"Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive!" - Marianne Faithfull
In the world of combat sports, The war never ends. The battle always rages. The fight for supremacy carries on, again and again, for the quest to be the champion, to hold the gold, to prove your righteousness is eternal, bursting from the fighting spirit within, screaming out for a need to conquer, to dominate, to rise up above all and stand tall as the definitive star that shines greater than all others.
This Saturday evening live on FITE, the combatants of Impact Wrestling return to the squared circle live from the historic fighting town of Poughkeepsie, NY and the legendary Mid-Hudson Civic Center with Rebellion, the promotion's annual spectacle showcasing the pure essence of what makes Impact Wrestling one of the most unique, important professional wrestling promotions on Planet Earth.
Last year at Rebellion, the world stood witness as two World Champions clashed to determine who was truly the best in the world. This year, Moose stands tall as the definitive Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion, an athlete as blessed athletically as he is ruthless. Months after shocking the world at Bound for Glory by capturing the championship from The Walking Weapon Josh Alexander, Moose is as much the hunted as he is the hunter, and he loves it that way. Over the last several months, Alexander has fought to gain his richly deserved rematch with Moose, only to find the reigning champion has stalked and attacked Alexander's family, going as far as to spear Alexander's wife Jade in half. While Alexander desperately wants the championship back in his hands, the crimson fury of his revenge quest against Moose could prove to be Alexander's undoing if he allows his emotions to get the better of him. While injuring Moose could lead to a momentary sense of satisfaction, it won't bring the Impact Championship back in his grasp. Alexander and Moose represent the duality of Impact Wrestling, the passion of the competitor and the desperation to maintain success at all costs. When these two talents clash at Rebellion live on FITE, the future of Impact Wrestling may be changed forever….
Another aspect that may be irrevocably changed in Impact Wrestling is the tag team division. While Impact has been trapped between the warring factions of Violent by Design and Bullet Club in recent weeks, the intrusion of former ROH World Tag Team Champions Mark and Jay Briscoe may have tipped the balance of power in Impact Wrestling forever, tilting it even further than the debut of Honor No More several months ago at Hard To Kill. Now, with The Good Brothers and many more all gunning for Violent by Design's World Tag Team Championships in an eight team elimination match, there is no way to predict anything beyond chaos theory personified in and outside of the ring at Rebellion, live on FITE.
Tasha Steelz has found herself at the top of the Impact Wrestling Knockouts division, but now a nightmare from her past has risen from the darkness, seeking to pluck all that Tasha has earned away, plummeting her into hell in the process. After winning a Knockouts Battle Royal to gain a Rebellion championship match, Rosemary seeks to lead her hive into battle, representing Decay and promising to destroy all that Tasha Steelz has captured from Mickie James. For Steelz, this is a chance to redeem a blemish on her career, since it was Decay that cost her the Knockouts Tag Team Championships in the past, but Steelz has also leveled up quite a bit since those early days in her Impact tenure. She's a more dangerous competitor, backed by the powerhouse Savannah Evans, but can all that evolution be countered by the madness that lurks within Rosemary? A most intriguing Knockouts Championship encounter will go down this Saturday.
Of course, the heart and soul of Impact Wrestling is in many ways the X-Division. From AJ Styles in the fledgling days of NWA: TNA to Trey Miguel today in Impact, the X-Division has always represented the edge of professional wrestling, its championship was always the gatekeeper, opening the door to the next great star in professional wrestling. At Rebellion, the possession of the championship and indeed that fast-tracked journey into the future could be captured by one of three stellar competitors. While Trey Miguel walks in with the champion's advantage, he must vanquish "Speedball" Mike Bailey, who's hybrid martial arts and aerial styles have captured the attention of many a fan across the FITE world. They must battle with Ace Austin, one of the most athletically gifted, punk rock sneering athletes in the world, who has tasted X-Division gold before and wants a return trip to the mountaintop. While Austin and Bailey have seemingly entered into a pact to topple Miguel, it seems all but certain that one, if not both, of these fighters will quickly forgo that alliance to capture the ultimate victory. Miguel has carried himself with the heart of a warrior and the brilliance of an amazing in-ring competitor, but can he slay two beasts at once?
The Champ Champ is here, or so Deonna Purrazzo has claimed, but now she's going to have to face an old foe in the form of Taya Valkyrie. The returning former Knockouts Champion has returned home, her goals set on recapturing the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship but all roads to Mexico lead through Poughkeepsie this weekend. Taya is seeking to redeem herself and bring the greatness of Wera Loca back to the forefront of professional wrestling, but to do so, she's going to have to outwit and out-wrestle The Virtuosa, one of the most skilled competitors in the world today. FITE fans will have a live window into a true grudge match as Purrazzo is seeking to maintain her dominance and Taya is seeking to reclaim the stardom, the championship and the glory that she believes should still be hers. When the bell rings, tempers will flair and the world will be watching.
Eddie Edwards has thrown his lot in with Honor No More, sneering at everything he was once celebrated for by Impact Wrestling fans and competitors alike. He has spit in the face of his former home, Ring of Honor and the legacy that he and other competitors forged in fire, trying to create a better landscape for everyone in professional wrestling. Now, the reigning and defending ROH Champion Jonathan Gresham is coming to Rebellion, not for honor or for the glory of a good grappling bout, but to fight and to gain vengeance. After being attacked and laid out by Honor No More at Edwards' behest, Gresham is seeking to do what he does best, attain victories, but to do so in the most violent of ways, because for one night, honor is dead, even for Jonathan Gresham.
In recent months, some of the most impressive brawlers in professional wrestling have migrated their way to Impact Wrestling, seeking to prove their mettle and show how truly dominant they can be. Whether it be Joe Doering or PCO or Jonah, there have been some dangerously monstrous beasts attempting to conquer the Impact Wrestling world. Jonah's dominance of late has only attracted more truly tough men to challenge him and now, perhaps one of the toughest brawlers competing today will emerge at Rebellion, challenging Jonah to Mortal Kombat. The Stone Pitbull, New Japan Pro Wrestling's Tomohiro Ishii, has been carving a path of destruction from Tokyo to Chicago and back again in recent weeks and now, he's seeking to conquer the baddest kaiju of them all, Jonah. For Jonah, this is another potential score for his resume. For Ishii, it's a chance to prove your supremacy. For fans across the world, it's an opportunity to see a true dream match explode before your very eyes, live on FITE.
In a most compelling three-way dance, former Impact Wrestling Champion Chris Sabin will collide with New Japan Pro Wrestling's Jay White and the unrelenting Steve Maclin, who recently intruded on their stellar contest at the Multiverse of Matches. Maclin is obsessed with his own success. White is obsessed with spreading the greatness of Bullet Club worldwide. Sabin is seeking to conquer each in an attempt to propel his own career ever forward. The oddsmakers are split across the board as to who will earn the victory here, but the one guarantee is FITE fans will watch in-ring greatness dazzle before their very eyes.
The Rebellion that is Impact Wrestling always trudge forward, seeking yet another city to consume and another battle to be won. The combatants of Impact will collide this Saturday, once again waving the flag of professional wrestling greatness as can only be seen live, right here on FITE!
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.
