Sami Callihan (c) vs. Rich Swann – Impact World Championship
We saw Sami Callihan and Rich Swann first feud earlier this year over not only Swann’s X-Division Championship, but Callihan’s desire for Swann to join oVe. After some personal details came to light about Callihan welcoming Swann into his home when he was homeless years ago, their rivalry culminated at Impact’s Rebellion PPV where Swann defeated Callihan to retain his title.
A lot has happened since they last met on PPV. In the time since, Swann lost his X-Division Championship while the leader of oVe won himself the World Title. Shortly after winning the belt, Callihan was pinned by Swann during a tag team match, thus granting him a one-on-one title match tonight and rekindling their rivalry.
In addition, Swann carries a wealth of momentum after working a marathon in a Gauntlet Match two weeks ago as the proverbial Iron Man of the match.
Swann showed out in a miraculous performance during a fantastic match. We should expect him to show out in the same way tonight, but not to win the title.
If Callihan does lose the title this soon after winning it just over a month ago, I expect him to lose it to Tessa Blanchard next month for a history making moment for Tessa Blanchard. I love Swann, but he comes off more like an obstacle in Callihan’s way rather than a legit threat to the title at the moment, if only because of the larger scope that the Hard to Kill main event provides.
Prediction: Sami Callihan