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IMPACT Wrestling’s Rebellion pay-per-view on April 25th promises to be a colossal event that will shape the course of professional wrestling history. Within a stacked match card, a title vs. title contest rightfully appears to be in the prime spotlight, intriguing the entire wrestling community.
We will witness a title vs. title match at the Rebellion event between IMPACT World Champion Rich Swann and AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
Omega is on a mission to collect championships from all around the world. He has already claimed both the AEW World Championship and the AAA Mega Championship. So winning the IMPACT World Championship would help him write a new chapter in wrestling history.
Meanwhile, Rich Swann is the embodiment of the "rags-to-riches" story. He comes from a unique background. A star of his own accord, Swann has always had it tough. From losing his parents at an early age to being misguided in his life, Swann has faced a lot of adversities to finally establish himself as a top performer.
He is nothing short of a world-class athlete in the ring. For that reason, he has been the face of IMPACT Wrestling as the company's Undisputed World Champion.
Regardless of the outcome of this anticipated bout, Rebellion 2021 is guaranteed to generate a massive buzz for all the promotions involved. Let's take a look at four ways through which this could be accomplished.
#4 Fans of various promotions have reasons to watch IMPACT Wrestling's Rebellion event
AEW's staple viewers are guaranteed to tune in for IMPACT Wrestling's Rebellion pay-per-view without question. This event will also create the first prominent influx of viewers that IMPACT Wrestling executives expect from their working relationship with AEW President Tony Khan.
AEW features some of the most prominent aspects of what made TNA thrive in its early establishment years. It is an opportunistic time for all the companies to utilize this event and formulate some spectacular intertwined cross-promotional storylines. There should be a few surprises in store for Sunday's pay-per-view to blow away the viewers.
It's worth noting that David Finlay and Juice Robinson, collectively known as FinJuice, are NJPW stars. The duo is currently carrying the IMPACT Tag Team Championships and will face The Good Brothers, who are challenging for the titles.
This contest will capture the attention of NJPW fans, who may be genuinely interested in the outcome of the Rebellion pay-per-view.
#3 Kenny Omega's cross-promotional status could lead to a major Bullet Club reunion in the future
After the dissolution of the world's most infamous wrestling faction — the nWo, no other brand has come close to replicating WCW's charm in decades. A lot of noteworthy ideas were conceived, but none could ever replicate the marketability and the cult-like following that the nWo managed to pull off effortlessly.
Years later, however, NJPW managed to hit the jackpot at a perfect time when they formed the Bullet Club. Bullet Club featured some of the most technically gifted wrestlers in the world as the faction's leaders. With stars like Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), AJ Styles, and Kenny Omega, Bullet Club became one of the most popular factions of this century.
In the last few years, the Bullet Club has lost its limelight. Reputed stars left the faction to join either the WWE, IMPACT or AEW. Without them, NJPW has struggled to resonate with the faction's appeal to a global audience.
Now there is an opportunity to cash in on the Bullet Club's formula yet again.
Kenny Omega was the club's leader when it was at its peak. Omega is the best bout machine, and he's a perfect fit to change the world of professional wrestling as we know it. Including Omega, some former Bullet Club members currently operate as The Elite in AEW.
The events that will transpire at the upcoming Rebellion pay-per-view will likely lead to major consequences in the future. If Omega wins at Rebellion, his status as a wrestling belt collector may prompt him to target NJPW's top titleholder.
This has to inevitably create a lot of buzz, as The Elite and Bullet Club will likely cross paths in some form, and possibly reunite in the process. As mentioned before, Omega must win at Rebellion and move on to other promotions to set this chain of events in motion.
It also does not matter if some members are scattered around different promotions this time around, as the 'Forbidden Door' is now open. This may not sound like an immediate possibility, but it can happen at some point in the current decade.
#2 Power Struggle storylines in IMPACT Wrestling could involve different promotions
For many years, IMPACT Wrestling had planned either a power struggle or a hostile takeover storyline. It was a pattern that ultimately concluded in faction warfare during the Lockdown pay-per-view.
The company has always struggled to create any genuine emotional weight behind the characters involved in the storyline. More often than not, they would always end up choosing old ECW wrestlers or Jeff Jarrett.
Now they have a legitimate chance to toss aside those monotonous tales and bring out a never-before-seen storyline. Prominent authoritarian figures from different promotions can indulge in a power struggle angle to captivate the audience.
IMPACT Wrestling's upcoming Rebellion pay-per-view will be a major step forward when it comes to cross-promotional tactics in the modern professional wrestling era. The aftermath of Sunday's title vs. title contest could very well create some scope for a future Lethal Lockdown match featuring AEW and IMPACT stars.
Someday, different promotions can take part in a mega pay-per-view along the lines of Lethal Lockdown by involving all of their stars in a brand supremacy storyline.
#1 Resource pooling helps all companies to create a lot of buzz together
The financial impact faced by the wrestling industry has been particularly harsh due to the ongoing pandemic. Many wrestlers and support staff have been released by major promotions to make up for the alleged budget cuts.
The released talents cannot always be signed by a single promotion alone due to several logical factors. NJPW does not have a women's division, and AAA does not have much appeal across the global market. AEW's women's division has just started to find its footing, but they still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, IMPACT Wrestling does not have the biggest financial resources to lead the market.
Each of these shortcomings could be resolved by a well-established resource pooling system. Each company would have the option to loan out a few stars from their roster to the aid of other promotions.
This idea also ensures a well-structured recruitment process with guaranteed talent utilization. It all sounds easier said than done, but one can never say never in professional wrestling.
For the sake of fantasy booking, let's assume that The IIconics (Peyton Royce and Billie Kay) were to go to IMPACT Wrestling and eventually win the IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championships. They could carry those championships to AEW, which will help Tony Khan establish a strong AEW tag team division for the promotion's female stars.
In this example, not only is more competition created between IMPACT and AEW's women's divisions, but it also generates a lot of buzz and helps the promotions flourish by working hand in hand.
The upcoming Rebellion event could kickstart the beginning of an extensive communal relationship between professional wrestling promotions.
Because of various restrictions, the opening of the 'forbidden door' hasn't led to frequent sharing of resources between wrestling companies. But the title vs. title match at Rebellion 2021 should lead to major advancements in this regard, at least between IMPACT Wrestling and AEW.
