9 Ups & 4 Downs From Impact Wrestling (2 Feb)

4. Good Friends, Better Enemies

Before their World Championship clash at No Surrender, Rich Swann and Tommy Dreamer united in the main event to battle Moose and Chris Bey. A decent bout, and one that yielded some much-needed storyline development for that title contest.

Earlier in the night, Rich alluded to Tommy's in-ring capabilities running out. This was just the beginning. 'The Innovator of Violence' decided to give it his all in the ring, even busting out a diving elbow drop (a rather ugly one, but the point remains). What's key here is how the match broke down. Swann became the one who got tired and beaten down, resulting in him making a hot tag to Dreamer, who took care of 'The Ultimate Finesser' while Rich rested. Tommy then accidentally crotched Swann, and avoided a Lights Out spear from Moose that instead connected with the champion. Match over.

The foreshadowing of Swann being the one who needed time out while Dreamer took care of business was excellent storytelling, particularly when you take into consideration what had been said earlier in the evening. Really, there was already a slight story as it pertains to their bout, as Dreamer has acted like a father figure to the Impact locker room. What happened here, however, was drastically needed to make the title bout that extra bit more appealing.