Impact Wrestling’s build to the big 20. Part 1
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We’ve literally past No Surrender & Impact Wrestling hasn’t wasted time implementing huge changes since the year’s kicked off. We’ve seen some high points, some low points (as is the seemingly norm when things go so well for so long) but since Hard To Kill 2021 Impact Wrestling has steadily sped up Scott D’Amore & Don Callis’ plans for the company’s bounce back from the catastrophe of the GFW era.
2022 has seen the biggest or most noticeable changes (which in my opinion, the most recent have been building since Slammiversary 2021 while others are the final stages of Scott D’Amore & Don Callis’ plan of action since 2018) & we’re less than 2 months in. Below are some of the most noticeable or most positive changes Impact Wrestling has pushed forward so far this year… as we slowly head towards Impact Wrestling’s 20 year anniversary.
Global Advertising & Sponsorship
An issue for many long term fans has been the sudden lapse of promotion & sponsorship given to & set by Impact Wrestling, Jeff Jarrett managed to keep this going after taking the reigns from Dixie Carter & Billy Corgan but it quickly died down to very rare moments of brief advertising online.
While Impact Wrestling’s kept it’s main source of advertising online, apps & websites such as Fite Network (one of the major platforms to watch Impact Wrestling online) push the advertising of upcoming Pay Per Views or Impact+/Fite TV events & have been doing since Bound For Glory.
Impact Wrestling has recently brought it’s main content over to YouTube (instead of just streaming BTI) which can be watched with a Premium subscription to the site & on February 4th Anthem Entertainment announced that alongside Fite Network, AXS TV (Impact Wrestling’s home on TV in the US & Canada) will be apart of YouTube’s (latest upcoming venture adding expanding from it’s music channel) YouTube TV & it’s “Sports Package”.
This brings Impact Wrestling into more homes something which I’m sure anyone who’s checked any comments section on any Impact Wrestling related post must be banging their head’s in frustration with, reading this “complaint” when it has already been available on Fite TV’s app, Impact Wrestling’s Impact Plus app & as mentioned above as a “YouTube Insider” if you subscribe to their YouTube channel…
One of the biggest & most recently breaking news in terms of sponsorship though has to be Impact Wrestling’s participation at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Sports Festival aka “The Arnold Classic” at Ohio in March 2022, securing a place over the 3 days of the event & this was also followed by the announcement of the return of Impact Wrestling’s “Gut Check” which will be broadcasted on Impact+ & on Impact’s YouTube subscribers.
Since December Impact Wrestling has brought back advertising on their own weekly shows of companies & even movies that have sponsored them at that set of tapings. Something not seen since 2018 when Impact started it’s ventures on Twitch. As we head down the Road To Rebellion we’ve seen upcoming main events & debuting talent being advertised most notably the return of Jay White & G.O.D, building major hype for those tapings in Florida which have now passed.
Announcement on YouTube TV. Source: Wrestling Headlines https://wrestlingheadlines.com/anthem-entertainment-announces-that-impact-and-fight-network-are-now-available-on-youtube-tv/
Online Content Expansion
Adding on from the last point. Impact Wrestling is expanding it’s content available on it’s online platforms.
It’s Digital Media exclusive matches have increased with very high quality matches from the independent scene & from Sami Callihan’s promotion Wrestling Revolver featuring talent such as Mike Bailey, Ace Austin, Jake Something, Madman Fulton, Jordynne Grace’s defence of the Digital Media Championship at Terminus against Kiera Hogan & most recently Matt Cardona’s 1st Digital Media Championship match against Dan Maff in an absolutely brutal match at Wrestle Pro: Killer Instinct.
Sami Callihan’s own exclusive show “Callihan Uncensored” has made a return & Sami Callihan confirmed on the latest episode that he intends to keep this coming at a more regular basis or to quote The Draw “Until it gets f****** banned”. In the most recent episode Sami Callihan interviewed Mickie James & I would seriously recommend checking this interview out.