5 Talking Points from IMPACT Wrestling Against All Odds 2023

Alex Shelley faced Steve Maclin for the IMPACT World Championship in the main event
Alex Shelley faced Steve Maclin for the IMPACT World Championship in the main event

IMPACT Wrestling Against All Odds left fans on the edge of their seats with some unexpected twists and memorable matches. A blockbuster main event saw the IMPACT World Championship on the line with Alex Shelley of The Motor City Machine Guns challenging the reigning champion Steve Maclin.

A new number one contender was also crowned in a unique 8-4-1 match. The X-Division, Digital Media Championship, and Tag Team Championship were all up for grabs on the night.

Here are the five talking points from IMPACT Wrestling Against All Odds.


#5. Stipulation matches were intense

Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly competed against each other in a Dog Collar match. They went back and forth and left no stone unturned to brutalize each other before Slamovich connected with the decisive Snowplow to win the bout.

Deaner, Angels, and Kon battled Sami Callihan, Jake Crist, and Madman Fulton in an Ohio Street Fight. With weapons galore, the match was as brutal as it gets. Ladders, chairs, barbed wire-laden weapons, baseball bats, etc., took it to another level. It took two Cactus Drivers from Callihan on Deaner, including one on a barbed-wire board, to win the match.


#4. Impending Knockouts title match

Ahead of their Knockouts World Title match at IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary, Deonna Purrazzo, and Trinity teamed up to face Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans. The duo gelled well together and, despite interferences from Jai Vidal, managed to secure the win.

Following the match, Shaw attempted to take out Purrazzo with a knee strike, but Trinity made the save. The champion and challenger showcased mutual respect for each other ahead of their impending clash.


#3. ABC and Joe Hendry retained their titles at IMPACT Wrestling Against All Odds

Following the Disqualification win at IMPACT Wrestling Under Siege, Joe Hendry was tasked to defend his Digital Media Championship against Dirty Dango in a rematch. Despite the challenger using some underhanded tactics, Hendry managed to put him away to retain his title.

Jason Hotch and John Skyler (The Good Hands) challenged the IMPACT World Tag Team Champions Ace Austin and Chris Bey (ABC) in an exciting encounter. The challengers isolated Austin before a tag from Bey quickened the pace. Despite accidentally kicking his own partner, Austin managed to keep the bout alive.

More drama unfolded, with Myers taking down Austin with the title belt while the referee was distracted. The Good Hands hit the Magic Killer, only for Austin to kick out once again. Bey returned to action, and after a brief back and forth, Austin hit The Fold for ABC to retain the titles.


#2. New number one contender crowned

A unique 8-4-1 match was set up to determine the number one contender for the IMPACT World Championship. The match started as an eight-man tag team match, with the winning side competing in a four-way to determine the winner.

Bully Ray, Jonathan Gresham, Heath, and Nick Aldis went on the defeat Moose, Mike Bailey, Rich Swann, and PCO after Moose helped take out his own partner, PCO, and then accidentally speared Swann.

The four-way started off with Gresham taking out Aldis and Heath before Bully sent him into the steel ring post. Scott D'Amore made his return to stop Bully from hitting Gresham with a steel chair before reluctantly hitting Bully with the steel chair himself.

The action continued further with a Tower of Doom spot before Aldis made Heath tap out to the Cloverleaf for the finish. With the win, Aldis became the number one contender and earned the right to face the World Champion at IMPACT Wrestling Slammiversary.


#1. Motor City Machine Guns reign supreme at IMPACT Wrestling Against All Odds

The Motor City Machine Guns had a night to remember! Earlier in the night, Chris Sabin went on to defeat Trey Miguel for the X Division Championship. The match saw Miguel trying all sorts of underhanded tactics to escape Sabin, but the challenger eventually managed to dig deep into his arsenal to win the X Division title for the ninth time in his career.

The main event of the night saw Steve Maclin defending his IMPACT World Championship against Alex Shelley. The duo put on an excellent bout by blending their contrasting abilities together. Shelley opted for a chain wrestling style before taking the aerial route, while Maclin relied on brute force.

Shelley kept coming, and after sending Maclin into an exposed turnbuckle twice, he finally managed to put him away with a ShellShock to win the IMPACT World Championship for the first time in his career. Sabin headed down to the ring to celebrate with his friend as IMPACT Wrestling Against All Odds went off the air.

Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.

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