By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Impact Wrestling Hits
“The North” Ethan Page and Josh Alexander vs. Tessa Blanchard and Eddie Edwards for the Impact Tag Titles: A good tag team match. I’m happy that Impact avoided the temptation of going with Tessa Two Belts because The North is a strong act and it’s wise to keep the belts on them. I was surprised to see Blanchard take the clean loss for her team, but no complaints because an established tag team should beat a makeshift team consisting of two singles wrestlers regardless of how many times WWE has gotten this wrong over the years. That said, it was strange for babyface Blanchard to be booked to have her ego cost her the match. The post match angle was solid in terms of putting some heat on Michael Elgin heading into the Blanchard vs. Edwards vs. Elgin three-way for the Impact Title at the Rebellion event.
Ken Shamrock interview: Shamrock was believable as he spoke about his storyline eye injury and Sami Callihan having no concern about people trying to make a living. I also liked that they added the stipulation that no physicality is allowed until they meet at the Rebellion pay-per-view, as it sets the stage for a tense contract signing for next week’s show.
Chris Bey vs. Daga: A well worked match despite the scary moment with Daga overshooting Bey and crashing and burning off a dive from the ramp to the floor. I was surprised to see Bey cheat to win the match and for the broadcast team to talk about how he doesn’t care if he’s not liked by other wrestlers. He struck me as a flashy babyface, but it looks like the company has other plans, so we’ll see where it goes.
Kiera Hogan vs. Susie Yung: Hogan strikes me as an underutilized talent, so I’m all for her getting a win even though I assume they will feed her to Kylie Rae at Rebellion. I wonder if Yung taking the loss may be an indication that she is temporarily in Susie mode and will revert to the monster persona soon.
Jessicka Havok vs. Madison Rayne: A soft Hit for Havok getting a win in a traditional match that had nothing to do with the Undead Realm. It’s interesting that Havok worked against heel Rayne. Was Jim Mitchell sending Havok to the Undead Realm wasteland supposed to qualify as a babyface turn for Havok?
Impact Wrestling Misses
Willie Mack vs. Reno Scum: Reno Scum defeated Dez and Wentz of The Rascalz in a match that aired on Impact two weeks ago. I didn’t like the move at the time and it’s even more of a head scratcher now that the company followed up by having Reno Scum drop a handicap match to Mack. The only way any of this makes sense is if The Rascalz are on their way out, which I assume is not the case given that we also saw the return of the cornball treehouse smoke circle silliness on this episode.
Tommy Dreamer and Rhino vs. Jake Crist and Dave Crist: Meh. As much as I’ve grumbled about the way Jake has been wasted since he dropped the X Division Title, it can be tied in with the ongoing story that the OVE lackeys are struggling without the leadership of Sami Callihan. I just hope there’s a plan in place to reestablish Jake as something more than a lackey. Either way, Dreamer and Rhino beating The Crists did nothing for me.
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