Impact Wrestling: We Need to Talk About That Bound for Glory Main Event…

The main event of Bound for Glory has got many Impact Wrestling fans fuming. Why? Well, we need to talk about Johnny Impact…

I couldn’t help but groan two weeks ago, when Johnny Impact, interrupted the heel trio of Austin Aries, Killer Kross and, the newly contemptible, Moose. Strolling down the ramp, The Mayor of Slamtown casually dropped into conversation that he was the new number one contender to Aries World Championship. The main event for Impact Wrestling’s biggest show of the year was set. It would be The Greatest Man That Ever Lived, defending his pride and joy, versus The Man Most in Need of Creative Rejuvenation on the Entire Roster (how’s that for a snappy title!).

In a year, characterised by customer satisfaction, this announcement was met with the kind of reception usually reserved for a Great Khali versus Sid Ironman match. When the villains attacked, overcame and attempted to cave in the Hollywood good looks of Johnny, he wasn’t eliciting too much sympathy.

Impact Wrestling have a Johnny Impact shaped problem.

Johnny presents an issue when it comes to his connection with an audience. Why you ask? In 2018, Johnny’s promo repertoire includes the insults “turd cutter” and “small banana”. In 2018, Johnny uses Parkour to flummox his enemies and gain vengeance on Kongo Kong (who viciously assaulted Impact with steel stairs). In 2018, Johnny Impact is still the Mayor of Slamtown.

Johnny is a nice guy. Nice lacks edge. Nice lacks fire. Nice is good for mayoral re-election. Nice doesn’t a kickass warrior make.

This is a problem… but, fear not. We’re a month away from Bound for Glory, a whole calendar month, and a lot can, and no doubt will happen in that time. Let’s look at the sticky situation that the Man of Many Surnames finds himself in.

Do you remember the Road to Slammiversary travelled by Moose? Go on, I’ll give you a second. Remember the epic chase? The months of build?

No? Well that’s because there wasn’t one. Much like Johnny, Moose was thrown into the main event scene, with little to no thought for story. Moose won a throwaway number one contenders match versus Eli Drake…at one of those dimly lit, poorly shot indie show cutaways that the company have, thankfully, dispensed with. That was it. Aries/Moose was created out of a nothing match. There was a similar apathy expressed for Impact Wrestling’s summer spectacular.

But…

Aries/Moose delivered.

In the weeks leading to the PPV, a series of UFC-like, sit-down interviews and training videos took us on the journey of both champion and challenger. Aries came across as dangerous. Moose displayed a passion and love for the wrestling business that a shouty pro-wrasslin promo could never showcase.

By telling the two seperate stories of the men chasing glory, Impact Wrestling retro-fitted the narrative for the big show. Kept apart for the majority of the weeks prior, come showtime, I was fully expecting a title change and a Moose victory.

I was wrong, but that match was a doozy, and Moose’s reputation was better, even in defeat.

Moose’s journey, or lack thereof, should be remembered. The creative team, Moose, and Aries shone in the face of an initially non-existent storyline.

Johnny Impact is in a safe pair of hands. As Slamtown’s premier resident, Impact Wrestling has a reliable source of quality matches and fair name recognition. Having had a good run in WWE as John Morrison (albeit, not on the top rung), Johnny has segued into being a DTV movie “star” with Boone the Bounty Hunter, a reality television star (starring in season 37 of CBS’ Survivor) and is a featured performer on MLW and Lucha Underground.

In short, Johnny Impact brings visibility to the fledgling company. Now don’t get me wrong, Johnny is no cross promotional superstar, but the man is a template for a what a pro wrestler should look like. The Brad Pitt smile, the chiselled body, hybrid wrestling style and inoffensive promos have appeal to a certain demographic.

Johnny Impact can be the companies John Cena: appealing to advertisers, appealing to casual fans, and controversy free. Johnny Impact being at the core of the company in 2018 makes good business sense, and as Impact Wrestling approach a renewal of their television contract, it doesn’t hurt to have a centrepiece with some name recognition and multimedia appeal.

As a pointer, let Sami Callihan have the World Title after those TV negotiations…he’s a tough sell to the bean counters!

What needs to be remembered about the Bound for Glory main event is that Johnny Impact is facing Austin Aries. Aries is the MVP for Impact in 2018. Aries can carry a storyline (or lack of) with cocky promos and heel antics aplenty. Aries is a wrestling Midas: he will take lemons and make alcoholic lemonade!

Let’s not forget, Johnny Impact can be pretty, freaking spectacular himself. Putting aside his goofy promo style, playground insults, and street-running fetish, this guy on his best day is at a Shaun Michaels level of great, and his previous TV match with Aries was just a sample of what we’ll get at Bound for Glory.

Bound for Glory is The Draw (with apologies to Sami Callihan). The card is shaping up nicely with an OVE war here, and a Godfather Part 4 there (seriously, I hope the mafia types who gave Eddie and Konnan their orders, make a cameo appearance at BFG). The Event, as a whole, should hook your interest – Bound for Glory doesn’t live or die on the main event alone.

Believe it or not, I really like Johnny Impact. I want Aries/Impact to surprise the crap out of me (just as Moose did at Slammiversary). I want to believe in John Hennigan, the man.

Impact Wrestling are two-for-two in the 2018 pay per view stakes. Redemption, in April, was really good. Slammiversary, in July, was pretty damn great. Let’s put our faith in Impact Wrestling to craft a superior sequel to those shows.

Let’s hope Johnny Impact pulls out an emotional, hard-hitting, edgy, career defining match for the ages.

Win, lose, or draw, I’m rooting for the Mayor to run a hell of this race.