By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Impact Wrestling Hits
Glenn Gilberti and Scarlett Bordeaux: Disco Inferno was the highlight of the show. The sequence where viewers could see his hallucinations is unrealistic and not my style, but the lighthearted comedy gags regarding Vince Russo, Jeff Jarrett, and even Cody and the Young Bucks were cute. There was an unusual amount of misogyny throughout the show, but ultimately the chauvinists, including Disco, were put in their place. And in this case, Disco’s antics actually turned Scarlett’s Modern Day Diva character into a babyface who was standing up for female empowerment. Gilberti vs. Bordeaux is silly in all the right ways and I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing their match.
Pentagon Jr. and Fenix vs. Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz: A good match that felt a little premature in that the Rascalz could have been built up as strong challengers for an eventual showdown tag title match. Hopefully the company will take the time to build up The Rascalz so these teams can have a more meaningful match somewhere down the road. By the way, the smoke circle clip was slightly more entertaining this week, but that’s not saying much given that the previous versions were so awful.
Rich Swann vs. Ethan Page: Another good opening match. It’s been nice to see Swann work some longer and competitive matches, as it helps show that he’s more than just the happy go lucky guy who likes to dance. Page continues to suffer from a lack of creative attention. His “All Ego” name should make it easy for creative to portray him as a snobby egomaniac, but they just haven’t done it. The post match angle with OVE was more of the same with Sami Callihan not taking no for an answer while demanding that Swann join his faction. Hopefully Swann attacking the trio afterward means they are moving forward into feud mode, as Sami’s weekly demands have become repetitive. By the way, it’s great that Swann works all these strong opening matches, but I still question why they are typically non-title matches when the company could be showcasing him as a fighting champion who takes on all comers.
Ace Austin vs. Jake Atlas: A minor Hit for a decent debut match for Austin. It was a little more competitive than you’d expect from a debuting wrestler’s showcase match, but he ultimately went over and seemed to impress the live crowd.
Impact Wrestling Misses
Rosemary, Kiera Hogan, and Jordynne Grace vs. Su Yung, Dark Allie, and Undead Maid of Honor in The Dark War: A regular six-woman tag match with crappy mood lighting is actually better than another trip to the Undead Realm. Ultimately, though, this felt like an overhyped bore of a match. Please tell me that the supernatural nonsense is coming to an end.
Rolondo Menendez: Whether he’s calling himself Melendez, Menendez, or Melenez, the investigative reporter character just sort of appeared one week without explanation has apparently become a regular. He’s been okay in some brief backstage segments, but it felt like they asked him to do more than he’s capable of from acting standpoint by hosting the interview with Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie. I like the idea of a reporter type asking tough questions, but his character comes off quirky, creepy, and unlikable. I assume that’s by design, but I’m not sure what purpose it really serves.
Alisha Edwards and Eddie Edwards: A minor Miss for the husband and wife duo. Alisha playing up the possibility of stepping away from the ring to start a family just didn’t register. Her role in Impact has been to lose most of her matches and yell at the Crazy Eddie character, so it was hard to care which path she would choose. Drake saving Eddie from the Desi Hit Squad attack was fine and it’s too bad the DHS duo have been treated like glorified enhancement wrestlers or their upcoming match might actually mean something. I continue to feel like Eddie needs to lose the crazy, and Drake belongs in the main event mix. Could they be working toward Drake and Alisha becoming an item? It would make some sense given how frequently she talks about leaving her husband, but at this point it would be hard to blame her character for leaving her crazed husband.
Check below for the new Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and guest Ian Riccaboni discussing his decision to re-sign with Ring of Honor, getting emotionally invested in matches, the March 15 ROH 17th Anniversary show, the G1 Supercard at MSG, and much more.
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