IMPACT! Wrestling Review - May 24, 2018

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

oVe def. Drago and Aerostar by Disqualification

I liked this match kicking off the show because it had energy and a fun pace. It didn't last long, mind you, but all four guys worked well together. No, I wasn't fond of the finish, but it was understandable because it allowed the both teams to be protected in addition to furthering the feud between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan, which doesn't seem to end. However, I'm not complaining about that because it still feels like a hot program with Edwards slowly but surely slipping away into madness.

Cult of Lee def. LAX

Although it was odd for this to follow the tag team opener because they were so similar, I enjoyed this outing. These tandems have had good chemistry in the past and this was another entertaining encounter from them, even though the commercial break took up a majority of its time. LAX continue to lose without Konnan in their corner, while Cult of Lee desperately needed this victory.

Impact X-Division Champion Matt Sydal def. AAA Latin American Champion El Hijo del Fantasma (AAA Latin American Championship Was Not Defended)

Sydal has been on such a roll as X-Division Champion in recent months, always putting on quality performances with a variety of opponents. He doesn't do much to make himself a heel, but at least his matches never cease to deliver, including this title defense against Fantasma. It lacked drama down the stretch, but it was a well-wrestled affair with some cool counters and moments. It could have benefited from having a few more minutes, though.

Dezmond Xavier def. Petey Williams (Winner Faces Brian Cage at Under Pressure)

I'm still shocked IMPACT hasn't done more with Xavier since he won the Super X Cup last summer. Thankfully, he was given the chance to shine here against an established star in Williams. This is what the X-Division should be all about, not just the predictable multi-man matches (those are fine every once in a while). They told a nice story and Xavier winning was refreshing, but I'm not sure facing Cage is much of a reward.

Moose def. Kongo Kong

Honestly, this wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be, likely because their previous match bored me to tears. Granted, this wasn't a major improvement and it didn't belong in the main event slot, but it could have been far worse. It was fairly formulaic, but I was just happy Moose picked up the decisive win. Kong also had an out for losing because he was attacked backstage beforehand by a mystery person (ending the episode on a cliffhanger as a result).

Overall Show

I'm a big fan of the monthly specials IMPACT does on TV in between their quarterly pay-per-views because they're usually built up in effective fashion and have strong cards on paper. Under Pressure is no exception to that and I find myself looking forward to it next week after all the hype for the show that was done on this episode. This edition of IMPACT! Wrestling was solid on the whole and was an easy watch. This is the most consistent the company has felt in a long time thanks to the new management.