7 Ups & 5 Downs From IMPACT Slammiversary 2023 (Review)

4. Proving Ground

Alex Shelley needed the Nick Aldis match. Hastily crowned World Champion at Against All Odds after only two months of Steve Maclin having served as the kingpin of IMPACT, Shelley faced doubts, being branded a transitional champion from the moment his fingers touched the belt.

Those claims are false.

The Detroiter took Aldis to the limit in a well-paced main event. From the off, Alex Shelley was established as the babyface-in-peril, being easily manhandled by a Nick Aldis driven by determination. Aldis was the perfect heel challenger for Shelley to establish him as a credible champion, drawing incredible heat for his desperation and will to wear Shelley down, who answered by honing on a weakness, targeting Aldis' leg.

This didn't play into the finish at all, which is what pushes it lower down on the Ups ranking, but the finish was sweet nonetheless. Aldis' foolhardy desire to win overcame him as his plan to use the World Championship belt backfired before he walked into a match-winning Shellshock, cementing Alex Shelley not as a transitional champion, but as the champion of IMPACT.

Both Shelley and Aldis came off great in victory and loss, respectively, with the former now having Josh Alexander to look ahead to in what will be a true test of Alex Shelley's capabilities as IMPACT World Champion. Win, lose, or draw, the legitimacy of his reign depends on it.