ZWI: Moose Mingling with Tessa is the Right Move

It’s not a secret that, here in the pages of ZWI (that’s Zee’s Wrestling Investigators!), we’ve been harsh on the man in Impact Wrestling known simply as Moose. Time and time again, I’ve questioned his killer instinct. I’ve questioned his desire to be a great professional wrestler, instead of simply being a good one.

This started back when he lost the Grand Championship. After reigning with the belt for five months, Moose would defend the belt against Ethan Carter, III (known around these parts as MY BOY EC3) in August of 2017. The contest was incredible, with both throwing everything they had at the other. Heading into the final round, it was still anybody’s match. As the third round came to an end, it appeared that Moose had done enough to register yet another successful defense.

Unfortunately, this was at a time in the company’s existence where a dastardly individual was forcing changes in his vision, everyone else be damned. It’s not often that Impact Wrestling falls victim to some type of dishonorable boss, but Bruce Prichard was determined to leave his stamp on the company. After judges Scott D’Amore and Dutch Mantell scored the final round a 10-10 draw, it would be Prichard who scored it an incomprehensible 10-8 for EC3, crowning a new champion.

This was around the time that Moose seemed – to this columnist, at least – to lose his way. He never demanded payback for having been robbed of his championship. He just kinda went through the motions, before getting involved in a feud with Lashley.

On paper, this was the man for Moose to call out. They had run into each other a few times during his run in Impact, but the desire to see the two Spear practitioners go at it was too much. On paper, like I said, this was absolutely the right move. Unfortunately, things don’t always play out on paper.

The Moose / Lashley feud would instead turn into some weird Impact Wrestling vs. American Top Team feud that’d see current UFC fighter Colby Covington try out his current shtick while choking out referees. Stephan Bonnar was also involved, and they at one point would trash the ATT gym. And then Dan Lambert showed off his belts. It wasn’t until Genesis where Moose would beat Lashley. The two would shake hands, ending the feud, but Moose did not come out of it any better than he had entered it.

2018 would see Moose earn a Feast or Fired briefcase, which he immediately risked in a dumb situation with E_Li_Drake, and thanks to interference from oVe, saw Moose lose the guaranteed World Title shot that the briefcase contained.

He’d rebound, earning another championship match, and this was when we finally saw a glimpse of Moose caring. He wanted to be known as Mr. Impact Wrestling, and openly disrespected then-champion Austin Aries at every turn. With the two on a collision course for Slammiversary XVI, Moose promised that he was going to train harder than ever, and be the best version we’ve ever seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQf5F-wHdV8

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough. Whether it was due to underestimating Aries, or simply Aries being just that good, Moose wound up losing to Aries. That’s when the questions came up again: Is he really that good? Did he actually train hard, or did he simply trick Impact into giving him a free vacation before Slammiversary?

A little over a month after losing to Aries, we’d finally see where Moose’s head was at. Moose was set to team with Eddie Edwards against Aries and Killer Kross that night, but was found attacked backstage, with Kross’ logo placed on his body. Edwards go to fight the match solo, with Moose finally joining up later on. It seemed like Moose and Edwards were finally going to get some revenge… until Moose turned on Aries, and joined up with Aries and Kross.

At first, I questioned this move – rarely am I fan of the if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em mentality, as it signals that you failed. I felt like Moose, with a little more fine-tuning, would be able to defeat Aries if given another chance, and I saw no need for the man to start teaming up with Kross, a man that could easily be his top rival.

With time, though, I realized how necessary this move actually was for the man. He loosened up, dressing oddly, and just acting in a manner far different than anything we’d seen before. That was when it hit me that, perhaps in his quest to succeed the right way, Moose was simply making things too difficult on himself. He was lost in the details, and that made it impossible for him to actually visualize the task.

Now, he had a purpose. Eddie Edwards had treated him like total crap while he tried to be a good friend, and he hadn’t forgotten. With people watching his back, Moose knew that he was now surrounded by people who would help him succeed, and who wanted him to succeed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn2QROyogrw

He wanted to push Edwards further into the madness than he’d already fallen. He attacked the man, he attacked his family; nothing was off limits. This would set up a match between the two at Bound for Glory, which would eventually morph into Edwards and Tommy Dreamer taking on Moose and Kross, which ended in victory for Edwards and Dreamer. This could have been seen as a huge stumble on the first step, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise.

Later in the night, Aries would lose the Impact World Championship to Johnny Impact, and would seemingly walk out of the company. Without their leader, Moose and Kross were now free to do what they wanted, without having to worry about anyone else.

This past Thursday, Moose teamed up with ZWI favorite Tessa Blanchard to take on Impact Wrestling’s royal couple, Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie. While Moose and Blanchard came up short, it appeared that Moose realized something: Tessa Blanchard is all that.

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1072184676046069760

And for the first time in well over a year, Moose seems to have it all coming together. He’s found the right attitude. He’s working with people that are invested in his future. He isn’t worried about those trying to ride his coattails. And, if it all works out, he may find himself in a coupling with the Knockouts Champion.

If Moose can spend more time with Tessa, and really see how a champion works and trains, then the sky remains his limit. If he can win her heart, the two could rule over the company as long as they see fit. Even with the loss this past Thursday, one can’t deny that the duo worked very well together for a first-time pairing, especially when considering that they were taking on a married couple who have worked together for years.

It’s taken time, and I’ve definitely been impatient for most of it, but it’s possible that Moose is on the verge of being everything we thought he could be. If he can hold it all together, then 2019 could finally be his big year.