IMPACT! Wrestling Review - September 30, 2021

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Trey Miguel def. Laredo Kid and Alex Zayne in an Impact X-Division Championship Three-Way Qualifier

With Josh Alexander relinquishing the X-Division title last week, a new champion will be determined in some sort of a multi-man match at Bound for Glory. This was a hell of a way to kick off the qualifiers as all three of these guys are terrific. Laredo has made a handful of appearances for IMPACT lately, Zayne was fun to watch in NXT and recently returned to Ring of Honor, and Miguel is always awesome. This was the type of chaotic action we've come to expect from the revitalized X-Division this year and was the perfect opener for this show. Miguel advancing was the right call and my money is on him to become the new champ.

The Influence (Tenille Dashwood and Madison Rayne) def. Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace in an Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

By virtue of this victory, The Influence will get the next shot at the Knockouts tag titles at Knockouts Knockdown next weekend. I could have done without the excessive amount of interference from Kaleb with a K, but the rest of this match was solid stuff. Ellering and Grace have been clicking as a team (the matching attire is a nice touch) and The Influence have been a quality addition to the tag team ranks. I assume The Influence will lost at Knockouts Knockdown, paving the way for some sort of a multi-team match for the titles at Bound for Glory.

Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo and Mickie James Brawled at James' Compound

Unless I'm mistaken, we haven't seen a "cinematic" done like this in IMPACT in a while and I thought it was the perfect way to get outside of the Impact Zone to further their feud. Purrazzo drove to James' compound and brawled with her for a while, starting in the stable and continuing outside. It was fairly even before Purrazzo left James lying in the end. I was already excited for their upcoming encounter, but this left me even more amped for it.

Christopher Daniels def. Madman Fulton

This marked Daniels' first taste of in-ring action since he and Frankie Kazarian lost to The Young Bucks on Dynamite back in May, effectively ending SCU. To think this man is over 50-years-old is amazing to me. he can't fly around the way he used to, but he's still capable of a lot more than he probably should be. The size difference between these two worked to their advantage and they had quality chemistry. Ace Austin attempted to interfere, but Josh Alexander thwarted him. It will be Austin and Fulton vs. Alexander and Christian Cage next week.

Heath Saved Rhino From Violent by Design

When Violent By Design recently booted Rhino from the group, you had to know that this was where it was leading. Despite the predictability of the angle, I liked how it played out and it made for a cool moment. Eric Young asked Rhino if he was with Violent By Design or against them, but Heath (who hasn't been seen in IMPACT in close to a year) came out before he could give an answer, which is why Rhino walked away from him instead of embracing him. The slow-burn reunion is a smart approach and it's going to make the match (assuming it's Heath and Rhino vs. Violent By Design) at Bound for Glory even bigger.

Eddie Edwards def. W. Morrissey in a Street Fight

I believe this was the third match these two have had in recent months and it was enjoyable. Edwards is basically IMPACT's resident hardcore wrestler at this point while Morrissey has been killing it since coming to the company. They work really well together and this was another entertaining outing from them. I wasn't expecting Edwards to pick up the win, but it was because of Alisha Edwards' interference. The heels (Morrissey and Moose) also stood tall afterward. I'm curious how this storyline is going to culminate going into Bound for Glory with Sami Callihan now out of action with an injury until next year.

Overall Show

The road to Bound for Glory has been fun to follow so far, and while we don't currently have a ton of matches announced, I'm getting the feeling it's going to be a big night. The top matches alone should be worth watching for. As for this edition of IMPACT! Wrestling, it was certainly above average. Heath's return and Daniels being back in the ring were notable, the compound brawl between Purrazzo and James was well done, the opener was excellent, and the main event was a treat. It's a two hours well spent and as I always say, if you aren't keeping up with the IMPACT product consistently, you're missing out. I'd argue this the best it's been on a week-to-week basis in many years.

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