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Moose has gone through such a major change in the past year. After crowning himself the TNA World Champion, Moose went on to "control his narrative" in a feud with EC3. Ever since then, he's been more dedicated than ever to reach the top of the mountain in IMPACT Wrestling.
He's in the best shape of his life at the moment and has proven himself to be someone worthy of that top spot. Unfortunately, he failed to win the world title from Kenny Omega at Against All Odds and now finds himself slightly lower down the card at Slammiversary. He'll face Chris Sabin in a grudge match, as Moose was responsible for putting him and Beer Guns partner James Storm on the shelf a few months back.
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While that should be an exciting match-up, it's not something Moose is focused on. He's looking to make a statement. He feels he's the best IMPACT has to offer, and nobody else should be getting a crack at the gold before him. So where does Moose go from here? That's what we're here to find out.
Here are five directions Moose can go after Slammiversary.
#5 Moose costs Sami Callihan at Slammiversary
Moose is clearly not done with IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Kenny Omega. The Best Bout Machine would not have beaten him had the Young Bucks not interfered on his behalf. At Against All Odds, Omega escaped with the title, and Moose never even got a chance to follow up any story afterward.
Why? Well, Sami Callihan inserted himself right into the title picture moments after Moose's loss. Callihan laid out The Bucks and Omega before getting fired by Don Callis.
After being reinstated, Callihan was instantly given a shot at the IMPACT Wrestling World Championship at Slammiversary. Before Moose could make his case to get involved, Chris Sabin challenged him to a match at the same show. Moose is not worried about Sabin in any sense, and is clearly still focused on Omega.
Moose clearly wants to be the one to beat Omega. He wants to force IMPACT Wrestling to make him their number one choice and turn him into the flagbearer of the brand. He can't do that if Callihan bests Omega at Slammiversary.
After his match with Sabin, he'll more than likely get involved in the title bout, attacking Callihan. It will be thanks to Moose that Omega will leave, once again, with all the gold. What would come after that? Well, it's Sami Callihan, so odds are we'll head into some kind of hardcore match. Full Metal Mayhem, a Street Fight, what have you!
That feud could lead to determining a new contender for Omega.
#4 Moose steps away for a few months
Moose recently confirmed reports that he'd signed a new deal with IMPACT Wrestling. With that said, odds are the company gave Moose quite a bit to keep him around. He'd said that he'd been in contact with WWE, and Fightful reported today that he could've been put right on the main roster.
Moose decided to stick around, though, believing that IMPACT Wrestling was the best place for him. If you've not been watching the product in the past year, you wouldn't understand just how much they've relied on him. After the debacle regarding the company's world title at the beginning of the pandemic, he stepped up.
Then champion Tessa Blanchard was not on TV for quite some time, and would eventually leave the company, vacating the belt in the process. Moose declared himself the "TNA World Champion" giving the company a top star to latch onto while they came up with a plan. IMPACT's managed to become one of the better companies when it comes to last-minute changes in storylines, and this was a great example.
A little over a year later, and Moose has been consistently featured in the main event. The man might be looking for a break before returning a few months down the line to claim what's rightfully his.
#3 Moose aligns himself with AEW
When Moose won a battle royal to become the new number one contender for the IMPACT Wrestling World Championship, he said something that caught many off-guard. After winning the match, he told Kenny Omega he'd be taking back "what was ours." Now, pride in the company has never been one of Moose's strong points.
The man has always been about himself, and about raising his stock. Why would he care about doing anything for IMPACT Wrestling? The fact of the matter is, the loyalty really isn't there. So what if someone else offered him a chance at glory? What if he was given an opportunity at a title in a different promotion?
What if he aligned himself with Omega and the rest, claiming that IMPACT Wrestling never believed in him as a competitor? You can do something different by having Moose, an IMPACT Wrestling roster member, hold a belt from another promotion. As of late, some of IMPACT's titles have been held by wrestlers from other companies.
Putting the TNT Championship on Moose wouldn't be a bad idea. The same goes for Brian Cage's FTW Championship. It will all be stalling, of course, until he gets another shot at the prize he's wanted all along, Kenny Omega. Still, it would be an interesting way to progress his character.
#2 Moose reignites his feud with Rich Swann
Moose and Rich Swann engaged in a short-lived yet exciting rivalry this year. Both men were world champions heading into their match at Sacrifice. Moose, the TNA World Champion, who was declared an official title holder by Scott D'Amore, and Rich Swann, the IMPACT Wrestling World Champion.
At Sacrifice, Moose lost to Rich Swann in one of the best matches of the year. Seriously, the two had the kind of chemistry that you'd want in the main event feud. Unfortunately, we only got one match out of them. Moose would appear before Swann's match with Kenny Omega at Rebellion, leaving an ominous threat if he lost at the event.
Swann did lose, and left for a few months after. We never got to see Moose actually confront Swann upon his failure. Maybe it's time that happened? After Slammiversary, he should go after Swann once again. Currently, Swann and his tag partner Willie Mack are looking to win the IMPACT Tag Titles.
However, if Moose feels there's unfinished business, and Swann isn't worthy of holding another title, he may go prevent him from doing so.
#1 IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Moose
At this point, no one knows who is going to dethrone Kenny Omega. Prior to re-signing with WWE, many thought Samoa Joe would be the one to strip the IMPACT Wrestling World Title from him. Sami Callihan could do it at Slammiversary, as the story is right for it.
Regardless of who walks out as champion at Slammiversary, though, Moose needs to win that belt. At the end of the day, IMPACT Wrestling has counted on four names throughout the pandemic era we've been going through: Rich Swann, Deonna Purrazzo, Jordynne Grace, and Moose.
Every single one of them has got their moment in the sun and their major title win...except Moose. Say what you want about the TNA World Title, it doesn't count. Moose deserves to be IMPACT Wrestling World Champion. Whether he beats Kenny Omega or Sami Callihan for it, it doesn't really matter. In a perfect world, he'd dethrone Omega, but for some reason I don't consider that likely.
