IMPACT! Wrestling Review - February 8, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Impact X-Division Champion Rich Swann and Willie Mack def. oVe

Swann has been feuding with Sami Callihan in recent weeks, and Mack has had his own issues with Callihan and oVe over the past month as well, so this match was a logical next step in the storyline. It was very well-wrestled, and although they didn't pick up the pace until further down the stretch, it was a fun sprint with all four guys working well together. The babyfaces picked up the victory, but there was no other advancement of the angle beyond that.

Kiera Hogan def. Allie

The real rivalry right now is between Allie and Rosemary, but Hogan has had bad blood with Allie as well as a result of Allie turning on her not too long ago. I don't remember their last match against each other being all that great, but this was definitely an improvement with Hogan going after Allie right out of the gate and both ladies showing plenty of intensity and aggression. Hogan won following inadvertent interference from Su Yung, so look for that tension between Allie and Yung to come to a head sooner rather than later.

Trey def. Rohit Raju

I can't believe The Desi Hit Squad are still getting as much television time as they have been lately, but on the bright side, Trey got the best match possible out of Raju. I almost fell asleep whenever Raju was on offense, but at least Trey was a treat to watch and he ended up emerging victorious after a decent little match. I'm all for The Rascalz building momentum, even if it means more of Desi Hit Squad on TV.

Sami Callihan def. Puma King

Similar to Psycho Clown vs. Fallah Bahh, this was intended to serve as hype for next week's World Cup between Team IMPACT vs. Team AAA. I've seen King in action on IMPACT only a handful of occasions, but I thought he had a solid showing here, while Callihan delivered like he always does. I was pleasantly surprised by how much time they received, and if this match was any indication, next week's World Cup should be a blast.

The Lucha Brothers def. LAX to Win the Impact World Tag Team Championship

These two tandems set the bar fairly high at Homecoming when they first clashed for the Impact World Tag Team Championship. While I thought their original encounter was slightly better, this was still a hell of a match with some suspenseful nearfalls, a hot crowd, and exciting action from bell to bell. Props to Josh Mathews and Don Callis for their quality commentary throughout as well. LAX were made to look great in defeat by kicking out of so much. I'm thrilled with the title change and thought it was the right move. However, with The Lucha Brothers recently signing deals with All Elite Wrestling, does that mean they'll be dropping the straps back to LAX in the not-so-distant future?

Overall Show

On the whole, this was a very good edition of IMPACT! Wrestling, with four enjoyable undercard outings and then an exceptional main event. The tag team titles changing hands was merely the icing on the cake, so needless to say, LAX vs. The Lucha Brothers is well worth going out of your way to check out. The entire episode was not only entertaining, it also featured strong build for next week's Uncaged special. On tap so far is a four-way for the Impact World Championship, Taya Valkyrie vs. Tessa Blanchard in a Street Fight for the Impact Knockouts Championship, the return of the World Cup, and more.