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WEEKLY OVERVIEW – IMPACT WRESTLING (thru 10/28): Impact viewership crashes, Josh Matthews downplays timeslot change, schedule, big event updates, social media, interview highlights, commentary

By Landon Pipkin, PWTorch Contributor

October 31, 2018

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

•Top Stories of the Week

-Impact Wrestling viewership fell below 100k for the first time in company history: PWTorch Report

-Impact announced they are returning to St. Clair College in March of 2019: WrestlingInc Report

-Austin Aries contract with Impact Wrestling has expired, and no new deal has been reached yet.

-Next week on Impact Wrestling, Tessa Blanchard will defend her Knockouts title against Taya Valkyrie.

•Live Event Results

– No new shows since the New York tapings last week.

•Upcoming Major Show Line-up: Homecoming in Nashville

Impact Homecoming
January 6, 2019
Nashville, Tenn. at the Fairgrounds

No matches announced.

•Upcoming Events

10/27/2018-10/31/2018 – Chris Jericho Rock N Wrestling Rager At Sea

11/11/2018 – Impact Vegas, Sam’s Town Casino, Las Vegas, Nev.

11/12/2018 – Impact Vegas, Sam’s Town Casino, Las Vegas, Nev.

11/13/2018 – Impact Vegas, Sam’s Town Casino, Las Vegas, Nev.

11/30/2018 – Gold Rush, Newark Pavilion, Newark, Calif.

12/1/2018 – One Night Only: Back to Cali, Salinas Pal Youth Center, Salinas, Calif.

1/6/2019 – Homecoming, The Asylum, Nashville, Tenn.

3/22/2019 – IMPACT Tapings, St. Clair College, Windsor, Ont.

3/23/2019 – IMPACT Tapings, St. Clair College, Windsor, Ont.

•Latest TV Highlights: (10/25 Impact Wrestling)

Impact Wrestling from Oct. 25, 2018, from The Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York. Aired on Pop TV at 10 p.m. EST.

Announcers: Josh Matthews and Don Callis.

(1) Sami Callihan defeated Trevor Lee

-After the match, oVe attempted to beat up Lee but Brian Cage made the save. He entered the ring and cleared out oVe. Then attempted to drill claw Callihan, but oVe pulled Callihan out of the ring.

-Outside the arena, King was trying to think of plans on how to get his hands on Konnan.

-Backstage, Rohit Raju was helping Gama Singh train for their match against each other.

(2) LAX (w/Konnan) defeated The Heavenly Bodies

-Backstage, Tessa Blanchard approached Taya Valkyrie and addressed Taya’s comments about her. Blanchard said she would put her title on the line next week.

-Matt Sydal and Ethan Page interrupted LAX celebrating their win. Sydal and Page said they are not afraid of the tag-team champions.

-Mackenzie Mitchell interviewed Moose and Killer Kross about their upcoming match against Fallah Bahh and KM.

-Willie Mack and Rich Swann were seen backstage drinking and reminiscing on their past matches. Mack said he would love for his first singles opponent at Impact to be Swann. Next week, Mack and Swann will go one-on-one.

(3) Rohit Raju defeated Gama Singh via disqualification.

-An unidentifiable wrestler jumped the ring, resulting in the DQ. After the match, all three men celebrated together, presumably adding a new member to the Desi Hit Squad.

-Backstage, Mackenzie Mitchell interviewed Johnny Impact. He said Fenix is one of his best friends, but tonight may the best man win.

(4) Moose & Killer Kross defeated Fallah Bahh & KM

-During the match, Eddie Edwards dragged Moose out of the building, but the referee did not see the interference.

-Edwards and Moose brawled their way to the roof of the Melrose Ballroom. Moose eventually escaped to safety.

(5) Su Yung defeated Kiera Hogan (w/Allie)

-Allie left ringside when she stared into the eyes of Yung.

(6) Johnny Impact defeated Fenix – Impact World Championship match.

-After the match, the OGz attacked Fenix but Pentagon made the save.

-Backstage, Kross was talking to someone not shown on camera. He said he hates when people call him crazy. As Kross walked away, the camera panned down and showed Johnny Impact unconscious on the floor.

For a more detailed report and analysis check out Mike McMahon’s PWTorch.com TV Report.

•LATEST PWTORCH LIVECAST COVERING IMPACT

-On Stitcher HERE
-On Apple Podcasts HERE
-Or search “Wade Keller” on your podcast app of choice

•Impact in the Media

-Impact World Champion Johnny Impact recently joined Alicia Atout and Anthony Carelli on Behind the Lights. He discussed numerous topics including his side of the Austin Aries controversy.

-Josh Matthews spoke with Wrestling Inc. earlier this week and gave his opinion why air time doesn’t matter much nowadays. He said most people rely on DVRs to watch shows and many Impact fans will now do the same.

-Sami Callihan was on the Impact Wrestling Press Pass this week. Callihan said he has always wanted to be apart of the X Division, even before he was in the wrestling business. He also said he wanted to be apart of the change that helps save the X Division title. (SEScoops Report)

-Fallah Bahh was interviewed on the WINCLY podcast this week. Bahh revealed that he would like to work a hardcore match with Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer, Abyss.

•Social Media Scene

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1054565132448210945

•Closing Commentary

Impact viewership has dropped below 200,000 viewers for the fourth consecutive week. Viewership for Thursday’s Impact show fell below 100,000 viewers for the first time in company history.

The highest viewership number for Impact this year came during the Mar. 29 episode, which peaked at 399,000 viewers. Thursday’s Impact hit an all-time low of 98,000 viewers, which is a 75.4 percent decrease from their highest viewership in 2018.

The Impact World Title was defended on the lowest rated show in company history. Sure, Impact was moved out of primetime and this definitely affected ratings, but I’m not sure how Impact can continue to get these kinds of ratings and look to be on a larger network.

Impact’s relationship with Pop TV seems to be rough at the moment. Josh Matthews said that no one’s excited about the time slot change, but he tried to spin it into a positive, which is really all they can do right now.

I’m not sure when the TV deal ends with Pop TV, but previous reports hint a 2018 end. I doubt Pop TV renews Impact when their contract is up. They’re now playing replays of Gilmore Girls in the former Impact time slot, not an original program. I think that provides a pretty clear indication on how they feel about Impact Wrestling.

Sources for Closing Commentary:

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK’S IMPACT OVERVIEW: WEEKLY OVERVIEW – IMPACT WRESTLING (thru 10/20): Bound for Glory fallout, contract singings, schedule, big event updates, social media, interview highlights, commentary

Landon Pipkin has been a pro wrestling MMA fan for over a decade. e is from Raleigh, North Carolina. Find him on Twitter @pipkinbrand. Email: pipkinlandon@gmail.com

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