Impact Wrestling: Predicting The Number One Contender’s Tournament
Impact Wrestling will hold a tournament over the next several weeks to find a number one contender for Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard. Who is most likely to earn a title shot?
Impact Wrestling isn’t the only company having to adapt to 2020’s unique circumstances, but they are doing the best they can with what they have. Some polls on Twitter indicate a sector of fans believe Impact is handling the empty arena shows better than WWE, and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree.
Impact fans are split on the company’s current direction as what was supposed to be a one-time TNA revival has now become a placeholder in wake of the Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard being absent. I’m reserving full judgement until the story plays out, but I currently don’t mind Moose stepping in as the self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
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While Moose is playing titleholder, Impact will hold a tournament over the next several weeks to determine a new number one contender to challenge Blanchard upon her return. First-round matches will pit the following competitors against each other:
- Rohit Raju vs. Trey
- Sami Callihan vs. Michael Elgin
- Ken Shamrock vs. Rhino
- Madman Fulton vs. Hernandez
Raju/Trey and Fulton/Hernandez are confirmed to go down on this week’s Impact, while the other two matches will likely go down on the May 19th episode, though that hasn’t been confirmed. At that rate, the tournament will likely wrap up in the next month. So, who should be the one to challenge for the Impact World Title next?
First-round matches
Starting with this week’s bouts, it seems safe to say Trey will defeat Rohit Raju. Rohit is a replacement for Moose, so he’s less likely to get far. Rohit is also a rising star in his own right, so a surprise win wouldn’t be disappointing. Regardless, Trey should advance to the next round, and so should Madman Fulton.
Fulton is also still trying to establish consistency when it comes to victories. Hernandez is a TNA Original and adds prestige to this tournament, but he’ll be just fine taking this loss to Impact’s newest monster.
In the next set of matches, we’ll witness a money bout in the form of Sami Callihan vs. Michael Elgin. This could easily be a future pay-per-view main event, so it’s hard to decide who advances from here. Should Callihan run through everyone to get his rematch against Tessa? While that would make for incredible storytelling, I’m ready for something new.
Michal Elgin has made it clear that he’s far from finished with the World Champ. He was robbed of his proper Rebellion main event and the chance to capture his first Impact World Title. I believe that will drive him forward to pull out the win over Callihan.
Lastly, legends Ken Shamrock and Rhino will clash for a second-round spot. You could argue that both men are seeking that one last title reign after their own career resurgences. Though, whoever wins would theoretically face Fulton if my booking is correct. Both men have their history with the Madman, yet 2020 seems bound to be about Shamrock considering his impending Hall of Fame induction. Shamrock will likely advance.
Semi-finals matches
On the left side of the bracket, Trey will come face-to-face with Michael Elgin. This would be a first-time match-up in Impact, though records show they’ve met in singles action at least once before. Trey has a huge opportunity in front of him here, but Elgin will surely out-power him to ensure his spot in the finals.
On the right side of the bracket, Ken Shamrock and Madman Fulton will meet in a rematch from Hard to Kill. Shamrock beat Fulton in the opening match there, and he can do it again here. Should Fulton make it to the finals? It would be a great showcase for him, but Shamrock will likely continue his crusade to prove he hasn’t missed a beat.
The finals
If my predictive booking comes true, the finals will feature Michael Elgin vs. Ken Shamrock. I think it’s important for Impact to play off of stories that developed at Rebellion. That event saw Ken Shamrock score a big win over Callihan, while Elgin was ready to declare himself the new World Champion, only to be thwarted by Moose and Hernandez.
As alluded to before, Elgin is hungry for redemption after being robbed of his opportunity. He’ll beat Callihan. He’ll stop Trey. And he’ll keep Shamrock down. Even if it’s months before Michael Elgin is able to challenge Tessa Blanchard, he can battle Moose in the meantime, possibly even for the TNA World Title.
Whenever the time comes, Elgin vs. Blanchard will be a big money match with so many stories to tell from that. Elgin could win the title and go on to renew his rivalry with Eddie Edwards. Elgin could even walk into his battle with Tessa as the TNA World Champion, if he manages to beat Moose, setting up an undisputed/unification showdown. By the end of the tournament, Michael Elgin will prove to be unbreakable.
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Who do you think will win the number one contender’s tournament? Elsewhere, how do you feel about Moose bringing back the TNA World Championship? Sound off below!