6 Ups & 4 Downs From Impact Wrestling Sacrifice 2021
3. Ace Up His Sleeve
This past Tuesday's Impact sort of saw Impact tease a rematch of TJP and Josh Alexander's epic X Division Championship match. It meant that coming into Sacrifice, we were just expecting a TJP title retention, but instead, Ace became a two-time champion.
It came in a great match as well. Relying on the previous history of TJP ending Ace's undefeated streak in his return to Impact Wrestling a few years ago, the added commentary of the lineage of the X Division Championship, including name-dropping the likes of Petey Williams and The Amazing Red, only added to the importance of the match.
Despite an initial slow start to the match, it soon became a traditional X Division contest, with a Fosbury Flop from 'The One True Ace' that he executed to perfection. Madman Fulton standing behind Ace as he landed to prevent him from falling was a subtle touch that showed how well they've come together in the past ten months. There was only really one downer to the match, that being TJP baiting Ace in by appearing to collapse. Isn't he supposed to be the perennial babyface in this?
The Fold is what crowned Ace Austin a two-time X Division Champion, and only happened because he positioned referee Brandon Tolle in front of TJP atop the turnbuckles. It was a smart tactic, one of the prime reasons Ace Austin is a definition of the X Division. He flourished as champion in his first reign. It won't be any different this time around.