Former AEW star Alan Angels debuts in IMPACT Wrestling; answers open challenge

Former AEW star Alan Angels has debuted at IMPACT Wrestling on Saturday's TV taping in Atlanta, Georgia.

During his time with All Elite Wrestling, Angels was an integral member of The Dark Order. The 24-year-old's All Elite contract expired on June 30, 2022. Alan confirmed the news himself and removed all mentions of AEW from his social handles.

During the IMPACT Taping, Angels appeared to accept X-Division Champion "Speedball" Mike Bailey's open challenge from Friday's Against All Odds. In the singles bout, the latter won, but both wrestlers were assaulted by Violent By Design members Deaner and Joe Doering.

A recent post on Twitter showed the former Dark Order member entering the IMPACT ring. You can check out the tweet below:

Alan Angels is in IMPACT! https://t.co/lTMiu2Uwvr

What did Angels say in his AEW departure statement?

Angels, who previously plied his trade on the independent circuit, made his All Elite Wrestling debut in 2020. As mentioned earlier, he was recruited as a member of The Dark Order under the moniker of 5.

He issued a heartfelt statement after his contract expired with Tony Khan's production. Angels said that although he would have loved to continue with AEW, he looks forward to greater things in the future.

"I had a great time in AEW and would have loved to have stayed, but I am extremely excited for my future in pro wrestling. I am 24 and I look at this as my wrestling career just beginning... I'm going to make as many towns as I can, meet as many fans as I can and wrestle as much as I can until I am considered one of the best going today. Thank you all for all the support and kind words and I hope you all will continue to follow my journey," Angels wrote.

Time to grind. https://t.co/2KArNL3Wun

However, there is no confirmation on whether the star has officially signed a deal with Impact Wrestling. This could also be a one-off appearance for the former Dark Order member.