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Csonka’s Impact Wrestling Genesis Review 1.25.18

January 25, 2018 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Matt Sydal Impact Wrestling Genesis 1.25.18
7.3
The 411 Rating
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Csonka’s Impact Wrestling Genesis Review 1.25.18  

Csonka’s Impact Wrestling Review 1.25.18

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Grand Championship Match: Matt Sydal defeated Champion EC3 @ 15:59 via pin [***]
Knockouts Title Match: Champion Laurel Van Ness defeated Allie @ 14:07 via pin [**¾]
– Moose defeated Lashley @ 16:43 via pin [***]
Six-Sides of Steel Global Championship Match: Champion Eli Drake defeated Alberto El Patron and Johnny Impact @ 18:05 via escape [***½]


– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– My Top 23 EVOLVE Matches of 2017.
– My Top 24 ROH Matches of 2017.
– My Top 8 Matches of December 2017.
– My NJPW WrestleKingdom 12 Takeaways.
– My Top 38 WWE Matches of 2017.
– My Top 25 Matches of 2017.

– I reviewed Impact Wrestling One Night Only: Collision in Oklahoma here.

– We get highlights from last week’s show.

– We get a really good video package to open tonight’s show, hyping the big matches set for the show.

Grand Championship Match: Impact Grand Champion EC3 vs. Matt Sydal: This is no rounds, no judges; just a regular single fall match, but the title is on the line. Sydal attacks right away with a dropkick and sending EC3 to he floor. Sydal follows and continues his attack, and rolls EC3 back in. Sydal follows and hits a head scissors. The corner knee strike follows, and EC3 covers for 2. Sydal lays in chops and kicks, but EC3 cuts him off with a clothesline and he covers for 2. EC3 now follows with chops, and then a suplex, covering for 2. EC3 grounds the action, but Sydal trips him up. The standing moonsault eats knees. EC3 now whips Sydal to the corner and then does it again. EC3 hits another suplex, and then grounds things. Sydal fights to his feet, but EC3 cuts him off with a powerbomb for 2. EC3 mocks Sydal for being a choke artist, but Sydal lays in kicks and the standing moonsault for 2. EC3 misses a corner charge, and Sydal follows with meterora; that gets 2. He sets EC3 up top, follows him up but EC3 stuns him off the ropes. Post break, and EC3 hits the corner splash. EC3 follows with a cutter for 2. They work to the apron and EC3 stuns Sydal off the ropes. Back in and Sydal hits a spin kick, and takes EC3 to the floor. Back to the apron and EC3 hits a DDT and looks for a countout. Sydal breaks the count. Sydal hits a RANA and follows with kicks, and the knee strike follows. Sydal up top and the shooting star press misses, he rolls through and EC3 suplexes him to the buckles. The one percenter follows. Sydal rolls to the floor, and mocks Sydal again. Sydal pulled back in and EC3 takes him up the ropes on his shoulders, but Sydal hits a sunset bomb; the shooting star press connects and we have a new champion. Matt Sydal defeated Champion EC3 @ 15:59 via pin [***] This was a good back and forth match with a good story. Sydal was the never say die underdog, while EC3 was the overconfident heel that didn’t have the advantage of the grand championship rules, and his efforts to mock and humiliate Sydal backfired in the end. The only knock here was the completely unenthusiastic commentary on the title change from Borash & Mathews.

– We get an Allie video package.

Knockouts Title Match: Knockouts Champion Laurel Van Ness vs. Allie: They lock up, and work around the ring and then roll to the floor. Back in and Allie hits a clothesline, and then a sliding clothesline, covering for 2. LVN avoids the superkick and bails to the floor. Allie follows, jumps off the steps and hits a forearm strike. She slams LVN off the apron but LVN cuts her off with a kick after Allie slips. Post break, and LVN choke out Allie in the corner. She continues the heat, laying the boots to Allie. She then works her over in the corner, and the cover gets 2. LVN lays in more kicks, and hits natural selection for 2. LVN talks shit, lays in forearm strikes, but Allie fires up, only to be cut off. LVN follows with the draping DDT, covering for 2. LVN grounds the action, but Allie fights to her feet again and they trade strikes. LVN hits the clothesline, and both are down. LVN misses a charge allowing Allie to fire back and hit the sliding clothesline. She then dropkicks LVN in the ass and into the buckles. Allie suplexes LVN to the buckles, and covers for 2. LVN counters, looks for the unprettier, countered, Allie’s code breaker is countered, but she tries again and hits it for 2. LVN battles back, hits the curb stomp, but Allie kicks out at 2. Allie fights off the unprettier, hits the superkick and covers for 2. We then get a ref bump and belt shot, and LVN retains. Champion Laurel Van Ness defeated Allie @ 14:07 via pin [**¾] This was a pretty good match overall, but the lack of crowd heat at times (especially on the near falls) and the completely uninspired and cliché heel finish took away from it. The finish isn’t bas really, it protects Allie and makes LVN, who is insane, look a bit smart and desperate. But it is just so overplayed and felt very flat to me.

Moose vs. Lashley: Dan Lambert & KM are out with Lashley. Lashley gets a takedown right away, lays in strikes and then takes Moose to the corner and lays in more strikes. Moose slowly fights back, and he lays in strikes on Lashley. Lashley quickly turns the tables, working over Moose in the corner. The clothesline follows, and Lashley grounds things once again. Lashley now works shoulder blocks in the corner. Moose fights back, hits a run up the ropes high cross, and that gets 2. Lambert & KM distract Moose, allowing Lashley to hit the clothesline. Lashley argues with KM. Post break, and Lashley is still in control, laying the boots to Moose. The neck breaker follows and Lashley covers for 2. Lashley then dumps Moose to the floor, and follows him out. Lashley continues to control as he slams Moose to the apron. Back in they go, and Lashley chokes out Moose in the ropes. Lashley heads to the ropes, but Moose dropkicks him to the floor. Moose follows, but Lashley slams him to the steps. Lashley then slams him to the barricade. KM gets a table out and slides it into the ring. Lashley yells at him and as he’s distracted, Moose fights back and takes control, hitting the corner dropkick. Moose follows with go to hell and that gets 2. Moose charges, Lashley avoids and Lashley hits a running RANA and spear; Moose kicks out at 2. Km distracts Lashley again, Moose runs them together and hits the rolling lariat for 2. The gamechanger connects and Moose picks up the win. Moose defeated Lashley @ 16:43 via pin [***] This was an overall good match, and presumably gave us the end of the ATT angle. But I felt that it under-delivered like many of the Moose vs. Lashley matches I have watched. Both guys work better in more of a sprint-like layout, 8-12 minutes, working with great urgency and aggression, playing off of their explosive power and natural athletic ability. For some reason, Impact has always booked them to go i5 minutes plus and at a slow and plodding pace, so while they have had good matches, they never really had that great match together that I think they are capable of.

– Post match, Lambert berates Lashley, so Lashley spears KM. Lashley rolls Lambert into the ring, and Moose lays him out. Lashley then spears Lambert through the table in the corner. The ATT guy with the neck brace arrives and Lashley takes him out and Moose then hits him with a spear. Moose and Lashley shake hands and I guess are friends now as the ATT angle comes to an end.

– We get clips of X-Division Champion Taiji Ishimori vs. Andrew Everett, which took place in Pro Wrestling NOAH on January 6th. It’s a shame that we didn’t get to see the full match because I have seen the whole thing, and it’s right around ****; it’s the kind of performance Impact fans haven’t seen from Everett on Impact TV or PPV. Ishimori retained with the 450.

Six-Sides of Steel Global Championship Match: Champion Eli Drake vs. Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Impact: This is pin, submission, or escape rules. If Impact & Patron lose, they cannot challenge Drake again for the title. They brawl at the bell, with Patron and drake climbing early but Impact is back and cuts them off, slamming both to the cage. Impact runs wild, and covers Drake for 2. Impact climbs the cage, but Patron pulls him off and hits a clothesline. Drake is back and lays in rights, but patron hits the back stabber and covers for 2. Patron climbs now, Impact tries to cut him off, but Patron misses the double stomp and Impact hits a double stomp to the back, but Drake cuts him off with a powerslam. Post break, and they are trading strikes. Drake hits a double low blow and takes over, laying in strikes to both. The powerslam on Impact follows, and he then slams Patron and then Impact to the cage. Drake maintains control here, as both challengers are down. Impact battles back, parkouring off the cage and laying the boots to Drake. He takes over, hitting knee strikes on both and covering Drake for 2. Impact climbs, but patron cuts him off and hits an enziguri for 2 as Drake makes the save. Patron repeatedly sends Drake to the cage, hits a DDT and covers for 2. Patron climbs now, Impact follows him up and they trade strikes and kicks. Impact gets crotched into the tree of WHOA and Patron hits the double stomp and then the arm bar on Drake. Impact hits the elbow drop off the ropes to break it up. Impact and Drake climb the cage, Patron joins them and they battle for position, Patron sent to the mat and then Drake. Impact is all the way up top and opts for the high cross onto both! Impact hits a superkick, but Drake hits the gravy train on him and covers for 2. Drake counters moonlight drive, climbs and Impact follows. Impact lays in kicks and Patron starts to climb out the door, but Impact drops down and pulls him back in. Patron hits an enziguri, Drake is on top of the cage and Adonis slams the cage door into patron’s face. Impact & Drake battle up top and over, but Adonis catches Impact as Drake drops to the floor for the win. Champion Eli Drake defeated Alberto El Patron and Johnny Impact @ 18:05 via escape [***½] This was an overall very good main event, with all three working hard, some fun finish teases, and more importantly, they kept a great pace for the whole match. I like the stipulation that Patron & Impact cannot challenge Drake again, as it opens up the title picture and makes things interesting.

IT’S A WHOLE NEW WORLD NEXT WEEK AS THE NEW TAPINGS BEGIN AIRING. WILL THIS BE THE REGIME THAT FINALLY GETS THINGS RIGHT? WE CAN ONLY HOPE SO…

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

7.3
The final score: review Good
The 411
Tonight’s show was a really nice change of pace, as they presented a focused and wrestling heavy show, and allowed the talents to go out there and succeed. And they did, it’s amazing what happens when you drop the unneeded bullshit and let the talents do their thing. Tonight’s show was a good one, and hopefully, the momentum continues next week as the new tapings under new management begins.
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