Kenny Omega is the new Impact World Champion. Following Omega’s victory over Rich Swann at Rebellion, Scott D’Amore Tweeted that he expects Omega to fulfill his obligations as champion. According to a report on Wrestling Observer Radio, that includes defending the title on May 15ths Under Seige event on Impact Plus.
“He’s definitely defending the title at Under Siege,” commented Dave Meltzer. “That’s the first title defense, so that’s May 15th. I believe he’s doing a tag-team match on television when they do the tapings as well.”
As for who Omega defends the title against at Under Siege, that is not yet clear.
“I have a feeling that on Thursday’s show that you would probably have an idea who it will be. It might be Rich (Swann).”
Meltzer continued to speculate that Moose or Eddie Edwards could also be Omega’s opponent on the show. Trey Miguel and Josh Alexander were also mentioned.
Following Under Siege, Impact will present Against All Odds on June 12th. Impact will return to PPV in July with Slammiversary but an exact date has yet to be announced.
Impact Wrestling on Thursday night will be the first show since Rebellion. Josh Alexander is the new X-Division Champion, Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering are the new Knockouts tag champions, and Kenny Omega is the new Impact World Champion. Only FinJuice and Deonna Purrazzo retained their titles at Rebellion.
Kenny Omega is now the AEW World Champion, AAA Mega Champion, and the unified Impact/TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Numerous people and organizations across the wrestling world have been reacting to Omega’s title win at Rebellion.
Scott D’Amore congratulated Rich Swann on his effort and also said he expects Omega to adhere to the commitments that come with the title.
“I trust/expect Mr Omega will honor the commitments & responsibilities that come with that prestigious title,” D’Amore wrote.
IWGP World Champion Will Ospreay responded when a fan tagged him in Omega’s Instagram post asking him to take the throne. “He knows where I am,” was Ospreay’s reply.
While not related to the Omega vs Swann match, NJPW congratulated FinJuice on retaining their tag team titles at Rebellion.
— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) April 26, 2021
Kenny Omega becomes the 29th person to win the Impact World Championship with his win at Rebellion. He begins the 52nd reign in the lineage of the title. As for former champion Rich Swann, his title reign finishes at 183 days. That is good for 10th all-time in that category. He successfully defended the title 6x during his reign. His opponents were Eric Young, Sami Callihan, Ken Shamrock, Chris Bey, Tommy Dreamer, and Moose.
Impact Wrestling presented Rebellion last night on PPV. Kenny Omega defeated Rich Swann to win the Impact World Championship in the main event. According to a report on Wrestling Observer Radio, the PPV is trending to have done very well.
“From the early returns as far as the streaming side goes, the numbers for this show were exceedingly strong,” said Dave Meltzer. “Probably, almost certainly the biggest PPV they’ve done in years, maybe many years but several years for sure.”
“That aspect was a success even without AEW promoting it hard on Wednesday night, there was enough promotion elsewhere,” he continued.
Impact Wrestling Announces Upcoming Schedule
Impact Wrestling announced their next 3 big events upcoming during last night’s PPV. On May 15th, Impact will present Under Siege on the Impact Plus streaming service. Against All Odds will then take place on June 12th. The company will then return to PPV in July for Slammiversary. An exact date for the PPV has yet to be revealed, however. A teaser for Slammiversary is available below:
Impact Wrestling on 4/22 was the go-home show for Sunday’s Rebellion PPV. Eddie Edwards faced Eric Young in the main event.
Impact 4/22 Quick Results:
The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) defeated Decay (Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve)
Tenille Dashwood defeated Susan
Shera defeated Jake Something
Jordynne Grace defeated Kiera Hogan via DQ
Eric Young defeated Eddie Edwards
Rich Swann and Kenny Omega’s Final Segment Before Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPUJyg8bSZQ
Rich Swann came out for a promo this week and called out Kenny Omega. Omega and Don Callis appeared on the big screen and said they couldn’t be in the Impact Zone for the show. Omega plans on being on Impact regularly, however, as the new Impact World Champion.
After Omega and Callis logged off, Moose made his return to Impact and confronted Swann in the ring. Moose gave Swann a warning that if he loses his two title belts, he’ll have to deal with him after.
Violent By Design Scores Victory Ahead Of Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixYkpPblJnQ
With a huge 8-man tag taking place at Rebellion, the leaders of the two sides faced off in singles action in this week’s main event. With the two sides brawling on the outside, VOD’s Joe Doering tripped up Eddie Edwards and allowed Young to score a pinfall with a small package. After the match, the melee between the two sides would continue.
Rachael Ellering To Team With Jordynne Grace At Rebellion
Jordynne Grace faced Kiera Hogan in singles competition this week. With Jazz now having officially retired, Grace is in need of a partner for the Knockouts tag title match at Rebellion. Just when Grace looked as though she had this match won, Tasha Steelz interfered to cause the DQ. It was then a 2-on-1 attack until Rachael Ellering hit the ring and made the save. Ellering will now be Grace’s partner at Rebellion.
The Good Brothers and FinJuice Prepare For Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ect0peiW4
The Good Brothers defeated Decay in tag-team action this week as they head to Rebellion on a winning note. After their victory, Anderson and Gallows cut a promo directed at FinJuice. They said they are glad that Finlay and Robinson broke them out of their comfort zone.
Later in the show, FinJuice would cut a promo at Anderson and Gallows, telling them they are dreaming if they think they are going to take the belts from them on Sunday.
Tenille Dashwood Defeats Susan En Route To Rebellion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQml4MdGj44
Tenille Dashwood put away Susan in singles competition this week. After the match, she cut a promo to her Rebellion opponent, Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo. Dashwood said that Purrazzo owes her for all that she has contributed to women’s wrestling.
Sami Callihan Sends Trey Miguel A Warning Ahead of Rebellion
Sami Callihan and Trey Miguel will face off at Rebellion. Just days before the event, Callihan sent Trey a message that at Rebellion he’s going to see to it that he never walks again.
Brian Myers Sends Matt Cardona A Message Ahead of Rebellion
Brian Myers cut a promo this week on his Rebellion opponent, Matt Cardona. Myers said that he’s not interested in living in the past and that at Rebellion, Cardona will be just another “roster cut.”
Final Lineup For Rebellion
Here is the final lineup for this weekend’s Rebellion PPV:
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Tenille Dashwood
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering
Japanese wrestling star Konosuke Takeshita is headed back to Japan after a successful (short) stint working for AEW.
The 25-year-old primarily works for Japan’s DDT promotion. He spent a few weeks in the United States and wrestled at three AEW events. He worked the ‘House Always Wins’ non-televised event during WWE WrestleMania weekend. He also competed on two episodes of AEW Dark: Elevation.
Earlier this week, Takeshita posted on Twitter that he’s returning home, but hopes to return to AEW in the future as DDT Champion. He stated that his next goal is to appear on All Elite Wrestling’s flagship show, AEW Dynamite. He let American wrestling fans know, this is only goodbye ‘for now.’
My @AEW match is the last one that was broadcast earlier. I must go back to Japan.
But I'd like to come back here as @ddtpro Champion. My next goal is to fight in Dynamite.
Konosuke Takeshita teamed up with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa this past week on Dark: Elevation. They defeated Danny Limelight, Matt and Mike Sydal’s in the main event.
Omega took notice of Takeshita’s message. He replied with condescension. “We sent him home packing but he was a good hand. He fought the good fight for the brothers in the Elite. Maybe we’ll bring him back?”
Takeshita took Omega’s ‘good hand’ jab in stride. He thanked the champion for his support and hinted that they might cross paths again in the future.
Thank you for your support.
I know many fans want to watch us fight each other in the belief that one day it will come true. https://t.co/MrkvJXTE7j
Impact Wrestling champion Rich Swan will battle AEW World Champion Kenny Omega this weekend at Impact’s Rebellion PPV. Swann spoke to Sports Illustrated to hype the match and explained why this is the biggest match of his career.
“The focus is on Kenny Omega, and that’s understandable,” said Swann. “He’s the Best Bout Machine, he’s Dave Meltzer’s favorite wrestler, he’s this seven-star wrestler. Kenny has proven why he deserves this attention. But I’m here, too. I’m also a person that has battled adversity.”
Swann says he was told he would have to retire due to injuries, but he’s still here. He’s faced adversity and has earned the right to be part of this historic match.
“Two world champions from two different companies, repping two different television stations, and we’re about to blow this industry’s roof off,” he said. “I’m going to make this different than any match we’ve ever had in our careers. This is an opportunity I won’t let slip. It’s going to be the match of my life.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGSqmxPANSo
Impact Rebellion PPV
In addition to Swann vs Omega, several other big matches have been booked for the show. The updated lineup is below.
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Tenille Dashwood
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & TBA
Impact Wrestling on 4/15 featured a contract-signing segment between Rich Swann and Kenny Omega for Rebellion. It also featured the retirement ceremony for Jazz and more storylines and angles leading to the PPV later this month.
Impact 4/15 Quick Results:
Josh Alexander defeated TJP
Karl Anderson defeated Crazzy Steve
Jazz & Jordynne Grace defeated Fire N Flava (Non-Title)
Brian Myers defeated Jake Something
Sami Callihan defeated Matt Cardona
Tensions Boil Over During Rich Swann & Kenny Omega Press Conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dC5qFrdF7U
The headlining segment on Impact 4/15 was a press conference featuring Kenny Omega and Rich Swann. Tony Khan and Jerry Lynn were on-hand from AEW and Khan spoke about how if Swann wins, he’ll be on both Dynamite and Impact moving forward and if Omega wins, he’ll continue to be on both shows as well. Khan also said that there would be for sure be a clear winner.
Kenny Omega concluded the press conference by running down Swann and then slapping him which started a brawl between the two.
Jazz Officially Retires
At Hardcore Justice, Deonna Purrazzo defeated Jazz in a match that carried a title vs career stipulation. This week on Impact, Jazz came out for her official retirement ceremony. She was interrupted by the members of Fire N Flava, the tag-team champions.
Word then came from the back that Fire N Flava and Jazz and Jordynne Grace were being booked in an impromptu match. Jazz and Grace quickly won the short match and Jazz continued with her retirement speech. The locker room spilled out to pay respect to her.
Later in the back, D’Amore would confront Fire N Flava and say that now they have to defend their tag belts against Grace and Jazz at Rebellion. Jazz said she needs to honor the stipulation, however, but does know someone Grace can team with on the PPV.
At Rebellion, Ace Austin will defend his X-Division Championship against both Josh Alexander and TJP in a triple threat match. This week, Alexander and TJP went one-on-one to kick off the show.
After a back-and-forth match with lots of submissions, TJP looked to finish things off with his Mamba Splash. Alexander countered with an ankle lock, however. TJP then transitioned to a triangle submission but Alexander countered with a power-bomb onto his knee, and then the Divine Intervention piledriver for the win.
Big Petey Pump Details Josh Alexander’s Odds At Rebellion
Viewers on Twitch will note that every week Scott Steiner’s famous “Steiner Math” promo is replayed during commercial breaks at least once. This week, Petey Williams recreated the promo while explaining what Josh Alexander’s odds are in the triple threat X-Division title match at Rebellion. Evidently, the numbers don’t lie and they spell disaster for Ace Austin’s title reign at Rebellion.
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows are preparing to face FinJuice later this month at Rebellion. Anderson took on Crazzy Steve from Decay this week. He’d pick up the win thanks to some distraction on the outside. Gallows distracted Steve after the Decay member had his opponent locked in an Upside Down. The distraction then allowed Anderson to hit a spine buster for the win.
Brian Myers & Matt Cardona Pick Each Other’s Poison
Ahead of their singles match at Rebellion, Brian Myers and Matt Cardona each picked the opponent of the other on this week’s episode. Cardona picked Jake Something as Myers’ opponent but The Most Professional Wrestler picked up the win with his “Roster Cut” clothesline.
After Myers defeated Something, he revealed Sami Callihan as Cardona’s opponent. Callihan then attacked Cardona from behind to kick start their match. Callihan picked up the victory after giving Cardona a thumb to the eye followed by his patented piledriver for the win.
After his match, Callihan called out Trey Miguel. He offered Trey a chance to partner with him but Trey turned him down. Callihan also revealed it was him that attacked Tommy Dreamer and not Violent By Design. This set off Trey who attacked Callihan. Callihan hit him with a low blow, however. Callihan continued his attack using a chair, suplexing Trey into it to close the segment.
It was later revealed that the two will go one-on-one at Rebellion.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
Here are the matches scheduled for next week’s episode of Impact:
The Good Brothers vs Decay
Tenille Dashwood vs Susan
Eric Young vs Eddie Edwards
Updated Rebellion Lineup
Here are the matches scheduled for Rebellion:
AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Tenille Dashwood
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & TBA
Impact Wrestling returned to Thursday night this week. Last night’s show was their first one back in their old/new time slot. Kenny Omega would make his in-ring debut on the weekly Impact television show. He’d team with the Good Brothers against Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Eddie Edwards in the main event.
Sami Callihan & Trey Miguel defeated XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero)
Chris Sabin w/ James Storm defeated Deaner
Rich Swann, Willie Mack & Eddie Edwards defeated Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers w/ Don Callis
Rich Swann Gives Kenny Omega Reason To Worry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLU3rn4ExYA
The main event this week saw Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers take on Rich Swann, Willie Mack and Eddie Edwards. During the match, Swann proved a few things to the Super Elite which could give Omega reason to worry about their match at Rebellion.
Near the end of the match, Swann reversed out of the 1-Winged Angel. Swann then was able to hit his Phoenix Splash on Omega and looked to have the AEW World Champion beat. Don Callis pulled Omega out of the ring, however, preventing the pin from taking place.
The babyface team then focussed on Karl Anderson, and Swann gave him a Phoenix Splash and got the win for his team. As the show ended, Matt Striker noted on commentary that Swann proved he can reverse the 1-Winged Angel and that he is immune to Don Callis’ mind games.
Chris Sabin took on Deaner in singles action this week. He picked up the win with the Cradle Shock but VOD had a plan for after the match. The camera cut backstage to Eric Young, who said that Storm had walked right into their trap. Then it was revealed that Joe Doering had attacked Chris Harris. Meanwhile back in the ring, Rhino took out Storm and Deaner took out Sabin as Young said that Harris’ blood was on Storm’s hands.
Trey Miguel & Sami Callihan Defeat Team XXXL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Nsw6i2hrk
Sami Callihan has said that he wants to mentor Trey Miguel, but the former member of the Rascalz does not seem to be having it. Trey reluctantly joined Sami for this match but only to get revenge on Team XXXL and not to align with Sami. Although they never got along during the match, Callihan and Trey picked up the win after Trey made Larry D submit to the Hourglass.
After the match, Sami tried to raise Trey’s hand but Trey refused.
Brian Myers Attacks Matt Cardona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MHq0RMFEVA
Matt Cardona was wrestling Jake Something this week when Brian Myers attacked, causing a no-contest. He attacked Cardona and then tossed Something eye-first into the steel steps. Myers then got on the mic and accepted Cardona’s challenge for a match at Rebellion.
Things opened up with Knockouts action this week. After being attacked by her former partner last week, Havok is now firmly on the babyface side of the division. Havok and Neveah would go through a table together on the outside as Rosemary put away Alisha with Red Wedding inside the ring.
Impact Wrestling has announced that its weekly flagship television show is moving from Tuesday to Thursday nights. The first episode in the new slot will be April 8th, 2021.
Impact also announced that the main event of that show will feature Kenny Omega wrestling on the weekly show for the first time. He will team with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows against Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, and Willie Mack.
“IMPACT Wrestling has years of history airing on Thursdays, which was the night for high-energy, action-packed matches, starring some of the most high-profile stars in pro wrestling history,” said IMPACT Executive Vice-President Scott D’Amore. “Nothing is changing from that front when IMPACT! jumps back to Thursday nights.”
“The new home, once again, for must-see matches is Thursday nights on AXS TV,” D’Amore added.
NXT is rumored to be moving to Tuesday nights immediately following WrestleMania. If this holds true, it would mean NXT’s first Tuesday night show would be April 13th. On SundayApril 10th, Impact will present Hardcore Justice as an afternoon show so as not to go head-to-head with WrestleMania. Impact’s Rebellion PPV recently moved to April 25th, 2021 from April 24th, likely to not go head-to-head with UFC 261.
BREAKING: IMPACT! will return to its traditional Thursday night time-slot at 8pm ET, beginning April 8.
Kenny Omega returned to Impact Wrestling this week. He and Don Callis are gearing up for the Rebellion PPV where Omega will face Rich Swann.
Impact 3/23 Quick Results:
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Jazz
X-Division Championship TJP defeated Ace Austin (c) via DQ – Austin retains title
Rohit Raju defeated Fallah Bah
Trey Miguel defeated Acey Romero
Karl Anderson defeated Eddie Edwards
Kenny Omega and Don Callis Return
Don Callis informed Kenny Omega that Impact Wrestling is his home this week. They spoke about soon he would be standing there as the Impact World Champion after he beats Rich Swann. During the promo, Callis listed off all the wrestlers that Omega was better than, and Omega interrupted to ensure that Kota Ibushi’s name was mentioned.
They both praised Rich Swann but also noted that Omega hit Swann with the 1-Winged Angel at Hard to Kill and pinned him 1-2-3. They played a promo package of Omega hitting his move on multiple opponents, including Swann. Omega played up that nobody has kicked out of the move.
Callis talked about how despite being an executive with Impact Wrestling, his top priority is helping to secure Omega’s legacy.
FinJuice Sends The Good Brothers A Message From Japan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkba29CEnbo
Karl Anderson faced Eddie Edwards in the main event this week. The finish of the match came when Doc Gallows caused a distraction from the ring apron and then hit Edwards in the head with a chair as the ref was out of position. This allowed Anderson to hit a spine buster and pick up the win.
After the match, Finjuice appeared on the big screen from Japan. They were both in the recent New Japan Cup, with Finlay making it to the semi-finals. They took a few shots at the former champions before the show went off the air previewing their title match at Rebellion.
Tony Schiavone and Tony Khan Preview AEW Dynamite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juK6f2eODck
The two Tonys were joined by Don Callis and Kenny Omega this week. Callis and Omega spoke about Omega’s match against Matt Sydal tonight on Dynamite and then left before the ad was done. Khan and Schiavone then ran down the rest of tonight’s card.
Nyla Rose (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. Tay Conti
The Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison) & Dante Martin vs. The Pinnacle (Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood & Shawn Spears) (w/Tully Blanchard)
The Young Bucks & Brandon Cutler vs The Lucha Bros & Laredo Kid
TNT Championship Darby Allin (c) vs. John Silver
AEW World Title Eliminator Match Matt Sydal (w/Mike Sydal) vs. Kenny Omega (w/Don Callis)
TJP Beats Ace Austin Via DQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r78hAf3sehY
Ace Austin retained his X-Division Championship this week against the former champion TJP but only because he lost via disqualification. The finish of the match came when TJP hit a Detonation Kick then the Mamba Splash and appeared to have the match won. Madman Fulton ran in and broke up the pin, however, saving the title for Austin.
After the match, Josh Alexander made the save and prevented Austin and Fulton from delivering a post-match attack on TJP.
Sami Callihan Saves Trey Miguel?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MfaGK9PTcY
Trey Miguel picked up a win over Acey Romero this week after delivering a top-rope meteora. Larry D then attacked Trey after the match but surprisingly, Sami Callihan made the save. Callihan has been berating Trey for weeks and neither Matt Striker nor D’Lo Brown could make sense of why he prevented Team XXXL’s attack.
Deonna Purrazzo Defeats Jazz With Help From Susan’s Shoe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nptzhcr52VA
Jazz had a chance to put herself in a position to challenge for the Knockouts title this week when she faced the champion in non-title action. Purrazzo had Susan with her at ringside, however, and that would prove to be the difference here.
The finish of the match came when Susan helped Purrazzo by putting her foot on the bottom rope to break up a pin attempt. This led to Jordynne Grace charging at Susan but missing and hitting the ring post. Jazz then reached through the ring ropes to grab at Susan but the former Su Yung then hit her with a shoe. This allowed Purrazzo to roll up Jazz and get the 3-count.
“White Meat Babyface” Johnny Swinger has his own casino now. Swinger’s Palace was back this week on Impact. There appears to be some sketchiness with the casino’s business dealings, however. Alisha Edwards, John E Bravo, and others appeared in a promo ad for the casino this week. Swinger got the money to open the casino when he acquired a roll of cash that had been bouncing back and forth between Hernandez, Fallah Bah, and a few others.
Cardona and Brian Myers are long-time friends and tag partners. Myers does not seem happy that Cardona signed with Impact after he did, however. Cardona took part in a sit-down interview this week and challenged his podcast co-host to a match.
Rohit Raju Uses A Handful Of Trunks To Gain The Victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhT6QYGDFes
Backstage before this match, Rohit Raju was harping on Fallah Bah for having lost all of his money at Swinger’s Palace. It looked as though Fallah was going to get a measure of revenge on Raju in this match but ultimately it would be the former Desi Hit Squad member who would pick up the win. The finish of the match came when Raju used a crucifix pinning combination with a handful of trunks to get the win.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next week, James Storm will wrestle in his 1000th match under the Impact/TNA banner. He’ll face another longtime Impact/TNA guy, Eric Young.
Next week on Impact Wrestling:
James Storm’s 1000th Impact Match James Storm vs Eric Young
Fire N Flava vs Havok & Neveah (non-title)
TJP & Josh Alexander vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
It was reported earlier this week that AEW World Champion Kenny Omega was in Nashville for the most recent set of Impact tapings. The promotion announced today that Omega, along with Don Callis, will be on next week’s episode.
This week on Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann was confronted by Don Callis during an in-ring promo segment. Swann defeated Moose at Sacrifice on Saturday night, meaning he’ll face Omega at next month’s Rebellion PPV.
This will be Omega’s first time back in Impact since the Hard to Kill PPV in January. On that show, Omega pinned Rich Swann with the One-Winged Angel in a 3-on-3 match. Swann teamed with Moose and Chris Sabin against Omega and the Good Brothers.
3 matches have been scheduled for this week’s Impact Wrestling. The X-Division will be on the line when Ace Austin defends against former champion TJP.
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (c) vs TJP
Deonna Purrazzo vs Jazz
Karl Anderson vs Eddie Edwards
Impact is building to Hardcore Justice on April 10th, streaming on Impact Plus. Rebellion will take place on PPV two weeks later on April 24th, 2021. In addition to Swann vs Omega, FinJuice vs The Good Brothers for the tag belts has also been scheduled for the show.
Kenny Omega will face Rich Swann in a title vs title match at Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion PPV next month. Omega will most likely be a fixture on Impact programming in the build-up to the event as well.
According to a report from PW Insider, Omega was in Nashville yesterday as Impact is taping content this week. This would give the promotion several episodes with Omega to build up the match.
Impact is coming off of a big event on Saturday that aired on Impact Plus. Several notable developments occurred at Sacrifice. Rich Swann beat Moose to move onto Rebellion and Kenny Omega. Juice Robinson & David Finlay won the Impact tag-team titles from Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Also, Ace Austin defeated TJP to win the X-Division Championship.
The following matches are scheduled for tonight’s episode on AXS TV and Twitch:
Deonna Purrazzo, Susan, Kimber Lee, Tenille Dashwood & Fire N Flava vs ODB, Alisha Edwards, Jazz, Jordynne Grace, Havok & Neveah
Impact Tag Team Championships FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) defeated The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) (c) (14:34) – New Champions
Kenny Omega will take on Rich Swann in a Title vs. Title Match at Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion pay-per-view event on April 24. Swann defeated Moose on Saturday night’s Sacrifice event to become the Unified Impact World Heavyweight Champion. Impact Wrestling officially sanctioned the TNA World Heavyweight title on February 23 after Moose began calling himself “Mr. TNA,” claiming to represent the company’s history. Now that Swann has defeated Moose, he has become the undisputed world champion of Impact, with the Impact World title being referred to as the Unified World Championship.
Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore announced during last week’s Impact that the champion of the company would go on to face AEW World Champion Kenny Omega at Rebellion in a Title vs. Title Match on April 24.
Following his loss to Rich Swann, Moose said that he would take some time off to revaluate and think about what he plans to do in the future. “Tonight I proved that I’m undoubtedly the Best Big Man in professional wrestling and one of the best wrestlers In the world. I came short of becoming the undisputed champion. Will take time off to reevaluate the past Rebuild Refocus Rebrand and think about the Future.” Kenny Omega also reacted to the result of the match, posting the following:
Rich Swann and Kenny Omega have faced each other in the ring before, most recently at Impact’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view event in January where Omega teamed up with then-Impact Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers to defeat Swann, Chris Sabin and Moose.
Kenny Omega has made it known that he wants to collect more titles, and if he defeats Rich Swann at Rebellion then he would become the Impact Champion too. Speaking on his future defense against Omega, Swann said, “I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. I’m not afraid to step into the ring with no man. I fear no man and I only fear one thing. The thing is, that is not one thing that I would ever fear. If he (Kenny Omega) wanted to step into the ring and do a Unification… We’ve it. We’ve seen seen him go into Mexico and he beat Loredo Kid in AAA. Do I think he could come into my house and do what he did there? I don’t know. Time will tell.”
This past Sunday saw Kenny Omega defend his AEW Championship against Jon Moxley. The bout was an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch; with ‘homemade’ explosives created by Omega himself (in storyline) which went off at intervals during the match.
The explosions inside the ring were solid. These would pop every time either Moxley or Omega hit the barbed wire that replaced the ring ropes. Unfortunately the ending of the PPV saw the ‘explosions’ turn out to be more of a dud than anything.
Omega recently addressed this on Wrestling Observer Radio. “It was really deflating to do so much preparation, test the explosions; have them be impressive in the rehearsal, and then have it be something so much different than what was promised.”
It was also revealed in this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the concept for the match has been in the works for a long time. Dave Meltzer wrote that “Kenny Omega came up with the idea more than a year ago, and Jon Moxley was picked as the opponent.”
Meltzer also confirmed that “the idea going in was to have the greatest and most spectacular match of its kind, with both believing the other was the perfect opponent for that job.”
Did you enjoy the match besides the dud of an ending? Let us know in the comments
AEW put out another great PPV in Revolution which was main evented by the Barbed Wire Death Match between Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley featuring some pretty extreme moments.
However, the disappointing finish to the event overshadowed the efforts of everyone involved and the failed ring explosion which was hyped up by the company led to a lot of criticism from the fans.
The reigning AEW champion and the Executive Vice President Kenny Omega broke his silence on the dud during an interview with Wrestling Observer Newsletter and he admitted that it was a deflating experience:
“Yeah, it was really deflating to do so much preparation, test the explosions, have them be impressive in the rehearsal, and then have it be something so much different than what was promised.”
Kenny Omega Arrives at AEW Revolution (Photo: AEW)
Kenny Omega On Death Match Preparation
Omega continued by explaining how they worked hard on the different aspects of the match to make things entertaining and it sucked for it all to end in a disappointing finale:
“It made me appreciate everyone who worked hard and did their part even more, though. But like you said, we really wanted to have a good one, and we added real barbed wire to help with the feeling of danger so we really risked a lot. Again, I loved the match; glad we did it, sucks about the finale.”
Kenny Omega is not the only person involved to have commented on the finish of the show and both Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston also cut a promo on the AEW champion during this week’s episode of Dynamite.
Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston addressed the final explosion during their explosive barbed wire deathmatch on AEW Revolution that ended up being a dud on Dynamite this week. While the final explosion proved to be a let-down because of a technical glitch, the two credited it to inferior workmanship by Kenny Omega.
Eddie Kingston said that he was expecting a big explosion and revealed why he came out to protect Kenny Omega. He revealed that the reason he stayed down was because the explosions triggered an anxiety attack in him. Kingston bought up his time he spent sitting in a jail cell getting ready for court where guards told him he was going to be shipped off to Rikers Island, which triggered an attack in him for the first time.
“And everything went black. That’s what happened. Go ahead, make fun of it. Call me a coward, less of a man. I’m not speaking for you and I’m not speaking to you. I’m speaking to those that understand where I’m coming from,” Kingston said, explaining his selling of the weak explosion.
Eddie Kingston then asked Kenny Omega if he thought it was funny playing a prank like that on them. Jon Moxley told Kingston that he believes that Omega was legitimately trying to blow them up, he didn’t really plan a weak explosion to scare them. The two then jokes that Impact Wrestling paid for the bomb.
Jon Moxley also equated Kenny Omega to being Wile E. Coyote. “Let me ask you a question, when that bomb came in the mail did it come in a box with big, bold letters that said ‘ACME’ on it? I’ve made more explosive volcanoes in fourth-grade science class, what the hell was that?”
“Honestly, I’m glad neither guy came out with a serious injury because it was a really scary match and they both really put their health at risk for a huge PPV main event,” Khan said. “I think it was awesome, it was a great spectacle and I think we’re all lucky that the bomb going off in the end didn’t really hurt anybody, that Kenny’s big masterplan, that he built a dud.”
“The basic explanation is that Kenny’s ring set to explode, his plan as a heel who built this thing with a hammer and nails as we saw, that the final bomb just didn’t go off,” Khan concluded.
Unified Champion to face AEW World Champion Kenny Omega
Impact Wrestling has announced a big title unification match for their upcoming Sacrifice PPV event this Saturday, March 13 on tonight’s go-home episode of their weekly show.
Moose brought back the TNA world heavyweight championship at Rebellion last April. He has been defending the title against TNA veterans since then and calling himself a ‘self-proclaimed’ champion.
Rich Swann on the other hand, is the current Impact world champion and he won the title by defeating Eric Young at last October’s Bound for Glory PPV event.
Moose had been targeting Swann for a title shot since the Hard To Kill PPV and a title match between the two had been made official for Sacrifice.
Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore then announced during tonight’s episode of Impact that Moose will also be defending his championship at the PPV this weekend in a title unification match.
The winner of the match will become the undisputed world champion of the company and they will then go on to face the AEW world champion Kenny Omega at Rebellion on April 24.
This match is interestingly going to be a title vs. title bout as well which likely means that Omega is on his way to becoming the next Impact world champion.
Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley had one of the most memorable matches in the young history of AEW again.
Omega put the AEW World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Moxley in an exploding barbed wire deathmatch at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event. There was a 30-minute clock ticking away and when it expired if there wasn’t a pinfall or submission, the explosions would go off.
The match featured most of the ropes being wrapped with barbed wire ad various weapons. Early on, Moxley got sent into the ropes and fireworks went off. He was bleeding early on. Moxley hit a DDT off the apron through two boards with wire and there was an explosion. Omega was also busted open. The Good Brothers came out at one point. Omega hit the One-Winged Angel onto a chair for the win. Post-match, Moxley was handcuffed and beaten down. As the clock started to countdown, Eddie Kingston came out to make the save and covered Moxley as the explosions went off. Unfortunately, the big explosion was a let down.
The two wrestlers had worked two prior singles matches against one another with their first being at AEW Full Gear back in November 2019 when Moxley defeated Omega. Their second match took place this past December on an episode of Dynamite as Omega defeated Moxley to win the AEW World Title with the help of Don Callis, which kicked off his heel run.
All Elite Wrestling made this match official on the February 17th edition of Dynamite as Omega and The Good Brothers attacked Moxley after he, Fenix, and Lance Archer defeated Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, and The Blade. Omega did a promo where he granted Moxley his rematch, but wanted it in this type of brutal match.
AEW has had “Lights Out” matches, Parking Lot Brawls, and various other forms of hardcore matches. This Sunday at Revolution, Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley will wrestle in arguably the most hardcore match type ever invented. The two will face off in an Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match.
In a recent interview with NY Post, Kenny Omega spoke about why AEW does not shy away from hardcore match types.
“I still very much look at pro wrestling as an art form. I still like to consider myself the utmost professional. People like to dumb down matches with a violent stipulation. They kind of like just defer to those as garbage wrestling or that maybe we lack a certain area of expertise or talent, which is why we’re going there,” Omega said. “For me, it’s the complete opposite. I want to be considered as one of the best well-around athletes in professional wrestling. And I want to test myself in all avenues this sport has to offer.”
Omega also said he needs to test himself in this style of match against another wrestler who has a knack for hardcore bouts.
“For me to do that and do that effectively, I have to have some kind of experience in these types of situations. I want to test myself with the type of wrestler who specializes in this type of stuff. And sure, I don’t think Moxley has had an exploding barbed wire deathmatch, but it’s not something out of his wheelhouse to do something very hardcore.”
“I do believe the stars will align and something special will emerge from this,” Omega continued.
The Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match was made famous by Atsushi Onita. He competed against names like Terry Funk and Mr. Pogo in the match type.
Omega also recently revealed the official rules for the match:
THE RULES:
-3 sides of the ring ropes wrapped in barbed wire.
-contact with barbed wire triggers explosives on corresponding side.
-‘Triple Hell’ (3 zones on the floor wired to explosives)
-30 minute countdown timer until all explosives in and around the ring detonate. pic.twitter.com/vK1cZjSfHF
Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley is the most talked-about match in the wrestling world as of now and for good reason — it is one of the biggest and most hyped-up matches on AEW Revolution’s card. The barbed wire deathmatch is an exciting stipulation for hardcore fans and casual fans alike, with the fact that it also contains explosives that can be triggered which make a dangerous and thrilling setting for a match. Fans are curious as to what we can expect from the hardcore match and Omega has detailed some rules and provided us a closer look on how the match will work.
Kenny Omega posted a hand-drawn guide on his Twitter which reveals details on how the match will work and why fans should be excited. The drawing shows that 3 sides of the ring will be wrapped in barbed wire. According to Omega, if contact is made with the wire, then explosives will be triggered on the corresponding side. There are also three zones on the floor dubbed the “Triple Hell” which are also wired with explosives. All the explosives also have a time limit, as they will automatically trigger after 30 minutes. So even if contact is not made with the traps, it’s all going to detonate, anyway.
THE RULES:
-3 sides of the ring ropes wrapped in barbed wire.
-contact with barbed wire triggers explosives on corresponding side.
-‘Triple Hell’ (3 zones on the floor wired to explosives)
-30 minute countdown timer until all explosives in and around the ring detonate. pic.twitter.com/vK1cZjSfHF
Here are all the details of the match as per Kenny Omega:
THE RULES:
-3 sides of the ring ropes wrapped in barbed wire.
-contact with barbed wire triggers explosives on corresponding side.
-‘Triple Hell’ (3 zones on the floor wired to explosives)
-30 minute countdown timer until all explosives in and around the ring detonate.
Kenny Omega also clarified that the reason why the diagram shows all 4 sides of the ring ropes wrapped in barbed wire but the description says only 3, is because he’s being made to keep a side clear in case of an emergency.
Speaking on what to expect from the match, Kenny Omega said, “The idea itself is incredible. You touch the ropes and they explode. This is a match that was made famous about 30 years ago in FMW. It’s not like a cage match where you have a pretty good idea about what you’ll see. With this, there are going to be so many unexpected parts.”
“This is my opportunity to show to a much broader audience that I can show a different side to my work, do these skits, which the people who watched Being the Elite already knew, and accomplish a whole new set of goals.”
Jon Moxley challenges AEW World Champion Kenny Omega in an exploding barbwire death match this Sunday at AEW Revolution.
Moxley spoke to Steven Muehlhaisen for DAZN this week about his chemistry with Omega, the high stakes of Sunday’s match and more.
Many people regard him and Omega as two of the best pro wrestlers in the world. Moxley said he agrees with that sentiment, but wrestling is not exactly like pro sports, where one championship game (or series) determines the best in the world.
“In wrestling, that’s not necessarily the case. It’s different,” said Moxley. “You can be one of the best. The most important thing is how do you say who’s better: Shawn Michaels or Ric Flair? You can’t pick. If your favorite wrestler growing up when you were a kid was Big Van Vader or Ahmed Johnson, then they’re the best wrestler in the world to you. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who drew more money or who had people think had better matches. The most important thing is you just got to be the best you.”
Jon Moxley & Kenny Omega
Moxley said that he and Kenny Omega are being the best versions of themselves in AEW. They’re not being held back. They’re not being overproduced. AEW allows them to ply their craft and executive their visions.
“You’re getting the best version of Kenny Omega, the best version of Jon Moxley on a weekly basis on Dynamit,” he continued..” I don’t think anybody’s doing it at a higher level than me and Kenny are right now. We’re both in our prime, both at our peak, both just really hitting on all cylinders.
We’re in a position with AEW where we just get to go out there, be given the ball, and get a chance to score touchdowns on a weekly basis. Nobody’s doing it at a higher level than us two right now.”
Visit DAZN to check out the rest of the interview.
Kenny Omega will defend his AEW World Championship this Sunday at Revolution against former champion, Jon Moxley. This will not be a standard match as their one at Winter is Coming will be, however. Rather, this match will be contested under “Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match” rules. Omega recently spoke to SI.com and gave further details about the match.
“The idea itself is incredible,” Omega said. “You touch the ropes and they explode. This is a match that was made famous about 30 years ago in FMW. It’s not like a cage match where you have a pretty good idea about what you’ll see. With this, there are going to be so many unexpected parts.”
Omega continued to say that this match is partly about him expanding his repertoire as a performer.
“I’ve been hearing for over a year these expectations of what I was supposed to be in AEW. It was just a copy-and-paste of the ‘Tokyo Dome Kenny Omega,’ which would essentially have monopolized all of our programming. If that were the case, an hour would have to go to my matches. I believe too much in our roster and our vision to ever want to do something like that.”
“This is my opportunity to show to a much broader audience that I can show a different side to my work, do these skits, which the people who watched Being the Elite already knew, and accomplish a whole new set of goals.”
AEW Revolution will mark just the second time Omega has defended the belt since winning it in December. His first title defence was against Fenix on the first night of AEW’s New Year’s Smash.
Are you ready for this Sunday, March 7th at #AEWRevolution? Step inside the exploding barbed wire deathmatch Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama
AEW Champion Kenny Omega recently commented on the in-ring abilities of WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar. The former ‘Next Big Thing’ and WWE Champion has been away from the company since losing to Drew McIntyre at last year’s WrestleMania.
With Kenny Omega recently making comments about a potential WWE/AEW crossover; there has been discussion and clamouring from fans to see potential dream matches between the two biggest promotion in North America, if not the world.
A fan asked Kenny Omega on Twitter what his thoughts were on Lesnar. Omega replied to the prospect of having a ‘dream’ match against the former UFC fighter.
Kenny Omega on Brock Lesnar
“Brock is one of the greatest athletes and performers of all time” Kenny Omega wrote. “I’d need more friends if I were to face him.”
There was previously rumblings of Lesnar potentially joining AEW. Lesnar’s WWE contract was up for renewal and there was speculation that All Elite/Tony Khan had contacted Lesnar. With UFC now no longer on Lesnar’s radar, it is possible that he/his team were using potential AEW talks to negotiate a better deal with WWE. It has not been confirmed if Brock Lesnar is still signed to WWE at this point.
Former WWE Superstar Jon Moxley also recently discussed the potential of AEW and WWE working together. With Moxley having intrinsic knowledge of the company, he said it wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon.
“That would never happen” Moxley told to Inside The Ropes this week. “That’s not even worth wasting any mental energy to… You know. I mean, if you want to fantasy book some cool s**. You know, maybe you could fantasy book it for, like, fun magazine, stuff.”
Here are some of our recent articles related to Brock Lesnar & AEW:
Kenny Omega recently clarified that AEW’s agreement with NJPW is not a full-blown talent exchange. He spoke with Talk Sport recently about what fans can expect from the agreement reached between the two promotions.
“So you talk about the ‘forbidden door’ and people talk about it being open. It’s been ‘kicked open!’ or ‘blown open!’ Do I look at it as this gigantic door in the distance… I feel like it’s opened a crack and there’s this heavenly light shining through,” Omega said.
Omega then clarified that a few wrestlers will go from one promotion to the other but it won’t be a full talent exchange.
“A couple things slip through the cracks, you know what I mean? You might get a guy here or there sneaking in from one side to another, but it’s not going to be a full talent exchange where it’s a free-for-all going both ways.”
He continued to say that the agreement is hampered by international travel restrictions.
“It’s more the traveling restrictions and the things that make traveling between countries difficult is actually what is hurting us. But, in the same way, it helped this whole thing become a possibility because now we’ve been able to take a step back and take a look at the world we’ve realized there’s something a lot bigger than company pride or competing with everyone else around you trying to make yourself the number one brand.”
In response to a fan question on Twitter, Omega also recently stated that he believes Brock Lesnar is one of the best performers in history.
Brock is one of the greatest athletes and performers of all time. I’d need more friends if I were to face him.
Kenny Omega has provided new details regarding the AEW video game that is currently in development.
During his recent interview with TalkSport, AEW’s World Champion provided some updates on the game’s progress. He also revealed the timetable for its eventual release.
Omega first explained how they are trying to make a game that will be enjoyable for casual and hardcore gamers alike.
When is the AEW video game coming out?
The AEW video game is currently scheduled to be released during the first quarter of 2022.
“I would say in a perfect world, give it about a year’s time,” said Omega. “We’re working really hard and we’re lucky to have two teams. One in America and one in Japan, working on this almost around the clock.
He continued, “We do know that time is of the essence. We can’t let this sit around forever and people want a game like, yesterday. We do want to release something as soon as we feel it’s ready and representative of what our brand should be and what will make fans happy.”
More on the AEW video game
AEW wants to create a game fans will love, but do not want to keep people waiting forever. They want to avoid a Street Fighter 5 or Cyberpunk situation. Those games were delayed repeatedly.
Apart from this, Kenny Omega also talked about the technical aspects of the game. They are working diligently to capture the essence of the different wrestling styles represented by AEW’s roster.
There’s much more to the interview. If you’re interested in AEW’s video game, visit TalkSport to read all the quotes from their chat with Kenny Omega.
Click below to learn more about the AEW video game:
