10 Ups & 5 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling Turning Point 2021
2. I Beat Ace Austin
If at first you don't succeed. #TurningPoint @The_Ace_Austin pic.twitter.com/CMrOJDDW2T
Advertisement— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) November 21, 2021
As PWG-esque as Chris Sabin vs. Ace Austin was in-ring-wise, it also told a superb story if you've been paying attention to IMPACT's weekly shows.
The culmination of the bout saw Madman Fulton toss Austin's 'I Beat Chris Sabin' shirt into the ring, distracting the referee long enough for him to yank Sabin throat-first into the ropes; the exact method he utilised to aid Ace the last time the pair collided. In an excellent moment of storytelling, Sabin avoided the Fold, performed the Cradle Shock, and won. It concluded this story oh so perfectly.
It helped, of course, that the match was wondrous, too. Sabin's middle-rope tornado DDT and Austin's array of ear-clipping roundhouse kicks combined to create this juicy amalgamation that complimented the rest of the card. Nothing else was going to be like this, so Sabin and Austin went all out.
The only criticism to this, no matter how minor it may be, is that Fulton was at ringside, despite Sabin locking him in a walk-in freezer on Thursday's AXS TV broadcast. If he emerged mid-way in the bout, looking as if he'd been frozen, you'd have an instant meme-worthy moment for the night, but alas, it's not a key issue with the match.