7 Ups & 4 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling (6 May)

2. A Stodgy Opener

The first Under Siege qualifier of the night was a bizarre choice to begin a wrestling show. Chris Sabin and Rhino, both cracking wrestlers in their own right, wrestled a slog.

It was just too slow, aside from one or two high-risk moves from Sabin. Wrist control was a major factor in the early stages, with some tedious ringside interference by Deaner being entirely unneeded. Even when Rhino did get in control, he failed to capitalise on it. ‘The War Machine’ instead focused on grounding Sabin, rather than decimating him as he should have, especially if he’s intended to fit the Violent By Design theme.

Minus an alright superplex, Rhino was terrible in this one. A failed Gore attempt saw the ECW icon crash into the turnbuckles, rolled up soon thereafter as Sabin advanced to Under Siege. The right winner, sure, but that means very little if the overall match is a chore to sit through.

This had its place on the card, but not as a show-opener. It’s what you’d expect to follow a hot contest. You know, something like El Phantasmo’s debut. Card placement held this back massively.