Impact Wrestling has signed Jai Vidal to an exclusive multi-year contract.
Vidal is being touted as the first openly gay male wrestler to sign with Impact in its 20 year history. He spoke with Outsports.com and said he was on “cloud nine” after signing his first contract with a major TV promotion.
“I’ve been in the business going on seven years. In February, it’ll be seven years,” he said. “All the times that it’s been hard to pay the bills, it’s all finally worth it.”
Vidal re-debuted with Impact a few weeks back, appearing as Gisele Shaw’s executive stylist and content creator ahead of her loss to Impact Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace, as seen in the video below.
Vidal actually made his Impact debut with a loss to Eric Young at the October 24, 2021 tapings, which aired on November 4, 2021. He then was defeated by Jonah at the tapings on November 21, 2021, which aired on December 2, 2021. Vidal has worked for numerous indie promotions, including GCW.
It was noted that Vidal caught the eye of Impact officials after becoming a notable talent in several indie promotions, and a staple of EFFY’s “Big Gay Brunch” events. He told Outsports that the Impact contract offer came out of nowhere.
“When I got the call to sign with Impact, I had actually just come back to Florida from the [Impact] show in Vegas,” he said. “I was running on zero sleep. I got back and saw the voicemail and called them right back.”
Impact Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore issued a statement to Outsports, and said, “We’re excited to sign Jai Vidal, a talented and charismatic wrestler who brings a diverse skill-set to the ring. We’re proud to welcome another member of the LGBTQ community to the Impact roster and further our outreach into that community, which has a deep fanbase for pro wrestling.”
Vidal revealed his current goal in Impact.
“I do think it would be pretty cool to be the first openly gay X-Division champion,” he said, laughing. “Gisele Shaw, Knockouts World champion. Jai Vidal, X-Division champion. Holding the titles side-by-side and just dominating the roster because we can—like a community takeover.”
Below is the aforementioned clip from the November 3 Impact:
.@JordynneGrace isn't playing @GiseleShaw08's games!#IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/OVjkJz1jCF
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) November 4, 2022
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