10 Best IMPACT Wrestling Matches Of The Empty Arena Era
4. Ace Austin Vs. Eddie Edwards Vs. Eric Young Vs. Rich Swann Vs. Trey Miguel (Slammiversary 2020)
Winning the Match Of The Year moniker in IMPACT's year-end awards, Slammiversary 2020's main event delivered more than it ever needed to. It was always going to. Culminating one of the company's most talked-about shows ever, the vacant World Championship match came after a night of surprises. The match had surprises within itself, with Rich Swann and Eric Young both returning from a leg injury and fresh from a WWE release, respectively.
The elimination stipulation benefitted this beautifully, as the match was allowed to play out in a series of separate arcs. Young dumping Trey Miguel on his head with a Piledriver began the second part of the contest, focusing on IMPACT's key summer story of 'EY' vs. Swann, who eliminated Young prior to having his ankle destroyed again by the now-Violent By Design leader. From there, Eddie Edwards and Ace Austin ended the bout in tremendous fashion, reigning their 2019 story for a few minutes as the former won his second IMPACT World Championship.
Your writer doesn't particularly agree that it should have won the Match Of The Year award, however, its spot on lists such as this are deserved. It ruled hard, it set the seeds for the new few weeks of IMPACT programming, and it instantly positioned Eric Young post-WWE as the character he should have always been in the 'E. That takes skill, so props to Scott D'Amore and co.