IMPACT! Wrestling Review - December 2, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Eddie Edwards Saved Matt Cardona From Impact World Champion Moose and W. Morrissey

This was a pretty basic segment, but seeing as how it was designed to build toward the tag team match in the main event, it accomplished what it needed to. Everyone played their roles well and Moose and Cardona cut good promos. I don't love it when they use insider terminology on TV, but I did get a chuckle out of Moose calling Matt "Mid-Cardona," that was clever. I was hoping we'd see the last of Moose vs. Edwards at Turning Point, but it was logical for Edwards to still want revenge after he was screwed by Moose and Morrissey.

Chris Sabin def. Matthew Rehwoldt

It's amazing that Sabin has bounced around from feud to feud since the summer yet thrives in every situation the company puts him in. That's a testament to how much of a consummate pro he is and how he works well with just about everyone. Rehwoldt is a talented dude and they managed to have a quality contest here, though I will admit I was a bit distracted by the commentators constantly turning their focus to Deonna Purrazzo joining them behind the booth. Mickie James thwarting Purrazzo's interference set up next week's mixed tag team match.

JONAH def. Jai Vidal

I like that this isn't the same JONAH/Bronson Reed we got in WWE NXT. I thought he was booked well for the most part there and was a natural babyface, but he's quickly proven in IMPACT and New Japan Pro-Wrestling that he might have a higher ceiling as a heel. JONAH completely killed Vidal here and put Josh Alexander on notice in a post-match promo. He also name-dropped Moose, so it will be interesting to see if they'll be on a collision course at some point.

Rachael Ellering def. Savannah Evans

This was a rematch from a while back and it gave Ellering a chance to get her win back. Otherwise, I'm not sure what purpose it was supposed to serve. I honestly forgot all about Evans and Tasha Steelz as they haven't been on TV much since failing to win the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship. Ellering and Evans had a decent match and Evans has the potential, even if that finish didn't look the best. Personally, I couldn't care less about the Impact Digital Media Championship Jordynne Grace has at the moment and don't bother to watch any of the matches having to do with it that don't take place on this show.

Rich Swann and Willie Mack def. Violent By Design (Deaner and Joe Doering)​

I know Swann has history with Violent By Design, but this felt like it only existed to set up what happened afterward, especially since Swann has yet to have his match with Brian Myers that they were supposed to have at Turning Point. That said, this was well wrestled from an in-ring standpoint and the right team went over. Heath and Rhino made the save for Swann and Mack afterward and now Eric Young and Rhino will settle their score in a Street Fight next week.

Matt Cardona and Eddie Edwards def. Impact World Champion Moose and W. Morrissey

Much like the opening segment, this was fairly formulaic, but it was a perfectly solid main event and succeeded what it set out to do. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but it was entertaining enough. They're telling the story that Cardona can't win the big one, so in order to convince people he can, they had him pin Moose for the victory. I'm not super high on world champions getting pinned if their title isn't on the line, but I understood what they were going for here. It was revealed after the show that Moose will defend the title in a three-way against Cardona and Morrissey at Hard to Kill.

Overall Show

This was the follow-up show from Turning Point I was looking forward to last week before it was bumped in favor of Wrestle House 2 (which was certainly something but not worth going out of your way to see in my opinion). We got the Hard to Kill main event set in stone but a somewhat uneventful midcard. It wasn't a bad show by any means, but it paled in comparison to the standard IMPACT has set this year. Then again, Hard to Kill isn't for another month, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

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