IMPACT! Wrestling Review - July 6, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Eddie Edwards def. Frankie Kazarian

It was only academic for these two to have a damn good match together and thus that came as no surprise. I was surprised that their first one-on-one encounter was given away on this show instead of waiting until Slammiversary, but Edwards winning made sense to keep the feud alive and build to a rematch. Kazarian noted afterward backstage that he'll be bringing his wife Traci Brooks with him to Slammiversary to ensure Alisha can't interfere again.

Sami Callihan and Rich Swann def. Champagne Singh and Shera

Swann and Callihan continue to roll as a tag team heading into their Impact World Tag Team Championship opportunity at Slammiversary. Champagne and Shera are not a threat or on their level in any form or fashion, so it was logical for Callihan and Swann to make quick work of them here. Having this last any longer than it did would have been unnecessary, so it was what it needed to be.

Jonathan Gresham def. Angels

Both of these guys are super skilled and are capable of having a really fun match, but they just didn't get a ton of time here. I can't say I'm shocked given how The Design on the whole have been booked and that this was basically an inconsequential match, but it was a nice sprint for what it was. The focus was on the post-match angle, which saw Angels walk out on The Design. Can we pull the plug on the group already and stop dragging out their split?

PCO def. The Good Hands in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

Good Hands are a non-threat and have largely been utilized as stepping stones so far, so PCO putting them away decisively was the right call. Post-match, Bully Ray and Steve Maclin unleashed an assault on him and Scott D'Amore to build toward the tag team match at Slammiversary. It continued backstage with the heels lighting him on fire. That feels like it's par for the course for PCO, so I assume he'll be good to go by the pay-per-view.

Gisele Shaw def. Courtney Rush

Shaw has been losing a lot lately, or at least whenever it has mattered most. I mean, how many title opportunities has she gotten in the last year? Therefore, this was a must-win situation for her. Perhaps this is leading to her and Savannah Evans having a match with Death Dollz and challenging for the Impact World Tag Team Championship sometime soon. The match was decent, but there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.

Lio Rush and Nick Aldis def. The Motor City Machine Guns

The immense amount of talent in this match automatically made it a gem. All four guys had their time to shine, they worked a great pace and the action was entertaining. Giving the heels a momentum boot heading into Slammiversary was a wise choice, specifically with Rush pinning Chris Sabin to explain why he's in line for an Impact X-Division Championship opportunity at the event.

Overall Show

It doesn't feel like it, but Slammiversary is next weekend, meaning there's one show left after this one for IMPACT to really drive home the hype. There was some quality action throughout as well as the expected storyline progression with most of the bigger feuds. It wasn't a newsworthy show by any means, but it was effective in building toward the pay-per-view. I don't find myself extremely excited for it based on how subpar the build has been, but I have no doubt it'll deliver given what's on tap.

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