By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Impact Wrestling Hits
Trey Miguel, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Tommy Dreamer vs. Moose, Sami Callihan, Ken Shamrock, and Chris Bey: The return of Miguel was a nice surprise and Impact did a nice job of framing it as a big deal. The actual match was entertaining. One negative is that I just don’t think Shamrock packs nearly as much of a punch as a heel henchman for Callihan as he did as a legendary babyface.
Joe Doering vs. Cousin Jake: A good showcase win for Doering. The post match angle with Eric Young essentially inviting Cousin Jake to join the Violence By Design faction was an unexpected twist. I’m all for whatever it takes for the talented Cousin Jake to get a gimmick overhaul and a fresh start.
Tenille Dashwood vs. Rosemary: Rosemary going over was the right move and the match itself was fine. I loved Dashwood as Emma in NXT. And I’m happy to see Caleb Konley get a break. But Dashwood and Kaleb with a K are Boring with a B. Dashwood’s online influencer gimmick needs another layer. It already feels tired and repetitive. Still, it was nice to see Rosemary going over strong in the ring rather than simply taking part in backstage skits.
Ace Austin and Madman Fulton vs. Josh Alexander and Matt Cardona: A solid tag match. Austin continues to feel wasted as a tag team wrestler, but he will apparently get an X Division Title shot soon, so perhaps things are looking up for him. The backstage reunion between Cardona and Brian Myers wasn’t something that I was looking forward to. Myers is finally starting to feel like a new man, and Cardona returning without making any real changes from his Zack Ryder days creates an unnecessary reminder of Curt Hawkins. Fortunately, the segment went the way it needed to with Myers blowing off his former tag partner.
Impact Wrestling Misses
Fire ‘N Flava Fest: A painful segment. I usually enjoy the work of Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz, but this was tough to sit through. The Fyre Fest documentaries were a lot of fun when they came out a couple years ago. AEW’s spoof of Fyre Fest felt dated, and now Impact and apparently MLW (Filthy Island) feel really late to the party with their own mock versions.
Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers: The match was fine while it lasted. The Miss is due to the apparent tease of Edwards reverting to the lousy Crazy Eddie gimmick. I hope I’m mistaken and they have something fresh in mind.
Overall show: More Hits than Misses, but this show wasn’t as good as some of the other recent editions. Kenny Omega and Don Callis are missed, and the Matt Hardy and Private Party promo was solid, yet just didn’t feel like a big part of the show. It wasn’t a poor edition, but it was rather forgettable.
I wasn’t as amused by the Tony Khan segment as I have been in the past.