IMPACT Against All Odds Review - June 9, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion KiLynn King def. Nevaeh

It seems like the Knockouts tag titles are always being relegated to the pay-per-view/live special pre-shows. Although it doesn't personally bother me, it doesn't exactly make those belts feel important, especially when the same people are fighting for them month after month. Nevaeh previously teamed with Havok in IMPACT before leaving back in 2021. She's an Ohio native, but beyond that, I don't know why this match existed other than to get The Coven on the show. It was fine for what it was, though.

Pre-Show: Impact Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry def. Dirty Dango

I've been digging Dango's new heel character, so I'm bummed he didn't take the title for Hendry here. Him basically saying coming into this event that he didn't care about the title and that he'd be holding it hostage in a way would've been interesting, but I guess Dango doesn't need it for his feud with Santino Marella. This wasn't much different from their last encounter and may have benefited from a stipulation of some sort.

Frankie Kazarian def. Eddie Edwards

Both Kazarian and Edwards have obviously been around the block and thus it was hardly surprising that this was a top-notch opener. There was plenty of quality action in this one and it made for an enjoyable back-and-forth bout. Although they're both basically bulletproof, Kazarian winning was the right call coming off his series of sit-down interviews that I have to imagine are building toward another Impact World Championship opportunity for him eventually.

Impact World Tag Team Champions ABC def. The Good Hands

Despite IMPACT's best efforts, Good Hands did not feel like legitimate threats to the tag titles whatsoever. It's literally in their name! That doesn't mean this wasn't a fun match, though. They worked well with ABC, who have consistently been killing it against all of their opponents this year. The outcome was never in doubt and it would have been ridiculous to have the titles change hands here, but Good Hands did gain some credibility in defeat.

Masha Slamovich def. Killer Kelly in a Dog Collar Match

I'm quite shocked the crowd was as quiet for this as they were. I realize that was the case for a majority of this show for whatever reason, but with this being so brutal, you'd think they would've reacted a little louder. Nonetheless, this was a hell of a fight that lived up to my expectations. The stipulation fit the feud and both women thrived in this environment. IMPACT will likely do what they always do and have these women team up now.

Chris Sabin def. Trey Miguel to Win the Impact X-Division Championship

Their first encounter at Under Siege was stellar and this was equally entertaining. Both guys are on another level right now and put together another gem of a match that could have gone either way. It's been a while since Sabin last held singles gold, so I can't complain about him being the one to end Miguel's lengthy reign as Impact X-Division Champion. Unless he gets the belt back soon, hopefully Miguel can be elevated coming out of this run as opposed to becoming directionless in the midcard again like the last time he dropped the title.

Nick Aldis def. Heath, Bully Ray, Jonathan Gresham, Rich Swann, Moose, PCO and "Speedball" Mike Bailey in an Impact World Championship No. 1 Contender's 8-4-1 Match

I confused by the rules at first, but they ended up being pretty easy to follow. It's a cool concept that I can see becoming an annual staple at Against All Odds right before Slammiversary. The eight-man tag team match wasn't anything out of the ordinary and the correct team won. The four-way that followed was very good, but Aldis winning was the only logical outcome to me. This was well executed, though it would have been nice to know how certain wrestlers earned their spot in this thing.

Impact Knockouts World Champion Deonna Purrazzo and Trinity def. Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans

Purrazzo vs. Trinity for the Impact Knockouts World Championship has already been made official for Slammiversary, so this only existed to get them on the Against All Odds card and establish that they can coexist (a told that's been done to death, I know). Shaw and Evans were essentially background noise. I thought they might pull out an upset win, but apparently not. It was a solid match that could have easily taken place on any average edition of IMPACT! Wrestling.

oVe (Sami Callihan, Jake Crist and Madman Fulton) def. The Design (Deaner, Angels and Kon) in an Ohio Street Fight

It's been a few years since we last saw oVe together in IMPACT, so this was a cool reunion (Dave Crist wasn't needed since he was revealed to be problematic during Speaking Out). This was complete chaos, so if you enjoy that sort of thing, then this was for you. The crowd liked it and I won't argue that it had its moments, but I've been beyond ready for this rivalry to be over for some time, so the fact this was presumably the blow-off was my top takeaway. The Design are a dead act, which isn't to say they ever had life to begin with.

Alex Shelley def. Steve Maclin to Win the Impact World Championship

All signs pointed to Shelley being another challenger of the month for Maclin, especially after Aldis became number one contender earlier in the show. Additionally, Maclin's reign was just getting started and I assumed him retaining here was virtually guaranteed, but I couldn't be happier with what we got instead. Shelley has had an outstanding career, but a world title has always alluded him until now. I'm stoked he got that moment. It was an excellent main event on top of that with the crowd coming alive once they picked up the pace. The Motor City Machine Guns celebrating as champions to close the show was an awesome visual.

Overall Show

Props to IMPACT for producing a strong show with such a short turnaround time (Under Siege was literally two weeks ago). The build was so rushed that I didn't think this would be a newsworthy event, but we ended up with a new Impact World Champion and a new Impact X-Division Champion being crowned. Both bouts were fantastic as well and the rest of the card was superb. IMPACT tends to put their best foot forward with the pay-per-views/live specials and this was no exception.

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