NFL
By: Jon Blayne
Most people think of either the WWE or All Elite Wrestling when it comes to professional wrestling. Not many people think of Impact Wrestling. In defense of most wrestling fans, many people forget about Impact Wrestling because not many people have access to watch it on TV. Most of the people who are able to see it, will either watch it through clips on YouTube or social media. I’ll admit I am one of the people who don’t have the channel that airs Impact Wrestling, but I keep up with what I see on YouTube and social media. Impact Wrestling has some of the best storylines going on.
Some of them include the stacked tag team division, Mickey James and her last rodeo, and what they are doing with the current Impact World Champion Josh Alexander. As we see in WWE, they have the Money in the Bank match. This is the match where if you win, you are able to cash in on a title any time before the next MITB PPV. Impact has something similar to that called the Call Your Shot Battle Royal. This match tends to take place during the company’s biggest event Bound for Glory. At the most recent Bound for Glory that happened earlier this year in Albany, New York, we would see Bully Ray return to the company and win the Battle Royal. He ended up eliminating Steve Maclin.
With that win, Bully Ray in essence became the #1 contender for the Impact World Championship. However, it would be when Bully Ray wanted it. Since that they have added another layer to the story and that’s Tommy Dreamer. The story that has been told is can Bully Ray be trusted and has he changed. As we have seen it being played out on TV, the answer to both questions is a big no. Bully Ray is very good at getting into the minds of his opponents.
Why is this the best storyline going into 2023?
The emotional investment and the storytelling are the best I have seen in a long time. The fans are really getting pissed at Bully Ray. As soon as you hear his entrance music, you start hearing the boos quickly. You feel sympathy for both Josh Alexander and Tommy Dreamer. In regard to Josh Alexander, you want to see him destroy Bully Ray when they face off at Hard to Kill.
In regard to Tommy Dreamer, it’s a bit different. It falls more in line with having a friend stab you in the back. Tommy and Bully have been friends for a long time. Tommy feels that Bully used him a lot and doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore.
If we fast forward to Hard to Kill, I could see a scenario in which Bully Ray does win the title. Then at the next show around April, I’d go with Bully vs. Tommy Dreamer since they have been hinting at something between the two of them. You can keep Alexander still in the main event scene. You could do the rematch between Alexander and Bully Ray at Slammiversary.
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