IMPACT Turning Point Review - November 20, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Chris Sabin def. Ace Austin

IMPACT continuing to put their X-Division guys in the openers is such a smart move because it always starts the show on a high note. Sabin and Austin have strong chemistry together and thus it was no surprise that they killed it here. Austin is an absolute star and will only benefit from working with seasoned veterans like Sabin. Sabin beating Austin just as Austin started to put on his "I Beat Chris Sabin" shirt was a nice touch. I'm definitely down for a rubber match on an upcoming episode of IMPACT! Wrestling.

Violent By Design (Eric Young and Joe Doering) def. Heath and Rhino

This was a rematch from Bound for Glory except with Young in the ring instead of Deaner. Considering Young just returned to the ring, it was wise to have his team go over. This was much more of a match than what we got at Bound for Glory and it ended up being decent. They told a solid story and the heels picking up the dirty win keeps the feud alive. I assume Young vs. Rhino is still to come.

Rich Swann def. VSK

Swann was supposed to go one-on-one with Myers on this show, but Myers wasn't cleared to compete, so VSK took his place. I could've sworn we've seen Swann beat VSK in a matter of minutes not too long ago on IMPACT! Wrestling, so seeing this go a lot longer was weird. Don't get me wrong, VSK is a talented dude and this was a well-wrestled affair, but it was a bit unbelievable that VSK would take a former Impact World Champion to the limit after being treated like an enhancement talent for so long. Again, though, this was a nice little match, making the best of an unfortunate situation.

W. Morrissey def. Matt Cardona

I liked the video package that aired beforehand recapping the bad blood between these two as of late. It made a midcard match more meaningful. They had the type of match you'd expect and that's not a bad thing at all. Both men have been busting their asses since coming to IMPACT and have gotten to showcase their skills a bit more than when they were in WWE. Morrissey winning was the right call, but it's also interesting because reportedly his contract with IMPACT just expired. Here's hoping he sticks around in IMPACT because there's still more to be done with him, including a match with Moose who helped him pick up the victory here.

Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champions The IInspiration def. Decay (Rosemary and Havok)

This was along the same lines as the match these teams had at Bound for Glory, though a bit better. The IInspiration were never known for their stellar in-ring work in WWE, but this was one of the best matches I've seen them have together. Decay were a fine team for them to be working with and thus this was enjoyable for what it was. There was no way The IInspiration were losing those belts so soon after winning them.

Impact X-Division Champion Trey Miguel def. Laredo Kid and Steve Maclin in a Three-Way Match

I wasn't a fan of adding Maclin to this match. Not because Maclin isn't talented (he's actually far exceeded my expectations so far in IMPACT with the standout performances he's been having) but rather because the story was that Maclin can't win multi-man matches and is never pinned. That was once again the case here, and as a result, nothing was accomplished. I understood what they were going for, but the finish came off as confusing. The match itself was entertaining as the X-Division guys continue to kill it.

Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James def. Mercedes Martinez

Just remember that WWE presumably let these women go because they saw them as being "too old." Ugh. I'm glad IMPACT picked them up because they're excellent additions to the Knockouts division. They didn't steal the show or anything, but they had a damn good match here with both women proving that they're still at the top of their game. Immediately afterward, Deonna Purrazzo resurfaced for the first time since Bound for Glory, attacked James and announced that she intends to invoke her rematch clause at Hard to Kill.

Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers def. Bullet Club (Chris Bey and Hikuleo)

Good Brothers not appearing in AEW at all over the last month or so has been very noticeable. I'm not complaining, but it's odd that they went from appearing alongside The Elite so often to not appearing alongside them at all. Despite that, they're still the Impact World Tag Team Champions and I'm not sure if that's the best move. Bey and Hikuelo are a better team and had the stronger showing here. This was your average Good Brothers match with the typical dirty finish. I'm ready for their run as champs to be over, but I don't know what team could ultimately beat them. Heath and Rhino are an option, but they don't feel ready for that yet.

Jonah Attacked Josh Alexander

I was wondering why Alexander vs. Minouri Suzuki from this past week's edition of IMPACT! Wrestling wouldn't be saved for Turning Point, but then I realized Suzuki has already left back to Japan and this event was apparently live. We found out here that Alexander's next rival will be none other than Jonah, the recently released Bronson Reed from WWE NXT. He also made his debut in New Japan Pro-Wrestling a week ago and he feels like a great fit for IMPACT as well. This wasn't any ordinary debut, either. Jonah beat the hell out of Alexander and left him bleeding from the mouth. It was an awesome visual that cemented him as a monster from the get-go.

Impact World Champion Moose def. Eddie Edwards in a Full Metal Mayhem Match

I mentioned coming into this show that Full Metal Mayhem was the perfect stipulation for these two given how long they've been feuding for. This wasn't the classic contest I was hoping for, but the effort was there and there were enough crazy spots to make the stipulation worthwhile. It hit a lull in the middle when Morrissey interfered and Cardona came out to stop him, but it made sense after what happened earlier in the evening. This was a hardcore war that I enjoyed, but hopefully this is it for Edwards vs. Moose.

Overall Show

I honestly may have enjoyed this event more on the whole than I did Bound for Glory. It felt like more matches clicked and the Jonah debut was what a lot of people were hoping to see at that pay-per-view, even though no titles changed hands. These Impact Plus specials always fly by and this was a great one to end the year on. From what it sounds like, there will no Final Resolution show this year and instead they'll be holding off until Hard to Kill in January.

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