GFW: 6 Sides Of Impact (20/07/2017)

When TNA officially merged with Global Force Wrestling in June, grapple fans across the world were naturally skeptical of the latest revamp.

Having already dropped the TNA name in March (quietly switching simply to Impact Wrestling), the rebranding to Global Force Wrestling was the second name change of 2017. Add to that a very public legal battle with the much-loved Hardy family and things were off to a rocky start for the returning Jeff Jarrett and co.

Hailed as a new era for the troubled outfit, the newly-branded GFW seemed to confuse more than excite and was looking more and more like another empty promise to add to the long list of hyperbole and spin to come out of the notoriously fickle TNA front office.

But it hasn’t all been doom and gloom for the Nashville outfit. In their defence, things did begin to change with almost immediate effect, with new talent replacing old, fresh feuds established and an overall sense of directional booking.

With mixed reviews from talent amid rumours of contract issues already, the jury is still out on GFW at this time. However, regardless of the end result, this time last year TNA was on the brink of extinction and a drastic change was needed. Undoubtedly, the GFW merger has ticked that box emphatically.

For proof, look no further than this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling. Join us as we run down the highlights.

In typical TNA tradition, this week’s episode of GFW followed the established formula of opening with a high-tempo X-Division bout.

As part of GFW’s own version of the Super J Cup and the Cruiserweight Classic, the Super X Cup has been part of GFW programming for a number of weeks, introducing fans to a host of new talent all fighting for the cup first won by Chris Sabin way back in 2003.

With the likes of ex-ROH regular ACH, Pro Wrestling Noah’s Taiji Ishimori, and human highlight reel Dezmond Xavier joining established Impact stars like Davey Richards and Andrew Everett, the tournament has been an exciting addition to GFW TV and given the X Division a much-needed boost in recent weeks.

This week saw the turn of 23 year old Sammy Guevara taking on the enigmatic Drago from AAA, including a curiously eyebrow-raising video package introducing the diminutive Mexican. Both men took the show name very literally, making a huge impact in this bout.

At first, the crowd didn’t know what to make of the pairing; however, it didn’t take long for the high-flying duo to convert the audience. A hugely impressive shooting star press by Guevara to the outside left fans in awe, only to be topped by a gravity-defying 720 splash just moments later.

Despite an impressive outing by the youngster, the reptilian luchador of almost twice his age would eventually steal the victory with a running DDT, advancing to the next round in the process.