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Slammiversary is the Impact Wrestling equivalent of SummerSlam, and I have to say it's one of the pay-per-views I'm most looking forward to in 2019. The card is stronger than ever, despite the fact that Impact Wrestling has seen much better days in the past.
This week, we saw one of the strongest episodes of Impact Wrestling that I can remember. I don't think there was ever a point where I was bored or tired, because the show just flowed along at a really good pace.
Often times, I have to critique Melissa Santos during the commercial breaks because she never seems to get the microphone working in time. I'm glad to report that Santos did successfully manage to turn her mic on this time, and was a great host during the ad breaks, even bringing her baby on-screen for a brief spell.
There were definitely way more positives than negatives during the show.
#1 Best: Incredible 3-way match
There's just something special about watching three members of a stable take each other on. Trey, Wentz, and Dez faced each other in a thrilling contest to determine which of the three will go on to Slammiversary to take on the reigning tag team champions.
Because these men have trained together, been on the road together and share the same wrestling style to a certain degree, the match was absolutely off the charts. The audience was invested from start to finish, and even though the fans may not have necessarily been rooting for one of the three men to win, the fact that the match was so action-packed reeled them in.
This was possibly the best thing about the show. Unfortunately, Impact Wrestling made a major botch with regard to their Slammiversary opponents.
#1 Worst: Title change off camera
So, let me just say at the very outset that I'm glad that The North are the Impact Wrestling tag team champions right now. What I did not like is that this title change happened off camera, while the weekly show was going on.
I know that the idea is to drive traffic to the Impact Plus app. But what the company needs to remember is that a lot of fans get their fill of action primarily from the weekly television show, and this would have been a far better platform for the title change to be carried out.
Even if the idea were to do a title change at Bash at the Brewery, I did not like the timing of the same because it coincided with the actual show. There was one more negative to come out of this, that I'll dwell upon soon after this.
Well, congrats to The North.
#2 Best: Tessa Blanchard attacks oVe
I personally think that the Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan match at Slammiversary is the most important match in the card. And this is because the two of them have the chance to usher in a brand new era for inter-gender wrestling when they do clash. It has the potential to be a very historic match if everything does go right.
Previously, inter-gender matches in Impact Wrestling have been treated as special attractions and little more. I mean you did have Tessa Blanchard defeat Glenn Gilbertti in an inter-gender match, but I doubt that Disco Inferno counts as a serious opponent. Now, these are two superstars on an equal footing competing in what should be a slugfest.
I do hope that Sami Callihan wins the match, if only to prove that it's a serious endeavor now. Previously, the women have won every inter-gender match, and that too predictably!
#2 Worst: A regrettable botch
Earlier in this article, we spoke about how The North defeated LAX to become the brand new Impact Wrestling tag team champions! I wasn't a fan of how it happened during the show and I was critical of the fact in a previous point.
But what was even more disappointing is the fact that Impact Wrestling kept broadcasting the fact that LAX would be taking on The Rascalz at Slammiversary even after the title change took place. I mean the finishes in pro wrestling are predetermined and the company should have had the foresight to design special graphics with the title change in mind.
As good as the weekly shows are, these are the little botches that remind us why Impact Wrestling hasn't been able to ascend to the next level. A little bit of caution will go a long way especially when you're putting on such a fantastic show every week.
#3 Best: Win for Rohit Raju
I know that a lot of you may be scratching your heads at this particular entry making it to this particular list. I mean Rohit Raju has only been used as a jobber thus far, so why is a win for him so very significant.
I think that he's shown a lot of promise as a singles performer and even a tag team wrestler in all of the opportunities that he's had to demonstrate his skills.
I've also had the chance to interview him and I know that while he enjoys the comedy stuff, he is a very serious individual and if he does get a push, we could potentially see that side of his persona come to life.
I love the fact that he defeated Laredo Kid, someone who has become a household name after his appearance at AEW Fyter Fest, so it felt significant.
#3 Worst: Broken ropes
The bottom rope came untied during the Rohit Raju vs. Laredo Kid match, and it was a unique sight to see. Now I loved the fact that Josh Mathews and Don Callis downplayed it and made it a part of the act, but it was clear that this was an actual botch.
When the rope comes untied and it is not part of the finish, then you know that it looks very awkward on camera. There were a few spots that also looked shaky because of the absence of the bottom rope, which made them impossible to execute with any degree of finesse at all.
In any case, I wouldn't necessarily say that this was the worst thing on the show. As compared to the other 'worsts', this was honestly a 'mini worst'.
All said and done, I am nitpicking here which basically means that the show was quite cool indeed.
#4 Best/worst: John E Bravo in the main event match
Impact Wrestling puts on the best main event matches. This week's main event wasn't close to the caliber of matches they usually put on, because one of the men in the contest was a referee. John E Bravo's addition to the contest made it a comedy match.
But even if you consider that, I quite liked how Bravo was used. His strengths were highlighted and his weaknesses were concealed, as Johnny Impact took the brunt of the damage during the said contest. Rich Swann and Mack would pin Bravo to pick up the win for their time, protecting Impact in the process.
Hence, this belongs to the best/worst section. Let me tell you what else belongs to this section- a gif of 'The Goddess' Alexa Bliss.
Yes, I know that she has nothing to do with Impact Wrestling, but check this GIF out!
