TNA Impact Wrestling Review - July 5, 2016

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Eddie Edwards def. Mike Bennett, Trevor Lee, Braxton Sutter, DJ Z, Rockstar Spud, Andrew Everrett and Mandrews in an Ultimate X Match to Win the X-Division Championship

I liked Bennett's logic in wanting to cash in his championship shot as quickly as possible so he wouldn't have to risk losing it before then. Why was there an Ultimate X set up if the match was "impromptu?" And if this was Dixie Carter's plan the entire time, why didn't Bennett see it initially? That's merely me nitpicking as the match itself was a ton of fun. X-Division matches are done so often that they lost their luster for me a while ago, but I give everyone involved in this bout props for putting forth such a strong effort. All eight competitors had their time to shine, but Mandrews stole the show for me with his amazing moonsault off the side of the structure. The title is virtually meaningless having changed hands so frequently, but it's been a good little story to tell with Bennett and Edwards heading into Destination X.


James Storm def. King of the Mountain Champion Eli Drake by Disqualification

The more I see of Drake, the more potential I think he has to become a big star in TNA. He can be extremely entertaining at times, but he was lacking that aggressive edge he needed for fans to take him seriously. Well, we got that here with his attack on Storm after the match. Thus, I didn't mind the non-finish one bit because it kept the feud alive and gave Drake a measure of momentum.

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Jade def. Marti Bell in a Street Fight

The two have been feuding for only three weeks, yet they've already escalated to Street Fight level? This whole feud has felt rushed and neither of them have been established whatsoever, so the crowd had zero incentive to care who won. Additionally, Jade and Bell don't have much in-ring chemistry together either, so this was simply a mess of a match. Here's hoping Jade's clean win means they can now put this rivalry to rest.


Maria Offered Dixie Carter an Ultimatum

The on-air product was at its absolute worst when Carter was all over the program, and after seeing her in the opening segment, I had no desire to her again later in the show. Her acting is still subpar, along with Corgan, but at least Maria and Bennett are tremendous talkers. Also, since when did Billy Corgan turn face? Actually, I don't care, but I really hope this doesn't end up being a swerve and he was in on it with Maria and Bennett the entire time. Bennett threatening to ruin Destination X was interesting, though. We'll see where that leads.


The BroMans and Raquel def. World Tag Team Champions Decay and Rosemary

While I for one can't get invested in this feud, the matches have thankfully been decent and well-wrestled. It's not that The BroMans are awful wrestlers, they just aren't believable babyfaces. This was the first we've seen of Raquel in the ring, and although she was limited in what she did, it's clear she still has plenty of work to do. The babyfaces winning logically sets them up for the tag title rematch we were all expecting after Slammiversary.


TNA World Heavyweight Champion Lashley Confronted X-Division Champion Eddie Edwards

I don't recall Edwards ever being the strongest talker on the mic, but he impressed me here. Lashley has come a long way himself, so this was a solid segment. Every year the X-Division Champion is presented with Option C, and every year they take it. I know it may be underwhelming, but one year I want the X-Division Champion to hold on to their title. What's the point of Option C if the champion gets to defend their title against the world champion? Oh well, it makes the match more intriguing for me and switches up the stagnant formula. I don't at all think Edwards will win the title, but it should be a great match, regardless.


Matt Hardy def. Jeff Hardy in a Final Deletion Match

I think "insane" is the only appropriate word that can be used to describe this match. You will either to love it to death (like I did), or hate the hell out of it. This feud has been one giant train wreck, and somehow, it has led to more eyes on the product, so for that, I say good for TNA. Jeff and especially Matt played their roles to perfection throughout the rivalry and this was a brilliant payoff. All the anarchy and craziness was so over-the-top that it was just a blast. I was also glad Matt finally scored the victory over his brother and I'm intrigued as to what this means for Jeff going forward. This was the most I've seen people talking about TNA (in a positive light) in years, so kudos. Here's hoping this doesn't become the norm, though.


Overall Show

Obviously, the entire edition of Impact Wrestling was built around the main event (which lived up to the hype in my opinion), but the rest of the show held up nicely. We had an exciting opener where a new X-Division Champion was crowned and a strong segment from Lashley and Edwards that set up next week's thrilling title for title main event. The product has been worth watching all year round, but it's cool that TNA finally received the attention they have long deserved through the much-talked-about Final Deletion match.