Impact Turkey Bowl facts for kids
The Impact Turkey Bowl is a special wrestling event that happens on Thanksgiving night during the Impact! TV show. It used to be called the TNA Turkey Bowl.
When it first started in 2007 and 2008, it was a tournament. Wrestlers from different groups, like the Heavyweight Division, the X Division, and the Tag Team Division, would compete. There were three qualifying matches, and the winners went to the finals. The person who won the finals got $25,000! But there was a funny twist: the wrestler who lost the final match had to wear a silly turkey suit. After 2008, the Turkey Bowl took a break until 2011. When it came back, it was just one match instead of a tournament. This single-match style continued until 2016. In 2017, the match changed again to a big five-on-five team match with both male and female wrestlers.
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Turkey Bowl Match Results
Early Turkey Bowl Years (2007-2016)
The Turkey Bowl started as a fun tradition for Thanksgiving. The main rule was always that the loser of the final match had to put on a turkey suit!
The 2007 Turkey Bowl
The very first Turkey Bowl happened on November 13, 2007. It was part of the Thanksgiving episode of TNA Impact!. To get to the final Turkey Bowl match, wrestlers had to win special qualifying matches.
- Winner: Samoa Joe
- Loser (wore the turkey suit): A.J. Styles
The 2008 Turkey Bowl
The Turkey Bowl returned on November 27, 2008, again on TNA Impact!. Just like the year before, wrestlers had to win qualifying matches to reach the final.
- Winner: Rhino
- Loser (wore the turkey suit): Alex Shelley
The 2011 Turkey Bowl
After a break, the Turkey Bowl came back on November 24, 2011, on Impact Wrestling. This time, it was just one match, not a tournament with qualifying rounds. It was a one-on-one match.
- Winner: Eric Young
- Loser (wore the turkey suit): Even though Robbie E was pinned, he was knocked out. So, his friend Robbie T had to wear the turkey suit instead!
The 2012 Turkey Bowl
The Turkey Bowl was back on November 22, 2012. It was still a single match, but this time it was a three-way fight between three wrestlers.
- Winner: Eric Young
- Loser (wore the turkey suit): Jessie Godderz
The 2013 Turkey Bowl
On November 28, 2013, the Turkey Bowl made history! It was the first-ever tag team Turkey Bowl match. Two teams of wrestlers faced off.
- Winners: The BroMans (Jessie Godderz & Robbie E)
- Losers (wore the turkey suits): Dewey Barnes and Norv Fernum
The 2016 Turkey Bowl
After three years, the Turkey Bowl returned on November 24, 2016. It was a single match again.
- Winner: Robbie E
- Loser (wore the turkey suit): Grado
The Impact Wrestling Era (2017-Present)
In 2017, the event got a new name and a new style of match.
The 2017 Turkey Bowl: Gravy Train Turkey Trot
Global Champion Eli Drake renamed the Turkey Bowl to "Eli Drake’s Gravy Train Turkey Trot." Instead of a single match, it became a big five-on-five team match. Both male and female wrestlers competed together!
- Winning Team: Eddie Edwards, Allie, Richard Justice, Fallah Bahh and Garza Jr.
- Loser (wore the turkey suit): Chris Adonis. He didn't want to wear it at first, but he had to! After the match, there was a fun food fight, and Eli Drake even got a pie in the face!
The 2018 Turkey Bowl: Gravy Train Turkey Trot
The "Second Annual Eli Drake Gravy Train Turkey Trot" aired on November 22, 2018. It continued the five-on-five team match style. Wrestlers chose their teams by picking names from a raffle. Everyone promised to wear the turkey suit if they lost.
- Winning Team: Fallah Bahh, KM, Dezmond Xavier, Kikutaro and Alisha Edwards
- Loser (wore the turkey suit): The person who got pinned from the losing team had to wear it.
The 2023 Turkey Bowl: Gravy Train Turkey Trot
The Turkey Bowl, now called The Gravy Train Turkey Trot again, came back on November 23, 2023, after five years! This time, it was an eight-man tag team match.
- Winning Team: Jake Something, Mike Bailey, Johnny Swinger and PCO
- Loser (wore the turkey suit): Jai Vidal. He really didn't want to wear it, but his teammates Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans made sure he did!
