Andrew’s Impact Results & Match Ratings: 7.29.2021

With dance partners being finalized and paired off for Homecoming, what other surprises does Impact have in store tonight?

We know we’re getting Moose and Sabin in the main event, we know BeyBlade is going to get their first shot at teaming up and Taylor Wilde has to start with Kaleb before finally getting her hands on Tenille! What else could go on?

Do we see the Drama King reveal himself? (yes I know it’s Aiden English or…Mike…whatever he’s going as now, just Kayfabe it brother).

Let’s get to the show!

.@iPeteyWilliams and @JordynneGrace gave us the #Homecoming tournament odds in Swinger's Palace…but the mood changed when @TheCaZXL arrived. #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/bRR7KqZJbi

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) July 30, 2021

Ratings:

• Good Brothers vs BeyBlade: Good Brothers win via Magic Killer – ** 1/2
• Taylor Wilde vs Kaleb w/Tenille Dashwood: Taylor wins via Bridging German Suplex – ** 1/4 
• Fallah Bahh, No Way Jose & FinJuice vs Shera, Rohit Raju, Ace Austin & Madman Fulton: Finlay wins via Trash Panda – ***
• Deaner & Rhino w/VBD vs  Willie Mack & Rich Swann: Swann wins via 450 Splash – ** 3/4
• Moose vs Chris Sabin: Moose wins via Lights Out – *** 1/2 

Results:

Good Brothers vs BeyBlade

I can’t totally tell, but I really hope the crowd was calling Bey and Jay, BEYblade. That’s a great name.

Bullet Club leaders start off, and it’s somewhat even with Jay eventually getting a little bit of the upper hand. So with a small advantage, Bey gets tagged in and then the wheels fall off a bit. Karl manages to get in LG, and the size difference makes most of the difference in the match. Bey is getting pummeled, eating Lariats and Boots and getting stifled when he goes to the air.

Bey does find a way to getting Jay back in to give the REAL Bullet Club a small opening, but again, once Bey gets back in the Good Brothers try to smother him. Jay makes a few saves, but he can’t overcome the fact that Chris is getting slaughtered and not able to help a ton. Jay gets dumped out, Chris tries to make a comeback but he gets Chokeslammed and then we see the Magic Killer end things.

Good way to cause some strife for Jay early before shooting him to some main scenes.

We get a small backstage segment with Fire N Flava trying to hype up getting the belts back. Fallah walks in with flowers, asks Tasha to Homecoming, and Kiera is a little slighted. Tasha takes a few jabs at the fact that Kiera is the one who ate the last few pins, so Fallah picked the right girl. So the seeds are being sown in an amusing High School antics kind of way. 

Taylor Wilde vs Kaleb w/Tenille Dashwood

Kaleb is trying to defend Tenille after Taylor cost them the match at Slammiversary. Kaleb does a decent jobs just countering Taylor and not swinging, until he wants the heat. He hits Taylor with a lariat to a chorus of Boos, and then goes into Heel 101. Short cuts, cocky covers, arrogance after landing a move; but Taylor stays resilient.

Kaleb goes to the fanny pack to cheat, Taylor counters and gets in her best offense with a Tornado DDT off the apron. Then after we’re back in, Taylor hits a Poison Rana followed by the German Suplex Hold, and Taylor wins! Plays well enough into Kaleb selling neck injuries for the last few weeks.

.@DashingChrisBey isn't in The Bullet Club…yet. But @JayWhiteNZ is a fan of redemption. #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/ayYCh6SvAJ

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) July 30, 2021

Fallah Bahh, No Way Jose & FinJuice vs Shera, Rohit Raju, Ace Austin & Madman Fulton:

Well it’s one of those weird situations, where if they weren’t trying to keep Finlay hot leading into his NEVER match against Jay, Fallah and No Way would just have jobbed out.

So the face team tries to keep things fun and light, even using the Japanese style locomotion corner spot, punctuated with the other three men launching Fallah into Madman. After that there was some decent trades. Most of the time was showing off Fulton and Shera’s strength coupled with Rohit’s craftiness and Ace’s athleticism. The heels definitely came off as the smarter and better wrestlers, but Finlay manages to kick out of a Cradle with tights from Rohit, fights back a bit, hits Trash Panda and the match is done.

The dorky but fun faces come out on top!

Kenny Omega promos give me cancer. Jesus H Christ. I get the gimmick that he’s a diva and full of himself, but he does it in such an over the top campy way…it comes off fake. Like you’re already in a sport that’s called fake, and half your moveset and your elementary school grasp on English comes off even more fake. Hot damn…I wish Omega would never talk. 

.@JayWhiteNZ just sent a VIOLENT and PERSONAL message to @THEdavidfinlay. #IMPACTonAXSTV @DashingChrisBey pic.twitter.com/uRWnWtq7lh

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) July 30, 2021

So the biggest dorks in the business head to the ring to fellate one another. Sami Callihan thankfully interrupts, talks about a rematch, talks about setting up a match next week between the Good Brothers & Omega vs Sami and two partners. Mentions attacking them from all angles, including jumping the rail from behind, the dorks laugh it off, but someone hits the ring! Sami rushes with the baseball bat, so the hoodie guy and Sami stand tall, and hoodie guy is Frankie Kazarian the Elite Hunter!

.@Myers_Wrestling attempt to get The Queen of Extreme" @ECWDivaFrancine to be his #Homecoming partner didn't go to plan. #IMPACTonAXSTV @sambeale23 pic.twitter.com/bZ9V41VgJ1

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) July 30, 2021

Deaner & Rhino w/VBD vs  Willie Mack & Rich Swann

Willie and Rich start hit, wipe out Rhino, double team Deaner! Deaner gets dumped out, Rich hits a 450 into the pile of bodies and then Willie and Rich stand tall as we go to break. After the initial rush we see the heel group take a few short cuts, notably Eric Young’s good ole trip during a rope run which sets up for Deaner to hit a Running Neckbreaker.

There’s a few big spots from everyone, but Rhino missteps, Willie and Rich take advantage of it. Hit a Handspring Cutter, into Stunner into 450 Splash to keep Deaner down.

Moose vs Chris Sabin

The early going was all Sabin. Multiple cradle variations, La Magistral, Victory Roll, Sunset Flips and even a quick reference back to the Slammiversary match when Sabin countered the Electric Chair into the Double Legged Cradle, but Moose kicked out of all of it. Once Moose took some control, more callbacks this time, the chop on the apron in the ropes spot. And just like Slammiversary, once the crowd started chanting for one more, Moose didn’t deliver to play heel.

Sabin did the stick and move thing, causing Moose to hit the ring post, swing wildly and then an Escalera from Sabin kept the momentum in the Hail Sabin realm of the match. The familiarity of the two was kind of cool, since Moose hit a few of his moves to counter Sabin, and Sabin went for big High Flying moves, but everything got re-countered or kicked out of. A Flying DDT almost looked to give Sabin the win, but Moose kicked out, and Sabin miscalculated. He tried for Cradle Shock, but Moose got out of it pretty easily, a few choice spots and the Lights Out spear means that Moose has now evened up their score!

Moose tries to throw Sabin out of “his ring” Sabin holds on and they brawl. So we’re probably seeing a rubber match in the near future. 

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Solid in-ring action in tandem with fun backstage segments and a really cool return! The Kaz return was only marginally spoiled because their third seems to be Eddie Edwards and not Christopher Daniels. It’s smart to bill in two of the main players in Impact and someone being billed as a returning TNA Superstar, so it terms of branding its fine; but I’d have preferred a Bad Influence reunion. Cause ya know, SCU had to disband, but Bad Influence can run strong…or even The Addiction.

Plus we also get to see a nice culmination in the Sabin/Moose gap filling feud. Because even if it’s nothing more than a time sink, the matches are great cause both men are fantastic. Then there’s the case of BeyBlade, they need to let it rip as soon as possible. If BeyBlade can take out FinJuice, and then maybe work through the other heel teams to get back to the Good Brothers, that can fill plenty of TV time.

Anyway, good product between the ropes, interviews and vignettes were funny and making Sam Beale look like a total dweeb worked a lot better this time. So a big step up from their first Post-Slammiversary show.