Mickie James could not compete at IMPACT Sacrifice due to a rib injury, leaving Jordynne Grace without an opponent.
Grace did not get her IMPACT Knockouts Title match at IMPACT Sacrifice, and would have to wait until IMPACT Rebellion for her shot at the title. Deonna Purrazzo earned her spot in the match against Grace at Rebellion by defeating Masha Slamovich, Gisele Shaw, and Miyu Yamashita at IMPACT x NJPW Multiverse United.
If James was cleared, she would be added to the match, making it a triple threat. If she wasn't cleared, Grace and Purrazzo would face in a singles match for the vacant title.
On the April 13 episode of IMPACT, James stood in an empty arena and revealed that she was not cleared, leaving the title and her hat in the ring.
"That's when both Jordynne and I found out," Purrazzo told Jeremy Lambert and Joel Pearl on Fightful's In The Weeds. "We were waiting just like the rest of the world to know what that match was going to be. It was a bit of uncertainty. Leading into Mickie's announcement and then only having Friday and Saturday to prepare for this match, knowing that there is this pressure on us and we want to outdo ourselves. We want to do better. Jordynne wants to win, but I want to win, and all those things. It was interesting to watch, and of course, with Mickie, it was very dramatic. That was her moment and she took it and we don't know what's next for Mickie. She kind of left it open-ended, she left the belt in the ring, and said 'It's your time now.' We are all very interested, myself, Jordynne, the IMPACT Wrestling world is excited to know what that meant for Mickie James and what that means for her future. She never lost the Knockouts World Championship. Does that mean she's gunning for me? Is she the first person to want to challenge me? I don't know. There is a lot of uncertainty."
Purrazzo defeated Grace in the main event of IMPACT Rebellion to win the Knockouts Title for a third time. It is unknown when James will return to the ring.
Elsewhere during the interview, Purrazzo discussed her rivalry with and respect for Grace. You can find her full comments by clicking here.
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