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The issue with Impact Wrestling is that some weeks are really packed with outstanding action. And then the next week sees a massive decline in terms of quality, and that's never a good thing. This was one of the 'cold' weeks for the brand. There was a lot that I did not care for, during the course of the show.
One of the major problems with the show is that none of the big stars wrestled. This includes the likes of Johnny Impact, Brian Cage and Killer Kross. Taya Valkyrie did wrestle but it was only for a split second.
Moreover, you had Eli Drake work a major angle at the end of the show but then he isn't going to be in the company for the long haul. What a massive blow it is to lose a star of his incredible calibre.
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Well, there was still some good and a lot of bad, so let me dive into it.
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#1 The Inter-gender match
Impact Wrestling usually kicks off with an exciting X Division match, so when this one was announced as the opener, I was quite dismayed. But surprisingly enough, this turned out to be a much better match than I thought it would be, fully packed with funny moments, to be honest with you guys.
All four individuals in the match understood that at the core of it all was a comedic element. And so you had Raj Singh get a close rear view from Scarlett Bordeaux, only for his parner Rohit Raju to demand the same treatment from the lady.
But then Fallah Bahh would take her place, to the delight of the audience. This wasn't match of the year, but it was match of the rear.
A great opener!
#1 Worst: Three flashback segments
I do understand that Impact Wrestling has to sell the GWN app to its legion of customers. But the unfortunate fact of the matter is that three flashback segments during the course of a show can make anyone tune out of the action almost immediately.
You had an LAX vs. OGZ segment, followed by the infamous Steiner math segment followed by yet another one during the course of the show. Compound the fact that there was so little wrestling on the show and it means that you're essentially driving your audience away from watching the proceedings unfold.
Most people who tune in to Twitch to catch Impact Wrestling are, in all likelihood, already subscribers to the GWN app. And I'm certain that they are far more excited in the current storylines than in something that happened in the past.
Not the wisest decision, Impact Wrestling.
#2 Best: Lance Storm
Lance Storm is one of my favourite characters in wrestling and with the corruption of John E. Bravo last week, I think Storm stepping in as the replacement referee is a really good choice. For starters, Rebellion is in Canada and Storm is a Canadian legend. But most importantly, I love the story that was told with Cage, Scott D'Amore and Don Callis this week.
So, I wasn't entirely satisfied with Johnny Impact's explanation of why John E. Bravo went heel. As good as Impact is in the ring, I somehow think that his promo skills are lacking. But the fact of the matter is that Bravo has gone over to the dark side, which was a great device to bring back the living legend.
Lance Storm stands for integrity and he's the antithesis of well, a corrupt official. The match at Rebellion has certainly become bigger.
#2 Worst: Rosemary potentially going heel
It's impossible to describe just how popular Rosemary is. I mean I've interviewed the top stars in WWE as well, but when I upload an interview with Rosemary, you have all so many 'Hivelings' retweet the piece that it's a real sight to behold. And yes, I've interviewed the likes of Jake The Snake Roberts and RVD, and they don't get the traction that Rosemary does online.
So, while she may not have become a conventional heel, it is clear that she's the heel in this feud. She lay the first shot on Kiera Hogan. Rosemary has a much sturdier physique than she used to, and I'm guessing she's going to be working a more power based style than before.
But there is no way that the audience will cheer for Hogan over Rosemary. So, I don't know if it's the right move to have Hogan be the babyface in this feud.
#3 Best: Tessa destroys Robert Irvine's restaurant
In case you did not know, Gail Kim is married to celebrity chef Robert Irvine. And we've all heard how Kim will be coming out of retirement to face Blanchard in her last match.
So, Tessa Blanchard took the fight to Gail Kim this week by invading her husband's restaurant and I thought it was great. It was a sight to behold and I think other wrestling companies should follow suit and carry out such segments outside the squared circle.
Of course, few performers have the intensity and the fire that Tessa Blanchard has and therefore, I really thought that she carried the segment looking like a brat inside the restaurant. I could see those on the Twitch chat room losing their minds at how she was wasting copious amounts of food during the segment.
Blanchard is a natural heel and she excels in this role.
#3 Worst: Tommy Dreamer vs. Madman Fulton
Sawyer Fulton from SAnitY now goes by the name Madman Fulton in oVe. To be fair, there are quite a few similarities between the two factions, aren't there?
He took on the patriarch of hardcore wrestling, Tommy Dreamer in what was a really slow and unexciting match, I felt. Dreamer is no longer in his prime and I really think that Fulton, as a muscle guy, would do a much better job as a tag team performer than a singles superstar, truth be told.
This match went on for far too long and I couldn't wait for it to be over, so that we could proceed with the show, honestly. In a show that had as little wrestling as this one did, that's not really a good sign.
I do hope that both of these men, when they enter the ring again, do so with faster paced tag partners.
#4 Best/worst: Eli Drake turns heel
I thought that the main event match between The Lucha Bros and Edwards & Drake was a fabulous match. And I even thought that Drake going heel at the end of the match was a fantastic touch. I would have loved to have seen how this story would unfold. Unfortunately, Eli Drake is no longer in Impact Wrestling.
It's such a shame to imagine what this could have potentially been. Eli Drake vs. Eddie Edwards in a match that has been months in the making, hasn't it? And it was all leading up to a massive clash at Rebellion.
And now, we will not see the match play out because of Drake's situation. Drake is the last of a kind, one of the guys who can talk people into a building.
Well, let's wish him all the very best with all his future endavours, then!
