IMPACT! Wrestling Review- December 8, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Chris Sabin def. Josh Alexander

The Motor City Machine Guns and The North have worked against each other a bunch since Motor City Machine Guns returned to IMPACT over the summer, so they already have quality chemistry together. This was a very well-wrestled opener and Sabin winning gets them back on track. It was a smart way to kick off the show because people probably tuned in expecting the Kenny Omega interview and got a quality match instead, forcing them to keep watching until it aired at the end of the show.

Brian Myers def. TJP

Myers has been disrespecting TJP backstage for weeks, so I figured them going one-on-one was inevitable. For those who haven't tuned into IMPACT in ages, Myers is far from the same guy he was in WWE. Okay, so he's still a talented in-ring performer, but he has way more credibility and therefore I can actually take him seriously. The story with TJP right now is that he can't buy a victory and thus Myers beating him was the right call. Rohit Raju teased Myers afterward that his open challenge at Final Resolution will be open to everyone except him, so look for TJP to potentially make his presence felt and cost him the title.

Eric Young def. Cody Deaner

Young and Joe Doering have been targeting The Deaners for the last month. It's worth noting The Deaners have been teasing tension since then because they can't get on the same page. I couldn't care less about them as a team, but I think they'd be even worse off individually if that's the route they're going in. At any rate, this was basically an extended squash as it should have been. Rhino came out afterward to make the save for The Deaners, further planting the seeds for Young and Doering vs. Rhino and Slater at some point. Slater should be cleared to compete from the injury he suffered at Bound for Glory any day now.

Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie def. Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee in an Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match

Purrazzo and Lee have worked well as a unit these past few months, but Rosemary and Valkyrie were the better option to advance in the tourney. Purrazzo should focus on the Impact Knockouts Championship and it looks like she will be as we found out later on that her next title defense will be against Rosemary. The match itself was entertaining and I can see Rosemary and Valkyrie going all the way and winning the tag titles.

Eddie Edwards Attacked Sami Callihan

During his promo, Callihan played up his history with Edwards and how he almost blinded him with a baseball bat two years ago. In fact, that incident was what led to Edwards going off the deep end and becoming the crazy man he is today. Eddie's wife Alisha interrupted Callihan to serve as a distraction before Eddie attacked him from beforehand. Ken Shamrock was recently "suspended" in storyline, so that's why he wasn't with Callihan here. It was a simple and straightforward segment, but I honestly don't have much interest in Edwards and Callihan rekindling their rivalry at this point.

Chris Bey and Moose def. Impact World Champion Rich Swann and Willie Mack

All four of these guys have had established issues with each other for a while. Swann and Mack always make for a terrific team while Bey and Moose worked well as partners. There was a ton of talent in this match and it delivered. Moose is clearly being primed for a shot at the Impact World Championship eventually, but I'm glad Bey got the winning pinfall instead seeing as how he'll be vying for Swann's title at Final Resolution this coming Saturday.

Josh Mathews Interviewed AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Don Callis

Needless to say, this is what most people tuned into IMPACT! Wrestling to see and everyone was curious how it would be handled. I feared that the interview wouldn't last long and that it'd be more of a tease for Wednesday's AEW Dynamite, but I'm so happy it was much more than that. It was essentially a drawn-out promo from Callis talking about how he came back to wrestling, not to be a commentator or do a podcast but to change the course of wrestling history. He claimed that he and Omega did that last week and that they have another big announcement to make on Dynamite this week. Omega said some stuff too about feeling like himself again and wanting to become a "collector" of sorts, planting the seeds for a Omega vs. Swann match if they wanted to go there. Callis and Omega are a money pairing and I'm loving that their alliance has crossed over into IMPACT. Whether it will stay that way remains to be seen, but I'm guessing it will based on what both men said here. This was one of the most intriguing endings to IMPACT! in years.

Overall Show

All eyes were on IMPACT this week and rightfully so. Did the show live up to the hype? I'd say so. They promoted the hell out of that Omega interview and they were wise to save it for the end of the episode. It was exactly what I hoped it would be and then some, but they didn't give everything away and left viewers looking forward to the next chapter on what's shaping up to be a loaded AEW Dynamite. It was equally important for the rest of the show to be strong because IMPACT needed to show people that their product has improved in 2020 and they did an excellent job of keeping the comedy crap to a minimum and focusing on the stuff that mattered most. Above all else, there was effective hype for Final Resolution on Saturday and hopefully some of those new viewers will want to check out the event on Impact Plus. As someone who has tuned into the last few, Final Resolution should be fun. IMPACT is worth giving another chance to if you haven't tuned in regularly in recent years.