Jeff Cobb has reportedly been offered a contract by Impact Wrestling. A recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is stating Cobb was offered a 2-year deal but has yet to sign.

Cobb most recently spurred some rumors he might be joining NJPW on a more regular basis. He Tweeted out a photo of himself at the New Japan dojo in Los Angeles recently.

Let the rumors begin ??????

This is where people need to be, scratching, clawing, and trying to get into to learn and get better in our profession. 2 great trainers teaching in Shibata and Scorpio Sky. Boys and girls, it’s in our backyard! pic.twitter.com/Ym0lQLaZjw

— Jeff Cobb (@RealJeffCobb) March 25, 2018

Where Will Jeff Cobb Sign?

Cobb portrays Matanza Cueto in Lucha Underground and also competed alongside Michael Elgin at the World Tag League last year.

Season 4 of Lucha Underground recently concluded filming in Los Angeles. Cobb is said to now be a free agent.

Impact Wrestling tonight is a taped show from the company’s January tapings in Orlando. The main event will feature a champion vs champion match between Matt Sydal and Austin Aries.

Impact continues to build towards their April 22nd Redemption PPV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWK_wtE0MLw

Impact Wrestling Confirmed Matches for Tonight (non-spoiler)

• Fatal 4-way
  Rohit Raju vs Taiji Ishimori vs Suicide vs Petey Williams
• Brian Cage vs Bobby Lashley
• Champion vs Champion
  Matt Sydal (Grand Champion) vs Austin Aries (World Champion)
• Eddie Edwards will go to Ohio seeking Sami Callihan and OVE.
• Su Yung to make in-ring debut
• KM vs Fallah Ball

In addition to building towards their Redemption PPV, Impact will also take part in a head-to-head show with Lucha Underground at WrestleCon.

Impact Wrestling sent in the following press release announcing a partnership with the Illinois-based RISE women’s promotion.

IMPACT Wrestling Partners with RISE to Develop Female Talent and Original Content

TORONTO | CHICAGO – IMPACT Wrestling announced today a partnership with Illinois-based RISE to host seminars with a focus on developing women’s professional wrestlers, as well as the creation of original content for IMPACT Wrestling’s Twitch channel (www.twitch.tv/impactwrestling) and Global Wrestling Network (GWN) multi-platform digital service.

On May 11 in Pittsburgh, PA, IMPACT Wrestling and RISE will present RISE – Lights, Camera, ACTION: The Art of TV! The full-day seminar will focus on areas specific to performance in a television environment and cover a wide variety of topics by some of the most influential minds involved in producing IMPACT Wrestling, including writer/producer Jimmy Jacobs, Creative Director Sonjay Dutt, Hall of Famer and Knockouts producer Gail Kim and Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore. The seminar will provide education and exposure for the RISE roster and its prospective talent pool.

On May 12, several episodes of RISE – ASCENT will be taped for premiere in May on RISE’s new streaming platform www.riseascent.com and future broadcast on GWN. Several prospects will be selected from the seminar to be part of the new weekly series where they will perform alongside the likes of Phoenix of RISE Champion Delilah Doom, SHIMMER Champion “The Queen of Suplexes” Nicole Savoy, Jessicka Havok, Tessa Blanchard, Shotzi Blackheart, Britt Baker, Dust, Mercedes Martinez and more.

IMPACT Wrestling Knockout Sienna will serve as a color commentator for RISE – ASCENT. In addition, one talent featured on the RISE – ASCENT series will be selected for an opportunity to perform for IMPACT Wrestling at an upcoming event.

“We are delighted to partner with RISE on the development of new women’s talent, reinforcing our commitment to the trailblazing Knockouts division,” said Scott D’Amore, Executive Vice President of IMPACT Wrestling. “RISE was founded on the principle of talent development, so we will combine our efforts to foster the next generation of women’s professional wrestling stars. We are also committed to collaborating with RISE on innovative content for our viewers on Twitch and GWN, where subscribers can already access events from the RISE catalogue.”

“From our beginnings, we have said that the future of pro wrestling is in collaboration, not competition,” said RISE founder and Executive Producer Kevin Harvey. “IMPACT Wrestling clearly believes this too. We can’t wait to work in tandem to build a bridge to a very bright future for women’s wrestling.”

Past events from RISE can now be seen on GWN, including all 2016 and 2017 shows. IMPACT Wrestling will work with RISE to develop other original content for the platform, as well as its Twitch channel.

A subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., the parent company of IMPACT Wrestling, GWN is available on all major over-the-top (OTT) platforms and devices, including online at GlobalWrestlingNetwork.com, iOS and Android, Xbox, and coming soon to Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Smart TVs. A premium subscription is priced at US$7.99 with a 30-day free trial available for new members.

For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com and www.globalwrestlingnetwork.com.

Impact World Champion Austin Aries was recently a guest on the Wrestling Compadres podcast to talk about various topics.

Many fans were caught off guard when the news broke last year that the WWE  and Aries had parted ways. The news seemed to come out of nowhere and was a shock to fans.

Aries, who signed with the company back in 2016 and last appeared on television in May on 205 Live, had been in a top position in the cruiserweight division prior to his departure from WWE. He was a big star on 205 Live on the WWE Network.

He decided to go back to Impact Wrestling and is currently their World Champion.

When ROH held their 16th Anniversary Show, the former ROH World Champion made a surprise appearance by walking out to the stage. Aries wasn’t advertised to appear, but he did challenge Kenny King for his ROH World TV Championship.

During this interview, he gave some insight into his free agent status. Here is what he had to say:

“I have an agreement in place with a certain amount of dates which would get me through a certain amount of time, which would be different than your typical contracts as we think of them. We have sat down and talked about some things about the future and what it looks like in their standpoint. There is interest for them to keep me. I have some interest too to continue to hone my skills,” he said. “I think there is a lot of positive momentum right now and I think that the things that are trying to be done with the company align philosophically with some of the same things that I believe in as far as doing business in this landscape so we will see what happens. With that being said, I definitely value my freedom. Right now, it is truly unprecedented to be an independent contractor in Professional Wrestling. To be able to go out there and make your money and travel the places that you want to go, so at the end of the day there is a lot of opportunities out there.”

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcript.

Impact Wrestling presents a taped show tonight from the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. The company is gearing towards their next PPV on April 22nd, 2018 as well as their head-to-head show with Lucha Underground on April 6th, 2018. Impact will be heading to California this weekend as well where they will be partnering with Big Time Wrestling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOlGzRTWy4o

Matches and Segments Confirmed for Tonight’s Impact

• Trevor Lee vs Fallah Bahh
• Knockouts Championship
  Allie (c) vs Sienna
• Rohit Raju (Desi Hit Squad) vs Matt Sydal w/Josh Matthews
  • Matthews was revealed as Sydal’s “Spiritual Advisor” last week.
• Monsters Ball Match
  Abyss w/James Mitchell vs Kongo Kong w/Jimmy Jacobs
• The unveiling of the Feast or Fired Briefcases

Impact Wrestling play-by-play announcer Josh Mathews recently spoke with Sportskeeda.com to talk about various topics. During the interview, he was asked about Jeremy Borash’s departure from the promotion.

This is a significant loss for Impact Wrestling since Borash was a major part of the company behind the scenes since its founding in 2002.

At the time of his reported departure, there was speculation if Borash would work with Matt Hardy as he was also considered to be one of the creative forces behind the “Broken” segments in Impact Wrestling.

Borash has reportedly been placed in NXT, which is overseen by Triple H, and even worked as a producer for the recent Ultimate Deletion match between Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt that aired on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center on the USA Network.

“My immediate reaction was that I was happy for him. I don’t remember who called me in the morning to tell me that we had to do a change in our VO schedule and that Sonjay was coming in. I was happy for JB. I’ve talked to JB a few times since then. And I’m happy for him.

But I’m also happy for Impact because JB leaving opened up an opportunity for Sonjay Dutt to come along and show everyone his skills as a colour commentator. And I think he’s done an outstanding job thus far. And it’s only really been just the beginning. Wrestling commentary is hard because you have to be dialled into every storyline that’s happening on Impact.

Not only the storylines that are happening but all the shows in California, shows in Canada, WrestleCon, Twitch, GWN. Sonjay has a good idea of what’s happening. That translates each and every week on Impact.”

You can read the entire interview here.

Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling will be going head-to-head at WrestleCon over WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans. Earlier today, Impact Wrestling announced the main event for the show as Austin Aries & Fenix vs Alberto El Patron & Pentagon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ry8l_Xq6iQ

Lucha Underground vs Impact Wrestling Lineup (April 6th, 2018)

• Impact World Tag Team Championships
  LAX (c) vs. Killshot & the Mack
• I Quit Match
  Eddie Edwards vs. Jeremiah Crane (Sami Callihan’s LU character)
• Andrew Everett, DJZ, & Dezmond Xavier vs. King Cuerno, Aerostar, & Drago
• Austin Aries & Fenix vs. Alberto El Patron & Pentagon

Limited tickets are still available for the April 6th show at 9PM.

Both Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground announced changes to their wrestler contracts recently. Lucha Underground has relaxed the exclusivity clauses in their deals, allowing talent to work elsewhere from Lucha Underground. This had previously been an issue for the company when Ricochet voiced his frustration with his contract publicly.

Impact Wrestling has come under new management with NJPW color commentator, Don Callis, playing a key role. Callis announced the company would be allowing talent to keep ownership of all gimmicks created on their programming moving forward.

Former WWE/TNA/ECW talent Tommy Dreamer recently spoke with TheWrestlingEstate.com, and during the interview, he shared his thoughts on the recent Sami Callihan – Eddie Edwards controversy during an episode of Impact Wrestling on Pop TV.

Dreamer, who runs his House of Hardcore promotion, has worked for Impact Wrestling as an agent as well in the past.

For those who may didn’t see or remember the incident, back on the March 1st episode of Impact Wrestling, Edwards was accidentally struck in the head by a baseball bat during a post-match brawl with the former NXT star.

There was chair was placed near his Edward’s heard and Callihan swung a baseball bat into the chair. The strike caught Edwards in the head, near his eye and nose. He was immediately taken to the hospital where had a CT scan done. This is where he found out that he had broken bones in his face and a broken nose.

Here is what Dreamer had to say:

“It’s a case of two things. One is social media. Everybody sees it and they want to comment and know about it. They want to base their own opinion on it without knowing the facts. It’s the society we live in. There are some people who will chime in that it was an accident or other people chime in it was reckless. Everyone has an opinion.

For me, I would be a hypocrite. At ECW One Night Stand, Bully Ray hit me so hard with a Singapore cane that I went deaf and the doctor said I may lose my ear. In the back, he asked if I was alright, and I said yeah, man, you messed up my ear, but I’ll get my hearing back. Back in the day, if somebody hurt somebody, we’d go to the hospital with them or make sure we’re contacting them.

I don’t think Sami meant to do it. It happened, but when everybody else jumps on it, I think Sami would be a fool not to jump on it. Here’s how the world is. Someone can say something on social media and then they can backtrack. In pro wrestling, guys would say stuff and then they’d be confronted in the locker room, and then, hey, you fight. I do it the same way. If people want to start talking smack about me, cool. You want to do it online? That’s one thing because you’re going to make it public. Then let’s settle it like men or just go fight.

That’s Sami Callihan’s battle to fight. I don’t want to say everybody should mind their own business because they can’t. That’s the world we live in. Everybody likes to quickly put out there about what’s the current topic and then when you find out the facts, you’re like, ooh. That’s why I always lean back when I see stuff like that on social media because everybody wants to hit their opinion without knowing all the facts, and that’s the worst you thing you can do.”

– PWInsider is reporting that Aro Lucha’s Jason Brown, Ron Harris, and Don Harris were backstage at Friday’s Lucha Underground tapings. Two days later on Sunday, IMPACT Wrestling’s Ed Nordholm was in attendance for a taping as well. The visits were reportedly part of the organizations trying to build a working relationship with one another of some sort.

IMPACT is already set to partner with Lucha Underground April 6th for a Twitch live event special as part of WrestleCon in New Orleans on WrestleMania weekend. Aro Lucha is currently looking for talent for its upcoming TV tapings that are scheduled to go down later this year in Nashville, Tennessee.

– Kevin Owens recently took to Twitter to suggest he thinks he should be WWE Champion. During last night’s Fastlane pay-per-view (PPV) main event; a Six Pack Challenge between AJ Styles, John Cena, Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, and Baron Corbin, Owens looked as though he had the match won at one point.

SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon, who was sitting ringside for the entire match, interfered in both Owens and Zayn’s pinfalls that would’ve likely secured them the match. Owens took to Twitter to voice his frustrations:

https://twitter.com/FightOwensFight/status/973062576732065793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mandatory.com%2Fwrestlezone%2Fnews%2F931263-kevin-owens-i-should-be-wwe-champion-right-now-watch-john-cena-be-humble-in-defeat-to-aj-styles

During last night’s Ring Of Honor (ROH) 16th Anniversary Show, current IMPACT World Champion and former ROH World Champion Austin Aries made a surprise appearance (showcasing all his current titles from various promotions) to challenge Kenny King for his ROH World TV Title. Aries has yet to win that championship in his professional wrestling career:

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/972307529446371328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/totaldivaseps/status/972308133539348480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

PWInsider reports that ROH and IMPACT are not currently working together in any sort of capacity. Aries is not signed to a contract with IMPACT so he is able to work for anyone else simultaneously at will. ROH and IMPACT have a rough history with one another after IMPACT bumped an ROH PPV off Direct TV thanks to a cease and desist letter for Matt and Jeff Hardy’s “Broken” gimmicks. Aries did reportedly alert IMPACT of his appearance for ROH last night and they supported his decision.

New IMPACT management are looking to run more of an open door policy to work with other promotions, and saw Aries’ appearance for ROH as a positive. IMPACT also allowed Aries to show off his IMPACT World Title at the show as well.

Eddie Edwards Stays With Impact Wrestling

Former TNA World Heavyweight champion Eddie Edwards has re-signed with Impact Wrestling, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports. Under the Impact Wrestling banner, Edwards was allowed to compete for Pro Wrestling Noah where he became the GHC Heavyweight champion. Edwards has been getting a lot of buzz lately due to the incident where he was accidentally struck in the head with a baseball bat during an angle with Sami Callihan.

New Tag Team Debuts

This past weekend, a new tag team debuted for Impact Wrestling. They are the Desi Hit Squad, which is the team of Gursinder Singh and Rohit Raju. Lately, WWE and Impact have been making strong plays for the Indian market.

AAA Vice President Wants To Buy Impact Wrestling?

Meltzer also noted that AAA vice president Dorian Roldan has told people that he’s looking to buy Impact Wrestling. Whether Roldan is just blowing smoke or is looking to make a serious push remains to be seen.

Sienna’s Status

Former Knockouts champion Sienna has been out of action for a while. Meltzer says this is due to blood clots in Sienna’s lungs. There is no word on when she’ll be able to compete again.

– Impact Wrestling star Konnan revealed on Twitter that he is undergoing hip replacement surgery today.

Early morning surgery for hip replacement…#LetsDoThis

— Konnan (@Konnan5150) March 8, 2018

It was reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter last October that Konnan, who is now 54 years old, planned on having a retirement tour after surgery.

Konnan previously underwent hip replacement surgery in early 2007, and his appearances in TNA from then on as the mouthpiece of LAX saw him frequently appear in a wheelchair. During an interview with the New York Daily News talking about drug abuse among wrestlers, Konnan believed his hip degenerated after years of steroid abuse and the physical toll of wrestling. He also said painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs ruined his kidney, leading him to undergo kidney transplant surgery in July 2007.

– In the latest edition of “The Question Mark,” Impact Wrestling stars reveal their favorite cereal.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBDh_MRXtc8&w=560&h=315]

– In this edition of “Classic IMPACT Wrestling Moments,” Booker T’s shocking TNA debut in November 2007 at the Genesis pay-per-view is highlighted.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPpxHKI9mD8&w=560&h=315]

After parting ways with WWE a few weeks earlier, Booker T was revealed as Sting’s mystery partner in a tag team match against Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. His wife Sharmell also debuted, interfering in the match on Booker T and Sting’s behalf when Karen Angle interfered on behalf of Kurt Angle and Nash.

• Paige responds to internet troll making fun of her weight

Eddie Edwards defeated Sami Callihan this week on Impact Wrestling but was attacked after the match by his opponent. During the post-match beatdown, Callihan placed a folding chair on top of Edwards and struck it with a baseball bat. The bat grazed the chair and then struck Edwards in the head.

This is exclusive behind the scenes footage of @TheEddieEdwards moments after @TheSamiCallihan brutally struck him in the face with a baseball bat. It includes alternate angles of the incident that weren't seen last night and is tough to watch. pic.twitter.com/RdxAWM6DMG

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 2, 2018

Aftermath of Eddie Edwards versus Sami Callihan

Eddie Edwards spoke to TMZ Sports about the incident:

Edwards suffered a broken nose and orbital bone.

Jim Cornette was not impressed and expressed as much below:

OK, I just saw this for the first time– @TheEddieEdwards should have beat the shit out of this stupid fuck–he set it up shoddy, was careless with his shitty swing & they shouldn't have been doing it to begin with. Who the fuck "trained" @TheSamiCallihan ? I'm fucking hot. https://t.co/lpTIqxca29

— Jim Cornette (@TheJimCornette) March 2, 2018

This hurts Jimmy…. I’ll just keep watching my bank account go up. https://t.co/EAY7JVKSKG

— Sami Callihan (@TheSamiCallihan) March 2, 2018

Kassius Ohno was not impressed with Callihan’s response to Cornette:

Really? Really? There is ZERO correlation between how much money you make & what happened in that ring. You should be embarrassed. ASHAMED.

— Chris Hero (Is Back) (@ChrisHero) March 3, 2018

Callihan also talked to TMZ Sports about the incident:

Impact Wrestling’s “Cross Roads” show next week will feature 4 championship matches. Eddie Edwards will team with Lashley to take on oVe.

Next week, Impact Wrestling will present “Cross Roads”, a free-for-view special edition of their weekly show on POP.

4 championship matches have been confirmed for the show as well as a tag-team match featuring oVe taking on Lashley and Eddie Edwards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3YEa0Q9pGI

Impact Wrestling’s Cross Roads

• Impact World Championship
  Austin Aries (c) vs. Johnny Impact
• Title vs Title
  Taiji Ishimori (X-Division Champion) vs. Matt Sydal (Grand Champion)
• Tag Team Championships
  LAX (c) vs. the Cult of Lee
• Knockouts Championship
  Laurel Van Ness (c) vs. Allie
• oVe vs. Lashley and Edwards

Following Cross Roads, Impact will be building towards their Aprill 22nd PPV from Orlando. The company will hold their next set of TV tapings the following week.

This is the final show until “Crossroads” next week where Austin Aries will defend the Impact World Championship against Johnny Impact. Several segments tonight could set up further matches for next week’s Crossroads show as well.

THIS THURSDAY is the final stop on the way to Crossroads as Eddie Edwards faces Sami Callihan in the main event, Ishimori answers Sydal's challenge, Kongo Kong gets Joseph Park in the ring rather than Abyss, and Laurel Van Ness marries a title belt. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/dCSEzH3Y8T

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 27, 2018

Impact Matches and Segments Announced For Tonight

• Eddie Edwards vs Sami Callihan
• Kongo Kong vs Joseph Park
  • Jimmy Jacobs is trying to get Joseph Park to morph back into Abyss.
• Taiji Ishimori will answer Matt Sydal’s challenge
• Laurel Van Ness Commitment Ceremony to the Knockouts Title?
• Braxton Sutter vs El Jijo El Fantasma

In addition to the upcoming show on POP tonight, Impact will be hitting the road with Destiny Wrestling this Sunday for a show which will air on Twitch March 9th.

we are proud to announce that Sunday March 4 will be @IMPACTWRESTLING Live Road Show with Impact champion @AustinAries plus @PrideOfMexico @TheEliDrake @AllieImpact @TheMooseNation and many more stars! clink link for tickets https://t.co/AlQaOUGppl pic.twitter.com/vJ4dHOGHHR

— Destiny Wrestling (@DestinyWrestle) January 24, 2018

Worlds will collide when the stars of Impact Wrestling and Lucha Underground collide in a series of inter-promotional dream matches during WrestleMania weekend.

The Impact vs. Lucha Underground event will take place on Friday, April 6th at WrestleCon and will stream live on Twitch.

Several performers work for both promotions, including John Hennigan and Brian Cage.

Here’s the official announcement:

IMPACT Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground Set for WrestleCon Weekend, Streams Live on Twitch

TORONTO | LOS ANGELES – IMPACT Wrestling announced today a historic co-promotion with Lucha Underground has been set for WrestleCon weekend scheduled for April 5 to April 8, 2018 in New Orleans, La.

The stars of IMPACT Wrestling will face off against the stars of Lucha Underground on Friday, April 6, starting at 9:00 p.m. CT at The Sugar Mill (1021 Convention Center Blvd.) during what will be the biggest weekend of the year in professional wrestling.

IMPACT Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground will stream live exclusively on IMPACT Wrestling’s Twitch channel (www.twitch.tv/impactwrestling). The channel will feature over 10 hours of original daily content for three days during WrestleCon weekend, including exclusive podcasts and behind-the-scenes footage.

“We are excited and honored to expand our partnership with AAA and Twitch for this groundbreaking co-promotion with Lucha Underground,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “Extensive coverage from WrestleCon will stream live all weekend on IMPACT Wrestling’s official Twitch channel as fans will have the opportunity to interact with their favorite stars.”

“We are very excited to partner with IMPACT Wrestling for this very special and unique event,” said Dorian Roldán, General Manager of Lucha Underground. “We are also very excited to bring Lucha Underground to fans at WrestleCon for the first time. We think this is a great opportunity for both IMPACT Wrestling and Lucha Underground to put on a great show for all the wrestling fans who will be in New Orleans.”

A subsidiary of Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions LLC, IMPACT Wrestling will send its biggest stars to compete on April 6, including reigning IMPACT World Champion Austin Aries, Alberto El Patron, Eli Drake, Moose, Eddie Edwards, LAX, oVe and Sami Callihan, Trevor Lee and “The Machine” Brian Cage, plus the Knockouts will be represented by Allie, Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie. “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner will also be in the house, live and uncensored.

Lucha Underground stars include Pentagon, Fenix, King Cuerno, Drago, Aerostar, Killshot, Matanza, The Mack, Jack Evans and many other Lucha Libre sensations.

Matches for the show will be announced in the coming weeks.

IMPACT Wrestling is no stranger to the world of Lucha Libre, having announced a working partnership with Mexico-based Lucha Libre AAA in March 2017. AAA stars El Hijo del Fantasma, El Texano Jr. and Drago have participated in major IMPACT Wrestling pay-per-view events and the weekly flagship IMPACT! show Thursday nights on Pop. IMPACT Wrestling has also sent stars to compete on AAA shows in Mexico City, including TripleMania XXV last August.

“Lucha Underground” is El Rey Network’s addictive, Lucha Libre wrestling series from Emmy Award®-winning producer Mark Burnett, Robert Rodriguez, MGM, and FactoryMade. The first season premiered in October 2014 and is currently in production for its fourth season. The series also airs in Canada, Japan, France and Pan-Asia.

IMPACT Wrestling and Lucha Underground will host a WrestleCon VIP Meet & Greet on Friday, April 6, starting at 8:00 p.m. CT. Fans who purchase first-row and second-row tickets to the show will gain access to meet the stars, get free autographs, take photos, ask questions and more.

Tickets for IMPACT Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground on April 6 are available at www.wrestlecon.com.

For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com.

IMPACT Wrestling Knockout Rosemary recently did an interview with Sportskeeda to talk about several professional wrestling topics. You can check out the highlights here:

How difficult will it be to compete without Laurel Van Ness in the division? How difficult will her departure make things?

“Laurel’s an amazing character and an incredible friend of mine. I know that she simply wants to go and expand and grow. She’s still very very young in the business, she has so much more to offer and she’s already this good at doing a character which is amazing. And I love her so much. She’s so talented.

“Wrestling is fluid. It never stops moving and it’s circular. There’s never an end. There’s no reason that down the road Laurel might not return to the Impact Zone. It’s that right now her part of the story is over and she might show up at a chapter down the road. It’s wrestling. Never say never.

“It’s definitely a loss not to have her as such a strong character in the division. But there are strong characters waiting to debut and waiting to come up as well. And we will fill the void as we always have with every departure. Same as we did with Maria’s departure. And we’ll keep doing so.”

Having known Scott D’Amore for so long, do you see the company going to the next level under the new Impact management?

“To anyone who’s concerned about it, these past tapings that we just did in January, were possibly the most positive feeling in the sense that it felt very fresh and it felt like we had a direction, which I can honestly say was the first time in a year.

“This new direction under Scott D’Amore and Don Callis…I know that Impact and TNA have constantly, through the years, asked fans to give them a chance. As a personal feeling, I honestly believe that if you were going to give Impact another chance, now’s the time.

“I felt the difference backstage in one taping block. And I think there’s really something there, going forward. And I’m excited about it. So, I hope other people can feel excited about it as well.”

So, what has made you stay with Impact for such a long time? What has made you believe in the company?

“I have a lot more of Rosemary’s story to tell for one thing, and I look forward to telling those chapters. I look forward to see what’s in store for her. I have a lot of fun doing my character and seeing what Rosemary’s going to do next. Learning about her and learning about myself in playing her.

“I really love the amount of trust creative has in me, to bring this character to life since they don’t really tell me what to say. They tell me what point needs to come across in the promo. They tell me to say it like I would. They don’t give me any lines.

“And that kind of trust is huge in that they know that I know my character best and how it will come across organically. If you try to force the way Rosemary talks, it’s going to come across as very fake.”

So, you script all your own lines?

“I would say 95%. I definitely ask for advice and ask for help, if there’s something maybe I can’t figure out how to say. I never feel like I can’t approach somebody in Creative for a suggestion. That’s the openness of communication. You can ask for advice but they trust you to do it the way you would.”

What do you hope to achieve in Impact Wrestling?

“I’ve been there for only two years now. It’s been a crazy ride so far and it’s only been two years. I’m like what can we do next, what’s still to come? I’m excited to see because there’s still a lot more and I think that with the minds that we have right now…not just Scott and Don but also Jimmy Jacobs there. Jimmy is so good at like, small things.

“Just little tweaks he made. At the last tapings, he was like try this, and I was like – ‘Oh my God! Why didn’t I think of that?’ (Laughs) And that kind of creative mind at this stage, it’s very exciting to have a fresh pair of eyes on the product. And I want to be a part of that.”

You can ready Rosemary’s full interview with Sportskeeda by clicking this link here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHe636yFJc0

Impact Wrestling’s Allie, formerly Cherry Bomb, has opened up recently regarding her struggles with anxiety and depression. Real name, Laura Dennis, Allie mentioned she has been dealing with the conditions since childhood.

“For most of my life, anxiety and depression have had a huge toll on me,” she said. “Even when I was going through it all at the time, I didn’t realize that I was depressed. I could feel it, but I didn’t know what it really was for a long time.”

Allie continued to mention possible root causes of her depression, “I lost my father when I was 12… very young. That was one of the things that triggered my depression,” she recalled. “Flash forward a few years later, and a very, very close friend of mine committed suicide. That just kind of pushed me further down that hole that I was in.”

Allie in Impact Wrestling

Allie continued to mention her condition led to an eating disorder when she was 20-years-old. Finally, a friend of hers suggested she seek help.

“I hadn’t really thought seriously about counseling, but I’m thankful that someone cared enough to say something. I don’t know where I would be today if I hadn’t finally opened up and talked to someone.”

Allie says she is now speaking up in the hopes that others will seek help. “A lot of people won’t talk about depression and anxiety, especially young people because they feel like they will be judged for it,” Allie said. “I feel like it’s my responsibility as someone who has suffered from it, and who has a platform, to discuss it.”

The rest of her interview can be read here.

Since Impact Wrestling’s new management team took over, several changes have been taking place in the promotion. One of the most noticeable changes is their attitude towards freelance wrestlers and independent wrestling promotions.

Impact Wrestling is looking to partner with other promotions to hold joint events and exchange talent. In March, Impact will be partnering with Border City Wrestling and Destiny for events which will air on Twitch TV.

Impact’s management team has just reached an agreement with women’s wrestling promotion, RISE.

https://twitter.com/RISEdtwa/status/968307463748571136

RISE and Impact Wrestling

The press release from RISE indicates Impact Wrestling will be working with them on a seminar series in May, with at least one RISE performer earning a chance to compete on Impact television.

Could it be deja vu for Impact Wrestling talent?

PWInsider.com is reporting that several Impact Wrestling talents have informed them that they have not been paid for last month’s television tapings in Orlando, Florida. Talents who reached out did so under the condition of anonymity.

In addition to not being paid for last month’s work, talent also alleges that they weren’t given a Bound For Glory payoff or pay for working the Ottawa tapings until after Christmas.

Impact Wrestling president Ed Nordholm released a statement to PW Insider, denying that the promotion was late on pay:

“Talent is not behind on their pay. We generally provide for talent to be paid as independent contractors in the month following a month in which services are rendered. This was an improvement over previous management, where talent cheques were issued only as the actual episodes aired (could be as much as 12 weeks after tapings before final instalments were delivered).

We instituted a payment policy last year to pay for all services rendered in a month in the following month, regardless of when the shows would air. Accordingly, cheques for January were mailed earlier mid-month; cheques for November were mailed mid-December (and I understand got caught up in Christmas mail delays).

We realize that one unexpected impact of moving our corporate offices to Canada has been a further delay with mail services going cross-border. We are working to streamline our talent payroll processing so future events will be paid closer to the beginning of each month after services are rendered.”

Don Callis is firing back at those criticizing Impact Wrestling over recent departures.

It’s no secret that times have changed at Impact Wrestling. With Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett out of the picture, president Ed Nordholm has placed Callis and Scott D’Amore at the helm to help steer the company into a positive direction. Changes at the top have also led to talent departures.

Notable names such as EC3, Lashley, and even Jeremy Borash have departed. EC3 and Borash have made the jump to WWE’s NXT brand, while reports claim that Lashley wants a WWE return and the feeling is mutual.

While Callis admitted to Metro.co.uk that the talent changes can’t be ignored, he also said people are only looking at the negatives:

“Here’s the problem with the narrative that goes around with that. I’m not knocking wrestling journalism because it is what it is, but the narrative that’s been kicking around is that all these people are leaving. That’s fine, and that’s true, but the context is not there. Are we okay with them leaving based on the new talent? They talk about who has left, but a lot less about who came. Yes, EC3 is a tremendous performer, he’s gone on to NXT and we wish him all the best. But, people just say he’s left, they don’t say that Brian Cage or Austin Aries debuted.”

Callis believes the best has yet to come as far as talent is concerned.

“We use a lot of sports analogies around here. If you have new Head Coach for a team, they’re going to change talent and they’re going to draft new players that fit their particular system. That’s what we’re doing. It is a process, there will be more people coming in. And we also have Alberto El Patron, who to me is one of the best pieces of talent I’ve ever seen in this business since I was seven-years-old.”

Impact Wrestling tonight is a taped show from the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. Tonight’s show is the 4th to come out of the company’s tapings held the second week of January.

Impact recently released plans to return to Orlando in April. Impact Wrestling plans on hosting their first “Redemption” pay-per-view on the 22nd, followed by a series of TV tapings to run that same week.

Redemption isn't just the name of our next PPV, its a mission statement. We're not asking for redemption, we plan to earn it – little by little every week. Jump on board now because we're creating something special. Thanks for watching, we'll see you next week. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/rIokdF4AKC

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 16, 2018

Matches Announced For Impact Wrestling Tonight

• #1 Contender Match
  EC3 vs. Johnny Impact for the #1 contender spot
• Moose vs. Alberto El Patron
• oVe vs. Lashley & Eddie Edwards
• LAX vs. the Cult of Lee
• Grand Championship
  Matt Sydal (c) vs. Petey Williams
• Brian Cage returns
• Jimmy Jacobs and Kongo Kong call out Abyss

Josh Mathews recently participated in an Impact media call and talked about the impact losing Jeremy Borash had on the set of TV tapings from Orlando last month.

Mathews stated they made the move to bring Sonjay Dutt onto the broadcast team 3-4 days after finding out Borash was leaving for WWE. He disputed reports that commentary without Borash was over-dubbed after it was discovered Borash was leaving the company.

“Our next video session, when we found out that Jeremy was leaving the company was like three or four days later and we had time to come up with a different game plan, and come up with what the right decision was going to be. There was a lot of different opinions, a lot of different thoughts, and I think the final decision was the best one they could have made. Sonjay [Dutt] came here and did great. And now we have that situation in place.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTqwOz26Mfs

Changing Role for Josh Mathews?

There has been some speculation Mathews could be removed from the broadcast team as well. Some rumors have suggested he could be moving into a manager’s role. If that is the case, Mathews isn’t letting on. Mathews indicated there have been no further changes to his role or the broadcasting team since Borash left.

“The stuff that I do stays the same, stayed the same, doesn’t change,” Mathews said. “I wish (Borash) nothing but luck and success down there, it’s a different beast. But as far as what I do, nothing was affected other than switching back from color commentary to play-by-play announcing, which is what I have been doing for fourteen years.”

Impact Wrestling will be returning to pay-per-view in April. The company has announced plans to host “Impact Redemption” on Aprill 22nd, 2018 in Orland Florida.

There had been some talk of holding the event in Toronto, Impact’s home base, but ultimately the decision was made to return to Orlando. The promotion will also be airing several live events in March on Twitch TV.

BREAKING NEWS: Our first new tent-pole PPV event since 2005 – REDEMPTION – will take place in Orlando, FL on April 22nd. Make your plans now to join us for a huge night! pic.twitter.com/dBICjY9EqB

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 15, 2018

Impact Wrestling Changes

Impact wrestling has undergone several changes so far in 2018. The company’s new management team has stressed it will take some time for the promotion to achieve its new vision. They have also stressed they are hoping to give the brand a global feel, give freelancing wrestlers more freedom, and bring in wrestlers from international promotions.

Impact Wrestling’s 3-person leadership team now consists of Don Callis, Scott D’Amore, and Ed Nordholm.

We could see footage of the original Broke Hardys angle on WWE programming in the near future.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE obtained the rights to use Impact Wrestling’s footage in the most recent agreement between the two sides. This allows them to use the original Broken Hardys footage to promote the character on their programming.

Impact Footage Shown on WWE Programming

WWE airing footage of segments filmed for another wrestling promotion would be a deviation from the company’s normal way of doing things. It is said, however, that Vince McMahon is a big fan of the Woken Matt Hardy character.

According to the report, per their agreement with Impact, WWE does now own the rights to the original Broken Hardys footage and can use it if they wish to promote their version of the character and story. Impact Wrestling, however, also retains the rights to air the footage.

Some fans are growing frustrated with the slower-paced story-telling of the angle since landing in WWE. Matt Hardy has stressed to such fans, however, that Final Deletion style segments are coming. Perhaps we see one involving the Hardy clan and Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania, though that is only speculation.