8 Ups & 5 Downs From Impact Wrestling (Dec 22)

3. Virtuosa Vs. Wera Loca

The seeds were planted in recent weeks, and now it appears as if we'll be seeing Taya Valkyrie challenge Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts Championship at Hard To Kill, with Taya issuing the challenge to 'The Virtuosa' for the 16 January pay-per-view.

'Wera Loca' made an important point of saying how much Deonna has accomplished in her roughly six months in Impact; two-time Knockouts Champion, Impact's first Iron Woman, and now the 2020 Wrestler and Knockout of the Year. Yet, Purrazzo has never crossed paths with her in singles competition. In fact, the only time the two have shared an Impact ring saw Rosemary and Taya eliminate Deonna and Kimber Lee from the ongoing tournament.

Again, that's an important note. It was Rosemary who pinned Lee to eliminate the pair, but it also resulted in 'The Virtuosa' and 'The Crown Jewel' costing Taya and 'The Demon Assassin' their semifinals bout against now-finalists, Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz. Taya, as the longest-reigning Knockouts Champion in history, now has a point to prove against the defending champion at Hard To Kill.

That Impact have kept their patience so not to book this match too early into Deonna's Impact tenure is key. It'll no doubt be a tantalising encounter, so they've waited until the perfect moment to let it all play out. Props to Scott D'Amore and Don Callis for their booking here.