SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
(1) CHRIS SABIN (c) vs. ALAN ANGELS — Impact Wrestling X Division Title match – HIT
I was a bit surprised that this was starting off the night. It’s the only title defense of the night, and there’s been a bit of back and forth between Chris Sabin and Alan Angels. However, it was a really great match, and a bit of a testament to how far Angels has come since coming to Impact. He’s not a mook anymore, he’s a really good mid-card talent. I think that he’s starting to find his feet in Impact and keeps going out and showing what he can do. I think that if he sticks around for awhile, it will be a matter of when, not if, that he holds the X Division title. The promise of Kenta at Bound for Glory gave an already stacked PPV card another great reason to plunk down my cash.
ALEX SHELLEY BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH GIA MILLER – HIT
I really love what Alex Shelley is doing with his title run. There’s a ton of layers to it, and I particularly love how he’s obviously feeling threatened by Josh Alexander, but is still acting very cocky about it. Even with these short little promos to get us to buy Bound For Glory, he’s doing so much.
(2) RHINO vs. JACK PRICE – MINOR HIT
Well, speak of the devil. We were just saying how we haven’t seen Jack Price in forever. It would have been nicer to see him for a bit longer, but Rhino. I have a lot of love for Rhino going way back. It’s very funny. For as much as I complain about Bully Ray still in active competition, just about everything I say could apply to Rhino as well. However, I just can’t help being in favor of Rhino. Steve Maclin coming in to beat on Rhino after the match is a really good choice. It keeps Maclin in a ‘I’ve got to destroy the undestroyable’ mode that he was working against PCO as well.
TASHA STEELZ AND DEONNA PURRAZZO BACKSTAGE – HIT
Alright. I’m down with this. They’ve been tagging each other on Twitter with Team Adams, which was the team they were part of in Women’s Wrestling Revolution. So hopefully they’ll keep the name, or at least explain it.
THE EDWARDS BACKSTAGE – MISS
Gah, so this is going on? We’ve had like three potential endings to this feud, but it keeps going on. I think that the intergender match at Impact 1000 would have been the definitive end, but no. Is it going to take every single combination of these four individuals in every type match for this to finally run it’s course? I think that this has given Traci Brooks a nice nostalgia bump before her induction into the Impact Hall of Fame, and I think this is some of the best work that Alisha Edwards has done. The other side of the coin though, Frankie Kazarian and Eddie Edwards are treading water with this feud. However, I think that is exactly the point though. Edwards and Kazarian are long term talents, and will probably be keystones while the production facilities undergo upgrade and there is mainly a skeleton crew running.
(3) THE RASCALZ (Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz) vs. JOYA (Joe Hendry & Yuya Uemura) – MINOR HIT
I’m really conflicted on this. I called it a minor hit because I really enjoyed it, but I’m still salty about Yuya Uemura leaving. How salty am I? On a scale of the Dead Sea to the California Salt Flats, I’m the Morton Salt Girl. It started out with the good bye ceremony for Yuya, which is not a common feature of Feast or Fired, and even pretty rare for those from NJPW who are done with their excursion. While I’m not a fan of Santino Marella, I’m enjoying what he’s been doing. Scott D’Amore has been appearing less regularly than he had been, and Marella has stepped into those shoes pretty well. Giving the new team JOYA another lifeline to stay together was a great idea. It was still a foregone conclusion that the Tag Title holders were going to win, but it was still a good match, and a good send off for Yuya.
As a side note, I happened to be at the Impact tapings in Columbus for Against All Odds. Yuya had a dark match and the crowd was super hot for Yuya.
GISELE SHAW BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH GIA MILLER – MINOR HIT
I’m normally not a fan of the same show promo. This might be one of the exceptions. It’s been a long long time since I’ve seen a non-title bout turn into a title opportunity. It’s so rare that it was good to be reminded that it is a possibility.
THE DESIGN VIGNETTE – MINOR HIT
I like the idea of Deaner rebuilding the Design from the ground up, maybe the third time is the charm. It didn’t work when Eric Young lead it, it didn’t work with Deaner leading Angels and Kon, maybe it will with just Deaner and Kon. In all honesty, I think that they had a good idea with the yellow sweatshirt brigade when this version of the Design started. I kind of wish they would go back to it. For one thing, I would buy a yellow sweatshirt, especially if they put a border on it and a zip front.
(4) TOMMY DREAMER & HEATH vs. KENNY KING & SHELDON JEAN – Memphis Street Fight- MISS
I like a hardcore match, I mean, I was a wrestling fan in 1997, so of course. Part of the miss on this is what exactly made it a Memphis street fight other than it took place in the home of Elvis. I don’t know much about Memphis, but they could have put a guitar or blue suede shoe in the match. If it was just a hardcore rules match, it would have been pretty good. There’s two questions that this match proposes. First, where did Kenny King and Heath disappear to when they went to the back? Generally speaking a hardcore match is falls count anywhere, so why didn’t one of the cameras follow them? Second is how far is Crazzy Steve going to go on Tommy Dreamer. It seems like his Feast or Fired Digital Media Championship match will be some sort of hardcore match. I’m kind of hoping that it is going to be a full metal mayhem or Monster’s Ball.
ABC BACKSTAGE WITH JOHN SKYLER – HIT
Ah, I had been wondering where Jason Hotch was, and this answers it pretty well. Congrats on the new baby! I wonder who John Skyler’s partner will be next week. There’s a whole lot out there that it could be.
(5) JONATHAN GRESHAM vs. “SPEEDBALL” MIKE BAILEY – HIT
This was shaping up to be another Jonathan Gresham and Mike Bailey match of the night. I’ve sung both their praises on many occasions. Then we got the incident.
One of the movies I watched a lot as a kid was Eight Men Out, since it was one of the few VHS tapes that we had in the house. “Say it ain’t so, Joe, say it ain’t so.” has been echoing in my head since this match. Jonathan Gresham, who played by extra rules in Pure matches, pulled the tights to win. Say it ain’t so Jon, Say it ain’t so.
MOOSE AND BRIAN MEYERS BACKSTAGE – HIT
While Moose going back to singles action is good, I think the addition of Brian Meyers working as a manager/backup is going to be a really good synergy. Meyers’s most professional wrestler gimmick lends itself really well to the cheating heel.
(6) TRINITY vs. GISELE SHAW (w/Savannah Evans & Jai Vidal) – HIT
I think that this match will eventually be for the title, and at a PPV. This was a great match. I know that they could have gone harder, and they saved some back for that eventual PPV match.
FINAL THOUGHTS – HIT
This was a great follow up after the momentum built from the Impact 1000 episodes. I think they anticipated some lapsed fans returning, and are keeping up the pace. I just hope they can sustain this for the long winter that’s coming. I think the English tour will help a lot to do that, but I’d be lying if I said i wasn’t a little worried about late November and early December.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: IMPACT WRESTLING TV RESULTS (9/28): Lilly’s report on Trinity vs. Shaw, Gresham vs. Bailey, Sabin vs. Angels
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Powell’s Impact Wrestling Hit List: Knockouts Champ Trinity vs. Gisele Shaw in a non-title match, Chris Sabin vs. Alan Angels for the X Division Title, Mike Bailey vs. Jonathan Gresham
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