5 Wrestlers Who Have Competed For NORTH and Impact Wrestling
By Harry Miller
Impact Wrestling is making their return to the UK after over half a decade away and has decided to partner with Britain’s hottest promotion for their Newcastle show. With an Impact/NORTH collaboration on the horizon, here are five wrestlers who have made appearances for both promotions.
Allie Katch
Allie Katch has made one sensational appearance at each promotion, competing in a hardcore match on both occasions.
At NORTH, Katch competed against Rory Coyle in a brutal match for the Ultraviolent Championship. This bout had the perfect mix of entertainment and extreme violence with the competitors reenacting scenes from Partick Swayze’s greatest hits while also trying to concuss their opponents with exploding VHS tapes.
Despite choking out Coyle until he deflated, an unfortunate referee bump came in the way of Allie Katch from capturing the victory on the night.
Allie Katch was brought into Impact to face Masha Slamovich in one of the most sadistic stipulations in all of wrestling-a Monster’s Ball match. For those unaware, this match type forces the competitors to spend the 24 hours before the bell locked in a room with no light, water or food. As if those conditions aren’t brutal enough, the participants then have to compete in a gruelling hardcore battle.
Katch took to this environment like a duck to water, embracing her callous tendencies by using any weapon she could get her hands on. Both Katch and Slamovich took each other to the limit and each shed a worrying amount of blood throughout the brawl. Aliie Katch seemingly had the match won at one point after delivering a devastating piledriver onto a pile of thumbtacks but it wasn’t enough to put the Russian Dynamite away. Slamovich returned fire with a driver of her own onto the thumbtacks to earn the three-count.
Chuck Mambo
Chuck Mambo has been a staple on the British wrestling scene for a decade now but in 2019 the Surfing Sensation journeyed west and made his Impact debut. To earn an X-Division Title match, Mambo competed in a six-way against five Impact regulars that included former X-Division Champion Petey Williams and future X-Division Champion Rohit Raju. Despite an impressive showing, Mambo failed in his quest to become the top contender as Aiden Prince came out on top.
During his NORTH appearances, Chuck Mambo is usually the highlight of the night, leaving the crowd in awe and his opponents in pain. Most recently, Mambo has come to NORTH with his tag-partner TK Cooper, known together as Sunshine Machine. The colourful couple have had great success across the country, becoming the longest reigning PROGRESS Tag Champions of all time but their time at NORTH tells a different story.
Even with constant stellar performances, Sunshine Machine have come up short on two occasions when competing for the tag titles but with their star quality, it won’t be too long before the innovative duo get another opportunity to shine bright on the big stage.
Mercedes Martinez
Mercedes Martinez is one of the greatest of all time so it is no surprise she has made appearances at two of the planet’s greatest promotions.
At the biggest NORTH show of the year, Martinez put on one of the best matches of the year against the indestructible Rhio. This was a clash of a veteran against the rising star and both women showed why they were considered the finest of their division.
The Latina Sensation threw an onslaught of vicious assaults that would have been enough to end most competitors but Rhio is built different. Just when it seemed Martinez was seconds away from finding victory, Rhio surprised the veteran with a package pinning combination to earn the victory.
In 2021, Martinez had a dominant spell in Impact that was emphasised with an imposing winning streak right from the start. This string of victories saw Martinez win the 2021 Knockouts Knockdown tournament by submitting Rachael Ellering in the semi-final and defeating Tasha Steelz in the final.
With the Impact Knockouts Title in her sights, Martinez racked up more dominant victories before finally getting her opportunity against the champion, Mickie James. The battle between two living legends lived up to the high expectations and was a very close clash that really could have gone either way. The champion was able to survive with her title intact but Martinez definitely made a lasting impact.
Max The Impaler
There have been many terrifying wrestlers to have featured in a NORTH or Impact ring but there may not be a person who can strike terror into the soul of their opponents quite like Max The Impaler.
The Non-Binary Nightmare made their Impact debut at Victory Road 2022 against the Knockouts Champion, Jordynne Grace. This match was one of the few times that you would ever see Grace be overpowered as the sheer strength of The Impaler was overwhelming for the champion. The Six Feet Meat Mountain punished Grace with excessive choking and shine-shattering slams on the outside of the ring. However, this impressive display of dominance was not enough to beat the champion on this occasion as Jordynne Grace overcame adversity and hit an almighty driver to come out the victor.
Max The Impaler was an instant fan favourite at NORTH as they turned up, killed a Tory and left. It’s literally the perfect debut.
Zeo Knox was unable to hide his radiating fear when The Impaler made their entrance and this concern was proven to be justified as it was only a matter of minutes before the Non-Binary Nightmare had the Tory facing the ceiling.
Joe Hendry
Joe Hendry is a man who leaves a lasting impression no matter where he lays his sparkly jacket.
The Inspiration has had multiple successful outings at NORTH, holding victories over the country’s finest heavyweight Will Kroos and the man with more muscles than bones, Shreddy. In a clash of entertainers, Hendry faced off with WWE legend Scotty 2 Hotty that saw the Scottish Powerhouse come out on top, making his opponent tap out with his supreme submission ability.
In a nice little bit of brand collaboration, Joe Hendry made history by defending the Impact Digital Media Championship in a UK promotion for the first time ever. Amir Jordan was the challenger and put up a valiant effort but was unable to overcome the power of inspiration that oozes out of Hendry’s pores.
Joe Hendry has had a just as if not more, impressive tenure at Impact so far. The Scotsman’s crowning achievement comes from being the longest-reigning Impact Digital Media Champion in history, a reign that only ended in the past month. Hendry had 13 successful title defences, defeating the likes of Moose, Brian Myers, Matt Cardona and Eddie Edwards. This title reign has cemented Hendry’s name in the legacy of Impact Wrestling as it will no doubt go down as one of the best Digital Media Title reigns of all time.
This current run in Impact is Joe Hendry’s second excursion in the promotion with his first stint coming in 2018. In the few months the Global Hero was at Impact, he was able to defeat former Impact World Champion Eli Drake (now known as WWE’s LA Knight) on two separate occasions.
When Impact makes their way to the North-East of England, there will be no doubt the Newcastle natives will be ready to clap their hands for the inspirational Joe Hendry.