The Undercard
Rob Van Dam defeated Kenny King and Zema Ion to retain his X Division Championship. This was an entertaining match to kick off the wrestling portion of Impact. All three guys work so well together, with RVD keeping the pace and consistency going throughout the match. Kenny King hits a big clothesline to send Ion to the outside, and all men are for themselves now. Kenny King looked very impressive in this match, with his ability to work on both guy's at various points of the match. King was able to hit a suplex, but the champion hit a 5 Star Frog Splash onto him. RVD would cover Ion for the victory. I liked the psychology of the match. Even though I am a big fan of Zema, the main story has to be the continued progression of King, trying to knock the veteran from the ranks of championship glory. These two will have a huge payoff match. Grade: B
James Storm defeated Jesse in a quick match. Poor guy, as Storm continues to flutter in the realms of irrelavancy. He is such a great performer, and he deserves so much more than a ridiculous feud like this. Grade: D
Austin Aries and Bobby Roode defeated Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez to win the Tag Team Championships. This was easily the match of the night, with all four men putting on a great match. I loved the actual tag team work of the champs, using quick tags and working on the abdomen of Aries. You can sense the smart tactics they used, and that is something that Chavo needs to continue to use to his advantage. We get to a hot tag point, where Hernandez clotheslines and suplexes Aries. Chavo gets back into the ring and hits 2 of the 3 Amigos until Roode comes in and breaks it up. Aries was able to low blow Hernandez. Roode hits a Spinebuster and Aries follows with a 450 splash for the victory. The heels become champions, and I could not be more excited. I have said this ever since I saw their first backstage segment, but Aries and Roode's characters are perfect for a tag team. When they decide to separate, Aries and Roode will still be better than ever. With so many stories floating around, and Hardy without a legit contender over the past few weeks, I really enjoyed how they built this division up. You have more than one team succeeding and thriving. Grade: A-
Miss Tessmacher defeated Tara in an okay match between the two. Tess needed the win, with Tara controlling most of the match. I still do not understand what they are trying to do. Do they build up Tessmacher? Do they want Velvet to fight for the title? I am not sure who they want to dethrone Tara, but I would let her decide. With the building of these two faces, where is Mickie and Gail Kim? You are missing some of your best wrestlers, and it shows you that a crowded picture is not always the best picture. Grade: C-
