IMPACT! Wrestling Review - September 7, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Deonna Purrazzo def. Dani Luma

This gave Purrazzo a chance to bounce back from losing her Impact Knockouts World Championship rematch against Trinity at Emergence. Luna's a skilled worker and the IMPACT women's division is the perfect place for her in my opinion. This was Purrazzo's match to win, but I appreciated that Luna wasn't completely squashed. It didn't last too long, but it didn't need to. I'm curious to see if Purrazzo ends up going full-blown heel again soon.

JOYA def. Champagne Singh and Shera

Joe Hendry and Yuya Umera are already making for a nice team. As of now, I don't want to see them be the ones to eventually dethrone The Rascalz as Impact World Tag Team Champions, but I suppose it's possible that could happen. The match itself was whatever, but Singh and Shera were easy opponents for JOYA to beat. They have a connection with the crowd and that's what's most important.

Rich Swann and Sami Callihan def. Subculture (Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster)

It was specifically said that this was a number one contender's match, but it was implied last week that the winners of this match could be next in line for an opportunity at the tag titles. Subculture lost the belts at Emergence and could get a rematch at some point, but I'm also in favor of Swann and Callihan contending for the titles because they work so well as a team. Even with the babyface vs. babyface dynamite, this was a very entertaining encounter.

Impact X-Division Champion Lio Rush df. Kevin Knight (Non-Title)

Knight is Kushida's tag team partner from New Japan Pro-Wrestling, so it was logical for Knight to face him before then. IMPACT probably should have followed up his awesome match against Moose with a win, but at least he was able to score an ample amount of offense here and have another standout showing. This was a fun sprint from him and Rush. Post-match, Rush continued his assault on Knight and Kushida made the save.

Eddie Edwards and Alisha Edwards Attacked Impact Knockouts World Champion Trinity During the Impact Knockouts World Championship Contract Signing

In all the years she's spent in IMPACT, Alisha has never been in such a prominent position before, so this was her chance to show what she could do on the mic and I thought she fared well. Obviously, there's zero chance she takes the title at Victory Road, but I appreciate the effort they put into making the match matter here. Props to Trinity for taking that table bump at the hands of Eddie. Expect Frankie Kazarian to thwart any Eddie interference during Trinity vs. Alisha.

Bully Ray and Steve Maclin def. PCO and Josh Alexander

Alexander has had nothing but tag team matches in IMPACT since returning to the ring, but he'll have his first singles match back against Maclin at Victory Road while PCO faces Bully. Thus, this served as a solid preview of both bouts. It was your average tag team main event, but it accomplished what it needed to in giving the heels a momentum boost before they likely lose to their respective Victory Road opponents.

Overall Show

I have no idea why IMPACT chose to hold Victory Road two weeks after Emergence, but to their credit, they've put together quite the card for it on such short notice. This was a successful go-home show, complete with quality action, mic work and storyline progression. I enjoyed the episode. Although Victory Road doesn't appear to be a must-see show on paper, it should effectively set the stage for Bound for Glory next month.

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