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Impact Wrestling came to us from Mexico this week, and it was a fine show from start to finish. But before I begin, if you want to stay apace with everything that's been happening in the world of Impact Wrestling, be sure to check our Impact rumor round-up.
In any case, the first grouse that I have with this week's show is the fact that very few people tuned in to catch all of the action. I suppose that Impact's biggest problem right now is that while they have a good product, very few people watch it live.
From the numbers I see on Impact Wrestling's YouTube channel, I'm guessing that a lot of people watch the show on-demand, via the YouTube page. I'd urge you all to check them out via Twitch instead because they're a good show and deserve all the eyeballs that they can get!
That said, here's my review of this week's show...
#1 Best: The return of Brian Cage from injury
I know that a lot of people who saw the on-screen proposal from Brian Cage to Melissa Santos raised their eyebrows because a lot of us know the score behind the scenes. However, let's give Impact the benefit of the doubt because it's a TV show after all, so let's focus on the positives.
The biggest positive to emerge from this segment is the fact that the World Champion is back to lead the charge and take the company places. Cage is a wonderful guy, and it's a shame that he's been plagued with so many injuries since becoming Champion, something he himself made mention of.
So now we can dive right into his storyline with Callihan. Gear up for what should be a great world title feud!
#1 Worst: The end of an era for Impact
Anyone who read my 'Best and Worst' piece for AEW All Out pretty much knows that LAX would show up at the end of the Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers match and insert themselves into the conversation yet again. This week, they suffered a devastating loss to The North, going out on their back as any team should!
I know that I'm slotting this in the 'Worst' section when it's no fault of Impact Wrestling that this happened. But what I genuinely believe is that the tag team division in the company will suffer big-time without Santana and Ortiz leading the charge anymore.
But then The North are competent and I strongly believe that they can potentially take over, in time. I thought that the sendoff that LAX got should have been bigger too.
I will return to this point somewhere down the line.
#2 Best: The hilarious Ace Austin segments
The acting in these segments is godawful. But at the same time, because they're so cheesy and corny, they work! This week, Ace Austin hired an attractive woman to pretend that she was having an affair with Eddie Edwards so that Alicia Edwards would fall for him instead. Some may claim that stuff like this does not belong on a professional wrestling show, but what's fun is fun.
Alicia Edwards is not really Taya Valkyrie in the ring and so this is a great role for her. It allows her to get over to a point where she can actually go on to become someone that the crowd can connect with. It also gives Ace Austin the chance to branch out as someone beyond your typical X-Division guy.
Austin is, by far, the best actor in these skits. Eddie Edwards may be great in the ring, but he's definitely not an actor at all.
#2 Worst: The lack of enthusiasm from the crowd
One would imagine that the final match of LAX in Impact would garner a better reaction than it did in Mexico City. Unfortunately, the crowd was absolutely dead from the start of the match to the finish, which was a grave injustice I thought.
Other matches suffered too, especially Moose vs. Fallah Bahh. Moose applying Ken Shamrock's submission move to Fallah Bahh following his match should have had a bigger reaction but the crowd simply would not pop for anything.
It took Brian Cage proposing to Melissa Santos at the end of the night to get the crowd excited, and I'm glad that they showed some sign of life for what was essentially a massive moment. I've noticed this at previous Impact Wrestling tapings in Mexico as well, that the crowd doesn't seem to care.
Where is your energy at, Mexico City?
#3 Best: Moose mocks Ken Shamrock through Fallah Bahh
A lot of fans don't realize how much better Fallah Bahh has become since he has lost weight, because he can move so very effortlessly in the ring. He made Moose look like a million bucks during their match this week.
But what I especially liked in the match is the fact that Moose locked in the ankle lock submission to mock his current adversary Ken Shamrock. The feud between the two has reached boiling point, and I can't wait for Shamrock to make his return to Impact Wrestling very soon.
In my personal opinion, Moose is worthy enough to be the Impact Wrestling World Champion and lead the company into the new era. I suppose his win over RVD and eventual program with Ken Shamrock are stepping stones to get him to the top.
Check out my interview with Moose right here.
#3 Worst: Too many flashbacks
With all due respect to Impact Wrestling and the GWN App, do you need these many flashback segments to remind fans to subscribe? Isn't it more important for Impact Wrestling to build new stars than showcase AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy over and over again?
There's nothing that takes attention away from the program than a multitude of flashback segments. One every week is fine, but when you're served with 3 or 4 in one episode, it can become a little too much to take really.
Honestly, the amount of downtime in Impact Wrestling is criminal. You go from an ad to a flashback segment to an ad to a backstage segment.
This could be a major reason why the number of viewers is dropping so very much, I think.
#4 Best/Worst: The hit and miss skits at the Deaner Compound
I love the fact that Impact Wrestling is trying to make things interesting with The Deaners and The Desi Hit Squad by allowing their characters to get over with these skits. At the same time, a lot of them aren't always on the mark, in my honest opinion. Some of them seem a little half-baked, and not fully thought out, in my opinion.
However, I loved the fact that Singh mentioned that he had a plan. In case you don't mind spoilers, here's a glimpse of what the plan is. It will be a great way to knock this segment out of the park.
In any case, it's a great way to keep these two talented teams on our TV. They're obviously driven and they're hungry, and while this was a weak segment in comparison, there's much potential.
Do you think Rosemary needs to be showcased a lot more?
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
