Slammiversary 2020 Preview

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

I don’t know how to say this but Impact Wrestling is looking pretty good at the moment. They have something going with these recent shows (with no fans, again showing that it can be done) and I’m curious to see if they can make it work on pay per view. The company’s history suggests that they are at their best when they are just focusing on wrestling, which is where they are on Saturday. Now they need to make it work. Let’s get to it.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack(c) vs. Chris Bey

We’ll start off with a match that has a lot of potential as the two of them are both on a roll at the moment. Mack seems like he could be the star of the show in the blink of an eye and Bey looks as smooth in the ring as anyone I can remember in a good while. The main focus of this story has been Johnny Swinger, but Bey insulting him on Tuesday seems to have written that part out. That just leaves the match, and it sounds good.

I’ll go with Mack retaining here, as he seems like someone who could be a rather long term champion. Bey is going to be fine as he really is good at almost anything he does in the ring. This could be a heck of an opening match as a way to get things off to start things off, or one of the bigger matches later on in the show. I’m wanting to see this one and that’s a nice feeling to have.

Knockouts Gauntlet

This is an eleven woman gauntlet to crown a new #1 contender, meaning it could go almost any possible way. That makes for some interesting possibilities, and for a rather hard prediction to make. The important factor here is how much depth the division suddenly has, which has been an issue for the division before. Things seem to be changing, but quantity does not necessarily equal quality.

I’ll go with Rosemary as a somewhat safe pick here, as she is an established name and a win wouldn’t be out of nowhere. Kylie Rae seems to be the name they are building up more than anyone else, but she seems to be getting a little bit too much momentum. Most of the rest of the names are just kind of there, but as usual, this one is going to depend on who leaves the show with the title.

Rascalz vs. ???

Now let’s not beat around the bush here. I know this is going to be the Good Brothers, you know this is going to be the Good Brothers, and the non-existent popcorn vendor in sect….do we actually know where this show is taking place? I’d assume Nashville but I don’t think it’s ever been announced. Anyway, this isn’t a mystery to the people answering the challenge, but it should still be a cool moment.

Since the Rascalz almost never win a match, I’ll take the Good Brothers to win here without much trouble. There’s no reason for this to be anything more than a competitive match ending with a Magic Killer, as Anderson and Gallows are going to be fine enough to put on a good showing and become players in the tag division. That being said, I always feel bad about saying “I’M SURE!” on something like this, but I’m about as sure as I can be here.

TNA World Title: Moose(c) vs. Tommy Dreamer

No matter how many things change, you can count on Dreamer somehow getting a spot somewhere. Moose as the delusional monster champion has been a fun story and the kind of thing that he can pull off. I’m curious to see how long the story goes and who takes it off of him, as it could be a rather nice story with a good payoff.

What won’t be a good payoff is Dreamer winning the title, which won’t be happening here. Moose will probably sell for Dreamer because this is Old School rules (which should probably mean traditional rules but alas) but can come out as champion in the end. Beating Dreamer doesn’t mean much no matter what kind of a match it is but he comes with the territory (any territory) at this point.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace(c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo

This could be an interesting one as Grace is the powerhouse but Purrazzo has gotten the better of her at almost every turn. The problem here is they’ve made Purrazzo into a near killer and I’m not sure how much damage would be done if she loses her first big match. At the same time though, Grace hasn’t even been champion that long. She’s the kind of person who could bounce back from a loss in a hurry, but I’m not sure if that’s what we’re going to be seeing here.

I’m going to go on a limb and say Purrazzo wins here, though it’s my least confident pick on the entire show. This could be a good power vs. technical skills match, and while I could see Grace countering the armbar into a Grace Driver to retain, I think Purrazzo gets the title here. She could be a killer champion for a good while, and I’m not sure her losing early on would leave that possible.

Tag Team Titles: The North(c) vs. Ken Shamrock/Sami Callihan

I’m not usually a fan of a thrown together team getting a title shot, but it’s not like there are any other teams in the company who deserve a shot at the moment. The tag division has been one of the weaker points as of late, as there certainly are teams but none of them really stand out all that well. The North has held the titles for over a year now and have to lose to someone, but is that going to be here?

I think I’ve talked myself into saying yes actually, so we’ll go with new champs. Shamrock has been treated as a big deal since he got back (he even got to face Joey Ryan) and Callihan is a former World Champion. It’s not like the North needs to hold the titles any longer, though I would assume the Good Brothers are waiting on whoever comes out with the titles. I’m oddly curious about this, but that might be due to how good the North has been.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Trey vs. ???

Now here we have an interesting one, as the mystery opponent could be multiple people. The company only had so many ways to go to set something up here and given the circumstances, this is about as good as they could do. I’m curious to see who the mystery opponent is and who leaves with the title, so missions accomplished so far. Now just have a good match and they should be fine.

In theory, this is EC3’s spot and title to win, but I’m not entirely convinced for some reason. Bully Ray springs to mind as a possibility, which would be about as lame as you can get. I’m just hoping that when they say “World Champion” they aren’t going to pull something like they’ve done before with “World TAG TEAM Champion”, but I think that’s far enough in the past for the company. As for a winner, I’ll take Austin, who I’ve liked since he debuted. I’m curious to see where it goes though, and that’s what matters most.

Overall Thoughts

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I want to watch the show, which hasn’t been the case for a long time now. Impact has been one of the best things going in recent weeks and if they nail this show, we could be in for a heck of a night. It’s almost weird to be excited over a non-AEW/NXT show these days but they’re making it work here. It’s hard to say, but don’t let me down Impact.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

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