With ‘independent’ wrestling federations surging in the US, one3 of the first of the new millennium is making moves. IMPACT is going to Africa.
Having an Impact
It is, in many ways, a new era for professional wrestling. The WWE is very much still there, and is still the leader in sports entertainment. That’s been the case since just after the turn of the century, when Vince McMahon’s company bought WCW.
That ended pretty much any form of competition… for a little while. It wasn’t long though, till a little fed called IMPACT rose up. IMPACT was born in ’02, and is currently home to superstars like “IMPACT World Champion Sami Callihan and UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, legends Rob Van Dam and Rhino, third-generation superstar Tessa Blanchard, high-flying X-Division stars such as Rich Swann and TJP, former NFL player Moose, Brian Cage, Eddie Edwards, and Michael Elgin, plus the Knockouts, including Champion Taya Valkyrie, Rosemary, Tenille Dashwood, and others.”
They’re also broadcast in some 120 countries, a list that just got a lot bigger. The company has added South Africa’s e.tv to its viable outlets, meaning 400 annual hours of IMPACT will be viewable across “more than 50 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa”.
Growing a federation
“Africa has always been a strong market for IMPACT Wrestling, where our passionate fans continue to engage with our content on multiple platforms,” said Ed Nordholm, Chief Corporate Officer of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and president of IMPACT Wrestling. “We are thrilled to bring professional wrestling back to e.tv, where the sport has a long history and track record of success.”
“e.tv is proud to be the home of Impact Wrestling across Sub-Saharan Africa. We received enormous traction from having aired wrestling on our channels a few years ago, and it is only befitting that we bring back content that highly resonates with our audience. We hope to build the IMPACT Wrestling brand on our multi-channel platforms for many years to come,” said Marlon Davids, MD, echannels.
IMPACT Wrestling
Ring the bell, IMPACT kicks off its African push in January of 2020.