September 30, 2019 -- IMPACT Wrestling announced today that it is officially inviting Joe Maddon to return to Chicago as a special “Manager” on Oct. 20 at Bound For Glory, the premier event of the year from IMPACT Wrestling, to be held at the Odeum Expo Center in suburban Chicago.

One of the Bound For Glory highlight matches is the 20-person “Call Your Shot” Gauntlet Match, with the winner earning a future title-match for the championship of their choosing. Maddon will have a ringside seat for this match, then be asked to offer “managerial tips” to the winner.

Maddon led the Chicago Cubs to the 2016 World Series Championships, the team’s first in more than 100 years. He spent the past five seasons as the Cubs manager, but it was announced on Sunday, Sept. 29, that Maddon and the Cubs were parting ways.

“Joe Maddon is legendary in Chicago for his accomplishments in 2016, so IMPACT Wrestling is proud to invite Joe to continue his managerial career in Chicago … on a slightly different field,” said IMPACT Wrestling Executive Vice-President Scott D’Amore.

IMPACT Wrestling has a rich history with Major League Baseball and mainstream sports. Several IMPACT stars have attended MLB games over the past few seasons for Ceremonial First Pitch honors, including Johnny Impact and Gail Kim, and Konnan was a special in-studio guest this season on the MLB Network. Curtis Granderson has had several roles in past IMPACT matches, including Title Holder for a World Championship match in Toronto during the summer of 2018, while he was playing for the Blue Jays. Other former MLB stars have appeared in an IMPACT Wrestling ring in the past, including World Series MVP David Eckstein, A.J. Pierzynski, among others.

The IMPACT roster includes former NFL player Moose (Quinn Ojinnaka) who battles UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock in one of the most-anticipated matches at Bound For Glory. DeAngelo Williams has attended multiple IMPACT shows and made his professional wrestling debut for IMPACT in 2017. Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher also has graced an IMPACT ring, among others.

“Every wrestler wants to be the Champion, and who wouldn’t want to have legendary baseball manager Joe Maddon in their corner,” D’Amore said. “Joe is a three-time Manager of the Year and two-time World Series Champion manager.

“I’m sure Joe Maddon would bring a Championship to some lucky IMPACT star.”

IMPACT Wresting will air on AXS TV on Tuesday, October 29, with a new episode of the flagship weekly show IMPACT!, which no doubt will include highlights of Maddon at Bound For Glory, if he accepts the offer.