A new X-Division Champion, a new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, the return of Awesome Kong and a new look on Destination America as well as a new voice in former WWE announcer Josh Matthews highlighted a damn good first episode of Impact in 2015.
The New York City crowd has always shown its love for Impact and this night was no different as each match was pay per view quality, with no filler or nonsense. The new, speedier paced show created more drama and it felt fresher than it has before.
While the company still has a long way to go before it can reclaim its “glory†days of 2005 and 2006, this week’s Impact was certainly a step in the right direction.
Matches:
Street Fight: Kurt Angle vs. MVP: This was almost like a counter and submissions match. Sure, they were in Street Clothes, but these guys were working. After MVP countered an Ankle Lock into a Katame variation, Angle hit the Angle Slam after MVP missed the Helluva Kick in the corner for the win.
TNA Tag Team Champions Abyss and James Storm w/Sanada and Manik vs. Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards: After Sanada and Manik interfered, Jeff Hardy (who was ringside with Matt Hardy and actually made the save for the Wolves at one point) accidentally hit Edwards, who then walked into a Last Call Super Kick to set up the win for the champs.
X-Division Champion Low-Ki vs. Austin Aries: A shorter, but competitive match that saw Aries counter a Dragon Sleeper and then a Top Rope Ki Crusher. With Ki on the top ropes just waiting to be hit, Aries hit an awesome Discus Elbow and then finished him off with the Top Rope Brainbuster to win back the X-Division gold.
Knockout’s Championship Battle Royal: Knockouts Champion: Taryn Terrell vs. Gail Kim vs. Havok vs. Velvet Sky vs. Angelina Love vs. Rebel vs. Madison Rayne: Havoc was on fire in this one, but Terrell was smart enough to eliminate the monster to retain her title. The coolest part of this match was the end however, as Awesome Kong made her return, taking out the referee with a massive Chokeslam.
TNA Champion Bobby Roode vs. Bobby Lashley: This was an awesome match as these two did everything to each other, including stealing their respective finishing maneuvers. Things got hairy however once Kenny King and Kurt Angle got involved, to only get even more nuts when MVP and two masked men, revealed as Low Ki and Samoa Joe, attacked Angle. The swerves continued as Roode’s pal Eric Young hit the ring with a chair to presumably make the save, to only nail Roode with the chair, allowing Lashley to connect with the Spear and reclaim the TNA World Heavyweight title.
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