IMPACT! Wrestling Review - January 18, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

KM vs. Caleb Konley Ended in a No Contest; Killer Kross and Moose Attacked Impact World Champion Johnny Impact and Brian Cage

I was wondering why KM was facing Konley to kick off the night because it was such a random match without any storyline significance. Then, it became apparent that this only existed so Cage could crash it and lay everyone out. He called out Impact and demanded a title shot, but before Impact could answer his challenge, they were both ambushed by Kross and Moose. This was a chaotic start to the show that helped set up Cage vs. Moose for later in the evening.

Ethan Page def. Eddie Edwards by Disqualification

Page has been impressive so far in IMPACT and this was another quality performance from him. Edwards, on the other hand, has been off his rocker for a while now and has been wrestling like a madman in all of his matches. That isn't to say that's a bad thing, because his evolution as a character has been a joy to watch. This was an enjoyable encounter, but I could have done without the second straight non-finish on this show. Eli Drake's post-match promo talking about Edwards' lack of championships in recent years was excellent and I'm looking forward to their feud.

Jordynne Grace def. Allie

Grace teamed with Kiera Hogan against Allie and Su Yung at Homecoming in a losing effort. This was her shot at redemption, and ultimately, she reigned supreme. I was surprised not only by Graces' clean victory but also how short this was. I'm sure this could have been way better with more time, but obviously, the focus was meant to be on Rosemary's return to IMPACT! Wrestling afterward and her interaction with Allie.

Brian Cage def. Moose

I didn't know how much chemistry Cage and Moose would have, but they ended up having a real good, perfectly paced match here. It seemed to start out slow, but I was never bored as their intensity held my interest. The second half was especially strong and they made the most of the time they were allotted. I also liked how hard-hitting this was and how you could feel the bad blood between them. Cage winning clean gets him back on track, but Moose suffering back-to-back losses in decisive fashion is questionable. He didn't lose much in defeat, but Kross is clearly the one being focused on at the moment.

Impact X-Division Champion Rich Swann def. Trey

I praised the move to put the X-Division Championship on Swann back at Homecoming because he brings a lot to table and is a perfect fit for the role. I love the idea of him defending the gold against all comers on a near-weekly basis. Granted, I never once bought into the idea of Trey becoming champion, but this was a blast of a bout for as long as it lasted. Sami Callihan and oVe extended their services to Swann afterward, only to be interrupted by LAX. That tied nicely into the next match...

Impact World Tag Team Champions LAX def. oVe (Non-title)

These two teams had an awesome series of matches in late 2017/early 2018. Enough time has passed where I wasn't dreading the idea of them rekindling their rivalry here. Plus, they've always worked well together, so I can't complain. This was an entertaining outing, and while it was far from an instant classic, it was a fun little 10 minute match that saw LAX continue to roll.

Overall Show

As well-wrestled as LAX vs. oVe was, there was no reason for that to be in the main event slot over Cage vs. Moose, which I found to be the best bout on the show. Nothing else on this episode stood out in a major way (possibly aside from Drake's promo), but it was still a solid show on the whole. The next few weeks worth of television will be emanating from Mexico City, so the change of scenery should be cool.