IMPACT! Wrestling Review - April 19, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Fallah Bahh and Scarlett Bordeaux def. Desi Hit Squad

We still have yet to see Bordeaux compete in a serious singles match with other women on the roster (meaning I have no clue how good she actually is in the ring), but I'm fine with her forming an alliance with Bahh for the time being. They have teased getting together in the past, so this has been in the works for a while. As a match, this was exactly what you'd expect in being complete comedy, but at least everyone played their roles. I'm just surprised it lasted as long as it did.

Dez def. Moose

Moose has been at odds with The Rascalz for weeks and Dez was the only member of the group Moose had yet to face. This was a really nice match with Dez playing the David to Moose's Goliath. There were a handful of fun spots and Moose looked extra impressive in dominating Dez whenever he was on offense. I guess The Rascalz had to win one against Moose eventually, but Dez winning in the fluky fashion he did didn't do him many favors.

Madman Fulton def. Tommy Dreamer

Tommy Dreamer vs. Sawyer Fulton from NXT isn't a match I ever thought I'd see, especially in IMPACT, but here we are. I can't believe Dreamer is still wrestling as regularly as he is on national television in 2019, but to his credit, he held his own here and Fulton did most of the work. It was a decent match that established Fulton as a monster and gave oVe more heat with the post-match attack.

Madison Rayne def. Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie (Non-title)

Man, what a waste this was. Rayne has looked great since returning to IMPACT, but this was total throwaway. The match was barely a minute long and, halfway through, Jordynne Grace arrived at ringside to distract Valkyrie and cost her the victory. I was fine with Gail Kim costing Tessa Blanchard the win against Rayne recently, but this was a step too far and felt like lazy booking. Valkyrie shouldn't be losing so close to her upcoming title defense. I mean, at this point, why isn't Rayne just added to the Impact Knockouts Championship matchup at Rebellion considering she now holds victories over Valkyrie and Blanchard?

Impact World Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers def. Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards

Drake and Edwards have been on quite the winning streak lately, leading to them earning a shot at the twin titles here. I was looking forward to this because of the talent involved, and while it was very entertaining for the five minutes it was given, it definitely would have benefited from being given more time. Afterward, The Lucha Brothers and LAX brawled to the back, leaving Drake to turn on Edwards in predictable fashion. Unfortunately, Drake has since been released from IMPACT, so their storyline won't have the chance to culminate at the pay-per-view.

Overall Show

None of the matches on this week's edition of IMPACT! Wrestling were remotely memorable in my opinion, which hurt the episode on the whole. On the bright side, though, the build for Rebellion was solid and it's shaping up to be a must-see show. IMPACT has one episode left to hype up the event, so hopefully they can deliver something special next week to generate some last minute buzz.