5 Ups & 3 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling (9 Dec)
Cardona dons a crimson mask, Good Brothers join VBD, Alexander's patience is tested, and more!
IMPACT Wrestling was in need of a solid outing last night.
Last night was most likely the penultimate weekly broadcast of 2021, with next week being the final. The 23 and 30 December broadcasts are due to feature the unveiling of their year-end awards, and will presumably follow a similar format to last year, in that the matches featured are IMPACT's best of the year. Nothing new will be shown.
Furthermore, Throwback Throwdown II - their next IMPACT Plus exclusive event on 18 December - also won't have anything relevant to the current product. It'll feature the IMPACT roster dressed up as different, over-the-top characters in a bid to raise spirits towards the end of the year.
Thus, an outstanding show was required here.
It wasn't outstanding, but it was enjoyable.
Moose, Matt Cardona, and W. Morrissey's World Title program was built wonderfully, as was Mickie James and Deonna Purrazzo's Knockouts World Title arc and Josh Alexander vs. JONAH, which is now official for the 8 January pay-per-view. The participants for the knockouts Ultimate X match were also unveiled by new management team member Gail Kim, plus a ton of non-Hard To Kill-related story beats.
Let's get to it...