How Scott D’Amore And Don Callis Saved IMPACT Wrestling

In 2016, IMPACT Wrestling came a whisker short of going bankrupt.

The financial circumstances surrounding the company in the mid-2010s have been well documented throughout the years. Those working the mid-decade pay-per-views didn't even know if they would have a show to work on while being backstage at said show.

The situation was very much real for all involved. Had it not been for Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins fame providing substantial amounts of money and the critically-acclaimed 'Broken' Matt Hardy character, IMPACT Wrestling as we knew it would have been celebrating its fifth year of going out of business this summer, if that's such a thing to celebrate.

We didn't know it at the time, but Corgan was laying down the groundwork for what was to follow. As Anthem Sports and Entertainment purchased a majority stake within the company, they appointed Scott D'Amore and Don Callis as co-Executive Vice Presidents of IMPACT Wrestling, beginning at the January 2018 television tapings.

What did D'Amore and Callis have that no one else did? This wasn't some new company working from the ground up. This was an already well-known entity that was merely floundering in comparison. Scott and Don weren't exactly bringing millions into the promotion's bank account, but they did have one thing that Corgan did; the ability to rejuvenate the once-second biggest professional wrestling promotion in the world the old-fashioned way, through producing a genuinely enjoyable weekly wrestling show with legitimately can't-miss pay-per-view events, and topped off with a diverse and driven roster.

Did it work? You bet.

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