Rich Swann will be in the main event of Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV next month. The former X-Division and WWE Cruiserweight Champion was recently a guest on Wrestling Observer Radio and told an interesting story about how Wale and Mark Henry were responsible for him being signed to WWE in 2015.
“Wale had, I want to say, he had came to the Lyceum show and DragonGate in New York and he had Tweeted out the next day that AR Fox, Rich Swann, Ricochet and Uhaa Nation they all need to be on TV, they all need to be on someone’s radar,” Swann said.
“And from there, he was super supportive and he helped me out, like he got me in contact with Mark Henry and Mark Henry, another one who just was a huge proponent of mine. He just helped me out and got me into the WWE’s eyesight and I just tried to take advantage.”
Rich Swann on Almost Retiring In 2018
Swann also talked about how negative comments and people on social media once led him to announce his retirement. This took place shortly after Swann was released from WWE in 2018.
“Everybody thought that they knew what happened with my situation. They read things that was glorified and at that moment, I was just like you know what? I need to take a step back. I need to find something else to do. Maybe this isn’t for me because I’d never gotten in trouble in my life. I’d never experienced anything like that before.”
“I sat back and I broke down. I didn’t know what to do. And guys like Tommy Dreamer, Scott D’Amore, Don Callis, Sami Callihan, my close friend Jason Cade, they would tell me ‘don’t do this, don’t retire, don’t quit.'”
He would continue to say that it was wrestlers he had worked with reaching out and telling him not to quit that eventually led him to decide to continue his career.
Rich Swann vs Eric Young for the Impact World title will take place at Bound for Glory on October 24th.
Impact Wrestling on AXS TV for August 4th, 2020 featured an emotional retirement speech from Rich Swann followed by a heinous attack by Eric Young. Both the TNA and Impact World Championships were on the line and Wrestle House was back as well.
Impact 8/4 Quick Results:
TNA World Heavyweight Championship (Unofficial) Moose (c) defeated Heath
Wrestle House Susie & Alisha Edwards defeated Johnny Swinger (referee: Cody Deaner)
Impact World Championship Eddie Edwards (c) defeated Sami Callihan
TJP & Fallah Bah defeated Chris Bey & Rohit Raju
Wrestle House Kylie Rae defeated Rosemary (referee: Taya Valkyrie)
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact 8/4
Rich Swann’s Retirement Speech Ends With Vicious Assault By Eric Young
Rich Swann made a surprise return in the main event of Slammiversary. Swann was returning from an injury that doctors said might end his career. He cut a promo this week and spoke about how hard he had to work to return only for Eric Young to assault him on the PPV. With his leg in a walking boot, Rich Swann announced he was retiring.
The entire Impact locker room emptied out and banged on the mat in support of Swann. As the former X-Division champion looked to take one final moment on the stage, Eric Young sprinted out and assaulted his already badly injured leg before running away. Young has quickly become the most hated man in the promotion since returning.
Rob Van Dam Takes Out Sami Callihan Ahead Of World Title Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQdmdBqnfA0
Sami Callihan was set to take on Eddie Edwards for the world title this week. As he was making his entrance, however, he was assaulted by Rob Van Dam and twerked at by Katie Forbes. Callihan had interrupted Forbes’ new website reveal last week.
Despite the assault, Callihan managed to make it to the ring for a match with his longtime rival. Even after taking a beating before the match, Callihan was competitive and almost won the title for a second time. He grew frustrated after not being able to pin Edwards after several piledrivers, however. Callihan picked up a chair but then thought better of using it. He then took two Boston Knee Parties from the champion and was pinned. One has to wonder how this match would have gone had Callihan not been assautled by Rob Van Dam beforehand.
Doc Gallows Arrested, Ace Austin & Madman Fulton Assault Karl Anderson
The Good Brothers are walking back to their truck when they noticed it was open and beer cans were on the ground next to it. As it turns out, this was a trap set by Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. During a melee with Austin and Madman, Gallows accidentally gave a back elbow to a police officer who had arrived to investigate. The police then arrested Gallows, leaving Anderson on his own.
Later in the show, Karl Anderson was on the phone saying he was going to get Gallows out of jail. He was then jumped by Ace Austin and Fulton and the two delivered a 2-on-1 beatdown to the Good Brother.
Wrestle House Returns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaZKFs1aGlc
Wrestle House continued this week and there is a lot to cover here.
Susie and Cousin Jake seem to have a budding romance. Alisha offered to help Susie with her love-interest but this drew some comments from Johnny Swinger. As a result, Susie and Alisha took on Swinger in a 2-on-1 match at Wrestle House with Cody Deaner as the referee. It didn’t take long for the two Knockouts to land a double splash on Swinger for the win.
Kylie Rae is motivated to get back to the Impact zone as she is the #1 contender for the Knockouts title. Rosemary said nobody is leaving until John E Bravo (who Rosemary has been trying to seduce) “gets the hint.” Later, Kylie would inform Bravo of this who then seemed to not really understand and left the house. This infuriated Rosemary and set up a match between her and Kylie Rae.
Taya would be the special guest referee here, which is notable as she seems to find Kylie quite annoying. Kylie seems comedically oblivious to this. With the referee in her back-pocket, Rosemary seemed to have the match won. John E Bravo then returned and began cheering for her. Bravo’s reappearance seemed to please Rosemary and while she was distracted, Kylie super kicked her in the face. Taya reluctantly and slowly counted the pin and awarded the match to Kylie.
Heath Suffers Loss To Moose, Still Without Contract
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-q8b4Pnlj0
Scott D’Amore granted Heath a match against Moose this week with the stipulation that if he could defeat the self-proclaimed TNA champ, he’d earn a contract. While Moose isn’t officially the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, he has been victorious in numerous unofficial title defences. He would do the same thing here, finding a way to snatch victory from the claws of defeat.
The referee got bumped during an irish whip into the buckle. With the ref down, Heath hit a reverse bulldog which he is now calling “The Wake-Up Call” but there was no ref to count the pin. Moose then hit a low blow and got the 3-count after the ref recovered.
The North Cashing In Rematch Clause Against The Motor City Machine Guns At Emergence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx82UXKIcHY
Yesterday, Impact Wrestling announced a special 2-week event called Emergence. The branded shows will take place August 18th and 25th. The North announced during this segment that they will be cashing in their rematch clause on one of the two shows.
Jimmy Jacobs sat down with Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin for an interview this week. The team talked about how they had been training together for a return and decided to reunite. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander then came out and said MCMG didn’t beat them when they were at 100%. Page said that defending the titles for over a year had left them injured and far from the team they can be. The North said they will be at 100% for Emergence.
TJP Makes X-Division Champ Chris Bey Submit In Tag-Team Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZQnsopmph0
Chris Bey defeated Willie Mack to win the X-Division Championship at Slammiversary. This week, he teamed with Rohit Raju to take on the team of TJP and Fallah Bah. The finish of the match came when Bey went for his patented springboard cutter finish but was countered by TJP. Bey then submitted to a cross arm-breaker possibly setting TJP up for a future shot at the X-Division title.
Kimber Lee Agrees To Take Out Jordynne Grace For Deonna Purrazzo
There was a backstage segment this week featuring Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and the newly signed Kimber Lee. Purrazzo is set to defend the title against Jordynne Grace at Emergence. Kimber Lee offered to take Grace out ahead of the match on the condition that she receive a title shot after. Purrazzo agreed to the deal.
Impact Wrestling has announced several of its year-end award winners. The promotion announced the winners of the Knockout of the Year, X-Division Star of the Year, Move of the Year, Moment of the Year, and One to Watch in 2020.
Impact Wrestling 2019 Award Winners:
Knockout of the Year: Taya Valkyrie
X-Division Star of the Year: Rich Swann
Move of the Year: Magnum (Tessa Blanchard)
Moment of the Year- Sami Callihan Wins World Title On AXS TV Debut
One to Watch in 2020: Willie Mack
Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year, and Tag Team of the Year will all be announced on the January 4th, 2020 Saturday night show.
Impact Wrestling last night emanated from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. The company is building towards their next PPV, Slammiversary on July 7th from Dallas.
Here are 6 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 5/17:
Johnny Impact Rescued Michael Elgin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRZRDSxCaKM
Elgin attempted to end the career of Rich Swann this week. The #1 Contender to Brian Cage’s world title delivered 3 powerbombs to Swann into the steel post during the night’s main event. The referee ended up disqualifying Elgin and then quickly ran away from the ring area. Elgin would continue the beatdown after the match. He had assaulted Willie Mack in the back earlier in the night as well. Mack would end up making the save before Elgin could deliver even further damage to Swann.
Just when Mack looked as though he was going to get his revenge on Elgin, Johnny Impact came out and attacked Mack and Swann.
Earlier in the show, fans were given a medical update on World Champion Brian Cage’s condition as well. Cage’s injury is being attributed to the post-match beatdown he received at the hands of Michael Elgin at Rebellion. Doctors advised they are not sure when or if Cage will be able to return.
Rosemary Abducted Su Yung
Su Yung and Rosemary met in a Demon Dog Collar match this week. In a match which involved both competitors attempting to use the poison mist (perhaps in anticipation of the Great Muta being brought in for a “Night You Can’t Mist”), Rosemary got the win after a spear.
Much like she did after defeating an Undead Maid of Honor, Rosemary abducted her opponent following the match.
Killer Kross Defeated Eddie Edwards
Kross stuck his thumb in the eye of Edwards as this match approached its final moments. Edwards has had issues with that eye, having had his orbital bone broken last year in a match with Sami Callihan.
Edwards then brought Kenny the kendo stick into the ring but when the referee attempted to take it away from him, Kross hit a Doomsday Saito suplex and got the win.
Following the match, Kross tied Edwards up in the ropes and looked as though he was going to hit him with the kendo stick. Edwards acted like he wanted Kross to do it too but Kross ended up breaking Kenny the kendo stick instead, leading Edwards to collapse into despair over the loss. The kendo stick had originally been given to Edwards at Slammiversary last year by Tommy Dreamer.
The Rascalz Train Vigorously For Tag Team Title Shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBPGzcAOk6o
The Rascalz have an upcoming tag team title match against LAX. They decided this week it would be a good idea to train for the match with an overly dramatic montage sequence. It was fitting considering they were in Rocky Balboa’s hometown this week.
Madman Fulton Wins A Squash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePKo3hl2d1U
The newest member of OVE won a squash match this week. Madman Fulton walked to the ring with Sami Callihan perched on his shoulders. He then proceeded to annihilate Randy Shawn.
Glenn Gilbertti Wins Knockouts Battle Royal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y6t05Zq3Ik
The former Disco Inferno has been insulting women’s wrestling as of late. On Impact Wrestling this week, he took things a step further. Gilbertti hid at the commentary table for most of the match before re-entering it near the end. He delivered a clothesline to Tessa Blanchard (who assumed she had won after eliminating Kiera Hogan) and then eliminated her.
Quick Results:
Glenn Gilbertti wins Battle Royal
Demon Dog Collar Match: Rosemary defeated Su Yung
Madman Fulton defeated Randy Shawn
Rich Swann defeated Michael Elgin via DQ
Next Week:
Rob Van Dam vs Tommy Dreamer
Knockouts Championship: Taya Valkyrie (c) vs Madison Rayne
Current X-Division Champion Rich Swann has just re-signed with Impact Wrestling. According to a report from PW Insider, the 28-year-old signed a new 2-year deal with the promotion. Swann spoke with PW Insider about his new deal.
“If you look at the landscape of professional wrestling today right now, it’s booming,” Swann said. “Somebody would that say with AEW going on and WWE right now, they would say that Impact might be under the radar. But, from being inside the company, and seeing the roster and seeing everything, seeing how it’s grown over the last year, I feel that this is the company that is the best fit for me.”
Swann recently defended his X-Division title successfully against Sami Callihan at Rebellion.
“I want to be a part of something that is growing right now,” Swann continued. “I feel like we’re going to make some moves.”
Swann suggested he could be with Impact well beyond the 2-year deal he currently has as well.
“It’s a multi-year deal and that’s something we can build off of, “ Swann said. “Seeing how the company is growing, there’s no reason to think that it can’t become a relationship that lasts even longer. I’m treated very well and I’m very happy there. It’s one of the most packed rosters right now.”
Swann also spoke about how supportive the company has been to him during his time there.
“I’m a part of something that, other than the wrestling side, people actually care about you, you know what I’m saying?” Swann continued. “I’m not saying that people in other wrestling companies don’t care [when you work there] but it really comes across and like, something like that is really big for me. That’s what made me to decide to re-sign with these guys and to continue working with them. It keeps me in a good head place. It keeps my head in a good space.“
If Sami Callihan doesn’t get what he wants, he will reveal spoilers to the much anticipated Avengers: Endgame. The latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuted in theatres yesterday. Callihan has told Impact Wrestling management that if his match with Rich Swann isn’t changed to a no rules/no disqualification match, those who order the PPV will be exposed to spoilers for the blockbuster movie.
Callihan initially said if his demands weren’t met, he’d simply no-show the event:
Callihan has now increased the stakes regarding his demands. After not receiving a response, he upped the stakes by adding in the threats regarding Avengers spoilers.
Swann and Callihan have been involved in a months-long rivalry as of late on Impact programming. Callihan originally recruited Swann to join OVE as the two were friends earlier in their careers. Swann rejected the offer, however, kickstarting their feud. Swann won the X-Division championship by winning Ultimate X at Homecoming in January.
Rich Swann is the new X-Division champion after having won the return of Ultimate X tonight at Homecoming. The Ultimate X ladder match kicked off the PPV. Swann defeated Trey Miguel, Jake Crist, and Ethan Page to become the new champion.
I had the chance to ask Swann about being a fan of the X-Division growing up on an episode of Impact Wrestling Press Pass last year.
“Oh man, I was such a fan,” Swann said of the early days of the X-Division. “Seeing guys like Frankie Kazarian, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal.”
“At that point in time in professional wrestling, there was only one company,” Swann continued. “Then to see these guys kind of throw out this style, this cruiserweight style, this style that had kind of been forgotten about thrown out and abandoned, and put it on TV, it mesmerized me.”
“Growing up aspiring to be a professional wrestler my size and stature that was one of my goals, if not the goal, to be in the X-Division to be in Impact, to get the X-Division championship.”
Impact Wrestling Homecoming
The Ultimate X match kicked off Impact Wrestling’s return to Nashville for Homecoming. Join us for live coverage of the event here.
Major League Wrestling’s held its first live Fusion episode on beIN Sports last night at the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami, Florida.
Below are the results and highlights from the event:
Fatal four-way ladder match for the vacated MLW Middleweight Championship
The match featured Kotto Brazil, El Hijo de LA Park, Dezmond Xavier, El Ringo Loco as replacements for Jason Cade, Marko Stunt and MJF as they were unable to compete due to injury.
Teddy Hart was added as the fifth participant in the match and had attacked Dezmond Xavier before the match started. Hart went on to win the gold after Hart lungblower on Brazil.
The leader of Los Ingobernables in his American live TV début faced off against the former WWE cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann in a very competitive match.
Swann was going for the 450 Splash but Rush turned it into a piledriver for the win.
MLW Middleweight Championship (Ladder Match)
Kotto Brazil vs Andrew Everett vs El Hijo de LA Park vs Dezmond Xavier
Other matches scheduled to take place tonight which will air at a later date include:
MLW World Championship
Low-Ki (c) vs Konnan
Singapore Cane Match
Tommy Dreamer vs Brian Pillman Jr.
Ace Romero vs Barrington Hughes
The show gets going at 8 PM tonight on BeIN Sports. For those who do not get the network, the full show will be posted to YouTube tomorrow at 6: 05 PM.
Major League Wrestling Miami Fusion Tapings
Tonight will also be the second night of back to back shows for MLW. They taped “Never Say Never” from the Scottish Rite Temple in Miami last night.
Court Bauer spoke to Sports Illustrated recently about the importance of MLW producing live television.
“There is an energy and sense of expectation to live TV, and with only one or two other companies on live, it puts us in rarified air,” said Bauer to SI.com. “We have now exceeded every milestone we had mapped out in our business plan within our first 13 months of operation. Once again, we now find ourselves in unchartered territory, but it’s very exciting.”
After this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling, there are just 3 shows left before Homecoming on January 6th. Here are 10 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 12/13:
Gail Kim To Referee Tessa vs Taya III
Gail Kim was announced as the special referee for the Knockouts Championship match between champion, Tessa Blanchard, and challenger, Taya Valkyrie at Homecoming. This coming on the heels of the champion getting purposely disqualified in their Bound For Glory rematch at the New York tapings and then subsequently strangling a referee two weeks ago.
With Kim serving as referee and Taya debuting a new submission hold recently, it’s looking as though she could walk away from Homecoming the new champion.
Killer Kross Wants To Bring The Devious Johnny Impact To The Surface
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUrTpa6m-dg
Killer Kross is fast becoming my favorite promo on Impact. He has continuously offered to watch Johnny Impact’s back ever since losing to him at Final Hour last month. The Impact champion wants nothing to do with him, however. This week he threatened Kross to stay out of his business but it’s just that kind of attitude Kross is trying to bring out of Johnny.
Johnny Impact will defend his title against Brian Cage at Homecoming and Kross believes the champ will need his help to retain. What role will Kross play at Homecoming?
Dark Allie Is Coming For Kiera Hogan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1ym0rPTYYw
Kiera Hogan was wrong, there is no good left in Allie. This week, Allie and Su Yung cut a backstage promo which would give small children nightmares. Allie said something along the lines of “the end of the beginning is the beginning of the end” in multiple ways before making it clear she is targetting her former friend, Kiera Hogan.
Eli Drake Visited Raven In Shady Acres
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFnNOvbAgUw
Last week, Raven helped Eddie Edwards escape from a mental institution. Evidently, Eli Drake watched last weeks episode and decided to pay Raven a visit this week.
While Drake would give Raven his due as a trendsetter and legendary hardcore wrestler, he also said he wants to rid pro wrestling of the wrestlers who were inspired by people like Raven.
Drake’s quest to end hardcore wrestling will continue at Homecoming when he faces Abyss in a Monster’s Ball match. He told Raven to watch.
Eddie Edwards Returned To Attack Moose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lye18AUUi8
Moose vs Brian Cage – No Contest
After escaping Shady Acres last week, Edwards attacked Moose in the night’s main event this week. He didn’t even bother to take off his hospital gown. Edwards has been spiraling downward mentally all year, ever since his rivalry with Sami Callihan. He’ll look to get revenge on his former friend Moose at Homecoming. Their match has now been made a “Falls Count Anywhere” match.
Konnan Won’t Be In LAX’s Corner At Homecoming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlrWqKV0aFw
Konnan never wanted LAX to defend their tag belts against the Lucha Bros. Santana and Ortiz went against his wishes and challenged them anyway, much to Konnan’s disliking. This week, Konnan informed the team that he will not be in their corner at Homecoming.
Fenix also defeated Santana in single’s action this week.
Rich Swann Does Not Want To Go To War With Sami Callihan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K68RL5GgHGs
Rich Swann defeated Dave Crist
Swann defeated Dave Crist this week to qualify for Ultimate X at Homecoming. With all four spots in the match now confirmed, Swann could be considered the favorite to walk away from Nashville as the new champion.
After the match, the Crist brothers attacked Swann. Willie Mack came out to help but both Swann and Callihan stopped their allies from attacking the other side. Swann and Callihan have a long history on the independent scene, especially with Combat Zone Wrestling. Swan again told Mac this week in the back that he does not want two “go there” with the devious Sami Callihan.
Jordynne Grace Is Still Very, Very, Strong
Jordynne Grace defeated Ruby Raze
Katarina thought she could bring in a ringer to face Jordynne Grace this week. After all, she had success sticking Murder Clown against her enemies in Mexico. This week didn’t go as well, however.
Jordynne Grace improves her Impact record to 3-0 as she defeated Raze this week, letting everyone in the Impact Knockouts division know she is moving her way up the rankings as quickly as possible.
Trey Miguel Qualifies For Ultimate X
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E05RnYiJBU
Trey Miguel defeated Trevor Lee
We may have seen Trevor Lee’s last match in Impact this week. He was defeated by Trey from the Rascalz in an Ultimate X qualifier. The win gives the Rascalz their first shot to bring home gold at Homecoming. Trey likely still wants to impress Scarlett Bordeaux, who showed up in the trio’s “That 70s Show” style smoking session.
Scarlett Bordeaux Has The Desi Hit Squad Fighting Over Her
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHqUH9ZOdpU
The Desi Hit Squad is going to fight over Scarlett Bordeaux next week. The Smokeshow visited the team in the back this week and said she loves it when men fight over her. Thus, the Desi Hit Squad will do just that next week.
Quick Results:
Rich Swann defeated Dave Crist
Fenix defeated Santana
Jordynne Grace defeated Ruby Raze
Moose vs Brian Cage – No Contest
Confirmed Matches for Homecoming (Non-Spoiler):
Impact World Championship
Johnny Impact (c) vs Brian Cage
Knockouts Championship
Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Taya Valkyrie (Gail Kim as Special Referee)
X-Division Championship
Ultimate X Match
Jake Crist vs Ethan Page vs Rich Swann vs Trey Miguel
Impact Tag Team Championships
LAX (c) vs Pentagon and Fenix
Last week, Impact Wrestling featured mainly GWN flashbacks to previous Thanksgiving-themed matches. Tonight, the promotion is back with a full episode featuring previously unaired matches.
Impact Wrestling Preview 11/29
The Lucha Bros vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann
Two of Impact’s top tag-teams will face each other tonight. Granted, Mack and Swann have only teamed up once before. They were victorious over the team of Matt Sydal and Ethan Page at Bound For Glory, however.
2 weeks ago on Impact, LAX told Konnan they wanted to defend their tag belts against Pentagon and Fenix. Konnan said he didn’t want that match to take place, however. We’ll see if anything changes regarding the LAX/Konnan/Lucha Bros situation tonight.
Eli Drake vs Tommy Dreamer
Eli Drake wants to rid professional wrestling from hardcore matches. Tommy Dreamer made his name from such a style of wrestling and plans to defend it tonight. Dreamer previously interrupted an anti-hardcore wrestling promo by Drake, leading to tonight’s match.
The Rascalz Debut
A few weeks ago we saw Trey Miguel, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz in a “That 70s Show” style smoke circle. This week they will be in action, though their opponents have yet to be named. This could be the beginning of a good run with the promotion for 3 wrestlers who have impressed many on the independent scene.
Jordynne Grace vs Katarina
This is a rematch from Grace’s first match in Impact. Grace was victorious but the next week Katarina approached Grace in the back and let the newcomer know she thinks she can beat her. “Thick Mama Pump” seemed amused by this and a rematch was scheduled for tonight.
Taya Valkyrie In Single’s Action
Taya Valkyrie is preparing for her rematch with Tessa Blanchard at Homecoming. In the meantime, however, she’ll be in single’s action tonight, though her opponent has yet to be revealed.
Knockouts Champion, Tessa Blanchard, will likely be watching this match closely as she prepares to face Taya for the 3rd time in Nashville.
Gold Rush On Friday
Impact Wrestling is actually back tomorrow as well for a live special on Twitch. Impact Gold Rush will start at 10:30 PM est and 7:30 PM local time from Newark, CA.
Impact Wrestling will air their first show since Bound For Glory tonight. This episode will also kick-off the first from the Melrose Ballroom tapings held Monday and Tuesday this week.
Johnny Impact World Championship Address
Johnny Impact defeated Austin Aries at Bound For Glory. While the post-match antics of Austin Aries may have dominated headlines, Johnny’s title reign is will be on center stage tonight. We’ll find out what Impact has to say about his championship win tonight.
X-Division Championship
Brian Cage (c) vs Rich Swann
Rich Swann has been one of the X-Division’s most consistent stars this last year. He also pinned former X-Division Champion, Matt Sydal, at Bound For Glory. Tonight, he has a chance to earn the title but he’ll have to go through Brian Cage to do so.
As for Cage, he suffered his first pinfall loss at Bound For Glory in trios action. Sami Callihan and OVE may not be finished with the Machine, however.
Allie vs Alisha Edwards
With the help of Rosemary and some black magic sorcery, Allie was able to escape the Undead Realm with Kiera Hogan at Bound For Glory. Allie seems shook up by what happened on Sunday, however. She didn’t seem comfortable leaving Rosemary in the Undead World with Su Yung. Anyway, she’ll go up against Alisha Edwards tonight.
LAX Celebration
LAX won the Concrete Jungle Death Match at Bound For Glory. They will hold a celebration for that tonight. The last time LAX held a big celebration a child got run over by a car. They might try to be more careful tonight, however.
Those Impact Tag Team Championships haven’t been defended in a while. We could hear more about what happens next with them tonight.
Scarlett Bordeaux’s Open Talent Search
Scarlett Bordeaux is searching for someone to be her full-time client. She’s opening up her talent search tonight. Allowing anyone to demonstrate to her why she should dedicate her services to them.
Ethan Page vs Trevor Lee
Ethan Page is now under the mentorship of Matt Sydal. He’ll have a chance to show how in-tune with his 3rd eye he is when he takes on a former X-Division champion in Trevor Lee tonight.
Willie Mack will compete this Sunday at Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory. The current HOH Twitch TV Champion will team with Rich Swann to take on Matt Sydal and Ethan Page.
Swann announced Mack will be his partner last night on Impact Wrestling’s go home show before the PPV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PaKXHuU87Y
Willie Mack & Rich Swann vs Matt Sydal & Ethan Page
Following Slammiversary and losing his X-Division Championship to Brian Cage, Matt Sydal began approaching Rich Swann about being his mentor. Swann said, however, that he’s not into yoga and Sydal’s style. The two had a single’s match in Mexico City last week which Sydal won after interference from Ethan Page.
Page accepted Sydal’s offer fro mentorship and the two challenged Swann to find a partner and face them at Bound For Glory. Swann only needed a week to announce Willie Mack as his partner.
Mack has not competed in Impact Wrestling before. He was on the Lucha Underground side of the Impact vs Lucha Underground show over WrestleMania weekend, however. Most recently, Mack challenged Cody for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The NWA posted the full match to their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwkiiSyJoME
In addition to being the current HOH Twitch TV Champion, Mack is also a 2x former Trios Champion on Lucha Underground.
Impact Wrestling and MLW’s Rich Swann began his pro-wrestling training at an early age. Swann was recently a guest on X-Pac’s 12360 podcast and talked about training to wrestle at an early age.
“I was going on 15 years old. Started training at 15 with Adam Flash and Darren Wyse,” Swann said. “They saved my life, they guided me in the right direction.”
Swann made his professional debut in 2008 at the age of 17.
Waltman said on the podcast that he feels wrestling saved his life too. Wrestling came into both Swann and Waltman’s lives at a time when they needed something to steer them away from trouble. Waltman was also only a teenager when he began his training as well.
When asked if there was anyone else his age on the scene when he began, Swann replied there wasn’t. “Just grown men, you know?” he said.
Swann debuted with Impact Wrestling this April and has become something of a crowd favorite. His match with Fenix from the tapings in Windsor was particularly well-received. He spoke to X-Pac about the time he’s had with Impact over the last 3-4 months.
“The roster is amazing,” Swann said of Impact Wrestling. “Wherever I land on IMPACT I am happy with because I’m just trying to have great matches and I am happy I am with IMPACT. The company is growing, it’s on national TV. The guys are wrestling everywhere it doesn’t matter if it’s Ring of Honor or New Japan… Slammiversary had a sprinkle of everything and it culminated and made it like ‘Boom this is IMPACT!’.”
Swann suffered a concussion during a preliminary match at the MLW Battle Riot tapings. The injury caused him to miss Slammiversary and the following two nights of tapings. He has since been cleared to compete once again and is scheduled to be at the August 12th and 13th tapings.
“The production value is amazing,” Swann continued to say regarding Impact. “How they present stuff; promos and packages are unique. I think that catches people eye. I think another thing that has IMPACT on an upward is just the wrestling. The wrestling right now is hotter than ever.”
Swann was suspended and later released by WWE back in February after he was arrested for a domestic violence issue involving his wife, wrestler Su Yung. The charges were eventually dropped due to insufficient evidence. Swann announced he was stepping away from wrestling, but that retirement was short lived. He was back in the ring within a matter of weeks.
He made his Impact Wrestling debut on June 21th, when he defeated Trevor Lee. Since then, Swann has wrestled a number of matches for the company.
Impact Signing Talent
This announcement makes it seem like the company officials are currently focusing on signing talents to lengthy contracts as Rich Swann is not the first talent to be bound by a long-term contract in recent times.
In June, the company announced that former Mae Young Classic competitor Tessa Blanchard has signed a long term deal with the promotion.
Veteran Impact star Abyss also signed a new deal with Impact, according to PWInsider.
Rich Swann will miss tonight’s Impact Wrestling Slammiversary show from Toronto. Swann reportedly suffered a concussion on Thursday at the MLW Battle Riot tapings. He is believed to have been taken to hospital after.
It was reported on Friday that Impact management was aware of the situation and was looking for possible replacements. Today, the Wrestling Observer is reporting that Swann has in fact been removed from the match although no official announcement has been made from either Impact or Swann.
Swann was scheduled to face Johnny Impact, Fenix, and Bullet Club’s Taiji Ishimori tonight. He also played a key role in the build-up to Sami Callihan vs Pentagon during the company’s Windsor television tapings.
Earlier this week, Johnny Impact had this to say about the upcoming match.
“I can’t think of a better way to return to Impact than with this 4-way match between some of the most talented guys in the world, myself included,” Johnny said on a media call. “I plan on stealing the show for sure.”
“The guys in this match are really on the upper echelon of athletism and charisma,” Johnny continued. “I’m stoked, bro.”
Slammiversary is an important night for the promotion. The new management regime consisting of Don Callis and Scott D’Amore has put a lot into this show. Johnny also talked about why he feels fans should be watching the promotion right now.
“You’ve got your traditional American psychology type wrestling but now we’ve got with Ishimori, with Pentagon, with Fenix, with Sami Callihan and Cage and Kevin Kross now, Aries, and of course, Johnny Impact. You’ve got this crazy blend of wrestlers from different styles from all over the world that make the matches on Impact infinitely interesting.”
Rich Swann debuted for Impact Wrestling this spring. Since that time, Swann has been involved in several well-reviewed matches with guys like Fenix, Sami Callihan, and oVe.
Swann is also an active wrestler with Major League Wrestling. At last night’s Battle Riot tapings, Swann was taken hospital with a possible concussion.
Swann’s injury is believed to have taken place during his tag-team match with ACH against Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. PWInsider is reporting that Impact Wrestling officials are aware of the situation and are looking to replace Swann in the match.
Slammiversary International 4-Way Match
The match Swann was scheduled for on Sunday’s pay-per-view was the international 4-way. He was to face Fenix, Johnny Impact, and Taiji Ishimori.
A possibly interesting note regarding Taiji Ishimori’s inclusion in this match is that Impact has stressed he will be representing Bullet Club when he does so. The promotion sent out the following on Twitter yesterday:
Taiji Ishimori working in Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling at the same time is an interesting development. If further stars from NJPW are allowed to work Impact tapings and pay-per-views it could provide a big boost for the promotion.
Johnny Impact took part in a recent Impact media call. He had this to say regarding his match at Slammiversary.
“I can’t think of a better way to return to Impact than with this 4-way match between some of the most talented guys in the world, myself included,” Johnny said on a media call. “I plan on stealing the show for sure.”
“The guys in this match are really on the upper echelon of athletism and charisma,” Johnny continued. “I’m stoked, bro.”
Rich Swann is becoming a major part of Impact Wrestling. Since debuting with the company at the recent television tapings held in Windsor, ON, Swann has become a part of the angle involving the Lucha Brothers, Sami Callihan, and oVe.
He is booked for the upcoming Slammiversary show next weekend as well. Swann will be part of a fatal 4-way with Taiji Ishimori, Fenix, and Johnny Impact. Swann is also a regular for the re-launched Major League Wrestling promotion. He’s booked on the upcoming Battle Riot event on July 19th, 2018 as well.
The former Cruiserweight Champion appeared on Interactive Radio recently and spoke about his run in Impact Wrestling so far, MLW, and the fan support he’s received since returning.
Rich Swann Talks Impact Wrestling Run
While Swann has not signed a long-term deal with Impact, he indicated on a recent media call that they are looking to work out an agreement.
“I think (Impact Wrestling) is an amazing company,” Swann said. “I’ve always followed it ever since I was younger. It has always been the company where you’re going to see pro wrestling. It is not just geared towards the entertainment. You’re going to see what people have been die-harding to see – That fast-paced, fight forever type style. That is what you’re going to get out of Impact. I love that.”
Swann also spoke about the supportive fan response he has received since arriving in Impact. “I’m very surprised, honestly,” he said in regards to the fan response. “When I had made my return to independent wrestling, a lot of people didn’t take too kindly to having me on the shows. I think once I was able to show my talents, people gave me, for lack of a better term, a second chance. I’ve taken that second chance and rolling with it and I’m not going to let anybody stop me no matter what they say and no matter what they do.”
There was an initial backlash against Swann when he returned to the independents following his arrest late last year. Following supportive comments from Su Yung, Impact Management and many of his colleagues, however, response to Swann has been back to positive.
“The people that have jumped on board, I’ve always said I greatly appreciate their support. I’ve grown up with these people, with these fans,” Swann continued. “Wrestling has been in my life since I was 16 years old. These people see that. I grew up with them in their eyes. For them to give me reactions like that means the world… You know?”
In terms of his Slammiversary match, Swann assures fans it will steal the show.
Impact Wrestling is back tonight with an episode taped from Windsor, ON, Canada. It will be the second last show before Slammiversary on July 22nd, 2018.
The OGZ (King, Homicide & Hernandez) Kick Off Impact
The first segment for this week is scheduled to be King, Homicide, and Hernandez.
Last week’s episode concluded with LAX in tatters due to a civil war. King admitted being behind the hit on Konnan. He attempted to recruit Santana and Ortiz but when that didn’t work, Homicide and Hernandez took them out.
We still don’t have an Impact tag-team championship match at Slammiversary. Perhaps we could see King’s OGZ challenge Konnan’s LAX for the straps.
Austin Aries Speaks The Truth
In the build-up to Austin Aries vs Moose at Slammiversary, it’s been a war of words.
Aries went on vacation shortly after winning the title back from Pentagon but tonight he will have a chance to say whatever he wants to his upcoming challenger.
Aries has been criticizing Moose for being a failed football player trying a second career.
Moose, on the other hand, says he left the NFL for pro-wrestling and is here to chase a dream.
DeAngelo Williams Returns To Impact
DeAngelo Williams will return to Impact Wrestling tonight. He’s been helping Moose train for his World Title match and will likely have plenty to say regarding his chances against Austin Aries.
Allie In Single’s Action
Allie is back and she’ll be involved in a single’s match tonight against an as of yet unnamed opponent.
This is a new version of Allie, however, one that is a little darker and not quite as bubbly as before. She’ll need that new attitude too as she has a potential new rival waiting in the wings.
Last week, Tessa Blanchard interfered in Allie’s match in which she was teaming with Madison Rayne and facing Su Yung and one of her undead brides. Blanchard wanted at Rayne because of the two straight upset losses Rayne has handed her lately. Perhaps Allie and Blanchard are on a collision course.
Madison Rayne Sit-Down Interview
In just 10 days, Madison Rayne will go one-on-one with Su Yung. Tonight, she takes part in a sit-down interview to discuss her career, Slammiversary, and, of course, her opponent on that night, Su Yung.
Pentagon, Fenix, and Rich Swann vs Sami Callihan and oVe
Callihan has promised that during this match not only will he take Pentagon and Fenix’s masks but he plans to rip off Rich Swann’s face!
We will get a build-up to the Mask vs Hair match between Pentagon and Callihan here.
While Fenix and Rich Swann are on the same side in this match, they will be opponents at Slammiversary. They are two of the four competitors (along with Taiji Ishimori and Johnny Impact) involved in the fatal 4-way match.
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.
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.
Rich Swann will take on Trevor Lee tomorrow night on Impact Wrestling. Many feel the 27-year-old’s style is a perfect fit for the promotion’s X-Division. He was given an opportunity to show what he can do at Impact’s recent television tapings in Windsor, ON, Canada.
Additionally, Swann wrestled Austin Aries for the Impact World championship at the One Night Only pay-per-view, Zero Fear. He can also be seen on Major League Wrestling’s show on BeIN Sports, Fusion.
Swann recently answered questions from the media as part of Impact Wrestling’s teleconference call.
“Oh man, I was such a fan,” Swann said of the early days of the X-Division. “Seeing guys like Frankie Kazarian, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal.”
Swann would also specifically mention AJ Styles as someone he enjoyed watching during this period of the X-Division.
“At that point in time in professional wrestling, there was only one company,” Swann continued. “Then to see these guys kind of throw out this style, this cruiserweight style, this style that had kind of been forgotten about thrown out and abandoned, and put it on TV, it mesmerized me.”
Swann emphasized that he was influenced by the X-Division style growing up. Winning X-Division gold was something he dreamed of as he aspired to be a pro-wrestler.
“Growing up aspiring to be a professional wrestler my size and stature that was one of my goals, if not the goal, to be in the X-Division to be in Impact, to get the X-Division championship.”
The X-Division roster is pretty stacked these days, so Swann will have no easy climb to the top. Current champion, Matt Sydal, recently Tweeted that he will be keeping his 3rd eye fixed on Swann’s match with Lee tomorrow night.
“That’s a dream right there for me,” Swann said in reference to competing in the X-Division. “That means the world.”
What’s Up With Rich Swann’s Hair These Days?
Swann’s recent haircut was addressed on the conference call as well. He stated the haircut is an homage to Minoru Suzuki. The “Beautiful Sadist” and leader of Suzuki-Gun often shaves designs into the top of his head and leaves the back longer than the top.
Rich Swann and Su Yung Moving Forward, Focussed on Positivity
“My wife and I are living a happy life,” Swann said on today’s conference call. “We would like to forget about the past and focus on the present and our future and focus on positivity.”
Impact Wrestling Vice President, Don Callis, addressed Swann’s hiring on an earlier conference call. He stated unequivocally that after speaking with Su Yung, Impact management (Scott D’Amore, Ed Nordholm, and Don Callis) made the decision on the spot to give Swann a chance in Impact Wrestling.
“(Su Yung) explained the situation to us and what happened and it was decided there and then between the three of us” – Don Callis
Yung and Swann are moving forward, focussed on the future, and focussed on Impact Wrestling.
Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann was released from WWE back in February for a domestic abuse incident that occurred with his wife. Since then, Swann and his wife have reconciled and he has begun working for IMPACT Wrestling.
PWInsider Elite’s Mike Johnson recently discussed the possibility of WWE bringing back Swann, and said he believes the company could bring him back at some point:
“I think WWE will bring him back at some point. Whenever somebody gets in trouble, WWE has them serve their penance and then they eventually get brought back into the fold. I think that is the process that Rich Swann is in right now. He’s working for Impact but he’s not signing a 5-year contract.”
H/T Ringside News for the transcriptions
Batista Praises Titus O’Neil
WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil took to Twitter to celebrate staying in shape at the age of 41. He’s nearing his goal of cutting down to 270 pounds, as he currently weighs 284. His good friend and former WWE Superstar, Batista, responded to O’Neil’s Tweet and praised him for his hard work:
284lbs now 6weeks from today I’ll be ready for a Lifelong Goal 2be reached&I’m excited about the process to go down to a Leaner 41 year old 270lb @Marvel Character 😎🌍 Has nothing to do with @WWE but everything to do with being a Blessed Man! @DaveBautista I’ll see you soon 😊 pic.twitter.com/zdeuhaQ7GK
One former WWE superstar is headed to Impact Wrestling.
On Tuesday, May 15, 2018, the promotion announced that Rich Swann will be appearing at their TV tapings on June 1st and 2nd at St Clair College in Windsor, Ontario. The promotion sent out the following announcement:
Despite the fact that Swann has gone on record in the past by stating that he plans to retire from wrestling after finishing his indie bookings, he decided to return to the ring and continue to take indy bookings.
Back in December, Rich Swann was arrested in Gainesville, FL and was charged with Kidnapping and False Imprisonment, which is a third-degree felony in Florida that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
The charges were later dropped. However, it was announced in February that Swann and WWE parted ways. What are your thoughts on him working for Impact? Sound off in the comment section below.
WWE’s Triple H recently appeared on the “Tafaolkum” show in Saudi Arabia to promote tomorrow’s Greatest Royal Rumble event. The Game has some great words about the Saudi Arabian fanbase, and also said he believes Saudi Arabia is “misunderstood”:
“I’m always amazed when I come here, that the fanbase is so deep and their love for WWE is so intense. It’s such a welcoming place. To be honest, I think it’s misunderstood in a lot of the world when you come here to Saudi Arabia,” he said. “It’s just a wonderful place and the people are so friendly here, and they’re excited to see you.
“Especially when it comes to WWE. We are like superheroes come to life and they can see you walking down the street in front of them, they kind of look in awe. It’s a wonderful feeling. I know the WWE Superstars that are arriving today and tomorrow to come here for this event are really looking forward to being here and putting on a show for the fans.”
H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions
Former WWE Star Now Taking Bookings
It looks like recently released WWE Superstar and former Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann is now accepting bookings again. This past March he had announced his retirement from wrestling, but he returned to the ring at a CZW event earlier this month. Swann can be booked via DM on Twitter @GottaGetSwann.
Former WWE Superstar Rich Swann made his surprise in-ring return at an indie show on Saturday after seemingly announcing his retirement and staying away from the ring for a month.
Following his WWE release, Swann had announced on Twitter that he will be retiring from Pro Wrestling, after which he had pulled himself from several indie appearances:
After all the bookings ive taken im so scared to step in the ring but i cant wait lol. But after there done i will be retiring. Thank you for taking the chance on my name
However, he made his surprise in-ring return at last night’s Best of the Best 17 event of CZW and announced that he will be entering the tournament.
He then faced Joe Gacy, Joey Janela, and Brandon Kirk in a Fatal Four-way match where Gacy got a pinfall victory over Swann. Below is a video of his entrance during the show:
Rich Swann was suspended by WWE after getting arrested back in December last year. He was involved in an incident with his wife Su Yung and was charged for false imprisonment/kidnapping and misdemeanor battery (touching or striking).
While all charges against him were dropped later on, the former Cruiserweight Champion was never reinstated by the company and instead he was released back in February based on a mutual agreement.
No word yet on if his in-ring return was a one-off deal or if he’ll resume his wrestling career following the appearance but we’ll keep you posted.