Impact Wrestling this week will feature a Global Championship match that has been building for weeks. Current Impact Global Champion, Eli Drake, will face Alberto El Patron for the title.

The company sent out the following press release yesterday:

“When Alberto El Patron made his debut on IMPACT in mid 2017, behind the scenes, Eli Drake showed his emotions and let everyone know exactly how he felt. In the mind of Eli Drake, another person was coming into IMPACT and they were going to be given opportunities that Eli felt other people deserved. Eli felt the athletes that had been here, had been working towards a goal were being overlooked by anyone with a larger twitter following. Eli had enough.

It wasn’t long before Alberto El Patron would win the Global Title and then unify it with our World Title. All was right for El Patron and IMPACT had their guy. Then it all came crashing down, Alberto El Patron would be suspended and stripped of the title. With the Championship in a state of abeyance, IMPACT would have one match to determine a new Champion, a chance to move past El Patron and crown a new Champion as fair and as quickly as possible.

Eli Drake would enter at number 2 and somehow outlasted 19 others and in the end Eli Drake got what he wanted (with a detour) and Drake was standing tall as Global Champion. One major weight off his shoulders and another placed directly on them. It was up to Eli now to prove he could be Champion, to prove he had what it takes to Main Event every week, to travel the world and defend his title. If you had to give Eli a letter grade now that we have seen him as Champion for 130 consecutive days, you would be forced to give Eli an A+ for his efforts and skills.

Alberto El Patron has called Eli a “Paper Champion” or someone simply holding onto the title until Patron returned to take what he feels is rightfully his. Now we will see these men go one on one for the Global Championship on Thursday night. Can Drake shut up Alberto El Patron once and for all? Will El Patron prove his point and drive home his claim that he should be Champion? That Alberto El Patron will take IMPACT to all new heights and places we have never been before?

The Championship isn’t the only thing on the line Thursday night. It is the first IMPACT of 2018 and the future is on the line. Where are we going? The outcome of this match will be like looking into a crystal ball and seeing what direction IMPACT is heading. We can’t wait to find out on Thursday night!”