8 Ups & 5 Downs From Impact Wrestling (Dec 1)

2. Proving Ground

Crazzy Steve didn't lift the X Division Championship from Rohit Raju last night, but he still gave it his all in a performance that made you realise he could be champion.

What made for a nice change was that the former World Tag Team Champion used some proper grappling manoeuvres in the early going, using a couple of roll-ups as soon as the bell rang to put 'The Desi Hitman' on edge for the remainder of the contest. Of course we still saw all the silly antics from Steve because it wouldn't be a Crazzy Steve match without them. However, seeing him utilising actual wrestling skills reminded you that he isn't just the comedy portion of the show.

Once Rohit used his patented stiff knees and pouncing Flatliner, you fully understood that Crazzy Steve could be X Division Champion because he managed to escape the pinfalls following these moves. Moves that had allowed Raju to remain the champion for this long. That Steve was able to kick out of them showed you he was capable of being a top champion.

The former Desi Hit Squad member retained his strap, albeit with a hold of the ropes. Despite this, though, he had helped establish Crazzy Steve as a formidable talent in the X division. Props to both champion and challenger for doing such a thing.