IMPACT! Wrestling Review - August 30, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Golden Magic def. Trey, TJP and Taurus in a Four-Way Match

It's cool that IMPACT always uses unknown talent (at least unknown to most of the American audience) from Mexico whenever they tape TV there. It helps get other fans familiar with them and gives them a platform where they can showcase their skills. This was a fun four-way where everyone got the chance to shine at one point or another and I was surprised that Magic picked up the victory. Based off his interaction with TJP afterward, though, I assume those two will clash one-on-one on an upcoming episode.

Willie Mack and Rich Swann def. The Rascalz

This had the potential to be a barn burner based off who was involved. While it never ended up being as exciting as I hoped, it was very well wrestled and as enjoyable as the opener. I'm really digging Mack and Swann as a tandem, not only because of their strong chemistry but also because it gives both men something meaningful to do now that Swann has moved on from the Impact X-Division Championship scene. They'll been winning a lot lately, so here's hoping this means they're being groomed for a shot at the Impact World Tag Team Championship.

Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie vs. Big Mami

It has been hyped up for the last week that if Valkyrie could survive this show as the Impact Knockouts Champion, she'd be the longest-reigning Impact Knockouts Champion in company history as of Monday (I see longer reigns listed online, but perhaps they're going by when these women won the gold on TV and not on the night of the taping). You had to know she'd choose a local loser, but this was actually more competitive than I thought it would be. Unfortunately, it was awful. The debuting Tenille Dashwood confronting Valkyrie afterward and staking her claim at the championship was really what this was all about. She's the right woman to take that title from Valkyrie in my opinion.

Jordynne Grace and Chica Tormenta def. Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne by Disqualification; Rosemary, Grace and Tormenta def. Vanilla, Hogan and Rayne

The first tag team match didn't last long at all until it randomly ended in a disqualification because Rayne and Grace were brawling at ringside (?). The subsequent six-woman tag team matchup wasn't much better, as it was very disjointed and didn't flow very well. I understand it was designed to further the feuds involved and get some local talent in there (which I appreciated), but as a match, this was a miss. Grace and Rayne walking out on Vanilla could be seen coming from a mile away.

Michael Elgin def. Rhino in a Falls Count Anywhere Match

I thought their first match against each other was much better than expected, but this wasn't on that same level, sadly. It felt like it dragged along and didn't feature anything overly exhilarating. I figured they'd benefit from the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation, but apparently not. Rather, it dragged on for far too long. On the bright side, Elgin won decisively. Hopefully now he can move on to bigger and better things (assuming he doesn't immediately re-enter the Impact World Championship picture).

Overall Show

IMPACT is usually entertaining to some degree, and even if the episodes don't light the world on fire, they at least are consistent in progressing certain storylines and giving viewers something to look forward to the following week. This edition of IMPACT! Wrestling featured build for LAX vs. The North next week as well as two quality matches at the start of the show, but it fell off a cliff from there. The stuff with the women was bad this week and the main event was underwhelming. This was a rare below-average effort from IMPACT, so fingers crossed they can bounce back with a solid show next week.