Csonka’s Impact vs. The UK 2018 Preview

WELCOME back to column time with Larry! Today, I am going to discuss and preview the Impact vs. The UK 2018 event. This is Impact’s first UK event in three years and is part of the Wrestling MediaCon in Manchester, and will air live and for free on Twitch. Today, I will give my predictions, and break down the show match by match. Feel free to make your picks in the comment section. Thanks for reading! It’s wrestling, we love it and will disagree. The only rules are to “have a take, be respectful, and don’t be a dick.” Thanks for reading.

Maxed & Robbie X vs. McCluskey & Steel: In the spirit of complete transparency, I looked around and have only seen a very limited about of action from these guys. They are on the card because they need to fill it out, it’s cheaper to use locals, and they will hopefully get a good reaction. I hope that they have a good outing and while I know very little about them if they impress I’ll be likely to check them out down the line; coin flip time. WINNER: Maxed & Robbie X

Eddie Edwards & Justin Sysum vs. Moose & Nathan Cruz: At Impact: Redefined, Moose was to team with Eddie Edwards against Killer Kross and Austin Aries. This will be one of the first major in-ring interactions between Edwards & Moose, and lets be honest, the other guys are here so that they don’t give too much away and because they needed to use some UK based guys. And there is nothing wrong with that because we can’t be giving too much away at this stage. If I had to be a guess, Moose will be a complete dick here, and since he has no allegiance to Cruz, walks out on him allowing Edwards to pick up a win, while not getting one over on Moose in terms of a finish. WINNER: Eddie Edwards & Justin Sysum

Rich Swann vs. Matt Sydal vs. Trevor Lee: I really love this match on paper, because it could be really great. Sydal is just coming off of an X-Division title run, Swann is back following his brief time off for injury and is not only looking for a run at the title, but just started the tease of a program with Sydal at Impact: Redefined. And then you have Trevor Lee, the former champion who Impact Wrestling has NO IDEA who to use at all. In no way am I saying Lee is a top of the card guy and should beat everyone, but when it comes to his matches, they have been so restrictive of him that it’s an embarrassment. Look at Trevor Lee in AAW or PWG and then look at his Impact matches and you’d be shocked to learn that they are indeed the same person. It’s like they have told him, “You know all that cool shit you do that people like? STOP DOING IT IMMEDIATELY! And that’s a shame, they have made him such a basic wrestler, and that takes away from what the division could be. Hopefully, since they are in the UK and that this is a special show that everyone will just cut loose, lee included, especially since he’s the likely pin eater here (since he has no program and Swann & Sydal are players in the division). If everyone is on and they are allowed to do their thing, this easily has show-stealing potential. WINNER: Rich Swann

Su Yung vs. Lana Austin: Su Yung is the now former knockouts champion, who has had a solid but unspectacular run with the company. Lana Austin debuted back in 2013 and has worked over 230 matches. I haven’t seen much of her work at all that I recall, but if I had to guess, this feels like the best shot at a UK talent walking away with a win on this show. WINNER: Lana Austin

Eli Drake vs. Joe Hendry: Joe Hendry is now an Impact regular, but his run has been unspectacular so far. Eli Drake has signed a new deal with Impact Wrestling, but due to the timing of it, has largely been spinning his wheels, looking for a solid direction. These two have had some interactions on Impact, which have been fine, but I am hoping that they finally gel here and have a good match. Drake is the bigger star, and should really come away with the win here. WINNER: Eli Drake

Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Death Match: Sami Callihan vs. Jimmy Havoc: This is a match between two guys who love the hardcore gimmick matches and also tend to really thrive in them. Havoc is coming off of a great match with Punishment Martinez on the ROH UK tour, while Callihan is coming off of a great match with Pentagon; both were hardcore gimmick matches. This is their wheelhouse, and if they are given the freedom to work their style, there is no reason why this shouldn’t be a crazy, wild, and great hardcore match that steals the show. WINNER: Sami Callihan

IMPACT Tag Team Championship Match: Champions LAX vs. Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm: If you’re unfamiliar with Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm, they are pioneers from the early 2000s, and still have some get up and go in them in 2018. They recently worked two ROH UK dates, putting on a good match with the Briscoes, and a great match with the Young Bucks. This time around, they get to tangle with Impact tag team Champions LAX, who are a hell of a team, and on paper, this looks to be a tremendously fun match. The Briscoes match was god, but that was because it felt too much like a Briscoes match, but the Bucks match thrived and was great because they were really great and also because similar to their matches with the Hardys, they played to the strengths of Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm, allowing the legends to shine. LAX is a great and tremendously fun tag team, so at the very least, this should be a good and fun match; the champions should retain here. WINNERS: LAX

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”