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The road to Bound For Glory heated up this week as we saw a newsworthy episode of IMPACT Wrestling. Former Knockouts World Champion Mickie James made her long-awaited return to the IMPACT Zone and dropped a bombshell announcement concerning her future.
We also saw two title matches, with Mike Bailey defending his X Division championship against Kenny King of Honor No More and The Good Brothers defending their IMPACT World Tag Team Championships against OGK (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven).
Speaking of champions, Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace found her next challenger as Masha Slamovich and Deonna Purrazzo went toe-to-toe to earn the #1 Contendership. So without further ado, let's check out the five talking points from this week's IMPACT Wrestling.
#5. New Champions crowned on IMPACT Wrestling
The show kicked off with an IMPACT World Tag Team Championship match between OGK and The Good Brothers. OGK earned the title shot after Honor No More defeated The Bullet Club in a 10-man bout at Emergence.
Last week on IMPACT Wrestling, Karl Anderson defeated Mike Bennett, which caused Maria Kanellis to be banned from ringside for the title bout.
OGK used underhanded tactics early in the title bout to gain the advantage over Anderson before Gallows stepped in and turned the momentum of the match. In the closing moments, Bennett sent Gallows crashing into the steel steps. OGK then hit the Broton Pack on Anderson for a pinfall win to become the new champions.
#4. Josh Alexander responds to Eddie Edwards' proposition on IMPACT Wrestling
Ahead of his title defense against Honor No More's leader Eddie Edwards at Bound For Glory, IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander opened up on his challenger's proposition to join Honor No More.
The Walking Weapon pledged his loyalty to IMPACT Wrestling and refused to turn his back on the company that gave him the opportunity to become world champion.
Edwards crashed the interview and tried to change Alexander's mind before Heath attacked him from behind. IMPACT officials broke up the brawl and Scott D'Amore announced a match between the two on next week's show.
Heath asked Alexander to disregard Edwards' words but the champion stated that there was some truth to what he said as Heath did cut him off last week.
#3. Controversial title match on IMPACT Wrestling
After winning the tag titles earlier in the night, Honor No More had the chance to win more gold as Kenny King faced Mike Bailey for the X Division Championship. King and Bailey went back and forth before the former inadvertently knocked the referee out.
A new referee rushed to the ring. Moments later, King trapped Bailey and secured the pinfall win with leverage from Maria from the outside. King was crowned the new X Division champion, but the original referee of the match witnessed Maria's interference and overturned the decision.
The title match was restarted with Honor No More banned from the ringside. After a brief exchange, King managed to counter the Ultima Weapon only for Bailey to roll him up to retain the X Division Championship.
#2. Number one contender's match on IMPACT Wrestling
Courtesy of pinning Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace, Deonna Purrazzo earned the opportunity to compete in the number one contender's match against the undefeated Masha Slamovich.
The two Knockouts put together a phenomenal main event. Slamovich managed to overcome everything Purrazzo had to offer - including the Queen's Gambit and a lot of outside interference from Chelsea Green - to become the number one contender for the Knockouts World Championship.
After the match, Grace confronted Slamovich and handed her a death warrant, returning the favor from Emergence. It would be interesting to see if Slamovich continues her unbeaten run as she battles Grace at Bound For Glory for the championship.
#1. Mickie James' blockbuster announcement on IMPACT Wrestling
Former Knockouts World Champion Mickie James returned to the IMPACT Zone to make a special announcement. She thanked the fans for inspiring her to overcome some turbulent times in the last few years and discarded rumors of her retirement.
She stated that she started to doubt herself after her losses to Tasha Steelz and Chelsea Green, but she returned on a mission to test herself and prove that she is the best. She declared her intentions to compete for the Knockouts World Championship, but instead of asking for it, she wanted to earn it.
James issued an open challenge to the entire Knockouts Division on the road to earning a title shot. She further declared that her journey would either end with her as the Knockouts Champion or her going home for good.
