Reviews by Dave
Show air date: September 8, 2020
IMPACT Wrestling on AXS TV put on a solid effort in what looks like the closing of everything that started at Slammiversary and the true start to the build for Bound For Glory in October. A lot of character and promo work with some good wrestling throughout. No blow away matches but no bad matches.
Alisha Calls out Eric Young
Newly crowned world champion “The World Class Maniac” Eric Young comes out, reveling in his new victory and return to the top. He’s cut off by the wife of former champion and latest Young victim Eddie Edwards, Alisha. Alisha is Alisha, so she was only going to be so good. But Eric was good and when she slapped him, he of course responded by attempting to piledrive her. She’s saved by family friend Tommy Dreamer, who cuts a typically good and intense Dreamer promo, setting up the main event: an Old School Rules (no DQ/street fight) non-title match.
TJP defeated Chris Bey
TJP beat “The Ultimate Finesser” Chris Bey in a de facto eliminator match that should determine the top contender for the X Division title, held by Rohit Raju. Very good, fast-paced match with both guys trading moves and counters, with TJP getting the win countering Bey with a very tightly held sunset flip.
Brian Myers defeated Willie Mack
“The Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers found out he had a rematch with Willie Mack from last week and found a way to pull a fast one again, kicking Mack low and beating him with a DDT. Good tv match. Myers >>> Curt Hawkins by a mile.
Kaleb Back!
We see the tv return of Caleb Konley, now Kaleb (with a K, as he said) the PP–Personal Photographer of Tenille Dashwood.
Motor City Machine Guns defeated The Rascalz
Best match of the night as World tag champions the Motor City Machine Guns–Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin–defeated the Rascalz–Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz–in a very good match that saw the champs working very heelish. The champs are attacked after the match by former champs The North and then Ace Austin and Madman Fulton, who join in. This being IMPACT, Austin and Fulton don’t get along with Ethan Page and Josh Alexander. I’m a man who got himself in better shape, so I see you, Ethan. The dude had on some shorts that screamed “I like the way my legs look” and very quickly shed his polo shirt to flex a bit. The Good Brothers make the save and the Rascalz make a return and the depth of the tag division is shown to be amazing.
Locker Room Talk is Back!
Locker Room Talk is back and so is the Swingman, Johnny Swinger daddy! Being the modern-day Brother Love Show, they set up a tag match next week with KnockOut champion Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee against Susie (ew) and top contender, Kylie Rae.
Taya Valkyrie defeated Tasha Steelz
Taya Valkyrie beat Tasha Steelz in another good TV match. She then suffers a beatdown by Steelz and her tag partner, Kiera Hogan.
I liked all of the continued sagas of Moose and EC3 but fam…TF MOOSE GOT ON???!!!!
Main Event: Eric Young defeated Tommy Dreamer
Young defeated Dreamer in the Old School Rules match with a piledriver. Dreamer clearly needed a break because he looked better here than he did at Slammiversary with Moose. Young continued his streak of working at a high level since his return. He followed up his win by placing Tommy’s ankle in a chair, stomping it, and beating it with a kendo stick. Big return as Rich Swann, still in a walking boot, hobbled down and attacked Young with his crutches, forcing Young to scramble in surprise. A huge moment to close a good show with some good wrestling and a lot of shenanigans.
