IMPACT! Wrestling Review - June 29, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Impact X-Division Champion Chris Sabin def. Trey Miguel by Disqualification

While this wasn't on the same level as their other two encounters, it was still an entertaining opener and another example of how well these two work together. I wish it hadn't been spoiled for me on social media ahead of time (someone on my Twitter timeline attended the taping), but Zachary Wentz returning, attacking Sabin and reuniting with Miguel was a really cool twist. The Rascalz were an awesome team in IMPACT and I'm looking forward to seeing them do their thing as heels this time.

Trinity def. Jai Vidal

IMPACT loves doing their intergender matches. This one was harmless because Vidal is basically comic relief and can absorb the loss, but he can clearly go in the ring. Thus, I thought they had a nice little match with Vidal selling well for Trinity's offense but scoring enough offense for this to be more than a squash. It also kept Trinity's momentum rolling heading into her Impact Knockouts World Championship match with Deonna Purrazzo at Slammiversary.

Lio Rush def. Jack Price

It's hard to believe Rush has never worked for IMPACT before (aside from the match he had as part of the IMPACT/NJPW Multiverse United event earlier this year) since he's worked for pretty much every other promotion out there. He feels like a great fit for the IMPACT roster. This was a successful debut for him, though I'm sure most IMPACT viewers are already well aware of what he's capable of.

Masha Slamovich def. Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion KiLynn King

Killer Kelly previously beat Taylor Wilde, so it only made sense for Slamovich to beat King to set them up for a shot at the Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship. Needless to say, the booking of the Knockouts tag team division is fairly formulaic, but I appreciated that they received some time here and were able to have a quality contest. The Coven don't really have any competition left, so I wouldn't be surprised to see a title change when these teams meet soon.

Kenny King def. Yuya Uemura

King is next in line for an opportunity at Joe Hendry's Impact Digital Media Championship, and considering Uemura already unsuccessfully challenged Hendry, it was safe to assume King was winning here. Even with the obvious outcome, I thought they had a well-worked match. Hendry's latest song saw him poke fun at King's past as a "male stripper" and the crowd seemed to get a kick out of it.

Nick Aldis and Lio Rush Attacked The Motor City Machine Guns

Aldis explained betraying Alex Shelley two weeks ago while Shelley sat in the front row and the two went back and forth a bit. Aldis' logic was fine, but it was delivery that made his promo stand out. He's just a natural heel and I'm excited that he's back in that role. Sabin made the save only for Rush to emerge and help Aldis in laying them both out, confirming that Rush has his sights set on the Impact X-Division Championship. This segment was well done in building toward Aldis vs. Shelley and seemingly Sabin vs. Rush.

Overall Show

IMPACT is doing an effective job of putting together a strong Slammiversary card. It's hard to believe the pay-per-view is in just over two weeks, so the next two weeks' worth of television will be important in driving that final hype home. As for this episode, it was solid. The opening and closing segments were easily the best parts, but the middle was serviceable and everything served a purpose. It was a slight step up from recent weeks and an enjoyable watch on the whole.

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