IMPACT! Wrestling Review - September 15, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Susie and Kylie Rae def. Kimber Lee and Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo

Rae became the number one contender to the Impact Knockouts Championship at Slammiversary, so it's possible she'll get her title shot against Purrazzo at Bound for Glory. This was a nice preview of that and served as a perfectly fine opener. The emphasis on Susie during the finish was interesting, as her transforming back into Su Yung was teased. Susie isn't the greatest character ever, but I find it to be more bearable than Su Yung, so I hope that's not the direction they're headed in.

XXXL def. The Deaners

IMPACT's tag team division is on the ascent again and it's awesome to see, but I'd argue these are the two least interesting tandems in the bunch. Yes, they have history from when they were on Wrestle House together, but most of that was comedy, so this match didn't do a ton for me despite being decent from an in-ring standpoint. I do think XXXL have more potential than The Deaners, though, so I was happy with the outcome.

Trey Miguel def. TJP

When Trey encountered Rohit Raju backstage beforehand about wanting an opportunity to contend for the Impact X-Division Championship, that pretty much made the finish to this match obvious. However, that isn't to say it wasn't enjoyable. It was a fun little match that saw Trey pick up the much-needed win. It was announced later on that Trey, TJP and Chris Bey will meet in a three-way next week to determine the rightful number one contender, with the winner facing Raju on that same show (assuming I understood that correctly).

Impact World Champion Eric Young Interrupted Rich Swann and Scott D'Amore

Swann made his grand return to IMPACT last week after seemingly "retiring" in early August due to an attack he suffered at the hands of Young. You knew that wasn't going to last and that he and Young were destined to do battle at some point. Well, we found out here Bound for Glory will be where they finally settle their score, presumably with the Impact World Championship on the line, as announced by D'Amore. Young will have to successfully defend the title against Eddie Edwards first coming up at Victory Road, but Young vs. Swann makes total sense as the Bound for Glory main event. Everyone played their roles well in this segment and I applaud Swann, Young and IMPACT for crafting one of their strongest stories going right now heading into their biggest show of the year.

Willie Mack def. Brian Myers

All three of the matches these two have had against each other in recent weeks have been well wrestled, though this one didn't seem any more special than the other encounters. They told a simple story of how Myers, despite labeling himself "the most professional wrestler," has needed to cheat to beat Mack. His antics backfired here and cost him the victory. That seem to put the rivalry to rest, but it's entirely possible they clash again soon in some sort of gimmick match.

Kiera Hogan def. Taya Valkyrie

Valkyrie vanquished Tasha Steelz last week but was unable to beat Hogan here. That's a huge victory for Hogan that I hope IMPACT can capitalize off of, but I assume this is leading to Valkyrie and Rosemary putting their differences aside to take on Hogan and Steelz in tag team action. This was solid stuff, so I'm sure that eventual tag team matchup will be just as good.

Ace Austin, Madman Fulton and The North def. Impact World Tag Team Champions The Motor City Machine Guns and The Good Brothers

The heels ambushed The Rascalz backstage beforehand, so The Good Brothers substituted for them. Given the level of talent involved, I expected this to be a blast and they did not disappoint. The four teams produced a highly entertaining, all-action main event where the final stretch or so was pure chaos. Just as The North were closing in on the victory, Austin tagged himself and secured the win for himself. He and Fulton bickered with The North afterward while The Good Brothers got hot at Motor City Machine Guns, which makes me think a four-way match for the titles is in the cards for Bound for Glory.

Overall Show

I love that, even though Bound for Glory is still over a month away, we're getting a better idea of what the card may look like. The main event was the best bout of the night, but the rest of the wrestling on this show was superb on the whole. Per usual, the company did an effective job of moving stories along, setting the stage for next week and filling the two hours nicely. While there isn't much I'd consider to be "must-see" about IMPACT! Wrestling these days, I'd argue they've found their footing and are consistently delivering quality content week after week. It's always an easy watch and I believe Bound for Glory can be even better than Slammiversary was.