Sam Shaw def. Scorpio Sky, Sammy Guevara and Colt Cabana in a NWA National Championship Fatal 4-Way Elimination Qualifying MatchI love how we heard from most of the competitors (everyone except for Shaw) beforehand. It raised the stakes of the match and made that NWA National Championship feel more important. For a four-way elimination match, this was way too short at seven minutes long. It was fun while it lasted, but the finish felt abrupt. Shaw was easily the weakest choice to go over, so that was surprising. However, Guevara stood out in a major way with all of his crazy high spots and Sky and Cabana also had solid showings. Barrett Brown def. Laredo KidI'm familiar with Laredo Kid but have never heard of Barrett Brown before. They worked well together, but I felt it lacked a strong story and that extra spark that would've taken it to that next level. It's odd that these guys were given more time than the four-way, but at least the crowd was invested in more of the action. Laredo Kid is an AAA guy, so I assume that's why Brown picked up the win, even though I don't think I've seen him in the NWA since.
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Willie Mack def. Cousin Jake, Acey Romero, Daga, Rohit Raju, Jake Crist, Chris Bey and Trey in an Impact X-Division Championship No. 1 Contender's Scramble MatchAlthough it was a random assortment of wrestlers, this was a very enjoyable opener with everyone busting their butt and putting in a great effort. Having a future shot at the X-Division title at stake made it more meaningful and the action was entertaining for as long as it lasted. Mack was a smart and logical choice to win considering he recently crossed paths with Austin Ace and those two could have a fun feud together. Moose def. Chase StevensMoose has had an issue with TNA Originals lately, likely due to the TNA: There's No Place Like Home event that was supposed to take place over WrestleMania weekend before it was cancelled. Other than a match or two in 2013, Stevens hasn't wrestled regularly for IMPACT since 2007 and is a former three-time tag team champion with Andy Douglas. The match was short, sweet and inoffensive. Suicide, the character that debuted in a TNA video game in 2008, returned afterward and went after Moose, but I'm not sure if we'll ever get that matchup due to the special being called off.
Jake Hager def. Joe AlonzoHager is perfect in matches where he gets to completely dominate and showcase his skills as an MMA fighter. I don't have a strong desire to see him in competitive matches at this point after what we saw from him and Dustin Rhodes at Revolution last month. This was exactly what it needed to be with Hager decimating Alonzo in under a minute. More straightforward squashes like this will establish him as a force to be reckoned with. Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall def. Matt Sells and Jon CruzI still don't get the pairing of Rhodes and Marshall, and although there are much better teams in the tag division, they've worked well together thus far. Cruz and Sells sold well (how could I not make that pun?) for them but didn't really stand out as anything special. I will say, though, that Brandi Rhodes is in her element as a valet (especially if her one-night return to ring announcing last week was any indication). If she isn't going to accompany Cody to the ring anymore, his brother Dustin is probably the next best option.
WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Asuka def. Kayden CarterBetween SmackDown, Raw and now Main Event, Asuka has been all over WWE programming lately. I'm curious if Kairi Sane has been affected by the recent travel ban at all and if we're still getting The Kabuki Warriors vs. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 36 after all. At any rate, this was a perfectly fine match. Carter is still very green, but she held her own here as Asuka carried her to a competent contest. Humberto Carrillo def. Danny BurchYes, this was as random as Asuka vs. Carter, but WWE is obviously using a lot of NXT stars right now for their Raw, SmackDown and Main Event shows while filming from the Performance Center. Thankfully, Burch is very good and can work well with just about anyone. I feel bad for Carrillo, who has dropped down to Main Event purgatory since again failing to win the United States Championship at Elimination Chamber. It looked like he'd get another shot in a Fatal 4-Way at WrestleMania, but we found out on Monday that will be not be the case. This was a very fun clash of styles with the right guy going over.
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