9 Ups & 3 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling Hard To Kill 2022

Downs...

3. Maclin's Last Chance

To be clear, Trey Miguel vs. Steve Maclin wasn't a terrible match. We'll get onto that later.

The issue here is with regards to the outcome of the X Division Championship bout. In short, Maclin should have walked out as champion. He's been one of the company's most consistent performers since he debuted last June, remained undefeated along the way, and is constantly being praised for his work ethic. In other words, he had earned the championship win here.

Owing to the stipulation, the former Steve Cutler can no longer challenge for the championship again, so long as Trey Miguel is in possession of the title. Traditionally, these stipulations only work to great effect if the losing name has previously lost the championship to their opponent. In this case, Maclin has simply lost two previous encounters to Trey. The stipulation didn't hit the right beat IMPACT had intended for it.