Opinion
Official Chairshot Staff Picks: Impact Wrestling Redemption 2018
This is one of those moments, where I feel people are looking at this title confused. Ya know, Impact Wrestling deserves a lot of credit for what they’ve been doing. Lots of fans wrote this company off before Hogan and Bischoff ever got there, and now just try to use them as a crutch for argument. Remember, we’re an all inclusive site, not just WWE and Japan.
Current Standings:
DPP 25-11
Steve: 22-14
Harry: 21-15
Weigell: 21-15
Big Dave: 21-15
Eric: 21-15
Mathew: 20-16
Rick: 20-16
Ninja Steve: 20-16
Cook: 20-16
PC: 20-16
Platt: 20-16
Tony: 20-16
Patrick: 19-17
Greg: 18-18
Andrew: 17-19
It’s about time we all grow up and give Impact the clean slate they deserve. New management, new ownership, new name, and I’m pretty sure I heard something about new belts being unveiled at Redemption. So let’s look at the card and stop being petulant.
Impact World Title Match: Austin Aries (c) vs Pentagon Jr vs Fenix
Well this is probably the match most people know about, since it came from the Alberto el Patron fall out. Pentagon and Fenix have been very active lately. Main eventing the inaugural MLW Fusion, and now main eventing the first Impact Wrestling PPV under new management. It’s hard to really expect Aries to lose this ‘belt collector’ gimmick, when he still has a match for the ROH TV Title coming up. But this should be a high quality match, no matter how you slice it.
Eric: Austin Aries
Mathew: Austin Aries
Rick: Austin Aries
Steve: Austin Aries
Greg: Austin Aries
PC: Austin Aries
Patrick: Austin Aries
DPP: Austin Aries
Platt: Austin Aries
Cook: Austin Aries
Weigell: Austin Aries
Big Dave: Austin Aries
Tony: Austin Aries
Harry: Austin Aries
Andrew: Austin Aries
Ninja Steve: Austin Aries
Chairshot Official Pick: Austin Aries (Unanimous)
Impact World Tag Team Title: LAX (c) vs Scott Steiner & Eli Drake
Hey, Scott Steiner’s world famous, bitch. Honestly though, this match is anyone’s guess. LAX has been a stalwart of the tag division for nearly a year. But even though they are always either the champions or the number 1 contenders, the tag division isn’t very deep and they do tend to trade titles to compensate for a lack of tag team depth.
It’s very possible they could drop the titles to the thrown together team of The Big Bad Gravy Daddy and The Big Bad Booty Daddy, unless we get a return or surprise appearance.
Eric: LAX
Mathew: LAX
Rick: LAX
Steve: Drake & Steiner
Greg: LAX
PC: Drake & Steiner
Patrick: Drake & Steiner
DPP: LAX
Platt: LAX
Cook: LAX
Weigell: Drake & Steiner
Big Dave: LAX
Tony: LAX
Harry: LAX
Andrew: Drake & Steiner
Ninja Steve: LAX
LAX: 11
Drake & Steiner: 5
Official Chairshot Pick: Latin American Exchange
Impact X Division Title: Matt Sydal (c) vs Petey Williams
Sydal had a small glimmer of being a double champion, before he revealed Josh Mathews as his spiritual adviser. Sydal turning heel has been an interesting take, but Petey Williams coming back after retirement could be due. He had two shots at Victory Road and Bound for Glory, but couldn’t get past Trevor Lee. Now may be the perfect time for Petey to get his third reign as X Division Champion, 10 years after his last one.
Eric: Matt Sydal
Mathew: Matt Sydal
Rick: Petey Williams
Steve: Petey Williams
Greg: Matt Sydal
PC: Petey Williams
Patrick: Matt Sydal
DPP: Matt Sydal
Platt: Petey Williams
Cook: Matt Sydal
Weigell: Matt Sydal
Big Dave: Petey Williams
Tony: Matt Sydal
Harry: Matt Sydal
Andrew: Petey Williams
Ninja Steve: Petey Williams
Matt Sydal: 9
Petey Williams: 7
Official Chairshot Pick: Matt Sydal
House of Hardcore Match: Sami Callihan & Crist Brothers vs Tommy Dreamer, Eddie Edwards & Moose
The match, that spun from a botch, but has also done wonders for Callihan as an indie angle. The uncaring and dangerous Ohio Versus Everything, against the baby faces, consisting of the first victim of Callihan’s dangerous gimmick.
We saw Sami get the win over Edwards on the ImpactvsLU event on WrestleMania weekend using his Jeremiah Crane gimmick. This team also cost Moose his briefcase against Eli Drake. So you have to wonder if this will be the blow off, or if oVe wins to continue the feud.
Eric: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
Mathew: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
Rick: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
Steve: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
Greg: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
PC: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
Patrick: oVe
DPP: oVe
Platt: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
Cook: oVe
Weigell: oVe
Big Dave: oVe
Tony: oVe
Harry: oVe
Andrew: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
Ninja Steve: oVe
Dreamer, Edwards, Moose: 9
Ohio Versus Everything: 7
Official Chairshot Pick: Dreamer, Edwards, Moose
Impact Knockout’s Championship: Allie (c) vs Su Yung
Now this is a…confusing matchup. Allie finally dispatched of Laurel van Ness, but the rest of that wedding angle has come back to haunt her. Braxton Sutter, who was slowly turning heel after he chose Allie over Laurel, returns and tries to get back with both Laurel and Allie. They both reject him, but almost, like a spectre of that past storyline, the Undead Bride appears and seems to be the object of Braxton’s affection now.
Allie is probably the most organic babyface Impact has developed since AJ Styles. She went from being a clueless assistant, to slowly learning how to be a wrestler, and everyone loves her bubbly persona. Will Allie get a big defense against the Undead Bride, or will she get distracted and show her inexperience?
Eric: Su Yung
Mathew: Su Yung
Rick: Allie
Steve: Su Yung
Greg: Su Yung
PC: Su Yung
Patrick: Su Yung
DPP: Su Yung
Platt: Su Yung
Cook: Su Yung
Weigell: Allie
Big Dave: Su Yung
Tony: Su Yung
Harry: Su Yung
Andrew: Su Yung
Ninja Steve: Allie
Allie: 3
Su Yung: 13
Official Chairshot Pick: Su Yung
6 Way Dance: Dezmond Xavier vs Taiji Ishimori vs El Hijo del Fantasma vs Brian Cage vs DJZ vs Trevor Lee
Not a lot of story here. We’ve got 3 former X Division champions in DJZ, Trevor Lee and Taiji Ishimori, then we’ve got the winner of the Super X Cup in Dezmond Xavier. Rounding out the 6 we have the AAA Latin American Champion in Fantasma and lastly, the god damn machine, Brian Cage.
Honestly, this should be fun, but Cage out powers all of these men combined. Unless something miraculous happens, Cage may just continue his warpath.
Eric: Dezmond Xavier
Mathew: Brian Cage
Rick: Brian Cage
Steve: Brian Cage
Greg: Brian Cage
PC: Brian Cage
Patrick: Brian Cage
DPP: Brian Cage
Platt: Brian Cage
Cook: Brian Cage
Weigell: Trevor Lee
Big Dave: Ishimori
Tony: Brian Cage
Harry: Brian Cage
Andrew: Brian Cage
Ninja Steve: Trevor Lee
Brian Cage: 12
Dezmond Xavier: 1
Ishimori: 1
Trevor Lee: 2
Official Chairshot Pick: Brian Cage
Drago vs Aero Star
This was just announced, but does show more good signs of partnership with Lucha Underground and Impact. Lucha Underground will open and close the show, so the believers should rejoice. There’s no Impact storyline here, but Drago and Aero Star have a lot of history. They team together often and they have faced each other numerous times. Aero Star is known for jumping off of lighting structures, or things suspended above the ring…so it should be interesting if he’s allowed to do that.
Eric: Drago
Mathew: Drago
Rick: Aero Star
Steve: Drago
Greg: Drago
PC: Drago
Patrick: Drago
DPP: Drago
Cook: Aero Star
Weigell: Aero Star
Platt: Drago
Big Dave: Drago
Tony: Drago
Harry: Drago
Andrew: Aero Star
Ninja Steve: Drago
Drago: 12
Aero Star: 4
Official Chairshot Pick: Drago
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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