 Flip Gordan def. Rhett Titus in a Pure Rules MatchBoth of these guys seem to be on the ascent at the moment, so this could have easily gone either way. The Pure Rules matches have turned out to be a lot of fun and this was well-worked. Titus has typically bored me in the past, but he's been a lot more interesting as a character since joining The Foundation while Gordan continues to be a loner looking for a title opportunity. I liked the finish with Gordan hitting Titus with a closed punch (which you're only allowed one of in this type of match) before hitting his finisher for victory for the victory. He was subsequently suspended from the Pure division for his antics, but as he said himself, he can always move on to a different division and chase that championship instead.
 Pre-Show: Brian Myers def. Josh AlexanderThese two previously clashed on an episode of IMPACT! Wrestling and I believe Myers won by disqualification following interference from Ethan Page. They're both heels as far as I know, but this was a very well-wrestled match, nonetheless. Myers has been able to showcase his skills since coming to IMPACT and Alexander is very good in his own right. I didn't think Alexander would take the clean loss since he was so heavily protected during his time with Page in The North. He has major potential as a singles star, so hopefully IMPACT will capitalize on that eventually and not waste him in the undercard for the remainder of his contract.
 Legado del Fantasma (Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde) def. The Bollywood Boyz in a Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First-Round MatchSome matches with Bollywood Boyz are better than others, but this was pretty good for the most part as they held their own and Legado del Fantasma were great as always. The pace was constantly moving, even though some of the spots were slightly awkward. The outcome was never in doubt, but I wasn't bored for the near-10 minutes this went for. Needless to say, Legado del Fantasma advancing was the right call.
 Shinsuke Nakamura def. Jey UsoFirst and foremost, "The Rising Sun" is back! That's tremendous. If the plan is indeed for Nakamura to become a full-fledged face again (which it should be), then that was the first step. It's crazy to think he was a heel longer in WWE than he ever was a face, and that includes his NXT run. Nonetheless, this was a fun opener with Uso once again putting in a great effort before eating defeat. Cesaro congratulated him afterward, but I'm wondering how long it will be before he turns on Nakamura. Nakamura later said he's coming for Roman Reigns, so maybe that's the match for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in February?
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