9 Ups & 3 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling Hard To Kill 2022

8. Striker Out, Hannifan In

Tom Hannifan, the former Tom Phillips, will serve as IMPACT's play-by-play announcer alongside D'Lo Brown going forward in lieu of Matt Striker's departure.

The announcement was made hours before Hard To Kill kicked off via Renee Paquette's Oral Sessions podcast, with IMPACT confirming as such soon thereafter. It's unquestionably a marquee signing for the Anthem-helmed promotion. Striker, while always fine in the role, doesn't bring the same calibre as a Tom Hannifan, who stood out tremendously on a night where botch-free commentary was a must.

It was a joy to listen to Hannifan throughout, as he'd clearly done some research. The Countdown To Hard To Kill pre-show saw an unadvertised bout between Jake Something and Madman Fulton, where Hannifan referenced Fulton's past within oVe, whereas the inaugural knockouts Ultimate X match saw him note the Michael Shanes and Kazarians of the world, two key figures in the history of the stipulation.

Undertaking basic research should be a no-brainer for announcers, irrelevant of their field.