By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Impact Wrestling Hits
Moose video package: While I am no fan of bringing back the TNA Championship belt, I got a big kick out of Moose’s over the top video package. The James Earl Jones wannabe narrator (Barry Scott) was fun, and the out of context comments from Hulk Hogan, Bully Ray, Jeff Hardy, Dixie Carter, etc. that were framed to look like they were singing the praises of Moose were a blast.
The North vs. Two Schmoes for the Impact Tag Titles: Another fun “match” from north of the border. Super hyped ring announcer George is making a case for being the MVP of these bits. If anything happens to George Shea (hopefully the legendary Kobayashi eats him), Major League Eating need look no further for their next ring announcer.
Havok vs. Kimber Lee: It would have been nice to have heard something from Lee and Tasha Steelz before their matches so that we could get a feel for their personalities. It was a bigger issue in this match because Havok might be(?) a babyface now, but she really hasn’t done anything to endear herself to fans and just worked against babyface Rosemary at Rebellion. Normally, a heel can just taunt the crowd and viewers get a quick indication of where they side, but that’s obviously impossible in the empty venue setting. Despite all of this, the match was well worked an entertaining.
Kylie Rae vs. Tasha Steelz: Impact continues to assemble an impressive woman’s division. The recent additions of Rae, Nevaeh, Kimber Lee, and now Steelz makes a good division even stronger. At this point, the women’s division is deeper than Impact’s men’s division and hopefully they will follow the men’s tournament with a No. 1 contender tournament for the women. The actual match was entertaining and competitive, as I’ve been impressed by Steelz’s work in the NWA and elsewhere. Rae has been the featured player so it makes sense that she went over, but Steelz was given a good amount of offense in defeat and it was announced today that she’s signed with the company.
Hernandez vs. Madman Fulton in a No. 1 contender tournament match: A soft Hit. Holding tournament matches is a good idea because it makes some of the empty venue matches feel meaningful. This match is a good example of that, as this would have felt random and even pointless had it not been part of the tournament. The in-ring action was decent for a couple of big men, but the real hook was the mystery of which man would advance to the semifinals. Unfortunately, with OVE losing without their leader, there wasn’t much doubt that Fulton would lose.
Rohit Raju vs. Trey Miguel in a No. 1 contender tournament match: The lack of depth in the men’s division was on display in this match. I enjoy the work of both men, but they are booked to lose more than they win, so they felt a bit out of place in a No. 1 contender tournament (technically Raju was a replacement for Moose). That said, this was a quality match between a couple of wrestlers who should be booked more prominently, so hopefully this good outing will lead to bigger and better things for both men. By the way, can Trey get his last name back since he’s not doing much with the other Rascalz these days?
Joseph P Ryan and Crazzy Steve: Ryan’s modern twist on Right To Censor has been a flop, but I got a kick out of him taking issue with Crazzy Steve using the word “crazy” because “it might be offensive to crazy people.”
Cody Deaner quarantine video: Another cute skit that helped fill a little time while keeping the mood light.
Impact Wrestling Misses
None: Impact did a nice job of providing some good in-ring action while also breaking up the empty venue monotony with some fun, lighthearted segments. I wouldn’t be a fan of so many comedy segments under normal circumstances, but these are not normal times. Impact has adapted nicely and most the humor on this show clicked with me more than vast majority of WWE’s recent “ha-ha” attempts. Moose vs. Suicide didn’t feel main event worthy since it was for a defunct title belt, but the actual match was well worked. And I guess if you’re going to have a fake TNA Title match, then you might as well have a ref bump and a visual pinfall for the babyface.
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