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The latest episode of IMPACT Wrestling was an entertaining two hours of television with fun matches and logical storyline developments throughout the show. Most of the matches for the upcoming PPV IMPACT Wrestling: Hard to Kill are confirmed, with Sami Callihan set to face Eddie Edwards in a Barbed Wire Massacre match.
Apart from this, the show also built towards the special event IMPACT Wrestling: Genesis, scheduled for this Saturday, where Moose would take on Willie Mack in an 'I Quit' match. Genesis will also mark the beginning of the Super X Tournament.
AEW Champion Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers continued their dominance as they unleashed a brutal attack on the IMPACT World Champion Rich Swan and The Motor City Machine Guns. On the other hand, Tommy Dreamer laid down an interesting match stipulation.
So without any further delays, let's discuss some of the developments from the show that has gotten the fans buzzing.
#5 Sami Callihan, with Ken Shamrock, trap Alisha Edwards and destroy Eddie Edwards in the main event of IMPACT Wrestling
The scheduled match between long-time rivals Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards ran for hardly a couple of minutes as the two men were hell-bent on destroying each other even before the bout started. While Callihan was making his entrance, Edwards came from behind and attacked him with a baseball bat.
The two then continued to brutalize each other for several minutes until they were finally in the ring where the match was officially started. However, an accidental attack by Edwards on the referee ended the match prematurely, with the two stars then taking the action outside the ring.
Just when it seemed Edwards had the upper-hand, the screen showed Edwards's wife Alisha trapped somewhere backstage. The former two-time IMPACT World Champion quickly made his way back and started looking for his wife. Though he was able to find her, he was attacked by Ken Shamrock from behind.
Callihan and Shamrock then unleashed a two-on-one attack on Edwards while Alisha was forced to witness her husband being brutalized as the show came to an end. It would be intriguing to see what happened to both Alisha and Eddie after this segment.
Callihan and Eddie have wrestled several bouts throughout their deeply-personal rivalry in IMPACT Wrestling, with their Barbed Wire Massacre match possibly culminating their feud for good.
#4 Taya Valkyrie vows to end the 'Age of Virtuosa' at IMPACT Wrestling: Hard to Kill
Deonna Purrazzo, accompanied by Kimber Lee, was hyping-up her match against Taya Valkyrie at IMPACT Wrestling: Hard To Kill when the latter, accompanied by Rosemary, made her way to the ring. Valkyrie spoke about how she was the longest-reigning IMPACT Knockouts Champion in the company's history and that she would be taking her title back come January 16, 2021.
Purrazzo retaliated by saying that Valkyrie is a 'has been' and that she would take her down just like she did to her partner Rosemary at IMPACT Wrestling: Final Resolution on December 12, 2020. The segment ended with Valkyrie saying she would end the 'Age of Virtuosa.
Both these stars are fantastic performers, and we could be assured of a terrific encounter between the two at IMPACT Wrestling's upcoming PPV event. It's hard to imagine Valkyrie walking away as the new champion, as Purrazzo has been a competent champion, with her second reign looking even better than the first one.
Considering Tennile Dashwood unsuccessfully tried to convince Rosemary to let her tag along with her and Valkyrie, this development could also come into play at the PPV, with Dashwood possibly siding with Purrazzo.
#3 Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers brutally assault Rich Swann and MCMG on IMPACT Wrestling
The build-up to the highly-anticipated six-man tag match pitting Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers against Rich Swann and The Motor City Machine Guns continued on IMPACT Wrestling with the current AEW Champion and his partners assaulting their opponents.
Earlier on the show, the face trio warned Omega and Good Brothers that they could not own things here in IMPACT Wrestling. Chris Sabin was particularly intense when he said that the company had been built on the shoulders of guys like him, Swann, and Shelly.
Omega has fully embraced his heel side, and he came across as an arrogant, entitled, and unlikable character. Scott D'Amore, too, was present when the trio unleashed the assault outside the bus.
It was later announced that Karl Anderson would face IMPACT Champion Rich Swann for the title next week, with all the other members barred from the ringside. Though a title change is out of the question, it can prove to be a decent preview for the eventual six-man clash, with all the men getting involved in some manner.
#2 Moose loses his 3-minute challenge to Matthew Palmer due to Willie Mack's interference on Impact Wrestling
Self-appointed TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose surprisingly lost the three-minute challenge match against the up-and-comer Matthew Palmer on IMPACT Wrestling. Well, he didn't exactly lose the bout as the rules suggest that if he's unable to defeat his opponent in three minutes, he automatically loses.
However, right from the start of the match, Moose was in total control and on course to defeat his opponent until Willie Mack made his way onto the entrance ramp. This distracted Moose, as he shared a staredown with Mack, all while the time ran out.
The two would now be colliding in an 'I Quit' match at IMPACT Wrestling: Genesis on January 9, 2021. In their previous encounter at Turning Point, Mack had come up victorious in an unsanctioned match, albeit via disqualification.
The match promises to be a brutal and physical encounter with ample usage of weapons, considering the stipulation. It would also, in all probability, would be the feud-ender clash between the two heavyweights.
#1 Tommy Dreamer lays down an 'Old School Rules Match' at IMPACT Wrestling: Hard to Kill
Before the match on this week's IMPACT Wrestling between Cousin Jake and Rhino vs. Cody Deaner and Joe Doering, Eric Young and Doering spoke highly of their recruit Deaner, who appeared with a new look. Deaner's cousin Jake appealed to him to see through the situation, but Deaner was adamant. Soon, the scheduled match pitting Young and Doering against Cousin Jake and Rhino began.
Though the ensuing clash had nothing much to talk about, the ending, which featured Deaner hitting Jake with a low-blow, was interesting. His heel persona is now fully developed. Post-match, the trio of Deaner, Young, and Doering unleashed an attack on Rhino and Cousin Jake, with Tommy Dreamer eventually making the save for the duo.
Dreamer laid down an 'Old School Rules Match' challenge at IMPACT Wrestling: Hard to Kill, which the heel trio accepted. Now, this will be a fun encounter as most of the performers in this match are hardcore specialists. With Dreamer and Rhino in the mix, the match can be a learning opportunity for the newer guys like Doering, Deaner, and Jake in the hardcore genre of wrestling.
