Tag: impact

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Alberto El Patron Says His Match Against Lashley Will Be A Thousand Times Better Than Lesnar vs. Joe

Alberto El Patron recently spoke with Sports Illustrated. Here are some highlights from the interview:

Match With Lashley Topping Lesnar vs. Joe: “Our match is going to be a thousand times better. I have deep respect for Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe, and I know they’ll give the fans an amazing match, but they’ll be limited by the politics in that company. That company won’t let one of them give one-hundred percent to the audience, they’re going to hold them back. Impact Wrestling says, ‘Here is the ring, go do your thing.’”

Facing Bobby Lashley: “When you’re in the ring with Bobby, you feel it. You know you’re competing and performing with a guy that is not just a sports entertainer. He’s a real athlete and a real wrestler. When you combine two wrestlers with the same background and similar styles, you’re going to get magic. That’s what is going to happen at Slammiversary. We’re going to go the extra mile. We’re not afraid, and that’s just the way we were brought up in the business. If I punch him extra hard, and he kicks me extremely hard, then we’re OK with that–that’s part of what we want to offer to the audience.”

Calling Vince McMahon to Resign: “I was in a place where I was not happy. I was waking up every morning and really struggling to go to work. I got to the point where I asked myself if I wanted to continue in the pro wrestling business. I said to myself, ‘I’ve lost the passion and love for the business.’ But I was wrong. I never lost passion for the pro wrestling business. I lost respect for that other company. …I realized that it was not the business, it was the place where I was working. So I decided to call the one that matters in that company and said, ‘I’m sorry, sir. Thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for everything, but I’m not happy in this place and I need to move on.’ I am blessed and lucky to find a place like Impact Wrestling. They needed someone like me, and I needed a company like Impact Wrestling. It was perfect timing to start doing business together.”

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Impact Wrestling Loses Three More Employees

Well, this was bound to happen but it looks like three more individuals are done with Impact Wrestling.

Shane Helms indicated on Twitter that he’s done with the company and moving on in life. He indicated in one of his tweets that he wasn’t going to “kiss ass” to anthem. This would suggest that there may have been differences between the two.

Helms had been working in a backstage capacity since joining the company in 2015. He also had a role on TV as the manager/mouthpiece for Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett.

In addition to Helms leaving the company, PWInsider reports that long-time producers/agents Al Snow and Pat Kenney are on their way out the door. The reason that they are leaving the company was a financial decision.

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Commentary Team Revealed for Slammiversary

Impact Wrestling announced the following today:

IMPACT Wrestling Taps MLB/NHL Announcer Robert Flores For Slammiversary
Don West Comes Back For Color Commentary Duties

NASHVILLE (June 13, 2017) — IMPACT Wrestling is dipping into the high-profile sports world for a little broadcasting help at Slammiversary 15, a pay-per-view extravaganza on July 2 in Orlando, Florida.

IMPACT has signed Robert Flores to be the lead announcer for Slammiversary, to work alongside longtime IMPACT color commentator Don West, who is making a one-night return behind the microphone.

IMPACT faced an announcing dilemma for Slammiversary as broadcasters Josh Mathews and Jeremy Borash are wrestling in a tag-team match as the animosity between the two has boiled over in recent weeks. Borash and Joseph Park will team up against Mathews and “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner, one of the most powerful and feared wrestlers of all time.

Flores is a studio host appearing across MLB Network’s programming, including MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning daily studio show, MLB Tonight. In addition to MLB Network, Flores is a studio host for NHL Network and contributes across MLB Advanced Media’s digital properties, including MLB.com and Sports On Earth.

Flores joined MLB Network and NHL Network in 2016 from ESPN, where he most recently anchored SportsCenter, ABC’s college football studio updates and ESPN2’s Fantasy Football Now. Flores joined ESPN in 2005 as an ESPNews anchor and later contributed to a variety of studio shows, including Baseball Tonight, NBA Fastbreak and Friday Night Fights.

Flores is a lifelong pro wrestling fan.

“I’m excited to have a part in this year’s Slammiversary and grateful to Jeff Jarrett for this unique opportunity,” Flores said.

Flores said the match that he’s most excited to announce is for the X-Division Championship. “I’m a fan of high-flyers,” Flores said.

A Texas native, Flores earned his bachelor’s degree in radio and television from the University of Houston in 1992. Flores attended J. Frank Dobie High School in Houston and is a member of their JFD Hall of Fame. His wrestling roots are engrained in his Houston childhood.

“To play a role in Slammiversary alongside Don West is really cool,” Flores said. “Slammiversary is an event 15-years in the making, and the best always separate themselves on the biggest stages – be it the in the wrestling ring or the World Series.

“I can’t wait to see what the IMPACT Wrestling stars do on July 2nd at Slammiversary.”

Don West broke onto the broadcasting scene in the 1990s on the Shop At Home Network. He was the popular, loud, energetic, abrasive salesman, pitching countless products on late-night television – and he even was in a parody video (portrayed by actor Will Ferrell) during a segment of Saturday Night Live.

West spent about 10 years as a color commentator for IMPACT Wrestling, dating back to the company’s first-ever event on June 19, 2002.

“I am so excited to be a part of IMPACT again and to be a part of the great Slammiversary weekend,” West said. “As an avid sports and baseball fan, it will be a great honor to work next to Robert Flores as I have admired his professionalism for years. When Jeff Jarrett asked me to do this, I had only one response, ‘YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!’”

“It will be great to see and hear Don West back on an IMPACT Wrestling broadcast; no one brings more energy and excitement to a broadcast than Don,” said Jeff Jarrett, the Chief Creative Officer for IMPACT Wrestling. “Having a broadcaster on Slammiversary at the level that Robert Flores has achieved is unbelievable. We are so excited to have RoFlo in the IMPACT family – and broadcast booth.”

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Another Name Done with Impact Wrestling

Jessie Godderz is no longer working for Impact Wrestling and his profile has been removed from the roster page on the company’s website. Godderz worked for the promotion dating back to 2011.

While speaking to Scott Fishman of TV Insider last month, Godderz was asked about why he hasn’t been appearing on television for Impact and he confirmed that he was still under contract with the company.

“I just had a handful of other projects that took precedent. They were understanding with it. I’m still under contract right now. Other than Sonia and my CBS family at Big Brother, obviously I owe the world to Impact Wrestling for giving wrestlers chances to branch out. Everything is as planned and on schedule as of right now.”

It is very possible that he contract could have ran out over the past couple of weeks. We will keep you updated if we receive more information.

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Next Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

PWInsider reports that James Storm is slated to be the next inductee into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame this year. An announcement on social media read:

“James Storm has had a storied career, Storm has accomplished more than almost anyone on the roster! However, The Cowboy isn’t done and isn’t thinking about his Hall of Fame induction. #Slamm15”

Impact posted the following footage with comments from Storm about the induction:

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Cody Rhodes Done with Impact Wrestling

Cody Rhodes’ wife Brandy confirmed on Twitter that Cody Rhodes is no longer working with Impact Wrestling. She noted that his dates with the company were complete when a fan asked why he hasn’t bee appearing on television for the company lately.

Cody is working the independent circuit and has an opportunity at the ROH title. He also will be working with NJPW and will be apart of their US expansion.

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Wrong Episode of Impact Wrestling Airs Again

The Spike TV network in the UK aired the wrong episode of Impact Wrestling last week. This isn’t the first time that the wrong episode has been aired. It was noted a while back that The Fight Network aired the wrong week as well due to the copy of the episode getting corrupted just before the initial broadcast. They ended up airing the previous week’s show.

Spike TV issued the following statement on Twitter regarding the wrong episode being aired:

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John Morrison on WWE & Impact Copying Lucha Underground

While speaking to the Buzzards Wrestling Podcast, former WWE Superstar John Morrison asked about WWE and Impact Wrestling copying Lucha Underground’s filming style for matches like “House of Horrors” and “Total Non Stop Deletion.” Morrison responded:

“Totally agree. I feel like Lucha Underground was the first promotion that’s really integrated the gritty, action movie feel with wrestling. Shooting the vignettes that stitch Lucha Underground together, with coverage like a TV show or a movie has set that trend.

“You’re right, the Total Deletion and WWE House of Horrors and even some of the costumes in WWE. I feel the trends were started in Lucha Underground.”

You can check out the full interview here.

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Matt Hardy Continues to Tweet About Dealings with Impact Wrestling

Matt Hardy sent another tweet in response to Ed Nordholm’s communications logs and Impact contract that he leaked online Tuesday night:

“I wanted to move on peacefully & keep our incredibly unprofessional contract negotiations silent, NOT NOW.”

Matt also wrote the following Tuesday night regarding the situation:

“I tell the truth & I don’t need to desperately overcompensate to prove my public credibility. My facts will be shared via the correct venue.”

Things don’t appear to be simmering down at all between The Hardys battle with Impact over the ownership of the BROKEN gimmick. We noted earlier today that the U.S. Patent & Trademark office rejected Matt’s application to trademark the name. It’s not looking good for The Hardys.

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X-Pac 1, 2, 360 Recap – Backlash Analysis, Dunne & Bate Steal Takeover, Nakamura’s In-ring Debut, More!

X-Pac discusses his comments from this past week, when he informed that Val Venis almost became a member of DX at one point. He also informs that Test was very close to becoming a member of the group as well, but that didn’t happen either.

He says that when you have a successful group such as nWo, DX or the Bullet Club, you have to be very careful as to who you add to the group so as to not interfere with the chemistry of the other members. However, if the creative team suggests a new member and the other members don’t agree, they have to be able to articulate a good reason as to why the other talent shouldn’t be brought into the group.

X-Pac comments on the ongoing issues between The Hardys and IMPACT wrestling. He says that WWE might be interested in the ‘Broken Universe’, but there’s no reason for them to get involved legally if The Hardys are already pursuing legal action against IMPACT. X-Pac admits that if Vince McMahon really wants to use that gimmick, he might just get fed up and pay IMPACT for it, especially if it’s cheap.