IMPACT! Wrestling Review - February 9, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Brian Myers def. Dirty Dango

No, this was not an episode of WWE Superstars from 2013, though it certainly felt like one. All kidding aside, I'm a fan of both guys and it's cool to see them still capable of quality matches all these years later. This was a well-wrestled affair with the right outcome. Myers won't ever be positioned a main event player, but he should still be preserving whatever credibility he has. I believe Dango has lost all of his IMPACT matches so far, so he's already settled into the babyface enhancement role on this show.

Tommy Dreamer and Impact Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace def. The Good Hands

IMPACT tends to do the intergender stuff more often than I'd like, but I was perfectly fine with it in this case as The Good Hands are basically Bully Ray's lackeys and can easily absorb the loss. James sharing the ring with them didn't bother me because it was believable. This was designed to give James and Dreamer a win before they face Bully and Masha Slamovich, who attacked them aftewrward.

Jordynne Grace def. Steph De Lander

I was pleasantly surprised by how De Lander's debut was handled. For those unaware, she was Persia Pirotta in WWE NXT before getting released last year. I thought she had a good thing going with Indi Hartwell and had potential, so she'd be a smart pickup for IMPACT. She had the chance to cut a promo beforehand to draw some heat and then she was made to look competitive against Grace, who is fresh off losing the Knockouts title. Hopefully IMPACT signs De Lander if they haven't already.

Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champions Death Dollz (Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie) def. Killer Kelly and Taylor Wilde (Non-Title)

I thought Kelly and Wilde might be the latest rivals to join forces and make a run at the tag titles, but apparently not. I haven't been invested in their storyline, but I suppose it's kept them busy, if nothing else. The match didn't last very long but was decent for what it was. I was left wondering who Death Dollz would move onto if this wasn't saved for No Surrender and that question was quickly answered when Allysin Kay (formerly known as Sienna in IMPACT) and Marti Belle, collectively known as The Hex, attacked them afterward. They've had success in the NWA the last two years and they're a welcome addition to IMPACT's women's tag team scene.

PCO def. Shera

This marked Shera's first match since returning from being literally buried by Eddie Edwards. Shera was a fine opponent for him as he's a bigger guy and can easily absorb the loss because, well, he's not great. It was a passable match that was wisely kept short with PCO winning decisively. Obviously, all signs points to Edwards and PCO having an actual match at No Surrender, but it hasn't been made official yet.

Impact Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry def. Matt Cardona

It's interesting that this was an IMPACT! Wrestling main event and didn't take place at No Surrender. Moose attacking Hendry post-match indicated they're headed for a rematch, not to mention that this felt like Cardona's swan song from IMPACT. If it was, he went out on a high note. This was an entertaining encounter that felt worthy of the main event spot even if the title they were fighting for is practically meaningless.

Overall Show

This was along the same lines as last week's episode in that it was solid on the whole but nothing overly exciting. The main event might end up being notable if Cardona is indeed done with the promotion (especially if a WWE return is imminent), but time will tell on that front. The rest of the in-ring action was okay, though the debuts of De Lander and The Hex stood out. No Surrender isn't for another two weeks and yet the card is already pretty clear, which is encouraging.

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