8 Ups & 4 Downs From Impact Wrestling (May 19)

4. Ideal Replacement

Following Ken Shamrock being decimated by Michael Elgin, he was removed from the World Championship number one contender's tournament. His apt replacement was Ace Austin, who was surprisingly kept out of the original eight-man field. 'The One True Ace' has mostly been part of the X division since initially arriving on the scene in Impact Wrestling, so this made for a nice change as he battled Rhino in first round action.

Your writer is still pondering why Ace dove through the ropes to avoid being flattened with the Gore, seeing as he landed hard on the arena floor back-first, making his back a target for the remainder of the match. Nevertheless, Austin proved his worth against a wrestling legend here, doing things on the ring apron that shouldn't even be possible. You don't see anyone else doing kip ups and handstands on The Hardest Part of the Ring™. A steel chair distraction opened the path for Ace to use his cane en-route to victory.

Out of everyone left in the bracket, Ace Austin is one of the two most likely winners, alongside Michael Elgin. Ace recently spoke about wanting to be the youngest World Champion in Impact history. Now's* the time for it to happen.

*When it's safe to do so.