I’m a fan on Impact Wrestling. The company has a certain tenacity about it that has allowed them to survive nearly twenty years despite their best efforts to implode. They’ve become an outlaw promotion of sorts, where the wrestlers have huge chips on their shoulders and others look on them with disdain. In many ways, they are professional wrestling’s cockroach. Impact refuses to die, much to the horror of their rivals and adulation of their fans.
Controversy can be a good thing
Impact has had a busy couple of weeks. They weathered the storm when Tessa Blanchard was accused of being a bully and using a racial slur. They even followed through on their plans to have her beat Sami Callihan for the Heavyweight Championship. While this is a controversial move to many, it’s one I agree with. I reported here about what Blanchard said, but accusations shouldn’t be enough to derail a career or a company’s plans. We’ve gotten in the habit of pulling the plug on something we deem wrong on the word of others. That’s not saying they’re lying, just that it’s difficult to know for sure.
It’s that kind of mentality that’s sorely missed in today’s world where a simple allegation can destroy someone’s life work.
As if that wasn’t enough, Impact had a classic “hold my beer” moment when RVD (Rob Van Dam) took part in a blurred soft core pornographic promo for his heel character on Twitch.com. Soft core may be understating it.
I saw it on Instagram, whether it was his account or another’s I can’t say because I can’t find it anymore, and I was honestly surprised. While it harkened back to WWE’s Attitude Era and ECW’s raunchiness, it was far more graphic (albeit blurred) than those had been. Instead of insinuating something was happening, they were mock showing it.
Twitch reacted as one would expect and banned them for a week — their standard punishment for first time offenders, from what I’ve read Impact is back on Twitch.com now, and they may have learned their lesson, but does anyone really want to take that bet?
Professional wrestling’s cockroach
Impact has proven to be professional wrestling’s cockroach, and that’s a good thing just as Death Matches are.
It’s fun to see the boundaries pushed even if we don’t agree with what’s being done or said. It speaks to the rebels in us that want to stand up and shout at the annoying person sitting near us to shut up. We don’t because it’s rude and tactless. But that’s where wrestling serves as an escape. Much as Steve Austin hitting Vince McMahon with stunner after stunner was a majority of people’s dream to do to our bosses, Impact Wrestling fills that need.
In the end, wrestling is entertainment, so why not enjoy it? If we see something we don’t like, look away or don’t watch. If we look hard enough, we’ll always find something to complain about. Just ask WWE’s Seth Rollins. The rate he’s going with the fans on social media, he may be in Impact sooner or later.
