IMPACT! Wrestling Review - October 11, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ace Austin def. Eddie Edwards to Qualify for the Impact X-Division Championship Ladder Match at Bound for Glory

I've enjoyed the feud Austin and Edwards have had so far as well as their in-ring chemistry. This was another pretty good match from them, but I could have done without all the interference from Reno Scum. I realize they've been heavily involved in their angle, but Austin shouldn't have had to rely on them as much as he did. Austin beating Edwards again was huge for him (despite how it came about) and now he finds himself in the Ultimate X matchup at Bound for Glory. I'd be shocked if Edwards didn't find his way in as well somehow.

Desi Hit Squad def. The Rascalz

Since there's three members of Desi Hit Squad who can wrestle, I guess we'll have to get used to seeing them in six-man tag team action more often. Ugh. Thankfully, The Rascalz are entertaining enough that they were able to salvage this thing and make it passable. I'm not at all a fan of Desi Hit Squad winning, but it looks like they're going to be built up a bit now that Mahabali Shera has returned. Just keep them far, far away from the Impact World Tag Team Championship picture.​

Havok def. Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie by Disqualification

I think Valkyrie carries herself exceptionally well as the heel champion and she's had a strong reign as Knockouts Champion on the whole, but her matches have definitely been lacking lately, in my opinion. I don't know whether she's been given poor opponents to work with or what, but at least in this circumstance, it wasn't wise to put her up against another heel. The crowd didn't have any incentive to cheer for either woman, and the non-finish was weak. The focus was mostly on Tenille Dashwood coming out afterward and forcing Valkyrie to flee from the ring.

Stephan Bonnar def. Moose by Disqualification

Moose and Bonnar actually teamed up at Bound for Glory against Bobby Lashley and King Mo two years ago, but I liked how Moose had to go through Bonnar ahead of his outing with Ken Shamrock at Bound for Glory. Bonnar did better than I thought he would and I appreciated the intensity both guys brought to this bout. A second straight disqualification finish was disappointing, but it protected Moose in defeat. I didn't need to see Moose tapping out to Shamrock afterward, but I guess that was supposed to serve as a preview of their upcoming encounter.

Jordynne Grace def. Katie Forbes

Forbes is the real-life girlfriend of Rob Van Dam, which would explain how she got this spot. I've seen her in action before, and while she is athletic, the twerking gimmick is a bit of a turnoff for me (I'm sure most guys will like it, but I personally don't find it entertaining in the slightest). This was basically a glorified squash match for Grace, but there was no reason for it to last as long as it did.

Tessa Blanchard and Daga def. oVe; oVe Attacked Impact World Champion Brian Cage and Melissa Santos

Blanchard and Daga are legitimately an item, but that was never alluded to during their backstage segment together or during the match itself. They worked really well together and had an entertaining main event with oVe, even though it wasn't given a ton of time. Cage then resurfaced after apparently being in police custody for a week to get some revenge on oVe, only to be handcuffed to the top rope while he was forced to watch Sami Callihan hit a piledriver on his wife. It was a great angle to add more heat to the Bound for Glory main event.

Overall Show

IMPACT deserves credit for putting together a really nice card for Bound for Glory next Sunday. Granted, fans aren't buzzing about the event the same way they would be for a WWE or an AEW pay-per-view, but it has potential on paper to be excellent if booked properly. As for this edition of IMPACT! Wrestling, some of the booking decisions were questionable and a handful of the matches were forgettable, but the opening and closing segments were easily the highlights.