Slammiversary 2023 Full Preview
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IMPACT Wrestling celebrates its 21st anniversary at Slammiversary LIVE TONIGHT at 8pm ET on pay-per-view from the St. Clair College Sportsplex in Windsor, Ontario. Tickets are on-sale now at Eventbrite.ca.
At Against All Odds, Alex Shelley overcame the odds and defeated Steve Maclin to become IMPACT World Champion for the very first time. An accomplishment over 20 years in the making, Shelley finally won “the big one”. Earlier in the night, Nick Aldis conquered seven other competitors in the first-ever 8-4-1 match, punching his ticket to the main event of IMPACT Wrestling’s summer pay-per-view extravaganza. At Slammiversary, Alex Shelley will defend his newly-won IMPACT World Title against Nick Aldis in a highly-anticipated matchup. We know that Aldis has had his sights set on reclaiming the gold since his shocking return to IMPACT this past April. But with Shelley finally realizing his lifelong dream, is there anything he’s not willing to Sacrifice in order to remain on top? Shelley, Aldis, the epic IMPACT World Title clash that you can’t miss goes down at Slammiversary.
After victories over KiLynn King, Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans, Trinity declared that she was waiting for the winner of Deonna Purrazzo vs Jordynne Grace at Under Siege. After “The Virtuosa” emerged from London, ON victorious and retained the Knockouts World Championship, Trinity challenged Purrazzo to a monumental first-time-ever dream match at Slammiversary. Can Trinity continue to shine and complete her journey to becoming Knockouts World Champion, or will the age of the Virtuosa continue long past the July 15th PPV event in Windsor?
It was a horrifying scene in the closing moments of Under Siege when Bully Ray and Steve Maclin brutally assaulted IMPACT President Scott D’Amore and sent him crashing through a flaming table. But just two weeks later, D’Amore gained a measure of revenge when he made his shocking return and cost Bully the first-ever 8-4-1 match to determine a new #1 Contender for the IMPACT World Title. After learning that Bully had filed an official complaint with Anthem Sports & Entertainment, D’Amore revealed that he would be taking a leave of absence as President of IMPACT Wrestling. D’Amore would then take Bully down and lay in a series of strikes before Steve Maclin came to his aid. D’Amore found himself on the receiving end of a two-on-one beatdown when the “French-Canadian Frankenstein” PCO joined forces with D’Amore to clear the ring of their adversaries. Deaner, one of the most vindictive, deceitful and driven wrestlers in the business, was confirmed by Bully as his new tag team partner for the high-profile Slammiversary tag team match, it was first announced live on Busted Open, which airs on SiriusXM Fight Nation, channel 156. Deaner replaces Maclin, who was scheduled to team with Bully, but is unable to participate at Slammiversary. Maclin suffered a serious injury during IMPACT’s Down Under Tour in Australia. In addition, IMPACT Wrestling executives have not commented on the status of PCO, who endured a heinous, fiery assault by Bully and Maclin on the weekly flagship TV show. We also learned that NHL legend Darren McCarty will be the Special Enforcer for this match. McCarty came to blows with Bully during his Busted Open match with Tommy Dreamer, and even competed against Bully in tag team competition. As a former enforcer on the ice, McCarty is ready to law down the law at ringside.
Lio Rush sent a message upon his debut on the June 29, 2023 edition of IMPACT! on AXS TV. After defeating Jack Price in singles action, Rush made his intentions crystal clear when he joined Nick Aldis in assaulting the Motor City Machine Guns later that night. Rush would go on to attack Chris Sabin with the X-Division Title and stall tall over the reigning champ to close out the show. In a digital exclusive clip, it was Sabin who laid out the challenge to Rush for an X-Division Title showdown at Slammiversary. We can now confirm that the challenge has been accepted and this blockbuster match has been made official for IMPACT’s summer pay-per-view extravaganza. Having held championship gold in some of the top wrestling promotions around the world, will Rush add the X-Division Title to his list of accolades?
After overcoming the challenge of The Good Hands at Against All Odds, ABC will look to continue their trend-setting IMPACT World Tag Team Title reign at Slammiversary. But doing so will be easier said than done as they must defend against not one, not two, but three teams in a stacked 4-way contest. Opposing them will be the reunited duo of Moose and Brian Myers, longtime friends Rich Swann and Sami Callihan, and SUBCULTURE who recently made a splash upon their IMPACT debut. With the odds stacked against Ace Austin and Chris Bey, will the Bullet Club tandem escape the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles in their possession? Or will new champions be crowned in Windsor?
Two of wrestling’s biggest names, both trained by wrestling legend Killer Kowalski, will settle their rivalry once and for all when Eddie Edwards and Frankie Kazarian meet in singles competition at Slammiversary. Back at Against All Odds, Kazarian toppled Edwards in a hard-fought contest. In a surprising turn of events, it was Edwards who stood side by side with Kazarian during a verbal confrontation with Bully Ray and Steve Maclin just days later. When it was time for the two duos to face off on IMPACT!, Edwards and Kazarian were unable to coexist, resulting in their defeat. After agreeing that they’re destined to be enemies, Edwards evened the score by defeating Kazarian with the help of repeated interference from his wife, Alisha. Slammiversary will now play host to their heated grudge match but this time, Kazarian will bring the original Knockout, Traci Brooks, to be in his corner.
The high-risk, high-wire spectacle known as Ultimate X returns at Slammiversary with a shot at the coveted X-Division Championship up for grabs. Mike Bailey, Jonathan Gresham, KUSHIDA, Kevin Knight and Angels will attempt to make their way across the cables and retrieve the infamous “X”. This will mark the first Ultimate X match for four of the five competitors. However, Mike Bailey is no stranger to the match type as he was victorious in Ultimate X at last year’s Slammiversary. Who is willing to throw caution to the wind for a golden opportunity? We find out in Windsor.
A few weeks ago on IMPACT!, Killer Kelly scored an important victory over one half of the Knockouts World Tag Team Champions, Taylor Wilde. After the match, Kelly found herself on the receiving end of a 2-on-1 beatdown when KiLynn King joined the fray. But in a jaw-dropping turn of events, it was Masha Slamovich who came to Kelly’s aid just days after the two tore each other apart in a brutal Dog Collar match. Two weeks later, Slamovich would go one-on-one with King. Following repeated interference from Wilde, Kelly returned the favor and neutralized her at ringside, leading to the victory for Slamovich. With two wins over The Coven, Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich have earned a Knockouts World Tag Team Title opportunity at Slammiversary. Will the unlikely allies dethrone the dealers of dark magic?
The action begins on Countdown to Slammiversary streaming LIVE & FREE at 7:30pm ET on YouTube, IMPACT Plus (live player) and FITE. Catch up on everything you need to know heading into the big event and witness exclusive matchups you won’t see anywhere else!
For the past several weeks, Kenny King has been a thorn in the side of Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry. After Hendry made quick work of King’s protégé, Sheldon Jean, King laid in wait as Hendry successfully defended his title against Yuya Uemura. But tensions really began to escalate when Hendry debuted his newest music video, which highlighted King’s past as a male stripper. On Countdown to Slammiversary, King will receive the opportunity he’s been waiting for when he challenges Hendry for the Digital Media Title. Hendry has been on a roll since becoming the champion of the world wide web but can King dethrone the musical master?
Recently on IMPACT!, Gisele Shaw looked to get back in the win column when she battled Courtney Rush in singles competition. In typical SHAWntourage fashion, Savannah Evans and Jai Vidal were constantly involved in the matchup and eventually, the numbers game was just too much to overcome for Rush and her ally, Jessicka. In a digital exclusive clip, Jody Threat stood up to the locker room bullies as she united with the Death Dollz. This Saturday on Countdown to Slammiversary, Threat will join forces with Rush and Jessicka to battle Shaw, Evans and Vidal in a 6-person tag team contest.
