GFW Impact Review - November 2, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Allie and Rosemary def. GFW Knockouts Champion Sienna and KC Spinelli

Spinelli is reportedly set to work next week's Impact Wrestling tapings in Canada, so this was our first look at her. She had a decent showing, but nothing she did stood out as special (which is tough when there's three other established names involved in the match). I'm not sure why Allie teamed with Rosemary and not Gail Kim aside from how they're friends, but at least the feud was furthered between Allie and Sienna. Allie pinning the champ helped her build momentum toward Bound for Glory as well.

Dan Lambert Addressed the Audience

I was not a fan of the last segment Lambert appeared in because it felt like it dragged on forever and Lambert's voice is extremely obnoxious, but this was a bit better in my opinion in getting more heat on American Top Team and Lashley. Granted, it would have been nice to hear from Lashley and not just Lambert, but it successfully hyped the Six Sides of Steel tag team match at Bound for Glory, nevertheless.

Moose and Yuji Okabayashi def. Katsuhiko Nakajima and Masa Kitamiya

Instead of interrupting Lambert and brawling with Lashley, Moose wrestled this random match in the NOAH promotion. And no, none of the other three guys will be a part of Bound for Glory. Don't get me wrong, it was a solid, hard-hitting affair, but I don't know what it had to do with the pending pay-per-view. It just came across like filler. What's weirder is that Moose didn't even pick up the pinfall win for his team.

Dezmond Xavier def. X-Division Champion Trevor Lee, Matt Sydal, Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt and Garza Jr. in a Six-Way Match (Non-title)

We are getting this same exact match at Bound for Glory, just with the title on the line, so the commentators tried to explain why this match was happening by saying that Lee requested it, apparently so he could get to know his opponents ahead of the event. I'm not kidding. Why not just wait to do the matchup at the pay-per-view? It was very well-wrestled and definitely fun from start to finish, but it seemed silly to me. It was cool to see Xavier score the victory after he completely disappeared from TV despite winning the Super X Cup a few months back.

Jeremy Borash Interviewed Gail Kim

Impact Wrestling did a good job of editing out any mention of Taryn Terrell, who has since parted ways with the company and won't be wrestling at the pay-per-view. I mistakenly though Sunday would mark Kim's in-ring retirement, but that may not necessarily be the case as it was clarified here that rather it will be her final Bound for Glory. At any rate, this was a straightforward and effective promo from Kim before she vies for the Knockouts Championship.

Johnny Impact and GFW World Tag Team Champions oVe def. GFW Global Champion Eli Drake and LAX

Incorporating two of the top feuds in one match was a basic approach, but it did make for an enjoyable six-man tag team match while it lasted. oVe continue to do nothing for me and I really hope Sunday marks the end of their reign as tag team champs, but thankfully Impact is an exciting performer and held my interest while Drake and LAX are always a blast to watch. I liked how the babyfaces went over yet it was Drake and Chris Adonis who were the last men standing by attacking Mundo in brutal fashion afterward. I smell a title change coming.

Overall Show

Believe it or not, this was the go-home show for Bound for Glory on Sunday. I can't say it moved the needle for me whatsoever in terms of getting me amped up for the event, which is how I feel about the annual event every year it seems. The card certainly has potential on paper and there has been plenty to like about the on-air product lately, but they have to deliver when it matters most at Bound for Glory. As for this show, the in-ring action left a lot to be desired aside from the main event and maybe the opener, but there were more than enough video packages to get fans familiar with the storylines that are set to culminate come Sunday.