From the Impact rumor mill: A top member of the Knockouts Division has asked for her release from Impact Wrestling (CONTAINS SPOILERS)
What's the story?
Squared Circle Sirens is reporting that yet another wrestler from Impact Wrestling is looking for their release from the company. Interestingly enough, it is the current Impact Knockouts Champion, Laurel Van Ness.
In case you didn't know...
Laurel Van Ness originally started in the WWE appearing on-camera as Daniel Bryan's physical therapist in an angle between Brie Bella and Stephanie McMahon. She also was a mid-season replacement on the 2015 season of Tough Enough, finishing in seventh place.
The Heart of the Matter...
According to the report, Van Ness asked for her release after the most recent set of tapings. At the time of this writing, Impact Wrestling did not grant the release, but the feeling around the company is that they will end up doing so.
Van Ness made her Impact Wrestling debut in January of 2016 in a losing effort to Jade (Mia Yim). She would officially sign with the company in June of that year and be in the center of a story line where she was trying to break up Allie and Braxton Sutter.
On the December 7th edition of Impact Wrestling, Van Ness will defeat Rosemary to win the Impact Knockouts Championship that was vacated by Gail Kim. She would join MJ Jenkins, Madison Rayne, and Taryn Terrell as women from the Knockouts Division that recently left Impact Wrestling.
What's Next?
It is unknown what is next for Laurel Van Ness, but with all of the recent call-ups to the main roster, there is a good chance that NXT would be interested in someone like her considering she's worked for the company before. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for further information regarding Laurel Van Ness.
Author's Take
If it wasn't already bad for Impact Wrestling, it truly isn't a good look for the company when your current champion wants to leave. I think she'd make a great addition to the NXT roster, or even Absolution with Paige, Sonya Deville, and Mandy Rose. In theory, Van Ness would fit right in with the group since she also appeared on the same season of Tough Enough. It would all depend on if WWE determines Van Ness is ready to make the jump straight to the main roster. The more likely scenario here is that Van Ness spends a little bit of time in NXT, as even seasoned wrestlers such as Samoa Joe and Finn Balor went to NXT first.