Impact Wrestling in Spring-Fall 2021: Not just an AEW Farm Team! We've got NJPW guys now too!

[King Kamala]

Impact Wrestling has an Impact Plus special tonight. Given everything that's happening everywhere else in wrestling and the fact it's main evented by Brian Myers, I feel like viewership will be in the dozens.

So this is the definition of CARDS THAT DON'T WARRANT A THREAD

Impact Wrestling Emergence
August 20th, 2021
From Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee

Impact World Championship Title Match
Christian Cage (c) Vs Brian Myers

Triple Threat for the Impact World Tag Team Championship Titles
The Good Brothers (c) Vs Rich Swann & Willie Mack Vs Violent By Design

Impact X Division Championship Title Match
Josh Alexander (c) Vs Jake Something

Fatal Fourway to determine #1 Contender for the Impact World Championship Title
Chris Sabin Vs Moose Vs Sami Callihan vs Ace Austin

Petey Williams Vs Steve Maclin

Mixed Tag Team Match
Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt Vs Melina and Trey Miguel

Mixed Eight Man Tag Team Match
The Decay Vs Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans, Fallah Banh, and No Way Jose

Matt Cardona Vs Rohit Raju

Madison Rayne Vs Taylor Wilde


I thought Madison Rayne made a big deal out of retiring like six months ago? Eh, I guess it's wrestling.

 

[tekcop]

Looks like a good Main Event main event.

 

[Valeyard]

The neo-Velocity vibe is so strong. I love it so much.

 

[King Kamala]

"Josh Alexander is an awesome X Division Champion." really does feel like the modern equivalent of "Velocity actually has really good matches".

 

[Valeyard]

Find Paul London and Jimmy Yang and we got us a legit good 2004-09 midcard show. Two mixed tags on the card is just so TNA, though.

That all said I'll always root for the old guard and think Christian/Sabin would be awesome.

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1430288815978008579

LOGIC BE DAMNED- I'd like Christian to bring back Tomko to counteract Madman Fulton

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1429973884200263681

Scott D'Amore is getting drunk at Blue Jays games and trying to tell everyone Buddy Murphy and Braun Strowman are signing with them.

Despite the name change almost a decade ago, still, THIS IS TNA!

 

[alkeiper]

Buddy Murphy is appearing on an indy show about an hour from me in a couple weeks. $50 a pop for an autographed photo.

 

[Valeyard]

He'd do well in Impact. I think is the first time since their inception where they pick up (mostly) the right ex-WWE guys.

But I gotta say Christian being the Impact savior rubs me the wrong way. An AEW guy wins their title and loses it to another AEW guy on AEW TV. I know Christian was a big part of their company for a few years but he's gone and will be gone after he drops the title likely via AEW-based shenanigans. Should've been Moose or Swann or Sami or at least someone actually in Impact getting that win and eventual rematch.

 

[King Kamala]

Unfortunately, I don't think there was any scenario where Kenny Omega was going to drop the title to an Impact guy. Christian is a solid fallback choice. He'll probably cheerfully, cleanly put over whoever Impact Wrestling wants.


Also I always got the impression that Christian is way way more important to Impact Wrestling internally than he is even to the outside observer. Bruce Prichard said on the Christian episode of STWW that when WWE had to allow one of their stars to appear at Slammiversary 2012, as a settlement for the Ric Flair lawsuit, Impact Wrestling had the choice of anyone on WWE roster except Punk and Cena and Dixie quickly chose Christian.

 

[Valeyard]

Toss Omega in a threeway and don't have him get pinned. I get wanting to protect Omega for a lot of reasons but Impact has been treated like a total joke throughout this whole relationship. They might as well have unified the titles.

Dixie was an idiot and should've picked HHH.

 

[King Kamala]

You know I think it might've been Triple H not Punk that was the other option that Impact couldn't pick for Slammiversary 2012. Idk. I'm not going to relisten to an old STWW.

Bruce argued to have The Undertaker be the WWE special guest star but I feel like The Undertaker showing up to introduce a TNA clip would've just been embarrassing for everybody. I feel like I'm the only one besides Dixie who thinks Christian wasn't a bad choice. Like he isn't who I would've picked but he might be in my first 5 of 2012 WWE people I'd pick to show up in TNA.

 

[Valeyard]

Taker would have been wonderful because it's the exact kind of thing TNA would do. If you can't get HHH or a McMahon, get the biggest loyalist there is. My real answer is probably Rey just so he can put over the x division and take credit for creating the style.

 

[King Kamala]

WWE roster in Summer 2012 was a lot less loaded then I remembered. My first instinct was to pick Daniel Bryan to get the nerds in the crowd jacked up with "Yes!" chants but he was technically still a heel. Jericho was my 2nd instinct but this wasn't long before he was jobbing to Ryback and Fandango so Idk.

I think Bruce actually might've been right for once. It would've been something to have The Undertaker pop up to introduce a clip he's never seen before.

 

[Epic Springs]

The roster in 2012 was weak as hell. There's a reason why the '12 Rumble is in the bottom 5 ever. Jey Uso randomly entering before the Usos found their footing in the company a year or so later tells you everything.

 

[King Kamala]

Was 2012 also the one where everybody on the announce team (and Kharma) were in the match?

That was also the one Sheamus won when everyone justifiably thought Jericho was going to win. Kicking off that stupid era where they attempted to mold Sheamus into the next Cena. That's definitely a top two or three all time most random Rumble.

 

[Epic Springs]

As much as I wanted Jericho to win, I didn't mind Sheamus winning. No one expected it, he was competent enough in the ring and it's not like they were actually going to give him the main event at WM anyway.

 

[Valeyard]

That final Sheamus/Jericho sequence was awesome, though. The kind where I couldn't feel bad either way.

Jericho would actually be fun in Impact these days. Don't know if it'd be good but he'd be fun.

 

[King Kamala]

I wanna see Jericho in Impact just for the segments where he'd interact with Johnny Swinger.

 

[Valeyard]

Jericho has a lot to offer Impact. Him just popping up after MJF beats him would be fun. I don't like either guy but a program with Sami could be some really good stuff.

 

[King Kamala]

You and @Laz might throw a rock at me for saying this and probably deservedly so but I could see Jericho phasing into a role of a modern Terry Funk. Using last phase of his active career by traveling to mid sized promotions and using his name to help put over their talent.

 

[Valeyard]

He'd make good money. Like, hypothetically, if he wanted to create a loop that coincided with his Fozzy schedule, he'd do well and many would benefit.

 

[King Kamala]

According to Meltzer, Impact Wrestling is making a hard play to get Bray Wyatt to sign with them.


I'm an Impact defender (apologist?) and generally defend Wyatt but my god, that sounds like a bad idea for all parties involved. I just feel like Impact being Bray's creative playground would just be very, very annoying.

 

[Valeyard]

I don't know if he'd fit but they have to give it a shot. He's too big a star not to. I think the only way he'd be 100% serious about it is if they bring Dallas and/or Jojo in too.

 

[King Kamala]

Maybe it's just me but for the big name free agents on the market, I feel like Braun would be a way better fit for Impact than Wyatt. Braun as Impact's superhero babyface champion could be weird enough to work IMO.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

According to Meltzer, Impact Wrestling is making a hard play to get Bray Wyatt to sign with them.


I'm an Impact defender (apologist?) and generally defend Wyatt but my god, that sounds like a bad idea for all parties involved. I just feel like Impact being Bray's creative playground would just be very, very annoying.

They already have Decay. Stick him as their leader and make them more serious. Taurus could become a force, too.

 

[Valeyard]

Braun lawndarting x division guys and getting in blood feuds with Sami or Moose would work. He could fill the void Abyss left, kinda.

 

[alkeiper]

According to Meltzer, Impact Wrestling is making a hard play to get Bray Wyatt to sign with them.


I'm an Impact defender (apologist?) and generally defend Wyatt but my god, that sounds like a bad idea for all parties involved. I just feel like Impact being Bray's creative playground would just be very, very annoying.

Keep him far away from Jordynne Grace. And Rachael Ellering.

 

[King Kamala]

Maybe it's just me but for the big name free agents on the market, I feel like Braun would be a way better fit for Impact than Wyatt. Braun as Impact's superhero babyface champion could be weird enough to work IMO.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1431256829842046979

 

[King Kamala]

Meltzer is reporting that Buddy Murphy has signed with Impact and main reason he chose them over AEW is they offered much more flexibility with independent dates.