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Impact Wrestling Winter/Spring 2020-21: Swann Diving Into a New Era

Baby Shoes

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Stuff I’ve read seemed like it was a misunderstanding. I had seen something where she was still in full gimmick trying to get out of a moving car due to an argument, which the freaked out bystanders since her gimmick is covered in blood. But just based on how everything went down, it’s just seemed off to me, whether that’s fair or not.
 

Valeyard

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Impact's roster has no one interesting enough to put against Omega. Impact might be AEW's dream midcard but unless they look stupid good on Dynamite it doesn't matter. They're AXS goofs working for the longest running gag of a promotion in history until shown otherwise. The only homegrown star Impact has produced that would be on Omega's level is never coming back, and that's Tessa.
 

HSJ

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Stuff I’ve read seemed like it was a misunderstanding. I had seen something where she was still in full gimmick trying to get out of a moving car due to an argument, which the freaked out bystanders since her gimmick is covered in blood. But just based on how everything went down, it’s just seemed off to me, whether that’s fair or not.

I’ve heard the fully story from a few sources and while Swann is no angel, he was put in a bad situation. Toxic relationships are toxic for a reason, but I think all parties have seeked help since then.
 

Big Beard Booty Daddy

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I'd love to see Jake Something break off from Cousin Cody, which seems to be where they're going. Jake, as Jake Something not Cousin Jake, could be a huge deal. Dude has a presence, and is talented. He's a great big man that should be destroying people. He could be a top star. If they had pushed him, imagine him just coming out and destroying the AEW roster to get to Omega, it'd be great. But alas, they stuck him in a redneck comedy gimmick.
 

Baby Shoes

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I'd love to see Jake Something break off from Cousin Cody, which seems to be where they're going. Jake, as Jake Something not Cousin Jake, could be a huge deal. Dude has a presence, and is talented. He's a great big man that should be destroying people. He could be a top star. If they had pushed him, imagine him just coming out and destroying the AEW roster to get to Omega, it'd be great. But alas, they stuck him in a redneck comedy gimmick.
I think if they are breaking him off from Cody the way they did, it is a perfect reason for him to disavow the Deaner name and something as his gimmick replacement would work in story and be hilarious.

I did actually enjoy the Deaner team too but don’t know what to think of Cody becoming one of EY’s redneck disciples.
 

Big Beard Booty Daddy

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If anything, Jake could have worked much better in that role, but I think Joe Doering and Jake might have been a little too much, so they didn't put them together. As the ass kicking face, Jake could be very big.
 

Laz

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I still think having Mox go after Omega on Dynamite, the rest of the Elite breaking them up, and then Sami Callihan jumping in to fuck Omega up would be a great use of the cross promotion.
 

Epic Springs

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One thing I'll say about these crowdless shows is that Callihan's shtick absolutely does not work without spectators. 80% of his act is antagonizing everyone around him and with no one to shout out too, it comes off pretty goofy.
 

Laz

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...more like if a former tag team got back together, since they were the Switchblade Conspiracy in CZW, which is when both guys started gaining actual attention...
 

Baby Shoes

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Nah man everyone knows Moxley didn’t start wrestling until debuting with his brothers Rollins and the BIG DOG
 

Valeyard

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Mox is a legit star who has managed to be something special for a startup national promotion and is on a highly rated weekly show. Callihan is a goof who people only know because of how much a dumbfuck he is and how bush league he looks. I can promise the casual fan, or even the lapsed hardcores, are much more likely to be bemused at what passes for a top Impact star getting shine off the guy tons of people watch TV for. It's just what it is and no matter what match they could have or what they could actually make out of such a situation it still makes Impact look like Impact when you put Sami Callihan around guys who just outshine his own promotion let alone himself. It helps no one and exposes things that should be avoided.
 

King Kamala

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Sami Callihan looks and sounds like how a non fan that doesn’t like wrestling would imagine “an angry wrestler guy”.

I hate to disagree with @Laz again but I think he is severely overestimating how many people, even among hardcore lifetime fans, know about ‘00s (and early ‘10s?) CZW. On the other hand though, AEW creative is so esoteric at times that I could totally see them doing callbacks to 10 year old CZW storylines that only a few dozen people remember.
 

Laz

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AEW tried to get Nakazawa over as a thing. I don't think highlighting that the most wild guy on the AEW roster and the most controversial/violent guy in Impact used to be friends isn't a positive if you're going to do cross-promotional stuff.

As for non-fans seeing him as "generic angry wrestler," I get that...but that's still better than when non-fans see the Dark Order and say "so wrestling is still fucking stupid" and move on. Or when lapsed fans see Omega preening about and wonder where the fuck Stone Cold went before changing the channel. Acting like one guy whose body of work has been overall solid isn't worth getting behind on a minor level when the biggest current draw is a 60-something retiree in facepaint seems a little silly to me.
 

Valeyard

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It's Sting. There is a rather large difference. You get a shot at signing Sting, you give it a shot because he's Sting. I'm not even a Sting guy but the value is ridiculous. Sami Callihan hit a twat with a bat and fought people on twitter about it.

That aside his ceiling in a national televised promotion (as a single) is pretty much helping Darby or maybe Cassidy kill themselves. I hate me some Elite but he's just that guy, and if you're trying to have some kind of invasion work you just need to take some things into account. Say what you will about Sting but as someone who follows things I'm much more invested in his role in the story, because of his TNA run.

But Impact has to be taken seriously for anything to matter and so far it's just been AEW teabagging them.
 

Laz

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Which is why I think Sami could work as an additional figure, especially on Mox's side. He's a firebrand who welcomes heat (because the bat accident was the one time he really fucked up after years working deathmatches and Eddie moved the chair), he's proven he can be a workhorse when needed, and he'll do all sorts of crazy shit to get a match over. I'm not saying have him beat Omega for the belt, but having him around as a constant threat to people's health won't hurt.

Because, like you said, Impact needs to be taken seriously. I'm failing to see how taking one of their top heels and letting them get some heat is a bad idea in that very notion.
 

Big Beard Booty Daddy

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I think it's a little silly to say someone like Sami can't work in this. All AEW has to do is have Moxley cut a promo about their history. Show highlights of Sami in Impact, and he has done some great work there, especially working with Lucha Brothers, and he's over as a threat. To have him as a helper of Moxley can work. AEW has done a great job of telling their stories and making people matter, and this would be no different.
 

King Kamala

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I think reasonable to expect, best case scenario for Impact Wrestling is that Team Impact goes over at Hard to Kill (presumably with one of the Good Brothers eating the pin) then Tony Khan allowing Rich Swann and MCMG to appear on AEW shows to put over Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks in strong, competitive matches. And I don't really see that moving the needle in a positive or negative direction.
 

cobainwasmurdered

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i would rather see them try to get someone like Sami over than watch anything to do with Sting. I love Sting and I always will but he is in his 60's. He can't (or fucking shouldn't) wrestle. Wrestling needs to get over younger talent and this is the time to do it when they have eyeballs on them because of a guy like Sting or the Nwo2020.
 
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Valeyard

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Callihan absolutely can work in this but he just won't be taken seriously on a top level against Mox. Their past, at this stage, is irrelevant. It's a factoid Excalibur would say in passing during a TV match, nothing more. His spot in Impact is just not the same as it would be in AEW, and as a result hurt him, Impact, and Mox. I think he and Darby would be a much better fit for a myriad of reasons. But that's as high as he could be realistically. If I'm wrong, I'm cool with it, but he's just not the guy as a singles act to be that high for this story. He gets over, that's good. Don't confuse me saying he's not the same league as saying he's useless.

Sting's got room to be interesting. I'm curious how they make it work, which is a first for every party involved in ten years. But yeah, dude can't bump and has no purpose beyond name value. I'd much, much, much rather they let the older guys they actively use already play to their own strengths to make guys over, but it's Sting.
 

Laz

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...who's saying to have him feud with Mox? I'm saying reform their tag team since Sami will hate Omega for being alive and Mox hates Omega because he stole his belt.
 

HSJ

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You’re kidding yourself if you don’t think Sami can come in and get over, especially if he has matches with the Young Bucks, Omega, etc.
 

Valeyard

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AEW and Impact teaming up in almost every sense is silly, though. Impact just took a lot of fun out of it.

I never said he wouldn't get over at all, just not as a top guy in this kind of environment. It's why I'm warming up to he and Darby committing attempted murder. That's the best shot he'd have, and the more I think about it he'd be the perfect Impact guy to go for the TNT title anyway. That'd be pretty nice, actually. He's just not on the level of the top guys as it stands, and to be fair I really have minimal interest in Omega or the Bucks against anyone.
 

Big Beard Booty Daddy

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As much as I love Impact, I agree with your first statement. I'm willing to see where it goes, but outside of giving a rub to Impact, there's not much outside of that. Callis is looking out for his product because he knows they really aren't on that level. Now, he, Swann, and Good Brothers get to work with AEW. I really don't think the partnership goes much further than that. If Omega wins the Impact title, then what? Who beats him? Maybe in a couple years a guy like Bey, or Jake Something (sooner than Bey), or someone else like that could be looked at as the guy to beat him, but who from Impact is really beating the best wrestler in the world (not saying he is, I still put Okada there, but that's what he's billed and booked as)?

I still think that Sami could easily be a top guy in a story with AEW.
 

Big Beard Booty Daddy

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I don't have TNT so I don't watch Dynamite but have they even made that many references to Impact?

Outside of when Callis is out, not that I'm aware of. I don't pay incredibly close to the commentary, but I haven't really heard anything. And I didn't remember them mentioning anything about the Impact PPV that Omega is going to be on.
 
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