It was a big night on Impact Wrestling last night. Eddie Edwards would challenge for the title against Austin Aries. Matt Sydal took on Pentagon Jr and Sami Callihan descended further into madness.

Here are 8 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 8/9:

Taiji Ishimori and Petey Williams Impact’s Newest Team?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUHuFdwQ34g

Two weeks ago on Impact Wrestling, Taiji Ishimori and Petey Williams were opponents. Ishimori defeated Williams on the first episode following Slammiversary last month. The two former X-Division champions showed each other respect after the match but were then attacked by the Great Gama Singh’s Desi Hit Squad.

This week on Impact, Ishimori and Williams teamed up and defeated Rohit Raju and Gursinder Singh. Is this the start of a new and successful tag-team?

One thing that is for sure is that the Desi Hit Squad has angered their manager, the Great Gama Singh.

Tessa Blanchard Wants the Knockouts Title, Allie Just Wants Su Yung

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

This week on Impact Wrestling, Allie sent a message to Su Yung that her time has come. Allie challenged Yung to a match next week but this did not sit too well with Tessa Blanchard.

Blanchard defeated Alisha Edwards this week and then cut a promo on Allie after the match. She said Allie was just trying to weasel her way into a Knockouts title match and didn’t actually care about Su Yung’s reign of terror being ended. Blanchard then said if Allie was going to wrestle Su Yung next week, she’ll be there too.

We spoke with Blanchard earlier in the day, and she stressed to us how important winning the Knockouts Championship is to her.

“My main goal in Impact Wrestling is the Knockouts Championship,” Blanchard said with confidence.

“Because having that championship means you are the best.”

“I’m confident I am the uncrowned champion because I am the best women’s wrestler in Impact Wrestling,” she continued.

Scarlett Bordeaux’s “the Smokeshow” Talk Show Debuts Next Week

Scarlett Bordeaux not only has Bobo wrapped around her finger but the whole Impact management team.

The easily manipulated management team then caved to Scarlett’s wishes and announced she will have her own talk show segment “the Smoke Show” debuting next week.

Pentagon’s Win-Streak Continues, Sydal’s Losing Streak Continues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS1lFXdRWHE

Before the match, Sydal spoke about how even though he isn’t the champion anymore, he still has the spirit of an X-Division Champion inside of him.

It wouldn’t help him this week, however, Pentagon defeated him with a package piledriver in a match which any other week would have been the main event.

Sami Callihan Wants oVe to Look Like A Family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkx7mEle9kc

Callihan continued to spiral out of control this week. After Pentagon defeated Sydal, Callihan and oVe appeared on the big screen. Callihan said he was sick of all the losing they’ve been doing as of late. He then forced Jake Crist to shave the head of Dave Crist so they would look more like a family.

King Challenges Konnan and LAX To A Street Fight

“We’re like scarecrows: Out-standing in our field” – Konnan

King and Konnan had an interesting back and forth this week, as they tend to do.

After an at times hilarious debate between the two, it was decided that this battle would be taken to the streets. A street fight between the two factions was agreed to before the segment ended.

Next Week Johnny Impact Gets “the Monster”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ecq5OJV04

Last week on Impact, Johnny Impact punched Jacobs in the mouth and demanded a chance for revenge against Kongo Kong.

This week on Impact, Jimmy Jacobs delivered a message to Johnny. He said he’s a good guy and was just trying to give Johnny fair warning last week.

“You want the monster, you got the monster,” Jacobs warned. “Johnny, be careful. I am the monster.”

Killer Kross Is Aligned With Austin Aries

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

It looked as though Eddie Edwards was going to win the Impact World Championship. What we didn’t know going into the match was that Aries had an insurance policy all along.

With the referee down, Killer Kross came to ringside and took out Edwards, allowing Aries to pick up the win. The champion and his back-up celebrated in the ring to close the show.

Quick Results:

• Taiji Ishimori & Petey Williams defeated the Desi Hit Squad
• Tessa Blanchard defeated Alisha Edwards
• Pentagon Jr. defeated Matt Sydal
• Impact World Championship
  Austin Aries (c) defeated Eddie Edwards

Impact Wrestling is back on POP tonight. The show will also be available tomorrow on-demand for subscribers to the Global Wrestling Network.

Eddie Edwards will challenge Austin Aries for the Impact World Championship tonight. Another former Impact World Champion will also be in action as Pentagon Jr takes on Matt Sydal.

Impact Wrestling 8/9 Preview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83GthIHgvTQ

Impact World Championship
Austin Aries (c) vs Eddie Edwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ugYeYKzaeU&frags=pl%2Cwn

Eddie Edwards has spiraled out of control ever since his feud with Sami Callihan. His obsession with his rival has caused Edwards to jeopardize his marriage and career. Tonight, however, Edwards has a chance to win the Impact World Championship.

The former GHC Heavyweight Champion will have a tough task tonight, however. Austin Aries has been a fighting champion since winning the belt earlier this year. Edwards may represent his most significant test yet, however.

Konnan’s LAX Is Waiting To Attack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7_f7ETfWr4

Last week on Impact, Konnan pulled back Santana and Ortiz after they attacked the OGZ. LAX looked to have the upper hand in the melee but Konnan withdrew his troops and later claimed the OGZ were setting a trap.

Konnan then told his team they need to wait for the right time to get their revenge and take back their property, the Impact tag-team titles. Is that time tonight? We’ll find out in just a few hours.

Alisha Edwards vs Tessa Blanchard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-S0fKEaIqw

Alisha Edwards returns to the ring tonight. She better hope her marriage problems with Eddie Edwards aren’t occupying her thoughts, however. Any weakness will be exploited by her opponent Tessa Blanchard.

Aside from two losses via pinning combination to the veteran Madison Rayne, Blanchard is undefeated in Impact Wrestling. She will look to move closer to a Knockouts Championship match by beating Edwards tonight. Last week, Blanchard was quite upset that Allie was being positioned for a title shot after being Su Yung in tag action. Blanchard defeated the hometown favorite Allie at Slammiversary.

The Desi Hit Squad vs Taiji Ishimori & Petey Wiliams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ugd3NOGAtE&t=9s

Two weeks ago on Impact Wrestling, the Desi Hit Squad attacked Taiji Ishimori and Petey Williams after their single’s match. Ishimori defeated Williams but after the bout, the Great Gama Singh ordered his disciples to take out the X-Division wrestlers.

The Desi Hit Squad have been winning their matches through under-handed tactics or clever tag-team wrestling as of late. They will have their biggest test yet when they face two former X-Division Champions tonight.

Matt Sydal vs Pentagon Jr.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JflTo5tli0I&t=10s

Last week, Matt Sydal said the X-Division Championship is no longer his destiny. The X-Division title, he said, chose Brian Cage. Now, Sydal must follow a new path.

As for Pentagon, he comes into this match knowing Sami Callihan will be watching and waiting.

Impact Wrestling’s second episode since Slammiversary aired last night. It was the 2nd episode of the 12 which will air before Bound for Glory on October 14th, 2018.

Impact has two more shows from the recent Toronto tapings before they film 4 more episodes from Rebel Nightclub on August 12th and 13th.

Here are 9 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 8/2

Allie Pinned the Knockouts Champion & Tessa Blanchard Was Not Happy About It

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch_PdL4gfT4

Last week on Impact Wrestling, Allie said she was going after Su Yung to make sure she never locked anyone in a coffin again. Kiera Hogan volunteered to help her in this task as well.

This week Allie and Hogan teamed up to take on Yung and an Undead Bridesmaid in tag action. Yung gave the Panic Switch to Hogan but the momentum knocked the Girl on Fire out of the ring. Allie then hit a codebreaker on Yung and pinned her for the win.

A win over the champion often puts the wrestler in a position to challenge for the title but Allie lost a match at Slammiversary to Tessa Blanchard. Perhaps this was what Blanchard was thinking about when she attacked Allie after the match.

Blanchard cut a backstage promo afterward stating that Allie was trying to weasel her way into a title shot by taking on Yung under the premise of wanting to protect others from the Undead Bride’s actions.

Ortiz Was Going To Hit Homicide With An Ax!

After King’s OGZ won a squash match against two local competitors, they cut a promo running down LAX, believing Konnan and company were still on the shelf. Santana, Ortiz, and Konnan rushed the ring, however, and took out the OGZ.

Things took a bit of a turn when Ortiz brought out an ax and looked to strike Homicide with it. This brought out additional security and Konnan separated his boys from the fight. Konnan told them in the back that timing is everything and when the timing is right the OGZ will “kiss the ring.”

Ortiz and Santana were this week’s guests on the Impact media call. We asked them what it’s like to go from watching LAX as teenagers 11 years ago to being LAX now in Impact.

“LAX has been something we’ve watched since when we were kids,” Santana said. “The fact that two Latinos out there not like playing a gimmick but being them and being proud of who they are and what they represent.”

KM & Fallah Ball Aren’t On The Same Page (The Desi Hit Squad Are)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ugd3NOGAtE

Impact was telling two stories this week when the Desi Hit Squad defeated the team of KM and Fallah Bah.

The first story was how the Great Gama Singh is guiding Rohit Raju and Gursinder Singh to being an old-school heel-style tag-team. They win their matches either through clever tag-team work or dirty under-handed tactics.

The second story is the team of KM and Fallah Bah not being on the same page. KM had been trying to teach Fallah when to distract the referee but evidently, Bah’s not the greatest student. Fallah tried to enter the ring when KM was in control of the match. KM tried to tell him “this isn’t when you distract the ref!” but the distraction allowed the Desi Hit Squad to hit a combination knee to the face and a flatliner for the win.

Johnny Impact Is Looking For Kongo Kong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDF6oXqJDN8

“You know, for a big guy, Kongo Kong is a pretty hard guy to find these days,” Impact said to Alicia Atout.

Jimmy Jacobs interrupted his interview and looked to begin a promo when Johnny just wound up and punched him in the mouth. He let Jacobs know he wants Kongo Kong and he doesn’t appear to be playing around on this one.

Eddie Edwards Will Challenge Austin Aries For the Impact World Championship Next Week

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQW6q6vYgbE

Austin Aries defeated Dustin Cameron this week via corner stoppage. The champion had the challenger beaten but opted not to pin him in favor of giving him another brainbuster. That’s when Anthony Carelli threw in the towel to prevent his Battle Arts Academy student from taking any more punishment.

After the match Carelli kicked Aries in the groin, causing the champion to stumble back on the entrance ramp. That’s where he was greeted by Eddie Edwards and a Singapore cane. Edwards hit him with the cane but Aries was able to escape before receiving more punishment.

Josh Matthews then announced Edwards will face Aries next week for the Impact World Championship.

Scarlett Bordeaux Really Had An Impact on Bobo

Alicia Atout was not assigned to interview Scarlett Bordeaux this week. Atout was likely not impressed at how she was treated by Bordeaux last week.

Instead of Atout, a guy named Bob was given the task of interviewing Bordeaux. He was left a little tongue-tied by Bordeaux’s antics. After dismissing who Josh Matthews thought was a horribly aged Jeremy Borash, Bordeaux reminded us she plans to bring sexy back to wrestling.

Don Callis addressed the character earlier this week on his Killin the Town podcast.

“I think that people will be pleasantly surprised as we move forward,” Callis said. “She’s actually a very good wrestler and I think it got people talking in a good way.”

Eli Drake and Trevor Lee defeated Grado and Joe Hendry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39dkwMbFQ60

Drake pinned Grado after giving him the Gravy Train this week. Grado was distracted by the actions of Joe Hendry and Katarina on the outside. Katarina was getting into an argument with Caleb Konley and Hendry was restraining her.

There was more speculation from Callis and Matthews at commentary that Hendry and Katarina have something going on behind Grado’s back.

Matt Sydal Accepts Losing the X-Division Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JflTo5tli0I

“The X-Division championship chose him,” Sydal said. “Who am I to question what that belt has done with itself? Because its history speaks for itself. I’m really proud of all the time I put in as X-Division Champion.”

He would continue to say his loss to Brian Cage taught him something. He said he still has much to learn and still needs to go deeper into his consciousness and “question everything”. The X-Division title was once his destiny but not anymore.

The Lucha Bros Took Out oVe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d50dB48baXw

In an exciting main event, Pentagon Jr and Fenix fended off outside interference from Sami Callihan and repeated unmasking attempts in order to get the victory over oVe this week.

Sami Callihan has responded to having his head shaved by descending further into madness. His minions from Ohio losing to Pentagon and Fenix isn’t going to help that situation at all.

Callihan’s attempt at revenge was thwarted this week but he likely isn’t finished with Pentagon or Fenix.

Impact 8/2 Quick Results:

1. Allie & Kiera Hogan defeated Su Yung & An Undead Bridesmaid
2. The OGZ (Homicide & Hernandez) defeated 2 Local Competitors
3. The Desi Hit Squad defeated KM & Fallah Bah
4. Impact World Championship
   Austin Aries (c) defeated Dustin Cameron via corner stoppage
5. Eli Drake & Trevor Lee defeated Grado & Joe Hendry
6. The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr & Fenix) defeated oVe (Jake & Dave Crist)

Matches scheduled for next week:

1. Impact World Championship
   Austin Aries (c) vs Eddie Edwards
2. Tessa Blanchard vs Alisha Edwards
3. Desi Hit Squad vs Petey Williams & Taiji Ishimori
4. Pentagon Jr vs Matt Sydal

Eddie Edwards will face Tommy Dreamer in a House of Hardcore rules match tonight at Slammiversary tonight. The match will be a culmination of a storyline which began in January of this year.

Sami Callihan cracked Edwards in the orbital bone with a baseball bat during a set of television tapings this January. After a long feud with Sami Callihan, Edwards’ character spiraled. He began to see Tommy Dreamer as his enemy.

Edwards spoke with Interactive Wrestling radio recently about his upcoming pay-per-view match.

“I’m ready to leave it all out there in that ring to take Tommy out,” Edwards said. “I know Tommy, the Innovator of Violence, is ready to do that too. So, let’s go out there and see what we can do and see what we create along the way.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTDegMNnXxc&frags=pl%2Cwn

Eddie Edwards On Being Compared To A Young Tommy Dreamer

As his rivalry with Dreamer has evolved, some fans have compared Eddie to a younger version of his rival.

“Two weeks ago, you got to see the classic ECW Tommy Dreamer promo. He’s bloody, he’s talking crap to me,” Edwards said. “That is what people have wanted to see. That’s the beast, the monster that I’ve created along the way. It is an interesting story we have going on. As you said, mirror images. He’s trying to stop me from what he had become. Why stop me? He’s this Hardcore Legend.”

Edwards would continue to talk about the angle with Dreamer and Callihan which has carried through all of 2018 so far.

“This all stemmed from Sami Callihan and Tommy Dreamer and my wife getting involved,” he continued. “This is emotion. This is something that anybody can feel. Anybody that has been hurt or wronged or thinks they’ve been wronged, this is something they can watch and feel. This is emotion and I think that’s something that we can play with.”

Eddie Edwards vs Tommy Dreamer – Slammiversary – House of Hardcore Match

Edwards also addressed the 47-year-old Dreamer being worried about keeping up with him.

“I think that is a solid concern on his part,” Edwards said. “The same goes for me going into a House of Hardcore match. He was part of the original ECW – The man who created this violence. He is the “Innovator of Violence”. I know that. It is kind of this meshing of styles, putting he and I in a blender and seeing what comes out! (laughs) I’m looking forward to taking what he’s got. Does he still have it? Is he still that Tommy Dreamer that everybody loves? Let’s have a House of Hardcore match on the biggest pay per view of the year in front of a sold out crowd!”

Impact Wrestling presented their go-home show before Slammiversary tonight. We are now just 3 days away from Slammiversary and one of the biggest nights in the promotion’s recent history.

Here are 9 takeaways from this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling.

Inspired by the late great Masa Saito, @realKILLERkross unleashes the Doomsday Saito on Petey Williams. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/ERHaVrRHYX

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Killer Kross Has No Ceiling in Impact Wrestling

“Besides being a sociopath, besides being a psychopath, besides being a narcissist,” Don Callis said tonight in reference to Killer Kross. “This man is also an accomplished wrestler.”

Kross ran through Petey Wiliams to open the show. He even toyed with his opponent during the match, releasing his Kross Jacket submission even though Williams was clearly unconscious.

.@realKILLERkross just walked into @iPeteyWilliams' hometown and choked out Petey mercilessly with the Kross Jacket.

Only somebody as sadistic as Killer Kross would celebrate his birthday like this (happy birthday by the way). #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/0JVFtA3AaJ

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

“This guy is clinically psychotic, he’s a high-functioning sociopath,” Callis continued to say about Kross. “He’s a very successful guy but does he have a plan? Or is it random violence? That’s the scary part.”

Killer Kross isn’t booked for Slammiversary but seems poised to do big things in the following two days of television tapings.

Real name, Kevin Kross, he was the 2018 recipient of Cauliflower Alley Club’s “Rising Star Award”. It was also his 33rd birthday today.

Last week on Twitter @RealMickFoley gave @TheSamiCallihan his blessing to own this move. Sami is putting it to destructive use. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/2qHceGFtlo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Pentagon Jr. Is Just As Sick As Sami Callihan

Callihan demonstrated to Pentagon Jr. what his plans are for him on Sunday. After making short work of Greg Osbourne, he informed everyone that Impact management asked him to promote the pay-per-view. He attempted to do this but was interrupted by Pentagon Jr.

.@PENTAELZEROM has ZERO FEAR of @TheSamiCallihan ahead of their Mask vs. Hair match THIS SUNDAY at Slammiversary. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/HmsWDxfV0I

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Pentagon’s sub-titled promo riled up Sami and the members of oVe. They ran to the back to find him. The Crist brothers got separated from Callihan and thought they discovered Pentagon. They ran up to attack who they thought was Pentagon but it turned out to be Callihan in Pentagon’s mask and tied to a chair. As they were figuring this out, however, Pentagon entered the scene and took out both Crist brothers.

Cero Miedo.@PENTAELZEROM has turned the tables on @TheSamiCallihan, @TheJakeCrist and @TheDaveCrist. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/aRG4GdzkIu

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

This left Pentagon with Callihan. The only thing left for Pentagon at that point was to inform Callihan that he is Pentagon Jr and he has no fear.

By any means necessary. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/VD6DDQ52IG

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

The Great Gama Singh Has The Desi Hit Squad Prepared

The Great Gama Singh has been running the Desi Hit Squad through old-school conditioning drills and tonight they used old-school tactics to get the victory. Old-school dirty tactics mind you, but still.

Tonight, the Desi Hit Squad were victorious over KM and Fallah Bah. With the Great Gama distracting the referee, Gursinder Singh raked Bah’s eyes and Rohit Raju rolled him up with his feet leveraged on the ropes for the pin.

Previously, the Hit Squad defeated the former champions, Z&E as well. They aren’t booked for Slammiversary but their two wins from the Windsor tapings should put them in a position to face top teams at the tapings to be held the following two nights.

.@joeshendry JUST PINNED FORMER WORLD CHAMPION @TheEliDrake ON HIS DEBUT! #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/j3jyKZqtfY

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Eli Drake Has To Prove Himself All Over Again

“This is a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ business,” stated Don Callis today in reference to Eli Drake. He also said the former Impact World Champion has to prove himself all over again. Callis continued to mention Drake recently re-signed with the company.

After defeating Grado last week, Drake dropped his match tonight to a debuting Joe Hendry.

Eli Drake isn’t booked for Slammiversary but will likely be back in the mix of things over the next two nights of TV tapings.

.@joeshendry had a special surprise for @TheEliDrake. He wrote him an original custom song. Drake didn't seem all that appreciative though. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/jUYa4GZXJF

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Before the match, Hendry sang a pop song about Drake’s YouTube channel. There were further hints this week that Hendry and Katarina may not be being entirely up front with Grado…

"I am the true Innovator of Violence!" – @TheEddieEdwards had some very strong words for @THETOMMYDREAMER ahead of this House of Hardcore match THIS SUNDAY on PPV! #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/Ya5egd8NO1

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Eddie Edwards Says He’s the Real “Innovator of Violence”

The match between Andrew Everett and Dezmond Xavier was interrupted by a deranged Eddie Edwards. He took a Singapore cane to the referee and then addressed Tommy Dreamer on the microphone.

Edwards predicted pain and violence for his match with Dreamer at Slammiversary. He continued to make various promises related to how much he would make Dreamer bleed on Sunday.

Finally, Edwards promised he would prove to Tommy Dreamer that he is the real “Innovator of Violence”.

.@MadisonRayne opens a coffin to find…herself in there. @realsuyung is taking mind games to a whole new level with this nightmare. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/D2wq6MNfQy

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Madison Rayne’s Time Has Come

Su Yung has been haunting Madison Rayne in her dreams. Last week, the Undead Bride lured Rayne into a field where she was surrounded by her army of zombie bridesmaids. They all really wanted to inform Madison that her time has come.

This week, Rayne’s dreams were haunted by visions of Su Yung and her minions as well as seeing her own image in a coffin. When she awoke she was back in the same field as last week. That’s when Yung gave her the Brood’s “Blood Bath” treatment.

.@Tess_Blanchard isn't exactly known as a team player.

She doesn't want @Shotziblack to mess things up for her. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/WkViBope6f

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Tessa Blanchard Walks Out ON Shotzi Blackheart

After walking out on her tag-team partner tonight, Blanchard offered a simple explanation. “That is not my problem,” Blanchard said. “That is your problem.”

Blanchard didn’t seem to have much interest in softening her opponent up for Slammiversary. That’s clearly the only match coming up which matters to Blanchard as she just bailed on this one tonight.

https://twitter.com/AllieImpact/status/1020119057385877504

For the second week in a row, Allie pinned Shotzi. Allie will be in tough against Blanchard on Sunday, however.

Somebody needs to check on @CyrusOverHuge after that @Lady_Scarlett13 reveal.

It's safe to say @CyrusOverHuge is already a huge fan of @Lady_Scarlett13. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/8M8rhyhMod

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Scarlet Bordeaux Is Coming To Impact Wrestling

The soon-to-debut Knockout was given a name this week. She is Scarlett Bordeaux, a Chicago-based wrestler who has wrestled for ROH, got squashed by Nia Jax on WWE TV, and somehow won the comedic DDT promotion’s Superheavymetalweight championship at one point.

When she was in ROH she was mainly used as a valet for Matt Taven but wrestled a few matches there as well.

Josh Matthews stated that Bordeaux will be on the show next week.

.@TheMooseNation stands tall and @AustinAries flees for higher ground in their final confrontation before Slammiversary! #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/VlCp2EUDKN

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Austin Aries’ Normal Tricks Not Enough To Beat Moose?

Aries used the same tactics he used to beat Pentagon and the same he used last week on DeAngelo Williams. Only this week, they didn’t quite have the same impact.

After tricking Moose into thinking he wasn’t coming into the ring, Aries snuck up from behind and booted the title-challenger low. He then gave him a devastating chair shot and picked up the microphone assuming his opponent was down for awhile. Only Moose got up much faster than Aries expected.

Aries had been confident in the weeks leading up to this match but all of a sudden with just 3 days to go his demeanor appears to have changed considerably.

?? “Slammiversary Was Only 3 DAYS AWAY on IMPACT!” #IMPACTonPophttps://t.co/1yw6cxjLok

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) July 20, 2018

Impact Wrestling 7/19/18
St. Clair College
Windsor, ON, Canada

1. Killer Kross defeated Petey Williams
2. Desi Hit Squad defeated Fallah Bah & KM
3. Joe Hendry defeated Eli Drake
4. Dezmond Xavier vs Andrew Everett – No Contest
5. Sami Callihan defeated Greg Osbourne
6. Allie & Kiera Hogan defeated Shotzi Blackheart & Tessa Blanchard

Slammiversary XVI
July 22nd, 2018
Rebel Entertainment Complex
Toronto, ON, Canada

• Mask vs Hair
  Pentagon Jr vs Sami Callihan
• Impact World Championship
  Austin Aries (c) vs Moose
• Knockouts Championship
  Su Yung (c) vs Madison Rayne
• X-Division Championship
  Matt Sydal (c) vs Brian Cage
• House of Hardcore Match
  Tommy Dreamer vs Eddie Edwards
• 5150 Street Fight
  The OGZ w/King vs LAX w/Konnan
• Fenix vs Rich Swann vs Taiji Ishimori vs Johnny Impact
• Allie vs Tessa Blanchard

Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling will be the first from the company’s television tapings in Windsor, ON, Canada earlier this month. The city is home to Scott D’Amore’s Border City Wrestling.

Not every segment will be from Windsor tonight, however. Eddie Edwards will travel to Philadelphia and confront Tommy Dreamer. The segment was filmed at a recent House of Hardcore show from the 2300 Arena. There will also be a match on tonight’s show which was filmed at a PCW show from Los Angeles.

Tonight’s show will continue the build to Slammiversary on July 22nd from the Rebel nightclub in Toronto, ON, Canada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbyHonOMZRU&frags=pl%2Cwn

Impact Wrestling Preview 6/28/18

1) Sami Callihan vs Pentagon Jr. (From PCW Ultra)

• Sami Callihan has said he wants to take Pentagon’s mask. If his feud with Eddie Edwards is any indication, it’s clear Callihan will go to great lengths to do damage to his rivals.
• Last week, Callihan took a bat to Pentagon following a brawl after oVe took on Pentagon and Fantasma.
• This could be the beginning of a feud which will carry over until Slammiversary.

2) Matt Sydal vs Dezmond Xavier

• It looks as though this will be a non-title match. You can bet if Xavier is able to defeat the champion tonight it will put him in line for an X-Division title match, however.
• Speaking of the X-Division, we still don’t know who the champion’s challenger will be at Slammiversary. Xavier is likely hoping he can improve his chances of earning a title shot tonight.

3) Rich Swann vs Trevor Lee

• X-Division champion, Matt Sydal, Tweeted out that he will be keeping his 3rd eye fixed on this match. It will be Swann’s second match for the promotion after wrestling Austin Aries at the recent One Night Only PPV, Zero Fear, from Mississauga, ON, Canada.
• Trevor Lee’s “Cult of Lee” tag-team has hit a rough patch as of late. He might be thinking it’s time for him to climb back up the single’s rankings.
• We talked to Rich Swann yesterday about what competing in the X-Division means to him.

Desi Hit Squad Debuts

• The Great Gama Singh will debut the Desi Hit Squad tonight.
• While we’ve seen individual members of the group in action previously, tonight the Great Gama will be there to officially manage the faction.
• The Desi Hit Squad is expected to be a heel faction of Indian wrestlers similar to the Karachi Vice stable from Stampede Wrestling in the 70s and 80s.
• We spoke to Desi Hit Squad member, Rohit Raju, about what we can expect from the new stable.

Also booked for tonight’s show:

• Moose talks about challenging Austin Aries for the World Title at Slammiversary.
• Eddie Edwards confronts Tommy Dreamer at a recent House of Hardcore show.

UK based promotion Fight Club: Pro has announced the latest name for their ‘International Tekkers’ event taking place on Friday June 29th from the Starworks Warehouse in Wolverhampton, England.

IMPACT Wrestling star Eddie Edwards will be making his way ‘across the pond’ for the company in an as yet unconfirmed bout. Edwards is currently locked in a brutal feud with rival Sami Callihan at the top of IMPACT programming.

The following bouts and stars have also been announced for the show:

In a FIRST TIME EVER match inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate will be facing former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay. It is incredible to think that these two standouts have never faced one on one in the squared circle but Fight Club: Pro is making it happen.

FCP has also announced that WWE UK roster member Jordan Devlin will be taking on Dragon Gate’s Naoki Tanizaki. The Dragon Gate veteran will be taking part in a run across the UK shore sagainst the likes of Mark Haskins (Frontline Puro) and Chris Brookes (RIPTIDE) and this bout against Devlin should be dynamite.

WWE linked Superstar WALTER has also been announced for the June 29th event, the former PROGRESS ATLAS and wXw Unified World Champion does not yet have an opponent named but with the wealth of stars available Internationally right now he should be matched with someone stellar.

Always a pleasure to welcome back a former @Fightclubpro Champion but when it comes to @TheEddieEdwards it’s a genuine honour. International Tekkers just got even bigger. #welcomehome

Tickets: https://t.co/rXwZRGJiTf pic.twitter.com/2MJaJv6bnH

— Fight Club: PRO (@Fightclubpro) June 12, 2018

IMPACT Wrestling star Eddie Edwards recently did an interview with Wrestling Epicenter to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Edwards first discussed what it’s like to play a more unhinged persona:

“I’m enjoying it. It is a chance for me to do some things I’ve never done in my career, obviously. To be able to go and try this here, that there. It’s cool! It definitely has my creative juices flowing. And also, with vignettes and stuff behind the scenes also … a lot of things are going on. It is definitely a change of pace, but it is a welcomed change of pace for me.”

He then discussed some elements of his persona mirroring Tommy Dreamer during his old feud with Raven in ECW:

“I don’t know how much thought went into it. It just so happened that Tommy is my guy and was around at that point. It just so happened that it resembled that Tommy Dreamer in ECW type look. We were definitely going for that grungier type look especially going out there to oVe’s territory. But, I think it was a happy accident. That is the direction we were going for, a more gritty, hardcore style.”

Edwards then discussed his brutal feud with Sami Callihan and how quickly it has escalated:

“We kind of found ourselves in this. Obviously, it began with the baseball bat. We had to escalate from that. As tough as it was to escalate from that, things have escalated! We’ve had to step it up and step it up and step it up time and time again. This has been a perfect storm of incidents and accidents – A perfect storm of emotion, really!”

You can check out Edwards’ full interview with Wrestling Epicenter by clicking this link here.

Impact Wrestling airs a show tonight main event’ed by a “Fight in the Woods” match between Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards.

The tag team championships will also be on the line and Josh Matthews will sit down with 3x and current Impact World Champion, Austin Aries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DpkLH5HiEE

Impact Wrestling 6/7/18 Preview

Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan Fight in the Woods

Edwards has spiraled in recent weeks, arguably becoming just as sadistic as Callihan. Several people in Edwards’ life, including his wife and Tommy Dreamer, have attempted to calm him down but Edwards won’t move forward until his business with Callihan is finished.

Callihan and Edwards will face each other in an unsanctioned “Fight in the Woods” tonight.

Impact Tag Team Championships
Z&E (c) vs Aerostar and Drago

Luchadors from Lucha Underground will get a chance to win tag title gold on Impact tonight. It will be the last episode of Impact before the next season of Lucha Underground begins airing next Wednesday.

Z&E won the titles from Steiner and Eli Drake recently but there is no rest for the champs, they will be in tough to keep the titles around their waists throughout television leading up to Slammiversary.

Will the Mystery Attacker Come Forward?

Last week, X-Division veteran Sonjay Dutt was attacked in the backstage area. Joseph Park and Jimmy Jacobs have also been attacked in the back. Sonjay has said he has no memory of what happened let alone of who it was who attacked him.

Will the Mystery Attacker come forward tonight? Or will someone else be attacked in the back?

Su Yung Segment

Impact Wrestling has promised a segment tonight will be devoted to the new Knockouts Champion, Su Yung. The deranged undead bride has been the talk of the promotion as of late. Last week, Yung defeated Allie in a Last Rites (coffin) match to win the Knockouts title. She’s now locked both Rosemary and Allie in coffins, so a new challenger will have to be determined for the undead bride before Slammiversary (her opponent was actually announced earlier this week but it will play out on television).

Sit-Down Interview with Madison Rayne

It appears Madison Rayne’s in-ring career will be continuing in Impact. She recently pulled off a victory over the highly-touted Tessa Blanchard last week. Blanchard had controlled much of the match, however, before Rayne scored a victory on a roll-up.

Tonight we will find out more about the 5x Knockouts Champion’s plans for the future.

LAX vs the Cult of Lee

LAX returns to action tonight but will still be without their leader, Konnan. In his place, however, will be Eddie Kingston (now known as King).

The Cult of Lee could be in some trouble. Trevor Lee recently had this to say regarding his partner and their challenge tonight against LAX. “As long as Caleb listens to me and follows my instructions, we will be just fine,” Lee said. “We aren’t worried about LAX or any other tag team in IMPACT Wrestling. The fact that Z&E or E&Z or whatever they are called are tag team champions is a joke! We prove that tonight on IMPACT against these guys.”

Austin Aries interview w/ Josh Matthews

After regaining his Impact World Championship in controversial fashion last week, Austin Aries will be on vacation this week. He sat down with Josh Matthews for an interview regardless, however. That interview will air tonight.

At the press conference in Toronto this week, Aries announced he was merging the Impact Grand Championship and World Championship. This will probably be mentioned tonight as well.

The feud between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan continues to roll on in Impact Wrestling. The rivalry has spilled into other promotions as well such as Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore and Santino Marella’s Destiny Wrestling.

Last night on Impact Wrestling’s “Under Pressure” it was revealed that Callihan and Edwards will face each other once more next week. The match will be a “Fight in the Woods”. By the sounds of it, Impact will film (or already has done so) a match between the two in the middle of a forest with no fans present.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wxEasAFw9g

Sami Callihan vs Eddie Edwards

So far in 2018, Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan have faced each other on 4 occasions. Here are the results:

1. Impact Wrestling January 13th: Edwards defeated Callihan
2. Redemption PPV (Hardcore Rules): Callihan and oVe defeated Edwards, Moose, and Dreamer
3. House of Hardcore 41 (Street Fight): Edwards defeated Callihan
4. House of Hardcore 42 (Street Fight): Edwards defeated Callihan

Edwards spoke to the Mirror UK website about the recent changes in Impact Wrestling.

“Since (the new management team) came in it feels like a new regime but in a good way,” Edwards said. “Feels like at this point from the guys in the locker room to the guys in the office, Scott, Don, Sonjay and creative are all on the same page. We are trying to slowly but surely turn things around and get back to where we were in the heyday.”

Edwards continued to say he is pleased with the level of creative freedom and communication which currently exists in the promotion.

“Right now the lines of communication are open between everybody which is great,” he continued. “To be able to go back and forth with ideas and creative stuff. It’s nice to just have the team all on the same page going forward and that’s the biggest thing. We can’t have people going in different directions that doesn’t work. Right now it’s a good time.”

Former World Champion Eddie Edwards continues to be one of the best wrestlers in Impact Wrestling.

Throughout his time with the promotion, which started when he and Davey Richards decided to go to TNA back in 2014 after a successful run in Ring of Honor, Edwards has won several titles in the company including the World, X-Division, and Tag Team Championships.

Edwards recently spoke with SportsKeeda to talk about various topics. During this interview, he discussed Scott D’Amore and Don Callis being in charge of creative of Impact Wrestling and the future of the promotion.

“ I do. I have total confidence in what’s going on in the office right now. Between Anthem, Scott, Don, Sonjay and stuff, it’s a great combination. The lines of communication between the boys and the office are open. Everybody’s on the same page. You can’t have people pulling in different directions.

So right now, whether it’s one or two steps at a time, we’re all going in the same direction. I have full confidence in what the office is doing right now.”

The latest pay-per-view event that Impact Wrestling held was their Redemption show, which took place on April 22, 2018, in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios. He was asked if this show was the start of a new regime for Impact.

“It’s a continuation of the regime we have right now. We’re all going in the same direction right now. Day by day, they want to make the product better. Bring it back to the heights it was at before and then pass and eclipse that.

So, the Redemption pay-per-view showed everybody being on the same page. You could tell. Everybody wants to see the product exceed and excel.”

What are your thoughts on Edwards’ comments? Sound off in the comment section below.

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.”

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.

– 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

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.

The latest episode of Impact introduced fans to Eddie Edwards’ wife Alisha (a/k/a Alexxis Nevaeh on the New England independent circuit), who along with Davey Richards and his wife, Angelina Love, was on hand to watch Edwards challenge Lashley for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship (both couples appeared together in a backstage segment before the match).

After nailing Lashley with the Boston Knee Party, Edwards went for the pin but Richards betrayed him by pulling the referee out of the ring. Meanwhile, Love attacked Alisha at ringside (they sat together watching the match). Lashley then hit Edwards with the Spear to keep the title.

Following the match, Richards choked out his former Wolves partner as Love forced Alisha to watch.

Sometimes a picture is worth more than a thousand words. @ActualALove @RichardsWesley pic.twitter.com/A9prllDKIO

— IMPACT WRESTLING (@IMPACTWRESTLING) February 10, 2017

Alisha plans to get even with Love after the attack. Here is what she said on Twitter.

You made it personal and I’ll prove to the world why your biggest bitch but don’t worry it’s not over boo boo @IMPACTWRESTLING @ActualALove pic.twitter.com/GWNSJ8O6tq

— Double X Diva (@alexxisnevaeh) February 10, 2017

This angle has fans wondering whether Alisha is under contract to TNA and be a regular on Impact going forward. She noted to fans on Twitter, “Not yet.”

@smartarse5 not yet but let them know!

— Double X Diva (@alexxisnevaeh) February 10, 2017

@SteveKoellner let them know!

— Double X Diva (@alexxisnevaeh) February 10, 2017

Alisha, who married Edwards two years ago, has been wrestling since 2006. She mostly wrestles for independent promotions in the New England area but has competed for TNA in the past (she lost to Awesome Kong on Impact in 2008 and got beat by Madison Rayne on the 2015 Knockouts Knockdown pay-per-view). She worked a match during last month’s marathon taping run at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. She faced Laurel Van Ness in a match taped for an upcoming episode of Xplosion.

Surprise visit to the @IMPACTWRESTLING zone ?????? pic.twitter.com/h4sGiHThLy

— Double X Diva (@alexxisnevaeh) January 9, 2017

• Why is Raquel no longer in TNA? – backstage news on her departure

Lashley became a four-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion after winning an Iron Man Match over Eddie Edwards on this week’s Genesis Impact on POP.

Edwards held the title since the 10/6/16 Impact episode where he defeated Lashley for the championship. Here are some shots from the match:

Cat like reflexes into a Boston Knee Party! We see you @TheEddieEdwards#Genesis pic.twitter.com/TaZCKuQnKQ

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 27, 2017

MAN DOWN!! @TheEddieEdwards powerbombed onto the ramp by @fightbobby! #Genesis pic.twitter.com/S49VKCAccV

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 27, 2017

The look of success! Congratulations to new #WorldChampion @fightbobby! #Genesis #IMPACTonPOP pic.twitter.com/6MtqYrJJcg

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 27, 2017

Your new 4X #WorldChampion… @fightbobby. Congrats! pic.twitter.com/3HXo64CQlg

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 27, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj6DL0mMo2M

TNA has announced three big matches for Thursday’s Genesis edition of Impact on POP:

– X Division Champion DJZ defends against Caleb Conley, Marshe Rockett, Andrew Everett and Trevor Lee in a Fatal 5 Way

– Knockouts Champion Rosemary defends against Jade in a Monster’s Ball

– World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards defends against Lashley in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match

This Thursday #IMPACTonPOP a match I am really looking forward to #AiP #BKP #WolvesNation pic.twitter.com/4tcQgOBUNL

— Edward Edwards (@TheEddieEdwards) January 24, 2017

He will defend the #GrandChampionship tomorrow night…but against who?! @GallowaySpeaks

Read more HERE: https://t.co/IhCxgThhU5 pic.twitter.com/ucuXrHBu4N

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 25, 2017

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards will defend the gold on this week’s Impact on POP TV, which will air from Orlando on a slight tape-delay.

TNA has not announced who Eddie’s opponent will be but they are teasing a mystery opponent, Lashley or ECW. They posted this promotional graphic for the match:

LIVE this Thursday @TheEddieEdwards will defend his World Title, but who will he face?!? What type of match will it be?!? Will he survive?? pic.twitter.com/oGHikNvOFw

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 3, 2017

We now now that the name of TNA’s next live pay-per-view will be “One Night Only: Live! January 2017”.

As reported before, the event will air on Friday, 1/6 via domestic & international pay-per-view platforms, plus the Fite app.

InDemand’s new listing for the pay-per-view has The Broken Hardys, Ethan Carter III, Eli Drake, Eddie Edwards and Lashley advertised.

The show’s official synopsis reads, “Anything can and will happen as the Heavy-Hitters, X-Division High Flyers, the Knockouts and more take to the ring for a night of unparalleled action.”

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards recently spoke with James Walsh of Interactive Wrestling Radio to promote this week’s Total Nonstop Deletion episode. Edwards will defend his title against Lashley in the first-ever Dome Of Deletion match. Here are some highlights they sent in:

The Total Nonstop Deletion concept:

“I agree with you that it is going to open the eyes of the professional wrestling world. People are going to be watching this all over the world. You don’t want to be the guy who misses it. It is going to be very special and I was lucky enough to be a part of it. There are some really… unique (laughs) things that go down. Everytime the Hardy’s have done one of these, they take it a step further. This is going to be so entertaining, you will be speechless!”

Being the only ROH and TNA Triple Crown Champion:

“It is pretty awesome to be able to look at it and see what I’ve been able to accomplish. We all set goals for ourselves when you get into the pro wrestling business. We all want to be World Champion. In my career, I’ve always tried to pick goals, achieve it, and move on. First of all, get into Ring of Honor, win the Tag Titles, win the TV Title, win the World Title. I was able to accomplish that. I’ve done the same thing in TNA.. Me and Davey, same thing. Win the Tag Titles, win the X Division title, steal the show, and finally I was able to win the Heavyweight Title… Considering all the guys that have been in both companies. It is pretty amazing to put myself, to see my name in those record books. You can’t erase that.”

The TNA climate with all the changes backstage:

“You said tough times backstage… That’s not the case for us. The office stuff is the office stuff. There is nothing that I myself or any of the other boys or girls in the locker room can do about it. We have always had the same mentallity. We’ve always had the same goal. The talent in this locker room is out of this world, top notch. The product that is going on in the ring right now is top notch, top of the world. We’ve tried to put on the best show, the best product that we can and that has never wavered. As for what is going on behind the scenes, rumors are rumors. Sometimes even half-truths aren’t even half-truths, you know what I mean? We just have to go about our business and handle our stuff. The new year is coming up. It is a freshs tart for everyone but especially for TNA with the new ownership coming in. It is going to be starting fresh again and we’re just here to take it to the next level. We just want to prove that we are the best wrestling company in the world right now.”

The Broken Matt Hardy character:

“Amazing. Just amazing. The Hardy’s in general… Matt has reinvented himself time and time again. Not only to stay relevant but to stay on top of the professional wrestling world. Anywhere he goes, people are saying “Delete, Delete, Delete.” I’ve seen people who aren’t even wrestling fans and I’ve seen it pop up on random websites… I’m astonished and amazed by it. The Broken Brilliance. He really IS that! But, it is not just for himself. He wants professional wrestling to succeed. He wants TNA to succeed. I couldn’t find a more giving guy as far as wrestling him and just ideas. You can go and pick his brain, he’s always willing to give his thoughts and ideas on anything. That is such a hard thing to find with guys who, you know, he’s made it! He’s one of the best ever, him and Jeff! For them to be willing to go out there and give back and work as hard as they do is awesome to see. It gives hope to all.”

Why his and Davey Richards’ WWE NXT stint was so short:

“Just the timing. We went down and did a couple week thing down there. They decided to go in a different direction. We were comfortable going in a different direction. We were in talks with TNA at the time so we wanted to go to TNA because we thought that was the best opportunity and WWE was going in a different direction anyway. So, we were happy with the decision that we made.”

If his work ethic and work rate helped get him the World Title opportunity:

“I think so. I think it certainly has played a part in it. When I and Davey got to TNA, we wanted to prove we could wrestle anybody, anywhere, and have a good match. I take pride in being able to work any style, any match, any type of senario… A strong mix of matches. I don’t want every match to be the same. I’ll work as hard as I would in front of 20 people as I would for 20,000. I don’t know what lead to the decision (leading to winning the title) but I’m sure it played a part in it. To say I take pride in it, I know Davey does as well. We want to be known as the work horse, bust our ass, and leave it all in the ring.”

Facing Lashley at Total Nonstop Deletion:

“We talked about different styles. This is not like an X Divison match… This is me going up against a force of nature (laughs) like Lashley. A beast! I’m expecting more of the same. I’m going to get thrown around. I’m going to get beat up a bit. But, I thrive in being the underdog. I know I’m the champion but looking at me and looking at him, it is pretty believable that he could beat me. I’m fine with that. I welcome the challenge. I want that target on my back, being world champion! Going into this match, I’m just looking for a fight. He’s a bit peeved going in. One thing nobody knows about is our Dome of Deletion we’ve got going on. I don’t know how to prepare for that! Lashley doesn’t know how to prepare. There is a ring involved but then there’s also shenanigans! People will be very excited with this show! This is a full 2 hour journey into the mind of the Broken Brilliance! (laughs)”

If Anthem will take TNA “back” to the promised land:

“That is the goal no matter what but especially at this time, with Anthem coming in, it is a new year. It is a fresh start. Everyone has the same goal from the office to the boys and girls, we all want to go out there and kick ass and put on the best product. I think this is a perfect time to ride the momentum of Total Nonstop Deletion and ride that into the new year and just keep going and going. People who have turned there back on TNA and even have rooted against us which I have never been able to understand. This is a new time! This is a new day. There is lots of new talent… Just tune in! Watch Total Nonstop Deletion!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRnFkNRsN1s

The November 10th, 2016 edition of Impact Wrestling on Thursday averaged 319,000 viewers on Pop TV. The show was headlined by TNA World Champion Eddie Edwards defending the title against Eli Drake.

This is down from last week’s 359,000 viewers.

Impact Wrestling didn’t place in Showbuzz Daily’s top 150 cable shows for Thursday night this week in the 18-49 demographic.

Eddie Edwards defeated Bobby Lashley on last night’s Impact on POP to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Edwards has previously held the X Division and Tag Team Championships but this is his first World Championship run.

• Spoilers For The Next Several Weeks Of TNA Impact Wrestling

YOUR NEW #WORLDCHAMPION! @TheEddieEdwards! #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/F0ej5KWWJ3

— Dixie Carter (@TNADixie) October 7, 2016

Eddie Edwards defeated Bobby Lashley at Monday night’s Impact Wrestling tapings to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Click here to read full results of the tapings.

Breaking!

Eddie Edwards just beat Bobby Lashley to become the new #TNA Heavyweight Champion! @EntSlice @InnerN3rd pic.twitter.com/abLfI5t7Xc

— TattooedJuggalo (@TattooedJuggalo) October 4, 2016