Frankie Kazarian hasn't been on AEW television – either Rampage or Dynamite – since all the way back in June, when he took part in the Royal Rampage on the show following Blood and Guts – a match he obviously lost.

While Kaz did wrestle a few matches on AEW Dark Elevation, with wins over Andrea Guercio and Jora Johl but other than that, Kaz has been curiously absent. What, you may ask, gives? Has Kaz transitioned away from the ring a la his former SCU teammate Christopher Daniels and embraced the role of a coach or a front office professional? Or does creative simply have nothing for him, and the “Heavy Metal Rebel” could soon find himself with Joey Janella, Marco Stunt, and Jack Evans on the alumni section of the AEW website, which doesn't technically exist but is legit nonetheless?

Neither – at least as far as we know. No, Kazarian has been moonlighting as a member of Impact Wrestling, where he surprisingly re-debuted at Slammiversary 2022 as a member of the Impact Originals – with Nick Aldis, Davey Richards, and the Motor City Machine Guns – versus Honor No More, aka Eddie Edwards, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, PCO, and Vincent.

After his initial run in Impact came to an end in June with a loss to Chris Sabin in singles action, Kazarian returned to Impact in September, where he took part in the Impact X-Division Triple Threat Revolver at Victory Road; a match he won over Alex Zayne, Black Taurus, Kenny King, Laredo Kid, Mia Yim, Trey Miguel, and Yuya Uemura. Since then, Kazarian beat King in solo action and prepared for a singles match with reigning champion “Speedball” Mike Bailey for the X-Division strap at Bound for Glory 2022, which, unfortunately, was broadcast opposite SmackDown, Rampage, and Battle of the Belts IV.

Would Kaz be able to overcome the odds and win the belt he hasn't held since 2011? Would he become a six-time X-Division champion and secure another title run before his in-ring days are done? Or would he lose the match, lose his spot in Impact, and suddenly have to find a new place to perform?

Fortunately for Kazarian, it was the former, as the veteran performer walked into New York, wrestled one heck of a match against one of the more underrated workers in wrestling today, and ultimately went back to his hotel room as a champion.

Frankie Kazarian has found further success outside of AEW.

Speaking with Metro about his decision to return to Impact, Kazarian described the situation that brought him back to Scott D'Amore's company and why he wanted to he's willing to work wherever someone will have him.

‘I see a lot of the crew and the production people – guys and girls that I grew up with in the business,” Kazarian said. “There’s still a part of that, kinda the old familiar – the faces have changed, the production is different, the regime is different, but it’s still IMPACT Wrestling.”

‘I still have roots there, and I’ll do whatever I can to continue to help that brand. I’m where I am in a lot of ways because of what IMPACT Wrestling and TNA did for my career.’

Kazarian also spoke on his opponent at Bound for Glory, SMB, who, again, gave him one heck of a match in a match folks will be talking about for quite some time.

‘Mike Bailey is pretty much everything that embodies the X Division. He’s taken what we did in 2002, 2003, 2004, and so on to another level, much like a lot of guys in this generation have.”

Speaking with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful on his then-forthcoming match with Kazarian, Bailey was asked if the return of the “Heavy Metal Rebel” impacted his preparation for the match, to which he had a pretty interesting answer, as transcribed by Yardbarker.

“It absolutely does [add a new dynamic], yes,” Bailey said. “Because there’s so much Frankie Kazarian material on the internet for me to watch and get prepared, I feel like that heavily plays to my advantage. But the main advantage I think I have going into Friday is momentum. I’ve had one of the best and busiest years of my life, and I’m looking to ride that straight to victory.”

Ultimately, Bailey didn't win his match; Kaz came out swinging, came out on top, and ultimately became the 100th X Division champion after 4,159 days between title reigns. Though some don't hold the X-Division title in the same esteem as AEW's TNT Championship, it's clear the strap means a lot to Kazarian, and frankly, at this stage in the game, that's all that really matters.