10 Best IMPACT Wrestling Matches Of The Empty Arena Era
2. Moose Vs. Rich Swann (Sacrifice 2021)
Every superlative pro wrestling match must be taught in at least two arcs, with three on offer for Rich Swann and Moose's title unification bout at March's Sacrifice special.
The first was hot; Moose went for the Go To Hell immediately, setting the perfect tone, whereas Swann flew blissfully around the ring to outsmart the then-TNA World Heavyweight Champion. In arc two, Moose dominated Rich, backdropping the IMPACT World Champion in a full rotation. The third, and inarguably greatest arc, saw Swann and Moose both say "f*ck it," resulting in some sublime in-ring work for the final
This was pure, legitimate peak-Pro Wrestling Guerrilla stuff. Moose, a guy who's billed as standing six foot five and just shy of three hundred pounds, was pulling off top-rope Moonsault fallaway slams like it was nothing, while his run-up-the-ropes Crossbody was cut off mid-air with a handspring Cutter from Rich. That, in itself, takes immaculate precision to pull off without Moose losing his footing from Swann's legs hitting the ropes on the opposite side.
Like other contests throughout this list, the outcome was inescapable. Had the winner not been pre-announced to face Kenny Omega at Rebellion, then maybe a Moose win would have been a possibility. Nonetheless, this surpassed all expectations, going down as one of the promotion's greatest contests period.
It wasn't quite enough, though...