IMPACT WRESTLING HITS & MISSES (8/1): Santino, Swann & Callihan vs. ABC, Kushida vs. Bayley, Moose, Bully Ray, more

IMPACT HITS AND MISSES
AUGUST 10, 2023
CHICAGO, IL AT CICERO STADIUM
AIRED ON AXS TV (RECORDED)
REPORT BY JOHN LASLO, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

(1) ABC (Chris Bey & Ace Austin) vs. RICH SWANN & SAMI CALLIHAN – HIT

This was a phenomenal match. Everyone in this match was hitting on all cylinders. There are times when wrestlers go harder than they need to. This was one of those matches, it felt like a big important PPV outing, not the opening contest for a standard episode of Impact. On almost any other night, this would be my match of the night. It was frankly amazing. The ending with The Good Hands was a surprise of sorts, but I was expecting something to keep ABC away from the Tag Title picture for a while. Between the interference of the Good Hands and the ongoing problems with the Rascalz, it seems like it will be awhile before ABC gets back to the titles.

SANTINO & THE WOMEN’S TAG DIVISION – HIT

This was a nice little set up for a four way match between all the women’s tag teams currently on the roster. This is about where the men’s tag division was a few months ago. They could use another couple teams to really round out the women’s tag division, but it’s coming along.

(2) BHUPINDER GUJJAR vs. DIRTY DANGO (w/Alpha Bravo) – HIT

Ok, this was a good match, and while Bhupinder hasn’t been around in the last few weeks, whatever he’s been doing in the meantime has worked for him. While this was a short match, it was pretty good. Alpha Bravo needs a bigger flashlight, if he’s going to mess with people during matches. I love that Jake Something showed up to get in the way of Dango, and that could be a really interesting story

THE DESIGN BACKSTAGE – MINOR HIT

A nice little backstage to set up a match next week for Kon vs Eric Young next week. I much prefer when the promotions are actually promoting upcoming things, not just things that are going to happen on the show that I am already watching.

JOHNNY SWINGER BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH GIA MILLER – HIT

So it got interrupted by Kenny King and Sheldon Jean almost immediately, but I’m going to say that “DMC” sounds damn good coming from Kenny King, and I will probably refer to the Digital Media Championship as the DMC from now on. It’s less to say, and it sounds so much cooler. And the closing of the segment with Swinger asking what the internet is, that was great comedy.

(3) JODY THREAT vs. ALISHA EDWARDS (w/Eddie Edwards) – HIT

I am not a big Alisha Edwards fan, and this match made me finally realize why. She is absolutely amazing at selling the moves that her opponent puts on her, but her offense is lacking. That said, this is probably the best match that I’ve seen Alisha have in Impact. That said, I hated, HATED, the post match. Frankie Kazarian coming to the ring, all good. Kazarian hitting Eddie Edwards with the kendo stick, all good. Now, the problem I had is that Kazarian ‘accidentally’ hit Alisha. The crowd chanted ‘She deserved it!’, and it’s true. Alisha has been playing the heel and doing a damn good job at being the bad guy, she deserved to get smacked with a kendo stick. The play that Kazarian is remorseful for hitting Alisha is some misogynistic bull. If it had been Traci Brooks coming down, and beating down Alisha and hitting Eddie on PURPOSE, it would have been CHEERED and there would have been no apology. I hate that Alisha got sacrificed to give her ‘ride or die’ a reason to fight, it is the wrong kind of old fashioned.

(4) “SPEEDBALL” MIKE BAILEY vs. KUSHIDA – HIT

Ok. I can’t talk about Mike Bailey without coming across as an obsessed fan boy (which, in all fairness, I might just be). Kushida, though, has picked up the ball that Impact has given him and run with it. I thought that he was good before, but since he stepped up to be against Steve Maclin for the vacant world title, he has been kicking it up a notch. The fact that he could so easily and quickly been seen as a legitimate contender for the world title is a testament to his abilities. This match was never in any doubt to be a banger, match of the week, or on my short list of ‘amazing matches that people forget about because they were on regular TV’. I have to agree with the crowd on this one- “Both These Guys!”.

CRAZZY STEVE SIT DOWN WITH TOM HANNIFAN – HIT

I am digging this. I like Crazzy Steve a bunch, and I think that he’s been really showing up lately with both his in ring and mic skills. His Monster Ball match against Trey Miguel back in February is one of favorite matches of the year. It felt a little like an out take for one of the ‘Diary’ episodes. I’m looking forward to getting to know more about Crazzy Steve, or rather, Steve Scott.

ARGUING COUPLE BACKSTAGE SEGMENT – MINOR MISS

Ok, great Yuya Uemura and Joe Hendry are teaming up, but I want to know if that couple is going to make it. I mean, he has some jealousy issues to work on, but I think in this mixed up world, it’s just so crazy it might just work.

(5) BLACK TAURUS & LAREDO KID & SAMURAY DEL SOL vs. MOOSE & BRIAN MYERS & BULLY RAY – HIT

Not exactly thrilled that Samuray Del Sol didn’t make his actual debut here. I’m also not quite down with Lio Rush getting bullied into working for Bully, et al. That’s fine. It was great to see Laredo Kid, looking into it, he hasn’t had a match in Impact since early June. I’m glad he’s back, hopefully we’ll see more of Laredo Kid in the upcoming months. This particular match was a showcase for Black Taurus, he was front and center throughout the match. In all honesty, I was really looking forward to the three lunchadores in this match just running rings around Moose, Brian Meyers, and Bully Ray. It was still a well fought match, and while it was a foregone conclusion that the luchadores would lose, there was still enough back and forth in this match to call that into question.

FINAL THOUGHTS – HIT

I’ve often said, (probably pretty recently) that Impact is the ‘wrestling fan’s wrestling show’. This particular episode was an amazing example of that. Every match was a great match, even the short ones. You could walk into this episode knowing nothing about the wrestlers, but the performances were all great. Now, it’s a really good thing that this is a straight up opinion column, because my opinion is that Impact has the best overall locker room in the entire industry right now.

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