Emergence 2023 Full Preview
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Who will conquer all obstacles and emerge victorious? Find out when IMPACT Wrestling presents Emergence LIVE TONIGHT, August 27th at 8pm ET on IMPACT Plus, YouTube for IMPACT Ultimate Insiders and FITE from the Rebel Entertainment Complex in Toronto. Tickets are on-sale now at Eventbrite.com.
At Slammiversary, Trinity proved that if you bet on yourself, you can achieve your wildest dreams when she dethroned Deonna Purrazzo to become the new Knockouts World Champion. Not only did she defeat Purrazzo, but she made “The Virtuosa” tap out for the first time in her IMPACT career. Less than two weeks later on IMPACT!, Purrazzo would confront Trinity after her tag team victory over The Coven, and cut straight to the point: she wants her contractually-obligated rematch at Emergence. We can now confirm that this highly-anticipated showdown has been made official. Will Trinity continue to shine over the Knockouts Division? Or will Purrazzo add yet another Knockouts World Title reign to her long list of accolades?
After Alex Shelley successfully retained his IMPACT World Title over Nick Aldis, he was confronted by the former IMPACT World Champion, Josh Alexander, to close out Slammiversary. On IMPACT!, Alexander revealed that he has been cleared to return to in-ring competition and his goal is to reclaim the championship he never lost. Determined to prove that he has what it takes to defeat the “Walking Weapon”, Shelley was ready to accept Alexander’s challenge when they were blindsided by the devastating alliance of Bully Ray, Moose and Brian Myers. While KUSHIDA attempted to thwart the attack, he too found himself on the receiving end of the beatdown. One week later, X-Division Champion Lio Rush joined forces with Bully, Moose and Myers after being intimidated by the trio. But when another chaotic brawl threatened to tear apart the IMPACT Zone, their numbers advantage wouldn’t last long as Chris Sabin made his return from injury. The battle lines have now been drawn for an epic 8-man tag team showdown as Time Machine and Josh Alexander face off against Bully Ray, Moose, Brian Myers and Lio Rush. With the ongoing struggle for power and control reaching levels of intensity never seen before, which team will reign supreme at Emergence?
For months, Eddie Edwards and Frankie Kazarian have been engaged in a battle for supremacy. At Against All Odds, Kazarian was the first to strike with a victory. A few weeks later on IMPACT!, Edwards would even the score in a hard-hitting rematch. Tensions were rising when Alisha Edwards and Knockouts legend Traci Brooks got involved, leading to a big win for Edwards in the rubber match at Slammiversary – but it didn’t end there. While Kazarian was aiming for Edwards, he inadvertently struck Alisha with a kendo stick. Now the two veterans will attempt to settle the score in the first-ever Back to School match as Edwards and Kazarian return to where it all began, Killer Kowalski’s wrestling school.
Recently on IMPACT!, a grueling tournament played out to determine the new #1 Contenders for the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles, currently held by SUBCULTURE. The Rascalz, Rich Swann and Sami Callihan, ABC, and Mike Bailey and Jonathan Gresham put it all on the line in hopes of claiming this coveted opportunity for themselves. When the dust had settled, it was the Rascalz who emerged victorious after Miguel blinded his opponents with spray paint in both tournament matchups. Meanwhile, SUBCULTURE has been defending the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles all over the world and will return to the IMPACT Zone for this high-stakes showdown.
After learning that the current-reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, SANADA, would be making his long-awaited IMPACT return at Emergence, the wrestling world was abuzz with speculation on who his opponent may be. In another jaw-dropping development, we can now confirm that Jake Something will step up to the NJPW megastar in a first-time-ever matchup. SANADA is a former X-Division Champion, which is the same title that Jake challenged for upon his return at Slammiversary. Since then, Jake has put the roster on notice with a series of impressive showings but this bout with SANADA will surely be the toughest test of his career.
It was in December 2022 when Deaner eliminated what he believed to be “the sickness” and brought an end to Eric Young – or so he thought. In a stunning turn of events, Young would make his return at Slammiversary and reveal that he narrowly survived the attack from Deaner. Since then, Deaner has been obsessed with taking out his former leader and at Emergence, he’ll have an opportunity to do that once and for all. This Sunday, Deaner will collide with Eric Young in a No DQ match where there are no rules and anything goes. However, that also means that Deaner’s loyal Design follower, Kon, can get involved without any repercussions. As this psychologic war reaches its boiling point, who will stand tall in Toronto?
Following a verbal altercation between MK Ultra and the SHAWntourage, one half of the reigning Knockouts World Tag Team Champions, Masha Slamovich, would do battle with Gisele Shaw in singles competition. Despite Killer Kelly‘s best efforts to even out the playing field, Slamovich ultimately fell victim to the numbers game. While Kelly was neutralizing Jai Vidal, Slamovich was blindsided by Shaw’s other loyal follower, Savannah Evans, leading to the Denouement and the win for “The Quintessential Diva”. With that victory, Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans earned a coveted Knockouts World Tag Team Title opportunity against MK Ultra. But one week later, both The Coven and the Death Dollz confronted Director of Authority Santino Marella and claimed that they too were deserving of a Knockouts World Tag Team Title shot. In the case of the Death Dollz, they defeated Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans in a six-person tag team match at Slammiversary. Meanwhile, The Coven are coming off a huge victory over Knockouts World Champion Trinity and Deonna Purrazzo. Never backing down from a fight, MK Ultra revealed that they were willing to take on all challengers. In what is now a star-studded 4-way bout, can MK Ultra remain the Knockouts World Tag Team Champions?
For the better part of 2023, Johnny Swinger was on a quest to earn a coveted IMPACT World Title opportunity – and after defeating his longtime ally, Zicky Dice, in a Loser Leaves IMPACT match, his wish was finally granted. But when Digital Media Champion Kenny King declared himself the “champion of the galaxy”, Swinger’s focus shifted away from the World Title and onto the D.M.C. We can now confirm that Johnny Swinger has decided to challenge for the Digital Media Championship and that match will take place at Emergence. In fact, Swinger is so excited about this opportunity that he even made his own graphic to promote the bout. When the dust settles, will Swinger complete his quest triumphantly and leave Toronto as the Digital Media Champion? Or will Kenny remain the King of the division?
The action begins on Countdown to Emergence streaming LIVE & FREE at 7:30pm ET on YouTube, IMPACT Plus (live player) and FITE. Catch up on everything you need to know before the big event and witness exclusive matchups you won’t see anywhere else!
