GFW Impact Review - September 14, 2017

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Garza Jr. def. Braxton Sutter

This match came about after Sutter accused Garza of flirting with Allie in a recent backstage segment, and although Garza clarified they were only friends, he blew a kiss to her in this match, so that was weird. Sutter has been teasing a heel turn as of late, and Garza seemingly trying to steal his girl should confirm that. Their match was fun while it lasted and it's cool to see Garza showcased on his own for a change as opposed to being solely relegated to the tag team with Laredo Kid. He has plenty of potential and I'm glad he's building momentum. Allie was hesitant to walk to the back with Sutter afterward, so expect them to split up soon.

Impact Grand Champion Ethan Carter III def. El Hijo del Fantasma

We really haven't seen too much of EC3 as Impact Grand Champion since he won the belt last month, which is a shame because I think he can be a nice heel champion. It's well-documented that I'm not a fan of this match type, but they picked up the pace in the second round and the three round was especially enjoyable. Fantasma was able to score an ample amount of offense over EC3 and made an impact (no pun intended) afterward by aligning himself with GFW's latest acquisition, Pagano. With Eddie Edwards coming to EC3's aid, does this mean EC3 is a babyface again?

LAX Retained the GFW Tag Team Championship in a Four-Way Tag Team Match

I mistakenly thought this show was emanating from Tijuana, but footage was shown from the match taking place at the CRASH promotion in Tijuana instead. It would have been cool if they aired the bout in its entirety, but from what I saw in the highlight package, it looked liked a good, lengthy match. I'm not sure what the justification was for adding two other teams to the matchup, and I couldn't catch the names of the wrestlers that weren't oVe, but based off the backstage face-off they had with LAX, I would assume the feud is not yet over.

Grado def. William Weeks

I still say William Weeks is one the better names I've heard for a jobber. In typical jobber fashion, he was quickly squashed by Grado, though the real focus was on what happened afterward. Grado gave his "farewell" to the audience before Joseph Park revealed he didn't have to be deported after all. Basically, the whole angle with him and Laurel Van Ness was a waste of time, so if you got a kick out of it, maybe you didn't feel the same way.

Trevor Lee def. Sonjay Dutt in a Falls Count Anywhere Match to Win the X-Division Championship

These two have worked extremely well together throughout their feud over the X-Division Championship, so I wasn't surprised in the slightest that they produced yet another entertaining outing here. They made excellent use of the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation by literally taking their fight all around the arena and it made sense for Lee's ally, Caleb Konley, to get involved at that point with there being no disqualifications. I was expecting Petey Williams to help out Dutt, so when he didn't, Dutt regaining the gold shocked me. Then again, Williams challenging Lee for the title at Bound for Glory could be the direction they're headed in.

Taya Valkyrie def. Amber Nova

I've really been digging Taya's work over the past year and half in Lucha Underground, so I'm excited for what she can bring to the Knockouts division in GFW. Thankfully, she'll be a heel from the get-go and a dominant one at that, as she absolutely decimated her opponent in this matchup and must have impressed those who weren't already familiar with her. There was no sign of Rosemary here, but after what we saw last week, that should be her first feud in the company.

Johnny Impact def. Low Ki in a GFW Global Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

The commentators called this the main event (and it probably should have been), but it actually wasn't. I thought they would get more time than they did, so while that was mildly disappointing, they made the most of what they were given and had a well-wrestled matchup. Low Ki was rumored to be on his way out, so it was pretty predictable he wasn't winning, but at least he left on a semi-high note. It was announced that Impact will get his title shot in two weeks at the Victory Road special, and I liked that Eli Drake stood tall over Impact by blindsiding him when the contest concluded.

Lashley and Moose Brawled

Jim Cornette granted Lashley his "unconditional release" from the company earlier in the evening with the demand that he face Moose in the main event. Well, they technically didn't have a match but rather they brawled,  so I don't know if that affects anything. American Top Team was supposed to be escorted off the property by security, yet they managed to resurface by the end of this segment, so the security at Universal Studios must be terrible. In all seriousness, this wasn't too hot of a brawl, and it was an odd way for Lashley to be written out of storylines for now. I highly doubt he's actually departing the company, but you would think he would've put over Moose in the meantime.

Overall Show

This wasn't the strongest show GFW has delivered lately, but it had its fair share of entertaining matches between the opener, Impact vs. Low Ki, EC3 vs. Fantasma and especially the Falls Count Anywhere match. The whole episode centered around Lashley, so it will be interesting to see how that story plays out in the coming weeks. Before Bound for Glory in early November, GFW will host Victory Road in two weeks, but other than the world title match, nothing is currently advertised.