It’s time for the biggest event of the summer for Impact Wrestling, as Slammiversary is finally set to go down tonight on Fite TV! The buzz around this event is tremendous, and it feels like the start to a glorious new era in Impact. We’ve got seven awesome matches on tap for this show and Impact is promising a few surprises and returns to add even more intrigue to one of their premier events. A fatal four way between Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin, Trey Miguel and a mystery opponent for the vacant Impact World Championship headlines a card full of intrigue, with four other title bouts on the lineup and every single bout coming in red hot with huge stakes. This show is a can’t miss event for wrestling fans!
The Rascalz Open Challenge
This is a late addition to the show, but one I’m extremely glad was made. The Rascalz are one of the most consistently entertaining parts of Impact and it would have been tragic if they ended up being left off of the card. Rumors are flying about, with everyone from The Good Brothers (who recently announced their signing with Impact) to Hawkins and Ryder popping up as potential challengers, but I’m going with a sleeper pick here. I think Indie darlings The Besties in the World would be an incredible addition to the Impact tag division, and since they already have a ton of chemistry with The Rascalz from working together all over the world, I’d love to see them get this spot. If my prediction is right, I see The Rascalz walking away with the win in a barnburner.
Knockout Gauntlet for the Gold Number One Contenders Match (Alisha Edwards vs Havok vs Kiera Hogan vs Kimber Lee vs Kylie Rae vs Neveah vs Madison Rayne vs Rosemary vs Susie vs Tasha Steelz vs Taya Valkyrie)
Another match that seems practically impossible to predict! The Impact Knockouts division is unbelievable right now and while I’m extremely excited that they found a way to get all of these women on to the show, I don’t envy anyone trying to predict who wins this. Without knowing the order of entry, I’m going with my heart on this one and taking Kylie Rae. But to add a little intrigue, I’ll predict she eliminates Susie last and pushes her friend back towards her dark side. Su Yung would absolutely terrify Kylie and that feud is something I really need in my life!
Moose(c) vs Tommy Dreamer (Old School Rules for the Unsanctioned TNA World Championship)
Moose has been parading around as the TNA champion for months now, dismissing the actual Impact title and basically becoming a delusional tyrant. He’s defended his “title” against a handful of TNA originals over the last few months, but no one has posed as much of a threat as Dreamer, especially since this one is under “Old School (read no disqualification) Rules”. As much fun as it would be to see the ECW original pull off the upset here, I don’t really foresee any scenario where it happens. Moose wins this one and likely ends up standing across from the new Impact champion within a few weeks in some capacity.
The North (c) vs Ken Shamrock and Sami Callihan
The North have had one of the most dominant and successful tag team title runs in Impact history, and have held the belts for a record breaking 370+ days at this point. It all comes crashing down on Saturday night. Frenemies Shamrock and Callihan should have no business beating a well-oiled machine like their Canadian counterparts, but pro wrestling loves strange bedfellows and I think it actually makes sense for them to take home the win here. The North have spent plenty of time at the top and can rebound from this loss without a problem, and the Shamrock/Callihan duo as champs would breathe a nice bit little transition period for a blossoming tag scene
Willie Mack (c) vs Chris Bey (Impact X Division Championship)
This match is going to freaking rule. Willie Mack has been one of the most underrated wrestlers in the world for over a decade and I’m expecting an epic match against someone as underrated and talented as Bey. Bey has finessed his way to another shot at the X division strap with the help of Johnny Swinger over the last few months, but he’ll be on his own for this one with Swinger banned from ringside. You’d think that would give Mack an advantage, but for some reason I can’t fight the feeling that this is Bey’s time to shine and whether its straight up or by nefarious means I think he walks out of Slammiversary with gold around his waist.
Jordynne Grace (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo (Impact Knockouts Championship)
My personal pick for match of the night and definitely one of the bouts I’m looking forward to the most, I can’t wait for this Knockout’s title fight! Jordynne Grace has been one of my favorites to watch for a while now, and she really seems to be hitting her stride as the face of the knockouts division right now. It would be really disappointing to see her title reign end right now, but if it were to happen tonight, Purrazzo is an excellent choice to take the throne. This feud has some fire behind it, as Purrazzo has been attacking and tormenting Grace for weeks now with “Big Momma Pump” only getting the smallest modicum of revenge by slamming “The Virtuosa’s into the table at a contract signing this past week. I think Grace does a lot worse than that once she is able to get her hands on Purrazzo, and she’ll retain in an excellent contest.
Eddie Edwards vs Ace Austin vs Trey Miguel vs ??? (Vacant Impact World Championship)
I have no idea what’s going to happen in this main event. Impact has promised a surprise opponent for Edwards, Austin and Miguel and internet speculation is running wild as to who could be showing up to try and take home Impact gold. My money is on EC3, who’s had a ton of success for the promotion in the past and could easily be the one to carry them into the next era of Impact. Whether it’s EC3 or another wild card, I expect the mystery participant to be the one that walks out of Slammiversary with the championship, and I wouldn’t be shocked if we ended up with more than one unexpected surprise (maybe some Good Brothers?) by the time this match is over.