IMPACT! Wrestling Review - November 12, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Trey def. Petey Williams, Rohit Raju, Aiden Price, Brent Banks and Willie Mack in an Impact X-Division Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

This was the perfect match to kick off the evening as it was fast-paced, action-packed and had a future title opportunity hanging in the balance. Everyone got to shine at one point or another, but the only three wrestlers with a real shot of winning were Trey, Williams and Mack. It would have been cool to see Williams challenge for the championship, but Trey is a fine choice as well because of how talented he is. Unfortunately, I fear their feud will be more focused on Ace Austin wanting to "bang" Trey's "mom" (who was shown in the crowd and kissed Trey on the forehand afterward).

Madison Rayne def. Alexia Nicole

Nicole has appeared on a handful of episodes of IMPACT! Wrestling this year, but other than being from Canada and being skilled in bubblegum chewing, I know nothing about her. She's basically the go-to jobber for the Knockouts whenever they're in Canada and is decent in the ring from what I've seen. This was a serviceable squash for Rayne, who needed to bounce back following her recent loss to Taya Valkyrie.

Daga def. Jake Crist

Crist is still doing the "Golden Draw" gimmick despite losing the X-Division title at Bound for Glory. He's a really good wrestler, but I have no idea what's left for him to do on his own now that he's lost the belt and failed to regain it (on one of those IMPACT Plus specials). On the bright side, this was a great match. Both guys had awesome performances and kept the crowd engaged throughout. Daga is an absolute star.

oVe def. Rich Swann and Tessa Blanchard

Both Swann and Blanchard have established issues with oVe, so this match made sense. Swann will be challenging Sami Callihan for the Impact World Championship in December while Blanchard will be going for the gold at Hard to Kill in January. Callihan needed the victory after getting pinned last week, but it was weird for Swann to lose ahead of challenging for the championship. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining tag team affair and I love Blanchard's interactions with Callihan. Brian Cage came out afterward to make the save for Swann and Callihan. I thought he might take time off after losing the world title two weeks ago, but apparently not. He also inserted himself into next week's number one contender's match.

Havok def. Crystal Moon

I'm not the biggest Havok fan, but she did well here and was made to look dominant by squashing Moon with ease. That said, I'm curious what's next for her since she recently wrapped up her rivalry with Su Yung, and I have zero desire to see her challenge for the Impact Knockouts Championship again any time soon. She ran into "Suzie" backstage afterward, so it's possible their story isn't over yet.

Impact World Tag Team Champions The North def. Eddie Edwards and Marufuji

Edwards and Marufuji were going to work well regardless, but they made for an even better team than I expected. Combine that with how tremendous The North are and it should have come as no surprise that this was so fun. Edwards and Marufuji wouldn't have been the right choice to take the titles from The North, but they had a strong showing in defeat. If I had to guess, this probably marked the end of Marufuji's latest stint in IMPACT.

Overall Show

The consistent quality of IMPACT! Wrestling continues with their best effort since the AXS TV debut. There was a ton of hype for next week's Impact World Championship No. 1 Contender's Six-Pack Challenge, which looks loaded on paper. The wrestling on the whole on this show was above-average between the main event, Daga vs. Crist, oVe vs. Swann and Blanchard, and even the opener. It was a really well-rounded show that I enjoyed immensely.