No Surrender is this Saturday! Impact Wrestling gets to finish the build to their ImpactPlus App special event, and maybe something special with a Tag Team Title match tonight!

We get a decent bit of Knockouts action tonight to help mold the main event scene moving forward and things kick off with an 8 man X Division insanity tag! There’s also a contract signing, but with two babyfaces it’s hard to expect someone going through a table.

Before things kick off, it looks like a bunch of people are chiming in throughout the show to wish Tommy Dreamer a happy 50th.

.@IAmJericho, @The_MJF, @youngbucks, @Santana_Proud, @Ortiz_Powerful, @MadKing1981, @OfficialTAZ, @MATTHARDYBRAND and more wish @THETOMMYDREAMER a happy birthday ahead of #NoSurrender THIS SATURDAY. #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/P8MJUYr1Y9

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) February 10, 2021

Ratings:

• Willie Mack, Trey Miguel, Josh Alexander & Suicide vs Ace Austin, Daivari, Blake Christian & Chris Bey: Trey wins via Hourglass – *** ¼
• ODB vs Kimber Lee w/Deonna & Susan: Kimber wins via Small Package – * ½
• Kiera Hogan w/Tasha Steelz vs Nevaeh w/Havok: Nevaeh wins via DQ – ** ¼
• Kaleb vs Black Taurus: Black Taurus wins via Rodeo Driver- N/A
• Impact World Tag Team Championship: Good Brothers (c) vs Beer Guns: Beer Guns win via DQ – ** ½

Results:

Willie Mack, Trey Miguel, Josh Alexander & Suicide vs Ace Austin, Daivari, Blake Christian & Chris Bey

If you’ve seen Impact/TNA in the past, you know how the multiman X Division matches go. This was a high motor, spotty but entertaining match. This had a few different layers where it seemed like Chris Bey took early shine, as he was playing up his arrogance often and landing some fun moves. But this was a match to show off more of Blake Christian and the new version of Trey.

Blake pulled out a bunch of fantastic wrestling moves, where he transitioned them into Dives or high spots. A nice 450 to break up a submission on Ace, which caused some friction since Ace saw it as an attempt to injure him as well. The dissension in the ranks opened Josh Alexander to have a Double Suplex moment, but it comes down to Trey and Blake. Blake tries his Draping 450, but Trey dodges, slides under the legs and locks in the Hourglass submission.

Trey shows he picked up a submission side to go along with more aggression and blonde hair dye.

ODB vs Kimber Lee w/Deonna & Susan

Well this was a throwback ODB match where Kimber gets very self-conscious of her chest size; then tries a Titty Tackle…or whatever you want to call it, but she bounces off and mutters something about ODB’s ample assets.

We see ODB hit a Bronco Buster, Dirty Dozen and Thesz Press from the corner. So everything short of a swig from the flask. Deonna and Susan end up getting involved, which causes Jazz and Jordynne to come out to equalize things.  Susan…throws a shoe. Who throws a shoe?

ODB dives on Susan and Deonna to wipe them out, gets back in the ring, but gets rolled up by Kimber playing possum.

So the heels get the cheap win, and Susan just continues to prove why she’s one of the best characters in wrestling at the moment. Su Yung is so damn good at whatever identity crisis angle this is.

Susan is going to DEMAND a six Knockouts tag team match at #NoSurrender from management. #IMPACTonAXSTV @DeonnaPurrazzo @Kimber_Lee90 @realsuyung pic.twitter.com/JovkEfaGIE

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) February 10, 2021

Cousin Jake comes out to address the offer from Violent by Design a few weeks ago. VBD comes out shortly after, give him the usual “only choice” spiel. Jake throws off the Deaner vest, looks at the towel and says “If you don’t stand for something, than you’ll fall for anything. And I do stand for something…Jake Something”.

Small brawl happens, it looks like Doering’s about to finish Jake, but Deaner says its family business. So EY sets up a No Surrender match between Jake and Deaner.

America's Most Wanted? Beer Money? The Motor City Machine Guns? @The_BigLG and @MachineGunKA think they stand above the tag team greats in IMPACT history. #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/KgZ3GTdTzc

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) February 10, 2021

Kiera Hogan w/Tasha Steelz vs Nevaeh w/Havok

Kiera started off with a great plan using the ropes to make up for her height disadvantage, and taking a few heelish shortcuts; but nothing egregious. Nevaeh finally starts fighting back, using her size and power to keep Kiera at bay.

As Kiera clings to the ropes to try and save herself from the O’Connor Roll; Tasha gets up to jaw. Havok heads over which prompts the referee to come out, but Havok is smart and directs the referee’s attention to the ring, to catch Tasha’s hand in the cookie jar. Tasha hits a Codebreaker on Nevaeh, as the referee is looking, so Kiera is disqualified.

Havok and Nevaeh leave smiling and playfully mocking Fire & Flava.

.@RealTSteelz and @HoganKnowsBest3 will face @FearHavok and @nevaehOi4k for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles THIS SATURDAY at #NoSurrender! #IMPACTonAXSTV @ScottDAmore pic.twitter.com/9qNEhLu4aB

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) February 10, 2021

XXXL, Tenille and Kaleb are out to talk smack about the Decay match for No Surrender. Tenille’s get up is very trailer park fabolus, with the fur coat, ripped jeans and high boots. It’s definitely a look. Kaleb offers himself a match against any member of “Tooth Decay” since he isn’t involved at No Surrender.

Decay comes out to unveil their new member for Saturday, Taurus from AAA under the Black Taurus moniker again.

Kaleb vs Black Taurus

So we could all see the squash coming, and Black Taurus looked like a Mac Truck. Pop Up Samoan Drop, rag dolling Kaleb for fun, Rodeo Driver, and that’s the match.

XXXL and Tenille look…concerned to understate the looks on their faces.

.@SuperMexCTM gets half of his cash now, and the other half when he and @Myers_Wrestling finish the job against @TheMattCardona and @TheEddieEdwards THIS SATURDAY at #NoSurrender. #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/06uhzAJv1v

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) February 10, 2021

Impact World Tag Team Championship: Good Brothers (c) vs Beer Guns

This was shaping up to be a damn good match. Anderson does a lot of the early work before and after the commercial break with both members of Beer Guns. Sabin with his usual quick offense, Storm showing off the fact that he’s deceptively agile, but then Private Party and Matt Hardy come out to the top of the ramp.

Gallows tries to tell them to leave, but they stick around. Beer Guns hits an Enzuigiri & Backstabber combo, go for the pin and Private Party rush the ring, to slide in and – touch…touch Beer Guns. They then head back up the ramp, laughing it up with Hardy.

They made sure that they get their match against The Good Brothers and screw over the line jumpers.

.@MATTHARDYBRAND is FURIOUS after @ScottDAmore just added @JamesStormBrand and @SuperChrisSabin to the World Tag Team Title match at #NoSurrender. #IMPACTonAXSTV @IsiahKassidy @Marq_Quen pic.twitter.com/rFYj95WZvo

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) February 10, 2021

Contract signing goes down mostly without a hitch. We get more of the typical Dreamer heartfelt moments version of cutting a promo, but Moose comes down to almost spice things up. He squares up with Rich, throws a few verbal barbs, D’Amore threatens Moose with suspension, and then Dreamer cuts off the argument with a passionate promo with enough realism to make you wonder how much is true.

Dreamer most likely isn’t winning, but it might be more special than we think.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Well this wasn’t a bad episode of IMPACT!, but it definitely left things to be desired. Yes, it set up a lot of final gimmicks/wrinkles for No Surrender like a No DQ Tornado Tag for the Knockouts Tag Titles, 3 Way Dance for the World Tags and a 6 woman tag with Deonna Squad versus ODB’s gang. But it just felt…too gimmicky at times. Two DQ finishes and a squash match don’t exactly make for must see television.

It helps to build for No Surrender which is nice, Black Taurus being in Decay is great, but as a stand alone episode this was very lackluster. So if you’ve been tuning in weekly and looking forward to No Surrender, this cleared up the card fairly well. If you just tune in once in a blue moon, this show probably felt like a throw away.

So overall it was alright, but I can definitely see the flags if people were to be annoyed this week.