By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Impact Wrestling Hits
Tessa Blanchard and Tommy Dreamer vs. Sami Callihan and Jake Crist: The evolution of the Jake Crist character continues to be a lot of fun. The main focus continues to be on the Blanchard and Callihan feud, and I guess we found out that Dreamer has been aligned with Blanchard in part so that he can do the jobs for their team in addition to his promo work.
Michael Elgin vs. Dinastia: A simple squash match win for Elgin, who needed this after his forgettable brawls with Rhino. The broadcast team was quick to point out that Elgin used Naomichi Marufuji’s finisher, which led to Elgin challenging him to a match at Bound For Glory. I have no idea why this promo took place in the ring in front of an understandably flat Mexican crowd when they could have had Elgin issue that challenge backstage. It’s a decent attraction match, but hopefully Elgin gets back into the title picture coming out of BFG because it still feels like he and the Brian Cage character have unfinished business. By the way, why does Dinastia have a tail?
LAX: It was a pleasant surprise to see Santana and Ortiz appear on the show after losing last week’s loser leaves Impact match. I’m not a fan of the logic that LAX will wrestle Rich Swann and Willie Mack in a farewell match given that they are supposed to be out of the company, but I’m also not going to complain about seeing that match. After all, we know LAX is truly leaving given that they popped up on the AEW All Out pay-per-view, so this will be a true farewell and not a case of Impact failing to honor a major stipulation. It will be interesting to see if The North object to the match or if they are content with the idea of the two babyface teams beating the hell out of one another.
Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin: A logical DQ finish with Edwards being out for vengeance more than a victory. Austin has benefitted from his oddball interest in married women and specifically Alisha Edwards. On the flip side, Crazy Eddie continues to be a painful character to watch, and his wife’s ongoing obliviousness to Austin’s televised antics makes the entire product feel dumb. So the match itself is a Hit, while the actual execution of the feud has been rough.
James Mitchell tries to make sense of Su Yung vs. Jessicka Havok: A well delivered promo with Mitchell warning Havok to steer clear of Yung. It didn’t provide any clarity regarding which wrestler the company want fans to side with, but hopefully that will become apparent soon.
Impact Wrestling Misses
Tenille Dashwood vs. Kiera Hogan: A minor Miss. Good work from the wrestlers, but the live crowd wasn’t into it and it made Dashwood come off flat early in her Impact run. I’m also with John Moore, who noted in his review of this episode that it felt odd for Hogan to be fed to Dashwood. It’s not that Dashwood shouldn’t be winning matches, it’s that Hogan has been impressive and should be booked as more than a mid-card Knockout. In other words, a quick and decisive showcase win for Dashwood over someone else would have been better for both wrestlers.
El Texano Jr. vs. Dr. Wagner Jr.: The live crowd enjoyed the match, but it felt like we took a break from Impact for a AAA match. I get that Impact was tasked with trying to help AAA promote their event in New York, but I’m just not a fan of throwing out matches consisting entirely of wrestlers from other promotions when the majority of the audience is unfamiliar with those wrestlers and their storyline history.
Rohit Raju and Raj Singh vs. Nino Hamburgesa and Big Mami: Just when it looked like things couldn’t get worse for the Desi Hit Squad, they were beaten by a comedic mixed tag team. Scratch that. Just when it looked like things couldn’t get worse for the Desi Hit Squad, super jacked Mahabali Shera joined the faction. Sony Six must be thrilled. I’ll change my tune on this if Shera improved during his WWE Performance Center stay and it leads to the Desi Hit Squad being presented as something more than undercard heel comedy goofballs.
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