ZeeWI: The Officially Unofficial Grand Championship Rankings (Week 9)

A new week brings us to a new set of rankings for the toughest title in all of Global Force Impact Wrestling, the Grand Championship! While there may not have been a title defense, the division still saw quite a bit of the spotlight, with champion EC3 and top contenders in Eddie Edwards, Pagano, and Hijo de Fantasma doing battle!

Plus, other hungry competitors like KM, Kongo Kong, and Mahabali Shera tried to make their case for joining the rankings! Who made the most noise? Who was victorious? Who earned a spot in this prestigious list?!

Let’s get to it! But first, please do remember…

In ranking the contenders, the following scientific criteria shall be considered:

1. Wins / Losses in recent outings
2. Crowd Response / Interest
3. Momentum Meter (Green, Yellow, Red)
4. Megamove

As Global Force Impact Wrestling can, at times, be the Wild West, it is always difficult to try and instill some order, and that’s understood. Still, the second most important championship needs to have a clear path for those who hope to win it, and I intend to provide it.

To that end, we will break down the Top 5 in the Grand Championship Division, and hope to show the of Global Force Impact Wrestlers exactly where they stand!!!

On to the rankings! (Writer’s Note: Don’t forget – if it hasn’t aired, it isn’t official!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89vjiv5nTsI
Grand Champion: Ethan Carter, III (EC3)
Last Week: Champion

While it may have been only a tag team match, the loss that EC3 and Eddie Edwards took to the AAA contingent definitely was not a high point for the Grand Champion. Add to it the idea that this match was an important chance to get some revenge after the attack the previous week by Pagano and Fantasma, and you’d assume that EC3 isn’t the happiest guy.

Making matters worse, of course, is that the loss came after a third AAA competitor – El Texano – interfered in the match, signaling that not only is this rivalry going to continue, but it’s going to get a lot worse for EC3 and Friends before it can get any better. If I’m EC3, I’m wondering how I went from no one wanting to challenge me for my championship, to suddenly having three guys more than happy to hunt me down and take what’s mine.

What this columnist really wonders about, if I’m being honest (and I am), is how EC3 feels about the guy he chose to be partner, Eddie Edwards. EC3 doesn’t like losing, and in fact rarely takes part in that type of activity. That said, it wasn’t EC3 that was pinned or who submitted last week – it was Edwards, pinned after a Texano powerbomb. If I’m EC3 – someone so enamored with winning that it defines my very being – there’s a good chance that I’m going to reconsider my options for assistance. Maybe nothing happens, but EC3 certainly has never gone out of his way to prove himself as the most trustworthy and noble of wrestlers. If he doesn’t like the deal he’s getting, expect him to change the terms as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that could lead to him once again going it alone, and against people the caliber of Fantasma, Pagano, and Texano, that’s most definitely an easy way to lose the belt he holds so dear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRUlz8UZUg4
#1 Contender: Hijo de Fantasma
Last Week: #1 Contender

Hijo de Fantasma continues his reign as the #1 Contender for the Grand Championship after he and Pagano were able to score the win over EC3 and Eddie Edwards on last Thursday’s Impact, in a huge statement win. That Fantasma was the one to get the pin makes it even better for the man.

While this feud started with a bitter wrestler attacking the man who beat him, Fantasma has proven that he has all that it takes to hang with someone as talented as Ethan Carter the Third, which is not something to take lightly.

With the skills taken care of, surrounding himself with people that are more than happy to guarantee victory was the next step to take, and Fantasma has done so brilliantly, adding the bloodthirsty Pagano first, and now the vaunted Texano to his group. With three dangerous people working for the same goal, it could simply be a matter of time before Fantasma is holding the Grand Championship, especially if EC3 can’t trust the people watching his back in the same way that Fantasma can.

There is, of course, something that Fantasma has (hopefully) already considered – that Pagano and Texano are also gunning for the Grand Championship, and that either of them could, at any moment, be more than happy to take the shot he’s working for, and end up winning the gold that he wants. One would assume that there’s honor amongst these thieves, and that if any of them were to take the gold from EC3, that he’d be happy to give his comrades an opportunity. One would assume… but one certainly, at this juncture at least, doesn’t know.

What we do know, however, is that Hijo de Fantasma has certainly earned the attention of the Grand Championship, and he’s earned his spot as the #1 Contender.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeiJRu1M9tI
#2 Contender: Pagano
Last Week: #4 Contender

Pagano made his in-ring time count, teaming with Fantasma to get the win over the Grand Champion, EC3 and Eddie Edwards. Having the attention of the Champ is one thing, but to actually have a win over him – in any capacity – only helps one get that ever-desired title shot sooner than later.

His particular blend of hardcore wrestling and love of pain makes Pagano one of the biggest question mark contenders for EC3, and one would think that Carter is more than aware of this fact. One would also think that Pagano is more than aware that, on paper, he’s the less-desirable matchup for EC3, which is a nice battle in the mental war in which all wrestlers engage.

In order to make sure that he’s not passed over for the “safer” contender, Pagano is going to have to continue to find himself victorious in all types of matches, until the Impact Wrestling Championship Committee has no other option but to grant Pagano a deserved shot at the Grand Championship.

For now, there’s still some work to do to achieve that goal. But, at the #2 spot, there’s not a lot of work left. Pagano just has to find himself in the right place at the right time, and he could very well find himself making EC3’s next defense his last.

#3 Contender: Eddie Edwards
Last Week: #2 Contender

Edwards falls a spot this week, but still has to feel good about his spot in the rankings after being the one to cost his team the match last week.

At this point, the match has been covered by the three wrestlers ranked higher than Eddie, but the ZeeWI editors absolutely took notice of Eddie’s performance in the match prior the Texano interference that led to his being pinned. Edwards handled himself spectacularly, taking on both Texano and Fantasma at once with success.

He also had some entertaining exchanges with Fantasma, once again highlighting the versatility that makes Eddie Edwards one of Impact’s must-watch competitors. This columnist is sure that Eddie isn’t feeling his best after what happened last week, but there were still plenty of positives to take from that match, even in defeat. Edwards continually proves himself to be one of the very best in the company, and whether he earns it through his own victories, or whether EC3 gives him a title shot as a thank you of sorts, Edwards is doing the right things to keep himself in the conversation.

This battle with the AAA contingent may seem like nothing more than a nagging detour, but it’s actually the best road to take in returning to the top of the mountain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUJEDURzEcM
#4 Contender: Kongo Kong
Last Week: Unranked

Kongo Kong makes his second appearance in the rankings, thanks to his victory over Mahabali Shera last Thursday!

While neither man is exactly near the top of the pecking order, both are young, hungry up and comers who appear to have a big future ahead of them, regardless of some people’s problems with how Kongo Kong chooses to represent himself.

Kong’s method of attack is simple – move forward, and hit hard. If you can make him miss and wear him out, he becomes a sitting target. Unfortunately, someone like Shera doesn’t have the experience yet to utilize such a game plan, instead choosing to match Kong power for power. Sometimes that strategy wins, and sometimes, as it did for Shera, it costs you a big match.

At this point in time, Kong has momentum off which to build. He’s going to have to face – and defeat – bigger names than Shera if he wants to really make his mark in the company, but in a division as chaotic as the Grand Championship, any win is a good win, and this win finds Kongo back in the rankings, looking to strike.

#5 Contender: Moose
Last Week: #3 Contender

Barring something big happening this week, this could very well be the swan song for Moose. He’s focused on Lashley – who is currently gone. He hasn’t made even a chirp towards EC3 and getting his belt back.

Moose is apparently okay with being robbed of his title in a terrible decision, and then going with the flow.

Until that changes, it’s hard to take him seriously again as any type of championship contender. He’s lost sight of what matters, and is instead running purely on emotion. It’s a mistake many young wrestlers make, so we’re not looking to write Moose off entirely here. It’s just that, for these intents and purposes, Moose appears to be done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YzM8r36ZDA
Further GFW Impact Musings…

While the tag team match pitting Pagano and El Hijo de Fantasma against Eddie Edwards and EC3 got most of the attention this week (and rightly so), it was the events following the match that really caught my attention.

After making a surprise appearance and helping Pagano and Fantasma get the win, it would be El Texano joining in for a 3 on 2 assault on the beaten Impact stars. As Edwards and Carter fought for their very survival, help would arrive. And it would arrive in the form of James Strom, who hadn’t been seen too often as of late.

Storm would shake the hand of Eddie Edwards, but he wasn’t nearly as excited to do so with EC3, who absolutely seemed to have that same sense of uneasy distrust on his face. Watching live, I was definitely dumbfounded as to why Storm would assist EC3 in any manner, but double that when it means fighting against three guys that, until that very moment, Storm had absolutely no beef with.

True, Storm has always considered himself someone to defend the honor of the company, and he’s really ramped up that attitude since returning from his short NXT sabbatical in 2015. Perhaps he sees the actions of the three AAA stars as some type of insult towards Impact. Maybe he sees them trying to steal one of the company’s championships, and he doesn’t like it.

Still, though… why would he ever help EC3? The man that viciously assaulted him in the late spring / early summer, culminating in a violent match at Slammiversary? A match that ended with a Grade 3 Concussion for The Cowboy, which caused him to spend a bit of time on the sidelines recovering?

Maybe Storm sees EC3 as ripe for the picking, and knows that if he can bide his time, he’ll be able to strike at the exact correct moment. You know, the whole “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” stuff? Storm may just want to keep an eternal eye on EC3 before he makes his own move for that Grand Championship.

Or maybe it has nothing to do with “defending Impact,” nor with getting some slow-burn revenge on EC3. Maybe Storm simply values his friendship with Eddie Edwards, and nothing – not even EC3 – is going to stop him from helping his friend when he’s in a rough spot. Which, quite frankly, is admirable as hell, especially in the cutthroat world of Impact.

This columnist isn’t quite sure what Storm’s motivations truly are, but he’s always been wily enough to make sure that there’s a clear path to success in every move he makes. For now, yours truly will simply trust in the system he’s established, and believe that Storm knows what he’s doing. If not, well, we don’t have to go too far back in time to see what happens when you mess with EC3.