‘Impact Wrestling’ Review (Nov 8th 2018)
Welcome to this weeks review of Impact Wrestling, which before I’ve even seen it, has been causing some buzz – mainly thanks to the Lucha Bros, aka Pentagon Jr and Fenix… as usual. This is a 2-hour special, this is FINAL HOUR!!
Match #1: The OGz (Homicide & Hernandez) w/ King vs. Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr & Fenix)
The follows comes from ImpactWrestling.com:
Homicide attempts to stab Pentagon with a fork but the referee pries it out of his hands before he can use it. A brawl breaks out between Homicide and Pentagon on the ramp. Meanwhile, Hernandez hits Fenix with a backbreaker in the ring. Fenix hits a springboard delayed diving headbutt. Pentagon attempts to follow up but King trips him up on the apron. Fenix connects with a top rope Moonsault to the outside. Hernandez is next to fly as he takes out everyone with a huge flying crossbody! Hernandez hits a huge powerbomb on Fenix but Pentagon breaks up the pin attempt. King tosses the slapjack to Homicide but Fenix superkicks him! Fenix takes out King on the apron before the Lucha Bros hit a flurry of double team offence to pin Hernandez.
My Take: Now THAT is how you kick-off a show! The Lucha Bros. pulling out all their moves tonight, with a closing sequence that should go down in the history books as one of THE best examples of wrestling ever! This duo are mega-stars that improve each and every promotion they work in and I have yet to be disappointed by them in either single or tag team competition. And the OGz impressed too – with Hernandex back to his power move/high-flying combination that made me fall in love with him back in the day!
Match #2: Jordynne Grace vs. Katarina
The follows comes from ImpactWrestling.com:
Grace takes Katarina off the top rope with a press slam. Katarina hits a running forearm in the corner to start building momentum. Katarina connects with a tornado DDT. Grace locks in the Bear Hug, forcing Katarina to tap out!
My Take: Jordynne Grace looked incredibly impressive in her first match; but come on Impact let’s NOT call her the female Rhyno… Will this promotions obsession with ECW never end? I think it’s detrimental to the performers on the roster if you keep referencing an old promotion rather than building up these new wrestlers. Stop it. Stop it now.
Match #3: X-Division Champion Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan – X-Division Championship Match
The follows comes from ImpactWrestling.com:
Cage powerbombs Callihan into a steel post on the outside. Cage sends Callihan crashing into a group of his fans! Cage is looking to put Callihan away when oVe members Jake and Dave Crist attack him from behind, causing the disqualification! More of Callihan’s minions swarm the ring, attacking Cage from every direction. Eventually, the numbers disadvantage is too much for Cage to overcome. They all take turns hitting him with signature moves before Callihan delivers the last blow with a piledriver.
My Take: The idea of taping a match in another promotion to take place within Impact is IMHO incredibly stupid – talk about screwing up your presentation, this is national TV for christs sake, not local cable (which is what this match looked and sounded like). The match itself was nothing to write home bout either – more a mugging on Cage by not one but SEVEN men! A low point for Final Hour…
Match #4: Moose vs. Eddie Edwards
The follows comes from ImpactWrestling.com:
Edwards jumpstarts the match with a suicide dive to the outside, catching Moose off guard. Edwards takes a bucket of beers from the fans and smashes Moose over the head with it. Moose is next to use the bucket as he places it on Eddie’s head and delivers a big boot! Edwards connects with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Moose counters a top rope maneuver into Go to Hell off the top. The back-and-forth action comes to a screeching halt with a double clothesline in the middle of the ring. Moose delivers a sick powerbomb on the stage. Alisha comes out to check on her husband but Moose intimidates her. Moose hits the Spear to pick up the victory.
My Take: Now this was a brutal match, actually feeling like a brawl between two guys who REALLY hate each other – punctuated by a vicious power bomb from Moose on Edwards, over the top rope onto the stage! A cold, hard, unforgiving stage mind you, there was no way there was any cushioning that impact (pardon the pun). Speaking of Impact, yet again commentary referenced ECW, in particular Tommy Dreamer… I get that you want Eddie Edwards to be the new Dreamer: wrestling underdog who is a man of the people. But it’s now hurting all the work put into Edwards character post-Callihan baseball bat attack.
Match #5: World Champion Johnny Impact vs. Killer Kross w/ Moose – World Championship Match
The follows comes from ImpactWrestling.com:
Moose gets up on the apron, causing the referee to eject him from ringside. Impact hits the Shining Wizard. Kross goes for the Alabama Slam but Impact counters into a piledriver. Impact connects with a swinging neckbreaker but Kross kicks out at two! They fight up the ramp to the stage. Kross holds Impact high above his shoulders, runs down the ramp and slams Impact to the mat! Impact connects with his signature Countdown to Impact from the top rope for a very close near fall. Kross attempts to lock in the Kross Jacket but Impact counters. Impact hits a Hurricanrana, followed by Starship Pain to retain the World Championship.
My Take: A solid match but not a spectacular one. Johnny Impact was clearly carrying Killer Kross, who workds better as a brawling hard man than an actual wrestler. As a big man Kross can do a lot of damage but against a high-flyer, fast-movier like Impact he comes across a cumbersome. Which, to be fair, can be said about a LOT of wrestlers and not just in Impact. A weak end to a decent show…
News of the Night:
- Taya Valkyrie challenged Tessa Blanchard to another match.
- Scarlett Bordeaux informed KM and Fallah Bahh that they haven’t earned her services after their recent losses.
- James Mitchell confronted Allie and Kiera Hogan, promising that if she comes with him, he will leave Allie’s friends alone forever.
- A “doctor” told Alisha that Eddie Edwards likely has a concussion after his brutal match with Moose.
- Eli Drake attacked his “lawyer” Joseph Park.
Final Verdict: 3/5
Too many promos and the friggin’s moronic Scarlett Bordeaux fan videos (which included one from Shark Boy of all people!) couldn’t stop this from being a great episode of Impact Wrestling. Thankfully the good matches more than outweighed the average – the opener set a standard that couldn’t be match by anything else on the card, though there were plenty of highlights to enjoy even in the worst matches. If Impact could forget trying to be ECW and embrace its own future it could be on to something… But I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
