Impact 2/8/2018

This week on Impact, four top Impact wrestlers compete in a number one contenders match. oVe has found themselves a new target to destroy. Plus, Allie has a secret admirer.

Impact Wrestling presents Impact
Date: 2/8/2018
From: Orlando, FL

Footage of Austin Aries returning last week to win the Impact Heavyweight Championship from Eli Drake is shown.

We see all four men involved in the number one contenders match arriving to the arena. They are EC3, Moose, Alberto El Patron and Johnny Impact.

Sonjay Dutt is on commentary this week replacing Jeremy Borash, who has left to join NXT.

Opening Contest: Impact X-Division Champion Taiji Ishimori & Impact Grand Champion Matt Sydal vs. Rohit Raju & El Hijo del Fantasma: All four men shake hands to show mutual respect. Fantasma and Ishimori kick off the tag match. Fantasma and Ishimori counter wrist locks and eventually have a standoff. They shove each other showing that their respect may not be as strong as we thought. Ishimori head scissors Fantasma, but he lands on his feet. Sydal and Raju tag into the bout. Sydal controls the left arm of Raju for a few moments. Raju sweeps Sydal to the mat for a near fall. Sydal sweeps Raju followed by a standing moonsault for a two count. Fantasma comes off the top to double stomp Raju’s arm and keeps control of the left arm. Sydal comes off the top with another double stomp to the left arm of Raju. Sydal spin kicks Raju and locks in a half Boston Crab. Ishimori is stopped by Raju with a swinging neckbreaker. Sydal eta tagged in and is kicked by Fantasma from the apron. Fantasma kicks Sydal to the mat and does the same to Ishimori. Fantasma gets a two count on Sydal as we go to commercial.

Fantasma has a surfboard on Sydal but Ishimori makes the save with a few stomps. Raju enters and is cutoff by Ishimori, who hits a handspring kick. Fantasma kicks Ishimori as well. Sydal spin kicks Fantasma but Raju connects with a kick to send Sydal to the floor. Raju takes Sydal out with a suicide dive on the floor. Ishimori dropkicks Fantasma to the floor and Ishimori hits a springboard moonsault to the outside. Raju has an arm bar submission but Sydal gets tagged to kick Raju into a corner. Raju is double teamed as his opponents hit a double bulldog and dropkick for a two count. Fantasma nails Sydal with a kick to the face. Fantasma takes both Sydal and Ishimori out with tilt a whirl backbreakers. Fantasma has Sydal on his shoulder and Raju delivers a knee for a near fall. Sydal knees Raju and hits a hurricanarna on Fantasma. Ishimori hits a springboard denton on Fantasma. Ishimori delivers a double knee gut buster and Sydal hits the shooting star press for the win. (**. This was a completely lifeless match and nothing overly great occurring. I found myself getting distracted easily and not being all that interested in what they were presenting.)

Last week, Impact Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries was interviewed about his return. He’s happy to be back and he’s shocked to be champion. He snatched the opportunity given. Aries hasn’t signed a contract with Impact and is still going around collecting titles. Aries is offended at the thought that he’d lose the title at a non-Impact event. Eli Drake comes into the scene and is pissed about losing the title. Aries tells Drake to get ready for a rematch. Aries wants Drake to be ready when he beats him again.

Next week, Austin Aries defends the Impact Heavyweight Championship against Eli Drake.

Second Contest: The Cult of Lee (Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley) vs. TECH (Monroe & Reed): During their entrance, Lee and Konley mocked LAX before their squash match. I literally have next to zero interest in these guys challenging for the Impact Tag Team Championships. They won the match with a spike piledriver. After the match, LAX appears on the big screen. Konnan says they are going to be nothing but failures. He says you don’t mess with LAX. LAX is coming for Cult of Lee. Konley and Lee don’t look very excited now.

Backstage, Allie meets up with Keira Hogan and says he did a great job last week. Allie knows that Hogan has another shot at the Knockouts Championship and she has her back. Allie gets a top secret message and it’s a huge card. It’s from a secret admirer and it says to meet them next week.

Backstage, Moose is interviewed regarding the main event. Moose talks about never getting a chance to play for a national championship or Super Bowl during his football career. He has not gotten a shot at the Impact Heavyweight Championship and he’s hungry for gold.

Third Contest: Impact Knockouts Champion Laurel Van Ness vs. Keira Hogan: Hogan starts off with a few arm drags and a standing dropkick for a two count. Van Ness drops Hogan face first over the top turnbuckle before doing a curb stomp into the turnbuckles. Hogan avoids the Un-Prettier and nearly wins with a rollup. Van Ness stops Hogan with a boot to the face. Hogan comes off the middle rope with a crossbody and a superkick for a near fall. Laure; sends Hogan throat first into the middle rope and wins the match with the Un-Prettier. (*1/2. That was mostly an extended squash, but it was kind of enjoyable. I was glad it was kept rather short.) After the match, Van Ness attacks Hogan until Allie runs into the ring to make the save. Allie delivers a Codebreaker and Van Ness bails to the floor.

oVe is filming someone in the parking lot and it appears to be Bobby Lashley.

Next week, Brian Cage makes his debut next week.

Backstage, EC3 is interviewed regarding the number one contenders match. EC3 says he’s the best guy anywhere and says he will ride off into the sunset if he can’t reach his destiny. He is the true impact player and the true 1% in this business.

Backstge, Jimmy Jacobs is with Kongo Kong cut a promo. Jacobs is still waiting for Abyss to return to Impact. Jacobs is going to drag the monster out of Joseph Park.

Backstage, Matt Sydal says that his spiritual advisor has helped him help other champions. Ishimori will face Fantasma next week. Sydal cares about peace, love and wrestling.

oVe is still filming someone in the parking lot and they attack him. It’s actually Bobby Lashley. They do their thumbs down taunt.

Fourth Contest: Hania vs. Amber Nova: This is a squash match for Hania. Nova gets a few moments to shine, but Hania delivers a powerbomb to stop that. Hania wins the match with a reverse DDT. After the match, Rosemary attacks Hania to get some revenge. Hania bails to the floor to avoid Red Wedding.

Main Event: Moose vs. Ethan Carter III vs. Johnny Impact vs. Alberto El Patron in a number one contenders match: Moose and Carter go to the floor to brawl while Impact and Patron fight in the ring. Patron sends Impact into the turnbuckle chest first to keep control. Moose sends Carter into the ring steps. Patron decks Moose on the floor and sends him face first onto the steps. Patron sends Impact into the ring post and Carter beats on Moose. Carter and Patron are working together to work over Moose. Patron comes off the top to strike Moose down to the mat. Moose is beat on by Patron and Carter in the corner. Impact is back in the ring and hammers away on Carter. Impact kicks Patron in the corner as well. Impact drives Patron down with a neckbreaker for a two count. Patron backdrops Impact over the top to the floor leaving Moose by himself in the ring to get worked over again. Carter shakes Patron’s hand and they plant Moose with a double DDT. Patron sends Carter into the corner head first for a two count on Moose. Carter trades right hands with Patron until Impact hits a twisting crossbody off the top rope. Impact drops Patron with a spinning heel kick and a shining wizard for a two count. Moose plants Impact with a powerbomb and kicks Patron. Carter is also met with a kick to the face. Impact stops Moose with a superkick and all four men are laid out. They begin to trade right hands as all four men rise to their feet and we go to commercial.

Moose tosses Impact to the floor but Patron tosses Moose into the crowd. Patron and Moose brawl in the crowd with Patron sending Moose into a protective cage. Carter sends Impact shoulder first into the ring steps. Patron sends Carter and Impact into the crowd as well. Patron sends them into the protective cage. Impact sends Patron into the cage. Moose is getting looked over by medical staff. Impact whacks Patron with a crutch. Patron puts Impact into a trash bin and tips it over. Impact gets out and hits Patron with a can. Impact this Carter over the head with the trash bin. Impact covers Carter but Patron makes the save on the pin attempt. Patron plants Impact with a DDT. Impact gets worked over by Carter and Patron in the corner. Impact fights them off on the middle rope. Impact goes for a double sunset flip powerbomb but can’t get either man. Moose limps his way back into the ring and along with Impact delivers a powerbomb. Moose and Impact collide with stereo clothesline attempts. All four men are laid out.

Patron stops Moose with an arm breaker but Moose decks Patron with a discus clothesline. Moose nails Carter with a head strike. Moose does the same to Impact. Moose delivers very weak running strikes in the corner as he heavily favoring his leg. Impact takes Moose over with a hurricanrana out of the corner. Carter hits the One-Percenter on Moose. Impact hits a swinging neckbreaker for a two count on Carter. Impact goes to the top rope but Patron kicks Impact off the top to the floor. Patron hits a backstabber on Moose. Patron clotheslines Carter followed by a step-up kick in the corner. Patron gets the cross arm breaker on Carter right in the middle of the ring. Moose makes the save with a senton splash. Moose clotheslines Patron over the top to the floor and goes to the floor where Patron kicks Moose. Impact springboard kicks Patron on the apron. Carter gets a rollup on Impact from behind for a two count. Carter attempts the One-Percenter but Impact counters with a rollup for a three count. (**1/4. A rather simple main event, but Impact is probably the best option to win this match as he’s likely capable of a really good match with Aries or Drake. I will say that the silent crowd that Impact has been having doesn’t add to the matches and rather hurts the viewing experience.)

Final Thoughts:
For the most part, this was a filler week aside from the number one contenders match. I’m interested in seeing Aries vs. Drake next week in an actual title match and not a segment. This week gets a thumbs down from me.

Thanks for reading.