Tessa Blanchard has sights on greatness at IMPACT Wrestling’s “Bound For Glory”
By Mike Pankow
October 15, 2019
Tessa Blanchard’s trend-setting rise through IMPACT Wrestling could get even a bigger boost this weekend.
Tessa Blanchard (Photo by Mike Pankow)
Blanchard is one of the stars competing in a five-way X Division Championship ladder match Sunday at “Bound For Glory.” She will face reigning X Division Champion Jake Crist, her boyfriend Daga, Ace Austin and one more participant to be determined.
Blanchard, 24, is already a former Knockouts Champion and she main-evented “Slammiversary” in an intergender match with Sami Callihan. With a victory, Blanchard would be the first female to hold the X Division Championship and with that comes some privileges.
In the past, the X Division Champion has utilized “Option C,” which means that wrestler would surrender the X Division for a shot at the IMPACT World Championship. So, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Blanchard is challenging for the company’s top title at some point in the near future.
“That can be another path to the World Championship from the trend-setter Tessa Blanchard,” said IMPACT announcer Josh Mathews during an interview with Windy City Slam earlier this month. “She just continues to change our sport. She’s a different kind of athlete. There’s not enough I can say about Tessa. That’s the way that I feel about her as an athlete, as a person, and watching her grow and seeing what she’s done over the past couple of years has been nothing short of spectacular.”
The dominoes would certainly have to fall the right way, but Blanchard could be on the verge of something historic.
“Bound For Glory” marks IMPACT Wrestling’s return to the Chicago area for the first time since February 2014 when a live event was held at the NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb. BFG emanates from the Odeum in West Suburban Villa Park on Sunday night.
Brian Cage, left, will defend the IMPACT Wrestling World Championship against Sami Callihan, right, at “Bound For Glory” on Sunday. (Photos by Mike Pankow)
The top attraction on the show is “The Machine” Brian Cage, who unseated Johnny Impact for the IMPACT World Championship April 28 at “Rebellion,” defending the title against Sami Callihan.
Cage is nearing six months as IMPACT Champion and has been one of the top non-WWE or AEW wrestlers in the United States over the course of the last couple of years. Callihan, meanwhile, experienced a breakthrough in IMPACT, thanks to a great run starting with his feud with Eddie Edwards and continuing with Pentagon Jr., Rich Swann and Blanchard.
“That’s a long time coming for Sami,” Mathews said. “You talk about Chicago wrestling, and even though Sami is Ohio-born and -bred, they love him in Chicago. He’s always there, always competing. Brian Cage is the machine, he’s not had the championship reign that he’s wanted, because he’s been banged up and injured, but he should be at 100 percent come the 20th. I know he wants to put on a great show. I think Sami wants to take his championship away. It’s an interesting match, a clash of styles for sure. It should be a hell of a main event.”
Both men are respected on the Chicago scene as well. Cage is the current Warrior Wrestling Championship, which he has held for over a year. Callihan is a former AAW Champion.
One of the other top matches on BFG is Ken Shamrock against Moose. Shamrock, a UFC Hall of Famer, also is a longtime pro wrestler, going back to his days in WWE as a former Intercontinental Champion. He was also the first World Champion recognized by IMPACT as he won the NWA-TNA Championship on June 19, 2002, defeating Malice (aka “The Wall” Jerry Tuite) in the finals of a Gauntlet for the Gold match.
Moose, who calls himself Mr. IMPACT Wrestling, played seven seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman and made his pro wrestling debut in 2014. In just a few short years, Moose has become a credible challenger for a world championship. He was a former two-time holder of the IMPACT Grand Championship before it was merged with the IMPACT World Championship in June 2018.
Moose (Photo by Mike Pankow)
“First show, first champion,” Mathews said of Shamrock. “He has started his own bare-knuckle fighting league. Shamrock is a household name. Moose wants to be a household name. He played seven years in the NFL, drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, played his college ball at Syracuse, a five-star athlete. He just wants to the face of the company. (But) if it gets on the ground, I don’t know, man.”
The women will have a spotlight as well as the longest reigning Knockout Champion in history, Taya Valkyrie, defends again Tenille Dashwood. Valkyrie has a diverse background, training under Lance Storm and garnering extensive experience in Mexico before arriving in IMPACT. Dashwood previously wrestled for NXT, WWE and ROH while making an appearance in the Casino Battle Royale at AEW’s All Out at the Sears Centre on Aug. 31.
“Having Tenille over here now is great,” Mathews said. “Being married to a female wrestler (Madison Rayne), I always try to give as much as I can to these matches, because I know what these girls go through. That one should be special.”
The IMPACT Wrestling World Tag Team Championships are on the line in a three-way match as the title-holders The North (Ethan Page and Josh Alexander) defend against the teams of Swann and Willie Mack and ECW Originals Rob Van Dam and Rhino.
In other matches, Michael Elgin takes on Naomichi Marufuji in what is a highly-anticipated affair. The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz) square off against Dr. Wagner Jr., Aero Star and Taurus in a six-man tag team match. Then there’s the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match, a Royal Rumble-style match, where the winner could choose any championship match of their choice. IMPACT Wrestling says the match is open to men and women.
“Bound For Glory” will be an action-packed event, which should leave Chicago craving for more.
“I think that IMPACT Wrestling has, without question, put on the best pay-per-views of any wrestling company over the past number of years,” Mathews said. “You get great matches, decisive conclusions to matches, you certainly get your money’s worth.”
Black gets shot at “Prelude To Glory”: It was announced Tuesday that Chicago wrestler Elayna Black has been booked for IMPACT’s “Prelude To Glory” for a one-on-one match against Jessicka Havok on Friday night in South Bend, Ill. Black will have opportunity to open more eyes after she recently excelled at an WWN Seminar/Tryout and worked as an extra at an NXT TV taping in Winter Park, Fla.
IMPACT Wrestling weekend primer
PRELUDE TO GLORY
Friday night, Oct. 18, Palais Royale, South Bend, Ind., 7 p.m. Eastern time, IMPACT Plus
Announced matches:
Intergender tag team match: Brian Cage & Tessa Blanchard vs. oVe (Jake Crist & Madman Fulton)
Six-man tag team match: Michael Elgin & The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) vs. Naomichi Marufuji, Rhino, & Rob Van Dam
Six-woman tag team match: Jordynne Grace, Rosemary & Tenille Dashwood vs. Kiera Hogan, Madison Rayne & Taya Valkyrie
Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards
Havok vs. Elayna Black
Tag team match: Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Desi Hit Squad (Rohit Raju & Mahabali Shera)
ALL GLORY
Saturday night, Oct. 19, 115 Bourbon Street, Merrionette Park, Ill., 6 p.m. Central time, Twitch
Announced matches:
Zelo Pro Women’s Championship (3-way match): Laynie Luck (c) vs. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Kylie Rae (Zelo Pro)
Robert “Ego” Anthony (w/Frank the Clown) vs. Space Monkey (Warrior Wrestling)
5-way match: Bryce Benjamin vs. Brubaker vs. GPA vs. Project M.O.N.I.X. vs. Isaias Velazquez (Zelo Pro)
4-way match: Jake Lander vs. Gringo Loco vs. Bandolero vs. Golden Dragon (Galli Lucha Libre)
3-way match: Mark Wheeler vs. Alex Zayne vs. Blake Christian (Warrior Wrestling)
Kobe Durst vs. AJ Gray (Black Label Pro)
Ace Romero vs. Larry D (Pro Wrestling Revolver)
4-way match: Jason Cade vs. Clayton Gainz vs. Logan James vs. Tyler Matrix (Pro Wrestling Revolver)
Corey Storm vs. Justin Smooth (OVW)
Plus: Meet and greets with IMPACT Wrestling talent, Sami Callihan’s video game contest and a musical performance by HEMI
BOUND FOR GLORY
Sunday night, Oct. 20, The Odeum, Villa Park, Ill., 7 p.m. Central time, PPV
Announced matches:
IMPACT World Championship: Brian Cage (c) vs. Sami Callihan
Ken Shamrock vs. Moose
X Division Championship (5-way ladder match): Jake Crist (c), Tessa Blanchard, Daga, Ace Austin, one more TBA)
IMPACT Knockouts Championship: Taya Valkyrie (c) vs. Tenille Dashwood
Michael Elgin vs. Naomichi Marufuji
IMPACT World Tag Team Championship (3-way match): The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) (c) vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Rob Van Dam & Rhino
Six-man tag team match: The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier, Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) vs. Dr. Wagner Jr., Aero Star & Taurus
Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match: Winner could choose any championship match of their choice (open to men and women)
Catch Windy City Slam editor Mike Pankow talking local and national pro wrestling every other week on The Broadcast Basement, available wherever you download podcasts or at https://broadcastbasement.podbean.com/.
