12 Ups & 4 Downs From Impact Wrestling Hard To Kill 2021

2. Always Ready

It needs to be said that Matt Cardona, the former Zack Ryder, making his Impact debut is a phenomenal sight. His brief run in All Elite Wrestling was fine, but he needed something else. That's why his first Impact appearance against Ace Austin was great.

The disqualification win, though? Not so much.

Ace, fresh off winning the Super X Cup last Saturday at Genesis, demanded to be inserted into the X Division Championship bout, with Impact executive vice president Scott D'Amore instead offering him a surprise in the form of the former WWE United States Champion. A decent match for what it's worth, until Madman Fulton intervened, costing Austin the match, and awarding Cardona a victory on his first night in Impact Wrestling.

That in itself is enough to warrant a Down, but it was made worse when Cardona fought off Austin and Fulton on his own, going so far as to down Madman with the Radio Silence. This was an opportunity to align Matt with former pal Brian Myers to give both men something to fall back on. Instead, the Super X Cup winner and his lackey looked weak.

Not what you want a week after defeating three men in one night.