It was a year of a complete turnaround for IMPACT Wrestling. The brand saw itself go from having no chance of proving yet again they are “Hard To Kill.” Joining AXS TV helped them have enough viewers to make the ultimate impact (no pun intended) heading into the next decade with the biggest match of their history. IMPACT Wrestling is the best it has been in years, thanks to these five wrestlers who made it a place to be once again. Without these five, there is a fair chance this brand could be gone once and for all. Here are IMPACT Wrestlings Top 5 wrestlers for 2019.
5. Moose
Many fans may not necessarily love the former NFL player, but Moose had one heck of a year for IMPACT Wrestling. By all accounts, he created an aura around him as the “legend killer” of the company. He beat the likes of Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, and Ken Shamrock. All three men have found plenty of success in their wrestling careers, which only proved to be bigger and bigger wins for Moose. The man showed he was championship caliber, and while he came up empty in the year of 2019 when it comes to titles, 2020 sure looks like a year where Moose will be on top of the mountain.
IMPACT Wrestlings Top 5 Wrestlers Of 2019
4. Brian Cage
To say 2019 went exactly as Brian Cage wanted to would be lying to ourselves. While yes, “The Machine” won the IMPACT World Championship at Rebellion, it was a back injury that limited how much of a champion he could be. Whichever way you state it, Cage was the head representative of IMPACT in 2019 by being their champion and waving the flag proudly over his shoulder. Rumors are rampant that this year could be Cage’s final with IMPACT as the interest levels are expected to be high. If so, “The Swolverine” did all he could to not only improve his stock in 2019 but make IMPACT a better overall place heading into 2020.
3. Taya Valkyrie
The only reason the longest-reigning IMPACT Knockouts Champion ever is not number one or two on this list is that she didn’t almost single-handedly save the company with the rivalry between these two at the top. Regardless, it was a banner year for “Wera Loca.” Taya Valkyrie put down every single challenger in front of her after she defeated Tessa Blanchard on January 6th, 2019 to become the champion. Since then, she has survived Rosemary, Havok, Su Yung, Madison Rayne, and Jordynne Grace. The latter happens to be one of her opponents at “Hard To Kill”. She has led one of the best women’s divisions in the world into 2020 and she has been a huge reason behind the success of IMPACT.
2. Sami Callihan
The leader of oVe is ending 2019 as the IMPACT World Champion. That should get him the top spot in IMPACT this year. However, it was a special year for one other wrestler in the company. However, what Sami Callihan managed to do was go above the rules and come out of the other side as the world champion. He defeated Brian Cage in the debut on AXS TV to become the champion. On that night, he showed the world what IMPACT was all about. Callihan entered a blood feud with Tessa Blanchard, marking the first intergender rivalry in a major company in years. Their match at Slammiversary XVII is by all accounts the company’s match of the year, where Sami came out on top.
As we head into 2020, IMPACT will prove they’re “Hard To Kill”. They’re putting on the first-ever intergender world championship match in the history of major companies. Sami Callihan will happily attempt to continue his success by crushing the fans everywhere, much as he went out of his way to do in 2019. The exact reason the IMPACT World Champion has finished at number two on the best wrestlers of 2019 in IMPACT Wrestling.
IMPACT Wrestlings Top 5 Wrestlers Of 2019
1. Tessa Blanchard
The wrestler that defined IMPACT Wrestling is the one and only “Undeniable” Tessa Blanchard. “Undeniable” is right, as Tessa established herself as the biggest star IMPACT has had in years. She glows any time she is in the ring and fans know to pay attention. Tessa kicked off 2019 as the IMPACT Knockouts Champion. She spent the rest of it proving to herself that she is the best IMPACT has seen in years. It was at Rebellion where she took on the pound for pound greatest Knockout of all-time, Gail Kim. In doing so, she pinned Kim and claimed her spot as the best. But she was nowhere near done. She made the move to the men’s division, proving she could hang with absolutely anyone.
Tessa Blanchard is IMPACT Wrestlings top pick for our top 5.
As said earlier, Slammiversary XVII saw Blanchard break down the barriers and main event the show against Sami Callihan. While she lost, she was far from being done and made many a believer that night. She was inches away from winning the X-Divison Championship when oVe did what they could to screw her again. This all leads back to her rivalry with Callihan, which has taken center stage. It will be the main event at the “Hard To Kill” PPV in January. A history-making PPV, she gets the first world championship match in a major wrestling company’s history. Many believe that not only will she beat Callihan that night. But she will lead the company in the best way possible as it’s world champion. Either way, Tessa Blanchard made the waves to be IMPACT’s top wrestler of 2019.
There you have it: IMPACT Wrestling’s top five wrestlers of 2019.
While there will be some disagreements, it is hard to deny. Tessa Blanchard and Sami Callihan belong right at one and two, no matter the order. IMPACT is in good hands heading into 2020, as the future remains bright for this brand.
