9 Ups & 4 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling (7 Oct)

1. Maclin's Going To Vegas

Your writer was pleasantly delighted when Steve Maclin qualified for the X Division Title match at Bound For Glory. He defeated Petey Williams and Black Taurus to join Trey Miguel in the bout, and although he's gone undefeated in IMPACT thus far, it seemed very likely that his and Petey's feud would be too much for either man, allowing Taurus to advance.

That Taurus almost instantaneously dropped Maclin with a great pumphandle backbreaker served as a predecessor to the excellent bout that was to follow. No one person looked like the star here; all three shone instead. Taurus was established as the spot guy early on, flying onto the former Steve Cutler at ringside, while Petey executed an array of his greatest hit. Maclin, meanwhile, waited for the right opportunities to strike. When Taurus placed Petey in a tree of woe, it was Maclin who'd strike with a vicious Spear.

The bout concluded with Petey taking a Mayhem For All after he'd already spiked Black Taurus via Canadian Destroyer. A subtle detail saw he and Maclin reverse the other's finishers back-to-back, putting over the fact they've been rivals for a while in a neat spot. Everything landed right in this match, making it a worthy entry into this X Division Title tournament. A success in every respect.