‘Impact Wrestling’ Review (Sept 1st 2022)
Welcome to this week’s review of Impact Wrestling, which this week opens with a Before the Impact tag team match that saw Bullet Club’s Ace Austin & Chris Bey defeat JD Griffey & Exodus. Let’s get into the review…
Match #1: Impact World Tag Team Championship Match – The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) def. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Matt Taven and Mike Bennett receive their long-awaited IMPACT World Tag Team Title opportunity as they face off against The Good Brothers to kick off tonight’s loaded episode! Maria Kanellis is banned from ringside per the stipulations of Anderson’s victory over Bennett last week. Taven takes control with a spinning neckbreaker on Anderson. While the referee is occupied with Gallows, Taven delivers an illegal shot to Anderson from the apron. Taven and Bennett continue to punish Anderson with a series of kicks. Anderson drives his knee into the neck of Bennett, allowing him to make the tag to Gallows. The pace quickens as Gallows hit a pump-handle slam on Taven. Bennett breaks up a Magic Killer attempt but Taven gets hit with a spinebuster from Anderson instead. Bennett sends Gallows crashing into the steel steps, then trips up Anderson on the top. Taven and Bennett connect with the Broton Pack on Anderson to score the pin and become the new IMPACT World Tag Team Champions!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: X-Division Championship Match – Mike Bailey def. Kenny King
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Mike Bailey puts his X-Division Title on the line once again, this time against former two-time X-Division Champion, Kenny King! Bailey sends him to the outside, then lights him up with a flurry of kicks. King gains control with an Exploder suplex into the side of the apron. Back in the ring, King hits a spinebuster for two. Bailey soars with a dropkick off the second rope, followed by a running corkscrew for two. Bailey winds up for a kick but the referee blocks his path to check on a dazed King. Moments later, King inadvertently takes out the referee. King goes low but there’s no referee to make the count. Another referee runs down to the ring but Bailey kicks out at two. King traps Bailey in a pinning predicament as Kanellis provides leverage from the outside. King scores the pinfall to become the new X-Division Champion!
After the match, the original referee reveals that King cheated to win the match and overturns the decision. The match will continue with Honor No More banned from ringside! Bailey hits a top rope Moonsault, taking out King on the floor. King counters Ultima Weapon but Bailey rolls him up for three!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #3: Mascara Dorada def. Alex Zayne
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
One of the world’s top Luchadores, Mascara Dorada, soars into IMPACT Wrestling for his debut against Alex Zayne! Tom Hannifan reveals that the winner of this match will be next in line for a shot at Mike Bailey’s X-Division Championship. The fight spills to the floor where Zayne hits a Hurricanrana, followed by a back suplex on the apron. Zayne continues the assault with a springboard Moonsault to the outside. Dorada quickens the pace with a top rope crossbody, then flies with a top rope senton. Dorada is in total control following another top rope senton. Zayne fights off the Dorada Driver, then picks him off the top with a head scissors. Zayne almost puts Dorada away with the Baja Blast. Dorada avoids the Cinnamon Twist, then hits the Dorada Driver to earn an X-Division Title opportunity!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: #1 Contender’s Match – Masha Slamovich def. Deonna Purrazzo
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
The undefeated Masha Slamovich squares off with Knockouts World Tag Team Champion Deonna Purrazzo for a coveted Knockouts World Title opportunity at Bound For Glory! Slamovich attempts an early Snow Plow but Purrazzo quickly retreats to the outside. Green provides a distraction from the floor, allowing Purrazzo to gain control with a running knee. Purrazzo continues the assault with a suplex on the outside. Slamovich turns the tide with a spin kick for two. Both Knockouts exchange strikes in the middle of the ring. Purrazzo hits a side Russian leg sweep, then locks in the Fujiwara Armbar. Despite Green’s efforts to pull the bottom rope away from Slamovich, she still makes it there to break the hold. Purrazzo connects with a trio of German suplexes but Slamovich counters the follow-up Queen’s Gambit. Green gets up on the apron for yet another distraction. Purrazzo spikes her with Queen’s Gambit but it’s still not enough to keep Slamovich down. Slamovich takes out Green, then hits Purrazzo with the Snow Plow for three!
My Score: 4 out of 5
News of the Night:
- NJPW STRONG Tag Team Champions, Aussie Open, joined Impact Wrestling.
- Violent By Design split up – undoubtedly due to the sad news about Joe Doering’s health.
- Mickie announced her “Last Rodeo” – an open challenge series with the goal of earning a Knockouts World Title opportunity but if she loses a match, she will retire for good.
- New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Yuya Uemura arrives in Impact Wrestling next week.
Final Verdict: 4/5
Look at those match scores. Look at them. Consistently fantastic matches, matches that show-up a lot of the stuff we get from other promotions. You CANNOT fault Impact Wrestling for what goes on in the ring. What you can fault them for is slowing the show down to a crawl with promo after promo, backstage segment after backstage segment, so much so that we only got 4 matches on a 2-hour show. I’m going to sound like a broken record but – especially given the chatter online about Impact recently in regards to ownership, expansion etc. – Impact needs to do something to get to that next level. Bigger crowds, better production… The wrestling is there, I’d go as far as saying it’s probably some of the best stuff since the era of AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Suicide, Amazing Red etc. but everything else still feels like the downtrodden “blue logo” era of the show…
