Impact Wrestling: Understanding Taya Valkyrie’s record-breaking reign
Taya Valkyrie is closing in on a record-breaking reign as Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion, but some fans are claiming the record isn’t what Impact says it is.
We’re only a few days away from Taya Valkyrie becoming the longest reigning Impact Knockouts Champion of all time. It’s a huge accomplishment for the Impact Wrestling star, but some fans keep trying to butt in and correct things without realizing why this record is about to be broken.
The simple answer is that Taya Valkyrie, also known as “La Wera Loca,” is one of the most dominant champions Impact Wrestling has ever seen. On top of her impressive power and in-ring acumen, Valkyrie has shown herself willing to do anything that’s necessary to retain her title.
Since starting her reign on January 6 at Impact Wrestling Homecoming, Taya Valkyrie has left a trail of unsuccessful challengers in her wake. She defeated Tessa Blanchard at Homecoming, a victory that stands even taller considering how close Tessa Blanchard currently is to a future Impact World Championship shot.
After that win, Valkyrie went on to defeat Blanchard a second time at Impact Wrestling Uncaged. In the coming months, she defeated Jordynne Grace, Katie Forbes, Rosemary, Madison Rayne, Su Yung, and Havok throughout her ten title defenses.
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Whether you like her methods or not, Taya Valkyrie has been an outstanding champion and representing the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Division with the class and grace of a champion.
Now, this is where things start to get complicated. Fans can simply jump straight to Wikipedia, where they’ll see the list of Impact Knockouts Champions. Sort by title reign length, and you’ll see two numbers that start to conflict with what Impact Wrestling is saying.
As Impact Wrestling has heavily emphasized, Taya Valkyrie will be the longest reigning Impact Knockouts Champion this Monday when her reign reaches 239 days in length. That will put her over the hump.
Confusingly, Wikipedia shows Taryn Terrell’s title reign as 279 days in length and Rosemary’s as 265 days in length. So, who’s wrong? Is Wikipedia inaccurate, or has Impact Wrestling changed the narrative to fit their own story?
The truth is that neither is incorrect. Wikipedia is showing the length from the date in which the match with the title change took place. However, Impact Wrestling’s title continuity is based on when the title change aired on television. Even if a competitor technically “won” their title on a certain day, the change isn’t official until that match is aired.
This is why both Rosemary and Taryn Terrell’s title reigns aren’t as long as you might think. Rosemary won the title on October 10, 2016, but that match didn’t air until December 1, 2016. She later lost the title on July 2, 2017 at Slammiversary, which was live and did not have a delay. That puts Rosemary’s reign at only 213 days.
Taryn Terrell captured the title on September 19, 2014, but the match didn’t air until November 19, 2014. She lost the title on June 25, 2015, but the loss didn’t air until July 15, 2015. That puts Taryn Terrell’s reign at only 238 days.
dark. Next. Who could have a career-defining performance at AEW All Out?
Because of the significant tape delays in both of those championship reigns, the actual record sits at 238, and Taya Valkyrie will cross that line this Monday. Sometimes, the real answer is that no one is really wrong. It’s all a matter of perspective.