By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Impact Wrestling Hits
Rich Swann vs. Moose vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan vs. Rhino vs. Chris Sabin for a shot at the Impact World Championship at No Surrender: It’s about time. Swann had a nice run with the Impact World Championship that ended when he lost the belt to Kenny Omega. Swann spun his wheels in tag team matches and then in mid-card singles programs and hasn’t had another shot at the Impact World Championship until now. The overall match was strong and it was refreshing to see that all but one of the eliminations occurred via clean pinfalls (Edwards was eliminated due to a distraction caused by PCO).
Taya Valkyrie and Jessicka vs. Gisele Shaw and Tara for the Knockouts Tag Titles: It was a treat to see Tara back in the ring and the live crowd clearly understood that based on the reaction they gave her. Shaw did a really good job as the heel who let her ego get the better of her by tagging herself into the match, which wisely limited how much Tara was asked to do. Tara walking out on Shaw was a crowd pleasing moment and this was a fun match for what it was.
Ace Austin and Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona and Brian Myers: A solid tag team match with the right team going over. Austin and Bey are over as babyface, but I continue to wonder if they will end up turning heel and feuding with the Motor City Machine Guns over the tag team titles. The post match angle with Joe Hendry playing his new “Edge’s Bitch” song to taunt Cardona and Myers was fun and got a good reaction from the live crowd.
Trey Miguel vs. Mike Jackson for the X Division Title: The idea of Jackson wrestling at age 73 scares the hell out of me. Putting that aside, it’s beyond impressive to watch him do his thing. Miguel got an easy chuckle out of me by pretending to use a walker during his entrance. Miguel also did a nice job of selling Jackson’s well received offense and this turned out to be an enjoyable match.
Kushida and Kevin Knight vs. John Skyler and Jason Hotch: A nice spotlight match for Kushida and Knight. I hope Skyler and Hotch emerge as more than a glorified enhancement team, but it was no surprise to see them put over Kushida and Knight.
Jonathan Gresham vs. Sheldon Jean: A simple single entrance enhancement match win for Gresham. While there was no mystery regarding the outcome, it was a good idea to give Gresham a win coming off his loss to Eddie Edwards at Hard To Kill.
Impact Wrestling Misses
Taylor Wilde: The People’s Witch gimmick just isn’t working. I applaud the reinvention attempt, but hopefully she and the company will go back to the drawing board if they can’t find a way to make this better.
Be the first to comment