History was made on Saturday night when the team of Tasha Steelz and Keira Hogan, otherwise known as Fire and Flava, defeated Jessicka Havok and Neveah to become the 10th ever IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Champions.
Considered an early favorite to win the recently re-activated championship, Steelz and Hogan made their way through a loaded tournament, complete with new and returning faces. In the first round, Steelz and Hogan defeated the debuting Sea Stars (Ashley Vox and Delmi Exo) before taking out Rosemary and Taya in the semifinals. That left just Havok and Neveah, who emerged from their half of the bracket with victories over the returning Tenille Dashwood and Alisha Edwards in the first round, and Jazz and Jordynne Grace in the semifinals.
.@FearHavok's STRENGTH IS INSANE! #HardToKill
ORDER HERE: https://t.co/2QIZHWLgq0 pic.twitter.com/jizE1wc1CN
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) January 17, 2021
Despite only having a handful of matches between them, Fire and Flava were one of the top teams heading into this tournament. They had tons of momentum and had become fan favorites due to their chemistry and in-ring ability. Not to mention their antics, which led them into some crazy situations as of late. Hogan and Steelz first teamed in IMPACT in June 2020, and while their record wasn’t great, the duo was never one to overlook. Blending their personalities, Fire and Flava took this hits but always came back ready for the next fight. They entered the Knockouts tournament to crown new tag champs, on a winning streak, carrying that with them all the way to the finals where they defeated a team they have some history with in Havok and Neveah. The two teams were 1-1 against each other prior to Saturday’s rubber match which was won by Fire and Flava.
In winning the titles, Hogan and Steelz become the 10th ever IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Champions and first since ODB and Eric Young, who held the titles for 478 days from February 2012 – June 2013. Though, the last official match for the titles took place on April 15th, 2012 at Lockdown. That is, the last until nearly nine years later on January 16th, 2021 at Hard to Kill.
#AndNew KO TAG TEAM CHAMPS! We told y’all we were gonna get this bag and we did! We are #HardtoKill and that’s on periodt! 🔥🔥@RealTSteelz #FireNFlava #BussItChallege pic.twitter.com/HEfDuGkTRu
— Kiera Hogan (@HoganKnowsBest3) January 17, 2021
IMPACT’s Knockouts division was as strong as it had ever been when the company decided to bring back the once beloved titles. With so much depth in that division and consistent storytelling that had been building for a year prior ,the company was able to really deliver on a great tournament. Now, expectations are high that Fire and Flava will usher in a great reign as IMPACT Knockouts tag champs. There is tons of competition they can defend the belts against, both already in IMPACT and on the indies. The sky is the limit for IMPACT, which arguably has the best built women’s division in all of wrestling and isn’t afraid to use it to its fullest. There is no doubt that this chapter for the Knockouts tag titles, may well be the best one yet.
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