‘Impact Wrestling’ Review (Jan 24th 2019)

Welcome to this week’s Impact Wrestling review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have a card with some good and some bad, so let’s see what’s what.

Match #1: Rich Swann def. El Hijo del Vikingo

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Both competitors match each other’s speed and agility in the early going. Vikingo hits a series of springboard Hurricanranas. Vikingo launches himself over the top rope, hitting a flip dive on Swann. Swann connects with a springboard flip off the guardrail to the floor! Swann locks in a unique submission maneuver but Vikingo fights out of it. Swann connects with the 450 splash to win.

My Take: 3.5 out of 5 – This was a very creative match that had a lot of unique action sequences within the match’s structure. Swann showed more depth to his offense than usual, which is something he struggles with some-times. Hijo did great here and looked like a million bucks. One thing this match is getting me to notice more than usual is that luchadors might be the thing that saves Impact for 2019. Pentagon Jr. and Fenix have been a big success for Impact and they are luchadors, so a precedent has been set for this company that when a luchador joins the roster that they can make the transition and sell tickets. The success of matches like this one ought to have a positive effect on Impact’s booking decisions for 2019, if its existence isn’t already indication that Don Callis has gotten the message.

Match #2: Taya Valkyrie def. Keyra

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Keyra attacks Taya during her entrance to gain the early advantage. Taya counters a Hurricanrana attempt into a backbreaker. Keyra hits a big running dropkick in the corner. Keyra connects with a Moonsault for a two count. Taya hits a sitdown powerbomb out of the corner for a near fall! Taya locks in her signature submission maneuver, forcing Keyra to tap!

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a solid fight that had a few glitches in its programming, if you get that computer reference. Not that I know computers, but it is fun to pretend I do. Ctrl+Alt+Delete! Taya looked good (mostly) and Keyra showed a fair amount of potential, so this match was successful in terms of giving them both a chance to prevail. Prevail…sounds like Prince Charming fighting Robocop in World War 2 in a tutu. Wait…no it doesn’t. Any-way, this was pretty good and Backspace+Enter+Shift+Caps Lock.

Match #3: The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) def. Desi Hit Squad (Rohit Raju & Raj Singh) w/ Gama Singh

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Wentz hits a springboard corkscrew on Rohit. Wentz attempts a handspring but Raj grabs his leg, allowing Rohit to regain control. Rohit hits Wentz with flying double knees on the apron. Wentz launches himself off the back of Dez, into the Desi Hit Squad on the outside! The Rascalz hit the push Moonsault on Raj to win!

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – The Rascalz worked well with the DHS, who are still working on how to make their team exciting. This was a simple match that didn’t have any really ambitious stuff in it, but everything looked fine for what it was.

Match #4: Trey Miguel def. Ethan Page

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Trey hits a springboard Moonsault to the floor. Page turns the tide with a quick slam. Page drops Trey throat-first on the top rope! Trey hits a 619, followed by a top rope Moonsault for a near fall! Page avoids a double foot stomp but Trey follows up with Fresh to Death to pick up the win.

My Take: 2.5 out of 5 – Page is still having some trouble keeping up with many of the athletes on the roster, but he has talent. Trey looked just fine, but he is still struggling to show off his personality, which Page can do with just a wink. This match was solid overall, but it needed a bit more in it to be more than just a highlight reel for one guy.

Match #5: (Main Event) Johnny Impact vs. Killer Kross w/ Moose – Impact World Championship Match (No Contest)

The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:

Impact goes for Countdown to Impact but Kross avoids it and hits a running dropkick. Moose gets involved from ringside, distracting Impact and allowing Kross to take control. Kross continues to beat down Impact, hitting a series of strikes and throws. Kross locks in a knee bar submission as Moose pulls the rope further and further away from the champion! Impact hits the sliding German suplex to start building momentum. Impact connects with a springboard Spear but Kross breaks the count by getting his foot on the bottom rope.

Out of nowhere, Brian Cage appears and attacks both men! Brian Cage hits Moose with the F5. Kross attempts to take out Cage with the Saito Suplex but it doesn’t phase him! Cage hits Kross and Impact with huge clotheslines! It’s total anarchy as Johnny Impact and Brian Cage stare each other down in the middle of the ring.

My Take: 3 out of 5 – This was a good match that had a cop-out finish, but at least it was to push this feud, so there could be worse things that happened. Kross looked tough here, which worked well with Impact’s own sense of style in the ring. Kross is getting better and having him be carried by Impact is going to do him more than just a bit of good. Overall, this was a good way to end the card and the show.

News Of The Night:

1. Rich Swann still refuses to join oVe.
2. In three weeks, Team AAA will wrestle Team Impact in an Eight Man Elimination Tag Match with Psycho Clown, Hijo del Vikingo, Puma King, and Aerostar (Team AAA) fighting Eli Drake, Eddie Edwards, Fallah Bahh, and Sami Callihan Team Impact Wrestling).
3. Melissa Santos debuted for Impact as an interviewer.
4. Scarlett Bordeaux did a training video for her wrestling debut.
5. The Rascalz are doing more vignettes based on the stoned table scenes from That 70s Show.
6. Taya Valkyrie offered to defend her title against any challenger, including Tessa Blanchard.
7. LAX and Daga will fight the Lucha Brothers and Taurus, next week.
8. Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards fight The Rascalz, next week.
9. Su Yung and Dark Allie battle Kiera Hogan and Jordynne Grace, next week.
10. The Johnny Impact/Moose/Killer Kross/Brian Cage feud is still going on, thanks to Brian Cage interfering in the match.

Final Verdict: 3/5

This was a good show. There wasn’t much $#!@ here to deal with and all of the wrestling was worth watching, especially the opener. The build toward having more luchadors in Impact Wrestling is one of the best pieces of news from this league in several years and this might be the thing to help this league survive what-ever troubles the promotion is still (allegedly) having financially.