10 Best Impact Face/Heel Turns Vol.1
Photo Credit: IMPACT Wrestling
Outside Impact Wrestling. A long time "Jerichoholic", Mick Foley, Kurt Angle & Hardys fan, pop open a little bit of the Bubbly, read what's being written by me with an open perspective & enjoy.
- Impact Wrestling’s build to the big 20. Part 1 - February 25, 2022
- (Exclusive) Rosemary: A Journey through the Valley of Shadows – PART 1 - September 19, 2021
- Revival of the X-Division: Tale of the Tape - June 20, 2021
4. Cody Deaner (NOT a Nobody!)
First making an appearance with ODB on February 12th 2009, Cody Deaner would mostly wrestle alongside her, the most stand out moments in the early stages of his career involving a rivalry against Abyss & Daffney. Cody Deaner would also help ODB gain the TNA Knockouts title, or so she thought after Cody & ODB faced off against The Beautiful People (Angelina Love & Velvet Sky) where a stipulation was added that if ODB’s team would win, she would become champion. But after Cody Deaner pinned Angelina Love, he believed that he was the “true Knockouts Champion” & after a rivalry with ODB ended at No Surrender 2009, Deaner would part ways from the Knockouts Champion. His last match in TNA at this time was in the Feast or Fired match at Final Resolution. Cody Deaner didn’t grab any cases so lost & his contract had expired by then so, he was let go after this PPV. The Deaners (Cody Deaner & Cousin Jake) officially debuting on April 13th beating the Desi Hit Squad.
Over the last 2 years The Deaners had joined Impact, their main highlights had been a rivalry with the Desi Hit Squad (Raj Singh & Rohit Raju), building The Rascalz & being easy pickings during the runs LAX or The North had as Tag Champions. At the start of 2020, Cody had announced online his “New Year’s Resolution” would be to have Tag Team gold around The Deaners’ waists. The North were Tag Team Champions & before the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the US & Canada a lot of fans were waiting to see a serious side to The Deaners’ role on Impact or a split to build Cousin Jake into the Jake Something we see on the roster now as there seemed to be little change in direction for the Deaners… But, after being quarantined in Canada, ironically with Tag Champions Ethan Page & Josh Alexander, Impact quickly found ways to work around this problem & used it to their advantage, making the best of the new opportunities & difficulties the pandemic threw at the pro-wrestling industry. Deaner’s time in Canada would lead to 2 cinematic Tag Title matches with the Deaner Family (rather than Cody & Cousin Jake) against The North, while back in the US on Impact, Jake was working solo or involved with a rivalry brewing between Willie Mack (who he started teaming up with), Chris Bey & Johnny Swinger.
When reunited The Deaners would soon be apart of Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie’s Wrestle House/Who Shot Bravo? storylines, reigniting a rivalry with XXXL (in the funniest cinematic match ever recorded) & Impact now had a way (or more time) to slowly set up the end of the Deaners & make Cody’s Heel turn something many were simply blown away by. Eric Young‘s return at Slammiversary would soon lead to any of the Deaners’ matches (singles or tag team) getting thrown out by attacks from Eric Young as he continued to put the roster on notice & as the Who Shot Bravo storyline moved onto a Wrestler‘s Court session, after Cody found a gun in Johnny Swinger’s fanny pack (the use of comedy in these storylines, was played out to perfection), Johnny Swinger would have to earn his freedom in the ring by beating Cody Deaner. Swinger would indeed beat Cody & Eric Young, now with Joe Doering would continue attacking the roster, most notably The Deaners, XXXL, Johnny Swinger, Rhino & Heath. All the cards were falling into place.
Then come December, Cousin Jake would be given another match for the X-Division Championship, this time at Final Resolution against TJP. When trying to cheer up his cousin by inviting him to come to the ring with him, Cody was showing no interest. He seem lost, reflecting angrily on his history with Eric Young, who just doesn’t seem to have any respect for him anymore & how Impact Wrestling hasn’t given him the opportunities they have been giving Cousin Jake since they arrived. At Final Resolution Eric Young would take on Rhino & The Deaners would run down to stop Eric Young from hitting Rhino with his mask. But suddenly Deaner turned on his Cousin, flattened him with the mask & left.
It wouldn’t take long to find out why, Deaner (as Cody would now be forced to answer to by Violent By Design) would build up the heat & hype over this new change in character over the Christmas period online, if you followed his social media accounts, you could see an unbelievable change from one of the nicest guys on Impact’s roster to one of the most feared. Deaner’s Heel turn is one of the greatest & most unexpected shifts in character on Impact Wrestling. All “By Design”…
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