Jake Crist Returns To Impact At Under Siege
For the time being, it appears Jake Crist has returned to Impact Wrestling.
Having not wrestled for Impact since August 2021, everything changed on Friday night at Under Siege, when Crist was the surprise third man alongside Sami Callihan and Rich Swann to take on The Design. While Crist didn't score the victory himself, he was on the winning side, as Swann rolled up Angels to secure the pinfall. What this means for his future with Impact remains to be seen, but it's worth noting that all three men combined to cut a passionate promo following their victory. If Callihan's and Swann's words are anything to go on, it sounds like Crist may be sticking around a while.
Crist was an Impact regular between 2017 and 2020, becoming a World Tag Team Champion with his brother, Dave — the two were known as Ohio Versus Everything (oVe) and later formed a stable with Callihan. Crist also defeated Swann for the X-Division Championship in July 2019. However, when allegations against Dave, as well as former Impact star Joey Ryan, surfaced during the #SpeakingOut movement in 2020, Impact released both Dave and Ryan on June 22. Crist had just begun a new storyline that saw him turn on his brother and join forces with Ryan as part of a group called — ironically — Cancel Culture, but the angle was quickly cut off, and Crist wasn't seen on TV again. Six months later, Crist announced that he was set to become a free agent at the end of the year. He later blamed Ryan's actions for his release.
While neither Dave nor Ryan have wrestled anywhere since, Crist did return to Impact nearly one year later to answer Josh Alexander's open challenge for the X Division Championship, albeit in a losing effort.