IMPACT! Wrestling Review - February 16, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Impact X-Division Champion TJP def. Josh Alexander

Alexander earned this opportunity with his win in the Triple Threat Revolver at No Surrender on Saturday. Although I was hoping they would drag this out as a feud for a bit, I can't complain about getting a hot opener to the show. The pace was chaotic, they wrestled with urgency, .and the commentators gave it a big fight feel with how they were calling it. Alexander continues to prove why he might be one of the most underrated guys in all of IMPACT. He had a strong showing in defeat, though I would've loved to see him take the title from TJP.

Trey Miguel def. Suicide, Willie Mack and Daivari in a Four-Way Match

All four of these guys were in the aforementioned Triple Threat Revolver match at No Surrender, so this was essentially a showcase for the X-Division. This was a fun four-way as you'd expect. It was all over the place and the action was entertaining. Miguel winning made the most sense with the roll he's on right now and the storyline he's currently embroiled in with Sami Callihan. My only nitpick of this was that I feel it should have been saved for later in the show so it didn't have to attempt to following TJP vs. Alexander.

Matt Cardona def. Hernandez

Hernandez and Brian Myers beat Cardona and Eddie Edwards at No Surrender, so this was logical. There wasn't much to it, but there didn't need to be as I'm not clamoring to see Hernandez against anyone in 2021 (although he's nice to have around). The bigger story was on Myers and Hernandez going after Cardona post-match before Edwards made the save. My guess is that we get Edwards vs. Myers again before we get Myers vs. Cardona.

Juice Robinson and David Finlay def. Reno Scum

Collectively known as FinJuice, Robinson and Finlay are former IWGP Tag Team Champions together. I'm familiar with both men on their own and have seen a bit of their tag team work. They're terrific and are a welcome addition to IMPACT's tag team division. I've always been down on Reno Scum, but FinJuice got an enjoyable affair out of them here and I liked how they were on offense for a majority of it. The Good Brothers came out afterward and addressed them respectfully, but it's only a matter of time before they become rivals and FinJuice target their tag titles.

Tenille Dashwood def. Nevaeh

Nevaeh and Havok are teasing tension following their failure to win the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship on Saturday night. Havok was questioning where they go from here when Dashwood interrupted them and said she should be Havok's new partner instead. Havok insisted she be at ringside but Nevaeh refused, leading to her loss. This was a quality contest. I wouldn't be surprised to see Havok turn on Nevaeh and join Dashwood one of these days.

Moose def. Tommy Dreamer in an Old School Rules Match

I'm not saying he has to retire from the ring entirely, but there was no need for Dreamer to wrestle so soon after No Surrender. He and Rich Swann had a great main event match (by 2021 Tommy Dreamer standards) and it was the perfect sendoff for Dreamer for now. I understand Moose attacked both Swann and Dreamer afterward, but this was the exact same match they had at Slammiversary six months ago. Thankfully, this was a bit better and helped put more heat on Moose, if nothing else.

Overall Show

IMPACT followed up what I thought was an above-average No Surrender event this past weekend with an above-average edition of IMPACT! Wrestling here. NJPW's FinJuice arriving was obviously the top highlight, but we also got a hardcore main event that exceeded my (low) expectations, certain people picked up key wins, the opener was excellent, and multiple matches were announced for next week. The promotion is trending in the right direction and it's encouraging to see.