'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
Impact Wrestling is almost always in some kind of state of moving onto the next phase. It seems that the calendar can't turn into another month without another string of people leaving the company and more rumours about changes popping up.
With James Storm leaving the company due to Impact Wrestling not renewing his high-dollar guaranteed contract, The Wrestling Observer Newsletter provided some clues about who fans might want to pay attention to next in regards to exiting the company.
In case you didn't know...
Pro wrestling contracts can be a complicated thing. Of course, the wrestlers want to make as much money as possible but that doesn't always work out for the company. WCW ran into this problem back in the day with the high-dollar contracts they were offering but they had a genius way of doing it by signing their top names to Turner contracts (which later became AOL/Time Warner). But Impact Wrestling is another story.
The heart of the matter
James Storm's departure from Impact Wrestling might not be the only big name looking to take a leave soon if Impact Wrestling can't provide them with the same kind of deal upon contract negotiations.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter speculated that it might be a good idea to pay attention to Bobby Lashley and Ethan Carter III next when the time comes to talk about re-signing with Impact Wrestling.
If Anthem Sports can't provide the same kind of deal, they very well might be losing these top names as well.
What's next?
With so many former Impact Wrestling guys on the current WWE roster, there's going to be more than a few people who can vouch for EC3 and Bobby Lashley's abilities. Who knows if we'll be seeing them make a jump to NXT or possibly straight to the main roster eventually?
Author's take
The pro wrestling business is a lot of fun but it's a business first and foremost. These guys wrestle because they love what they do but they still need to make enough money to make it worth their while. If a high-dollar guaranteed contract is what they're getting now, it might be hard for them to feasibly take a step back in regards to pay if that's what Impact Wrestling expects them to do. I don't blame them either, and who could?
Send us news tips at [email protected]
