IMPACT! Wrestling Review - December 15, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Eddie Edwards def. Delirious

This was originally booked for last week's show before being bumped due to Josh Alexander vs. Mike Bailey going long. I honestly don't care to see Delirious in the ring, but this was a well wrestled match while it lasted and featured good work from both guys. Plus, it gave Edwards a momentum-boosting victory. Post-match, Jonathan Gresham returned for the first time since the spring, which is cool because he was supposed to face Edwards at Rebellion the last time we saw him. I'm glad he's picking up where he left off in IMPACT.

Bully Ray def. John Skyler

Skyler received a mini push at one point but has barely been featured this year it feels like. He didn't get much of a chance to do anything here since he was quickly squashed by Bully. The real focal point was on the verbal exchange Bully and Tommy Dreamer had afterward. Although I don't need to see Bully and Dreamer feuding in 2022, I thought this was well done and both guys cut compelling promos. They're telling an interesting enough story with Josh Alexander, Bully and Dreamer and I applaud them for that.

The Major Players def. Decay (Crazzy Steve and Black Taurus)

Major Players obviously remain in the hunt for the Impact World Tag Team Championship, so it made sense for them to win here. As a match, this was solid, but it's not as if there was anything out of the ordinary about it. It was actually Trey Miguel who cost Decay the match after attacking Taurus at ringside, effectively furthering that feud in the process and seemingly setting up an Impact X-Division Championship match between them for Hard to Kill.

Sami Callihan def. Angels

I still find it hard to believe that Alan Angels went from being one of the better members of The Dark Order and wrestling competitive matches on AEW Dynamite to being just another dude in a faction called The Design. All due respect to Deaner who is doing the best he can in Eric Young's old role, but it's just not the same. Additionally, this whole thing feels beneath Callihan, but I understand why it's logical for him to be feuding with the faction Young once led. This was an extended squash and nothing more.

Bhupinder Gujjar and Impact Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry def. Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice

Gujjar still isn't clicking for me, but I appreciate the effort on IMPACT's end. Hendry is much more over and has connected with the crowd with ease since returning. This was all about them picking up an easy win over a jobber team and building toward Henry vs. Moose. Yes, Moose challenging for the Impact Digital Media Championship is quite the step down for him, but him and Hendry is quite the matchup and it has my attention.

NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions The Motor City Machine Guns def. Heath and Rhino to Win the Impact World Tag Team Championship (NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship Was Not Defended)

Unlike their first encounter last week, The Major Players were barred from ringside for this to ensure it had a clean finish. I didn't think Motor City Machine Guns would actually pull it off considering Heath and Rhino won the titles roughly two months ago, but I'm happy they did. Heath and Rhino were only going to go so far in that role and Motor City Machine Guns are the perfect team to carry the division. This was an entertaining main event and it wasn't hurt by the babyface vs. babyface dynamic in the slightest.

Overall Show

There was also a really good contract signing with Jordynne Grace and Mickie James backstage that set up them against Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans in a tag team match last week. Anyway, this was a weird show. The title change in the main event was a pleasant surprise and I liked the stuff with Bully and Dreamer, but nothing else in the ring held my interest. The top storylines are engaging, but the rest of the build to Hard to Kill has been mediocre, especially compared to what we were getting in IMPACT at this time a year ago.

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