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Csonka’s Impact Wrestling Cross Roads 2018 Review

March 8, 2018 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Austin Aries Impact Wrestling Image Credit: Impact Wrestling
7.7
The 411 Rating
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Csonka’s Impact Wrestling Cross Roads 2018 Review  

Csonka’s Impact Wrestling Cross Roads 2018 Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
* Tag Team Title Match: Champions LAX defeated The Cult of Lee @ 12:58 via pin [***¼]
* Title vs. Title Match: Grand Champion Matt Sydal defeated X-Division Champion Ishimori @ 16:25 via pin [***½]
* Knockouts Title Match: Allie defeated Champion Lauren Van Ness @ 9:02 via pin [***]
* Lashley & Cage defeated oVe @ 10:22 via pin [**½]
* World Title Match: Champion Austin Aries defeated Johnny Impact @ 18:09 via pin [***¾]


– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– My latest Impact Xplosion review is here.

– I’ve been doing some retro TNA 2004 reviews here & here.

– You can read a review of last week’s show at this link.


– We get a video hype package for the tag team title match.

Tag Team Title Match: Champions Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) vs. The Cult of Lee (Konley & Lee): LAX attacks at the bell, kicking the shit out of the Cult of Lee and then taking the fight to the floor. LAX maintains control on the floor as they brawl around the ringside area. Lee & Konley start to battle back until Lee and Konley get slammed to the steps. Santana finally rolls Konley in the ring, and continues to work him over. LAX works double teams, running wild on Konley. Post break, and Konley has Santana grounded. Lee tags in, and lays the boots to Santana. Santana battles back, and hits the running kick. Wholesale changes to Ortiz & Konley, Ortiz runs wild, working over Konley. He crotches Konley on the ropes and hits a DDT off the ropes, covering for 2. Lee in and gets cut off by double teams and Ortiz hits a suicide dive and Santana follows with a tope. Back in and it breaks down. Cult of Lee works double teams, but Ortiz makes the save. Ortiz takes out Lee, Ortiz hits a cutter on Konley, and lee cuts off the street sweeper. Santana hits a swanton. Konnan takes out Lee and the street sweeper finishes Konley. Champions LAX defeated The Cult of Lee @ 12:58 via pin [***¼] This was a good match to kick off the show, it was all action, and had a great sense of urgency. This was a string way to kick off the show.

– Lashley cuts a promo, promising to fight oVe on his own and take them out.

– We get a video package for Ishimori vs. Sydal.

Title vs. Title Match: X-Division Champion Ishimori vs. Grand Champion Matt Sydal: They lockup and Sydal with clean breaks and requests for peace. Ishimori picks up the pace, hits a head scissors and dropkick. Sydal looks to fight back, and takes Ishimori down and hits a sliding kick. Sydal takes control, hitting a sliding knee strike in the corner. Ishimori fights off Sydal and hits a knee strike off the ropes. Post break, and Ishimori has Sydal grounded. Sydal quickly fights to his feet, cutting off Ishimori and attacking the knee, and locking in a half crab. They now work to the corner, but just as Ishimori looks to pick up the pace, Sydal cuts him off, attacking the knee again. Sydal now works a Muta lock, Ishimori escapes but Sydal grounds him once again, attacking the knee. Ishimori escapes with a kick, but Sydal hits a Russian leg sweep, and again goes back to the attack of the leg. Ishimori makes the ropes, but Sydal follows with leg kicks. Ishimori fires up and hits the back handspring kick. Shotgun knees follow and then a double stomp gets 2. Ishimori hits a spinning rack slam, covering for 2. Ishimori hits the boot, but Sydal hits a head scissors and covers for 2. Sydal follows with a German for 2. Ishimori counters the standing moonsault with knees; Ishimori follows with the golden triangle moonsault to the floor. The RANA follows on the floor. Sydal back in, and Ishimori rolls him up for 2. They work into a series of pin attempts, Sydal cuts off Ishimori and hits meteroa for a good near fall. They trade strikes and kicks center ring, Sydal hits a head kick and running knee strike. The shooting star press misses, Sydal landed on his feet and Ishimori hits dodon and he heads up top. Sydal crotches him, but Ishimori counters the RANA and the 450 eats knees. Sydal hits the shooting star press and is now a double champion. Grand Champion Matt Sydal defeated X-Division Champion Ishimori @ 16:25 via pin [***½] This was a very good match, they worked a good pace and had a nice layout, and did a good job of making you feel that either guy could win. Much like the opener, they had a great sense of urgency, feeling like they putting in a PPV quality effort.

– Allie was interviewed earlier today about tonight’s title match. She’s ready for tonight’s match and will win the title. She plans to dedicate the win to her mentor, Gail Kim.

– We get a video package for the knockouts title match.

Knockouts Title Match: Champion Laurel Van Ness vs. Allie: Allie attacks as LVN makes her entrance and they brawl on the floor. In the ring and Allie is in control. LVN finally manages to cut off Allie, slamming her to the post. The draping DDT follows, and LVN covers for 2. LVN now follows with clubbing strikes, keeping Allie grounded. LVN repeatedly slams Allie head to the mat, lays in the boots and flubs the Hennig neck snap. Allie slaps her and follows with a German, but LVN cuts her off, slinging her into the ropes throat first. LVN up top, rolls through on the double stomp and Allie hits the code breaker for the double down. Allie now fires up, hitting strikes and dropkicks LVN to the buckles. The suplex to the corner follows, and Allie covers for 2. Allie dumps LVN to the floor, follows but gets slammed to the apron. LVN sets her in a chair, and charges, but Allie slams her into he chair. She follows with a running elbow, but LVN hits the unprettier on the floor. LVN looks for a countout, and Allie barely beats the count. LVN hits the corner curb stomps, hits another and covers for 2 as Allie makes the ropes. LVN throws a fit, grabs the title and Allie cuts her off and hits the DVD. She fires up, and follows with a superkick and we have a new champion. Allie defeated Champion Lauren Van Ness @ 9:02 via pin [***] This was a good match, with Allie playing the fired up and fighting with all she had babyface role very well, finally overcoming the odds and winning the title.

– Gail Kim embraces Allie backstage in a sweet moment.

– Aries cuts a promo on tonight’s main event. He’s had a great month collecting championships. He praises Johnny Impact, bit promises that tonight will not be a night off. He says Impact will have to bring his best.

– We get a video package on oVe vs. Lashley.

oVe (Jake & Dave Crist) vs. Lashley: Lashley is going it alone, since Sami Callihan broke Eddie Edwards’ face last week. Callihan is at ringside. Lashley attacks on the floor, and then tosses oVe into the ring. Sami takes out Lashley’s knee with the bat, allowing oVe to attack. They take control, with Jake working over Lashley. Lashley fights back, but Dave cuts him off. Lashley doesn’t give a fuck and suplexes both men. Sami distracts Lashley, allowing Jake to hit a spin kick for 2. Post break, and oVe remains in control with Dave working over Lashley. Sami gets in another cheap shot, allowing Dave to cover for 2. Dave grounds things, working the leg of Lashley. Lashley fights out, kicking him to the floor. Lashley then suplexes Jake into Dave. Cage now arrives and he tags himself in and runs wild on oVe. He controls with ease, and catches both men, powerslamming them down. The Steiner screwdriver finishes Jake as Lashley spears Sami, and that’s that. Lashley & Cage defeated oVe @ 10:22 via pin [**½] This was a perfectly solid match, oVe got a ton in on Lashley before Cage made the save, ran wild and won the match. The post match looks to set up a Lashley vs. Cage program.

– Post match, Cage refuses Lashley’s handshake.

– Johnny Impact says he’s going to win the championship tonight.

Next week sees the return of feast or fired.

World Title Match: Champion Austin Aries vs. Johnny Impact: They work a fast paced opening stretch, with Impact gaining early control. Impact looks to work the arm, but Aries works a slick escape and pick sup the pace. The arm drag follows, and then the dropkick connects. Aries stuns Impact over the ropes Randy Savage style and heads to he floor. Post break, and Impact has taken over, hitting an elbow drop for 2. Aries cuts off Impact with a boot, but Impact cuts him off with a backwards slam and corkscrew leg drop for 2. Impact takes Aries to the corner and then follows with a backbreaker and Russian leg sweep for 2. Aries now misses a charge, and Impact hits an enziguri but as he goes to springboard in, Aries trips him up to cut him off. Aries now hits the double sledge to the floor. Back in and Aries hits the senton atomico, and elbow drop, covering for 2. Aries hits a snap mare and elbow to the back, covering for 2. Impact cuts off the heads scissors and follows with the sliding German. The double springboard disaster kick connects and Impact covers for 2. Aries now fires back with chops, but Impact hits a leg lariat and running shooting star press for 2. Aries avoids a running kick and locks on the last chancery. Impact makes the ropes. Impact fights off the brainbuster, and sets Aries up top. Impact follows him up, Aries shoves him off, but Impact hits a spin kick. Impact follows with the Spanish fly for a good near fall. Impact heads up top and rolls through on the elbow. Aries cuts him off, and hits strikes and Impact cuts him off with an enziguri. To the apron they go, and Aries hits an apron DVD! Back in and Aries hits a neck breaker in the ropes. Aries goes for the John Woo, but Impact cuts him off with a kick and running knee. Starship pain misses, and Aries sends him to the buckles. JOHN WOOOOOOOO dropkick by Aries, BRAINBUSTER! That’s that. Champion Austin Aries defeated Johnny Impact @ 18:09 via pin [***¾] This was a very good main event, and for their first match, they certainly delivered. The action was good, they mixed in some really good near falls, and had an overall hot closing stretch to finish things off. Most importantly, there was no bullshit, just two guys fighting for the title, sand a clean finish with a post match to set up Aries’ next challenger.

– Patron arrives and claps for Aries, who takes a bow.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

 photo fe36ffd0-0da4-4e3b-a2d3-b026b341dd87_zps41ef5d61.jpg
“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

7.7
The final score: review Good
The 411
Tonight’s Impact Wrestling Cross Roads 2018 episode was a very good and strong show, heavy on wrestling and with nothing bad. Most “themed episodes” of Impact usually feel just like a regular episode of Impact, but tonight’s show felt different in a good way and delivered. We got good wrestling, set up for Cage vs. Lashley & Aries vs. Patron, two title changes, and the show absolutely flew by for me, which is always a good thing. Tonight’s show gets a thumbs up, and I hope that they can keep delivering more shows like this one.
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