Impact Wrestling held their Hard to Kill pay-per-view last night from Dallas, TX. The show was headlined by Tessa Blanchard getting her shot against Sami Callihan for the Impact World Championship. It’s a match the company has meticulously built towards, knowing they had the opportunity for a truly industry-altering type moment.
They’ve been careful to show Blanchard is capable and able to defeat men on their roster, without looking forced or exposed. They understand they have one of the hottest stars in all of professional wrestling and she is able to tell a story every time she laces up her boots. This is an opportunity they’ve been carefully looking towards for months.
Anyone that knows anything about professional wrestling knew the direction the promotion was headed. They wanted to put their World Championship on Tessa Blanchard. She had nothing left to prove, nothing else to show she was the company’s top star. It truly was the only thing missing.
Just over 24 hours prior to Sunday’s pay-per-view, Blanchard ignited a controversy on Twitter after she tweeted, “Hey women, try supporting one another. Cool things happen.” This resulted in allegations of racism and bullying from several of her colleagues, making us wonder if there was a chance Impact would back off of their plans to crown her champion. Tessa was even removed from an independent booking over the allegations.
Impact went forward with their plans and controversy aside, the Hard to Kill main event delivered on every level. The promotion’s victory lap, showing to everyone they had firmly established Tessa Blanchard as their top star went off in spectacular fashion.
The match that went 23:49 was full of what every professional wrestling main event should aspire to be. It had excellent story telling, facial expressions and selling. Even if you hadn’t been following the journey of Tessa Blanchard, you could easily pick up on the story the match told.
In a day and age when talent feel forced into putting on a “spot-fest” that refuses to allow the viewer to even catch their breath, Callihan and Blanchard were careful. They put on a bout that was believable and entertaining. That left the viewer engaged in every spot and believed it truly was personal. Usually a quiet crowd is the downfall of any main event but what Dallas lacked in volume, Blanchard and Callihan made up for by shouting obscenities at one another.
Impact hit a grand slam with the Hard to Kill main event. Moving forward, questions will remain. Can Impact capitalize off this momentous occasion? Will they be able to credibly book Blanchard against their male roster? Will the controversy of bullying and racism that Blanchard is accused of alter their plans? How will Tessa look now that the chase is over?
While these questions will be answered, maybe in short order, last night showed the evolution of Impact Wrestling. They truly are committed to something different and they have one of the most promising talents in the business to do it. If you missed the title match, it is absolutely worth going out of your way to see. It’s something we need more of from the business, especially at a time when so many think the only way to get over is to work at a million miles per hour.
The biggest mistake Impact could make would be taking the title off of Blanchard too quickly. This story took months to tell, it definitely means something now. It’s vital they stay the course and see where it takes them. It’s not that the controversies don’t matter but it’s too late to turn back now.
Leave a Reply