Feast or Fired explained

Feast or Fired is a professional wrestling match concept featured in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The idea is based on the object on a pole match, which sees wrestlers trying to gain possession of items hanging from poles attached to the ring posts. In this case, the participants in the match try to grab one of four briefcases from the poles. In the match itself, a wrestler can only claim a briefcase if he/she leaves the ring with it and both feet touch the floor.

Stipulations

Inside each of the briefcases is some sort of paperwork. One of the cases holds a contract for an TNA World Championship match, one holds a contract for an TNA X Division Championship match, and one holds a contract for an TNA World Tag Team Championship match (with a partner of that wrestler's choosing). The fourth and final briefcase contains a pink slip, which fires the wrestler carrying it. In later years, alternate titles were used as options in place of the X Division Title—the TNA King of the Mountain Championship in 2016 and the TNA Digital Media Championship in 2023.

The winners of the briefcases do not reveal what is in them that night. Instead, they are revealed in a segment on a later episode of Impact!. Before the contents of the cases are revealed, each wrestler is given a choice to keep their case or forfeit it, which protects the wrestler from being fired, but also gives up any potential title match.

Once a wrestler wins a briefcase, it may be (and has been) defended in matches similar to the way championships are.

The allocated time period during which a wrestler must invoke their title opportunity has not been explicitly stated, all that has been said is that the title opportunity can be invoked "anywhere, anytime", making it similar in fashion to the WWE Money in the Bank ladder match contract, which lasts for one year.

Matches

YearTitle
(Date)
WinnerOther competitor(s)Time
2007Turning Point
(December 2)
Scott Steiner (Case 2 – World Title match) (11:54)
Petey Williams (Case 4 – X Division Title match) (03:04)
B.G. James (Case 1 – Tag Team Title match) (04:53)
Senshi (Case 3 – Pink Slip) (06:27)
Shark Boy, Lance Hoyt, Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper, Homicide, Hernandez, Kip James, Jimmy Rave, Chris Harris, and Sonjay Dutt[1] 11:55
2008Final Resolution
(December 7)
Hernandez (Case 4 – World Title match) (03:53)
Homicide (Case 1 – X Division Title match) (09:33)
Jay Lethal (Case 2 –Tag Team Title match) (12:10)
Curry Man (Case 3 – Pink Slip) (06:31)
Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Jimmy Rave, Lance Rock, Sonjay Dutt, B.G. James, Consequences Creed, Cute Kip and Shark Boy.12:10
2009Final Resolution
(December 20)
Samoa Joe (Case 3 – World Title match) (09:20)
Rob Terry (Case 4 – X Division Title match) (05:00)
Kevin Nash (Case 1 – Tag Team Title match) (07:14)
Sheik Abdul Bashir (Case 2 – Pink Slip) (04:47)
Robert Roode, James Storm, Global Champion Eric Young, Homicide, Kiyoshi, Cody Deaner, Jay Lethal, and Consequences Creed11:00
2013Impact Wrestling
(December 12)
Gunner (Case 1 – World Title match) (14:11)
Zema Ion (Case 2 – X Division Title match) (08:39)
Ethan Carter III (Case 3 – Tag Team Title match) (02:06)
Chavo Guerrero (Case 4 – Pink Slip) (12:19)
X Division Champion Austin Aries, Chris Sabin, Curry Man, Dewey Barnes, James Storm, Norv Fernum, Hernandez and Samoa Joe.14:11
2015Impact Wrestling
(aired January 23)
Austin Aries (Case 1 – World Title match) (05:45)
Rockstar Spud (Case 4 – X Division Title match) (04:20)
Magnus (Case 3 – Tag Team Title match) (07:43)
Velvet Sky (Case 2 – Pink Slip) (01:17)
Crazzy Steve, Samuel Shaw, Gunner, Jessie Godderz, DJ Z, Robbie E, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards and Bram07:43
2016Impact Wrestling
(aired January 26)
Drew Galloway (Case 1 – World Title match) (10:07)
Eli Drake (Case 4 – King of the Mountain Title match) (12:38)
James Storm (Case 3 – Tag Team Title match) (16:06)
Grado (Case 2 – Pink Slip) (04:16)
Bobby Roode, Robbie E, Aiden O'Shea, King of the Mountain Champion Eric Young, Bram, Jessie Godderz, Chris Melendez and Rockstar Spud[2] 16:06
2018Impact!
(taped January 13, aired March 15 and 22)
Moose (Case 4 – World Title match)
Petey Williams (Case 2 – X Division Title match)
Eli Drake (Case 1 – Tag Team Title match)
Ethan Carter III (Case 3 – Pink Slip)
Rohit Raju, Taiji Ishimori, Trevor Lee, Caleb Konley, KM and Tyrus17:50
2023Impact 1000
(taped September 9, 2023, aired September, 14, 2023)
Moose (Case 2 - World Title match) (13:34)
Crazzy Steve (Case 1 - Digital Media Title match) (06:17)
Chris Bey (Case 3 - Tag Team Title match) (02:54)
Yuya Uemura (Case 4 - Pink Slip) (09:45)
Alpha Bravo, Bhupinder Gujjar, Black Taurus, Brian Myers, Heath, Jai Vidal, Joe Hendry, Johnny Swinger, John Skyler, Jonathan Gresham, Kevin Knight, Kushida, Laredo Kid, PCO, Sami Callihan, and Steve Maclin13:34

Feast or Fired Cash-in Matches

Record

scope=colChampionshipscope=colWinsscope=colLossesscope=colTotal
World Heavyweight/Global Championship268
Digital Media Championship011
King of the Mountain Championship101
Tag Team Championship718
X Division Championship426

Matches

scope=colscope=colCase Holderscope=colChampionshipscope=colEventscope=colTitle Opportunity Invoking Datescope=colResults
B.G. JamesTag TeamAgainst All OddsFebruary 10, 2008James and his partner Bullet Bob Armstrong lost to TNA World Tag Team Champions A.J. Styles and Tomko
Petey WilliamsX DivisionImpact!April 17, 2008Williams defeated Jay Lethal to become the new TNA X Division Champion
Scott SteinerWorld HeavyweightSacrificeMay 11, 2008Steiner lost to TNA World Heavyweight Champion Samoa Joe
Jay LethalTag TeamImpact!December 16, 2008Lethal and his partner Consequences Creed defeated Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) to become the new TNA World Tag Team Champions
HomicideX DivisionImpact!June 25, 2009Homicide defeated Suicide to become the new TNA X Division Champion
HernandezWorld HeavyweightImpact!


No Surrender
January 15, 2009


September 20, 2009
Hernandez invoked his title opportunity vs Sting and won via disqualification due to outside interference by the Main Event Mafia. Due to the disqualification, TNA Managing Partner Mick Foley returned the briefcase to Hernandez, allowing him a second chance.

Hernandez lost to A.J. Styles, who would become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, in a five-way match also involving the former TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan and Sting
Doug WilliamsX DivisionImpact!January 19, 2010Williams defeated Amazing Red to win the TNA X Division Championship
Samoa JoeWorld HeavyweightAgainst All OddsFebruary 14, 2010Joe was defeated by TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles in a No Disqualification match with Eric Bischoff as the special guest referee
Kevin NashTag TeamImpact!May 4, 2010 Nash and his partner Scott Hall defeated Matt Morgan to become the new TNA World Tag Team Champions
Zema IonX DivisionImpact WrestlingJanuary 30, 2014Ion was defeated by TNA X Division Champion Austin Aries.
Aired February 6, 2014.
GunnerWorld HeavyweightImpact WrestlingJanuary 31, 2014Gunner was defeated by TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus.
Aired February 20, 2014.
Tag TeamImpact WrestlingSeptember 19, 2014James Storm and his partner Abyss defeated The Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) to become the new TNA World Tag Team Champions.
Aired November 12, 2014.
Rockstar SpudX DivisionImpact WrestlingJanuary 31, 2015Spud defeated Low Ki to win the TNA X Division Championship.
Aired March 20, 2015.
Austin AriesWorld HeavyweightDestination XMay 11, 2015Aries was defeated by TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle.
Aired June 10, 2015.
GFWTag TeamImpact WrestlingJuly 28, 2015Brian Myers and Trevor Lee defeated The Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards) to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
Aired September 2, 2015.
James StormTag TeamImpact WrestlingJanuary 31, 2016Beer Money (James Storm and Bobby Roode) defeated The Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
Aired on March 8.
Drew GallowayWorld HeavyweightImpact WrestlingMarch 15, 2016Galloway defeated Matt Hardy to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
Eli DrakeKing of the MountainImpact WrestlingApril 23, 2016Drake defeated Bram to win the TNA King of the Mountain Championship.
Aired May 31, 2016.
Eli DrakeTag TeamRedemptionApril 22, 2018Drake and his partner Scott Steiner defeated LAX (Santana and Ortiz) to win the Impact World Tag Team Championships[3]
Petey WilliamsX DivisionRedemptionApril 22, 2018Williams was defeated by X Division Champion Matt Sydal.
Eli DrakeHeavyweightImpact WrestlingApril 23, 2018Drake was defeated by World Heavyweight Champion Pentagón Jr.
Chris BeyTag TeamBound for GloryOctober 21, 2023 ABC (Chris Bey and Ace Austin) defeated The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel) to win the Impact World Tag Team Championships.
Crazzy SteveDigital MediaImpact WrestlingOctober 22, 2023Steve defeated Digital Media Champion Tommy Dreamer by disqualification meaning Steve didn’t win title.
Aired on November 9, 2023.
24MooseHeavyweightHard To KillJanuary 13, 2024Moose defeated Alex Shelley to win the TNA World Championship.

Race for the Case

Race for the Case was a similar concept used by Impact in 2017. This was a pole match where different colored briefcases hang from poles. Retrieving a briefcase allows to the participant to challenge any wrestler in any match stipulation on an Open Fight Night episode of Impact Wrestling. Inside each briefcase contained a number from one to four, which denotes the winning wrestlers placement in being able to make a challenge. Once a wrestler lays down a challenge, the other briefcase holders are no longer able to make the same challenge.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Chaos rules at Turning Point. https://archive.today/20120720042438/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/12/03/4704399.html. usurped. July 20, 2012. Sokol. Chris. 2011-04-11. SLAM! Sports: Wrestlling. Canadian Online Explorer. 2011-07-21.
  2. http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/411s-tna-impact-report-1-26-16 Impact Wrestling 1-26-16 - 411 Mania.com
  3. Web site: Pentagon Jr. becomes world champion at Impact Wrestling: Redemption. https://web.archive.org/web/20180428110822/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2018/04/22/22776931.html. dead. April 28, 2018. Howell, Nolan. SLAM Wrestling. June 1, 2019. April 22, 2018.
  4. Web site: January 18, 2017 . Race For The Case: What Is It? . Anthem Wrestling Exhibitions.