10 Ups & 2 Downs From Impact Wrestling (Mar 3)

2. A Rivalry Renewed

Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie was rather decent in every way possible.

The way things started with the slow tension between champion and challenger only added to the story. They knew exactly what each was capable of given their extensive history in the past, so neither of them were willing to even attempt and pull a fast one - props should be given to Valkyrie for that, in fairness. When things did get going though, it proved to be more than worth the wait.

Blanchard used her striking prowess to gain the upper hand throughout, utilising a barrage of kicks to wear down her challenger, while 'Wera Loca' focused more on the hard-hitting side of things, backed up by having John E. Bravo in her corner. Thankfully, he only got physically involved the once, but it was that involvement that prevented this from being the biggest Up from the show. A Buzzsaw DDT marked a successful first defence for Tessa's World Championship reign.

Considering this was the first time two women had battled over the Impact World Championship, it perhaps should've been saved for a pay-per-view, especially since this year's Rebellion show is only a few weeks away on 19 April. That fact aside though, it was a solid match that continued to prove just how great Impact Wrestling truly is these days. Not quite as big as they once were, but if they keep going in this direction with constant history-making moments and matches, then there's a chance they'll be back there one day.