IMPACT HITS & MISSES 4/6: Matt Morgan returns, LAX, Josh vs. Jeremy, Eddie vs. Davey, Alberto El Patron, Dumb Hats

Hey everyone, before we jump into the Hits and Misses, I just wanted to make note of the grand return of PWPodcasts.com! Along with Wade Keller, I’m going to be helping run the site to cover the growing world of wrestling podcasts. There’s a lot of great shows out there, and we want to make it the destination for wrestling podcast reviews and news. If you think you’d be interested in recapping a show, feel free to email us at pwpodcasts@gmail.com.

Also, Mike McMahon had a prior work engagement this week, so we didn’t have a Livecast Impact Post-Show last night. However, we will be recording a recap within the next couple days and will be back on the air next Thursday night.

Now let’s talk Impact!

HITS

Eddie’s Promo: Hey, Eddie Kingston can talk! They should probably let him do that more often. He’s largely been positioned as a background henchman so far, but with that one intense promo he showed he has a bit of an upside. It was also good to hear James Storm say he wants the Heavyweight Title, as that’s what every wrestler should be talking about. Plus, the crowd was really into Storm, so maybe The Cowboy does have another title run left in him. Now Impact needs to let Bram talk too!

The Start Of The Show: How refreshing was it to hear a night of wrestling start with the sound of the ring bell, and not some authority figure yapping away? Eli Drake and Caleb Konley kicked off the show and were ready to wrestle in the opening moments. They may not have delivered anything particularly special, but I’d like to see this approach happen more often.

Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards: This may be the best feud going on in wrestling right now. These guys have great chemistry together, their matches are a lot of fun to watch and both of their wives have been excellent additions to the angle. The former tag partners tore it up for over 20 minutes on free TV, and delivered arguably the best Impact match of 2017 so far (only Alberto El Patron vs. EC III can really compare). I wouldn’t mind a few more rematches in the future.

The Vignettes Continue: Once again, you have to give credit to the Impact production crew. I love little teases on the show about new wrestlers, and next week we’ll find out who is coming for Braxton Sutter and Allie. After that, the “Veterans of War” are headed our way.

LAX Out On The Town: I think every week since their return I’ve given LAX a hit, and that streak continues. Showing the group at a nightclub and receiving a strong reception made them feel like a big deal, and it makes them stand out from the rest of the roster. If half the wrestlers on Impact felt as cool or edgy as LAX, the show would be must-see for wrestling fans on a weekly basis.

Matt Morgan Returns: The Blueprint looked great during his run-in to end the night. The crowd popped to see him again, and he could be a valuable addition to the roster. If he’s pushed as a main event player, he can freshen up the heavyweight scene with matches against Bobby Lashley, Patron and EC III. He’s talked about being retired in the past, but here’s to hoping he sticks around for a bit.

The Mystery Wrestler: Impact continues giving fans a mystery and a hook to tune in the next week, and it makes the show more intriguing. The night ended on a hot note, and left a cliffhanger for the next episode. Well done.

Overall Show: This was the fifth episode of the new era, and probably the second best (the March 16 episode may have been the strongest). It’s been up-and-down so far, with last week’s episode ending terribly. This was a big improvement, and if they can finally get Borash and Mathews away from each other, then Impact might end up becoming consistently entertaining (give or take a Karen Jarrett segment).

MISSES

Announcer vs. Announcer: Once again, this was an embarrassingly awful night of commentary. I’d be shocked if at least a few fans out there didn’t quit watching because of how obnoxious Josh Mathews and Jeremy Borash were. Bruce Prichard had to be the only adult out there, but instead of being a good boss and firing them both, he decided to let them fight it out with a team of wrestlers. It seems he forgot to put a stipulation in place like…oh, I don’t know…the loser has to leave the announce booth! Pointless and unpleasant to watch and listen to.

The Knockouts Battle Royal: I’m happy to see Madison Rayne positioned as a heel again, but it seems strange that ODB beat her so easily. However, that was just the tip of the iceberg. The match itself was flat-out bad. Ava Storie and Amanda Rodriguez in particular need to learn how to throw a decent worked punch. The entire battle royal was sloppy, and showed fans that if the company wants to have a superior women’s division to WWE once again then they have an insane amount of work ahead of them.

Lack Of Hype For Patron: Hey Impact, uh…I’m guessing you paid Alberto El Patron a lot of money to come into the company. He’s also one of the biggest stars you have, and is a fresh, hot act. So why not mention he’s going to be on the show and will be competing more than five minutes before it happened?

Those Dumb Hats: I’m guessing someone in Impact handed out those red “Make Impact Great” hats that spoof Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hats, as quite a few people in the front few rows have coincidentally been wearing them. I don’t want to personally get political, but the thing is, just look at the numbers, Trump is possibly the most unpopular president ever. The visual of a bunch of fans on camera wearing those hats for the entire night is absolutely going to be a turnoff to some viewers. Of course, some will like it, but it’s a net negative. Just stay out of the political realm whenever possible in wrestling.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S ARTICLE: IMPACT HITS & MISSES 3/30: But too many authority figures, horrendous announcing, Moose, ODB, EC3, LAX