IMPACT vs. Lucha Underground Review - April 6, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Matanza Cueto def. Impact Grand Champion Matt Sydal, Moose, Chavo Guerrero, Jack Evans and Caleb Konley in a Six-Way Match

An "every man for themselves" match was the right type of bout to open the show with to get viewers familiar with some of both promotions' brightest stars. I could have sworn Chavo Guerrero left Lucha Underground two years ago, but apparently he's back. Nevertheless, this was a nice little match with a good pace. Matanza is the most dominant of them all, so he was the smart choice to go with as the winner.

Impact Knockouts Champion Allie def. Taya Valkyrie

Allie and Taya hadn't worked against each other prior to this point in IMPACT, so it was a fresh match and an enjoyable one at that. Taya is obviously great and Allie has come into her own in this role in recent months. I also know that they're capable of more, so here's hoping this was a case of them holding back a bit so they can go all out in a future feud over the Knockouts title. Taya has had bad blood with Rosemary lately, so I'm surprised Rosemary was nowhere to be seen here.

Scott Steiner and Teddy Hart def. oVe

What is Hart's appeal? I know of him and am aware that he has been wrestling for a long time on the independent scene, but is he actually a draw in any way? I ask because I thought his inclusion on this show was a head-scratching decision. The same can be said for Steiner. He's a notable name from IMPACT's past, sure, but he can barely wrestle at this point. I give credit to oVe for trying to make the most of this, but it turned out to be a train wreck.

King Cuerno, Drago and Aerostar def. Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier and DJZ

Wait a second, Cuerno is El Hijo del Fantasma? How did I not realize that before?! At any rate, this was an incredibly entertaining six-man tag team match. Drago and Aerostar have always had awesome chemistry in Lucha Underground, and they were the perfect opponents for the X-Division stars. By the way, when did DJZ return to the ring? I know he's been out hurt a bunch of times, but I don't think I've seen him appear on IMPACT TV in over a year. He looked excellent here and I hope IMPACT uses him more going forward.

Trevor Lee def. Marty "The Moth" Martinez

Lee and Martinez are two of the wilder wrestlers in their respective promotions in regards to their gimmicks, so they were a logical fit for each other. This won't be remembered as being a five-star mat classic, but it was decent for what it was and didn't overstay its welcome. Famous B interfering was predictable, but it didn't even lead to a win for Martinez, which was weird.

Impact Tag Team Champions LAX def. Killshot and The Mack

LAX have been in desperate need of new challengers to their tag titles lately, so why not bring in Killshot and The Mack for a program at some point? IMPACT's depleted tag team division could certainly use them. This was a fantastic match that was all action and featured plenty of terrific tag team wrestling. The only issue with it was that you knew for a fact LAX weren't dropping the straps, but aside from that, this was the best bout on the entire show.

Cage def. Eli Drake

Drake is definitely known for his above-average mic skills, so it was smart to have him ramble on and on beforehand and run down those in attendance to elicit heat. Cage has been a force to be reckoned with in IMPACT since his debut last month, so it made sense to have him beat another former world champion. The match itself was solid, but Cage continuing to build momentum was the bigger story.

Jeremiah Crane def. Eddie Edwards in an "I Quit" Match

These two brutalized each other with weapon after weapon, and although it definitely felt like a blood feud, it wasn't a terribly exciting match I thought. There were quite a few dull periods and it tended to drag, but I did appreciate the effort both men put forth. Just the stipulation didn't work to their benefit. Crane/Sami Callihan winning keeps the feud alive, but the finish with Don Callis throwing in the towel for Edwards was pretty lame.

Pentagon Dark def. Impact World Champion Austin Aries and Fenix in a Three-Way Match (Non-title)​

The main event was originally supposed to pit Aries and Fenix against Alberto El Patron and Pentagon, but Patron pulled out of the show for some reason that was not made clear. He was later released by the company, which should've happened last summer but better late than never. In all honesty, the match we were treated to instead might have been an improvement over whatever they had planned before. It didn't last too long, mind you, but it was a blast from beginning to end and the crowd loved every second of it. Apparently we'll be getting a rematch for the title at Redemption, so it made sense for Pentagon to pick up the win and build momentum.

Overall Show

This was the last wrestling event for me to watch from WrestleMania weekend because everything else took precedence, but this was still a unique enough show that I'm glad I checked out. IMPACT has had a bit more buzz around it recently than it has in a long while and I'm a big believer (pun intended) in Lucha Underground, so the concept was cool and the execution was well done with most of the matches delivering. It would be amazing if this led to more of a working relationship between the two companies because the wrestling world could use more of that.