IMPACT! Wrestling Review - September 20, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tessa Blanchard, Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam and Rhino def. oVe in a Street Fight

Similar to last week's Street Fight main event, this match benefited from having no disqualifications, at least for the ECW legends' sake. It also benefited from having a fast pace. Everyone held their own and it was an enjoyable encounter on the whole. I was wondering what Blanchard would be doing at Bound for Glory, but I guess we know now that she has submitted Impact X-Division Champion Jake Crist. I could definitely see Blanchard walking out of the event with the title and I wouldn't be opposed to it, either.

Impact Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie def. Alisha Edwards (Non-Title)

Alisha was in no way a threat to Taya and I wasn't surprised that this wasn't very good. Although it didn't last long, the focus was entirely on the "injured" Ace Austin at ringside and how he beat up on John E. Bravo when Alisha wasn't looking. I've been a fan of their storyline so far, but this wasn't an amazing progression of it, especially since we knew Eddie was in the building as he showed up after the main event.

Mahabli Shera def. Cody Deaner

Shera has officially joined Desi Hit Squad, which means the group isn't going anywhere any time soon. Ugh. He came across as dominant when he re-debuted last week and that was once again the case here as he made quick work of Deaner. As you would probably expect, the match wasn't anything special. I really hope Desi Hit Squad and The Deaners face off one more time and someone can win decisively so we can move on from this feud once and for all.

The Rascalz def. Ares, Toxin and Australian Suicide in a Lucha Rules Match

On one hand, this was all action and a ton of fun for what it was. Unfortunately, it felt rushed and wasn't given time to breathe. Ares, Toxin and Australian Suicide are all AAA talents, but as impressive as they were, they didn't leave a lasting impression because this was so brief. I can forgive a lack of story once in a while, but this could have been a stronger showcase for The Rascalz ahead of their match at Bound for Glory.

Havok def. Su Yung in a No Disqualification Match

Damn, two hardcore matches on one show? Granted, this was more extreme than the opener, but it ended up being a giant mess. I thought their original encounter exceeded expectations, but this didn't have any real flow and was all over the place. Yung appeared to be in babyface mode here, despite apparently getting booed for attacking Havok after the match. They ran an angle afterward backstage where Havok attempted to murder Yung by hanging her in a stairwell (seriously), but we found out at the end of the episode that Yung somehow survived even though she flatlined. Whatever.

Rich Swann and Willie Mack def. LAX

The outcome of this could not have been more obvious since LAX were forced to leave in storyline anyway following their loss to The North two weeks ago, but that wasn't the point. This was the match I was hoping for from LAX in their farewell from IMPACT since their outing against The North wasn't what it could have been. This received plenty of time, was very entertaining, and featured strong showings from all involved. Swann and Mack can hopefully ride this wave of momentum into Bound for Glory where they can contend for the Impact World Tag Team Championship. The babyfaces from the locker room pouring out into the ring to celebrate LAX in the final few minutes of the show was a nice touch as well.

Overall Show

Once again, IMPACT! Wrestling was a mixed bag this week. Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with that, but we have come to expect better quality from the weekly show, not to mention how Bound for Glory is just over one month away and the promotion should feel hotter than it does at the moment. The main event was a treat and the opener was better than I thought it would be, but everything in the middle was fairly weak.