Impact Wrestling Review - March 30, 2017

​By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Braxton Sutter and Allie Saved Karen Jarrett From KM and Sienna

It's only been one week and I'm already sick of seeing Karen Jarrett on TV. She surprisingly received a hero's welcome from the crowd last week, but she was back to being the emasculating authority figure on this show. In so many words, she is Impact Wrestling's version of Stephanie McMahon. We didn't find out much about KM other than he's Sienna's cousin, but this was a decent segment otherwise.

Andrew Everett def. DJ Z

I'm glad the X-Division competitors were showcased in singles competition this week as opposed to a multi-man match as we've seen in the past few weeks. Both Everett and DJ Z are babyfaces, so the crowd didn't have an incentive to cheer one guy over the other, but it was well-wrestled from an in-ring standpoint and having Everett beat the former two-time X-Division Champion gave him a credible win. It's great he and Trevor Lee are resuming their rivalry and I'm anticipating the upcoming rematch.

The Knockouts Division Descended Into Chaos

It's encouraging that a nice mix of fresh and familiar faces are being brought in for the depleted Knockouts division, but this was a weird way to build to next week's No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal. The entire division was showcased, yes, but that never works nearly as effectively as focusing on individual talents. Rosemary is a good fit as champion, but the rest of the division lacks depth.

James Storm Confronted Ethan Carter III

While it was slightly strange there was no real fallout from Storm presumably leaving The DCC last week, I assume we'll see that sooner rather than later. This was a good way to reintroduce him as a singles star and immediately put him in a mini program with a top-tier talent. They had a solid verbal exchange and EC3 continues to come off heelish. The full-fledged heel turn is imminent.

Impact Grand Champion Moose def. Cody

I have thoroughly enjoyed the rivalry these two have had in recent months and the match was every bit as entertaining as I hoped it would be. I don't typically enjoy these three round-type of matches, but Cody and Moose made the most of it and found awesome chemistry together. The outcome was unpredictable, too, so it was suspenseful when it came down to the decision of the judges. I hope this isn't the last we've seen of this feud because they work well together.

KM def. Braxton Sutter

I know virtually nothing about KM, but based off his initial outing in Impact Wrestling, he's a pretty sound wrestler in the ring. Having a talented worker such as Sutter as your opponent will definitely help and this was a fine first match from what could turn out to be a series of them. KM winning was essential in establishing him as a threat and I'm sure a mixed tag team match between KM and Sienna and Sutter and Allie is the next step.

LAX def. Decay, Reno Scum, and Laredo Kid and Garza Jr. in a Four-Way Match to Win the World Tag Team Championship

Three of these four tag teams are new to Impact Wrestling (I include LAX because it isn't the same members for the most part), so it's difficult for fans to get behind any of them when they haven't been around for an extended period of time. That said, this was a pretty fun match for the time they were given. With four teams involved, it really should have lasted longer than it did, not to mention it was the main event, but I thought Laredo Kid and Garza Jr. shined and were easily the stars of the match. I liked LAX taking the titles because already they feel like the strongest act with the most fanfare other than Decay, but they've had their run with the straps before.

Overall Show

As I've said for the last two weeks, that reboot edition of Impact Wrestling was a major letdown, and I fear that show scared off a few viewers. Since then, though, I will say Impact Wrestling has proven me wrong in putting on quality shows lately. I still couldn't care less about Karen Jarrett being an on-air character, but the rest of the program has held up nicely, and each of the divisions are getting some sense of direction. The spoilers I read earlier this month didn't make me hopeful, but they have exceeded my expectations thus far.