Sami Callihan — The Perfect Champion for Impact Wrestling

It is great to finally now be able to talk about Sami Callihan being Impact champ. I wanted to talk about it on Wednesday, but I thought if I did, I would still be spoiling the news for the audience who watch on 5Star. Saying this though, I think most people had already had it spoilt due to the event being filmed in advanced and airing earlier in the US.
I think Sami is the perfect champion for the current brand of Impact Wrestling. I think Sami epitomizes the vibe of the show and I think it was the perfect way to launch on AXS by crowning him champion with a title switch on their debut show. Sami has led the way for months and months on social media with his unapologetic and unwavering public support for Impact Wrestling, but the promotion over in so many posts. Sami has positioned himself as the company guy while still keeping his anti-establishment character, and I think they did the right thing by not crowning him champion at Bound for Glory.
Great booking
Before Bound for Glory, there was a part of the audience who were saying Sami shouldn’t be champ, didn’t have what it takes to be the champ and so on, but then after the show, most of the audience were annoyed that he wasn’t crowned champion. This is why sometimes it’s best to wait and win over the fans first. By switching the title on their first show on AXS, it meant more people saw the title change, and it gave Impact a big headline from their first show on AXS. I think everything was handled very smartly by the creative team at Impact and I for one am excited for the future with Sami as champion.
Where does this leave Brian Cage?
I am not sure where this leaves Brian Cage now. I like him, but I’m not sure he fits when you put him next to the rest of the roster. Due to injuries he has been limited as of late, and yes they can possibly do some good big guy matches with him against Rhyno, Elgin again and a few others, but from a storyline point of view he doesn’t excite me at the moment.
What I like about what Sami has done is how I think he has encouraged others on social media to post positively about Impact Wrestling and now there seem to be more people who I would view as ‘Impact Guys’. Even though many wrestle in other places as well they seem to put over Impact ahead of any other place they work, which I think is helping change and grow the reputation of the brand.
I want the wrestling I watch to be creative, and I know with Sami on top it is going to get even more creative than ever at Impact and I can’t wait to keep following their journey.
