IMPACT! Wrestling Review - January 5, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Crazzy Steve def. Ace Austin, Blake Christian and KC Navarro in a Four-Way Match

It's nice to have Austin back in the fold finally after not appearing since Bound for Glory. Apparently he wasn't hurt, IMPACT just didn't have any plans for him. He, along with the other three competitors in this match, will be taking part in the returning Super X Cup this Saturday at the Genesis special. This was a fun showcase for all four guys and was an enjoyable opener. Of what I saw from them here, Christian and Navarro impressed me. Steve was probably the least likely to win, but he also needed the momentum more than anyone else.

Cody Deaner def. Cousin Jake

Deaner turned on Jake last month, effectively disbanding The Deaners. I didn't know if it would stick, but it looks like Deaner will be with Eric Young from here on out. Personally, I've never given a crap about The Deaners, so I find this to be a refreshing change from him and the fact he beat his former tag team partner here tells me it won't be a full-fledged feud. There wasn't anything special about it, but the right guy won. Tommy Dreamer emerged afterward and called out Deaner, Doering and Young for an Old School Rules six-man tag team matchup at Hard to Kill.

Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary Confronted Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee

The ongoing angle with Su Yung/Susie/Susan's transformation does nothing for me, but otherwise, Valkyrie and Rosemary being back in the Knockouts Championship picture has been nice to see. This was all about building toward Purrazzo vs. Valkyrie for the title at Hard to Kill and I thought they did a terrific job of generating excitement for it. I loved the line from Purrazzo about how Valkyrie, who holds the record for being the longest-reigning champion, will have nothing more to brag about when she beats her to retain the title.

Havok and Nevaeh def. Jazz and Jordynne Grace in a Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinal Match

Havok and Nevaeh aren't the most polished team by any means, but they do make more sense than Jazz and Grace to be in the finals. This was a solid match that could have been better without some of the sloppy spots from Havok and Nevaeh, but Grace and Jazz did their best in holding it together. Speaking of Jazz, she looked great for someone ​who recently announced their retirement from the ring. I'm glad she'll be in action again at Genesis against Grace, so we'll see if anything stems from that which would lead to her sticking around for a little longer.

Matthew Palmer def. Moose in a 3-Minute Challenge

If you don't recognize Matthew Palmer's name, that's because you shouldn't. Apparently he was used as a bodyguard for IMPACT and wanted to challenge Moose to a three-minute match where he would win if he could survive in that time. Maybe I missed something, but that seemed to be the gist of how this contest came together. Palmer actually came across a bit better than your avenge jobber and sold well for Moose. My only issue with this was that it ended predictably with Moose getting distracted in the final few seconds by Willie Mack, so he didn't put Palmer away before the clock ran out. He looked like an idiot for letting that happen, but hey, at least he wasn't pinned.

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan Ended in a Double Disqualification

IMPACT always promotes Edwards vs. Callihan as one of their biggest rivalries in the last few years, and while that is true to an extent, this didn't have that "big fight feel" to me because we've seen it so many times already, especially lately. It didn't help that they brawled on the outside for the first 10 minutes or so, meaning the actual match was only two minutes long. This was easily one of their weakest encounters to date and the non-finish was lame. This was obviously designed to reintroduce Ken Shamrock, who attacked Edwards backstage as went to rescue his wife Alisha. Shamrock beat Edwards at Bound for Glory, and although the match exceeded my expectations, I wasn't eagerly awaiting a rematch.

Overall Show

The biggest highlight of the night was once again the stuff with Kenny Omega, The Good Brothers, Rich Swann and The Motor City Machine Guns. That epic six-man tag team match is coming up next Saturday at Hard to Kill, but we have Genesis on Impact Plus to look forward to first this Saturday. It has potential on paper, but this wasn't a very effective go-home show for that special. That feels like filler, but maybe it will surprise me. Deaner's new look, the women's talking segment and anything involving Omega are worth seeking out, but the rest of the show can be skipped over in my opinion.