Roundtable: Bound For Glory 2019

What do you think of Impact moving to AXS TV?

Juan Bautista: It is the best TV deal since the Spike TV deal. AXS TV is a more prominent network then Pursuit, POP TV and Destination America. The only issue is that AXS TV is not on streaming services such as Hulu.

Sam Gladen: It’s a great move that lends Impact the ability to be found in more homes and be taken more seriously as a major brand.

David Gibb: It’s a great upgrade in terms of potential audience size, but Impact is still not back to where it was in 2014 when Spike cancelled it. It’s hard to guess how the move will play out long term, as the whole concept of cable will likely be dead in five years.

Matthew Smith: It’s a good move for a company not known for great TV deals or at least the handling of good TV deals.

Chad Gelfand: It’s a great move for Impact. They’ve been doing some good things on Impact recently, but they were on a network barely anyone has, and their Twitch numbers aren’t that great either, so it was easy for them to get lost in the shuffle. Hopefully, this move to AXS brings the company more visibility.

Steven Jackson: Living in the U.K., it won’t have a huge impact (excuse the pun) on my viewership. But in terms of the U.S. viewership and market, it is massive! It is going to have a great effect on the product and future relationships with stakeholders.

John Corrigan: Thank God! I’ve been relegated to keeping up with Impact via YouTube clips since it moved to Pursuit back in January. It sucks! Can’t wait to watch live every Tuesday on AXS TV.

Jack Goodwillie: AXS is a tremendous partner for Impact Wrestling. Apparently, this had been in the works for some time now, even back before the show moved to Pursuit. This is a tremendous opportunity for both network and content creator. It helps that AXS has something of a background in the fight game as the home for those Westernized NJPW shows, as well as Women of Wrestling, in addition to having roots going all the way back to Ring of Honor on HDNet. Wrestling fans have historically only cared about who the No. 1 and No. 2 promotions are in North America. Now, it appears there is space for a No. 3, No. 4 and maybe even a No. 5, and Impact’s increasing footprint will absolutely shake up that mix.

Which match are you most looking forward to at Bound For Glory?

Bautista: Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan. It’s the big, tough beast against the scrappy, unpredictable lunatic. Sami will try to win by any means necessary, while Cage will attempt to out muscle him.

Gladen: The Knockouts Championship match should be really, really good with Tenille and Taya just going all out against each other.

Gibb: Honestly, I don’t think there’s a must-see match on this card, at least as it’s constituted now.

Smith: Callihan for the World Title, but Blanchard for the X-Division Title is a close second. Sami has been one of the best secrets in pro wrestling, no offense to Buddy Murphy. Callihan and Blanchard had the only feud on Impact that I have cared about in a while. I’d love to see Sami win the title and bring more chaos to Impact.

Gelfand: Ken Shamrock vs. Moose. The feud has been built up well and Shamrock looks like he’s in phenomenal shape, so I’m excited to see what he can do in the ring at his age.

Jackson: Without a doubt the main event. The card is stacked, but Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage will be phenomenal. Both men have paid their dues and this is their time to shine.

Corrigan: In contrast to Gibb, I find this card very intriguing. There are five matches that I’m looking forward to, and at the head of the pack is Tenille vs. Taya. The former Emma is one of my favorites and Taya has been the strongest Knockouts Champion in years.

Goodwillie: Shamrock vs. Moose piques my interest, as does Elgin vs. Marufuji and Valkyrie vs. Dashwood. But at the end of the day, the world title match is going to tell us a lot about which way the product is heading coming off the biggest show of the year, heading into the debut on a brand new television network. More on that later.

How do you feel about Ken Shamrock wrestling in 2019?

Bautista: He’s still in tremendous shape and he’s not embarrassing himself.

Gladen: I haven’t seen a ton of Shamrock since his return to Impact, but I feel the same way about him wrestling that I do Tommy Dreamer, Sabu or any other “legends” Impact employs. If it gets them a paycheck and doesn’t cut their lives short, go for it.

Gibb: I hope he is fully healthy, getting in the ring for the right reasons, and he and his opponents remain safe.

Smith: Will have to wait and see. If he can still go, it will be fun to watch. WWE has just molded me to think “part-timer” or this guy isn’t what he used to be.

Gelfand: I’m excited about Shamrock getting back into wrestling. He’s one of those guys who was an underrated in the Attitude Era. I always loved his intensity. I thought he would have popped up in WWE one of these years for a cameo or maybe even as a surprise Royal Rumble entry, but it never happened, so I’m glad that he gets to wrestle for Impact now.

Jackson: I’m a massive Ken Shamrock fan and I’d much rather watch Ken Shamrock wrestle in 2019 than Tyson Fury. I don’t really know what to expect going into this match, but I know that it will be exciting to see.

Corrigan: He’s the same age as my dad. While my dad can still shoot hoops, I don’t think he can wrestle Moose. Hopefully, the World’s Most Dangerous Man stays safe and enjoys one more night in the spotlight.

Goodwillie: I feel a lot better about Ken in the Impact ring in 2019 than Ken in the Bellator cage in 2019. Continued use of anabolic steroids throughout his career as he began to age broke down Shamrock physically and his lengthy career in mixed martial arts is really something of a tragic tale. BUT. If you remember back to my short-lived TNA Rewind series, I came away extremely impressed with what Shamrock was able to do when he returned to pro wrestling in 2002 after a three-year hiatus. I’ll be watching to see where it goes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G_tydNoiyE

Should Tessa Blanchard be competing for the X-Division Championship?

Bautista: Yes, the X- Division has no limits. They are finally putting that saying to the test. Tessa Blanchard is the right wrestler to be in the position.

Gladen: Absolutely. I was in Dallas for Slammiversary and she not only got the biggest pop of the night, but had one of the best matches of the night. She absolutely deserves that title opportunity.

Gibb: Why not? She’s one of the top stars and Impact has already put her in intergender matches with success. Give her the title! It’d be the most exciting thing for the belt in a decade.

Smith: Absolutely, do something most promotions don’t seem to do well – reward the individuals that get eyeballs on your product. She is a hell of an in-ring performer, she can tell a story and I believe her as a long-lasting champion.

Gelfand: Tessa Blanchard has been one of the best wrestlers and best characters in Impact over the past few months, plus there’s not that much of a size difference between Blanchard and other X-Division wrestlers.

Jackson: Absolutely. Anyone and everyone should be allowed to fight for the X-Division Title. The whole idea of the championship is that it has no-limits, and this also applies to gender. Tessa would be a brilliant X-Division Champion and I am really hoping she wins.

Corrigan: No. I was on board for her challenging for the Impact World Championship, but it feels like the powers that be got cold feet and will build her up through the X-Division. Tessa doesn’t wrestle that kind of high flying style – I’d rather watch her attempt to dethrone The Machine.

Goodwillie: I’ll preface by saying we’re all entitled to our opinion on this, but the answer is no. In 2019, I would probably say wrestling fans are totally split on the idea of intergender wrestling, and the ones who defend it do so vocally, and also happen to be really passionate about it. To their credit, the point of view is usually that this is a performance art and once in the ring, it becomes not male vs. female but superstar vs. superstar. Brian Cage actually gave a really good argument FOR it at the Impact press event last week.

Here’s the problem: Yes, we’re all looking to have our disbelief suspended. That’s the name of the game and that is the measuring stick for if something is of good quality in this day and age. However, I have always believed wrestling to be somewhat rooted in reality, and in reality I find it very, very, very hard to believe that a woman in peak athletic condition could beat down a man in peak athletic condition and keep them grounded long enough for a three count. That is especially true when you take a Tessa Blanchard and put her in the ring with a Brian Cage, who physically is probably double or triple that of a regular man in peak condition. For me, it teeters on being hard to watch. Just because Tessa can make an angry face doesn’t make it any more believable. I DO think it has made her an even bigger star out of sheer shock value (I have been a proponent of her’s dating back to the first MYC), and it’s certainly something controversial for Impact to say, “Hey, we’re the only company out there who’s really interested in pushing the envelope.” If you’re putting her in the ring with a James Ellsworth-type, that’s one thing. To have her working with the likes of Brian Cage or Sami Callihan takes it way too far and that goes for any indy promotion that promotes intergender wrestling.

Who wins: Brian Cage or Sami Callihan?

Bautista: Sami Callihan. The Draw might take his place at the top and lead Impact into 2020 as champion.

Gladen: I want Sami to win, but in reality, Brian Cage should just run over him.

Gibb: Cage. Callihan is the guy you use to put your guy over.

Smith: The Draw. Sami Callihan is the most entertaining thing Impact has going today.

Gelfand: Sami Calihan. It’s his time to take the title and run roughshod over Impact Wrestling.

Jackson: It has to be Sami Callihan. Sami has dedicated his life to being the best wrestler in Impact Wrestling since January 2018, and this is his coming out party. No one deserves to be a world champion more than Sami and I’m rooting for him the whole way!

Corrigan: Even though I’m pulling for Callihan, there’s no way Brian Cage loses. He’s the face of Impact Wrestling and forever will be until his contract runs out and AEW scoops him up, ala Santana & Ortiz, Lucha Bros, Allie, etc.

Goodwillie: I can see it going either way. Cage looks great on a poster and is someone who has really embraced the art of improvement in recent years. The connotation for a wrestler who looked like him back in the day used to be that they’re unathletic and incapable of having great matches. Not the case with Mr. Cage. Sami Callihan is a controversial character who prides himself on that fact, and could generate a lot of buzz as the world champion when Impact has its first episode on AXS TV. Add in the fact that there might just be real-life animosity between them – two of the biggest firearms on the Impact Wrestling gun rack – and we have ourselves a heckuva main event. Gun to my head, I’ll take Brian Cage to lead Impact into the new era on AXS TV.