IMPACT! Wrestling Review - March 22, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Moose def. Trey

The Rascalz have impressed me in virtually every match they've been a part of since arriving in IMPACT several months ago. Trey is an incredible athlete in his own right and put forth a hell of an effort against Moose, even though his chances of victory were slim to none. I was happy he was made to look credible in defeat, while Moose came across as dominant and aggressive. This was successful all around, but I'm curious what's next for Moose.

Eddie Edwards and Eli Drake def. Fallah Bahh and KM

Bahh and KM are still technically comic relief, but they seem to win most of their matches and have been positioned as players on the tag team scene. Thus, it meant something for Edwards and Drake to beat them and remain a cohesive unit throughout. This was a nice little match that was probably the perfect length at only five minutes long. I assume Edwards and Drake will be in line for a shot at the Impact World Tag Team Championship eventually.

Austin Ace def. Damien Hyde

Although this wasn't terribly exciting, it was smart for Ace to be on offense for almost the entire thing. That wasn't the case with his debut match, so I was glad they took a different approach to this. Either way, Ace has real star potential and I hope he can be built up properly. He's already off to a solid start, but IMPACT allowing him to maintain momentum going forward will be key.

Impact World Champion Johnny Impact and Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie Explained Their Actions

I'm honestly shocked it took IMPACT as long as it did to turn these two. They were the perfect pairing as heels in Lucha Underground and I believe they can have similar success together in IMPACT. This was a strong promo from them in that it provided the necessary justification for their turn, but it was unfortunate that the crowd wasn't into it more than they were. This would have benefited from more heat from the audience, but perhaps it will take time for fans to get accustomed to them in their new role.

Willie Mack def. Ethan Page

I liked the backstage confrontation these guys had earlier in the evening to set this match up, so it wasn't completely random. They had good chemistry together and they contested a well-wrestled outing, but this undoubtedly would have been better with more time. As I've said several times in the past, I can't believe how Page competes on TV almost every single week and still can't win to save his life. Is this losing streak a part of his gimmick or does the company just have no idea what to do with him?

Impact X-Division Champion Rich Swann def. Sami Callihan

Immediately before the bout, Mack was shown brawling with oVe backstage, thus explaining why none of them interfered in this main event. That was a nice touch. As for the match itself, it was entertaining, and while I personally could have done without all the spitting (which was absolutely disgusting), the intensity and fast pace made this a joy to watch. The only thing working against them was how it never truly felt like the title was in jeopardy. The post-match angle confirmed that their feud isn't over yet, so maybe there will be more drama surrounding the nearfalls next time around. For those unaware, oVe's newest member (as revealed afterward) is the former Sawyer Fulton from NXT.

Overall Show

The two hours of IMPACT! Wrestling continue to fly by at a rapid rate. The show is rarely ever must-see, but there is always solid storyline progression as well as enjoyable in-ring action. The opening and closing matches on this episode delivered in addition to Impact's first promo as a heel, so there were enough positives about this show to warrant me giving it a thumbs up. Next week's show looks intriguing based off what's being advertised, so here's hoping it lives up to the hype.