7 Ups & 6 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling (30 March)

2. Larry D Steps Up

If your type of wrestling is two hard-hitting hosses knocking lumps out of each other, then Larry D vs. Sami Callihan will be right up your street.

Larry was at his purest form here. Beating the ever-living crap out of ‘The Draw’, the XXXL man caught Sami mid-flight at one stage, and just rammed him into the ring apron with such force. Callihan’s back was bent across the apron; gnarly. As if that wasn’t enough, a perfectly-executed discus lariat that would have made the late Brodie Lee proud was also brought out.

Sami eventually got the win thanks to an MJF-style rope-straddled piledriver, but it’s Larry and Acey Romero who stood tall at the end. Romero decked Callihan after the bell.

Even though they’re literally in this story arc to give Sami and Trey Miguel a common enemy (Sami wants to face them next week with Trey as his partner to continue the story, for example), this felt like a pivotal night in XXXL’s IMPACT career. Larry D stood toe to toe with a former World Champion and held his own. XXXL shouldn’t be the comedy act, but rather a serious threat to those World Tag Team Championships.