IMPACT! Wrestling Review - May 26, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ace Austin def. Hernandez in an Impact World Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Semifinal Match

​Austin has largely been positioned as an X-Division player for the past year, so it's cool to see him getting chances to shine against some bigger competition. He and Hernandez had a pretty good match where the size difference worked to their advantage. Austin is the IMPACT regular, so it made more sense for him to advance than Hernandez, not to mention his history with Trey (who went on to beat Elgin in the main event).

Chris Bey def. Cousin Jake

I'm a fool for not realizing sooner that Cody Deaner is based out of Canada, which is why he hasn't been a part of these tapings (at least in the building with the rest of the talent) and why Cousin Jake has been flying solo recently. It's out of their control, but I couldn't care less about Jake on his own. On the bright side, it was impressive for Bey to beat someone significantly bigger than him. This was a fun match, but I could do without Johnny Swinger as Bey's manager (?). Here's hoping he dumps him before long. I'm looking forward to Bey and Willie Mack eventually clashing for the Impact X-Division Championship.

Kimber Lee def. Havok by Disqualification

Lee previously beat Havok in an upset a few weeks ago. Nevaeh was spotted off the side during that match, but it was never said what relationship she had with Havoc. Madison Rayne is apparently aware of their relationship but hasn't dished out any details yet. Well, it became clear here that they're allies based off how Nevaeh interfered and proceeded to help Havoc lay out Lee. The match was fine but seemed to serve as more of an angle in order to establish Havoc and Nevaeh as being on the same page.

Trey def. Michael Elgin in an Impact World Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament Semifinal Match

I fully assumed this was Elgin's match to win given how dominant he's been in Tessa Blanchard's absence in addition to how it looked like he would have won the Impact World Championship at Rebellion anyway. Instead, he's going to be feuding with Sami Callihan in the meantime after defeating him in the first round. This told a simple story with Trey fighting from underneath and ultimately scoring the victory. It was a very well-wrestled main event and the result was pleasantly surprising. It will be cool to see Trey and Austin rekindle their rivalry next week, this time with a future shot at the top title hanging in the balance.

Overall Show

It's worth noting that a vignette aired for the impending arrival of Deonna Purrazzo, which is excellent news. There was also a mildly entertaining "cinematic match" between The North and the duo of Cody Deaner and some dude named Wheels on the Deaner compound. As I've said before, I applaud IMPACT for getting creative during these strange times and delivering quality content. The Impact World Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament progressed, the wrestling was solid on the whole, and the stuff with the women served a purpose. All in all, this was quite the efficient edition of IMPACT! Wrestling.