‘Impact Wrestling’ Review (Nov 2nd 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of Impact Wrestling, which this week comes from Glasgow, Scotland… and we were there to see it live! Let’s get into the [heavily biased given our AWESOME live experience] review…
Match #1: Glasgow Cup Final – Joe Hendry def. Frankie Kazarian
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Joe Hendry and Frankie Kazarian clash in the finals of the Glasgow Cup tournament! Hendry defeated Rich Swann in the opening round, while Kazarian toppled Leon Slater. Hendry puts his raw power on display with a delayed vertical suplex. Kazarian pushes Hendry off the top rope, sending him crashing to the floor. Kazarian hits a Guillotine Leg Drop on the apron, followed by a running clothesline. Hendry fights off a Chicken Wing attempt, then turns the tide with a Fallaway Slam. Kazarian counters the Standing Ovation into a neckbreaker for two. Hendry almost puts him away with a Trust Fall, cutter combo. Kazarian connects with Fade to Black but it’s not enough to keep Hendry down. Both men are down following a Superplex from Hendry. Following multiple pin attempts, Hendry rolls up Kazarian to win the match and the Glasgow Cup. After the match, IMPACT/TNA President Scott D’Amore awards Joe Hendry the Glasgow Cup.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
The crowd were solidly behind Hendry in this one but Kaz didn’t just roll over and let Hendry win, no, he made Hendry work for the cup and both guys delivered a top notch “title” match.
Match #2: Moose, Brian Myers & Deonna Purrazzo def. SUBCULTURE (Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster & Dani Luna)
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Momentum is up for grabs in this star-studded six-person tag team showdown! Luna stands toe-to-toe with Myers in the early going. Andrews takes Moose off his feet with a dropkick. Andrews is perched on the top but Myers provides a distraction, allowing Moose to gain control. Purrazzo levels Andrews with a clothesline. Moose, Myers and Purrazzo employ quick tags as they begin to wear Andrews down. Myers goes for the Roster Cut but Andrews counters into an Enzuigiri. Andrews makes the tag to Luna as she brings the fight to Purrazzo. Moose blindsides Luna with a big boot and the match begins to break down. Webster sends Myers back-first into the barricade with a dive through the ropes. SUBCULTURE deliver a triple powerbomb to Moose but Myers and Purrazzo break the pin. Purrazzo locks in the Fujiwara Armbar on Luna but Andrews makes the save in time. Everyone is down following rapid-fire action from all angles. Andrews hits Moose with Stundog Millionaire. Moose spears Andrews to score the pinfall victory.
My Score: 4 out of 5
They might not have won but SUBCULTURE came out of this one looking like the proverbial million bucks. I read that Mark Andrews was thinking of packing wrestling in at one point but Webster and Luna persuaded him to give them, and the faction a shot… Good god I’m glad he did. This trio are superb, their moves gel, their tags flow impeccably, they really know how to make matches exciting. More please!
Match #3: Grado. def. Trey Miguel
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Scotland’s own Grado battles Trey Miguel for the first time ever! Grado trips him up with a tabletop. Miguel delivers a shot to the throat, then rakes his back on the outside. Grado holds Miguel as the fans at ringside chop him in the chest. Miguel sends him into the steel ring post to gain control. Moments later, Grado turns Miguel inside out with a big clothesline. Miguel bounces back with a superkick, followed by a Moonsault for two. Grado avoids the double stomp, then plants Miguel with a Death Valley Driver. Grado successfully hits the Wee Boot to win.
My Score: 4 out of 5
What the hell can you say about Grado? The man is a legend and good on Trey Miguel for having the guts to wrestle a Scottish legend in front of a Scottish crowd. Don’t realise how BIG Grado is in Scotland? Watch this and imagine the vibes of this live!
Match #4: Trinity def. Emersyn Jayne
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Emersyn Jayne steps up to the Knockouts World Champion, Trinity! Jayne turns down Trinity’s handshake and the fight is on. Jayne catches her in mid-air on a crossbody attempt and transitions into a bridging suplex. Moments later, Trinity sends her face-first into the middle turnbuckle. Trinity builds momentum with a modified bulldog. Jayne bounces back with a sitdown slam for two. The end comes when Trinity connects with her signature Full Nelson Slam for three.
My Score: 3 out of 5
I did wonder how the crowd would react to Trinity but hell, I did not expect such an outpouring of LOVE for her! The Glasgow crowd were into everything she did, even if she was facing another Scottish talent. Nice to see Trinity give Jayne some room to show off her skills her too – always nice when champs can put over their opponents but still let them look good in defeat.
Match #5: Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) def. Josh Alexander & Eric Young
The following is courtesy of impactwrestling.com:
Josh Alexander and Eric Young form an all-Canadian dream team as they face off against IMPACT World Champion Alex Shelley and X-Division Champion Chris Sabin! Alexander secures an early Ankle Lock on Shelley but Sabin quickly fights him off. Alexander sends Sabin to the outside with a big boot but the distraction allows Shelley to gain control with a Dragon Screw. Shelley locks in a Figure Four on Alexander while Sabin does the same to Young. Alexander creates some much-needed separation with a Fisherman’s suplex to Shelley. The pace quickens as Young is tagged into the match and he takes Shelley of his feet with a running forearm. Shelley counters the Piledriver into a back body drop, then drives him face-first into the turnbuckle. Alexander hits Sabin with a series of German suplexes. Sabin counters the C4 Spike, then connects with a running dropkick for two. Alexander locks in the Ankle Lock on Sabin, then transitions into a Sharpshooter. Sabin bounces back with the Cradle Shock. Young bites Sabin on the top rope, then soars with an elbow drop but he’s not the legal man. Sabin spikes Young with a tornado DDT, followed by the Cradle Shock. Sabin pins Young to score the victory for the Motor City Machine Guns.
My Score: 5 out of 5
Instant classic. LOVED the fact Eric Young slipped on a Team Canada outfit for this one – felt like a rebirth for him but also a brilliant nod to those early days of TNA, when he, along with his now-boss Scott D’Amore were part of the greatest tag team roster TNA had. And the fact they closed the show with veterans who have lived and breathed TNA (even if they’ve ventured out of the company at times) was, honestly, heart-warming.
Extra LIVE Matches (not shown in this episode):
- Glasgow Cup Semi-Final – Joe Hendry def. Rich Swann – 3/5
- Frankie Kazarian def. Leon Slater – 3/5
- Eddie Edwards def. Rhino – 3/5
- Jordynn Grace def. Giselle Shaw – 3/5
Final Verdict: 5/5
I’m not going to lie, this review is completely biased by the experience of being at this show live – the Glasgow crowd were rowdy, involved and added a TON of atmosphere to this show; making the whole thing feel – truly – as special as being live at Wembley for AEW All Out. Having local talent in this episode did a lot to help get over with the crowd but it wasn’t just that, people like Brian Myers worked the crowd like a master and had them eating out the palm of his (admittedly heel) hands. There were a handful of matches at the live show that didn’t make it into this episode in full – and that’s a shame. I really LOVED seeing Rich Swann and Joe Hendry go at it and seeing Swann profess how much HE believes in Joe Hendry too was fantastic! Seeing Leon Slater hold his own against Kaz – who worked 2 matches on the live show like Joe Hendry – was a special treat and given how well Slater performed here and on the rest of the UK tour, it’s not surprising he’s been signed by Impact/TNA. And that’s the thing… Speaking of TNA, we all know the rebrand is coming and all those appearing here embraced the change – getting a TON of TNA chants from the crowd over and over. Now I’ve been to old-school TNA shows in the past and this Glasgow event felt very much like a return to the halycon days when TNA ruled UK wrestling, back when they aired on Challenge TV, when each episode was unmissable. It’s taken some time to get back to that spot but I think the solid weekly output, the rebrand back to TNA and this UK Invasion tour has, for me at least, cemented the fact that Impact/TNA is unmissable once again. Something I cannot say about the other two big North American wrestling companies!
