‘Ultimate Finesser’ Chris Bey set to make an ‘Impact’

The same day Cody stated he was “scouting” videos of Chris Bey, Impact Wrestling announced they had signed the “Dashing” one and “Ultimate Finesser.” Here’s why Bey is set to breakout in 2020 and beyond, and why you should be excited about seeing Bey on a larger platform.

On a recent media call, our own Joe Anthony Myrick asked Cody about AEW signing more men’s wrestlers of color. Cody admitted AEW was not living up to their expectations when he replied to Myrick’s comments by saying, “None of us are pretending that we’re where we need to be to reflect America in 2020.”

Interestingly, Cody did name one man who he was scouting (a name that, admittedly, has been raised before): Chris Bey.

If you only pay attention to WWE and AEW, you probably don’t know about Chris Bey the wrestler. If you only know Chris Bey through his appearances on 205 Live, Impact!, and/or Ring of Honor television, you might be wondering why people are so excited.

Well, who is this “Dashing” Chris Bey?

Simply put: a future star capable of carrying a promotion. I say that with no hesitation.

OK, that’s that, article’s finished!

No, don’t worry, that’s just too easy, kind of like how Bey makes it look in the ring. Beyond being a talented Black wrestler, Bey is smooth, skilled, and charismatic; any wrestling fan knows these are all necessary skills to be at the top of any promotion.

AEW missed their chance at a future star by spending too much time scouting. He just might be Impact Wrestling’s next AJ Styles.

High praise? Sure. Unattainable expectations? Hardly.

First, he turned 24 on Feb. 13. Being so young means if he stays with Impact for even five years, he can be their next bonafide star that Impact hasn’t really had since peak-AJ Styles. On this date in 2025, Bey will have just turned 29; he will continue to hone his already fine skills as he helps carry Impact forward (particularly after the last few years of treading water).

Second, I mentioned he was smooth already. How smooth? He’s so smooth the ring ropes can hardly keep up during his practice:

Just look at that fluidity as he practices rolling through. Look at his flips. Every movement has a purpose and in an era where one the major complaints is how choreographed some spots look, this is a crucial skill. It’s also not one of those “unable to translate from practice to game” skills, either.

Look at the height he gains after leaping onto his opponent on his “Swag Surf” maneuver and the force on his stomp. If you want a longer sequence, peep this one with Jeff Cobb, who wrestles his first match on Dynamite tonight against Jon Moxley:

Besides being reminded of Jeff Cobb’s skill, look at Bey with no wasted movement, a taunt (“Come at me, bro”), reversals, connecting with the crowd, and his “Chris Kick” jumping hook kick to Cobb’s chin. I thought “Swerve” was as smooth as you could be as a wrestler, and Bey says, “I can do that, too,” essentially. Speaking of “Swerve,” have you seen this match?

What a story told in this match. We see Bey’s knowledge of psychology and storytelling throughout this match. Bey continually sells the pain in his left hamstring from the pre-match attack by “Swerve” (and shout out to the commentators for selling the injury as well).

A lot of little things are done right: the time it takes Bey to ascend to the top rope, the lack of impact on his Frog Splash, the pain he feels after using the injured leg as a weapon.

For me, the most subtle, yet effective move was Bey leaping over the ropes onto the apron and landing on his good leg so no weight was on his injured left leg. That is some high-level storytelling that even escapes 10-year veterans.

This is a man who can work with multiple styles. If you want to see Bey against a different style, here’s this banger with Hammerstone, more of a power wrestler to contrast to “Swerve’s” smooth, quick style.

Just look at that height on his springboard cutter, the “Crazy Chris Cutter.” Further, what both these matches highlight is Bey’s ability to sell/take a bump. His build as a muscular but lean wrestler helps in this regard.

He takes hellacious bumps and sells pain with wonderful facial expressions (just look at the fire in his eyes against “Swerve”). His ability to kick out at 2 7/8 draws me in every time (shout out to Cameron Hawkins).

Bey’s connection with fans and ability to illicit their cheers for his comeback sequence could potentially reach the levels of Sami Zayn and Bayley on NXT.

If Impact Wrestling books him well (and their last six months or so of solid shows gives me hope), they might just have their own Daniel Bryan-type face character to anchor the top of the card for years to come. Again, he is just 24 and is already producing such high-quality work.

This connection with fans isn’t just through in-ring work. He also has promo skills that belies his age and experience.

Sure, this may not be the “kickoff RAW with a 15-minute promo” level of promo skill yet, but the makings are there. He has fire in his eyes, conviction in his voice, and most impressive, he improvises with the plane overhead and incorporates that into his promo. This call-and-response ability is crucial for anyone at the top of the card since they will face criticism for simply being at the top.

Bey is a champion (at one point holding four titles and being dubbed “CB4”. Even if they’re smaller promotions, he understands the responsibility of being champion both in and out of the ring.

He’s even done media interviews (scroll down for his comments) so he’s comfortable talking about himself and the business as any top champion in every major promotion must, including Impact Wrestling.

He’s also a great self-promoter and creative mind. Check out these shirts:

“Bey is Bae” just screams “Take my money!” Also, he’s the first person I’ve ever heard of as the “Ultimate Finesser,” a unique nickname that really is as apt of a description as you could have of Bey.

I am very, very excited to see Bey tangle with the likes of Trey and Rich Swann. Bey vs Sami Callihan in a contrast of styles is very intriguing. Think of how smooth and technical of a match we would have with Bey vs. TJP. Bey vs. Tessa Blanchard should be fun. Give me Bey vs Willie Mack every show and twice on PPVs.

As I said at the beginning of the piece, Bey is a future star capable of carrying a promotion. Hopefully after reading this, I helped open your eyes to the greatness that is and will be Chris Bey in Impact Wrestling. If you need more convincing, I leave you with two matches: Chris Bey vs. Jeff Cobb and Chris Bey vs. Scorpio Sky.

Credit where credit is due: Impact Wrestling just signed one of the future stars of wrestling. Here’s to what should be an incredible 2020 and beyond for the “Dashing” and “Ultimate Finesser,” Chris Bey.