Wrestlers That Should Win a Championship in Impact in 2022

Wrestlers That Should Win a Championship in Impact in 2022
January 7, 2022
By Ryan Porzl

Last I left off, I did an article on wrestlers, I believe, AEW should give championships to in 2022. Now, I plan to do the same with Impact as I am a diehard fan. 2021 was a big year for Impact featuring a colorful list of champions ranging from Impact staples like Josh Alexander, Moose, Ace Austin, The Good Brothers, and Deonna Purrazzo to name some to people we didn't think would get anywhere near an Impact championship let alone win it like Kenny Omega, FinJuice, Mickie James, and Christian Cage. Impact enters 2022 with a great roster and here, I will look at the talent who I think should get a championship including some who I think are long overdue. Again, I'm not sure the contract situations of the talent and things can happen beyond our control like injuries or new talent coming in to change the landscape.

Tasha Steelz- 2021 was a very good year for Tasha Steelz in Impact. She became a two time Knockouts Tag Team Champion as part of Fire n' Flava with Kiera Hogan and then began to shine as a solo competitor when she made it to the finals of the Knockouts Knockdown tournament. Tasha had what it takes to win the Knockouts World Championship in 2022 and it be nice to see. She's good in the ring, she's got a great personality, and a good heater in Savannah Evans as a bodyguard type. Tasha would also be a fresh champion which can be good for Impact especially for a heel as Deonna Purrazzo is still the top heel knockout but she is getting stale and will probably be out of title contention sometime this year so that could be where Tasha comes in. Worst case scenario for Tasha, she could threepeat as Knockouts World Tag Team Champion as she is associated with Savannah Evans but it would be nice to see The Boricua Badass win some singles gold this year.

Madman Fulton- Here's one that most probably wouldn't think of but I think is long overdue for a championship. Very few in Impact haven't gotten the recognition and push they deserve more than Fulton who has made a lot of stride since arriving in Impact back in 2019. In recent times, he's done great as the Diesel to Ace Austin's Shawn Michaels but I feel he's at that point where the time has come for him to take that next step. Fulton has shown in 2021 that whenever he's been given opportunities, he usually delivers be it his singles matches with Josh Alexander and Christopher Daniels to his tag team championship match against FinJuice. The plus side is there's plenty of gold for Fulton to pursue as with The Good Brothers getting stale on top of the tag team division, it would be nice to see Fulton and Austin win the Tag Team Championship in 2022 as it also gives the prospect Austin another championship. Fulton could also do well in singles as he can hang with the best of them and can play a monster champ in either the Digital Media division or the X division.

Chris Bey- Chris Bey is easily one of Impact's brightest prospects and someone who has all the ingredients to be a future Impact World Champion. His run in Impact has been solid so far as he quickly won the X Division Championship in 2020 for a brief run and then became a member of Bullet Club while getting Tag Team Championship shots. Bey's had a solid Impact run to date but now the time has come for another championship reign and like some on this list, there's plenty to go for. It would be nice to see him get another run with the X Division Championship and this one be a longer run. Bey could also hold the Digital Media Championship as well and can boost it along with his own stock. Bey is someone who could be a world champion for Impact within two years especially if he strikes gold this year and continues to build his stock.

Decay- This goes for all four of them. Since their original run in 2016, Decay has been on of Impact's more popular acts so anytime they can get a push or be champion, it's a plus. Along, with the popularity, all four are talented and can not only have good matches but Steve and Taurus have been good in the X division while all four can also do hardcore if needed. Obviously, Rosemary and Havok have held both Knockouts Championships and it wouldn't hurt for them to hold either one again. They were good tag team champions and can be again. Neither have held the Knockouts World Championship in years so they would be fresh champions and Havok had a brief run with it so it would be nice for her to get a lengthy run. Both could also hold the Digital Media Championship as both would be nice to join Jordynne Grace as a Knockouts Triple Crown Champion. Taurus would be great as an X Division Champion and a different one that reminds you of past champions like Samoa Joe. Steve could also hold a singles championship as he's an underrated talent though I would definitely love to see them with the World Tag Team Championship as they would be fresh champions and the fans would dig them.

The Influence- These two should get a championship because it's long overdue but for different reasons. In the case of Tenille Dashwood, she's been in Impact for a few years and while she's gotten title shots, she's gotten to the point where it would be nice for her to get an Impact championship as she hasn't won one yet. As for Madison Rayne, she's held many championships in Impact but none since 2014. Both are great together as a team but are also good individually in the ring and on the mic as Tenille has been coming into her own over the years while Madison has been one of the unsung heroines in women's wrestling and both would be fresh options as champions. If they remain a team, I can't see why they can't take the Knockouts World Tag Team Championships sometime in 2022. In fact, they're set to challenge the IInspiration for the gold at the Hard to Kill pay-per-view on January 8th so there could be a chance they could win the titles there. Whether they win the belts there or not, I'm hoping they get that long deserved Impact championship in 2022.

Willie Mack- Mack is one of those who I believe could be a future Impact World Champion and 2022 could be the year he gets on track. After debuting on a high note in 2018 and enjoying a good run as X Division Champion in 2020, Mack has been a bit aimless outside of his team with Rich Swann where he has gotten several World Tag Team Championship matches. It's kind of like Chris Bey (ironically Bey took the championship from him) in that he got a good start as X Division Champion but now, it's been long enough to the point where he should return to championship status. While I don't think Mack should be the world champion in 2022, if properly built up, he could for 2023 but in the mean time, he could go for just about any championship. It be great to see him as X Division Champion again or Digital Media Champion. Or he and Swann could get their long overdue Tag Team Championship reign as they've gelled into a great team. Mack is someone I really like to see get Impact gold in 2022.

Matthew Rehwoldt- I've always liked Rehwoldt but the former Aiden English has been pretty impressive since his arrival in Impact while forming a good alliance with Deonna Purrazzo. He's been one of those guys who has shined every time he's gotten the opportunity in matches such as Chris Sabin and Jake Something to name some. He's looked good with Deonna but 2022 should see him take a step up. I think he was someone the Digital Media Championship was made for. He doesn't have a tag partner right now and perhaps he could go for the X Division Championship but I feel he and the Digital Media Championship would be a great fit where both are elevated at the same time.

Jake Something- Something is someone that can be considered one of Impact's brightest prospects for the future. He's a great jack of all trades type of talent, he can cut a promo, and a great look. He's kind of in the Madman Fulton situation where he's been around for years as a well kept secret but the time has come for him to get a championship. While I think he could be a future Impact World Champion, I don't think he's ready for it in 2022 and obviously the tag team championship is out since he doesn't have a partner but he would be perfect as either Digital Media or X Division Champion as he shown in the latter with his great match with Josh Alexander. I also like to see him get a championship because despite his potential, it does feel he's kind of slipped recently and could use a boost that a championship can provide.

Josh Alexander- Well, like my AEW article, I saved the obvious for last. Alexander is someone with all the tools to be a star, has some Kurt Angle and Bret Hart qualities, and has been Impact's top pet project in 2021 so I don't see why that shouldn't continue in 2022. There's only one championship I want to see him win and that's the Impact World Championship and avenge his Bound For Glory loss to Moose. Given Impact has positioned Alexander to be the top babyface and possible face of the company, it would nice to see the Walking Weapon not only getting a second run with the World Championship but a dominant run along with it.