10 Best IMPACT Wrestling Matches Of The Empty Arena Era

There's no requirement to dub Kenny Omega and Rich Swann's Rebellion clash a historical outing, as the match stipulation speaks for itself; both the IMPACT and AEW World Championships were up for grabs here.

If, when All Elite Wrestling was formally announced on 1 January 2019, you predicted they'd be working with IMPACT Wrestling, you'd be laughed out of the country. It simply wasn't feasible. At that point, wrestlers were signing for IMPACT as it looked good on your wrestling CV, whereas now, people sign there because it's a legitimate destination for wrestling's best to head to.

Rebellion acted as an example of this, as Swann headlined against the world's greatest wrestler in one of the promotion's most crucial evenings. He delivered against Omega, selling beautifully for his needlessly stiff offense that included spiking himself directly upright for a head bump on the ring apron. Swann understood, precisely, the importance of the contest; he wasn't going to phone in such a performance, but rather define his career in one match.

Again, the outcome was never in doubt, with Omega putting Swann down via One-Winged Angel after twenty-plus minutes, but the actual quality of the match surpassed your writer's expectations. Kenny isn't treating IMPACT as a contractually obligated situation, instead delivering performances equal to his AEW work. That alone gets the match on this list.