A new report from PWInsider claims that a former Impact Knockouts Champion has wrapped up with the company and is now a free agent.
Spoiler on Former Knockouts Champion
The report shared that former Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie has left Impact Wrestling and will be with a new promotion.
“Taya Valkyrie has finished up with Impact Wrestling as of their TV tapings in Las Vegas. As we noted at the time, Taya was not signed to Impact, and the word is that she is believed to be signing elsewhere,” said the report.
On the March 8 episode of AEW Dynamite, TBS Champion Jade Cargill issued an open challenge to a Canadian opponent for next week’s episode. It’s worth acknowledging that Valkyrie is Canadian, which makes sense for her to accept the challenge. AEW hasn’t revealed if she is signed with the company. However, based on her history with WWE, AEW seems to be where she could sign, especially if it happens soon.
Where do you think Valkyrie will sign, and are you excited about her becoming a free agent?
Eddie Edwards, a 2-time Impact Wrestling World Champion, has signed a new contract with the promotion. The news was first reported by PWInsider.
Edwards has been with Impact for nine years and has been a full-time roster member longer than anybody currently with the company.
Edwards previously reflected on the milestone while speaking with SEScoops and made it clear that he wants to stay with the promotion. He has long-term plans and he’s excited about the future. He also reflected on his relationship with the promotion.
“Impact has treated me with nothing but respect,” Edwards told SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall. “A relationship with respect goes both ways. That’s the best type of relationship and I’m proud to be a member of impact I’m proud to be the longest-tenured roster member at this point and I want to keep it going until the wheels fall off.”
He added that he feels like he has always been treated with respect by the management, and he doesn’t feel like he’s taken for granted.
Edwards has been wrestling for Impact since 2014. In addition to his world title runs, he is a two-time X-Division Champion and a five-time Tag Team Champion.
Prior to joining Impact, he had a successful run in Ring of Honor, where he won the ROH World Championship. He has also wrestled for Pro Wrestling NOAH, among other promotions.
There is a new sheriff in town at Impact Wrestling, and his name is Santno Marella. Yes, the son of a gun who once pulled off one of the biggest upsets ever against the late Umaga. The DOA (Director of Authority) has taken over for Scott D’Amore, who is recovering from an onscreen attack from Bully Ray. Marella, real name Anthony Carelli, attributes his run with Impact to timing.
“It’s a great company. I’ve been around a couple of times as a guest. I knew it would be an awesome place to work,” Marella explained. “The stars lined up. We’re back, and the fact I get to be Santino is amazing.”
– Santino Marella to SEScoops
The 48-year-old is happy to step in the shoes of one of the most entertaining characters in WWE history. “Instead of being a knock-off, I get to be the genuine article,” he added. “It’s the icing on the cake for sure.”
Santino Open to Wrestling Again
Impact’s parent company Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions was able to secure the trademark for the ring name in December. One that went dormant in 2021. Marella may be helping maintain order on Impact, but he doesn’t rule out having a match or two.
“I don’t know when I will be distributing or administering the first cobra, but it’s always with me,” he added. “…I think I can wrestle a little bit. I’ve got some injuries, so it really just depends on how meticulous I am with my rehab. I have a bad back, so I’ll really need to warm it up. I can’t do it consistently but I can do a match here or there if need be.”
Impact’s Promising Roster
The veteran is impressed with the talent pool in the company with champ Josh Alexander at the top of the list. He also appreciates the backstage atmosphere.
“A locker room is supposed to be a mix of younger guys and older guys with the older guys helping teach,” Marella said. “If it’s the same education, there is no teaching. It can’t be rookies teaching rookies. In this case, it’s a really nice balance.”
“It’s a fun locker room. There are no locker room cancers. Nobody is complaining. It’s an upbeat locker room, which is what it’s supposed to be because you should be grateful if you’re a wrestler for a living.”
– Santino on the Impact Locker Room
The Canadian certainly has the credentials to be a coach as the founder of the Battle Arts Academy. Even though it’s not a role he was hired for, he’ll give pearls of wisdom. Like how certain moves and motions can contribute to an overall story.
“I always wanted to be some form of developmental,” Marella said. “We’ll talk about that more as I get settled in.”
When asked about his future with Impact, he responds, “I’m here period. As long as they’ll have me.”
Santino’s Plan for Impact
As far as what we’ll see in this next chapter, Marella looks to bring comic relief. He also wants to bring some structure and consistency to the show. “So many bad guys who think the rules don’t apply to them,” he said. “I’m here to make sure the rules do in fact apply to them.”
Along with his Impact commitments, he’ll also watch proudly while his daughter Bianca looks to pave her own way in the business. “She is going to surpass anything I’ve ever done in the business within the next two years,” Marella predicts. “It’s so fun to watch.”
One member of the family he hopes we don’t see is Marella’s “twin sister” Santina. From the sounds of it, we won’t be seeing “Miss WrestleMania” in the Knockouts division any time soon. “She would do well, but she is very irritating backstage,” Marella said.
By the same token, he feels the future is bright with the company. Marella is happy to be back in the mix.
“I never really left the business,” he said, about his journey. “I just pivoted from entertainer to coach. I guess I was a promoter a little bit to get my students some shows. I did enjoy that. Back onscreen…I’ll be a coach again in a different capacity or a producer down the road. I realized I’m in this business for life. I’ve got a four-year-old who wants to be a wrestler, so I guess I got to stick around now.”
The Last Rodeo may have come to an end, but Mickie James vows to make her latest run as Knockouts World Champion the most remarkable of her career.
On January 13th, the “Hardcore Country” legend put her career on the line against Jordynne Grace’s Knockouts Championship at IMPACT Wrestling’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view. The two battled feverishly in the main event, but ultimately, it was Mickie James who prevailed. With her win, James claimed her fifth title run in the company, becoming the brand-new Knockouts Champion.
Following her emotional victory, SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay spoke with Mickie James about her win at Hard To Kill, paying homage to her Native American roots, her thoughts on Mercedes Moné, memories of Jay Briscoe, her full-circle arch with Masha Slamovich, almost quitting in OVW, and more.
Watch Ella Jay’s full interview with Mickie James:
Here are some highlights on what Mickie James said about:
Winning The Knockouts Championship At IMPACT Hard To Kill:
“It’s not often that I’ll look back at a match and I go like, ‘okay, I was happy with that.’ It was a battle. I felt like I just started to feel normal a few days ago, and then we obviously just had [television] tapings again. But I walked in there, I was like ‘I just started feeling normal yesterday’ because we went to war.”
“I knew it had high expectations; a lot of people were excited for the match. I was excited for the match. I had never been in the ring with Jordynne before, and obviously I’ve watched her and she’s so impressive. She was a dominant champion, and I knew that this match — I wanted to give her the best of me that I had. I certainly didn’t want to disappoint her. I don’t think that she wanted to disappoint me, and it was just a lot. It was a very emotional, a very emotional night, I think, for myself and for her and for everyone.”
Paying Homage To Her Native American Roots In Her Hard To Kill Entrance:
“I’ve always wanted to be able to pay homage to my native roots and do it in a respectful way, and also just the awareness of indigenous culture. The fact that I was able to I asked the Chief if they would be willing to come down with the tribe and do the dance and that whole planning of like what song it was going to be and where he and Jody came up with pretty much the song that was a powerful kind of warrior song, but also the emotion and to pay the homage to my Mattaponi nation and my tribe especially now because they’re just doing so many monumental movements right now as far as like getting the federal recognition and this new tribal council, which my mom is a part of, and she was out there in the crowd and it was just beautiful.”
“I thought, if this is going to be my last match, then this is something I’d always wanted to do. The fact that IMPACT — and I went to Scott [D’Amore] with it — I knew it was asking a lot to be able to do something like this. IMPACT doesn’t do this a lot. They don’t do entrances like WrestleMania. You’ll get entrances like that at these big events, but IMPACT very rarely — they did the one with Samoa Joe I remember they did that with the dancers before — but it’s very rare that they’ll do something like this. So, it was a big deal. It was a big deal to get the tribe there. It was a big deal to kind of orchestrate it to where it looked, and it was presented in a very respectful way.”
“I feel like one reason why I never done a whole lot with my native culture in wrestling is because oftentimes, it’s just like in television, I just feel like it’s this false narrative of it’s a campy, comedic version of Native Americans or how we see them. We’re very much alive today in society. It’s just important to me to spread awareness and some love.”
Meeting Masha Slamovich Face-To-Face In IMPACT
Photo Credit: Do Photo Wrestling (DPW)
“This goes back to Empowerrr, when I invited her to Empowerrr …. and Masha just stood out to me so much because she was so different, and she was so impactful and crisp, and she was cool. She was cool and different. Then when I found out she’s legit. 100% Russian, speaks 100% Russian, I was like, ‘Whoa.’ Then to bring her to IMPACT Wrestling, which I didn’t expect her to get offered a contract that night [at Knockouts Knockdown], but to get brought to IMPACT Wrestling in that Pick Your Poison against Deonna, because obviously Deonna and I are — we’re ‘fight forever’ friends.”
“[I] brought her in for that to be my poison against Deonna, and she had such an impressive showing that Gail [Kim] came out and they offered her a contract right there. I was like, ‘Whoa, this is so cool.’ It was wonderful to see something — it helped validate, my eye for talent of going like, I thought she had something special. Then when it gets validated, on the spot, like right in front of you, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is such an amazing moment.’ It was just emotional to see that.”
“Then she’s dominated. She dominated since she walked in the door and she’s destroyed the competition, most women in that locker room. Except Jordynne Grace, because Jordynne Grace beat her. And who beat Jordynne Grace? I did. So, if Jordynne can beat Masha, I can beat Masha now.”
Almost Quitting In OVW
(via OVW)
“I always say in life, you’re going to be presented with — there’s going to be game changing moments in your life, and we don’t always recognize them, but they’re usually these real sit-down decision-making moments and what you choose then puts you down one path or the other, right? I feel like we should all be achieving our dreams and all doing the things that we love to do, and sometimes we get off path. But you feel happiest when you are doing those things, because it doesn’t feel like work.”
“A lot of times those hardships of like when you want to quit, when I wanted to quit in OVW and Tommy Dreamer is like, ‘you need to take a break. You need to go home and rethink this decision.’ He watched me from a year I had just been wrestling when I was getting those ECW tryouts and I was not good, but he had already watched me from there to then, this must have been 2004-ish.”
“It wasn’t that I wasn’t good. I was good, and I knew I was good. I think that’s why I was so upset and frustrated because I was like, ‘I know I’m good and I feel like I just want the opportunity, a chance’ I don’t understand why I’m down here training people. I know I’m better than all these people. So I just wanted an opportunity — I don’t mean like the girls on TV — I meant like the girls in developmental where we were. These are my friends and I love them, but most of them, they didn’t come from wrestling. So I was like, ‘Well, did I just come at this the wrong way? Should I have just went down a different path?’ Tried to be a model and then just kind of signed up for wrestling?
“[I thought], ‘because I love it so much or because I desire to be the best — is that the problem? Do I need to stop caring?’ It’s not in me to stop caring about it because I’ve just held myself to high standards. I think my grandma from horse training and showing did that at a young age. It was hard competing because you were competing against professionals all the time. I just wanted to be good, and I wanted to push yourself, and I think that that kind of created that foundation for everything else in life.”
“But nothing great comes without adversity. In fact, most times before you get — that’s where I say that’s what separates people, is that giving up or persevering through, which decision you make right there. Because most times that biggest test, that darkest moment happens right before the breakthrough, right? So, it’s like that last test of if overcoming this frickin’ hurdle that seems insurmountable before you get the blessing that you’ve been asking for. At least I feel like that’s been true for most parts of my life, and sometimes you don’t see it then, because you’re in it.”
How Her Mother Convinced Her Mother Not To Quit
“My mom wasn’t a wrestling fan. She liked Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat, but she wasn’t a wrestling fan. She didn’t love the fact that I was wrestling because she was terrified I was going to get hurt. I was living in Louisville. I was traveling all the time, like weekend warrior-ing it, not making any money, risking injury, no health insurance, all the things, until I got signed. But even then, I think at that point I’d been so committed, and she had asked me if I’d thought about other things, maybe I should consider other things or whatever prior to getting signed in developmental.”
“[She would ask] just more because she would see how disheartened I’d get every time I’d do a tryout and I’d get a no or they’d never call me back. She didn’t want me to feel bad or whatever. She was just being smart, think[ing] about other things. But when [Tommy] told me to go home, which was on the sly, like he didn’t tell my boss that he was letting me go home for a couple of weeks. We were going home for Christmas break anyway, so that was usually like two weeks. So, he let me go home about a week and a half, two weeks or so [early]. I ended up being home for almost a month and I was so homesick because I hadn’t been home for like, I don’t know, it was the longest had been away from my family.”
“I hadn’t been home for like two years, but it was her that as we’re sitting there and we’re talking and she was like about why I’m back early and why I’m staying so long and stuff. She’s the one who said, ‘I may not have loved your idea of it, but I see how much you love it.’ She goes, ‘I watch and I see. You shine out there and you are so good. Please don’t give up now. Don’t give up when you’re almost there because you’ll regret it the rest of your life.'”
“She goes, ‘I never went after the things that I love. A lot of us don’t even have the courage to do it, and you had the courage to go do that. Please don’t give up now. Just see it through. If they let you go, they let you go. You can do a million other things, but don’t quit. Don’t quit on it.’ And I was like, ‘okay.’ That’s really what it was, my mom.”
Mercedes Moné’s Journey To Free Agency
“I’m excited for her. I’ve said this, the world is her oyster. She can literally do whatever she wants. I think any company would benefit from having her on their roster. She is a star. The fact that she doesn’t need to be on a roster because she could go act or she could go do a lot of things, it shows that she has a genuine passion for wrestling and she’s great.”
“I’ve never had a singles match with Sasha [Banks] and I would really, really love to have a singles match with Mercedes. We could just book it at my house [in the barn]. I’ll send her the address. I’ll set up the ring.”
“I love her. I have so much love and respect for her, I do. I think she’s incredible. I’m excited to watch her journey, I really am. I’m excited too, because I feel she has an opportunity now to do it her way, and she wanted to do a lot of things, and now she gets to go do them, and she can go test herself against whoever she wants to and show up everywhere. That’s what I hope, she shows up everywhere. Come on over to IMPACT!”
Memories With Jay Briscoe
“I remember the Briscoes and it’s been so great to see them back, even like when they came to NWA or when they came to IMPACT and just seeing them back out in the scene. But I’ve known those guys since they were kids, since early Ring of Honor days. Obviously one of the greatest tag teams that’s ever been and them being brothers, I think really helped that because they just knew each other better than anybody else. To watch them, it was so seamless and beautiful and just perfect.”
“It was devastating [when Jay passed away]. I think it affected the whole wrestling community because you saw people from every company talking about it because this is a very full circle — wrestling is a very small circle sometimes, and we all have to go through the same places and through the climb up the same ladders together. You cross paths with a lot of people. Those friendships and those brotherhoods that you make along the way, you don’t forget those.”
“Even though we’re separated, doesn’t mean that they’re not important to us. I think that it’s sad. It’s really, really sad because he was so young and I feel like he had so much of a career left for him, but also he’s leaving his kids behind and his wife. It’s just devastating.”
“I just lost my brother, my oldest brother, not too long ago in a car accident. So, it was obviously it was a reminder about that. I called my family a lot and kind of spent the time some time home with D (her son) a little bit to reset. Who I’m feeling for is not just his wife and his kids, but his brother. They’ve been a tag team their whole lives. Not just in wrestling, their whole lives they’ve been a team. I’m sure there’s a bit of — I don’t know how he’s feeling right now and especially how he’s feeling about wrestling, but just I hope he is okay. It’s sad. It’s really sad. It’s sad, too, because I’m like, ‘God, that still felt like there’s so much more they could have done.'”
Gail Kim likens herself to a proud parent when she watches Impact Wrestling talent do their thing from behind the curtain. The trailblazing former multi-time Knockouts champion retired from the ring in 2019 but still contributes in a big way as a producer for the company.
The veteran was beaming with pride when we caught up with her days after the Hard to Kill pay-per-view where Mickie James defeated Jordynne Grace for the gold in the main event, effectively keeping the run of “Hardcore Country” alive.
“Making that decision to walk away is difficult for any athlete I think,” Kim said. “ It took me a good two years plus to decide to retire. I like the way Mickie did it. It was a very interesting way to test herself to see if she still got it. She absolutely proved she did because Jordynne Grace is one of the best female wrestlers out there today. Talk about any company, all across the board. She was on top of her game.”
Much like the fans, Kim was emotionally invested in James’ “Last Rodeo.” For her, it’s the story-telling and quality of PPVs especially that really makes Impact stand out. Not to mention the positive work environment that has made Impact in recent years a land of opportunity. A prime reason Frankie Kazarian re-signed with the company.
“You can talk to anybody who works for our company or has worked for our company in the last couple of years. The joy, self-satisfaction, and fulfillment of why you love this business is in Impact Wrestling. I think it’s a very well-known fact in the industry that we are a great place to work because we’re like a family.”
More ‘New’ Faces Coming to Impact
Kim teases Kazarian and Santino Marella aren’t the only new or returning faces we’ll see on Impact TV in the coming weeks. And if she had her way, some of those names would come from the acclaimed all-women’s Japanese promotion Stardom.
“I have pitched I wanted a Stardom-Knockuots pay-per-view,” she said. “That was my thing I sort of threw in the bucket. It’s something I have to push a little bit harder because we do get busy, and we’re always constantly planning the next show and the next show.
“But I know the fans want to see another all-women’s pay-per-view. The last Knockouts Knockdown was great. EmPowerrr was great that Mickie ran, and now Mickie is part of our company. I would love to see collaborations with companies and Stardom was at the top of my list. I think that would create great interest and maybe a collaboration with other companies with women.”
Gisele Shaw
At the same time, Kim takes pride in the pride and evolution of its current talent. Among them is Gisele Shaw, who she believes turned a corner in 2022.
“When she first started with the company. Even before she started with the company, I would watch her and feel like she was holding back. I could feel it. I didn’t know what it was,” Kim explained.
“She just recently came out [as transgender]. She is now living openly and freely. It just changed the game with her feeling like herself. She is performing at the highest level right now. Everything she is doing is incredible. I feel like it’s only an upward trajectory from here. That is where she is now. I’m stoked to see where she goes next.”
One More Match?
Kim candidly revealed there have been numerous times watching from the sidelines that she felt the fire to compete again. The 45-year-old doesn’t rule out one more match under the right circumstances.
“It has been happening in my head a lot. It’s hard,” she said. “When you love it so much. Then when you see the talent out there. ‘What kind of match can I have with them?’ Mickie and I have joked. While she has been on this ‘Last Rodeo’ asking, ‘Why don’t you wrestle me again?’
“I said, ‘Mickie if you want me to, I respect you so much that I would if that’s what you truly wanted.’ But we have wrestled each other a bunch. For me, if I would come out of retirement for that one match, I would love it to be a three or four-way. So I can get as many talents as I could. And I love multi-women matches to be honest. It would be a dream match of all dream matches. It’s just about getting in cardio shape and preparing my back to get ready to go.”
Impact Wrestling airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on AXS TV. Catch Impact Wrestling live on January 20 and 21 for “New Year’s Revolution.” in Kissimmee. For tickets, visit here.
Hot off the heels of Hard To Kill, Impact Wrestling held their Fallout event the following day that included the return of an iconic former champion.
On January 14, Impact filmed their next round of television tapings, featuring a Knockouts Tag Team Championship match on the card. Reigning champions Taya Valkyrie and Jessicka represented The Death Dollz in defending their titles against a newly formed team.
“The Quintessential Diva” Gisele Shaw was one of their opponents to step up the plate. Since officially joining the company early last year, Shaw has gone through a rotation of tag team partners, including Lady Frost, The Influence, and VXT. While Shaw’s previous track record in the tag team division hasn’t been the best, it seems as though Shaw received a chance to redeem herself by teaming with a 5-time Knockouts Champion.
After reveling in the massive Knockouts Championship win of her friend, Mickie James, the night before, Tara returned to the Impact Zone for the first time since 2013 to compete. Unfortunately for this team, though, their run didn’t last long.
Tara Ain’t The Lady To Mess With
(via Impact)
Tensions began to brew between Tara and Shaw, leading to an in-ring confrontation between the two. After Shaw refused to tag her partner in, Tara soon delivered Widows Peak to Gisele Shaw. As a result, The Death Dollz retained their Knockouts Tag Team Championships.
This tag team bout marked Tara’s — real name Lisa Marie Varon, Victoria in WWE — first match since January 2021 at the Royal Rumble, and her second since September 2019 when she retired from professional wrestling.
The tapings took place at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
On Friday night, Josh Alexander defeated Frankie Kazarian in a 40 minute battle at Over Drive to retain the IMPACT World Championship.
After the match, Alexander was greeted by Bully Ray. Ray praised his match with Kazarian. He told the champ, “that’s what professional wrestling is all about.” He followed that with, “you are the most incredible world champion on the planet right now. Every company out there, I choose you every single day.”
Ray had his trophy with him him and reminded Alexander that when he said when he won the Call Your Shot gauntlet match, that when he decided to cash in, he’d do it face to face. “…I’ll look you in the eye and shake your hand and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I’m challenging you at Hard to Kill.” Ray told him that if he shook his hand that meant he accepted the challenge. Alexander did and the match is set.
Bully Ray being Bully Ray had to create heeeeaaatttt. Ever since he returned to the IMPACT Zone, any and every one would tell Alexander not to trust Bully Ray, foreshadowing the most obvious result.
Ray came through while Alexander was ringside talking with his wife, Jade. He blindsided the champ with a big boot, followed by hitting him repeatedly with a chair. Jade pleaded with Ray to put the chair down, but to no avail. As he continued to hit him, Ray asked why he ever trusted him.
He pulled a zip tie from his shorts and tied Alexander to the ring rope. A frantic Jade was still trying to plead with Ray, who dragged her over the barricade by her hair. He warned Alexander to stay where he was before positioning Jade for a piledriver on the concrete.
First, he directed Alexander not to get up or he’d piledrive his wife on the concrete. Immediately after, he yelled for Alexander to get his title. When Alexander did as directed, he made him hand him the title, while still holding Jade in a precarious position. The clip cuts off after this.
Aside from all the ongoing AEW drama the cycle of pro-wrestling continues to carry on.
Today it was revealed that the legendary D’Lo Brown is finished with Impact Wrestling after three years. The report was made by PW Insider and later confirmed by Executive VP Scott D’Amore, who had the following to say about Brown’s departure.
“We appreciate D’Lo’s contributions to Impact Wrestling over the last 3 plus years. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Brown’s Run With Impact
Brown returned to Impact in 2019 as a producer and agent, and later did some work as a color-commentator. He also competed for the company through his prestigious 28-year career, including a run with one of the promotion’s top factions, The Aces & Eights.
Brown rose to prominence during his run with WWE in the Attitude Era. There he was a one-time Intercontinental champion, and a four-time European champion, even holding both the belts at one point in his career. He started as a member of the Nation of Domination before breaking off as a singles star.
On August 13, IMPACT Wrestling hosted its latest set of TV tapings titled Second City Slamm from Cicero Stadium in Chicago, IL. The matches and segments will air in upcoming weeks as episodes of IMPACT TV.
These tapings follow IMPACT’s Emergence event that also took place atCicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois on August 12, 2022.
Full spoilers are listed below.
IMPACT Wrestling Second City Slamm Spoilers (8/13)
Before The IMPACT
Giselle Shaw def. Rosemary
Ace Austin & Hikuleo def. Zicky Dice & Johnny Swinger
IMPACT Wrestling TV
“Speedball” Mike Bailey def. Chris Bey
Heath def. Kenny King
Honor No More attack Heath. PCO doubts Eddie Edwards as Heath escapes.
Killer Kelly def. Savannah Evans
IMPACT Title #1 Contendership: Eddie Edwards def. Steve Maclin, Moose, Rich Swann, Bandido, and Sami Callihan
Knockouts Tag Team Championships: VXT (Chelsea Green & Deonna Purrazzo) (c) def. Mia Yim & Jordynne Grace
Karl Anderson def. Mike Bennett
Jessicka Havok def. Alisha
Bhupinder Gujja def. unnamed talent
Curt Hawkins confronted Gujja and offered him a title match. The referee refuses to start the match until he’s bullied into it. Gujja pins Hawkins and leaves with the IMPACT Digital Media Championship, but no title change was announced.
Josh Alexander def. Vincent
Heath attacks Edwards as he confronts Alexander.
Black Taurus def. Trey Miguel, Laredo Kid, Rey Horus
Time Machine (KUSHIDA, Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) def. Violent By Design
This event was the 3rd installment of the Against All Odds live event. This event follows IMPACT’s Against All Odds event.
IMPACT Emergence 2022 (8/12)
IMPACT Digital Media Championship: Brian Myers (c) def. Bhupinder Gujjar
IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championship: Chelsea Green & Deonna Purrazzo def. Taya Valkyrie (c) & Rosemary (c)
IMPACT X-Division Championship: ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey (c) def. Jack Evans
Steve Maclin vs. Sami Callihan ends in a no contest but both men keep fighting
Violent By Design (Deaner & Eric Young) def. Kushida & Chris Sabin
AAA Attraction Match: Bandido def. Rey Horus
No DQ: Sami Callihan def. Steve Maclin after the match was later restarted by Scott D’Amore.
10-Man Tag: Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Kenny King and PCO) def. Bullet Club (The Good Brothers, Ace Austin, Chris Bey and Hikuleo)
IMPACT Knockouts Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) def. Mia Yim
IMPACT World Championship: Josh Alexander (c) def. Alex Shelley
Steve Fall sat down with Impact Wrestling’s Vincent about their upcoming event, Emergence. Plus they discussed AEW purchasing Ring of Honor, WWE reaching out to him and much more.
Impact Wrestling: Emergence takes place this Friday from Cicero Stadium in Chicago, IL. Here is the updated card for the event:
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander vs. Alex Shelley
Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace vs. Mia Yim
Knockouts Tag Team Champions Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie vs. VXT (Deonna Purrazzo & Chelsea Green)
Ten Man Tag (If Honor No More loses, they must disband) – Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Kenny King and PCO) vs. Bullet Club (The Good Brothers, Ace Austin, Chris Bey and Hikuleo)
Last night, many notable pieces of news emerged from the July 7 episode. We have collected some of the news and updates from last night’s episode.
Killer Kelly To Return
During the July 7 episode of IMPACT, a vignette aired that announced the return of Killer Kelly to IMPACT Wrestling.
In November 2020, Killer Kelly made her IMPACT debut. She competed in the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament where she teamed with Renee Michelle. Unfortunately, Michelle and Kelly lost to Jordynne Grace and Jazz in the first round of the tournament.
Mia Yim is the new number one contender for the Knockouts Championship.
Yim and Deonna Purrazzo battled in the main event of the July 7 episode of IMPACT Wrestling. Yim was able to defeat Deonna to become the next person to challenge the Knockouts Championship Jordynne Grace.
The former AEW wrestler Alan Angels made his IMPACT Wrestling debut on the July 7 episode of their TV.
The tapings for this episode of Impact Wrestling TV took place just days after Angels’ AEW contract expired. Alan’s full-time AEW deal expired recently, but he decided to turn down a part-time deal.
It is unclear whether or not Angels has signed a contract. As Alan is from Georgia, where the tapings took place, this could be a one-off appearance.
Alan answered “Speedball” Mike Bailey’s open challenge for the X-Division Championship. On the Against All Odds pay-per-view, Bailey issued the open challenge. On the next night at the tapings, Alan Angels showed up to answer his call.
KUSHIDA is set to make his debut at the IMPACT Derby City Rumble.
IMPACT Wrestling has recently announced that at their next TV tapings the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion and current NJPW star KUSHIDA will make his debut for the promotion. The TV tapings will take place in Kentucky on July 15 and 16.
The tapings will happen at Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. Tickets for the event are currently on sale here.
On July 2, IMPACT Wrestling hosted its latest set of TV tapings titled Southern Hospitality from Center Stage in Atlanta, GA. The matches and segments will air in upcoming weeks as episodes of IMPACT TV.
These tapings follow IMPACT’s Against All Odds event that also took place at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA on July 1. You can find the results from that event here.
Full spoilers are listed below.
IMPACT Wrestling TV Taping Spoilers From Atlanta, GA (7/2)
Digital Media Title Match: Brian Myers (c) def. Aidan Prince
Before The Impact: Gisele Shaw (w/ Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood) def. Alisha Edwards
Johnny Swinger came out with Zicky Dice and cut a promo about wanting to receive a better reaction in his hometown.
In response, the crowd chanted ‘We suck’.
Before The Impact: Bhupinder Gujjar def. Johnny Swinger (w/ Zicky Dice)
IMPACT TV Episode One
X Division Championship: Speedball Mike Bailey (c) def. Alan Angels
After the match, Joe Doering and Deaner attacked Bailey and Angels. After Deaner demanded that Josh Alexander come to the ring, Eric Young came out. Eric Young expressed disappointment in Doering’s loss at Against All Odds and teased a breakup. Deaner asked Young to give them another chance, to which he agreed.
Trey Miguel def. Laredo Kid
PCO (w/ Vincent) def. Black Taurus (w/ Crazzy Steve)
After the match, Honor No More hit the ring and celebrated with PCO. Heath came from the crowd and hit a neck-breaker on Kenny King before retreating into the crowd.
This event was the 11th installment of the Against All Odds live event. This event follows IMPACT’s Slammiversary event.
Quick Results
Pre-Show: Black Taurus (with Crazzy Steve) def. Laredo Kid
Pre-Show: Dot Combat match for the Impact Digital Media Championship: Brian Myers def. Rich Swann (c)
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) def. Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey)
Chelsea Green & Deonna Purrazzo def. Mia Yim & Mickie James
Impact X Division Championship: Mike Bailey (c) def. Trey Miguel
Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship: Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie (c) def. The Influence (Gisele Shaw & Tenille Dashwood) (with Madison Rayne)
Heath, America’s Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm), and The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) def. Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Kenny King, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, & PCO) (with Maria Kanellis & Vincent)
Clockwork Orange House of Fun match: Moose def. Sami Callihan
The 20th edition of IMPACT’s Slammiversary is just around the corner and the card is starting to take shape.
This show celebrates the 20th anniversary of Impact Wrestling. The show is exactly 20 years from the day of the first event promoted by Impact.
This will be the go-to article for an updated card of the matches and segments announced for IMPACT’s Slammiversary pay-per-view.
IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary 2022 Matches
IMPACT World Championship: Josh Alexander (c) vs. Eric Young
Ultimate X Match for the Impact X Division Championship: Ace Austin (c) vs. Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel vs. TBD vs. TBD
Queen of the Mountain Match for the Impact Knockouts World Championship: Tasha Steelz (c) vs. Chelsea Green vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Mia Yim
Tag Team Match for the Impact World Tag Team Championship: The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson)
Date, Time & How to Watch
IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary is scheduled to take place at The Asylum in Nashville, Tennessee.
IMPACT’s Slammiversary takes place on Sunday, June 19, 2022. The air time is set for 8:00 PM EST.
You can watch IMPACT’s Rebellion on FITE or through cable pay-per-view providers. The show is priced at $39.99.
Join us at #Slammiversary on June 19th as we celebrate 20 years of TNA and IMPACT Wrestling!
