IMPACT! Wrestling Review - July 19, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Killer Kross def. Petey Williams

Originally, I was surprised this wasn't saved for Slammiversary, but based off how it was booked like a standard squash for Kross, I'm glad they opted to put it on TV instead. Williams had his flurry of offense at one point and he sold very well for Kross' offense, but in the end, it was a dominant showing and a decisive victory for Kross as it should have been. I've seen rumors of Johnny Impact wanting a crack at Kross upon his return at Slammiversary this Sunday, so I could see that being Kross' first full-fledged feud.

Desi Hit Squad def. Fallah Bahh and K.M.

The jury is still out on Desi Hit Squad, but they've done fairly well in their last two matches on IMPACT!. This was another good performance from them and it helped that they were able to beat a popular tandem in Bahh and K.M. (who I could have sworn broke up a few weeks ago but apparently not). If nothing else, I'm happy they're slowly being built up and stacking up wins instead of being rushed into the tag title picture because they aren't ready for that yet.

Joe Hendry def. Eli Drake

I know I've heard Hendry's name before, but I don't think I've seen any of his work prior to this point. He had a decent debut match against Drake and obviously having him pick up the win was huge in establishing him as a star on the rise. I wasn't blown away by his "comedy," though, so hopefully he tones that down moving forward. Meanwhile, it's a shame Drake doesn't have much of a direction at the moment, but then again, this might have been taped back when the company wasn't sure if Drake would re-sign or not.

Andrew Everett vs. Dezmond Xavier Went to a No Contest

Before the bout got underway, Eddie Edwards jumped the ring and attacked the referee, so the match never came to fruition. Honestly, it would have been a ton of fun, but it didn't need to happen since neither guy is on the Slammiversary card. Plus, Edwards' promo was more important in hyping up the pay-per-view and specifically his matchup with Tommy Dreamer. He has come across as completely unhinged in recent weeks and I've been loving his character development.

Sami Callihan def. Greg OSbourne

Although this was technically a squash match for Callihan, it was more of a complete destruction of Osbourne than anything since Callihan was ruthless and relentless in his attack on him. Callihan putting the Pentagon Jr. mask on Osbourne before beating him was a nice touch, and I also liked the backstage stuff with oVe and Pentagon afterward. Their Slammiversary match should be straight fire.

Allie and Kiera Hogan def. Shotzi Blackheart and Tessa Blanchard

Allie becoming more aggressive since returning to TV has been great to see and I appreciate how she has adjusted her in-ring style to reflect that. Plus, Hogan is coming along nicely, Blackheart has impressed me in her last two matches on IMPACT!, and Blanchard continues to be the complete package. She was protected in defeat here by walking out on Blackheart and therefore causing her to take the pinfall loss for their team. This was a solid match on the whole that successfully furthered the feud between Allie and Blanchard.

Moose Called Out Impact World Champion Austin Aries

This was Moose's first appearance on IMPACT! in a while due to him "training" at an undisclosed location, and although he was intense in his promo calling out Aries, he was predictably outsmarted by Aries when he was ambushed by behind. Thankfully, Moose retaliated and forced Aries to flee from the ring later in the segment, so at least he has the upper hand going into their upcoming championship clash. If they pulled the trigger on a title win for him on Sunday, I wouldn't be opposed to it because it seems like his time is now.

Overall Show

While this wasn't the strongest all-around episode of IMPACT! Wrestling in recent memory, it did its job in selling me and other viewers on Slammiversary and that was all that mattered. Most of the matches on the advertised card were hyped up effectively and there were a few well-wrestled matchups sprinkled in on this show as well. The video packages were especially excellent and I find myself really looking forward to the pay-per-view. If you gave up on IMPACT years ago, you should give them another chance and check out Slammiversary because I don't think you'll be disappointed.