IMPACT! Wrestling Review - February 22, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Moose vs. Killer Kross in an Impact World Championship No. 1 Contender's Match Ended in a No Contest

Johnny Impact opened the show to address his successful Impact World Championship defense from last week, only to be interrupted by Moose and Kross. So, he booked a No. 1 Contender's match between them. They took turns destroying each other here, so if wasn't already evident, the Moose-Kross alliance is officially over. Their match was cut short when Kross bated Impact into the ring and caused the contest to be thrown out. Brian Cage once again saved Impact afterward, so despite what happened at Uncaged, all four of these guys remain in the world title picture for now.

The Rascalz def. Desi Hit Squad

As I've said time and time again, Desi Hit Squad do absolutely nothing for me, but at least they're somewhat tolerable whenever they're up against an exciting team such as The Rascalz. Unsurprisingly, The Rascalz were largely responsible for this being a quality contest and I was glad that they emerged victorious. They've been an excellent addition to the IMPACT tag team division these past few months and I'd love to see them vying for the tag titles sooner rather than later.

Eddie Edwards def. Eli Drake

I loved how intense Edwards was right out of the gate considering Drake cost him a win last week. They were given plenty of time and they made the most of it by producing a very well-worked match. They gradually built toward a terrific final stretch and the attention to detail was excellent with Edwards ultimately winning with a wrestling move. I assume this rivalry will continue, as it should given how strong their chemistry is.

Alisha def. Delilah Doom by disqualification

Alisha has suffered from the same thing Candice LeRae has in NXT in that she's been overshadowed by her husband Eddie for most of her tenure in IMPACT. She'll really need to establish an identity of her own before she can really become a player in the Knockouts division. I was hoping she'd be showcased for a change here, but it just ended up being a chance for Tessa Blanchard to crash the party and lay both women out in an attempt to earn herself another opportunity at the Impact Knockouts Championship.

Impact World Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers def. LAX

Similar to their previous matches, this was an incredibly fun sprint and the audience was electric from start to finish. I was slightly disappointed it was on the shorter side compared to their other encounters, but they certainly maximized their minutes and ended the evening on a high note. I was half-expecting LAX to regain the gold coming off the news that Pentagon Jr. and Fenix have since signed with All Elite Wrestling, but I'm happy that their reign will resume for the foreseeable future. On the bright side, LAX's heel turn means this rivalry isn't over and more matches are on the horizon.

Overall Show

I'm not sure whether it was the lengthy GWN Flashback of the Week, the abundance of backstage promos and segments, or the matches running slightly longer than usual, but the two hours flew by for me. For the record, I didn't have a problem with any of those things, as this was an enjoyable episode on the whole. I wish the main event had more time, but that's merely nitpicking. The Lucha Brothers and LAX killed it, the world title scene continues to be compelling, Blanchard is embarking on a path of destruction, Edwards is back on track, and The Rascalz are quietly building momentum. The Friday night time slot still sucks, but at least IMPACT is trying to do the best they can with it (and thank the lord Twitch is as reliable as it is).