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As we have often seen in recent months, professional wrestlers are starting to leave their old promotions and move to new ones. It's always worth watching which stars will become free agents as this year draws to a close. Several notable potential free agents happened to be performers in IMPACT Wrestling.
Names like Fallah Bahh and X-Division Champion Rohit Raju both recently re-signed contracts with the company. Bahh has consistently been a fun part of the Wrestle House and tag team segments, and Raju captured the gold earlier this summer. Ethan Page will also see his deal expire at the end of the year. Many fans want to know whether he return or move on from IMPACT.
A few big pieces, however, had their last matches with the company. The Rascalz - Dez, Wentz and Trey Miguel - wrestled their final bout on a recent episode of IMPACT Wrestling. Alongside IMPACT World Champ Rich Swann, Miguel picked up a tag team win over Wentz and Dez. Despite their contributions to the company, none of The Rascalz won gold in IMPACT. They had been a key piece of both the tag team and X Divisions, but they were always the challengers rather than the champions.
Most wrestling companies have stars that will see their contracts expire once 2020 is in the books. IMPACT is included in that group, but the promotion also has several key performers that have deals expiring in the first quarter of 2021. Here are five such performers. Their contract status can be seen here at Fightful.com.
#5 IMPACT Wrestling star with contract expiring in first quarter of 2021: Taya Valkyrie - expires in Jan 2021
Whether it was as the IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Champion, a vapid boss to John E. Bravo or as a tag team partner of Rosemary, one thing is certain - Taya Valkyrie is one of the most entertaining stars in all of pro wrestling.
She was originally brought in as a more serious character, but she shifted into a fan-friendly star alongside her husband, Johnny Impact ( also known as John Morrison). Valkyrie would then embark on the longest reign as Knockouts Champion in the company's history.
Valkyrie's pairing with Rosemary has allowed her to shine, as she has showed that she is extremely versatile. She hits her comedic notes with perfect timing, and the conversations between the two women are usually hilarious. Her character growth of "letting Bravo get married" was also a big step up from her usual selfish character. Her deal is up after the first month of next year, but IMPACT typically does a great job of booking multiple women's storylines. She has a place in IMPACT Wrestling if she chooses to stay, but she might move on once her deal expires. Where will she land?
#4 IMPACT Wrestling star with contract expiring in first quarter of 2021: Rosemary - expires in Feb 2021
It's hard to envision the IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts division without Rosemary. She has been a vital part of it since her time in the Decay, and her interactions with Allie helped kick off the whole series of events in the Undead Realm. Now, she's chasing the Knockouts Tag Team Championship.
Rosemary has been a member of IMPACT since 2016 and like Valkyrie, she is a must-watch performer every time she is on-screen. Her whole relationship with John E. Bravo, which turned into a murder mystery, was part of the impetus for Wrestle House. Those segments arguably turned out to be some of the best-produced and most enjoyable segments in all of pro wrestling in 2020.
The other fascinating aspect of her character has been interacting with other characters with similar auras. Herr feuds/angles with Su Yung/Susie, Havok and Father James Mitchell were great. She's one of the most compelling female performers in all of pro wrestling. Rosemary nails her character work, and she does more than just show up and wrestle like many other performers.
Any promotion that signs "The Demon Assassin" - including IMPACT - will be getting an extremely valuable star with a great gimmick. She's been loyal to IMPACT, so she could very well re-sign with them.
#3 IMPACT Wrestling star with contract expiring in first quarter of 2021: Moose - expires in Feb 2021
Moose is not everyone's cup of tea, but he has found success with IMPACT. Since his debut in 2016, he's been both a heel and a face. He was aligned with Austin Aries at one point, and he worked alongside Eddie Edwards at another junction. He then had a heated feud with Edwards. Moose later allied with Mike Bennett when he and his wife Maria Kanellis had a cup of tea with IMPACT.
Lately, he's been playing up the "big star" persona, and he has consistently called himself "Mr. IMPACT." If that's true, then he should have won the IMPACT Wrestling World Championship by now. Instead, he has settled for walking around with the TNA Heavyweight Championship.
As a former NFL athlete, it's easy to see his natural athleticism. But it seems like other big guys, such Kevin Owens, Keith Lee and Damian Priest, utilize their combination of size and strength in the ring better than Moose. For this reason, Moose might have the most staying power with IMPACT. He's truly created his brand and persona with the company, so while his contract will expire 2021, it's fair to expect him to re-sign.
#2 IMPACT Wrestling star with contract that expires in first quarter of 2021: Jake Crist - expires in March 2021
Jake Crist is clearly a talented competitor. He's had runs as the IMPACT Wrestling Tag Team Champions, and he is also a former X Division Champion. His run with oVe was always something that helped propel him up the card.
Since oVe was such a violent and vile group of villains, it was always interesting to see Crist jump around the ring like a cruiserweight and hit an array of high-flying moves. But like most of the world, his 2020 went a strange direction about half way through the year.
Normally a part of oVe, the group disbanded. Crist was then set to be aligned with Joseph P. Ryan, but both Ryan and Jake's brother, Dave, were taken off of IMPACT Wrestling TV. Instead of having the opportunity to be a part of two interesting groups, the former X Division Champ hasn't been used whatsoever on television
The COVID-19 pandemic has obviously caused a giant shift in how things go in wrestling. While Crist clearly has talent that could be utilized each week, his misfortune may be a case of "Creative has nothing for you." With his deal expiring in March 2021, does that mean we've seen the last of the Crists in IMPACT ? If so, what promotion seems like a logical next home for the duo?
#1 IMPACT Wrestling star with contract expiring in first quarter of 2021: Willie Mack - expires in April 2021
Willie Mack has been a member of IMPACT since 2018. He's been an ally of current IMPACT World Champion Rich Swann, and the two have been active as a tag team. They were also both singles stars independent of each other, as each man won the X Division title.
While he's not the strongest performer on the mic, Mack does his best work in between the ropes. When you look at him, you don't think he'd be able to hit a standing moonsault. But he can. Wrestling works best with stars of all shapes and sizes, and sometimes those of a different size can shock us with their athleticism.
Mack has been a consistent face in the mid-card and occasionally in the main event. With Swann holding the top prize in IMPACT, it would stand to reason that the two will eventually face off for the title. Whether or not one turns heel remains to be seen. It would be a good change for either of them, as they've both traditionally been babyfaces throughout their time with the company.
Mack's deal expires in April 2021, so there still time for the two sides to negotiate a new contract. Mack would be a good addition to any promotion, but his best two options might be staying with IMPACT Wrestling or going to All Elite Wrestling.
