IMPACT 1000 Review - September 14, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

A 10-Knockouts Tag Team Match Was Announced for Next Week

This segment felt as long in person as it came across on television, but it was still super cool to see so many of IMPACT's biggest Knockouts from the past and present share the ring. As Matthew Rehwoldt said on commentary, the mood definitely changed when Awesome Kong showed up. The promos were fairly basic, but they did a nice job of setting up next week's huge 10-Knockouts tag team match and the crowd popped for all of the returns.

Chris Bey, Crazzzy Steve, Yuya Uemura and Moose Won Feast or Fired Briefcases

I always thought the Feast or Fired concept was silly (especially since it sometimes led to wrestlers being legitimately fired), but I'm fine with it being brought back in light of the special occasion. Per usual, it was a total mess with so many people involved and only a few people in the ring at a time, but they made it work. Three people will get title shots and one will be "fired," though I genuinely do not know who will end up with what. Also, Rhyno returned! That was an unexpected treat.

Team 3D def. Desi Hit Squad

This marked Team 3D's first time teaming in over seven years. I believe Devon (a.k.a. D-Von) retired from the ring following their on-air WWE sendoff in August 2016 and they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame soon after, so I didn't think we'd ever see them in action together again. Thus, this was fun. It didn't air on the show, but Bully Ray addressed the crowd afterward. I assume this was a one-off, but with Edge potentially becoming a free agent soon, maybe we see The Dudleys, The Hardys, and Edge and Christian interact one last time somewhere? On a side note, Desi Hit Squad was represented by Champagne Singh and the returning Rohit Raju here.

Josh Alexander Was Confronted by Impact World Champion Alex Shelley Before Being Attacked by Impact World Tag Team Champions The Rascalz

As expected, Alexander is headed back after the Impact World Championship he never lost after beating Steve Maclin at Victory Road. I really liked his verbal exchange with Shelley here to set up that match for Bound for Glory, though it wasn't made official. The Rascalz attacking Alexander and Shelley simply walking off was interesting, as it looks like Shelley will be turning heel for this feud with Alexander. How will that affect The Motor City Machine Guns, if at all?

Frankie Kazarian and Traci Brooks def. Eddie Edwards and Alisha Edwards

This was never going to be a mat classic, specifically when Traci and Alisha were in there together, but this turned out to be pretty good and more about the significance of Traci returning to the ring being an OG Knockout. That's also why it was cool when her husband Frankie informed her afterward that she'll be inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame over Bound for Glory weekend. Well deserved. I'm curious if this marked the end of the Kazarian vs. Edwards rivalry or if they'll have one more match at Bound for Glory. If not, I'm not sure what they do instead other than compete in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet.

Chris Sabin def. Lio Rush to Win the Impact X-Division Championship

I assumed this would be saved for Bound for Glory, but it made sense for this show with it being a historic occasion and Sabin having appeared on the first-ever episode almost 20 years ago. That's why it also made sense for Sabin to become a 10-time champ. The match itself was excellent and exactly what I was hoping for from them. It was fitting that the X-Division got the main event spotlight on this show given how they've been the backbone of TNA/IMPACT since its inception.

Overall Show

It was a total blast being in attendance for this episode (and next week's, which was taped the same night last weekend). It was my first IMPACT event since January 2015, and for as much as the promotion has changed, there's still a lot to like about the product right now and I give them credit for going all out for the grand 1,000th episode. This was one of my favorite episodes in a while as it had a terrific mix of nostalgia, storyline development and memorable moments. Bound for Glory isn't until October 21st, so they can afford to hold off on setting anything in stone for the card for another week or two.

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