Several matches and segments have been announced for tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

Tonight’s show will be the 3rd from the set of tapings filmed in Orlando back in January. It will also be the 3rd show under the new management team of Don Callis, Scott D’Amore, and Ed Nordholm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6WEJ0OLqA4

Announced Matches and Segments for Impact Wrestling Tonight

• Impact Wrestling Championship
  Austin Aries (c) vs. Eli Drake
• Allie’s Secret Admirer Revealed
• Matt Sydal & Johnny Impact vs. EC3 and ???
• Sami Callihan vs. Lashley
• Rosemary vs. Hania
• X-Division Championship
  Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma

Don Callis has stressed that the changes in Impact will take time to occur. Several wrestlers who are not expected to be part of the Impact Wrestling roster in the future took part in the Orlando tapings.

Former Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion EC3 has addressed his decision to leave the promotion.

Newsweek.com has an article up looking at Impact Wrestling’s new management, several talents departing and how they will overcome these obstacles this year.

Alongside Bobby Lashley, EC3 was able to get out of his contract early, which in turn allowed him to sign with WWE. The sports entertainment company placed him in NXT, where he made his first appearance on the WWE Network at NXT Takeover: Philly last month.

“My decision to leave Impact had nothing to with their business or finances and everything with me wanting to challenge myself to something new. Leaving Impact was a very difficult decision as I had six months left on a very lucrative and talent-friendly contract. Anthem lived up to that contract and always treated me with the utmost respect as a businessman and a person.”

– Scott D’Amore, IMPACT Wrestling’s Vice President, was recently a guest on the Sitting Ringside with David Penzer podcast. During the episode Penzer asked D’Amore who he’d like to build IMPACT around if they were available. D’Amore made it very clear that one day he wants to see “The Phenomenal One” back in an IMPACT Wrestling ring:

“God, that’s a tough question!” D’Amore said. “A.J. [Styles] was the face of this company for so long, and I have to think somewhere in the back of my mind, very deep in my heart, there’s one day that A.J. steps back in an Impact ring and has that homecoming moment!”

Listen to D’Amore on Sitting Ringside with David Penzer by clicking here.

– John Cena was again on TODAY this morning and actually officiated a wedding. He also made a joke about his “You Can’t See Me” catchphrase. Watch the segment here:

Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling will be the 2nd from the set of TV tapings the company held in Orlando last month. The Orlando tapings were the first under the company’s new management team of Don Callis, Ed Nordholm, and Scott D’Amore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj1WC4sNb74

Matches and Segments Announced For Impact Wrestling Tonight

Tonight’s show will also be the first since Austin Aries won the promotion’s world championship last week.

• Austin Aries Speaks on Winning the Championship
  • Aries defeated Eli Drake to win the championship last week.
• The Cult of Lee in tag-team action
  • Caleb Konley and Trevor Lee attacked LAX last week. Konnan and his faction may have revenge in store tonight.
• Knockouts Championship
  Laurel Van Ness (c) vs. Kiera Hogan
  • Hogan defeated LVN last week in a non-title match.
  • Allie caused the distraction last week which cost LVN the match.
• Hania vs. Amber Nova
  • Hania is a pro since 2013 and has competed for Women of Honor. The Orlando tapings were her first with Impact.
  • Amber Nova is a pro since 2016 and has not competed with Impact previously.
• #1 Contenders Match
  EC3 vs. Moose vs. Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Impact

Jeremy Borash and Josh Mathews will no longer be the Impact broadcast team. Borash recently signed with WWE and Matthews is believed to be moving to a manager’s role.

Mathews and Borash recorded commentary for tonight’s show which was filmed at the Orlando tapings in January. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, the company has decided to overdub Borash and Mathews with their new broadcast team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj1WC4sNb74

Who is the New Impact Broadcast Team?

It’s not yet clear who the new broadcast team for Impact will be. There has been speculation that Sonjay Dutt and Don Callis could be paired together but that is not confirmed.

Tonight’s episode will be the 2nd from the Orlando tapings. The Orlando shows are the first under the new management team of Don Callis, Scott D’Amore, and Ed Nordholm.

– On tomorrow night’s episode of Impact on Pop TV, Amber Nova will take on a Knockout who is no longer with the company, Hania.

To promote the match, Impact published this article today with the angle being that Rosemary will be watching closely after getting attacked by Hania on a recent episode of Impact.

The Demon Assassin @WeAreRosemary will be watching this one very closely as @HaniaHuntress takes on @Nova_Girl1973 TOMORROW on @PopTV!

MORE: https://t.co/kN1fA5oFU3 pic.twitter.com/esFKOt7p2j

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) February 7, 2018

It was recently reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Impact fired Hania after she refused to do a 90-second job to newcomer Su Yung at a television taping on Jan. 13 in Orlando, Florida. On Twitter, Hania denied reports that she was fired, saying that she actually quit.

https://twitter.com/HaniaHuntress/status/954455692873748480

I was not fired I quit. They can call it what they want but I made a decision to leave.

— Hania (@HaniaHuntress) January 23, 2018

– Eddie Edwards appears on the latest edition of Around the Ring with Josh Mathews as he talks about Boston sports, being the first foreign-born Pro Wrestling NOAH GHC Heavyweight Champion and more.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewMilNJmL7g&w=620&h=349]

• Why did Lars Sullivan disappear from NXT? – Backstage news

Tonight the 1st episode of Impact Wrestling taped after Don Callis, Scott D’Amore, and Ed Nordholm we’re announced as the new management team will air. The tapings were held in Orlando earlier this month.

Much has been made of the many departures from the company in recent weeks. In addition to EC3 and Bobby Lashley’s exit, long-time on-air personality, Jeremy Borash, has also left. The company’s management team recently spoke to Newsweek magazine about the recent departures.

Callis, D’Amore, and Nordholm on Changes to Roster

“[Borash] is leaving and joining the WWE,” Nordholm told Newsweek. “We wish him all the best. He’s a talented guy and has been with the company forever. But we have a lot of talented guys—change is good and it gives other guys a chance to step up.”

“This company has historically given new people opportunities,” said D’Amore. “We always wish Jeremy well. I got one of my first breaks [from him]—Jeremy hired me to be a producer at World Wrestling All-Stars. But we have editors on our team who don’t get the notoriety that Jeremy does. We have great players ready to step up.”

The management team was also asked about the departure of EC3. Don Callis stressed that while EC3 is talented, the company has also signed several other talented performers lately.

“He’s a talented guy, but change is good,” said Callis. “Yes, EC3 left, but Brian Cage came in, Johnny Impact came in, Austin Aries returned.”

D’Amore mentioned that EC3’s contract had not expired but the two sides agreed to part ways regardless.

“His contract was not up. He came to us, we had a frank discussion about where he saw himself going,” said D’Amore. “We decided to sit down and work something out that worked for us on how we’d wrap up this portion of his career.

“I didn’t watch NXT TakeOver but when he showed up on screen and my phone started blowing up, I texted him: ‘Congratulations. All the best to you. You’ve got nothing but love and support from us here. And if you need anything, you know where we are.’ And he wrote back the same thing.”

In regards to Bobby Lashley’s departure, Ed Nordholm was quick to praise the MMA fighter/wrestler.

“Bobby is free to figure out what he wants to do next, whether it be wrestling or mixed martial arts. We wish him all the best,” said Nordholm. “He’s a great talent, it’s foolish to say, ‘No, we wouldn’t want to retain him,’ but he has his own ambitions about what he thinks is good for him next in his career.”

Three more wrestlers are gone from Impact Wrestling: Ava Storie, Idris Abraham, and Mario Bokara.

On Wednesday, the company updated its active roster page on ImpactWrestling.com with new promotional graphics and Storie, Abraham and Bokara were moved to the Alumni section. All three wrestlers had not appeared for Impact Wrestling since last summer.

Storie, who is 21 years old, joined Impact Wrestling last March after starting her career the year before on the independents under the name Brandi Lauren. The company introduced her as Kayci Quinn and in her debut match, she took on Brandi Rhodes in a bout that ended in a no contest. On Impact Wrestling on April 6, 2017, she wrestled in a gauntlet battle royal to decide the No. 1 contender to the Knockouts Championship (ODB won the match). She also wrestled at One Night Only: Victory Road – Knockouts Knockdown, where she lost to Angelina Love in a singles match.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL5tHW-rY8E&w=620&h=349]

The company changed her name to Ava Storie on the April 20, 2017, edition of Impact Wrestling, as she unsuccessfully challenged Christina Von Eerie for the GFW Women’s Championship. She then lost four consecutive matches to Laurel Van Ness. Storie was last used at the August television tapings, where she picked up her only win in the company against Amber Nova before putting over Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie in separate matches.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyFKePHylXE&w=620&h=349]

Abraham, who is from Ontario, Canada, joined Impact Wrestling last March after wrestling for various independent promotions in both Canada and the United States for six years. He competed in the Super X Cup but did little else of note as he was primarily used as an enhancement wrestler in the X Division. He last appeared for Impact in July 2017.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96MGubSMS4c&w=620&h=349]

Bokara is a 37-year-old Croatian-American wrestler from New Jersey with over 17 years of wrestling experience. He made his debut on the March 23, 2017, episode of Impact Wrestling, teaming with Fallah Bahh and Abraham in a losing effort to Mahabali Shera, Garza Jr., and Laredo Kid. He mostly teamed with Bahh, but the two never won a match together. He wrestled some singles matches as well but lost them all. Bokara made his last appearance for Impact in August 2017, where he and Bahh put over Dave and Jake Crist.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75g4ADo0zsA&w=620&h=349]

Bokara recently suffered a serious injury. On January 2, 2018, he underwent successful surgery for a torn ACL and meniscus in his knee.

• Has Vince McMahon had affairs with WWE female talent?

Impact Wrestling executives Ed Nordholm, Don Callis and Scott D’Amore recently spoke with Newsweek to address the recent wave of departures from the company.

Don Callis put a positive spin on the recent shakeup, noting that Impact has recently brought in talented competitors such as Brian Cage, Austin Aries and John Hennigan.

Here are some highlights of what was said about EC3, Bobby Lashley and Jeremy Borash:

EC3

Last weekend, we saw EC3 ringside at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia. He did an interview backstage at the show talking about returning to WWE after 5 long years. Scott D’Amore commented on what led to EC3 leaving Impact.

“His contract was not up,” D’Amore revealed. “He came to us, we had a frank discussion about where he saw himself going.  We decided to sit down and work something out that worked for us on how we’d wrap up this portion of his career.  I didn’t watch NXT TakeOver but when he showed up on screen and my phone started blowing up, I texted him:

‘Congratulations. All the best to you. You’ve got nothing but love and support from us here. And if you need anything, you know where we are.’

And he wrote back the same thing.”

Bobby Lashley

Ed Nordholm admitted that it’s not a good thing when you lose a talent like Bobby Lashley, but wishes him the best in his next career move, whether it’s pro wrestling or MMA.

“Bobby is free to figure out what he wants to do next, whether it be wrestling or mixed martial arts,” Nordholm said. “We wish him all the best.  He’s a great talent, it’s foolish to say, ‘No, we wouldn’t want to retain him,’ but he has his own ambitions about what he thinks is good for him next in his career.”

Jeremy Borash

Perhaps the most surprising departure from Impact in recent months is Jeremy Borash, who had been with the company since its inception in 2002. Ed Nordholm and Scott D’Amore both wished him well, but said they have a lot of other talented people on staff ready to fill his roles behind the scenes.

Nordholm: “He is leaving and joining the WWE.  We wish him all the best. He’s a talented guy and has been with the company forever. But we have a lot of talented guys—change is good and it gives other guys a chance to step up.”

D’Amore: “We always wish Jeremy well. I got one of my first breaks [from him]—Jeremy hired me to be a producer at World Wrestling All-Stars. But we have editors on our team who don’t get the notoriety that Jeremy does. We have great players ready to step up.”

Visit Newsweek.com to read the complete article.

Impact Wrestling is to begin featuring a stable of wrestlers from India named the Desi Hit Squad. The promotion sent out a release which featured biographies of the wrestlers who will be participating in the group.

The faction will be led by “the Great” Gama Singh, who was a big heel in Calgary’s Stampede Wrestling for many years. Gama was the leader of the “Karachi Vice” stable in the promotion. He is also the Uncle of former WWE champion, Jinder Mahal. The 63-year-old will most likely only be a figurehead leader for the group, however.

As part of our commitment to showcasing the most promising Indian performers, a new stable known as Desi Hit Squad led by the legendary @GR8GamaSingh will debut on IMPACT in the coming months.

FULL DETAILS: https://t.co/1ih90ppmO4 pic.twitter.com/NXrYa2sQOZ

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 30, 2018

Desi Hit Squad

Rohit Raju

A 37-year-old from Michigan with roots in India, Raju has also wrestled under the name Hakim Zane & Mad Dragon.

He wrestles on the indies primarily around Michigan and Ontario. He’s previously wrestled under the name Hakim Zane on Impact.

Vikas Kumar

Kumar is a guy they picked up during the Ring Ka King project several years back. He also competed during the Impact tapings from Mumbai. Little record of him wrestling outside of India is available.

Kumar had this to say about his decision to leave India:

“I am anxious to leave my homeland to pursue this wonderful opportunity in North America and to make an impact on the pro wrestling industry,” Kumar said. “To leave India is a huge step but wrestling has been in my blood since childhood and I’m beyond thrilled to be alongside a legend in Gama Singh.”

Gursinder Singh

Born in England and raised in Australia, Gursinder’s parents are from Pakistan. When it was time to begin his training, Gursinder moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada to train with Lance Storm, who happens to be the co-host of a podcast with Impact Vice President, Don Callis.

Bhupinder Singh

A 23-year-old trained out of the Great Khali’s school in India, Bhupinder was a bodybuilder before getting into the world of professional wrestling. He also has a background in competitive kickboxing.

Impact Wrestling is heading back on the road as the promotion is holding a live event on March 4th in Mississauga, Ontario.

Austin Aries, Alberto El Patron, Matt Sydal, Petey Williams, Eli Drake, Trevor Lee, Allie are expected to work this event. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if the company plans on adding more events beyond the 3/4 show. 

This marks their first live event of the year. After taking a break from house shows, Impact held three live events last summer.

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

Melissa Santos and Brian Cage are now the proud parents of a newborn daughter. They welcomed Skylar Faith Button to the world yesterday.

Santos was in labor for 36 hours.

After 36 hours of labor, she’s here. Welcome to the world baby Skylar Faith Button ?? pic.twitter.com/fVUGZmv33w

— Melissa Santos (@ThisIsMelSantos) January 23, 2018

Brian Cage and Melissa Santos

Cage recently participated in the last set of Impact Wrestling tapings and keeps a regular independent schedule as well. He is expected to be a part of Lucha Underground’s Season 4, as is Santos. Cage was a prospect in WWE’s system from 2008-09 but was released. He got a lot of attention in PWG afterward.

Santos’ wrestling career started in 2012 with Women of Wrestling but has since caught on as the popular ring announcer for Lucha Underground.

https://twitter.com/LanasEggWhites/status/956019400334815232

Former WWE and IMPACT Wrestling star Chris Adonis (a.k.a. Chris Masters) was interviewed by Channel Guide Magazine just a day before announcing his departure from IMPACT. Adonis discussed how IMPACT lacks consistency after the company’s crazy year that included several changes:

“It has been a crazy year with all the changes in the company and guys and guys out. … There just needs to be some consistency. Consistency went out the window in the last year, but you couldn’t help that with all the changes. You just have to get some consistency going, which I think they are in route to doing. The sky is the limit. … I’ve only just met Don [Callis] and conversing over the past couple of days, but I have heard good things about him.

“It seems like he has a bigger pulse on professional wrestling, which is good. He knows the trends of what’s going in and out and how to maybe adapt to the new environment we live in with technology and how the world is evolving in general. Scott D’Amore brings a lot of experience and a good figure to help head it up at the helm. Sonjay [Dutt] is here too. Time will tell, but it seems they have the right players here in place to capitalize on the talent involved.”

Adonis also discussed what it was like to work with Eli Drake, who he didn’t have too good of a first impression about, but later came to realize he’s actually a ‘good dude’:

“I just never knew before I came to Impact Wrestling about Eli Drake that well. I didn’t really have an impression of him. Then after I got to work with him, I began to realize who he was. First, I thought he was an ass—-. I didn’t know him that well, but saw the way he carried himself. But I came to find out he is a good dude. He worked really hard. I didn’t really know how hard until I’ve been around him.

“It gives me faith that when you work hard and come into your own that the opportunities can be there for you. Fast forward to now, up until recently, he was the World Champion. You could have never convinced me of all that until I was around him and saw the work ethic and how much he pays attention to details.”

He also said that he didn’t want to be Drake’s ‘sidepiece’ and wanted to eventually evolve into something that benefited both he and Drake:

“I don’t always want to be Eli Drake’s sidepiece. I went into this with an understanding of that, and hopefully, it can evolve into something that will benefit both of us.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPHN57cGumU

You can read Adonis’ full interview with Channel Guide Magazine by clicking this link here.

It was reported this week in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Impact Wrestling fired Hania (aka Hania the SheWolf, Hania the Huntress) after she refused to do a 90-second job to newcomer Su Yung at the organization’s recent set of Impact Wrestling television tapings in Orlando, Florida.

On Friday, Hania issued a statement via Twitter addressing reports on her departure. The 27-year-old confirms that she has parted ways with Impact Wrestling, but that it was a mutual decision and there is absolutely no bad blood on either side.

https://twitter.com/HaniaHuntress/status/954455692873748480

Hania made her Impact Wrestling debut on Nov. 10, 2017, at a television taping in Ottawa, Ontario, where she attacked Rosemary following “The Demon Assassin”‘s victory over KC Spinelli. Jeremy Borash tweeted news of her arrival and the angle finally aired on last night’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

https://twitter.com/JeremyBorash/status/929157415878250499

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOhZl3TD_eo

.@HaniaHuntress has arrived in IMPACT. #IMPACTonPOP pic.twitter.com/8tUkWQtLkK

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 19, 2018

Hania also worked a match on Nov. 10, 2017, beating Spinelli.

At the most recent set of television tapings, Hania worked three matches. She faced Amber Nova at the Jan. 10, 2018 tapings and wrestled Rosemary on Jan. 11 and Jan. 12.

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Impact Wrestling Knockout Sienna was hospitalized on Tuesday and diagnosed with blood clots in her long.

The former Knockouts champion worked Impact’s TV tapings from Orlando over the past week and had been dealing with pain in her torso. She assumed it was a displaced rib or a collapsed lung, but was surprised to find out she has a clot in each lung.

Sienna says she won’t be wrestling for the time being, but plans to make her scheduled appearances.

https://twitter.com/sienna/status/953474341014040576

Wishing @Sienna a speedy recovery! Get well soon. https://t.co/7fTQaG0TYD

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 17, 2018

Impact Wrestling has officially announced a partnership with the Twitch streaming service. The Impact Wrestling Twitch channel will feature a 24-hour live stream and exclusive programming, including monthly live events and “lifestyle programming.”

HUGE NEWS:

IMPACT Wrestling are launching a 24/7 channel on @Twitch that will have exclusive original content, monthly live events and house shows as well footage from the extensive IMPACT archive.

All the details RIGHT HERE: https://t.co/GFSbHfoXiu pic.twitter.com/l2U7AdR6gn

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 16, 2018

Here’s the full announcement:

IMPACT Wrestling Channel to Launch on Twitch

New channel to feature legacy and exclusive content, including premiere of Barbed Wire Massacre III

TORONTO | SAN FRANCISCO – IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., today announced the launch of a new channel on Twitch, the world’s leading social video service. IMPACT Wrestling’s channel (www.twitch.tv/impactwrestling) will feature a 24-hour live stream and exclusive weekly programming.

The IMPACT Wrestling Channel will launch on Wednesday, Jan. 17 with a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week stream of content that leads up to the debut of Barbed Wire Massacre III on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 10:00 p.m. ET immediately following the weekly premiere of IMPACT! on Pop.

The IMPACT Wrestling Channel on Twitch will feature exclusive content, including monthly live events and house shows featuring top stars in professional wrestling. The channel will also feature lifestyle programming showcasing IMPACT Wrestling stars outside of the ring – from diets and workouts to relationships and travel. Twitch will also air IMPACT Wrestling’s live event at WrestleCon in New Orleans, La. on Friday, April 6 at 9:00 p.m. CT. Other exclusive shows on the channel include:

Monday nights: Live Audio Wrestling (The LAW) returns with a new weekly video podcast. Produced and hosted by longtime IMPACT Wrestling announcer Jeremy Borash, The LAW will cover all of the latest news in professional wrestling and feature special guest interviews, live calls, chat interaction, contests with prizes, and much more.

Wednesday nights: Returning IMPACT Wrestling star Tyrus will host Nuff Said, as the Fox News contributor offers his unique take on professional wrestling, politics, sports and popular culture.

Thursday nights: At 8:00 p.m. ET, Josh Mathews will host Mathews’ Megacast with his irreverent second screen perspective on the flagship IMPACT! show Thursdays on Pop.

Programming for the channel will also include past and present episodes of the flagship IMPACT! show, the original weekly show Xplosion, pay-per-view events on a second window, plus over 1,000 hours of original programming showcasing classic content featuring household industry names like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode and many more.

“Our expansion on Twitch marks another important milestone in our digital expansion,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “The interactive content and larger-than-life personalities of IMPACT Wrestling are a perfect fit for the platform, whose passionate communities have demonstrated an increased appetite for professional wrestling and live events. As we adapt to new content consumption methods, our partnership with Twitch gives us an opportunity to interact directly with our audience, while engaging and growing our fan base across the world.”

For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com.

– Impact Wrestling Knockout Chelsea Green announced on Monday night that she has been granted her release from the company. She’s worked for Impact since January 2016.

Green, who is currently dating WWE Superstar Zack Ryder, has made a few appearances for WWE. In August 2014, she portrayed Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist. After admitting to having an affair with Bryan, she got slapped by Bryan’s now-wife, Brie Bella.

In 2015, she was a contestant on Tough Enough Season 6, where she finished fourth among the females.

Thank you @IMPACTWRESTLING ? pic.twitter.com/k21Y9lNqCC

— CHELSEA GREEN (@ImChelseaGreen) January 16, 2018

– Impact Wrestling has announced the signing of Gama Singh (the “Great Gama”), a 63-year-old semi-retired Indian/Canadian wrestling legend. Singh was a top heel in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling in Calgary for much of the 1970’s & 80’s.

One of the most successful Indian born wrestlers of all time, one of the most successful international wrestlers ever – the legendary Gama Singh (@GR8GamaSingh) has officially signed with IMPACT. pic.twitter.com/qmYMjsxVeI

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 15, 2018

Excited to announce my official signing with @IMPACTWRESTLING. The wrestling world will soon see the next generation of Indian wrestlers and Champions under my tutelage. ?? @IMPACTWRESTLING #ImpactWrestling #wrestling https://t.co/rQKvTczwQS

— Gama Singh (@GR8GamaSingh) January 15, 2018

As noted earlier, Impact Wrestling’s next pay-per-view offering will be Redemption, which takes place on Saturday, April 22nd.

It was announced at Monday’s Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando that Redemption will emanate from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The following matches are now confirmed for show pay-per-view:

– Impact World Champion Austin Aries vs. Alberto el Patron

– X-Division champion Matt Sydal vs. Petey Williams

– Impact Tag Team Champions LAX vs. Eli Drake & Scott Steiner

– Hardcore Match: Tommy Dreamer, Eddie Edwards & Moose vs. oVe

Several top performers finished up with Impact Wrestling at the latest round of television tapings, including EC3, Bobby Lashley, Chris Adonis and Laurel Van Ness. As it turns out, there are several more wrestlers with deals seat to expire soon (via PWInsider):

– Alberto El Patron’s current deal runs through March. He is scheduled to compete at the Redemption pay-per-view in April, he should be sticking around if he hasn’t signed an extension already.

– Eddie Edwards, who was badly injured at a taping over the weekend, could be a free agent by the end of this month (ie. after tonight’s tapings).

– Eli Drake’s contract expires this summer.

While there has been a mass exodus of talent in recent months, Impact has been bringing in a lot of new (and familiar) faces. Austin Aries made his Impact Wrestling return last week, while Lucha Underground star Brian Cage also made his debut for the company.

Backstage at tonight’s tapings from Orlando are Scott Steiner and Tommy Dreamer.

During Sunday’s Impact Wrestling TV tapings from Orlando, Florida, it was announced that a new pay-per-view called Redemption will take place on Sunday, April 22nd.

Impact Wrestling: Redemption will air on traditional PPV and can also be purchased on the FITE TV streaming app.

While not yet confirmed, it appears Impact is building towards an Austin Aries vs. Alberto El Patron main event for Redemption.

The first confirmed match is Matt Sydal defending the X-Division Championship against Petey Williams.

Also at the taping, Impact Global champion Austin Aries defeated Sydal capture the Impact Grand Championship.

A fan on Twitter asked Impact booker Don Callis if this meant Impact would be merging the Global and Grand Championships at Redemption in favor of a unified Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship. Callis gave a reply that indicates the Grand and Global Championships are, in fact, being phased out.

Scoop #32: Austin Aries defeats Matt Sydal and is the new Grand Champion pic.twitter.com/OjyQ1Xojyb

— Jacob Cohen (@MrJacobCohen) January 15, 2018

?

— The Invisible Hand (@TheDonCallis) January 15, 2018

Eddie Edwards suffered a gruesome injury over at a weekend Impact TV taping at the hands of Sami Callihan. After losing to Edwards in a singles match, Callihan delivered a post-match beatdown that involved a steel chair and a baseball bat.

Callihan accidentally struck Edwards in the head with the bat, which led to him bleeding profusely and being taken to the hospital. It was an ugly sight that demonstrated once again how dangerous the sport of pro wrestling can be, even when performed by trained professionals.

On Sunday, Edwards posted an update saying he suffered a couple broken bones, cuts, and a black eye.

Thanks to everyone checkin in. Im good, couple broken bones couple cuts and a sweet black eye. Somedays youre the bat, somedays youre my eye

— Edward Edwards (@TheEddieEdwards) January 14, 2018

PWInsider reports that Edwards underwent a CT scan which revealed several broken bones in his face as well as a broken nose. His cuts were glued shut.

Edwards provided another update later on Sunday afternoon:

Not like I was gonna let a little baseball bat to the face stop me from watching my @Patriots last night #Patriots #AiP pic.twitter.com/iFE422UWRL

— Edward Edwards (@TheEddieEdwards) January 14, 2018

Former Impact Wrestling world champion Eddie Edwards was hospitalized after an incident with Sami Calihan during Saturday’s TV tapings from Orlando.

After Edwards pinned Sami Callihan in a singles match, Callihan delivered a post match attack that left Edwards bleeding profusely from the head.

Callihan placed a chair on Edwards and hit it with a baseball bat. The bat ricocheted off the chair and struck Edwards on the top of his head. According to fans in attendance, it was immediately apparent that the spot did not go as planned. Edwards abruptly left the ringside area and had blood pouring from his head as he headed to the back.

According to PWInsider, he was taken to the hospital to stitched up and evaluated.

One of IMPACT Wrestling’s biggest stars, EC3, appears to have finished his time with the company, the recent television tapings featured the now infamous ‘feast or fired’ briefcase match and EC3 found himself with the unfortunate fate of grabbing the ‘fired’ case.

Here are the results for the ‘Feast or Fired’ match:

• Moose – Took the World Title Opportunity
• Petey Williams – Took the X Division Title Opportunity
• Eli Drake – Took the Tag Title Opportunity
• EC3 – Fired

It was recently revealed that both Ethan Carter and Bobby Lashley were likely to leave the company imminently and that a return for both to WWE was extremely likely, now that EC3 is off IMPACT he could potentially appear at the Royal Rumble in just a few weeks.

On Sunday morning, EC3 tweeted:

pic.twitter.com/5k0Kae7ULa

— ecIII (@therealec3) January 14, 2018

At last night’s IMPACT Wrestling tapings in Orlando, former Lucha Underground Gift Of The Gods Champion Brian Cage made his promotional debut as a signed talent. He worked two matches (both with enhancement talents) and won them both. This isn’t Cage’s first time in an IMPACT ring, as he had tryout matches with the company back in 2012 and 2013 but wasn’t signed to a deal.

Cage also wrestled at the Destination X One Night Only event in 2014. He went on to sign with Lucha Underground and won the Gift Of The Gods Championship in 2016. Here’s what IMPACT Wrestling had to say about inking Cage to a deal:

There are some BIG names showing up at the IMPACT taping tonight at @UniversalORL! Here's an exclusive First Look at one of them. Any guesses who it is? pic.twitter.com/Fxhpt3I8SN

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 11, 2018

We are thrilled to welcome @MrGMSI_BCage to the IMPACT roster. pic.twitter.com/6Bbz1Nc0m1

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 11, 2018

It looks like former IMPACT Wrestling Grand Champion Moose may have suffered an injury during last night’s set of TV tapings in Orlando. Moose’s injury took place during a match between EC3, Alberto El Patron and Johnny Impact. The match was meant to determine the new No. 1-contender for he Impact Wrestling World Championship. Moose reportedly suffered a knee injury and was helped backstage by several people.

PWInsider reports that it’s believed Moose didn’t tear anything. Moose is a former National Football League (NFL) offensive lineman that has played for teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, and Indianapolis Colts. After six years in the NFL he then transitioned into a career in professional wrestling in 2012. Moose subsequently signed with Ring Of Honor in 2014 before departing for IMPACT Wrestling in 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FXsH-vyJB0