The Top 8 Most Improved Impact Wrestlers in 2019 By Hakeem Fullerton
Intro: We all like to make improvements in one way or another and if your a professional wrestler than that those improvements can really help elevate your stock and position within the company you work for.
There's something about seeing a wrestler who we all thought would either be a mid carder at best or the promotions resident jobber at worse be able to step into their own and prove to everybody that there truly is more than meets the eye.
So I've chosen the eight wrestlers on the impact roster I think made the biggest changes in their career in 2019...
8. Jake Crist
Jake Crist has been labeled the most underrated talent on the entire Impact Wrestling roster, and while their are other names who could qualify for that title, the man once called "White Trash Bruce Lee" has been pretty busy this year.
Like many on this list, Jake Crist was give some well needed character development in the form of the "Golden Draw", a play-on Sami Callihan's nickname "The Draw" but the reason why his the Golden Draw is thanks to a victory he scored over Rich Swann.
On the July 26th 2019 episode of Impact, Jake Crist by hook or by crook defeated Rich Swann to become the new X Division after spending the majority of the year battling in various X Division matches both on PPV and on TV.
Since this win Jake has developed a gimmick of a blond haired, fast kicking, braggadocios heel whose second-in command to Sami Callihan in OvE and the first member of the group to win championship gold for the faction since 2017.
So with all of this said you'd imagine Jake would be higher up on this list, well you'd be correct however that isn't the case and that's due to one person: Tessa Blanchard.
Since Impact incorporated intergender wrestling into their show early this year Tessa Blanchard has been putting on matches that have been gathering the attention of the wrestling world as it looks as if Impact is planning to make Tessa Blanchard the first woman to win the World Heavyweight championship in a major U.S. Wrestling promotion.
Unfortunately that has also come at the expense of Jake Crist as he along side his brother Dave Crist have been used as cannon fodder in this on going feud between Callihan and Tessa.
This has led to numerous times of Jake being beaten up or getting pinned by Tessa on Impact TV and it only got worse when he won the X Division title.
The final nail in the coffin saw Jake having to defend his title at Bound For Glory in a five person ladder match where everyone expected Tessa to win the title...expect she didn't win and the match as well as the belt itself was one by someone that I be talking about very soon on this list, thus making Crist' reign as champion not only one of the worst in recent history but also completely pointless.
Jake Crist's 2019 has had some ups but also a lot of down as well and with rumors about a possible breakup between Callihan and OvE, let's hope the golden draw will not only become the new leader of the group but also get his momentum back in 2020.
7. The Rascalz
Impact Wrestling's "high flying" trio of Trey Miguel, Zachery Wentz and Dezmond Xavier aka the Rascalz really proved themselves both in the tag team and the X Division from their six man tag matches at Rebellion and Bound For Glory to their short but show stealing feud with Santana and Ortiz, and that's not even mentioning the matches they've had on Impact television whether it be singles, tag team or six man tag action.
But what really gets the Rascalz a spot on this list is the amount of hilarious stuff these guys have done.
Examples range from Impact Hall of Famer Gail Kim appearing in the clubhouse to Trey "getting drunk" in the main event of tag team title match to the Rascalz geeking over the opportunity to wrestle RVD to getting Fallah Bahh to say his first words to meeting Trey Miguel's mom and of course demonstrating their musical talents in a number of Ethan Page's vlogs with their hit song "On the Rails".
While some have criticize the over usage of jokes and funny segments when it comes to the Rascalz, you can't deny that it's only used to help build on their character and when you consider what these three can do in the ring, it's safe to say that it'll be only a matter of time before the trio of Trey, Dez, and Wentz become champions in Impact.
6. Ethan Page
Speaking of Ethan Page, the man with the vlog that's all about fake names, no gimmicks has been making waves most notably in the tag team scene.
Ethan Page started off his year like Jake Crist, taking part in the Ultimate X match for the X Division championship at the Homecoming pay per view. While Page would come up short in that match he would make up for it sooner rather than later.
Ethan Page started off his year like Jake Crist, taking part in the Ultimate X match for the X Division championship at the Homecoming pay per view. While Page would come up short in that match he would make up for it sooner rather than later.
After signing his contract with Impact early this year, Ethan Page's tag team partner on the independent scene, Josh Alexander would partner up with "All Ego" and the duo became known as 'The North' because their both Canadians and also it's a Game of Thrones reference.
The North would spend the rest of 2019 defeating teams like The Rascalz, LAX, Rich Swann and Willie Mack, RVD and Rhino, Eddie Edwards and Marafuji among many others.
Not to mention that they defeated LAX during the Bash at the Brewery event to become the new world tag team champions.
With the departures of the Lucha Brothers and LAX's Santana and Ortiz to All Elite Wrestling this year, The North are being looked upon by both the company and fans alike to continue the success the tag team division has been enduring and you can certainly bet that "All Ego" Ethan Page will be bragging, tweeting and vlogging about it to anyone who will listen.
Not to mention that they defeated LAX during the Bash at the Brewery event to become the new world tag team champions.
With the departures of the Lucha Brothers and LAX's Santana and Ortiz to All Elite Wrestling this year, The North are being looked upon by both the company and fans alike to continue the success the tag team division has been enduring and you can certainly bet that "All Ego" Ethan Page will be bragging, tweeting and vlogging about it to anyone who will listen.
5. Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie
The mayor of Slamtown and his first lady have improved a lot this year since making their debuts for the company back in 2017.
Although Impact and Valkyrie have had their fair share of feuds since signing with the former TNA Wrestling, the fans never really cared. Their time as babyfaces didn't help as Johnny's good guy act was genetic and Taya's babyface run from late 2018 to 2019 was insufferable. Fortunately they wouldn't be babyfaces for much longer.
Although Impact and Valkyrie have had their fair share of feuds since signing with the former TNA Wrestling, the fans never really cared. Their time as babyfaces didn't help as Johnny's good guy act was genetic and Taya's babyface run from late 2018 to 2019 was insufferable. Fortunately they wouldn't be babyfaces for much longer.
On the March 15th episode of Impact, both Taya and Johnny turned heel on Brian Cage in attempt to weaken Cage weeks before their up-and-coming match at the Rebellion Pay-Per View. That turn helped both Johnny and Taya as the fans began booing the both of them out of the building every time they would appear and they played off each other so well as a bunch of self absorbed Hollywood A-Listers, complete with their only lackey in the form of former Impact referee, John E. Bravo.
While Johnny's time as a heel didn't last long as he would be gone from the company after losing an X Division title match with Rich Swann at Slammiversary, Taya would continue her Hollywood gimmick with Bravo by her side which would result in Taya becoming the longest reigning champion (not just KO champion) in Impact Wrestling history.
Also major credit on John E. Bravo going from referee to Hollywood groupie and being able to make it work as successful as it's been.
4. Ace Austin
At first glance you could easily mistaken Ace Austin as the fourth unofficial member of the Rascalz except with a love of magic tricks and the color purple.
While the one true ace may look more at home hanging around Impact's residence "high" flyers, there is one thing about Ace that separates him from others on the roster...and that's being a douchebag (on screen that is).
Yes, the high flyer with the world's most punch able face really improved himself within the latter half of the year and he did this by "banging other men's wives".
In August, Ace began hitting on women in the knockouts locker room, particularly Alisha Edwards. Ace's adulterine ways got him in the crosshairs of former multi time champion Eddie Edwards (Alisha's real life husband).
The feud helped in making the one dimensional wrestler into a sleazy, manipulative d-bag who you could want to see get his come upends.
And while both Eddie and Alisha would get their revenge on the one true ace. It was Ace Austin himself who ended up scoring some major paydirt by winning the five person ladder match at Bound For Glory and becoming the new X Division champion as well.
While the one true ace may look more at home hanging around Impact's residence "high" flyers, there is one thing about Ace that separates him from others on the roster...and that's being a douchebag (on screen that is).
Yes, the high flyer with the world's most punch able face really improved himself within the latter half of the year and he did this by "banging other men's wives".
In August, Ace began hitting on women in the knockouts locker room, particularly Alisha Edwards. Ace's adulterine ways got him in the crosshairs of former multi time champion Eddie Edwards (Alisha's real life husband).
The feud helped in making the one dimensional wrestler into a sleazy, manipulative d-bag who you could want to see get his come upends.
And while both Eddie and Alisha would get their revenge on the one true ace. It was Ace Austin himself who ended up scoring some major paydirt by winning the five person ladder match at Bound For Glory and becoming the new X Division champion as well.
3. Fallah Bahh
Arguably the poster child for the most improved wrestler on the Impact roster, Fallah Bahh continues to show week in and week out why his one of modern wrestling's best big men and an agile one at that.
After his career defining match for the Impact World Championship against Austin Aries back in 2018, many began to look at the superheavyweight more as an asset to the company than an overweight enchantment talent.
Fans cheered for him every time he would appear on screen, they would be excited by his many taunts and mannerisms in the ring and his popularity was growing to no end.
While has spent most of his tenure in Impact as a tag team guy partnered with names like Mario Bokara, KM, Scarlett Bordeaux and TJ Perkins, the human panda has proven himself to be a capable singles competitor as well in his matches with names like Killer Kross, Sami Callihan, Moose and Michael Elgin.
In addition to this his also lost a tremendous amount of weight this year which hasn't gone unnoticed and the company is starting to give him more opportunities to speak on the microphone.
The only downside to Fallah do in no fault of his own is that he lacks direction; sure he can put on a good match and work well with anyone as a tag team, it's just that management don't have him doing anything of importance or anything that will lead into championship opportunities or progression in his career.
This is a case where the regime of Scott D'Amore and Don Callis should really consider bringing in a mid card title for guys like Fallah who could use the belt as way to elevated themselves into the world title picture or be used as a nice reward for those talents who can put on impressive matches but may not get the chance to be world champion.
Whether this will happen in the near future is unknown but the fans are starting to clamor on social media for a new secondary title for the increasing number of mid carders the company currently has and as longer as the title isn't given three or 4 different name changes and the belt can stick around long enough to become synonymous with the company (for all the right reasons) then everything should be aright.
After his career defining match for the Impact World Championship against Austin Aries back in 2018, many began to look at the superheavyweight more as an asset to the company than an overweight enchantment talent.
Fans cheered for him every time he would appear on screen, they would be excited by his many taunts and mannerisms in the ring and his popularity was growing to no end.
While has spent most of his tenure in Impact as a tag team guy partnered with names like Mario Bokara, KM, Scarlett Bordeaux and TJ Perkins, the human panda has proven himself to be a capable singles competitor as well in his matches with names like Killer Kross, Sami Callihan, Moose and Michael Elgin.
In addition to this his also lost a tremendous amount of weight this year which hasn't gone unnoticed and the company is starting to give him more opportunities to speak on the microphone.
The only downside to Fallah do in no fault of his own is that he lacks direction; sure he can put on a good match and work well with anyone as a tag team, it's just that management don't have him doing anything of importance or anything that will lead into championship opportunities or progression in his career.
This is a case where the regime of Scott D'Amore and Don Callis should really consider bringing in a mid card title for guys like Fallah who could use the belt as way to elevated themselves into the world title picture or be used as a nice reward for those talents who can put on impressive matches but may not get the chance to be world champion.
Whether this will happen in the near future is unknown but the fans are starting to clamor on social media for a new secondary title for the increasing number of mid carders the company currently has and as longer as the title isn't given three or 4 different name changes and the belt can stick around long enough to become synonymous with the company (for all the right reasons) then everything should be aright.
2. Moose
Another rising star that's been lacking in direction is the former ring of honor star and former Impact Grand Champion, Moose.
The former football star has certain made an impression during his time in Impact and his heel turn in 2018 against former friend Eddie Edwards has really helped him to turn from the babyface who had no personality to become a pompous superstar decked in expensively flamboyant clothes.
His feuds and bouts with Johnny Impact, Eddie Edwards and the Rascalz weren't too bad but you got the feel that some of the things he did or could of done ended in unspectacular fashion: He was partnered with Killer Kross and it looked like the two would either become a tag team or become rivals but the ever going Kross/Impact Management debacle has stopped all hopes of that, he did form a partnership with The North but that ended in a matter of months, he then took on legends like RVD and Ken Shamrock in high profiled matches but they turned out to be the most disappointing matches for Slammiversary and Bound For Glory...in otherwise words he would have a great start but lackluster finish.
Much like Fallah Bahh, Moose is a guy who seriously needs a mid card title around his waist in order to improve his situation of stop/start booking within the company.
Still, he was always doing something both on TV and PPV, so you can't get too upset on his booking but let's hope management really do start considering on introducing a new secondary title.
1. Kiera Hogan
The girl on Fire (and no I'm not going to say the exaggerated version of her nickname), has gone through quite the change in the year 2019 filled with turns both in her career and in her person life.
From being an uninteresting character in the "Undead Realm" story arc to leaving the Demon Assassin alone at the mercy of Su Yung and her undead bridesmaids (in fairness, Rosemary did tell Kiera that she didn't need her help), to upgrading her theme music to changing her red and yellow hair to a sleek blue coloring to her "friendship" with Madison Rayne.
The 25 year old wrestler has finally started to find her groove and has become an important part of the Impact roster.
Her matches were nothing to sleep on either as she put on "match of the night" candidates with Madison Rayne and Jordynne Grace which lead to all three ladies battling in a triple threat match at this years Slammiversary preshow.
But one of the biggest things that involved Kiera Hogan was coming out of the closet as LGBTQ and announcing her relationship with former Impact knockout, Diamante.
This generated a lot of support from both the fans and the locker room as coming out is truly a difficult thing to do in even in today's climate and especially when your a role model to many people.
While she hasn't would any championship gold in Impact...yet, she did most recently win the Women of Wrestling's tag team titles with her girlfriend.
All in all, Kiera has improved a lot since her 2018 debut and considering that she resigned with the company early this year, we will still have more time to see what Kiera Hogan can bring to Impact Wrestling.
If you enjoyed my article/ blog, please leave your thoughts below and follow me on Blogger, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
And for more Wrestling Related Lists like this one, here are the links to some of them down below:
Top 10 Impact Wrestling Moments in 2019
https://blogofwrestling52.blogspot.com/2019/11/top-10-impact-wrestling-moments-in-2019.html
Ten Facts About Bound For Glory 2019
https://blogofwrestling52.blogspot.com/2019/10/ten-facts-about-bound-for-glory-2019-by.htmlTop 10 Impact Wrestling Moments in 2019
https://blogofwrestling52.blogspot.com/2019/11/top-10-impact-wrestling-moments-in-2019.html
Ten Facts About Bound For Glory 2019
Top 7 "What Ifs" in TNA/ Impact Wrestling History
Ten Impact Wrestling Mysteries That Remain Unsolved
Picture Sources
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