This Is IMPACT! Review - October 22, 2019

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Madison Rayne def. Shotzi Blackheart

This had to have been one of the most predictable matches in recent memory since it's been public knowledge for the last week that Shotzi Blackheart is headed to NXT (she was literally offered a contract by the NXT general manager himself William Regal at an EVOLVE show). That said, this served as a solid showcase for both women and was a good match on the whole. Blackheart has wrestled for IMPACT a few times before in the past, so this was a nice farewell for her before she reports to NXT soon. I could have done without the commentators being distracting down the stretch, but admittedly, some of the banter between Don Callis and Kiera Hogan was amusing.

The Rascalz def. Dr. Wagner Jr., Aerostar and Taurus

We were informed by the commentators that Wagner retired from the ring earlier this year, only to return soon after. Now, he wears his mask for half of the match and removes it during the second half. Why he does that, I have no clue. I'm actually glad in retrospect that this was bumped from the Bound for Glory card, simply because it had no story. That said, it was all action and the crowd enjoyed it. As the regulars on the IMPACT roster, The Rascals winning was the right outcome.

Overall Show

This wasn't your typical edition of IMPACT! Wrestling. Rather, this was almost like what we used to see after the NXT TakeOver specials, where the two featured matches were taped before Bound for Glory and the rest of the show recapped the pay-per-view. Plus, there was a ton of interviews and in-studio stuff from Josh Mathews and Scott D'Amore in addition to hype for next week's huge debut show on AXS TV. If this was your first time watching IMPACT, then you probably came away with a decent understanding of their main players and recent events, and that's all that matters. Here's hoping they don't drop the ball in front of their new viewing audience.