13 Ups & 2 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Knockdown 2021

Ups...

13. This Is Me

Props to IMPACT for understanding the importance and magnitude of the one-night tournament. They taped short promos for the eight competitors involved to play before their respective first-round matches, allowing them to briefly introduce themselves to the IMPACT audience.

These were basic. Each competitor more or less followed the same set rulebook; say your name, maybe where you're from, and then explain why you're winning the tournament. If you say it enough times, maybe you'll actually win it.

Jokes aside, these added a required layer to the tournament. Your writer will admit Jamie Senegal, for example, was a complete unknown before Knockouts Knockdown, so her promo package worked to get her story over. You were able to sympathise with her when Tasha Steelz beat her up in their match, which arguably wouldn't have been possible without her pre-match vignette.

It's hardly a new feature for IMPACT, as they typically create these for pay-per-views, but they worked to great extent here. Solid stuff.