5 Ups & 3 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling (9 Dec)

1. Contrasting Styles

What was so perfect about Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Mickie James and Chris Sabin is that Purrazzo and James used an entirely different style compared to that of Rehwoldt and Sabin.

When Sabin wrestled Rehwoldt, it was exactly that; a wrestling match. There were rest holds, basic strikes, and the usual hits from both parties. Once Purrazzo and James tagged in, though, it resembled more of an uncoordinated UFC fight rather than a wrestling match, uncoordinated only in the sense that it was a wild brawl. Nothing was as finely-tuned as what you'd expect in an actual UFC fight, but it may as well have been branded as such.

Again, it was perfect because the match had been structured so well. The match was mainly Sabin vs. Rehwoldt for the first chunk, with James and Purrazzo's interactions being limited to mainly brawling. Deonna pinning Mickie, albeit with the aid of the former Aiden English, perhaps shouldn't have happened, given their Hard To Kill clash is only a few weeks away, but it didn't really steal the spotlight from the 8 January match.

A minor Up, too, for Deonna's new ring attire. She's lost her crown, hence why she no longer dresses like a queen. A subtle touch that really gets the point across.