Andrew’s Impact Wrestling Ratings & Analysis: 8/30/2019

IMPACT! starts it’s shows from the Mexico tapings! Any fun AAA talent to look forward to?

AAA and Impact continue to have a nice working relationship. I do appreciate how Impact tends to add the “Hometown flavor” for wherever they are filming from.

We should be seeing the beginnings of Bound for Glory builds and maybe even another wrinkle in the Ken Shamrock versus Moose angle.

But first, I think Sami has quite a good bone to pick with management.

The Draw is giving #IMPACT management ONE WEEK to make a decision about the future of the World Championship…

WATCH HERE: https://t.co/sWu6SEiYN7 #IMPACT @TheSamiCallihan @MrGMSI_BCage pic.twitter.com/h8ypLfjpOp

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) August 31, 2019

Ratings:

• Golden Magic vs TJP vs Taurus vs Trey: Golden Magic wins via 450 Splash – ***
• Dez & Wentz vs Rich Swann & Willie Mack: Mack wins via 6 Star Frog Splash – *** 1/4
• Knockouts Championship: Taya Valkyrie (c) vs Big Mami: Taya retains via STF – *
• Kiera Hogan, Vanilla & Madison Rayne vs Rosemary & Jordynne Grace & Chika Tormenta: Rosemary wins via Double Underhook Guillotine Drop – -*
• Falls Count Anywhere Match: Michael Elgin vs Rhino: Elgin wins via Elgin Bomb – *** 1/2

Analysis:

Golden Magic vs TJP vs Taurus vs Trey – Well early on there were a few hiccups and slow points that made some of the transitions awkward, but it worked itself out. We got to see some signature moves from everyone, Taurus hit a Pumphandle Flatliner, TJP hit the Detonation Kick, Trey pulled off the Cheeky Nandos and Tiger Feint, but Golden Magic stole the match. TJP had Taurus in a Knee Bar, but Golden Magic hits a 450 Splash on Trey, and the referee counts the pinfall instead of checking the submission.

Backstage segment with Keira Hogan, Vanilla, Chika Tormenta and Jordynne Grace. Madison decides to solve things, since she’s the locker room leader, and have them decide it Teddy Long style.

Dez & Wentz vs Rich Swann & Willie Mack – Fast paced action from bell. A number of X Division style sequences with a decent amount of high flying moments. Willie and Rich hit the bigger moves, while The Rascalz tried to do more of a stick and move style. A tandem Inverted Crucix Neckbreaker along with the flashy finish of Frankensteiner directly into the 6 Star. A good match that also did a good job at establishing Swann & Mack as a new team for the tag titles.

"… I will be in Vegas and I will be standing in front of you…"@ShamrockKen responds to comments made by @TheMooseNation on social media!

WATCH HERE: https://t.co/sWu6SEiYN7 #IMPACT pic.twitter.com/I5Jm0KPzcr

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) August 31, 2019

Knockouts Championship: Taya Valkyrie (c) vs Big Mami – So this is the usual joke opponent turned slightly competitive. Taya set this up since as of Monday, she would be the longest reigning Knockouts Champion. So she promised a “big” surprise for her final opponent before making history. Thus, Big Mami, a mostly comedic mixed tag wrestler with Nino Hamburguesa. For a big girl, she moves fairly well and had a few spots for the crowd to pop and rally behind her, but no one really believed Taya was losing this.

After the match, Taya gloats in Spanish, and then Em-*cough*, sorry, Tenille Dashwood’s music hits and she makes her presence known. Implications seem to be Tenille versus Taya for Bound for Glory.

Kiera Hogan, Vanilla & Madison Rayne vs Rosemary, Jordynne Grace & Chika Tormenta – So…okay, this was a tag team match, that started off…let’s say sloppy. Then Rayne starts obviously interfering with Jordynne, so the match gets thrown out. Scuffle, Rosemary joins the fray, restart to a trios match. Well…I have no faith in the rest of this.

Yup, this restart trios match was rough. Madison and Kiera played up their personalities well, but Vanilla is not good in the ring. Just very sloppy and tends to botch a bit. Kiera and Madison abandon Vanilla, so she’s left alone for Rosemary to hit a Double Underhook Guillotine Drop…it’s new, that’s all I got. At least this match is over.

Yes this cringey crap is what the Ace Austin storyline has boiled down to:

Okay who wants to be more like @The_Ace_Austin, raise your hand!✋

WATCH HERE: https://t.co/sWu6SEiYN7 #IMPACT pic.twitter.com/88lBsEoOMf

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) August 31, 2019

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Michael Elgin vs Rhino – These two put together pretty damn good matches. This spilled to the outside early, even though Elgin tried to keep it in the ring. Rhino and Elgin kept climbing up the rows of seats, Rhino hit Elgin with a soda and a fan’s purse. So this portion definitely had an ECW feel, which was echoed by the Mexican fans starting the ECW chant. We got a lot of back and forth and great fight out of Rhino. Rhino has proven that even though he’s thicker in the middle and had more time in WWE catering than a wrestling ring, he’s still not washed up. The finish comes off of Elgin going for a Seated Senton on a chair, but Rhino turns the chair sideways and let’s say…splits Elgin between the uprights. Elgin retreats to a table in the corner, Rhino attempts a Gore, but Elgin misses, Rhino explodes through the table and then the Elgin Bomb seals the win for Big Mike.

Overall Score: 6.25/10

This was one of those difficult shows for me, since the good stuff was pretty damn good, but the bad was like TNA 2014/WCW 2000 levels of bad. I hate the Ace Austin thing, but at least it’s a story to keep him relevant. Most of us hated DDP stalking Undertaker’s wife too, right? On top of the bad matches tonight, at least had good storyline implications, but just…ugh…rough to sit through.

It can also be noted that Melissa Santos wasn’t on Twitch tonight, hell, there was no Twitch host. We just got like 7 or 8 Flashback moments to compensate.

So yeah, as a show, things moved forward and there was enough good wrestling to cover the bad. But it was definitely a funky mixed bag of things.