Impact Wrestling announced further details of its partnership with Mexico’s AAA Lucha Libre today that will see both sides work on co-branded events, both major PPV and dual tours, similar to what’s in place between Ring of Honor and NJPW.
Impact Wrestling and AAA Announce New Partnership
The first event of this new North American alliance will be July 2nd at Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary, marking Impact Wrestling’s 15 Anniversary, with several top AAA stars scheduled to perform on the bill. AAA will return the favour with Impact Wrestling stars appearing on AAA’s TripleMania XXV in honor of AAA’s 25th anniversary. Starting this fall, both brands will combine for joint events similar to the ROH-NJPW tours like Global Wars, War of the Worlds and Honor Rising.
Here’s the full press release:
IMPACT Wrestling Unveils Details for Cross-Promotion, Co-Branded Events and Distribution with Lucha Libre AAA
TORONTO | NASHVILLE | MEXICO CITY – IMPACT Wrestling, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp., today unveiled details about the landmark alliance announced last month with Promociones Antonio Peña S.A. de C.V., the owner of Lucha Libre AAA, Mexico’s preeminent professional wrestling organization founded in 1992.
The alliance coincides with a mutual milestone, as this year marks the 15th anniversary of IMPACT Wrestling and 25th anniversary of Lucha Libre AAA.
“This is an exciting time of celebration for both IMPACT Wrestling and AAA Lucha Libre,” said Ed Nordholm, president of IMPACT Wrestling. “By combining our efforts on talent, touring and distribution, we will increase the global footprint of our respective companies and create the best product for our passionate fan bases.”
The previously announced talent exchange between the organizations will kick into full gear on July 2 when IMPACT Wrestling presents Slammiversary 2017 from The IMPACT Zone in Orlando, Florida. The blockbuster pay-per-view event will showcase top talent from the high-flying AAA roster.
Meanwhile, AAA will present its 25th Anniversary Triplemania XXV on August 26, 2017 in Mexico City. The annual extravaganza will feature top IMPACT Wrestling stars Bobby Lashley, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, and an IMPACT championship belt will be defended on Mexican soil.
The two organizations also intend to launch co-branded live tours in the fall.
In addition to these cross-promotional initiatives, Anthem Sports & Entertainment Corp. will work with Lucha Libre AAA to expand the distribution of Fight Network, the world’s premier combat sports channel and home of IMPACT Wrestling in Canada. AAA will also facilitate distribution of IMPACT Wrestling in new territories throughout Latin America and South America, while Anthem will facilitate the expansion of the Lucha Libre AAA footprint through Fight Network’s diverse distribution channels.
“The best way to celebrate these 25 years of uninterrupted work is sharing with all of you the news that we presented today – our alliance with IMPACT Wrestling and the announcement of our international tour that includes not only the North American stops that we will complete with IMPACT Wrestling but also countries like Colombia and Japan, in addition to other activities that will help us to celebrate this important anniversary,” said Dorian Roldan, Executive VP of Enterprise Development for AAA.
Jeff Jarrett, Chief Creative Officer of IMPACT Wrestling, added: “I am excited to see the stars of IMPACT Wrestling and AAA on both anniversary shows and eager to start the co-branded live events as we continue to build promotional bridges on a global basis.”
