Slammiversary 2019 Preview

I don’t remember the last time I was actually looking forward to an Impact pay per view this much. They’ve done a rather nice job of setting this show up and Slammiversary tends to be their best pay per view of the year. The card is rather strong up and down and there are a few matches that could steal the show given the chance. Hopefully they can live up to the hype so let’s get to it.

Moose vs. Rob Van Dam

I’ve made my near disdain for bringing in Van Dam’s fellow ECW names rather well known at this point so I’ll leave them out in hopes that Impact does the same. This match could be a nice moment for Moose, who has always been flirting with the top of the card but never broken through to the next level. Beating Van Dam wouldn’t get him over the finish line permanently, but it would be a solid win for him.

I’ll take Moose to win as Van Dam should only be there to put people over at this point. Van Dam’s best days are behind him but he’s still a popular name and someone who can give someone like Moose a nice rub. It’s also rather nice that Impact seems to be beyond the point where I have to worry about them putting the old guy over, which was a plague upon them for so long. Moose wins here, as he should.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie(c) vs. Rosemary vs. Su Yung vs. Havok

This is under Monster’s Ball rules, which certainly fits given the insanity that this feud has been so far. There are all kinds of stories going on, but the major story stems from Rosemary looking to avenge Allie’s death, which is mainly due to Yung and James Mitchell. What matters here though is that the match is WIDE open and could go almost any given way.

I’ll go with Yung to win here, though it really could go multiple ways. She seems likely to sneak in and steal a pin, though I have very little confidence in it. That’s the sign of a well told story, as any of the four could win and it would make sense in any direction. This feud is going to continue and I’m ok with that, which isn’t something I would have believed just a few weeks ago. Not bad at all here and the match should be fun.

Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard

I’m not sure what to make of this one. Blanchard has shown that she is more or less completely dominant over the Knockouts division so it’s understandable that she is facing men. At the same time, Callihan is as scummy of a heel as you can get….but his random sexism feels out of place and not like the kind of villain that he is likely to be. It’s not ridiculous, but it doesn’t feel quite right.

I really see no reason for Callihan to win here, as Blanchard is the kind of person who could be a top star in the company. With her look, talent and pedigree, she already has all the tools and there is no real reason to have her lose her first big non-Knockouts match. I’m not sure where things are going to go with Blanchard, but if they play their cards right, she could be a big deal.

Eddie Edwards vs. Killer Kross

This is a First Blood match and a match that I haven’t been that interested in seeing. It’s fairly clear that Kross is taking Eli Drake’s spot in the feud and that’s as good of a move as they could have had. At least we’re likely to get a more violent match out of these two than Drake vs. Edwards would have been, which makes the First Blood stipulation make that much more sense.

I’ll go with Edwards winning here as it makes far more sense. Edwards has been built up for a little while now and needs a big win like this. With Kross already having contract issues with the company, I can’t imagine seeing the company giving him a win in such a major spot. Edwards wins, likely with the aide of Kenny II. Just let them go nuts and things will be as good as they could possibly be.

Tag Team Titles: The North(c) vs. LAX vs. Rascalz

The titles actually changed hands at one of the online shows and we’re now in a three way for the titles. That makes me wonder if something is up with LAX, who might be leaving for more AEW style pastures. There is nothing left for them to do in Impact so moving on might be the best call. That leaves you with two options to leave for the titles and one has something going for them.

I’m thinking the North retains here because they’re Canadian and Don Callis really likes wrestlers from that country. I’ve been a Rascalz fan since they debuted and would love to see them get the titles here, but something tells me that we need the North (what a great name) keep them for a little while longer. They’re not the worst idea in the world, but they’re far from the most interesting team around.

X-Division Title: Rich Swann(c) vs. Johnny Impact

This is the match I want to see more than any other and it could be an instant classic. Swann has gone from just another X-Division Champion to looking like a borderline main event talent in the span of a few weeks. Impact is a main event talent though and I’m not sure if Swann is ready to make the leap all the way up to the top level in the company just yet.

That’s why I’m going with Impact winning the title here, which is more than an acceptable choice to take. Swann can either come back and win the title again or move up to the World Title scene. After the last few weeks, he’s shown he’s capable of having up there so the move is the right call. Swann is talented and has potential, but Impact has already shown what he can do and is a fine choice to take the title from Swann in a great match.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Brian Cage(c) vs. Michael Elgin

Now this could be all kinds of fun. This is going to be two monsters hitting each other really hard until one of them can’t get up. Cage has been out of action for months now with his back injury but he looked great in his brawl with Elgin a few weeks back. I’m not entirely sure which way this is going to go but it’s going to be a heck of a match until we get to the ending.

With Cage winning the title at the last pay per view and not wrestling since, I’ll take him winning. That brings up the issue of who he is supposed to face next, but I can’t imagine them taking the title off of him in just his first defense. Elgin is a special kind of monster, but he’s going to be taking a loss to the new champ here, as he should be.

Overall Thoughts

I’m really liking the sound of this show and given Impact’s track record with its pay per views, it might actually be a reasonable level of excitement for a change. Almost nothing on the card looks bad and we could be in for a heck of a show. The company has gotten a lot better in its buildup and with the right kind of performance on the show, it could be one of the best pay per views they’ve had in a long time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

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