IMPACT! Wrestling Review - August 5, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Chris Bey def. Juice Robinson

Jay White, who has befriended Bey recently, will be facing David Finlay, Robinson's tag team partner, at New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Resurgence event this month. Both of these guys are talented and unsurprisingly this was an entertaining opener. With Robinson being a former IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, this was a big win for Bey. I'm happy to see him and White still aligned with each other.

Mickie James Revealed Melina as Impact Knockout Champion Deonna Purrazzo's Opponent for NWA Empowerrr

Matt Rehwoldt introduced Purrazzo, so I'm curious if he'll remain a part of her act as the new King and Queen of IMPACT or if this was solely a one-off. This was a solid segment and I like the idea of Purrazzo defending her title against Melina at Empowerrr. James vs. Purrazzo obviously would have been the bigger and better match, but maybe there are other plans for James at the event. Melina isn't what she was in the ring a decade or so ago, but she can still go to a certain extent and it should be a good inter-promotional battle.

Jake Something def. Daivari, Trey Miguel and Rohit Raju in an Impact X-Division Championship No. 1 Contender's Four-Way Match

As I've said time and time again, the X-Division is firing on all cylinders at the moment and I appreciate that IMPACT is constantly throwing fresh faces into the mix. For example, Something hasn't been involved in the title picture at all recently, so he made the most sense to win as he's a new opponent for Josh Alexander. This was a well-wrestled, nicely-paced four-way. Alexander vs. Something is on for for Emergence. The only thing I don't like is how Miguel seems to be lost in the shuffle right now despite winning his feud against Sami Callihan a few months ago.

Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace def. Fire 'N Flava

I was hoping the ongoing tension between Ellering and Grace, which went on for many weeks, would culminate in Grace turning on Ellering, but it never happened and I don't think it will at this point. Maybe down the road, but definitely not now given that they had matching gear here. This was a quality contest with an expected outcome. Fire 'N Flava officially broke up afterward with Savannah Evans debuting as Tasha Steelz debuting, attacking Kiera Hogan and aligning herself with Steelz. It was a logical sendoff for Hogan and I'm happy that IMPACT substituted one team with another so the division didn't lose anything.

Steve Maclin def. Jah-C

Maclin continues to show more and more intensity every time I see him in action. I don't know where this aggression was when he was in WWE, not to mention that he hasn't really struck me as someone they missed the boat on while he was there, but at least he's off to a solid start in IMPACT. This was another fairly standard squash for him with Petey Williams showing up and brawling with him afterward to further that feud.

Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan and Frankie Kazarian def. The Elite (Impact World Champion Kenny Omega and Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers)

It was cool to see Kazarian back in action on IMPACT! Wrestling for the first time in seven years. We've seen several six-man tag team matches featuring The Elite this year in IMPACT, so while this wasn't anything out of the ordinary, it was enjoyable and everyone played their roles well. I'm hoping Edwards picking up the win for his team means he'll be winning next week's number one contender's Battle Royal, but based on the post-match angle, it looks like he still has unfinished business with W. Morrissey.

Overall Show

For those that missed it, IMPACT is no longer airing for free on Twitch. I don't get AXS TV, so I'll have to resort to signing up for their monthly YouTube subscription program in order to watch it. Thankfully, it's only a dollar, so it's not that big of a deal. This was an easy thumbs-up episode with Omega wrestling in the main event (for whatever that's worth at this point), Hogan's sendoff (for real this time), build for the coming weeks, and Melina making a surprise appearance. IMPACT! Wrestling remains one of the most consistent wrestling shows each week as far as the quality is concerned.

SEE MORE: IMPACT Reviews