Prior to the latest episode of Impact Wrestling, Impact announced that Joe Doering would be stepping away for brain cancer treatment. Doering overcame the illness in 2016, but the cancer returned. Heading into the TV program, there was curiosity over how Impact would address the situation. They did so with a storyline conversation among the Violent By Design members.
Eric Young felt the group was at a crossroads, and it was time to do things differently. (For promo context, ‘the sickness’ refers to their gimmick idea of... I’m actually not sure what it means. ‘The sickness’ was a vague term used as a rallying cry against superficial glory, such as adulation from the fans. I think?)
Check out what @TheEricYoung had to say to @bigjoedoering and @CodyDeaner about the future of Violent By Design backstage on #IMPACTonAXSTV!#IMPACTWRESTLING pic.twitter.com/uQwwEO6JNf
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) September 2, 2022
Eric Young: We were at a crossroads. You told me that you reviled the sickness, and here we are. We’re back at the exact same crossroads. Now, it’s clear to me that we’re just going to have to do things differently. Things have got to change.
Joe, you’ve got your own path that you’re going to have to walk. But our paths, they will cross again.
Joe Doering: You know it. [Fist bumps]
Young: And now, I’ve got my own path that I must walk.
Deaner: Wait, are you [Young] leaving me?
Young: I’m leaving. Now whether you choose to follow or not, that’s up to you.
That was a fitting exit for Doering. He was a man of few words, and those fist bumps spoke volumes. Impact did the smart thing for Young to regroup. His crew achieved as much as they could. Taking too many big losses started to diminish the value of their words. A little time away can help breathe new life into Violent By Design.
As for Doering, we’re looking forward to his return with a clean bill of health. Fist bump.
What’s your take on how Impact handled the departure of Joe Doering?
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