IMPACT! Wrestling Review - October 6, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Frankie Kazarian def. Kenny King

I believe Kazarian and King were the final two in the Triple Threat Revolver at Victory Road (which is where Kazarian became number one contender to the Impact X-Division Championship at Bound for Glory), so I liked that Kazarian had to beat King one-on-one before contending for the title. This had the enjoyable action you'd expect and Kazarian continues to perform at a high level at this stage of his career. I'm happy he's found new life in IMPACT despite still being under contract to AEW, where he's been spinning his wheels for most of the year.

Mia Yim def. Gisele Shaw

Unless Yim has re-signed with IMPACT (or she wrestles at the post-pay-per-view tapings), this may have marked her final match on IMPACT! Wrestling. She'll be facing Mickie James in a Career Threatening match for James at Bound for Glory, and since Yim basically has zero chance of winning, it makes sense to give her a minor momentum boost before then. This was a well-wrestled match and Shaw was looked credible in defeat.

Steve Maclin def. Moose (Sami Callihan Served as Special Guest Referee)

All three of these guys will be involved in the Call Your Shot Battle Royal at Bound for Glory, so hopefully that marks the end of this feud because it feels like it's been going on forever. Maclin and Moose are obviously both heels, but Callihan serving as the special guest ref was a nice touch and made the match more interesting. This was solid stuff. We'll see who gets the upper hand on Friday night.

Taya Valkyrie and Jessicka def. The Swingerellas

I'm curious if The Swingerellas will be a permanent addition to the Knockouts tag team division or this was a one-off. I'm hoping for the latter because they're not very good. This was a simple squash and nothing more. I'm also not super invested in this story they're telling with Valkyrie, Jessicka and Rosemary, but I applaud the effort to switch it up, nonetheless. IMPACT has done an effective job of keeping their women's tag team division interesting thus far, but Valkyrie and Jessicka vs. VXT doesn't do a whole lot for me.

Alex Shelley def. Impact World Tag Team Champion Matt Taven

This served as preview of what to expect when The Motor City Machine Guns challenge Taven and Mike Bennett for the Impact World Tag Team Championship. Both of these guys are very talented and thus it was no surprise this was as entertaining as it was. I thought they'd attempt to put last-minute heat on the heels by having Taven win, but apparently not. That match has the potential to be a show-stealer at Bound for Glory.

The Impact Knockouts World Championship Contract Signing Between Impact Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace and Masha Slamovich Ended in Chaos

I was already looking forward to Grace vs. Slamovich at Bound for Glory, but this segment was the final sell the match needed (I don't think the Pick Your Poison matches made much of a difference to be honest). Talking isn't Grace's strong suit, but I thought she mostly did well with her lines, while keeping Slamovich's stuff short, sweet and straight to the point was smart. Slamovich standing tall to close the show was also the right call.

Overall Show

It may be just me, but Bound for Glory just doesn't have the same buzz around it this year that it has in years past. Mind you, that's coming from someone who has loved the product almost all year, but it really feels like it's cooled off a bit. The timing couldn't be worse with Bound for Glory being their WrestleMania, but it should still be a strong show based on what's being advertised. This was a well-done go-home show with everything being hyped up one way or another and the wrestling also delivering.

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