IMPACT! Wrestling Review - May 5, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

W. Morrissey def. Brian Myers in a Tables Match

Morrissey has been trying to put Myers through the commentary table at ringside for months, so I thought this was a logical payoff (and it's possible Morrissey's issues with The Major Players aren't over yet). I liked how the commentators acknowledged how Morrissey was hurt coming into this contest following his loss to Wardlow on Wednesday's episode of AEW Dynamite (even though this was filmed a few weeks ago). I could have done without all of the (expected) interference from Matt Cardona, Chelsea Green and Jordynne Grace, but this was well worked and made for a fun opener.

Impact X-Division Champion Ace Austin def. Rocky Romero

Romero has been used quite a bit by IMPACT in the last few months and he always delivers a quality performance. Both guys wrestle similar styles and epitomize what the X-Division is all about, so unsurprisingly, this was a great match even if the outcome wasn't in doubt. This was a top-notch first title defense for Austin, who will defend against former champion Trey Miguel at Under Siege on Saturday.

Masha Slamovich def. Damaris

IMPACT's Knockouts division gets deeper and deeper by the week, so why hasn't Slamovich been put in a program with someone else on the roster yet? She's been murdering "local athletes" for many months now. Considering it's now May, it's safe to say she's ready for whatever's next. Maybe we'll get her first feud coming out of Under Siege, but I'm not holding breath. The best part about these squashes is that they don't overstay their welcome.

Bullet Club (Jay White and Chris Bey) def. Rich Swann and Willie Mack

White and Bey work wonderfully together as partners while Swann and Mack are always a blast to watch wrestle, so this was an enjoyable outing for as long as it lasted. Bullet Club has momentum at the moment and it would have been silly for them to loss this one, though I do question what's next for Swann. As for Mack, he mentioned on Twitter that he chose not to renew his contract with the IMPACT, so this marked his swan song and thus it was logical for him to be the one to eat the pin.

Tomohiro Ishii def. Steve Maclin

This was a warm-up of sorts for Ishii, who will challenge Josh Alexander for the Impact World Championship at Under Siege. I say "warm-up" but this was an absolute war and Maclin scored plenty of offense before losing. As I've said time and time again, Maclin has been killing it in IMPACT and he shined here as well. This was a hell of a hard-hitting affair. Ishii has been on a roll since arriving in IMPACT and I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do against Alexander.

PCO def. JONAH in a Monster's Ball Match

It's been a while since we last had a Monster's Ball match, which was a staple of IMPACT at one point (particularly with Abyss). There was a time where we got so many of them that it was ridiculous, but it made sense for the blow-off to this feud because these are two monsters that can go. As a hardcore brawl, this was a blast. IMPACT don't do this sort of stuff too often nowadays, so it meant more. It was also a strong sendoff for JONAH, who has officially wrapped up his run with IMPACT. He had a lot of terrific matches and I hope we see him back down the road.

Overall Show

This is nothing new for IMPACT, but the card for Under Siege on Saturday looks excellent on paper. That's extra impressive when you consider Rebellion was less than two weeks ago. This was a successful go-home show that left me hyped for Under Siege but also delivered plenty of above-average action. From an X-Division thriller to a Monster's Ball brawl, this episode had a little bit of everything and was thoroughly entertaining as always.

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