivering a massive post-match beat down.
Tessa Blanchard vs Gail Kim Re-Visited
Gail Kim wasn’t going to come out of retirement for just any opponent. The Impact Hall of Famer came out of retirement to face Tessa Blanchard, however. Blanchard and Kim met at the Rebellion PPV this spring from Rebel Nightclub in Kim’s hometown of Toronto, ON, Canada.
When looking at Blanchard’s rise to the top of Impact Wrestling (and her profession in general) the importance of this match against Kim cannot be overstated. The match was re-visited on Impact this week as the promotion prepares for Blanchard vs Sami Callihan for the Impact World Title at Hard to Kill.
Tessa Blanchard vs Sami Callihan From Slammiversary Wins Match of the Year
With Sami Callihan vs Tessa Blanchard 3 set to take place on Sunday, their first match was awarded the 2019 Impact Wrestling match of the year. The match headlined the Slammiversary PPV from Gilley’s Dallas from Texas. Hard to Kill will be held at a different venue in the same city (The Bomb Factory).
Callihan and Blanchard would meet a month later at Unbreakable (Impact Plus special). The two had teamed together as part of the Mash-Up tournament and won. The win meant they would face each other with the winner of that match earning a title shot. Callihan again beat Blanchard and would go on to win the Impact title from Brian Cage.
Former WWE Superstar Gene Snitsky was, at one point, a part of TNA Wrestling. Recalling his time with the company back in 2014 during a recent interview with Hannibal TV, Snitsky divulged why he ultimately left the promotion. For him, it was a case of not being paid what he felt he was worth.
“At the time, they said it was going to lead to something and that whole deal,” Snitsky explained. “That never really materialized because of the money aspect. I was like ‘Well, do I really want to do this and not get paid what I think I should get paid or just nip it in the bud?’ I’m not one of those guys who are just along for the ride. I think very highly for myself, I know I’m a good athlete, I know I have charisma.”
Gene Snitsky On Dixie Carter
When asked if he had any opportunities to engage and interact with Dixie Carter, Snitsky confessed he didn’t. He explained how he shot a few vignettes with her, but that was the extent of their interactions.
Snitsky noted how Carter would be present and ready for when they needed to shoot their segment and, once completed, she left, leaving no time or opportunity for any real face time between them.
Sami Callihan has shown off the new design of the Impact Wrestling World Title.
Callihan defeated Brian Cage in a steel cage match to win the Impact World Championship back on the October 29th episode of Impact television. This marked an important night for the promotion as it was the premiere of the promotion’s flagship weekly 2-hour show on AXS TV.
Callihan will make his next title defense against Tessa Blanchard at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view event.
Sami Callihan Shows Off
He did so this week on his official Twitter account by sharing photos. By looking at the photos, the title belt features Impact’s new red color scheme following the move to AXS TV.
Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view event will take place on Sunday, January 12th from The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas.
The building has a maximum capacity of approximately 4,300 people. This will be the first PPV event of the year for Impact. The promotion could announce more matches for the show in the coming days but it looks nearly complete. Here is the updated card:
Hard To Kill Pay-Per-View Lineup
Impact World Champion Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard
X-Division Champion Ace Austin vs. Trey
Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace vs. ODB – Triple Threat Match
Impact Tag Team Champions The North vs. Willie Mack and Rich Swann
Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards
Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage
Moose vs. Rhino
Madman Fulton vs. Ken Shamrock
The three-hour event begins January 12th at 8 p.m. ET and will be available on all major PPV distributors, including DISH, DirecTV, iN Demand, Vubiquity, Rogers, Bell, Shaw, Sasktel.
Impact Wrestling aired on AXS TV this Saturday night with the first of two scheduled “Best of 2019” shows. The second show will air on Saturday, January 4th, 2020 before Impact is back in their normal Tuesday night timeslot the following week.
Sami Callihan defeated Brian Cage in a steel cage match for the Impact World Championship on the first episode of Impact on AXS TV this fall. It took Callihan several piledrivers to win the match and the title but he was able to pull it out. The match was featured on Impact’s Best of 2019 part 1 show this weekend.
Callihan had earned the title match after he and Tessa Blanchard won the Mash-up tag team tournament and later met in single’s competition. After Callihan defeated Blanchard for the second straight time, he was declared the new #1 contender to former champion Brian Cage’s title.
Blanchard would earn a title shot at Callihan booked for Hard to Kill by winning a Gauntlet match recently on Impact Wrestling.
Michael Elgin’s arrival in Impact Wrestling after leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling has been big for the promotion. Elgin announced earlier this year that he wanted to face Naomichi Marufuji in single’s action and he got his wish at Bound for Glory.
Elgin may have gotten the win over Marufuji earlier this year but he’ll be in tough against Eddie Edwards at Hard to Kill next month.
X-Division Ladder Match From Bound For Glory Featured
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW7_JivKZvc
At the Bound For Glory PPV held in Chicago this October, Tessa Blanchard looked to have the X-Division title all wrapped up. As she was climbing the ladder to win the title, Madman Fulton from OVE interfered and cost her the title. While Blanchard was able to fend off Fulton, Ace Austin used the extra time allotted by the interference to recover and climb the ladder himself. Austin used a foreign object to knock Blanchard off the ladder and claim X-Division glory for himself.
Acey Romero also made his Impact PPV debut on the show and took a harsh bump from the ladder through a table.
Alisha Edwards Helps Eddie Edwards Beat Moose
Eddie Edwards and Moose formerly teamed together in Impact and Pro Wrestling NOAH. The two would clash on PPV this year, however, as they went one-on-one at Impact’s Homecoming PPV this year in Nashville on January 6th, 2019. The match kicked off this week’s “Best of 2019” show.
For Moose, the loss to Edwards kicked off a year for him which would be much more successful and included PPV wins over Rob Van Dam and Ken Shamrock. He’ll face Rhino at Hard to Kill.
For Edwards, he would go on to defeat Killer Kross on PPV and then when the Call Your Shot Gauntlet on PPV as well in 2019. He’ll face Michael Elgin at Hard to Kill.
First Batch Of 2019 Awards Given Out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q34gLBW9h88
Impact announced several of its 2019 award winners on this weekend’s show. The Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year, and Tag Team of the Year will be announced on next week’s show.
Moment of the Year- Sami Callihan Wins World Title On AXS TV Debut
One to Watch in 2020: Willie Mack
One To Watch In 2020: Willie Mack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTKYb1kH4TM
Willie Mack won the award for one to watch in 2020. He’ll team with Rich Swann at Hard to Kill in an attempt to win the tag titles from the North. This week on Impact, Mack’s single’s victory over Trey from the Rascalz was featured.
Later in the show, the tag champs tried to break up their upcoming challengers in a backstage segment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7-r-ZSOgOk
LAX vs Lucha Bros Rivalry Featured
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3xapBlRLe8
LAX vs the Lucha Bros from Homecoming was featured on this Best of 2019 show. The two teams would engage in an epic rivalry before both would leave for AEW later in the year. In this particular contest, LAX picked up the win and retained their Impact tag team championships.
By the time they would leave the promotion, LAX had secured their position as the top tag team champions in the history of the company.
Impact Wrestling has announced several of its year-end award winners. The promotion announced the winners of the Knockout of the Year, X-Division Star of the Year, Move of the Year, Moment of the Year, and One to Watch in 2020.
Impact Wrestling 2019 Award Winners:
Knockout of the Year: Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Star of the Year: Rich Swann
Move of the Year: Magnum (Tessa Blanchard)
Moment of the Year- Sami Callihan Wins World Title On AXS TV Debut
One to Watch in 2020: Willie Mack
Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year, and Tag Team of the Year will all be announced on the January 4th, 2020 Saturday night show.
Impact Wrestling World Champion Sami Callihan is scheduled to defend his title next month at Hard to Kill against Tessa Blanchard. Callihan spoke to Talk Sport in the UK recently and described Impact as wrestling’s “true alternative” product.
“IMPACT Wrestling is good right now,” Callihan said. “As much haters as we have, it’s one of the best weekly wrestling shows on the planet right now.”
“I think this year has been a big year for IMPACT as far as getting that nasty taste out of the fan’s mouth from the Dixie-era goes,” he continued.
Sami Callihan On Impact Wrestling Being Wrestling’s True Alternative
Callihan also stated that Impact is the Attitude-era promotion many fans have been asking for.
“People were screaming for an Attitude Era-like company to come back and I feel like IMPACT Wrestling is the closest thing to it,” Callihan said. “We’re the only company right now that isn’t afraid to offend people, to try new things. We’re not afraid to push the envelope and give you an edgy product and we’re not going to apologize for every single thing like a lot of the other companies.”
The full interview with Callihan can be read here.
Impact Wrestling has announced Killer Kross is no longer with the company. A brief statement at the company website reads, “IMPACT Wrestling has come to terms on the release of Kevin Kesar (Killer Kross).”
Kross posted the following video on YouTube shortly after becoming a free agent. The video features footage of the promotions Kross might show up in next, including WWE/NXT, AEW, NJPW and MLW, NWA and ROH.
Killer Kross & Impact Wrestling
Kross made his debut for Impact Wrestling in June 2018. He asked to be released in May 2019 and wrestled his last match at Slammiversary in July. The two sides had a falling out over his creative direction, finances and other issues.
Impact Wrestling President Ed Nordholm commented on the situation in late September. He told PWInsider, “Well, nothing has changed. Kevin decided that he would rather sort of tweet his position rather than deal with [inaudible]. We prefer talents discuss amendments as appropriate. We say the same for Kevin. He is a talented wrestler that we would prefer you to see in the ring than on the sidelines.”
When asked if Kross would return to Impact, Nordholm said, “That would require him to come speak to the company and deal with his company, rather than Tweet. I mean there’s always the possibility. We are open to all conversations.”
This week’s episode of Impact Wrestling featured matches from the recent tapings from New York City’s Melrose Ballroom. The headline segment for the show featured Sami Callihan cutting a promo on his Hard To Kill opponent Tessa Blanchard. The main event match saw the X-division title on the line.
Here are 9 takeaways from the December 17, 2019 edition of Impact Wrestling:
Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard Brawl Backstage
Sami Callihan cut a promo on Tessa Blanchard this week, saying she has been handed her opportunities due to her father being Tully Blanchard and her step-father being Magnum T.A.
Blanchard came out to confront Callihan but was attacked from behind by Madman Fulton. Ken Shamrock then came out to attack Fulton, leaving Blanchard and Callihan to engage in a wild brawl backstage, in the parking lot, and pretty much all over the area.
It was then announced that Madman Fulton vs Ken Shamrock has been added to the Impact Wrestling Hard to Kill pay-per-view.
Rob Van Dam Softens Up Brian Cage
Rob Van Dam doesn’t seem too worried about his dream match with Brian Cage at Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill PPV. RVD said of facing Cage that he “can counter his own moves” in reference to his ongoing accusations that Cage steals moves from him.
RVD cut a promo with Katie Forbes this week that was interrupted by Cage. A low-blow by Forbes would give RVD the advantage in the scuffle, however. He then looked to go for the Coast 2 Coast on Cage but wouldn’t give the fans the satisfaction and merely dropkicked a chair into Cage’s face instead.
Ace Austin Dedicates Match To Trey’s Mother
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr9Fu6O9b-0
Impact Wrestling X-Division Championship Ace Austin (c) defeated Petey Williams
Ace Austin beat former X-Division champion, Petey Williams, this week. After the match, Austin got on the mic and dedicated the match to Mrs. Miguel, aka Trey’s mother.
Later in the night, Trey confronted Austin in the back over his frequent mentions of his mother. Trey has a future X-Division title match owed to him but he might care more about revenge than championships when these two finally square off.
Joey Ryan Faces His Wrestlers Court Sentence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhrZRAk3Pxk
Joey Ryan defeated Acey Romero
Last week, Tommy Dreamer sentenced Joey Ryan to this match after finding him guilty of killing the business during Wrestlers Court.
Johnny Swinger was on commentary and continued to complain about Ryan’s antics “killing the business” and “chasing the rizats away.”
After a ref bump, Swinger attempted to get involved by giving Romero a “Fanny pack suplex” akin to Ryan’s penis suplex. It didn’t work. Ryan then delivered his flip suplex and a lollypop assisted superkick for the win.
The North Gear Up To Face Willie Mack & Rich Swann at Hard to Kill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW-Ub-xHJLg
Ethan Page defeated Rich Swann via DQ
The North will defend their tag titles against Rich Swann and Willie Mack at Hard to Kill. After a backstage confrontation this week, a single’s match between Page and Swann was scheduled.
While Page was on the outside, he slapped Mack in the face. Mack took the bait and chased Page into the ring and delivered a blow which caused the DQ. Page found the whole thing pretty funny while Swann seemed quite upset.
Rhino and Moose ran into each other backstage this week. Moose noted to Rhino that while RVD beat him last week, Moose defeated RVD earlier this year. Rhino gave Moose a gore in response.
It was then announced the two will face each other at Hard to Kill.
Jordynne Grace Builds Momentum Leading to PPV, Taya Valkyrie Enlists Help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA3ydPMOEuU
Jordynne Grace defeated Tenille Dashwood
Jordynne Grace countered a pinning combination into her own pinning combination to get the win on Dashwood this week. After the match, Taya Valkyrie attempted to attack Grace but was fended off by both Grace and Tenille Dashwood.
Later in the show, Taya would recruit help from Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne.
I didn’t realize being this popular was going to be so unpopular ????? https://t.co/h7NsBnZr78
TJP and Daga had a close match this week but ultimately TJP would come out the winner via submission. After the match, TJP and his partner Fallah Bah were attacked by the Desi Hit Squad including Mahabali Shera who hasn’t been seen in weeks.
Shera delivered a big chokeslam to TJP to end the segment.
Next Week
PROGRAMMING UPDATE: Here's our holiday schedule!
Saturday December 28th and January 4th you can catch our Best Of 2019 shows featuring the reveals of the end of year awards!
The next new episode of Impact Wrestling takes place on January 7th, 2020 and will be the go-home show for Hard to Kill. Best of 2019 and the 2019 awards show will take place the next two weeks.
Quick Results 12/17:
Jordynne Grace defeated Tenille Dashwood
TJP defeated Daga
Ethan Page defeated Rich Swann via DQ
Joey Ryan defeated Acey Romero
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (c) defeated Petey Williams
Impact Wrestling is back tonight with a show taped from New York’s Melrose Ballroom. Several matches and one big segment have been announced for tonight as the promotion continues the build to Hard to Kill.
Sami Callihan to Expose The Truth About Tessa Blanchard
Impact Wrestling world champion Sami Callihan has promised to expose the truth about Tessa Blanchard tonight on Impact Wrestling. What this means is anyone’s guess as the champion’s actions are rarely predictable.
As we get closer to Hard to Kill, however, expect Callihan to look for every opportunity he can get to gain an advantage over his upcoming challenger.
X-Division Title Match Ace Austin (c) vs Petey Williams
The X-division championship will be on the line tonight as Ace Austin takes on Petey Williams in singles competition. Waiting in the wings, however, is Trey from The Rascals as he has earned a shot at the X-division title in the future. Trey might be more concerned with what Ace Austin has in store for his mother, as Austin seems to have taken a liking to her. Trey will be watching this match closely, that’s for sure.
Jordynn Grace vs Tenille Dashwood
Jordynne Grace has a title match with Taya Valkyrie coming up at Hard to Kill in the new year but she will have a tune-up match this week against Tenille Dashwood.
It’s likely that Valkyrie and Johnn E. Bravo will be watching this match closely and might even decide to get involved.
Joey Ryan vs Ace Romero
Last week’s epic Wrestlers Court segment ended with Tommy Dreamer sentencing Joey Ryan to face Ace Romero this week on Impact. It’s not clear if Johnny Swinger also received the 2 pay envelopes and handfull of pizills he was asking for. Ryan will be looking to show off all of his power to defeat the big heavyweight tonight.
Rich Swann will take on Ethan Page in singles action this week. Swann and his partner Willie Mack will go up against Page and Josh Alexander for the tag titles on the next pay-per-view and each side will be looking to soften up the other in this bout here.
Daga vs TJP
Also tonight is a match between Daga and TJP which is getting good reviews from those who saw it live and could possibly be the show-stealer on tonight’s episode.
TJP rescued his friend Fallah Bah from a beatdown by the Desi Hit Squad last week, he might be hoping that the Great Gama Singh’s faction doesn’t play a role in his match with Daga tonight.
Impact Wrestling has announced a new match for their January 12th Hard to Kill pay-per-view. A dream match of sorts will take place when Rob Van Dam takes on Brian Cage.
The match between the two was set up this week on Impact, when Rob Van dam and Katie Forbes took their after match celebration to the backstage area near where Cage was being interviewed. After RVD and Forbes agreed to leave the area, Rob Van Dam took some parting shots at Cage for stealing his moves and also for having been pinned by Tessa Blanchard.
BREAKING: A DREAM MATCH has been confirmed for #HardToKill on January 12th in Dallas!
The Whole F'N Show @TherealRVD will take on The Machine @MrGMSI_BCage!
Rob Van Dam defeated Rhino on the last episode of Impact Wrestling. In Cage’s last match, he was the final elimination in the 6-person elimination match which saw Tessa Blanchard crowned #1 contender.
From 2004 to 2010, TNA Wrestling used a 6-sided ring. Some fans loved the unique feel to the ring but others were less enthusiastic. During WWE Network’s recent Table for 3 episode with Sting, Jeff Jarrett, and AJ Styles, the 3 former TNA stars talked about the polarizing 6-sided ring.
“Internally, that was a nightmare battle,” Jarrett said about getting the 6-sided ring approved.
“I hated it,” Sting said. “Too many years wrestling in the squared circle.”
“I told Hulk that,” Jarrett continued. “I said ‘why do you hate it?’ and he said ‘ah brother, it’s just not right.'”
“It’s the only thing that got us shelf space in the toy market,” Jarrett continued. “They didn’t care about action figures, they didn’t care about talent, ‘oh you got a 6-sided ring? That will sell, we want it.'”
“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.”
“You and a few others were vocal,” Jarrett said to Styles.
“I wasn’t complaining when it was gone,” Sting added.
Highlights from the Table for 3 episode can be viewed in the player below: