IMPACT Slammiversary 2019: Summary and scrutiny

At Slammiversary, IMPACT put on one of the best wrestling shows of the year, demanding recognition, solidifying their place in the scene and subverting norms along the way.

Slammiversary might be the show of the year so far, which, in a thriving professional wrestling landscape, is really saying something. It may have, unexpectedly, been more transitional than concluding, with many storylines alluding to continuation, but it excelled at every opportunity and made it feel like devoting time to watching IMPACT every Friday is worth it.

Reminder: If you want to catch a replay of the show, and you should consider it, try traditional pay-per-view, or through IMPACT+ (where for $39.95 you’ll receive Slammiversary and three months free).

To the show:

Four Way: Willie Mack def. TJP, Trey and Jake Crist

IMPACT kicked off the show with a seemingly thrown together fatal four-way that lacked any cohesion to the rest of the show — and, you know what, it was perfect. While it may have been acontextual, the four-way helped establish the tone for the rest of the show and energized the audience, surely at home, but definitely in attendance.

TJP, Jake Crist, Trey and Willie Mack are all talented performers, who, for the most part, have been in secondary roles, at best, to current narratives culminating at Slammiversary. So, while it was unexpected for them to launch IMPACT’s biggest show of the year so far, it was a nice surprise. Irksome as he may be, TJP can really go in the ring, Willie Mack has been an IMPACT standout, and Trey and Jake Crist, often overshadowed by other members in their factions, are more than capable of grabbing attention if given the opportunity.

It was a fast-paced match, with loads of creative and interesting spots, including one where Crist tried to pin TJP while TJP had Trey in a surfboard stretch, only for Mack to break it up by landing a thunderous double stomp on all three of the competitors. Everyone was given a chance to shine and the right guy went over without making anyone look weak along the way.

The finish was formulaic but fun, where everyone alternated hitting their finishers until Mack hit the Six-Star Frog Splash on Crist for the win. As the lone heel in the match it made sense for Crist to pick up the loss, and Mack’s win was equally as sensible, considering the time he’s spent near the top of the card in the build to Slammiversary.

Was this match necessary? No. But sometimes it’s okay to accept great wrestling for the sake of great wrestling, and this match let fans know what to expect from this company the rest of the night.

Tag Team Championship Match: The North (c) def. LAX and The Rascalz

The Tag Team Championship match switched at the last second, with The North upsetting LAX to win the World Tag Team Championships two days before Slammiversary at the Bash at the Brewery special, turning it into a triple threat. And, while the switcheroo ostensibly seemed like an unnecessary swerve, the match may have been better for it. No doubt in my mind that LAX and The Rascalz would have put on a burner, but adding a talented team like The North never hurts.

Before we get to the match, too often we define performances, particularly in wrestling, by what they are not, or through analogy, focusing on what something isn’t instead of what it is. So, I just want to plainly state, without invoking any other wrestling promotions, that IMPACT’s tag teams, objectively, are fantastic.

The cohesion and fluidity with which all three of these squads execute incredibly difficult sequences is nothing short of jaw-dropping, and it’s not convoluted to be ostentatious, but rather it’s intricate because they’re capable.

More than that, they manage to perform these expert-level spots as part of a greater story. It’s the difference between someone being an incredibly talented solo guitar player, and being able to rip off licks within the context of a song in order to make the track better.

That’s all to say, this match ruled.

The North end up retaining their championships by stealing a pin from the Rascalz after they hit their finisher on Ortiz, and while I wasn’t thrilled with it at first, it’s probably the right call. With LAX rumored to be taking their talent’s elsewhere, having them put over two teams as they leave is the proper play, and The North serving as heel champions provides The Rascalz a foe to chase a little longer.

First Blood Match: Eddie Edwards def. Killer Kross

In our preview and predictions piece, I said:

"After a whole lot of weaponing, Kross draws first blood and finally gets Edwards to fully embrace his evil side. Edwards can’t continue to exist in this tweener role as an affable face with murderous urges. Plus, Edwards already won the street fight, so what’s the point of continuing the rivalry if the outcome is going to be the same?"

And after the match, again I can’t help but feel the same way. What was the point of continuing the feud, and how much longer can Edwards remain a face with this character?

Edwards draws first blood by snapping “Kenny” in two and jamming the shards of his splintered friend into the face and mouth of a very Vampiro-looking Killer Kross, and maybe this was intended to symbolize Edwards embracing his true nature and realizing the only way to beat Kross was to become what Kross was advocating for the whole time, but we shouldn’t hold our breath.

Instead of recognizing what he’s done, Edwards leaves the ring to cheers, in heroic fashion, without a sense of irony. Maybe it’s a slow burn, but we’re two months and two kendo sticks in, and I’m not sure.

Moose def. Rob Van Dam

This may have been the least exciting match of the night, which isn’t a knock on the match, so much as it is a testament to the rest of the card. Rob Van Dam is still capable of performing at a high level, and Moose matches him here every step of the way.

Moose triumphed with a spear, after RVD landed on a chair during an errant Five-Star Frog Splash and, again, it was the right move. The big man needed a signature win; it had been a while, and a victory over a living legend makes Moose a believable top-tier threat again. Van Dam is Teflon at this point, so any loss doesn’t hurt him too badly, especially one that was technically assisted with an illegal weapon.

RVD could get his win back, but why bother? Let Van Dam continue to have dream matchups and help mold the stars of tomorrow, and give Moose a chance to earn his self-appointed sobriquet, “Mr. Impact,” by making moves up the card.

Four Way Monster’s Ball Match: Taya (c) def. Havok, Rosemary and Su Yung

Watch this match. Get Impact+, order the event on pay-per-view, find any means (not advocating illegal behavior) and watch this match. These four superstars absolutely tore the house down and each other apart. While it wasn’t perfect — Su Yung’s insistence on using the demon collar seemed ill-conceived, and Josh Matthews’ commentary left something to be desired — it was a classic, full of iconic moments IMPACT will likely show on replay throughout the history of their company, including Taya Valkyrie going full Johnny Cage and stapling an autographed photo of herself to Su Yung’s face (!!!).

This match was violent, but not gruesome, yet it comparatively made the First Blood match earlier in the show look harmonious.

Taya picked up the win by stealing a pin from Jessicka Havok, after Havok hit Su Yung with a tombstone piledriver off the top rope onto thumbtacks. Yep, you read that right.

Yung likely won’t want to get back on the same page with Havok after this match, so the implosion of James Mitchell’s stable should be interesting going forward.

X-Division Championship Match: Rich Swann (c) def. Johnny Impact

Typically in professional wrestling, heels don’t have the most exciting moves. Fans find it hard to boo someone doing ridiculously impressive feats — it’s the Baxter-Wheel of Cheese Paradox —so even the most athletic performers mute themselves a bit to irk the crowd; it’s why Neville/PAC changed his finisher from the Red Arrow to the Rings of Saturn submission during his heel run.

However, Johnny Impact is such a fantastic villain that he seems immune to this. During his X-Division Championship match with Rich Swann, Impact has a sequence where hit lands a Spanish Fly off the second rope followed in immediate succession by a Standing Spanish Fly — something only .001 percent of the population could dream of doing — and the crowd responds to this marvelous display by chanting “Johnny sucks!” It’s truly incredible.

After kicking out of everything the former World Champion had to offer, Swann, in an explosion of offense, delivered a fury of strikes, followed by two Handsping Cutters and, finally, a Phoenix Splash for the win.

Swann seems positioned to be a cornerstone, not only of the X-Division, but IMPACT in general as we head into the second half of year. As for Johnny Impact, one can’t help but wonder what’s next for The Friday Night Delight, either with IMPACT or elsewhere

World Heavyweight Championship Match:  Brian Cage (c) def. Mike Elgin

The World Heavyweight Championship match looked like a video game, which is incredibly positive and complimentary, but potentially problematic depending on your perspective. The conclusion of the match, however (and dismissing what followed), seemed objectively odd.

Cage and Elgin are capable of some near-superhuman feats in the ring and they made sure to display just that during their bout. The two powerhouses took turns showing the audience they are much more than muscle-bound powerbomb machines, one-upping each other throughout the match with moves often associated with much smaller performers; Cage executed a Tope Con Hilo that would make Ricochet jealous, and Elgin at one point reversed an F-5 into a Canadian Destroyer.

Some wrestling purists would argue against larger, more powerful performers executing high-flying moves, with the notion that, if the big guys can do it, it makes it less impressive when the smaller performers do. I don’t buy it, but if you do, I could see your objections with this match. Otherwise, it was compelling from start to almost finish.

The finish though … man, the finish. Elgin, in IMPACT lore, has sent Cage to the hospital three times; not pinned him, not made him unable to respond to a 10-count, but sent him to the hospital and canonically put “The Machine’s” career in jeopardy. Cage should want to inflict as much damage as possible to the man who tried to end his wrestling life, and instead, Cage decided to win via a pin reversal. It just seemed antithetical to the whole arc they’ve been telling.

Anyway, post-match, a masked man with the look, gait, mannerisms and moves of former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Rhyno appeared and gored Elgin, following Big Mike’s post match attack on Cage.

Who knows what Rhyno has left in the tank, but a clash between the “Man Beast” and “The Unbreakable” one and/or “The Machine” could make for short-term fun for fans of sub-6-foot powerhouses

Sami Callihan def. Tessa Blanchard

The night of the show, IMPACT decided to move Sami Callihan and Tessa Blanchard into the main event, making it the first-ever intergender match to headline a pay-per-view in the United States, which is a big freaking deal. But, before we discuss that, let’s look at the match itself and what it means going forward.

As far as in-ring performance goes, I’m not sure if it was the match of the night, but it didn’t need to be. All the matches on the card stood out on their own for one reason or another and this one followed suit. It told a great story and Sami and Tessa played it to perfection.

Throughout the build to their story, Callihan repeated that he was going to treat Blanchard like an equal (though it was obvious he didn’t see her that way), and their match made that clear. At no point in time did this look like anything other than a professional wrestling match between two equal competitors. When Callihan delivered a Death Valley Driver outside the ring, and a powerbomb onto the apron, it was readily apparent he was fighting Blanchard as if she were not only his equal, but a threat to his status.

In the beginning of the match, there may have been more taunting on Callihan’s end than typically found in a competitive main event, but it was needed in order to show his evolution from ridicule to respect by match’s end.

Callihan wins the match following consecutive piledrivers, and while it may not have been the ending everyone wanted, upon further analysis it makes sense.

Blanchard losing displays some progressive thinking from IMPACT. As a true equal, Blanchard is just as capable to lose as she is win. Inequality would be putting her over and demonstrating that she ‘s only valuable and her point only valid as a winner. Equality is about fair opportunity. Blanchard winning the first intergender main event, as much as we may have liked to see it, would have seemed obligatory.

Also, a loss to Callihan only really means one thing: that this story is far from over. In wrestling, our heroes go through trials and tribulations and fans spend our time cheering for our favorites to overcome the obstacles, and when they do, there’s nothing like it. It’s the losing that makes the cathartic victory so sweet. In losing here, Blanchard is beginning her road to that inspiring and amazing moment.

In losing this match, Blanchard has an opportunity to tell a fantastic story, on par with some of the most memorable wrestling narratives. An equal opportunity.

Now, as far as the placement of the match goes, IMPACT wrestling again is breaking ground and transcending norms. Before the women’s revolution in WWE, IMPACT wrestling had the best women’s wrestling division you could find in the American mainstream, and a case could be made they inspired the WWE to reinvest in their women’s division.

While we shouldn’t expect WWE, AEW or any other high-profile company to suddenly consider intergender matches, it’s a good look for IMPACT and illustrates, at least in the narrative sense, that their women wrestlers are just as capable, just as believable and just as marketable as their male performers.

I know intergender wrestling is tough for some people to watch; the unintentional resemblance to domestic violence— an all too real and monstrous and heartbreaking problem in our country — is too much for some. However, wrestling is art and theatre, and in the same way I enjoy seeing Charlize Theron wreck henchmen in Atomic Blonde or Gal Gadot being one of the few redeemable parts of the Justice League movie, I enjoy seeing Blanchard throw haymakers at oVe. When used correctly, it can be a wonderful medium to display that all performers are equal, and if IMPACT runs with it, they could do something really cool here.

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