Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Former Impact Wrestling Stars Finding New Life with WWE

1. Making an Impact Elsewhere

For AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Austin Aries, the move from Impact Wrestling to WWE has pumped high-voltage electricity into their careers. 

WWE's New Era has seen many an Impact Wrestling castoff add compelling chapters to their story in their new homes. These men have found championship gold and prime-time opportunities in the spotlight awaiting them in Vince McMahon's circus.

Impact Wrestling (formerly TNA) for years was the scrapyard for well-worn WWE talent. 

Ric Flair followed his WWE retirement with an Impact Wrestling run in his 60s. Mick Foley won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in his 40s. A past-his-prime Hulk Hogan became a focal point for the company in the early 2010s. 

The flow of talent has reversed of late, as former Impact Wrestling stars relocate to the WWE world.

Styles had long been one of Impact Wrestling's cornerstones, but their marriage came to a surprising end. Contract negotiations between him and the company stalled in 2013.

The Phenomenal One went on to thrive at New Japan Pro Wrestling before arriving on the WWE stage in 2016.

Against the likes of Roman Reigns, John Cena and Dean Ambrose, Styles put together a year for the ages. He was the WWE champion, SmackDown's bedrock and the clear-cut top in-ring performer for the company.

A showdown with SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33 now looms for Styles. It may not be the dream match many fans hoped for, but as Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman pointed out, it speaks to how highly WWE brass thinks of him:

And we can be sure Styles will tear it up come April 2, extending his impressive stretch of pay-per-view performances.

Styles is finding the increased spotlight of WWE to be a comfortable place. He isn't alone in the least. Familiar faces from his Impact Wrestling days fill out WWE's roster.

Joe is a two-time NXT champ and now Triple H's attack dog. He remains undefeated on Raw thus far.

Bobby Roode is the current NXT titleholder. Austin Aries is poised to face Neville at WrestleMania 33 for the Cruiserweight Championship.

"

I've got two words for you:
THANK YOU. @WrestleMania #205Live pic.twitter.com/xZPhyIXRoQ

— Austin Healy Aries (@AustinAries) March 15, 2017"

In each man's case, the move to WWE has clearly rejuvenated them. 

Aries looks to be having the most fun in the ring that he's had in years. Roode's run as a flashy braggart has been excellent. Joe has been on fire as a bloodthirsty predator. 

Kyle Fowle of The A.V. Club had high praise for The Destroyer after Monday's Raw:

Credit a change of pace or getting to clash with WWE's loaded roster, but these Impact Wrestling alum have all produced some of their best work to date.

When NXT TakeOver: Orlando and WrestleMania unfold in April, there will be no shortage of contributions from the wrestlers WWE plucked from its rival. Styles, Aries and the others are each in the midst of their own renaissance, flourishing in the light of a new sun.

2. Emma's Extended Absence 

Waiting for Emma to return to the ring has become too much like waiting for Godot.

After months of teasing a transformation into Emmalina, her re-debut saw her tell fans they would have to wait for her makeover back to Emma. Her first vignette aired on Oct. 3.

The fact that she's not active on the roster yet is astounding.

The Raw Women's Championship has changed hands six times since WWE first promised she was "premiering soon." We've seen 17 matches featuring The Shining Stars on TV and pay-per-view in that span, per CageMatch, and not a single one with Emma. And 23 editions of Raw have come and gone with Emma only getting about a minute of airtime total in that stretch.

She continues to be Raw's most wasted talent, and her long-awaited return has become the brand's go-to running joke.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Dennis Stamp

Another wrestling veteran has left us. Figure Four Online's Dave Meltzer reported that Dennis Stamp passed away at 68 years old.

The 1971 American Wrestling Association Rookie of the Year had a long career that saw him compete in the Los Angeles and Amarillo, Texas, territories, as well as briefly for WWE. Many fans today know him from his appearance in the documentary Beyond the Mat.

This 1984 clip shows him locking horns with Rick Martel in the AWA:

Stamp did well to make this bout an interesting one, giving Martel quite the test. This was often Stamp's role, to showcase bigger stars. 

4. Losing Leading Somewhere?

Drew Gulak's rant after falling to Mustafa Ali on Tuesday's 205 Live was more interesting than anything that happened during the actual match.

The bruiser grabbed a mic after his defeat and tried to blame everyone but himself for the loss. He said he didn't have to change—205 Live did.

Gulak, who has been one of the lower-tier stars of the cruiserweight division, may have found something here. He came off as a bully with a bloodied nose and as a delusional man refusing to accept his failure.

That's the start of a story with solid potential.

Gulak could continue to lose, growing more ornery each time. He could point his fingers at everyone else as his losing streak rolls on. There would be a chance there to let the heel unravel and to grow more desperate for victory, making him more dangerous in the process.

5. Andre's Legend Continues on the Stage

The tale of the larger-than-life Andre the Giant has been told in graphic novel form thanks to Box Brown and soon in documentary form as Bill Simmons will produce a film about the behemoth for HBO.

The theater is now showcasing Andre, too. 

Sam & Dede, or My Dinner with Andre the Giant, a play about Andre's relationship with writer Samuel Beckett, opened last week at the 59E59 Theater in New York. The show is based on the conversations the two had when Beckett drove a 12-year-old Andre to school. 

Dave Sikula (who plays Beckett) tweeted a peek at the poster:

This certainly won't be the last medium to feature the big man's likeness. No wrestler has seeped into our collective consciousness like Andre.

6. Broken Brilliance Unleashed

Matt and Jeff Hardy are now free agents after not re-signing with Impact Wrestling, as Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported.

That's bad news for Impact Wrestling, but it's exciting news for the rest of the wrestling world.

Wherever these brothers go, they are sure to do something special. The Hardys' descent into the bizarre side of the art form has been tremendous, infusing teleportation, drones, volcanoes and an all-out kookiness into the business.

Matt and Jeff wrestled at Ring of Honor's 15th-anniversary show over the weekend, but what's next?

Whether they head to WWE, stay with ROH or traverse the independent circuit, expect creativity in surplus, an outside-the-box approach and a reimagining of what wrestling can be.

7. Hawkins' Empty Confidence

Curt Hawkins believes he's destined to win the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at WrestleMania.

That would be his first victory of 2017. The former tag team champ has gone 1-6 since returning to WWE last fall, per CageMatch. Not counting his two pre-show matches, he doesn't have a single PPV bout on his resume since then.

Hawkins hasn't wrestled on SmackDown since January, either.

The annual Battle Royal is where WWE hurls its midcarders when the rest of the WrestleMania puzzle is complete. Hawkins will be far from the only Superstar entering that contest starving for momentum.

8. A Look Back at Swagger

Jack Swagger quietly faded from SmackDown. After getting traded to the blue brand from Raw last year, the powerhouse didn't appear on TV much at all.

WWE announced on Monday that the company released Swagger.

It's easy to remember him as a miscast world champ, but he had some intriguing moments during his tenure. These clips and highlights show off some of Swagger's best WWE work: 

• Jack Swagger vs. Christian: Backlash 2009
• Jack Swagger vs. Rey Mysterio: Money in the Bank 2010
• Jack Swagger vs. Sami Zayn: NXT, Aug. 22, 2013 
• The Real Americans vs. Goldust and Cody Rhodes: Main Event, March 18, 2014
• Jack Swagger vs. Chris Jericho: Roadblock 2016

He will now enter the indys with a large chip on his shoulder. Combine that with the freedom he'll see out there, and Swagger is set to add to his resume in a big way.

He should be sure to do everything he can to take on Keith Lee, delivering a clash of hosses.

9. The Big Dog Starting to Snarl

Roman Reigns is slowly becoming the character he should have been long ago.

WWE has stubbornly tried to make Reigns a John Cena-like jokester. It has presented him as a gutsy underdog. And none of it has worked.

More recently, though, Reigns has shown signs of a shift.

He was defiant and disrespectful in his meeting with Undertaker last week. On Monday night, he was compelling as he met Shawn Michaels, with The Big Dog looking hungry and angry. 

"I'm not messing around tonight," he told the crowd.

That has to continue. Reigns has to continue to evolve into a jerk with no regard for anyone. That's the skin that will fit most comfortably on him.

10. Harper on Opportunity

Luke Harper tore away from The Wyatt Family and now finds his WrestleMania status unclear.

His former stablemate Bray Wyatt is the WWE champ, set to face Randy Orton in one of the PPV's biggest bouts. As for Harper, there's no guarantee he even makes the card.

About the situation, he told Nick Schwartz of Fox Sports, "Honestly, I don't think there's a big plan for me, so I guess I'll have to make one."

That's the right attitude to have. In wrestling and elsewhere, you often have to make your own breaks.