Hammerstone Brawled with Josh Alexander and Attacked Tommy DreamerI liked how the episode opened with Hammerstone and Alexander already brawling. That was a nice change of pace. Dreamer attempting to talk sense into Hammerstone before Hammerstone attacked him was well done, even though it played out predictably. This effectively furthered the feud between Hammerstone and Alexander heading into their rubber match at Rebellion. TNA Digital Media Champion Crazzy Steve def. Laredo Kid by DisqualificationWhat a weird match. Did Kid do anything to earn an opportunity at the title? I know it's the TNA Digital Media Championship, so it hardly matters, but this felt like it came out of nowhere. They had a decent match, but the disqualification finish was lame. Steve tried to unmask him, so he shoved the referee. I guess that's one way to set up a rematch, but it's not a matchup I'm clamoring to see again, personally. First Class def. ABCABC just seem to floating at the moment and being used in situations where they can have quality matches while also putting other people over. They're never made to look weak in defeat and they've continued to be featured fairly regularly, but I do hope they can find direction again soon. This was a good match and A.J. Francis and Rich Swann gelled well as partners. Joe Hendry showed up afterward and will face Swann at Rebellion. Steph De Lander Attacked TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace During the TNA Knockouts World Championship Contract SigningDe Lander hasn't had much exposure in TNA prior to this point, so it was smart to hype her upcoming championship clash with Grace with this contract signing and giving her a chance to talk. Matt Cardona adds to her presentation and I thought he played his role well. De Lander standing tall over Grace was the right call, even if I don't think De Lander has a significant shot of dethroning Grace. TNA World Champion Moose def. Trent Seven (Non-Title)With Moose defending the TNA World Championship against Nic Nemeth at Rebellion, Seven had zero chance of beating him here, but I appreciated that he was made to look credible by scoring some offense before eating defeat. It was a brief bout yet an enjoyable one. Moose has wisely been booked dominantly as champ and his Rebellion match with Nemeth legitimately feels like it could go either way. Jake Something def. James DrakeGrizzled Young Vets said that one of them would take on Something but didn't reveal who it'd be until the bell rang. It didn't end up mattering because Something won anyway, but it was the correct outcome with Something set to challenge Mustafa Ali for the TNA X-Division Championship at Rebellion. It was an average outing. Deaner attempting to make the save for Something afterward (before they were both laid out by Ali and Grizzled Young Vets) was interesting as it marks the first time they've reunited in years. PCO def. Kon in a Monster's Ball MatchI was wondering why the last match these two had at Sacrifice wasn't a Monster's Ball bout. Well, it was because they wanted to extend the feud and have it be the stipulation for their third match. I don't know why this was necessary if PCO was going to win again (and I'm glad he did), but to their credit, they made the most of it and had a fun hardcore brawl. That should come as no surprise considering PCO tends to thrive in this extreme environment. Overall ShowIt's pretty wild how much the TNA product has cooled off since the beginning of the year. They built up a ton of goodwill with the big relaunch, but the buzz hasn't been the same since Scott D'Amore was let go. Despite that, the weekly shows have largely been solid and the monthly events have definitely delivered. This was another efficient edition of iMPACT! that successfully hyped Rebellion and moved several storylines forward.
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