Opinion: Honor No More Was Good for IMPACT Wrestling

Honor No More was a key part of IMPACT Wrestling for much of 2022. From their invasion at Hard to Kill until their breakup shortly after Bound for Glory the stable had plenty of key and high-stakes matchups in their time on IMPACT. Although their tenure was relatively short and this is far from the first invasion-type angle we have seen in pro wrestling Honor No More did a lot of good for IMPACT Wrestling. Let’s take a look at some things they added to the programming this year.

Why Honor No More Was Good for IMPACT Wrestling

Fresh and Refreshed Faces

The stable consisted of Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis, PCO, Vincent, Kenny King, and Eddie Edwards. The invasion at Hard to Kill marked the first time Matt Taven ever stepped into an IMPACT Wrestling ring. This was also a return for Bennett and Kanellis who hadn’t been a part of IMPACT Wrestling since their 2017 departure from the promotion for WWE.

For PCO it was his first time in IMPACT since 2007. For Vincent, it was his first time in IMPACT, and King competed for IMPACT for the first time since 2015. Eddie Edwards was the only member already part of IMPACT when he joined the stable.

The stable brought faces that had never been in an IMPACT ring before or had been absent for years. This gave viewers something new and fresh to watch every week. Even if every match they had was not a first-time matchup it was still someone new to see on TV every week and had a new angle to go along with it.

A New Stable = New Feuds

With fresh and refreshed faces also brings the opportunity for new feuds or feuds we have seen before under a new angle. Over the course of their time in IMPACT Honor No More faced off with teams and stables such as; Bullet Club, Heath and Rhino, the Motor City Machine Guns, teams of IMPACT originals, and more.

Although these matchups and feuds may not have been first-time-ever matchups, HNM added another aspect to the IMPACT stable scene that includes groups such as Violent by Design and Bullet Club.

It also lead to short-term alliances that main evented IMPACT Plus events such as when they competed against a team of IMPACT Wrestling defenders at No Surrender in February of this year. They also feuded with Bullet Club this year in multiple five-on-five matches throughout their time in IMPACT Wrestling. Although their time was relatively short in IMPACT, Honor No More added a new layer to the tag and stable scene in IMPACT Wrestling.

It Was a Natural Turn for Eddie Edwards

Eddie Edwards had been a face for quite prior to his alignment with Honor No More. His persona was “The Heartbeat of IMPACT Wrestling”, known for his dedication to the promotion. Although he was frequently well-received by the fans one could argue it was time for a change for Eddie. Given his history in Ring of Honor his turn on IMPACT, and the fans to become the leader of HNM made sense.

His resume in Ring of Honor is impressive and includes a reign as ROH World Champion, two reigns as ROH World Tag Team Champion, and one reign as the ROH World Television Champion. This made him the first triple-crown winner in the history of ROH. He also had success in tournaments winning Survival of the Fittest once and the World Television Tournament once.

Eddie being passed over to challenge for the IMPACT World Championship in 2021 when Kenny Omega won the title was another added element that helped make his heel turn make sense. Edwards pointed out that although he was dubbed “The Heartbeat of IMPACT Wrestling” he felt disrespected by his position in the world title scene.

Given his history with Ring of Honor and status in IMPACT Wrestling, he was a natural choice for the leader of the faction. His turn refreshed his character and allowed him to be a heel in IMPACT for the first time in years.

It Blurred The Lines of Reality

During HNM’s initial invasion of IMPACT Wrestling, the future of ROH was uncertain. The company had gone on hiatus following Final Battle 2021 and released much of the roster from their contracts. This was prior to the announcement of the promotions return with Supercard of Honor and prior to the announcement that Tony Khan purchased the company.

As stated earlier this is far from the first invasion angle we have seen in wrestling. But some would argue that blurring the lines between a scripted storyline and what happens behind the curtain creates compelling television. Although this is not the first invasion angle to blur the lines of reality the timing of the invasion was in a sweet spot. Had ROH’s return event been announced or Khan’s purchase been announced prior to HNM’s arrival the impact would have been severely cushioned.

When HNM arrived in the IMPACT Zont the future of ROH was anything but certain. Their promos and actions inside the ring added to the narrative that they were there to take over IMPACT Wrestling with their previous home being unavailable. This is far from the first time the lines have been blurred in a pro wrestling angle but the timing was perfect for HNM and IMPACT Wrestling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awc4sWMfPBI

Honor No More Was Good for IMPACT Wrestling: In Conclusion

Love or hate Honor No More or its members the stable did a lot of good for IMPACT Wrestling. Although the stable only lasted about eight months they added new elements to IMPACT Wrestling during their time with the promotion.