The shot heard ’round the world.
On the March 1, 2018 episode of IMPACT Wrestling, Eddie Edwards was accidentally struck in the face by an errant strike from a baseball bat by Sami Callihan. Their post-match brawl was planned, with Callihan placing a chair near Edwards’ head before swinging the bat at the chair. What wasn’t planned, however, was the bat rebounding off of the chair and hitting Edwards in the face.
Edwards suffered a broken nose and orbital bone and was lucky he recovered without any permanent damage. Callihan’s reputation suffered a bit, with some calling him “dangerous” in the ring despite not being known as a guy who injured his opponents prior to the bat incident. Behind the scenes, Callihan was said to have felt bad for causing the injury but took ownership of his role on-air and embraced being a villain even more. Edwards healed up and took on a more “hardcore” persona while resuming his feud with Callihan, and both have gone on to hold the IMPACT World Championship—Callihan last year and Edwards just last month at Slammiversary.
In separate interviews conducted with WrestleZone*, both Edwards and Callihan reflected on that baseball bat strike and how much it changed their careers. Mistake or not, the injury was all people could talk about for an extended time, with some interviews and conversations focusing entirely on that incident alone. Whether it was positive or negative, Callihan and Edwards were linked because of that and it was often the first thing people brought up when mentioning either wrestler.
When asked if it was a relief on any level that it’s not the first thing people bring up any more, both agreed that they wouldn’t be where they’re at today if that incident didn’t happen. Callihan and Edwards said that it helped them grow as performers and improve what they offer as wrestlers, with Edwards adding that he’s OK with everything that came afterward because he’s become a more dynamic and more confident wrestler.
“I’m okay with it, you know, I’m okay with it happening, I’m okay with everything that has happened since because like I’ve talked about before, without that, I wouldn’t be the character the person or the wrestler that I am now. You know, I’m happy that it’s behind me, obviously, but at this point, I wouldn’t change it because it has led me down this road to where I am going into Slammiversary for the title,” Edwards said, “and it forced me to change, which is a great thing because, sometimes, comfortable isn’t always a good thing, you know. I was who I was, I had my style and my character, but now I feel like it gave me another dynamic to myself, inside the ring and outside the ring.
“It’s given me chances to try different things, and I can honestly say that I’ve never been more comfortable, not in a bad way, more comfortable or have more confidence in my ability and where I am today because I know at any point I can bring out the stuff I’ve done in the past or go back to the quote on quote technical style, the strong style or the hardcore or the brawling,” Edwards said. “I know that I have that all in my repertoire. Me being that well-rounded has led me to having the most confidence I’ve ever had in my career inside and outside the ring.”
Callihan pointed out that not only did it help them as individuals but the baseball bat strike also helped put a larger focus on IMPACT Wrestling as a promotion.
“It put IMPACT Wrestling back on the map. It changed me, it changed Eddie Edwards. We would not be in the position we’re in without that situation. I’m a big proponent of fate and everything happens for a reason,” Callihan said, “and it’s just something that happened and needed to happen.”
While it does still come up from time to time, Callihan says it’s nice not having that be the one thing that defines him anymore. He noted that the errant strike is really the only thing people can take a dig at him for but it’s been an overall benefit to him as an on-air performer.
“It still comes up every once in a while because there’s nothing else you can really rag on me about my career,” Callihan said. “I’m not an unsafe person and the list of people I’ve hurt in my career is extremely low. It’s something that I think 100% makes my character better, it’s a ‘controlled chaos’ style of wrestling.”
Check out Edwards’ and Callihan’s respective interviews below:
*These interviews were conducted prior to Slammiversary
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