TNA Impact Wrestling Review - October 28, 2015

Did Awesome Kong force Gail Kim to tap out?

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Matt Hardy def. Robbie E to Earn 3 Points in the World Title Series

I realize Hardy was thrown in the tag team competitors group before he won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory, but he's better than everyone else in his category and it wouldn't make sense for him to lose this early. Thus, it was pretty predictable Hardy would be winning here, but it was decent match while it lasted. Robbie E has all the tools to be a major player in this company, but he won't get anywhere as long as he's doing the outdated Jersey Shore gimmick. It doesn't work for him as a babyface and he'd be much more effective if he were simply straightforward.


Drew Galloway def. Grado to Earn 3 Points in the World Title Series

I loved Grado's work on the independent scene, but he feels like a watered-down version of his former self in TNA. His comedy always falls flat and he isn't allowed to show what he's truly capable of in the ring. He and Galloway worked well together, but it was an obvious mismatch and Galloway's victory was never in doubt. On the other hand, I like the story of Galloway working his way back up to title contention after losing at Bound for Glory.

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James Storm delivers a Last Call to Abyss.

Aiden O'Shea def. Crazzy Steve to Earn 3 Points in the World Title Series

We still know next to nothing about O'Shea and as a result it makes it difficult for me to care about his matches. From what I've seen, he's an average worker, but a match with Crazzy Steve can only be so good. That's not to say Steve is bad in the ring, but all he does is play for comedy and that shtick ran its course a long time ago if it was ever over to begin with. This was easily the most forgettable match on the show, especially considering how neither of these guys are going to go far in the tournament.


James Storm def. Abyss to Earn 3 Points in the World Title Series

No, Storm didn't return to TNA after his appearance in NXT last week; this was taped long before he jumped the sinking ship. At the very least, I appreciated the effort in trying to explain the dissension between the two whereas Mahabali Shera and Manik were still in Revolution mode when they wrestled earlier in the series. They contested a better bout than I thought they would, but Abyss has been damaged goods for years and does absolutely nothing for me at this point. I'm glad Storm went over, but the guy's gone from the company, so how much can you really invest in him?


DJ Z def. X-Division Champion Tigre Uno to Earn 3 Points in the World Title Series (Non-title)

I constantly rag on the X-Division for their lack of stories, but it doesn't even matter right now with there being nothing but matches, so I have no choice but to enjoy the action for what it is. DJ Z and Uno had a very fun match and although I've never seen DJ Z as a threat to the title, he was put on Uno's level with his win over him. It's just a shame we likely won't see a title match between them for as long as this series goes on.


Knockouts Champion Gail Kim def. Awesome Kong to Earn 3 Points in the World Title Series (Non-title)

The quality of matches between Kim and Kong isn't what it once was due Kong's back problems, but they still have great chemistry together and it was refreshing to see them in the main event for a change. While I enjoyed their outing at Bound for Glory slightly more, this was a competent contest that saw both competitors come out of it looking credible. The video packages hying the matchup and its history throughout the night made it feel meaningful and I wish we had a real one-on-one feud between them instead of just random matches.


​​Overall Show

I'm sorry but it's hard to say that these shows are worth watching when most of them consist of mediocre wrestling. The women's main event was entertaining and so was the X-Division match, but ultimately they feel like house shows because the series is a total mess and filled with pointless matches. It's also painfully apparent that their roster is beyond depleted and they're lacking star power, so that doesn't help these shows, either.

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