IMPACT! Wrestling Review - February 4, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Impact World Champion Tessa Blanchard def. Adam Thornstowe (Non-Title)

I haven't been overly impressed with much of what I've seen from Reno Scum over the years in IMPACT, but this made sense considering Blanchard and Ace Austin are feuding at the moment and Reno Scum have been associated with Austin for a while. It wasn't anything special from an in-ring standpoint, but it was decent for what it was. It was also believable for Blanchard to be positioned as an equal to Thornstowe because he's basically a lackey for Austin.

Rhino def. Taurus by Disqualification

The three-way feud between Moose, Taurus and Rhino continues. I found this to be boring and not as good as Moose's match with Taurus from last week. Rhino is fine in small doses and I appreciate that he puts other people over, but I don't think anyone is begging for him to be a regular on the show. He and Moose will square in a rematch at Sacrifice. As for Taurus, he's stood out during these tapings from Mexico and I wouldn't be opposed to IMPACT using him more often.

Rosemary vs. Suzie Ended in a No Contest

I believe this marked Su Yung's first taste of in-ring action as Suzie since her transformation a few months ago. Of course, it was less of a match and more of an angle, but I didn't mind it. They're clearly telling a story with Su Young, Rosemary and Havok, but I honestly can't bring myself to care. This "Dark War" nonsense has been going on for way too long and I don't have much interest in finding out what the endgame is.

TJP def. Vikingo

Similar to Taurus, Vikingo has been a breakout star during this set of tapings and this was his best match yet. He and TJP killed it against each other and stole the show with ease. I don't know what any of this means in the long run, but I can't complain about getting a great matchup. TJP is the IMPACT star and thus it was logical for him to win, but I hope this isn't the last we've seen of Vikingo in IMPACT.

Daga and Dr. Wagner Jr. def. oVe

I was happy this wasn't given too much time, as it was solid but didn't offer anything out of the ordinary. Daga is a terrific talent, but it feels Dr. Wagner Jr. is only there to appease the live crowd. oVe losing isn't a major deal considering Daga needed the win. Plus, oVe will have the chance to bounce back next week when Daga faces Madman Fulton, who laid out Daga after this match.

Impact X-Division Champion Ace Austin def. Tommy Dreamer in a Falls Count Anywhere Street Fight (Non-title)

Props to Austin for making the most of this, but as I've said countless times before, Dreamer should absolutely not be wrestling in main events in 2020. I'm open to him competing in the occasional match for IMPACT, but I feel like he's been all over the show for the better part of the past two years. He rarely ever wins (which is the way it should be), so how much does beating him really mean at this point? I'm all for legitimizing Austin and this was a good win for him, but the match itself dragged terribly and was almost depressing to watch. Please let this be the last time we see Dreamer in action on IMPACT for a long time.

Overall Show

Last week's edition of IMPACT might have been the best of the bunch from these tapings because I didn't think much of this episode at all. It's cool seeing Taurus and Vikingo getting some shine, but Dr. Wagner Jr. and Tommy Dreamer should not be wrestling full-length matches for IMPACT at this point. TJP vs. Vikingo was excellent, but that was the only thing from this show worth going out of your way to see. I'm ready for the next set of tapings because this latest batch from Mexico has been underwhelming to me.