I had never had the chance to watch IMPACT Wrestling in the past 5-10 years! It was always hard to get from where I lived. Or there were not enough funds (not that there are more now)... It was hard to watch officially a KOs match. I watched them with huge delays on YouTube, I catch some match graphics presenting what will happen next week or on the next PPV.
Today! Freshly, fresh, I was able to watch a full episode (nah, I forwarded it to the women's stuff) of IMPACT!
I was "WOW"!!!
Why?
Follow me...
MASHA SLAMOVICH vs. KILLER KELLY
Damn!
I know that I sound like an archaic granny when I talk about Killer Kelly and her match against Meiko Satomura, at Mae Young Classic... Like MYC was centuries ago!!! (need to rewatch it). That was an EPIC match, guys and gals!!! Killer Kelly earned my lifetime professional respect and admiration for it! I was excited to see her in WWE NXT UK and hoped to see her and Jazzy Gabert doing great stuff... but... Naaah! They were quietly kicked out as any other Australian, New Zealand, etc., and non-British woman at that time (later they signed Amale, who is French). And when in 2020 she was added to IMPACT Wrestlings' female talents roster I said "Weeeell! Look at this! Interesting!", and the Portuguese wrestler started to make waves in the KOs division. And she doesn't show any signs of slowing down...
Masha Slamovich on the other hand... I was hearing her name a lot. I saw that IMPACT had signed her and booked her in some really heated matches, with epic opponents, so I was so curious about her. She is BRUTAL! When you hear that someone is named "Slamovich" you expect a lot of hard-hitting, raw brutal strength and attitude in the ring from them. Masha really stood for her wrestling surname!
The match was one of the best matches I have watched, despite not being hardcore or whatever. These two women, turned their 15-20 minutes fight into something intensive and filled with twists. Slamovich used teeth and strength to come over Killer Kelly, and in the end, she really used her own opponent's confidence to steal the victory. That was a really well-packaged match with all of its spots. Really technical, and really passionate. Both women were amazing and as I love to say this is a "win-win" match, i.e. it doesn't matter who will win, especially when you don't have titles, etc, high stakes in it. I didn't care who will take home the victory, because both Masha and Kelly deserved it. There is no loser!
In the end, Kelly had her payback while refusing to release the submission hold she had locked and which was used against her for the pin, and left the ring with a brutal smile on her own face. That was a really simple but beautifully booked match, technical but not sterile, without emotion in it. Both women were invested, not overconcentrated in it.
Great start! Great quality! Definitely want to see more from them...
WINNER: MASHA SLAMOVICH
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
During the rest of the show, we had a video package reminding us of Trinity's first appearance in last week's episode, which was interrupted by the Knockouts World Champion Deonna Purrazzo, and her #1 contender Jordynne Grace. After that, we had a short interview with her, where she talked about general stuff and bout her match at Under Siege. This time Jai Vidal tried to steal her spotlight, posing for a selfie with Trinity.
Then we have a sweet Flashback, which presented the time when Taylor Wilde and Sarita defeated the Beautiful People's Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne, for Knockouts World Tag Team titles.
KNOCKOUTS WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE COVEN (Taylor Wilde and KiLynn King) vs. JORDYNNE GRACE AND KNOCKOUTS WORLD CHAMPION DEONNA PURRAZZO,
KNOCKOUTS WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
What a Main Event!
I was dying to see Jordynne Grace in action as well as the other women. Weeeeell, the end was predictable - it would be so strange and totally fresh by the way with a nuance of sweet, cute madness, to have the very two women who are facing each other for the Knockouts World Title, at Under Siege, to become the new Knockouts Tag Team Champs!
It's tempting, though! 😀😀😀
I need to remind you that Taylor Wilde is an iconic Knockout. Her career started with a victory over Awesome Kong, she is a solid KO and it's so good to see her back in IMPACT. I also think that her team's gimmick is really fun and we actually have a fight of the Covens in IMPACT and WWE!
The match was great! It hooked me. It reminded me of all the glory and talent of the KOs division. Deonna Purrazzo's headscissors takedown/hurricanrana at the beginning were promising, Wilde was in great shape, and KiLynn King was a solid partner - always there at the right time, and both played dirty... and Jordynne Grace hitting that Buster, all was great! Go watch it on Impact Plus... And an accidental collision between Grace and Purrazzo, which left the KO champ stunned ringside, cost the challenges the victory... Exciting!
After the match Trinity partially stole the show, she ran in for the safe of Grace, who was double assaulted by the Coven...
WINNER: KNOCKOUTS WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE COVEN
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Really, really, really great show! Don't miss Under Siege, live, Friday, May 26, on IMPACT Plus, FITE, and IMPACT Ultimate Insider!!!
