8 Ups & 3 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling (12 August)
7. Welcome To IMPACT, John
..@TheJohnSkyler picks up a HUGE upset victory over @TheMattCardona, after a distraction from @HakimZane. #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/Mlbnv2NlJE
Advertisement— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) August 13, 2021
John Skyler pinning Matt Cardona was a legitimate shock. It's been reported that he has signed a full-time deal with IMPACT, and so he needs some wins, but for him to pin the former Zack Ryder straight out the bat is a huge deal.
There are two caveats there, though; it came via schoolboy rollup, and that only happened due to a ringside distraction from Rohit Raju and Shera. Technically, this wasn't a clean win. Regardless, this is important for the future of Skyler in IMPACT Wrestling. Commentary referred to him as a secret of pro wrestling, which is hardly false. His main highlight here was a pouncing knee strike that preceded the aforementioned rollup.
Crucially, Skyler shouldn't be aligned with Raju and Shera in the long run. There's not a single point to justify that. He must be his own man in IMPACT to get over properly. Presumably, Matt and Rohit will have a match at some point, perhaps at Emergence.