IMPACT WRESTLING HITS & MISSES (8/3): Eric Young, Jake Something vs. Vega, Rascalz vs. Bailey & Gresham, Trinity & Deonna Purrazzo vs. The Coven, more

IMPACT HITS AND MISSES
AUGUST 3, 2023
CHICAGO, ILL. AT CICERO STADIUM
AIRED ON AXS TV (RECORDED)
REPORT BY JOHN LASLO, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

TRINITY ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE – MISS

A very standard ‘Champ addresses the audience’, and I get it. The speech she gave felt like it should have been a ‘it’s been a year’ type of speech, not a ‘it’s been a hell of a (checks notes) three months’. KiLynn King came out and did the talking for The Coven. She’s come a long way with her ability to speak on the mic.

(1) TRINITY & DEONNA PURRAZZO vs. THE COVEN (KiLynn King & Taylor Wilde) – HIT

This was a great match, and we got to see KiLynn King really show what she could do. I think that KiLynn is over due for a nice singles run. I’m getting very tired of the ‘incidental contact’ being the reason that a team loses. Once in a while, fine, but it happened a number of times over the last few weeks.

RASCALZ BACKSTAGE SEGMENT – MISS

So if they cheat or screw around they get suspended? I’ll buy that when I actually see it.

EDWARDS FAMILY BACKSTAGE – MINOR HIT

I think ultimately this will result in a match between Alisha Edwards and Traci Brooks. Bringing in Jody Threat to this will just muddy the waters a bit. I get the reasoning that Threat is using, but I’m not sure how this will go. Alisha has been a lot of people’s first match against an Impact talent after eating through some local wrestlers. She doesn’t seem like a credible threat to anyone else on the roster. So either Eddie is going to interfer, or they are going to flush all the build up that Threat has down the drain. I’m not exactly looking forward to either outcome.

(2) HEATH vs. ALAN ANGELS – MINOR MISS

This was a decent, but short match. Alan Angels has been fantastic recently, and has been constantly getting better and more screen time since he debuted in Impact. I’m not sure where they were going with this one. Angels should be in the X-Division title picture, and I guess that Heath needs to keep his ‘could be in a number one contenders match at any time’ status.

ERIC YOUNG INTERVIEW WITH GIA MILLER – MINOR HIT

Dead men tell tales. This was one of those ‘stay tuned as this story develops’ promos, and it served its purpose. I kind of wonder who it was directed at. Those of us who knew that he was ‘killed’ are already waiting, and it’s not like people who are randomly flipping through stations are going to care about it.

(3) JAKE SOMETHING vs. DAVEY VEGA – HIT

There are squash matches, and then there are SQUASH matches. This was one of those SQUASH matches, where literally, Jake Something just flattened Davey Vega over and over again. Vega got some offense in, which is better than some matches that enhancement talent has gotten.

MOOSE, BRIAN MEYERS, BULLY RAY, AND LIO RUSH BACKSTAGE – HIT

Look, I like Bully Ray, I’ve liked him since 1998 when I first saw him. I just don’t want to see him wrestle. He’s about a decade older than the ‘over the hill’ guys from those ECW shows twenty years ago. He’s still good on the mic, and this is a group that needs a talker. Moose is fine. Brian Meyers is fine. Lio Rush is fine. All of them are better performers than they are talkers. I could see this being another version of Fortune or another heel faction. It could work.

(4) KENNY KING (w/Sheldon Jean) (c) vs. JOE HENDRY vs. YUYA UEMURA — Impact Wrestling Digital Media Title match – HIT

Meet Yuya Uemura, the greatest wrestler to never win a match! I took a look back at the record books, he has three wins this year. Two of which were when he was a member of a four or five person team. The only singles win he has is over Sheldon Jean, about two months ago. This was a good match, and everyone got some good spots in.

MIKE BAILEY AND JONATHAN GRESHAM INTERVIEW WITH GIA MILLER – HIT

Jonathan Gresham continued his complaint about the lack of rules. I could see him and Bailey doing some sort of ‘good two shoes’ heel group. Like a no fun brigade or something.

DEATH DOLLZ BACKSTAGE – MINOR HIT

Where did they find a wood paneled hallway? When are they going to do the big adventure they’ve been promising? On the other hand, it’s nice to see Crazzy Steve back.

(5) “SPEEDBALL” MIKE BAILEY & JONATHAN GRESHAM vs. THE RASCALZ (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) – HIT

I love Bailey and Gresham. I love them fighting against each other. I love them fighting together against others. I like Trey Miguel, and I can put up with Zachary Wentz when he’s with Trey. I really enjoyed this match. As a tag team guy, this was the thing that I was waiting for. For a card full of great matches, this is the one that stood out. The Rascalz are making a nuisance of themselves across all of Impact messing with ABC and now Bailey & Gresham. I have a feeling that the cheating in this match will result in Gresham and Bailey becoming rule following crusaders- which frankly is the only type of heel turn I could ever imagine Bailey doing.

ERIC YOUNG CAN’T DIE IF YOU NEVER LIVED VIGNETTE – HIT

These pre-recorded vignettes are fire. Just absolute genius. Well shot, well performed, well written. They are gold, and deserve an Emmy. They do them better than anyone else. I have never seen a WWE or AEW promo with the cinematography or care towards the subject. It is so good that it makes the times when the sound messes up on a live broadcast feel even worse.

FINAL THOUGHTS – HIT

Looking at this, I feel like I was being particularly tough on this episode. It was good, but I just didn’t jive with some segments. I think the last few episodes, and even going a little further, the last few months have been about building the audience. Every episode since, say Trinity debuted, has been a good entry point for new people.

RECOMMENDED NEXT: IMPACT WRESTLING TV RESULTS (8/3): Razcalz vs. Gresham & Bailey, Heath vs. Angels, Trinity & Purrazzo vs. The Coven

OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s Impact Wrestling Hit List: The Rascalz vs. Bailey & Gresham, Kenny King vs. Joe Hendry vs. Yuya Uemura for the Digital Media Title, Eric Young was not murdered