By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Impact Wrestling Hits
Josh Alexander vs. Trey Miguel: A strong singles match with Alexander slowly regaining his mojo as he heads into his Bound For Glory title match with Alex Shelley. The angle with Shelley afterward was simple and effective as the tension between the two continues to build. Shelley defending the championship against the man who had to forfeit the belt due to injury is a strong main event for the company’s biggest event of the year.
Alan Angels vs. Mike Bailey vs. Samuray Del Sol vs. Rich Swann vs. Ace Austin vs. Zachary Wentz in an Ultimate X match: I was disappointed that Angels didn’t win the last Ultimate X, so it was good to see him go over this time around. Speaking of which, Impact needs to pull back on how often they use this spectacle match. I get that this was a milestone episode celebration, but they’ve gone a little overboard lately and should pull back to keep the match special. This was a good version of the match aside from the eye rolling spray paint spots. I’m guessing that Angels wasn’t supposed to fall to the mat after he knocked down Bailey. But I can’t say for sure, which says they did a good job of improvising if that was the case.
Feast or Fired reveal: As ridiculous as the “fired” part of this concept is, there’s no denying that the reveal makes for intriguing television. I’m typically down on the way Impact adds music to fight videos, but the music they used here added to the segment and the suspense. Dave LaGreca did a nice job as host of finding the right one and when it came to putting the spotlight on the wrestlers rather than doing anything to make it about himself.
Mickie James, Jordynne Grace, Awesome Kong, Gail Kim, and Trinity vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Tasha Steelz, Savannah Evans, Angelina Love, and Gisele Shaw: The celebration of Impact reaching 1,000 episodes started last week with a Knockouts segment and concluded this week with a big Knockouts tag team match. Impact does a great job of showcasing the division while making it about the wrestlers, which is so much better than when the top company tried to make it seem like they were progressive when they were actually ridiculously late to the party. The actual match was fun and the legends all got chances to shine. It was nice to see Kong get the pin for her team, as you never know if this will be her last match.
Eric Young, Scott D’Amore, James Storm, and Chris Harris vs. Kenny King, Sheldon Jean, Kon, and Deaner: It was fun to see the latest return of America’s Most Wanted. It was not so fun to see D’Amore back in the ring again. D’Amore gave himself his big in-ring moment at Slammiversary. It was fun and it should have ended there. Putting all that aside, this match provided a little more nostalgia for the milestone celebration.
Impact Wrestling Misses
Jake Something vs. Dirty Dango: The match quality was solid. I’m just not a fan of either guy losing matches right now. The creative forces are clearly getting behind Something and that’s encouraging. But Dango is the most entertaining heel in the company and yet it feels like he’s being positioned as a mid-card pest heel. Sure, he’s the type of wrestler who can get his heat back through his mic work, but I’d really like to see Dango get a significant push to see how far he can take this act. On a side note, the throwback to the Fox Sports era didn’t do anything for me even as someone who watched those shows, but I can appreciate the effort during the milestone episode celebration.
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