IMPACT! Wrestling Review - March 30, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Hirorshi Tanahashi def. Lance Archer to Win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship

This was from New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Emergence event from August 2021. I didn't watch that show, so this was fresh for me. I completely forgot that Archer was the IWGP United States Heavyweight champion at the time and even beat Jon Moxley for the belt in the main event of AEW Dynamite that summer. Tanahashi's obviously a legend and Archer is skilled in his own right, so this was an enjoyable affair. It served as a small preview of what to expect when Tanahashi faces Mike Bailey at Multiverse United.

Miyu Yamashita def. Killer Kelly

This was an original, never-before-seen match from an IMPACT taping. Yamashita's awesome and I have no doubt she'll shine in that four-way at Multiverse United. I'm not sure Kelly's character has connected wit the IMPACT audience so far, but she can clearly go in the ring and thus this was damn good stuff. I assumed we'd get some sort of a squash with Yamashita making quick work of Kelly, but I'm glad it was more competitive than that.

Impact World Champion Josh Alexander def. NJPW Strong Openweight Champion KENTA (NJPW Strong Openweight Championship Was Not Defended)

Much like Yamashita vs. Kelly, this was also a never-before-seen bout. Of course, the outcome was never in doubt, but it was really cool to see these two go one-on-one. They were given plenty of time and had a hell of a hard-hitting main event. I appreciate that KENTA has been getting additional exposure in IMPACT as of late (though everyone should already be aware of who he is) and he's been making the most of his short stint. This was a fitting final title defense for the now-injured Alexander, who will officially relinquish the title on next week's show.

Overall Show

Multiverse United aired almost immediately after this episode, so it was pretty pointless for this show to be anything more than what it was. A majority of the episode saw Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt host a panel previewing Multiverse United and talking to various stars. Almost all of it was skippable, but I liked the three matches we got to see, especially since Yamashita vs. Kelly and Alexander vs. KENTA were new content and both bouts delivered.

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