On Friday, fans were stunned to learn that Impact World Champion Josh Alexander would be forfeiting his title due to a torn triceps, ending his nearly year-long reign. Following this announcement and the Sacrifice event, Alexander addressed his fans on Twitter about his injury.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out. For those who supported me and bought tickets to see me do what I love, your support means more to me than words can express,” his tweet stated. “It’s my turn to give back. When you see me next, I’ll be better than ever.”
Alexander’s tweet was paired with a longer message explaining that this injury marks only the second time in his career that he has needed to step away. He promised to return stronger and mentioned that he would be taking a break from social media to focus on his family and personal recovery. “I’m stepping away from social media to spend much-needed time with my family and to concentrate fully on my recovery.”
This development came shortly after news that Mickie James, the Knockouts World Champion, would also be sidelined due to an injury. These setbacks affected the Sacrifice event card, leading to the cancellation of James’ match against Jordynne Grace and Alexander’s replacement by Steve Maclin in a six-man tag match.
The new Impact World Champion will be decided at Rebellion. Alexander was scheduled to defend against KUSHIDA at the upcoming Multiverse United event, but with Alexander out, KUSHIDA will now face Maclin at Rebellion for the title.