IMPACT! Wrestling Review - June 2, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz def. Susie and Kylie Rae

I can totally get behind Hogan and Steelz as a permanent pairing. They seem to have way more chemistry than Hogan ever did with Madison Rayne and their trash talking kept things interesting here in the empty arena. The match itself wasn't that great, but at least everyone played their roles well and I assume the heels winning means the feud will continue.

Joseph P. Ryan def. Crazzy Steve

As I've said before, I appreciate that Ryan is making the effort to switch up his stagnant gimmick, but becoming an honorary member of Right to Censor isn't exactly what I had in mind. So far, it's proven to be a complete dud and his matches aren't interesting in the slightest. I suppose that's the point, but it certainly isn't making for must-see TV. Jake Crist dumping Dave Crist at the behest of Ryan afterward caught me off guard, though I don't see Dave having any success on his own.

Rohit Raju def. Chase Stevens

In what shouldn't come as a surprise in the slightest, I couldn't care less about Raju. Desi Hit Squad was a total drag, and even though he seems to be fairly decent on his own, the damage has been done and I don't think a win over Stevens is going to do much to change that. This was an acceptable match, but it was largely designed to make Raju look like more of a threat before Rhino squashes him soon.

The Rascalz (Wentz & Dez) def. TJP and Fallah Bahh in an Impact World Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

I made the comment recently about how there aren't too many tag teams left for IMPACT to use due to the current quarantine/travel ban, but they're making the most of who they have on hand. This was a fun clash that very well could have gone either way and the action was entertaining. The Rascalz have been around for a while and have yet to hold gold in IMPACT, so I really hope this is leading to them winning the Impact World Tag Team Championship when The North come back.

Ken Shamrock Attacked Michael Elgin

Elgin was still seething from failing to win the Impact World Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament last week as he believes he is the rightful number one contender to the title. That brought out Shamrock, who we haven't seen in several weeks due to being attacked by Elgin. I'm open to the idea of a feud between the two because it's something new and it gives both guys something to do. Hopefully Elgin can bring the best out of Shamrock.

Ace Austin def. Wentz to Win the Impact World Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament

Trey was apparently attacked backstage beforehand and Wentz stepped up to take his place. I feel like if it was Austin who was behind it, they would have made that clear. Plus, Austin has defeated Trey every time they've faced off, so it's unlikely that it was him. It's possible it was Wentz, especially since he replaced him here, but that would be insanely stupid in my opinion. The Rascalz should not be broken up at this point. Austin makes sense as the new number contender though and this was a terrific main event.

Overall Show

The show ended with a quick commercial promoting the Slammiversary pay-per-view next month, teasing that several former WWE stars may be returning to IMPACT for the event. I could see Eric Young coming back and maybe Mike and Maria Bennett, but that's about it. The rest of this show was solid on the whole with those last two matches delivering, Shamrock resurfacing, and stuff being promoted for next week. The first three matches on this episode weren't anything out of the ordinary, but the good outweighed the bad. If nothing else, IMPACT definitely got people talking again this week with that Slammiversary ad.