Impact Wrestling: Excitement is through the roof after Slammiversary 2020
Impact Wrestling Slammiversary 2020 was a huge success and has left fans excited for Tuesday night.
The last time I remember this much excitement coming out of an Impact Wrestling Pay Per View was Slammiversary 2018, which was the culmination of months of excellent television from a resurgent company. While the years since have been more difficult for Impact, they have found their footing on AXS TV.
Slammiversary 2020 was an important Pay Per View for Impact Wrestling on a few fronts. Firstly, they needed to show they could follow through at a big PPV with the world watching. And secondly, they needed to make good on the hype, using their new signings from WWE in a way that generated lasting interest in the product going forward.
It’s safe to say Impact knocked this one out of the park. Heath Miller, the Motor City Machine Guns, EC3, Rich Swann, the Good Brothers, and Eric Young were among the big debuts and returns at the show. Heath, EC3, Young, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, and MCMG are legitimately big names in wrestling who can win titles in Impact. But more importantly, they add credibility to a men’s roster that was, admittedly, lacking in high-end talent early in 2020.
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Along with those new big names in Impact Wrestling, the Tuesday night promotion has their own stars they can build a promotion around. Eddie Edwards is an excellent choice as world champion, and if we want to draw comparisons to Impact’s 2018, he was one of their best performers that year.
New X Division champion Chris Bey and Ace Austin are two wrestlers who can become industry leaders for Impact going forward.
But, of course, the real stars of the show were the Knockouts Division. The Battle Royal to determine the next Knockouts Title challenger was well-done. Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo was the Match of the Night, bar none, and Purrazzo’s title reign should have more classic matches like that one.
Purrazzo is legitimately one of the best technical wrestlers on this planet and could reach superstar status with Impact Wrestling, whose Knockouts Division has long been recognized as the best division in the business. As for Grace, don’t be surprised if she takes the world title off Eddie Edwards, because Tessa Blanchard is far from the only woman – least of all in Impact – capable of being the world champion.
There’s something different about the buzz coming out of this Pay Per View, though, and it’s the fact that Impact’s roster seems more well-rounded than ever. The Knockouts Division is the best it’s been, which is saying something. But what’s really telling is how much more robust the men’s divisions are, as the likes of EC3 and Heath will be determined to remind wrestling fans why they are high-level performers.
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Impact’s weekly show is now must-see after a strong showing at Slammiversary, and the company has every chance to build on what was an encouraging night. It feels like Impact can be the promotion to generate the most momentum for the rest of 2020, but, of course, there’s still work to be done.