IMPACT! Wrestling Review - March 9, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Jazz def. Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion Tasha Steelz

Even at this stage of her career, Jazz can still go in the ring to an extent and having quality opponents like Steelz to work with also helps. This was a well-wrestled opener and both women had solid showings. I don't remember the last singles match Steelz won, but it was more important for Jazz to win to send the message that she and Jordynne Grace could win the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship at Sacrifice. I appreciated that the outside interference from Kiera Hogan and Grace was kept to a minimum.

Chris Sabin and James Storm def. Rohit Raju and Mahabali Shera

This match stemmed from Sabin and Storm getting into it with Raju and Shera in Johnny Swinger's bar area backstage. I expected it to be comic relief, but it ended up being fairly competitive and enjoyable at that. Sabin and Storm have made for a fun team, though I do wonder what the timetable is on Alex Shelley's return to IMPACT. This was a necessary win for Sabin and Storm as they prepare to face Violent By Design's Joe Doering and Deaner at Sacrifice.

Trey Miguel def. Sam Beale

Beale disrespected Miguel in the back and got challenged to an impromptu match because of it. There wasn't much to the matchup as Miguel made short work of him as he should have. This worked to further establish that Miguel means business and that he's coming for Sami Callihan. Speaking of whom, he attacked Beale afterward before teleporting out of there. That was stupid, but the rest of this was fine for what it was.

Chris Bey def. Ace Austin

Both of these guys are just exceptional athletes, so I wasn't surprised in the slightest by this being such an entertaining encounter. I was just thinking while watching this that it feels like Bey loses more often than he wins, so him winning here was nice to see. Austin only lost following a distraction on the stage from TJP on the stage, so he'll be just fine. Interestingly, Austin is the one getting an Impact X-Division Championship opportunity at Sacrifice, so between Bey's win and Josh Alexander confronting TJP backstage, it looks like we're headed for a four-way for the title in the near future.

ODB def. Susan

ODB has an Impact Knockouts Championship match coming up at Sacrifice, so this was designed to be a showcase for her. Unfortunately, the Susan character hasn't clicked with me yet (although it is an admittedly clever twist on the Karen stereotype) and her matches are typically throwaway. This was no different and didn't need to last as long as it did. Post-match, Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee and Fire 'N Flava ambushed ODB, Grace and Jazz to set the stage for Saturday night.

Scott D'Amore Announced the Winner of Impact World Champion Rich Swann vs. TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose at Sacrifice Will Face AEW World Champion Kenny Omega at Rebellion

Hyping up this announcement from D'Amore throughout the show was a smart call as it gave viewers a hook for the rest of the show. I was worried when he said that it would title for title at Sacrifice because I thought that was the big announcement. If that was it, I would have been disappointed. Thankfully, he also mentioned the winner of the Sacrifice main event will face Kenny Omega for both the AEW World Championship and the Impact World Championship at Rebellion. Regardless of who Omega goes up against, that's going to be must-see.

Overall Show

The build to Sacrifice has actually been pretty damn good these past few weeks and it isn't even one of the quarterly pay-per-views. It has potential on paper and this served as a successful go-home show. The show-closing announcement, Austin vs. Bey, and the tag team match were all highlights and everything else served a purpose. IMPACT has done a better job lately of pacing their shows and minimizing the filler, which has made for their strongest string of shows in some time.