IMPACT! Wrestling Review - July 26, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jordynne Grace def. Kiera Hogan

I've been digging the rivalry Graces and Hogan have been having in recent weeks and this was another entertaining encounter from them. I found Madison Rayne to be a distraction on commentary, but she's involved in this story too, so her presence here was needed. This was a real good opener for the show and I liked that Grace beat Hogan with an inside cradle as it protected Hogan in defeat and left the door open for the feud to continue.

Tessa Blanchard Attacked Sami Callihan

With their win in last week's Mash-Up Tournament, Blanchard and Callihan will now face off one-on-one at next Friday's Unbreakable special to determine the new number one contender to the Impact World Championship. Callihan did most of the talking here, but it was Blanchard was the one who stood tall in the end. This was a simple yet strong segment that got me excited for their rematch. It may seemed far-fetched on paper, but considering how close Blanchard came to victory at Slammiversary, it's very possible she beats Callihan this time around.

Moose def. Ray Steele

I've said this several times before, but Moose has really found his footing as a performer since turning heel last year. He's the complete package at this point and is firing on all cylinders. This was a complete squash for him as he went over in dominant fashion. Afterward, he cut a promo putting the entire locker room on notice and demanding a world title shot. I can't say I disagree with him.

Rob Van Dam def. Willie Mack

RVD was in the news this week for his appearance at WWE's Raw Reunion show on Monday night despite being under contract to IMPACT. I thought his match with Moose at Slammiversary exceeded expectations, but that really should been the end of his run with the company. It's comical that Don Callis raves about RVD on commentary and claims he's still in the prime of his career. This matchup proved that is not the case. It was decent for what it was, but Mack losing coming off his big win at Slammiversary was the wrong call.

Jake Crist def. Rich Swann to Win the Impact X-Division Championship

I must have missed the episode where Crist earned a title shot, because I've seen him do a lot of losing in singles competition over the past year. He's a talented competitor and I'm curious where this will go, but he's been booked like a lackey in oVe for so long that it's difficult to take him seriously on his own. As for the match itself, it was well wrestled and had a nice pace, but I could have done without the interference from the rest of oVe. Swann has beat Calliahan and Johnny Impact to retain the title this year, so him dropping the strap to Jake Crist of all people was slightly anticlimactic.

Impact World Champion Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin in a Street Fight Went to a No Contest (Non-Title)

Elgin attacked Cage on the stage before the bout could get started and proceeded to lay a brutal beating on the champ as well as security. Melissa Santos saved Cage from Elgin's attack and then Rhino was revealed to be the man who speared Elgin at Slammiversary (as if we didn't already know that). It went over well with the Canadian crowd, but we'll see how long it is before Rhino is just another stepping stone in IMPACT (then again, he probably should be considering he's now in the twilight of his career). This was a great angle all around with Cage vs. Elgin II being saved for another day.

Overall Show

I look at this as the first real followup show from Slammiversary, as IMPACT! Wrestling was a Slammiversary recap show two weeks ago and then the Mash-Up Tournament the next. None of these matches stood out in a major way, but it was certainly a newsworthy night between Rhino officially returning and a new Impact X-Division Champion being crowned. Plus, several matchups were set up for next week's episode and Unbreakable (which I believe will be airing simultaneously, oddly enough).