Over the past several years, Impact Wrestling has gone through a major shift while trying to regain some steam after the massive downfall the company would see following the reign of Dixie Carter. Cultivating some of the best wrestling in North America, Impact remains an underrated promotion filled with world-class talent.
Having become one of the top stars in Impact Wrestling over the past few years, Moose seems to be on the upswing in wrestling, putting on some of the best matches of his career while also improving his character work greatly. For those wanting to learn more about the former Impact World Champion, there is plenty to learn about!
10 He Played For Four Different NFL Teams
Playing college football for Syracuse University, before entering the world of pro wrestling, Moose would take part in the NFL. Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2006, Moose would stay in the sport for six years, competing until 2012.
During his time in the National Football League, he would not stay tied down to one specific team during his career, instead, he would play for four different teams. Moving from The Falcons to the New England Patriots, Moose would then move onto playing for the St. Louis Rams and the Indianapolis Colts before ending his career with a second stint as a part of the Rams in 2012.
9 He Was Managed By Veda Scott, Prince Nana, & Stokely Hathaway
Debuting for Ring of Honor in 2014, Moose would find some success in the company, as he was booked as an undefeated monster for some time. Despite not winning any gold during his time in ROH, he would remain a featured player.
During his time with the company, Moose would also see his fair share of managers aligning with him, with Veda Scott, Prince Nana, and AEW's Stokely Hathaway all being paired with the big man at one point or another during his time in the company.
8 He & Cedric Alexander Feuded In Ring of Honor
Arguably the biggest feud of his ROH career would come in 2015. Remaining undefeated from his debut in 2014 until the ROH Global Wars PPV in May 2015, Cedric Alexander would hand Moose his first loss in the company. At the company's following PPV, Moose's manager, Veda Scott, would turn her back by turning heel and aligning with Cedric Alexander for a new partnership.
Moose's feud against Cedric and Veda would be the highlight of his Ring of Honor career, and it would be the feud that would make him an even bigger name in the wrestling world.
7 He Was Named Pro Wrestling Illustrated's "Rookie Of The Year" in 2015
Following his debut in ROH in 2014, Moose's 2015 would mark a big year for the Ring of Honor star. Defeating Mark Briscoe in a major singles match before embarking on his big feud with Cedric Alexander, Moose would no longer be given only squash matches and instead was actually wrestling.
Through his bigger role in the company, Moose would be named Pro Wrestling Illustrated's "Rookie of the Year" in 2015. It would not be wasted either, as nearly every year since then, Moose has increased his stock, becoming a bigger and bigger name in wrestling since.
6 Moose Was A Part Of Global Force Wrestling
Before arriving in Impact Wrestling the following year, while still working with Ring of Honor, Moose would be announced as part of the Global Force Wrestling roster in 2015. While he would wrestle at GFW shows, due to his contract with ROH, Moose would not be allowed to be featured on any tapings for the company.
Ironically, despite not being able to appear on any taped shows for GFW, Moose would eventually work under the Global Force Wrestling banner again during an invasion/takeover angle in Impact Wrestling in 2017.
5 A Domestic Abuse Incident Cost Him A Chance In WWE
In 2009, Moose would be arrested following an incident with his wife in which she alleged that assaulted her, while Moose claimed that she tried to stab him. This would lead to the future wrestling star being suspended for one game during the 2010 NFL season and a divorce from his wife.
In 2016, it was reported that despite interest from WWE, his 2009 arrest would prevent the company from signing him due to worries of bad press. Moose would instead land in Impact Wrestling, where he has stayed since. Reports came out in 2021 that WWE once again had interest in Moose, though Fightful would confirm that Moose instead re-signed with Impact for another two years, leaving him locked in through 2023.
4 Moose Has Been With Impact Wrestling For Six Years
Making his debut for Impact Wrestling in 2016, 2022 marks the six year anniversary of Moose's career in the company, with him being one of the current roster members with the longest unbroken tenure in Impact. Through his time with the company, Moose has seen many highlights, going from the Grand Championship, to a world championship contender, to an actual world champion.
With marquee feuds against Drew Galloway, Cody, Mike Bennett, Josh Alexander, Sami Callihan, and Tommy Dreamer, Moose has done so much in a six-year span and seemingly shows no signs of stopping.
3 He Was A Two-Time Grand Champion
An interesting championship, Impact's Grand Championship came with a set of rules that made the belt stand out as an experiment. With matches being contested in three 3 minute rounds and with judges scoring the bouts, it was certainly something different. During Moose's early days with Impact, he would win the Grand Championship from Aron Rex, the former Damien Sandow.
Moose would defend against Mike Bennett before losing the belt to Drew Galloway, bringing his first reign to an end. Later, in March, Moose would win the belt back Drew before defending against his former ally, Cody Rhodes. After retaining against Cody, the champion would go onto have the longest reign with the belt, clocking in at 174 days.
2 He Made Himself TNA World Heavyweight Champion
During the Spring of 2020, while Impact Wrestling was in the early days of their no-crowd era shows, Moose would randomly declare himself to be the TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Bringing back the championship itself, he would be a self-proclaimed champion, though Scott D'Amore would not recognize the belt off the bat. Instead, Moose would defend the belt in unsanctioned matches for a year against names like Hernandez, Michael Elgin, Suicide, and Tommy Dreamer.
In early 2021, D'Amore would sanction the belt, legitimizing Moose's reign in the process. This would culminate in a Champion vs Champion Unification Match with Moose as TNA World Heavyweight Champion and Rich Swann as Impact World Champion. Moose would fail to win, with Swann unifying the belts.
1 Moose Would Have 9 Successful Title Defenses As Impact World Champion
After winning the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match at Impact's Bound For Glory PPV in October 2021, Moose would make history by cashing in his trophy at the end of the show, earning him a match with the newly-crowned Impact World Champion, Josh Alexander. Ending Alexander's reign in a matter of seconds, Moose would be elevated into the top heel in the company to end the show.
The subsequent months would be quite strong for the self-proclaimed "God" of Wrestling, as he would hold the championship until the following April. During this period, Moose would successfully defend the belt against a number of challengers both on Impact TV and in other promotions including Eddie Edwards, Kaun, Mike Bailey, W. Morrissey, Matt Cardona, and Rich Swann. By the time Moose dropped the belt back to Alexander, he would have made 9 title defenses as Impact World Champion.