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IMPACT Wrestling promised a ton of excitement and surprises for Slammiversary. For months they teased talent from NJPW, AEW, and former WWE Superstars who'd recently been released. We got all of that and so much more on what's suddenly become the greatest event in the company's calender.
Part of that has to do with timing. WWE released a large number of wrestlers in April, in what fans tend to call the company's "Spring Cleaning." So we've seen a couple of vignettes since then teasing the signing of some of the talents. However, that wasn't all we got.
IMPACT Wrestling made sure that anyone that watched this show walked away asking, "Wow, what's going to happen next?" The reaction to Slammiversary from fans and critics alike has been overwhelmingly positive across the board. The matches were great, but the surprises were even better.
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This isn't a ranking by any means. We'll be going from start to finish of Slammiversary, in order of each and every debut, return, or major announcement. We started off with the return of a former IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Champion.
#8 The Hot Mess comes back to IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary
That's right, Chelsea Green made her return at IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary. The former Laurel Van Ness is currently engaged to Matt Cardona, who's been working with IMPACT Wrestling for the better part of a year now.
On the latest episode of IMPACT Wrestling, Cardona was attacked by Brian Myers and Cardona's ex Tenille Dashwood. A low blow from Dashwood allowed the two to beat him down, setting up a tag team match at Slammiversary.
IMPACT Wrestling EVP Scott D'Amore asked Cardona if he could find a partner for Slammiversary. He said the timing was "perfect," with D'Amore guessing the match was going to be a Hot Mess.
So when Matt Cardona was on the ramp awaiting his partner, fans already guessed that we'd be seeing Chelsea Green return. Still, that didn't dampen the excitement when we saw a green screen video showing Green running into Hot Mess Laurel Van Ness.
After that, she came out in a new version of the twisted bride gear she wore in IMPACT Wrestling during her first run with the company, smeared lipstick and all.
Green and Cardona went over after the former hit Myers with the Canadian Destroyer. She followed with the Unprettier on Dashwood, giving us a great feel-good win for the night.
Even better, Chelsea Green revealed in a post-show video that she's not back for just a one-time deal. Nope, she is back for the IMPACT Wrestling Knockout Championship.
#7 The Drama King left an ominous message at IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary
The next match at IMPACT Wrestling's pay-per-view was a brutal affair between W. Morrissey and Eddie Edwards. The giant ran over Edwards throughout the match, and after a punch with a chain he pinned the former IMPACT Wrestling World Champion with a powerbomb.
After that match, we got an interesting vignette. It was a sign, and someone was painting a message for the fans. After about twenty seconds, it said "Long Live the Drama King." An important note was how he started the word "Drama."
It was initially a D followed by an X, a letter that means quite a lot in IMPACT Wrestling. It transitioned to an R before spelling out "Drama." Is the Drama King going after the X-Division? And who is he? Well, it's probably the often underappreciated Aiden English, and if that's the case it's a massive pick-up for the company.
#6 They are FinJuice
Madman Fulton and Shera wanted to be ringside for the IMPACT Wrestling X-Division Championship match, which was a six-way Ultimate X match. Fulton and Shera were associates of Ace Austin and Rohit Raju respectively, and wanted to ensure one of their allies a title win. They were instead banned from ringside during the match.
So what did they do? Pitched a fit, of course. Fulton and Shera rushed the ring after the last match and vowed to interrupt and hold the show hostage. Scott D'Amore came out with a surprise of his own, a tag team to handle Shera and Fulton.
It was FinJuice! That's right, the former IMPACT Wrestling Tag Champions back from New Japan Pro Wrestling, David Finlay and Juice Robinson ran to the ring. We got an impromptu match that lasted around a minute, with FinJuice completely dominating the giants.
It's hard not to have a smile on your face when these two show up, so seeing them with no prior knowledge of their return was a wonderful surprise for fans.
#5 It's him? No Way!
It was announced before Slammiversary that TJP was injured and wouldn't compete at the show. He was originally supposed to work an IMPACT Wrestling Tag Team Title four-way match, teaming with Fallah Bahh. Unfortunately, he got injured.
Bahh came to the ramp and said, "IMPACT Wrestling management asked me to find a replacement for TJP. Could I do that? No..no..No Way!" At that point, the former No Way Jose came to the ring. As wild and ready to party as ever, now called simply No Way, he was joined by a line of dancers including John E. Bravo and Johnny Swinger.
While they didn't win the match, it was really fun to see No Way back in a ring. He could do great things in IMPACT Wrestling.
#4 IMPACT Wrestling is officially the neutral ground for any major promotions
As if IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary wasn't already jam-packed full of great surprises, we got a major announcement. Bound for Glory 2021, which takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 23rd will feature talent from All Elite Wrestling, Lucha Libre AAA, and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Considering the final appearance on the show, we're expecting some top talent to show up. IMPACT Wrestling has been working with AAA for quite some time, and has gotten a good bit out of their recent deals with NJPW and AEW, including the appearances of Satoshi Kojima, FinJuice, and IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Kenny Omega.
If we're lucky, it'll also include some NWA talent as well. Why would we expect that? Well...
#3 La Mera Mera challenges The Virtuosa
That's right, Deonna Purrazzo defended the IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Championship against Thunder Rosa at Slammiversary. Two of the greatest women's wrestlers on the planet, The Virtuosa and La Mera Mera delivered arguably the best match of the show.
Rosa beat Purrazzo down throughout most of the match. The former NWA Women's World Champion was able to escape several attempts at Purrazzo's Armbar and Venus Demilo. She forced Purrazzo to change her game plan up and bring out her other weapon, the Queen's Gambit piledriver.
Purrazzo pinned Rosa clean in the middle of the ring in a phenomenal contest. If that was all we'd gotten as far as shocking debuts or returns, we could've called Slammiversary a slam dunk for one of the better shows of the year. But it wasn't.
#2 Hardcore Country!
Before Purrazzo could even celebrate her victory over one of the most sought-after wrestlers in the business, a true legend in the industry came down to the ring. Former three-time Knockouts Champion Mickie James confronted Purrazzo, but not in a way we expected.
She told The Virtuosa that she was a fan of her work and was impressed by her work. So much so that she wanted Purrazzo to show up at NWA EmPowerrr on August 28th.
Purrazzo, furious that Mickie James stole her thunder, denied the invitation and demanded James get out of her ring. She added an extra insult, telling her to "take her trash bag and leave her ring."
Well, James took offense to that and rocked the IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Champion with a Mick Kick. After the show, she was interviewed backstage and met the legendary Gail Kim.
James followed up, promising to appear on this Thursday's episode of IMPACT Wrestling to follow up. Considering commentary hinted at more surprises in coming weeks, the next IMPACT seems like a can't miss show.
And then...
#1 Jay White makes his IMPACT Wrestling debut
IMPACT Wrestling was done then, as we got one of the biggest names in professional wrestling appearing at the end of the show. After a fantastic no disqualification match between Sami Callihan and champion Kenny Omega, the IWGP Never Openweight Champion appeared on the ramp.
Before making his way to the ring, Jay White eyed the AEW World Championship which was sitting on stage. He slowly approached the ring before entering while Omega, Don Callis, and The Good Brothers stared on.
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Maybe a switchblade. Get it? Because he's Switchblade Jay White?
The Good Brothers and Callis threw up the Too Sweet, with the IMPACT Wrestling Tag Team Champions assuming White was here to support them and unite The Bullet Club across multiple companies. After all, White is the leader of The Bullet Club.
Before White could do so, someone rushed the ring and the feed cut. While it's a divisive topic as to whether cutting to black like that was a good idea by IMPACT Wrestling, it's hard to deny the amount of intrigue going into next week's episode.
It turns out that it was FinJuice who rushed the ring. At NJPW Resurgence, David Finlay will challenge Jay White for the Never Openweight Championship. Will we see more of their feud play out on IMPACT Wrestling going forward? One can only hope.
