The Impact Turkey Bowl (formerly the TNA Turkey Bowl) is a special match that airs on the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

night episode of '' Impact!'' Initially, it was a tournament held in 2007 and 2008 that aired on the Thanksgiving night episode of ''TNA Impact!'', and consisted of three preliminary three-way matches. Each match featured a member of the Heavyweight Division, the

X Division The X Division is a high-flying, high-risk, fast-paced style of professional wrestling seen in Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) and since then in various NWA member promotions. Its tagline is that "It's not about weight ...

, and the Tag Team Division, with the winner of the match going on to the finals. The winner of the finals, also a three-way match, won $25,000. The wrestler who was pinned in the finals was forced to put on a turkey suit. The 2008 Turkey Bowl would be the last until 2011, where it would return, but as a single match going forward. This format lasted until 2016, save for a two year absence, and for the 2017 Turkey Bowl, it was changed to a five-on-five intergender tag team match.

Results

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling era

2007

The inaugural Turkey Bowl was on the November 13, 2007 Thanksgiving edition of ''

TNA Impact! ''Impact!'' (stylized as ''IMPACT!''), also known as ''IMPACT! on AXS TV'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling (formerly known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)) tha ...

'' It consisted of three qualification matches to get the Turkey Bowl. The winner of the match was Samoa Joe who pinned A.J. Styles. As a result, Styles was forced into the turkey suit.

2008

The Turkey Bowl returned on the November 27, 2008 Thanksgiving edition of ''TNA Impact!'' It consisted of three qualification matches to get to the Turkey Bowl. The winner of the match was Rhino who pinned Alex Shelley. As a result, Shelley was forced into the turkey suit.

2011

The Turkey Bowl returned on the November 24, 2011 Thanksgiving edition of ''Impact Wrestling''. Unlike the past tournaments, this one only featured one round instead of having three semi-finals matches. It also did not feature a member of the three divisions. The match featured a one on one match between Eric Young and

Robbie E Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and manager. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand as a manager under the ring name Mr. Stone. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop A ...

. The winner of the match was Young who pinned Robbie E, but since Robbie E was knocked out, Robbie T was forced into the turkey suit.

2012

The Turkey Bowl returned on the November 22, 2012 Thanksgiving edition of ''Impact Wrestling''. Like the previous year, the Turkey Bowl only featured one round instead of having three semi-finals matches. It also did not feature a member of the three divisions. The match was a three-way between Eric Young,

Jessie Godderz Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986), also known as Mr. PEC-Tacular, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He currently competes for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he is a former one-time OVW National Heavyweight Champion, one-time ...

and Robbie E. The winner of the match was Young who pinned Godderz. As a result, Godderz was forced into the turkey suit.

2013

The Turkey Bowl returned on the November 28, 2013 Thanksgiving edition of ''Impact Wrestling''. The match featured the first ever tag team Turkey Bowl match between

The BroMans The BroMans were an American professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which consist of Jessie Godderz, Robbie E, and DJZ. They are two-time TNA World Tag Team Champions. History Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...

(Jessie Godderz & Robbie E) facing Dewey Barnes and Norv Fernum. The winners of the match were The BroMans. As a result, Barnes and Fernum were forced into the turkey suits.

2016

The Turkey Bowl returned after three years for the November 24, 2016 Thanksgiving edition of ''Impact Wrestling''. Once again, the Turkey Bowl featured Robbie E, who took on

Grado Grado may refer to: People * Cristina Grado (1939–2016), Italian film actress * Jonathan Grado (born 1991), American entrepreneur and photographer * Francesco De Grado ( fl. 1694–1730), Italian engraver * Gaetano Grado, Italian mafioso * ...

in singles completion, defeating him.

Aiden O'Shea Bradley Thomas Jay (born November 17, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring names of Jay Bradley and Aiden O'Shea, and WWE as Ryan Braddock. Professional wrestling career Earl ...

was the special outside enforcer for the match to ensure that the loser would put on the turkey suit.

Impact Wrestling era

2017

Global Champion

Eli Drake Shaun Ricker (born November 1, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name LA Knight. Ricker is known for his time in Impact Wrestling as Eli Drake. Ricke ...

renamed the Turkey Bowl match as "Eli Drake’s Gravy Train Turkey Trot", where the singles match, used in the previous two Turkey Bowls, was nixed in favor of a five-on-five intergender tag team match. Eddie Edwards was named as captain of a team consisting of himself,

Allie Allie is a unisex given name, a nickname and, more rarely a surname. It is a diminutive form of several names beginning with ''Al-''. It may refer to: Given name or nickname Female * Allie (wrestler) (born 1987), Canadian professional wrestler ...

, Richard Justice,

Fallah Bahh Francis Flores (born August 12, 1985) is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with Impact Wrestling, where he performed under the ring name Fallah Bahh. He began his wrestling career on New Jersey's independent circuit, wre ...

and

Garza Jr. Humberto Garza Solano (born September 23, 1992) is a Mexican Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name An ...

, while

Chris Adonis Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Chris Adonis as a member of Strictly Business. He is a former two-time National Ch ...

was named as captain of the opposing team consisting of himself,

El Hijo del Fantasma Jorge Luis Alcantar Bolly (born April 30, 1984), is a Mexican second-generation ''luchador'' (professional wrestler). He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Santos Escobar. Before his WWE c ...

Caleb Konley Mason Burnett (born August 30, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in Impact Wrestling where he competed under the ring name Kaleb with a K, or simply, Kaleb Konley. He is best known under the ring name Caleb Kon ...

, KM and

Laurel Van Ness Chelsea Anne Cardona (born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler, stuntwoman and model. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling where she is a former impact Knockouts champion and Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion ...

. As Adonis was the one who got pinned, he had to wear the turkey suit. Adonis initially refused, but

Jeremy Borash Jeremy Borash (born July 19, 1974), is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, and producer who is currently signed to WWE. He is known for his work in Impact Wrestling as a ...

told him that he would force Drake into it instead, making Adonis reluctantly put it on. Afterwards, the other wrestlers got into a food fight and when Adonis tried to pie Edwards, he moved and Drake got pied instead.

2018

The 2018 Turkey bowl, promoted as "The Second Annual Eli Drake Gravy Train Turkey Trot", was aired on November 22, 2018. It continued with the five-on-five intergender tag team match, established the previous year.

was named as captain of a team consisting of himself, KM,

Kikutaro (born November 17, 1976), better known as his wrestling persona and formerly , is a freelance Japanese professional wrestler. Though best known for wrestling under a mask, he also regularly works unmasked under the ring name Kikuzawa (stylized ...

Dezmond Xavier Deveon Everhart Aikens (born November 2, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Wes Lee, and is the current NXT North American Champion in his first rei ...

and

Alisha Edwards Alisha Maher (née Inacio; born January 7, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Impact Wrestling under the ring name Alisha Edwards (most frequently under the mononym Alisha). Professional wrestling career New England ...

, while

was named as captain of the opposing team consisting of himself, Katarina,

Jake Crist The Crist Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers David Crist Jr. and John Crist, who are best known by their ring names Dave Crist and Jake Crist, they are best known for their time with Impact Wrestli ...

Rohit Raju Rohit Raju is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with Impact Wrestling, where he is a former one-time Impact X Division Champion. Before working for Impact Wrestling, he worked over 10 years on the independent circuit in ...

and Glenn Gilbertti. The teams were chosen by way of a raffle. All wrestlers involved took an oath prior to the match stating that if they were pinned or submitted, they will wear the turkey suit. As Gilbertti was the one who got pinned, he had to wear the turkey suit.

Josh Mathews Joshua Matthew Lomberger (born November 25, 1980), better known by the ring name Josh Mathews, is an American professional wrestling play by play commentator and former professional wrestler, currently signed to Impact Wrestling. He is also kno ...

reminded Gilbertti of the oath, but he did not want to put on the turkey suit.

Scarlett Bordeaux Elizabeth Chihaia (born May 13, 1991) is an American professional wrestler, model, singer and ring announcer better known by the ring name Scarlett Bordeaux. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring ...

, the object of Gilbertti's affections, came down to the ring and persuaded him to wear the turkey suit. When he did so, she called him an idiot and walked away.

References

{{TNA Tournaments Impact Wrestling tournaments Holidays themed professional wrestling events November sporting events Thanksgiving (United States)