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Jeremy’s Impact Wrestling Review 12.08.20

December 8, 2020 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Impact Wrestling Kenny Omega Don Callis Image Credit: Impact Wrestling
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Jeremy’s Impact Wrestling Review 12.08.20  

Hello there, Impact fans…and AEW fans! It’s Tuesday and that means it’s time for another episode of Impact Wrestling. I’m Jeremy, and y’all know how this works. We may have a bigger than usual crowd today, as AEW’s own Kenny Omega will be addressing his World Title win over Jon Moxley on tonight’s episode. Not gonna lie, that’s a little surreal to even type. Anyway, this is a huge opportunity for Impact to find some new audience members, and hopefully they can capitalize. So without further ado, let’s jump right in!

For those new to the chat who want to know how to watch Impact by the way, it’s on AXS TV or you can watch on Twitch here.

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.

* Previously on Impact AEW Dynamite: Don Callis is doing commentary as Kenny Omega takes on Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. After a hell of a match, Moxley snaps and Callis gets on the apron, only to get decked by the champ. That lets him pass a microphone to Omega, who nails Moxley with it behind the ref’s back and ultimately get the win and the title. Callis celebrates with Omega and then rushes him out of the arena, promising answers Tuesday on Impact. JR: “I’ve just been jobbed!”

* We get a look at a bus heading to Skyway Studios in Nashville, and Josh Matthews says that he’ll enter the bus tonight for an exclusive sit-down with Omega.

Josh Alexander vs. Chris Sabin

Josh and Sabin circle a bit and then lock up, into some chain wrestling. Sabin with an armdrag, Alexander back up and they go into a test of that Alexander turns into a kick to the gut. Sabin into the ropes, he rolls under a clothesline and hits a rana and armdrags into a shoulderlock. Alexander to his feet, he backs Sabin into the ropes and sends him off. Sabin with a kick to the head and he comes off the ropes right onto Josh’s shoulders for a somersault slam. Stomp to the gut by Alexander, then a knee to the spine. Sabin picked up, fights back but eats a knee to the gut, a pair of short-arm clothesline by the North member. Backbreaker to Sabin and a cover for two. Alexander stomps and kicks at Sabin, then picks him up and pushes him the corner for a knife-edge chop. A second, but Sabin ducks it and hits a couple of his own. Alexander whipped out of the corner but Alexander turns around and hits a big kick. Jumping kneedrop and a pin for two. Alexander with a shoulderlock on Sabin in the center of the ring. Sabin gets up and fights back, but gets hammered down by Josh. He picks Sabin up, snap suplex. Knee to the back and a chinlock as Shelley shouts encouragement on the outside. Sabin up to his feet and a jawbreaker breaks the hold. Alexander is right back on Sabin with a shot and a whip into the ropes, Sabin with a schoolboy for two! Alexander with a full nelson, Sabin slips out and hits an overhead kick to Alexander’s dome. Sabin with an inverted atomic drop and crucifix pin, Alexander kicks out but Sabin with a dragon screw leg whip and a dropkick to the knee! La Magistral cradle gets two! Alexander charges but Sabin sends him to the outside and gets on the apron, punt kick is ducked and Sabin is back inside for a dive on Josh to the ramp! Page and Shelley over to offer encouragement to their partners, Sabin gets Alexander up and rolls him into the ring. Sabin goes up top, crossbody pin gets two. Sabin goes to get Alexander on his shoulder but Josh blocks it and hits a forearm to the head, Sabin charges in and eats a back elbow, Sabin ducks a big kick but gets caught in a waistlock. Josh pushes him into the corner, backroll pin but Sabin holds onto the corner, back elbow by Sabin. Sabin up top, super-rana but Alexander catches him! Big powerbomb backbreaker gets a nearfall. Josh says he’s got this and picks Alexander up, goes for a double underhook, picks Sabin up but Sabin flips out and hits an enzuigiri! Sabin charges and Josh ducks, clothesline by Alexander and a belly-to-belly suplex. Alexander charges but Sabin gets the knee up, Sabin up top, missile dropkick to the back of the head! Sabin lies in wait, Shining Wizard! Sabin gets Alexander on the shoulders, Alexander slides off, big elbow by Josh! Page is looking excited as tells Josh to drop him on his head. Alexander doesn’t seem happy but goes for it and Sabin grabs the knee, turns it into a jackknife pin for three!

Winner: Chris Sabin (9:17)
Rating: ***
Thoughts: Really good match to start off the show. Alexander got to show off his technical side and Sabin did Sabin things effectively. The dissension between the North is starting to build slowly and that’s an intriguing direction with Page’s contract status in question at the end of the year.

* Josh and Madison break down what’s to come and talks about the AEW Dynamite situation. Matthews breaks down what happened again and hypes his interview with Callis and Omega, promising to ask “the hard questions.” Madison says it has to feel unnatural to say the AEW World Champion is here at Impact with EVP Don Callis and sells how much this “breaks the rules.”

* Moose is backstage when Chris Bey comes in to talk about their match and strategy. He wants to talk moves and Moose is ignoring him. Moose finally says his hands talk for him, and is Bey sure he wants to talk? Bey says he should be nicer, especially since he’ll be World Champion after Final Resolution, and Moose says he guesses “we’ll” talk to you after this Saturday.

* We get a “paid advertisement” from All Elite Wrestling with Tony Schiavone and Tony Khan, looking like the two biggest dorks on the planet. (Relax guys, I say that with love. It’s adorably goofy.) The whole thing very much has 1980s cable access feel. Tony says he could absolutely stop it if he wanted to, but instead he’s helping fund the show via the paid ad. The only thing he doesn’t like about it is how Omega won the belt. Tony says Callis is welcome to come to Dynamite with Omega and is really looking forward to seeing them. He puts over the card:

Dynamite Diamond Final: MJF vs. Orange Cassidy
– Lance Archer & Lucha Bros. vs. Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, and The Blade
AEW Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks vs. The Hybrid 2

Tony also says that he may check out some of the tag teams, and says he has investments in Nashville and there’s rumors he might buy Impact. He asks Tony about his time in Impact, and Tony says it was “one night, then I quit the business for 18 years.” Okay, that was a solid line. Also tomorrow: Sting speaks with Schiavone.

Brian Myers vs. TJP

Can TJP be the first guy to get a really good match out of Myers in Impact? Let’s see. Bell rings and they circle into a lockup, TJP thrown to the mat. Another lockup and Myers with a wristlock. TJP flips out and hits a dropkick, kips up and Myers gets out on the apron to take a moment. He’s back in and they go into a test of strength, Myers in control and gets TJP down to his back, TJP spins free and trips up Myers for a quick pinfall attempt. Back up, TJp with a headlock but gets shot into the ropes, ducks a clothesline, out onto the apron. Myers charges, TJP slides in and trips Myers up, turning it into a Sharpshooter. into an inverted Indian deathlock. Myers gets to the ropes and the break happens at three. TJP up and he is backed up by the ref as Myers gets up, Brian with a shot to the gut and the head to take control. Stomps by Myer in the corner and he jaws with the ref, then whips TJP across the ropes. TJP catches himself and goes up vertically inverted in the corner, into a headscissors and Myers goes outside. TJP springboards off the top and out onto the apron with a dropkick! TJP down to the floor and picks Myers up, rolling him in. TJP up top, Myers up quickly and cuts him down. Myers talks trash and shoves TJP off the top to the floor, and we’re going to break.

Back from break and TJP back in control as he hits a Tornado DDT. Both men slow to get up, TJP with an inverted atomic drop and gets whipped into the ropes, springboard crossbody! Kick to Myers’ cut, suplex by TJP and he holds on for another and then a third. TJP goes up top, Myers avoids, TJP rolls through, jumping Flatliner from Myers for two! Myers lies in wait, TJP up, he charges but TJP with a bodyscissors into a kneebar! Myers crawls toward the ropes and eventually gets it. TJP up and he goes after Myers who went out to the apron, Myers with a shoulder to the cut and then hangs TJP on the ropes. Myers back in, big kick caught, TJP with a back suplex. TJP is going up top again, will he get it this time? Mamba splash but Myers gets the knees up, Myers with a nearfall out of it. TJP up, gets picked up but slides down into a sunset flip, Myers out and TJP with another kneebar. Myers crawls slowly across the ring toward the ropes, he throws the ref into TJP. How was that not a DQ? TJP up, eats a spinebuster. Myers with a huge clothesline, gets three.

Winner: Brian Myers (7:08)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: Solid match, and Myers needed the win so I have no issue with the result. I do think it’s weird that Myers attacking the ref to break a hold doesn’t end in a DQ, but a wonky end doesn’t destroy the match’s work itself.

* Cody Deaner is backstage and Cousin Jake asks if he’s ready for his match with Eric Young. Jake says “We got this.” Cody says it ain’t about “we,” it’s about him. He has to go out there alone. Jake says Joe Doering will be there so at least let him be there as backup. Cody says Jake can come out, but he has to promise him that no matter what, he doesn’t get involved. Jake promises reluctantly and Cody walks off, with Jake following.

* TJP is looking frustrated backstage when Rohit Raju shows up to mock him over his loss. He says TJP isn’t doing that well, he tried to stand up to Myers and look what happened. He tried to pull his game with Suicide/Crazzy Steve and that didn’t work; 2020 isn’t his year but it is Rohit’s. He says he’s the greatest X-Division champion in this lifetime. He puts over the final Defeat Rohit challenge of 2020 at Final Resolution which will be open to anybody but him. He says maybe 2021 will be his year, but he doubts it. TJP says that for final Defeat Rohit challenge? Good luck.

Eric Young vs. Cody Deaner

Cody charges in right at the bell but eats an elbow. Young charges but gets backdropped, Cody tries to capitalize but gets shoved into the corner for a kneelift and hammers to the back of the head. EY off the ropes into a Thesz press and punches by Cody. Cody with a big punch and a kick to Young, he’s going apeshit on EY and stomps him in the corner. “I’m not a nobody!” he yells, then whips Young across the ring. He charges in but Young moves and Cody goes shoulder-first into the post. Young with stomps to Cody’s head, and he picks Cody up to choke him in the ropes in front of Jake. Young talks with the ref a moment and then picks Cody up, gets him on his shoulders for a Death Valley Driver for a two-count. EY not happy with that and he chucks Cody out of the ring. Jake tries to help Cody up, but he says he’s got this and gets on the apron for a shoulder to EY’s gut, then a sunset flip for two. Young with a back elbow right upon getting up. He yells at Cody and slaps his head, saying he warned him. EY is toying with Cody, who’s getting real pissed and says he’s not a nobody. He tells Young to attack and every punch powers him up. Kick to the gut by Young, he goes for a DDT but Cody throws him off and hits a clothesline and back elbow. Big scoop slam and Cody is feeling it. He goes up top and Doering gets close. Jake comes over and Cody warns him not to get involved. Cody with a diving headbutt but EY moves, and Young with a piledriver for three.

Winner: Eric Young (3:43)
Rating: * 3/4
Thoughts: A perfectly average squash match that did what it accomplished. Young looks strong, Cody got to be the tough underdog and it doesn’t hurt him to lose to a man who was just recently World Champion in short order. It was too short for any kind of decent rating, but the storyline was good.

After the match, Joe and EY attack Cody and Jake comes in to the rescue. That doesn’t work well and he gets DVD’d by Doering and clotheslined. Eric yells “That’s what you get!” They then grab both Deaners and go for double piledrivers, but Rhino is out with a pipe! Young and Doering bail, and Doering wants in but EY holds him back.

* Backstage, John E. Bravo is yelling at Dreamer about Lawrence D having shot him. He complain that he got shot and Mr. Mundo (that’s the stuffed dog, for those newcomers) got hit with the shrapnel. Dreamer tells him to calm down and worry about his and Mr. Mundo’s health. He says he’s got this and wields a kendo stick as he approaches XXXL. He tells Larry he shouldn’t be a free man, and doesn’t care that he was set up. Larry wants a match with Dreamer at Final Resolution with his freedom on the line. Dreamer says that match is made. Larry: “You mean to tell me that I can win my freedom from attempted murder in a wrestling match?” Dreamer says he can do whatever the hell he wants. Well, that will…be a match.

* Scott D’Amore is in his office, and Dreamer walks in concerned about what’s going on. So is Scott, who just saw the match being made. He hates wrestlers making matches. But it’s not going to ruin his day, he’s fine with it. Dreamer is concerned about Kenny and Don being there. He’s concerned about what it does to the locker room and says Don’s only in it for himself; it only blows up. Scott says he’s already blowing up but in a good way and he gets it; but he’s not the first one to be in for himself. He notes that even Lance Storm is happy, and he’s never unhappy. He says its a good thing, but Dreamer isn’t convinced.

Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament Match
Kimber Lee & Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary

The winners of this match face Kiera and Tasha in the semifinals. My Taya and Rosemary ship remains sailing strong, by the way. Rosemary and Deonna are starting off, and Deonna goes for a Fujiwara armbar right off the bat but Taya catches her throat. Deonna goes for it again but gets caught into a front facelock. Purrazzo gets out and wrenches the elbow, dropping down into an armbar that Rosemary gets out of. Tag to Taya and to Kimber, Kimber runs into a big boot. Taya with a knee to the face, she comes off the ropes with a crossbody but she’s right back up with a big kick and lays in punches on Taya for a two-count. Kimber picks Taya up, slams her into the hostile corner and tags in Deonna. Kicks to Taya and a boot choke against the bottom turnbuckle. Deonna argues with ref while Lee gets a cheap shot in. Punch by Deonna and Kimber in, she snapmares Taya and ties Taya up with her legs, Taya pushes back into a pin and Kimber breaks the hold. Kimber with a bodyscissors and Kimber lays in punches. Taya up and fires off with punches to the chest, short arm reversal by Taya with a clothesline. Taya goes for the tag and Kimber stops her, pulling her back to the other side of the ring. Purrazzo tagged in and stomps on Taya, double suplex and a pin for two. Purrazzo up and picks Taya up, elbow to the back of the neck and then another one. Deonna knocks Rosemary down and she tries to get in, the ref is distracted as Purrazzo and Lee stomp on Taya and Kimber is in now. Knife-edge chop to Taya, Taya fires back with one of her own and Kimber with another chop. Kimber sends Taya into the ropes, she holds in and hits a back kick and knee. Big elbows by both women and they’re both down. Taya gets the tag to Rosemary, Deonna tags in but Rosemary is in hot and clotheslines Purrazzo. Sling blade by Rosemary, splash into the corner, Exploder suplex! She goes for the pin, Deonna kicks out at two. Purrazzo up, gets grabbed by Rosemary, overhand chop and a whip into a short-arm reversal by Purrazzo, who goes for the armbar and Rosemary spins free. Purrazzo ducks a clothseline, Flatliner and she tags in Kimber. Lee with a nasty jumping neckbreaker as Deonna holds her. Taya knocked off the apron as Rosemary is back to her knees. Big kick by Deonna and the heels talk — Rosemary sits up! Taya’s in and hits a double clothseline! All four women are brawling in the ring, Taya and Kimber’s kicks are caught by Purrazzo and Rosemary, thrown off into double splits! Rosemary and Purrazzo brawl, Taya and Kimber trade shots. Deonna takes control and goes for a kick, but Taya ducks and Kimber gets kicked! Spear by Rosemary, Taya sends Purrazzo out, Rosemary drops Kimber and gets the pin!

Winner: Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary (6:59)
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: Decent enough work by these four, who can all bring it in the ring. The match was pretty standard and that whole double action at the end was a bit too cutesy for my tastes, but it worked and the right team advanced, while Purrazzo and Lee get a bit of dissension to potentially work with.

* Alisha Edwards is backstage with Tenille and Kaleb with a K. Tenille is talking makeovers and Alisha has more important things to worry about. Tenille is not too happy with it, but Alisha is still pissed about Eddie Edwards’ assault by Sami Callihan so he doesn’t have time for this. Tenille says she doesn’t have time for her and she and Kaleb kick her out of the team. They promise to teach her a lesson, but it’ll have to happen later.

* Back from break and Deonna and Kimber are arguing about their loss. They come up on D’Amore and Purrazzo complains about having to deal with an undead zombie in Su Yung along with everything else. D’Amore says it looks like they’ve taken care of Su for now, and since they lost their tournament match she can focus on the Knockouts Championship. He knows its eating away at her, so this Saturday she’ll prove herself by defending the Knockouts Championship against Rosemary. D’Amore walks off after throwing his papers in the air, and Purrazzo and Lee are incredulous that she has to face another demon. Ladies… *Pushes nerd glasses up* Undead zombies aren’t demons.

* Sami Callihan is in the ring with a microphone. He clears his throat and plays Mirror Mirror on the Wall, calling himself the highest-rated Impact wrestler on the wall. He even gets in an Alex Trebek tribute. He says he’s the best in the ring, best on the mic, most must-see wrestler on the planet. Since day one, he’s held Impact on his back and dug it out of the trenches to make it the company he is today. He says Impact needs him more than he needs Impact, and that’s how he gets away with what he does. He talks about his famous baseball bat to Eddie as a mainstream moment (not in the way you’re thinking, Sami), and says he made Edwards relevant. He tells them to play the famous clip, and so we do. But it cuts away just before the actual impact. Sami says Eddie doesn’t lean and keeps sticking his nose into Sami’s business and getting his ass beat, which will continue happening until Eddie’s forced out of the business. So he said what the hell, let’s do this again and hit Eddie with the bat again. He says the incident got Shamrock suspended, but Ken’s great and getting a vacation while Sami holds things down. He calls it “the sequel” but no clip is airing. Instead, Alisha’s music plans and she comes out. Sami tells her to stop because he’s not in the best mood. What does she want to do, fight Sami? She almost got piledriven by Eric Young last time, but EY has better manners than him and if she steps in the ring he’ll break her neck.

Alisha says unlike last time, he didn’t come alone. AND HERE’S EDWARDS FROM BEHIND! He attacks Sami and lays in punches. Sami goes for the bat but Eddie stops him and steps on Sami’s arm. He grabs the bat and Sami begs off. Eddie swings, Sami ducks and gets out of the ring, bailing.

* Still to come: “The most anticipated interview in the history of professional wrestling.” Okay, cool the jets a little. It’s big, but hyperbole has its limits.

* Back from break and Eddie’s excited, saying he’s back. Alisha talks him down and says she helped him, now it’s time for him to help her. He’s all for it and walks off fired up.

Chris Bey & Moose vs. Rich Swann & Willie Mack

Moose and Swann are starting off. Swann talks a bit of trash, and Bey smacks Moose to tag in. Moose looks displeased but acquiesces, and Swann and Bey lock up into a Bey waistlock. Bey tries to roll Swann up off the ropes but Swann holds on.Bey off the ropes, some jumping and flipping and leapfrogging back and forth until Bey goes outside and hits a shoulder to the gut. He leaps in, headscissors that Swann cartwheels out of. Swann dodges a dropkick, Swann caught in a hip toss but flips out, and ultimately hits a dropkick as we go to break.

Back from break and it’s Moose and Mack in the ring. Mack with a big front dropkick, and he avalanches Moose in the corner. Off the ropes and he hits a big kick on Moose. He rushes back in, senton on Moose in the corner! Mack with a big punch to Moose and another, he goes for a third but gets caught with a standing Rock Bottom. Moose picks Willie up for another one! Moose tags Bey in, grabs him and POWER BOMBS HIM onto Mack! Bey with a tag, gets two. Bey stomps on Mack’s hand and punts him in the gut, then boot chokes him for four. Bey picks Mack up, drags him over and Moose tags in. Big punch to the side of the held Mack, and Moose then pulls him over for a chop right in front of Swann. Moose stares at Swann and then walks over to Mack for a stomp. Moose lays in punches to Mack while staring at Swann and then stomps on Mack’s side. Mack wants the tag and Moose mocks him, then stomps him again. He pulls Mack to the hostile corner, slaps Bey to tag him and directs traffic. Legdrop by Bey, pin gets two. Diving European uppercut to the back of Mack’s head and Moose slap-tags himself in and yells that Bey’s taking too long. He picks up Mack and hits a Euro uppercut and a chop. He yells at Bey again and then stands over Mack, picking him slowly up to his knees. He drops him and says he’ll show Swann what pain looks like. He turns around — RIGHT INTO A STUNNER! And ANOTHER ONE takes Moose off his feet! Mack and Moose are crawling to their corners — Swann is in! He kicks Bey who didn’t get to tag, kick to Moose’s gut and another. And a third, then he’s off the ropes for a rana but Moose catches him: powerbomb! Moose tags in Bey, who charges into a big kick. Moose charges and Swann pulls the ropes down, sending him to the outside. Bey leaps at Swann in the corner, Swann ducks but eats a kick. Bey up top but gets kicked in the head, Swann kicks a charging Moose and ranas Bey ONTO Moose! Pinfall attempt on Bey gets two! Swann now picks Bey up, Bey with a shot but Swann ducks the second and hits a neckbreaker and a heel kick. Mack tagged in, he goes up top: Six Star Frog Splash but Bey moves! Bey jumps over a charging Swann, sunset flip and a headscissors into the turnbuckle. Bey off the ropes with a spinning heel kick, but gets pushed up into a European uppercut. Moose in and LIGHTS OUT spear! Moose with mounted punches and elbows to Mack, Swann with a heel kick to Moose and lays into him but gets shoved to the outside. Bey back in and pins Mack for three!

Winner: (7:35)
Rating: ** 1/2
Thoughts: Good stuff here. Mack was always going to take the pin; Bey needs to stay strong for the Final Resolution match and Swann or Moose pinning each other doesn’t make sense at this juncture. The hostile dynamic between Bey and Moose was fun to boot.

* Josh and Madison hype the Omega interview, which is next.

* Back from break, Swann is preparing to exit and security says the Champion has the parking lot blocked off. Swann thinks he means Moose pretending to be Champion with the TNA World Title, but it’s Kenny Omega. Josh shows up and is let through as Swann stars off with the security guy incredulously, then walks off.

* Mathews walks into the empty buss and doesn’t see anyone. He takes a seat and out come Callis and Omega. Omega has the AEW World Title. Callis asks if he wants to see history and says that the ceremonial changing of the nameplate will happen here instead of on AEW television. Kenny wanted to give a gift to the Impact audience here, and Callis starts to do it while Mathews asks about Caliis getting involved. He asks how long this has been in the works, and Callis is more interested first at changing the nameplate. Omega points out that Matthews was “close with Ambrose” in Tough Enough season one. They toss the nameplate away and say they don’t need it. Callis says that they think in years, and say it started 27 years ago when he was trained as a wrestler by the Golden Sheik. They get a picture of Callis with the Sheik, who was Kenny’s uncle. Callis says the Sheik took care of him and introduced him to Kenny when Kenny was ten. Callis says he’s looked after Kenny like the Sheik looked after him. He says he’s always been the invisible hand in Kenny’s life and asks if Josh really thinks he got back into wrestling five years ago to do a podcast? Did we honestly think he came back out of a business career to become a color commentator for NJPW? It was all part of the plan for him to be next to Kenny when he won the IWGP Heavyweight Title. It was all part of the plan for him to come to Impact, and all part of the plan when Tony Khan invited him to his home and offered him at Kenny’s request to call Kenny’s match in the Title Eliminator tournament. And he was such a nice guy that Tony invited him to call the title match. He says he and Kenny are family and most people in wrestling don’t understand that. He says they change history and have done it twice: first when Callis booked Omega against Jericho in the Tokyo Dome, which Tony Khan has said gave birth to AEW.

Omega points out that Tony’s said that a lot of times and says a lot of people take credit for what they accomplished. Callis says the AEW fans are welcome because they made it happen. Callis says some people change history once, but nobody does it twice. That’s what they did, and he says it’s being called “the Golden Screwjob” and the biggest screwjob in wrestling since Montreal. Callis doesn’t see it that way; he sees it as setting the course of history right, because now we have what we always wanted: the greatest wrestler in history is our AEW World Champion. They did it together, which is what makes it the most special. Some people make matches; some people like to make memories. They make history. Josh then asks with all that said, does Kenny feel what happened Wednesday tarnishes his legacy? Callis flips out at that question and Omega asks him to repeat it. Josh breaks it all down with Callis getting involved while Callis stares at him. Omega wants to role reverse and be the interviewer. He asks Josh if he has a father or father figure, and what would happen if someone you hated or despised laid their hands on that person and struck him down before his eyes. Would he hit them back and use an object laying at his feet to do so? He thinks he would. He acknowledges that he placed a gentlemen’s agreement on the match and tried to follow it, but when you lay your hands on the Architect, what do you expect him to do. He says he’s a little pissed at Mathews and says it’s just like him to have this arrogance considering where he came from. Does he feel like he tarnished his legacy? No. Everyone wanted and needed him to be champion. He’s had the greatest matches of all time regardless of style. He’s in about 17 or the top 20 AEW matches, the top matches in Mexico, Japan, UK, Zimbabwe, you name it. So him coming to Impact, Josh should start treating him better. he says he’s getting pissed and he will ask the question Josh wants to know: why Impact? He says it’s because they can: they like to ride and live in style, and says he feels like the old him. But why Impact? He says as a child, he fancied himself a collector and collected comics. He had to quit because no matter how much he spent, how many rare books he collected, he could never get the rarest. Now he has a new hobby, and he has the most valuable prize of them all. The Action Comics #1. And he doesn’t mind if he adds X-Men #1 (AAA Title) to his collection, or Spider-Man #1. Maybe that’s the Impact Championship. He says they have a great champion here. He likes the lifestyle wrestling affords him, and as long as he has the AEW Title, he doesn’t mind having fun in his spare time. Who knows? But for now, they’re close to a big announcement at AEW and have to get to Jacksonville. Kenny says “If you thought the Lex Express was riding in style, I’ve got something even better planned for tomorrow.” Callis asks for a tease, and he gives a clue: Lex Luger. The bus…what else did Lex have? Callis asks him to do “the thing” and Omega says hopefully we didn’t think he’d wrestle tonight, but it’s the first time he’s done the thing on TV in a long time. He asks if they’re ready for it, and does his “I Must bid adieu, goodbye, and good night, BANG!” Callis says they should get out of here, and they get up to go. Omega says “He’s not a bad guy,” and Callis calls him a stooge as they leave and we go to black.

8.0
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
With the likelihood of a lot of new eyes on Impact this week, the company kept to the basics and it was a smart ploy. We had a bit less of the wackier plot elements and more of a focus on the in-ring talent, all of whom delivered fairly well. Then you have the main event segment, which will likely be very divisive among fans for things like referencing WWE. I enjoyed it, Callis delivered and Omega came off as the asshole heel while teasing the possibility of chasing the Impact Championship. The one thing that drives me bonkers is this: how do you have an episode like this and not chop out a small block of time to break down the card for the Impact! Plus show you have this weekend? That's insane to me. Final Resolution was mentioned several times but didn't have as huge a focus as it should have, which is a massively missed opportunity. All in all though, this was a very good show that delivered on what it needed to and kept on its best behavior to potentially entice any new viewers who showed up to stick around for future weeks.
legend

article topics :

Impact Wrestling, Jeremy Thomas