‘Impact Wrestling: Sacrifice 2020’ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of Impact Wrestling: Sacrifice 2020, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and I hope this isn’t like that Hellraiser movie. Jesus wept…when he saw how much of a mess that Pinhead/Priest/Dick Cheney guy made when he ripped Donnie Darko apart, not once but twice. Luckily for us, we have wrestling instead, which makes me happy…and a host of other things not fit for print.

Match #1: The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander) def. Rascalz (Trey & Wentz) – Impact Tag Team Championships

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Wentz wears down Alexander in the early going. Alexander turns the tide by distracting the referee, allowing Page to attack Wentz from the apron. Alexander hits a delayed vertical suplex on Wentz. Trey tags into the match and goes on the attack. Trey launches himself into the air but gets cut off by a huge superkick from Page. Trey delivers a series of chops to the chest of Alexander but gets ends up getting overpowered by Walking Weapon. Wentz hangs up Page on the ropes with a cutter, followed by a Codebreaker for a near fall. The North connect with their signature double team offense on Wentz but somehow, he kicks out at two. Alexander drops Trey hard on the apron. Wentz hits Alexander with a Destroyer for yet another near fall. The referee is inadvertently taken out. It looks like the Rascalz are about to win when Rohit Raju interferes and attacks them. The North connect with one final flurry of 2 on 1 offense on Wentz to win.

My Opinion: 4 out of 5 – Aside from a lame finish, this was great stuff. Everything worked and really made for a brutal fight that met the expectations of Pay Per View. This also served as a nice clash of styles, with technical meeting aerial in a dazzling yet visceral display of violence. That sounded kinda weird. Well, so did Zardoz. The North retaining in any facet was a good move, but having the Desi Hit Squad ruin the ending was like piss on a butter cracker. Over-all, this was a great opener.

Match #2: Kiera Hogan def. Ray Lyn

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

OVW mainstay Ray Lyn and Kiera Hogan go move for move in the early going. Lyn attempts to get in the head of Kiera. Lyn hits a series of strikes, followed by running double knees for a two count. Lyn launches herself off the top rope, connecting with a missile dropkick. Kiera puts Lyn away with a swinging neckbreaker.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – This was decent, but it was nothing that belonged on PPV.

Match #3: Willie Mack def. Jay Bradley

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Bradley attempts a top rope elbow drop in the early going but Willie avoids it. Willie hits a slingshot crossbody, crashing into Bradley on the floor. Bradley gains momentum with a vicious double ax handle to the back of Willie’s head. Willie connects with the Samoan Drop, followed by standing Moonsault for a two count. Willie takes Bradley off his feet with two stunners, followed by the Six Star Frog Splash to win.

My Opinion: 2.6 out of 5 – This was fine, but this was another match that wasn’t fit for PPV, despite Mack giving a nice performance.

Match #4: Larry D & Acey Romero def. oVe (Madman Fulton & Dave Crist)

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Before the match begins, the referee confiscates a pair of brass knuckles from Crist. Romero hits the ropes but Fulton hooks his leg from the outside. Fulton charges into the back of Acey with a running crossbody. Fulton turns Acey inside out with a massive clothesline. Fulton and Crist wear down Acey on their side of the ring. Larry tags into the match and goes to work with a crossbody to Fulton, followed by a splash onto Dave. Larry hits Dave with a powerbomb for two. Acey and Larry sandwich Fulton in the middle of the ring but it’s not enough to keep the Madman down. Acey dives through the ropes, taking out Fulton on the outside. Acey hits Dave with the Pounce to score the huge upset victory.

My Opinion: 2.4 out of 5 – This was another match not fit for PPV. There’s not much here worth talking about, but it began and ended without much incident. Okay, that’s enough of that s—.

Match #5: Daga def. Jake Crist

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Daga crossbody’s Jake over the ropes to the floor. Daga continues the attack with a slingshot double foot stomp on the apron, followed by a senton to the outside. Jake cuts off Daga’s momentum with a mid-air superkick. Jake bites Daga in the corner, then begins to wear down his arm. Daga begins to turn things around with a sitdown powerbomb. Jake hits a powerbomb of his own, sunset flip style off the top. Daga connects with a super Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Daga hits a modified gutbuster to win.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – Now this was PPV-worthy. These guys got a while and really laid it on thick. Daga was the star, but Crist didn’t lose his chance to shine either. This had a freaky quality to it that was a blast to watch. Daga should be on his was to big things this year and Jake Crist shouldn’t all that far behind.

Match #6: Joey Ryan def. Johnny Swinger

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Joey gets Swinger to Touch It in the early going. Swinger turns the tide by wearing Joey down with head scissors. Swinger uses the ropes for leverage but gets caught by the referee before he can steal the win. Swinger counters Sweet Tooth Music, sending the lollipop into the referee’s mouth. Swinger hits Joey over the head with the VHS tape for a near fall. Joey successfully hits Sweet Tooth Music to win.

My Opinion: 2.2 out of 5 – This was a lame match that should never have made it to PPV.

Match #7: Jordynne Grace def. Havok – Knockouts Championship Match

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Jordynne hits the Vader Bomb in the corner. Havok charges but Jordynne sidesteps, sending her to the apron. Jordynne connects with hangman’s DDT for a two count. Jordynne locks in the sleeper but it’s not in for long before Havok whips her to the mat. Havok hits the Chokeslam for a near fall. Jordynne puts in the sleeper once again and this time, Havok passes out. Jordynne retains the Knockouts Title and ends Havok’s undefeated streak in IMPACT Wrestling.

My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – This was…well, at least Grace won. That’s not to say that the match was bad, but it…another match not fit for PPV.

Match #8: Rhino def. Moose (Disqualification)

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Rhino hits a Spinebuster before the fight spills to the outside. Moose attempts to retreat but Rhino brings him back into the ring. Moose hits a low blow, getting himself intentionally disqualified.

My Opinion: 1.4 out of 5 – What a waste of two minutes.

Match #9: Moose def. Rhino – No Disqualification Match

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Moose swings a chair but it bounces off the ropes and back into his face. Moose beats down Rhino with a steel trashcan lid. Wildcat Chris Harris is sitting at ringside ahead of his return at TNA: There’s No Place Like Home and Moose gets in his face. Moose brings a staple gun into the match but Rhino ends up using it against him. Moose hits a delayed running dropkick in the corner. Moose clobbers Rhino in the foot with a hammer, then throws steel chairs into the ring. Rhino sends Moose crashing into them with a Superplex. Moose hits the No Jackhammer Needed Spear through a table to win.

My Opinion: 2.9 out of 5 – This was a lot of weapons, but not enough wrestling for a PPV match to really be worthy of…yeah, broken record.

Match #10: (Main Event) World Champion Tessa Blanchard def. X-Division Champion Ace Austin – Champion vs. Champion

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Ace hip tosses Tessa into the turnbuckles. Ace locks in a Half Boston Crab but Tessa makes it to the ropes. Ace hits a sick superkick on the apron, sending Tessa to the floor. Ace goes for a handspring but Tessa hits a superkick of her own. Tessa attempts to dive through the ropes but Ace cuts her off with a forearm shot. Ace delivers a papercut between the fingers with his laminated card. Tessa puts a halt to Ace’s offense with Magnum in the corner. Tessa connects with the cutter to start building momentum. Tessa dives to the outside with a trio of dives. Ace counters the Buzzsaw DDT into a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Tessa soars through the air but gets caught with a spin kick from Ace. Tessa hits a tornado DDT, followed by a Destroyer for another close near fall. Tessa sends Ace flying from the top rope to the mat below to score the victory.

My Opinion: 3.8 out of 5 – This was a fantastic match, especially for PPV. Given a long time to cook, this was a sauce that trickled down the pasta of this other-wise bland dish and made it just delicious enough to finish down to the last noodle. Hey, that was a good Olive Garden reference. When you’re here, you’re family. I thought this turned out great and, while there were some parts that were lacking some urgency, this was a big-time success, from bell to bell.

Final Verdict: 3.2/5

The beginning, middle and end was excellent, but the chunks between each of these sections were not fit for prime-time.