Andrew checks in on IMPACT to see how Johnny validates his betrayal of The Machine called Cage!

Even though I rated last week barely above average, we did get a bigger story arc that people seemed to be interested in according to YouTube numbers.

That’s got to account for something when it drew some attention, even on a show that was a little lackluster. However, now we’re on the Go Home to Against All Odds!

With the TV special looming, Sami Callihan tries to make an example out of Richie and take the X Division title. Let’s see how that turns out!

.@TheSamiCallihan wants to take EVERYTHING from @GottaGetSwann.

And he's going to start with the X-Division Championship TONIGHT! #IMPACT

WATCH NOW – https://t.co/jyZYT78lVE pic.twitter.com/zggZ4AWNEd

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) March 23, 2019

Ratings:

• Moose vs Trey: Moose wins via Spear – * 1/2
• Fallah Bahh & KM vs Eli Drake & Eddie Edwards: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – ** 1/4
• Ace Austin vs Damian Hyde: Ace wins via The Fold – **
• Ethan Page vs Willie Mack: Mack wins via Stunner – ** 1/4
• X Division Championship Match: Sami Callihan vs Rich Swann (c): Swann retains via Cradle – *** 1/2

Analysis:

Moose has a bone to pick with the Rascalz since they were making jokes about him striking out with Melissa. As for the match, I don’t know what happened here. Moose looked great with deliberate power moves, but Trey had more missteps than Johnny has last names. He got tied up in the ropes at least once, he came out of a Tiger Feint reversal weird, completely wiffed a Code Breaker attempt…and those are just the notable things that stuck out. I like the way Moose wrestled this match, but yeah, Trey was made the match rough. MOOSE!

Solid tag match, Eli and Eddie have this odd couple chemistry which is perfect. Eddie grabbed Kenny the kendo stick and Don said ” That’s the most famous Kenny in wrestling at the moment”. That popped me more than I’d like to admit, but the wrinkle came when Eddie threw Kenny back outside to Eli so Eli could hit KM while the ref continued to admonish Eddie. So Eddie is okay with Eli using Kenny and they seem to keep building this team nicely. Fun match.

GWN Flashback Match: Brian Cage vs Fenix ReDefined August 30,2018.

Rolando Menendez gets shoved into a trash can.

Ace Austin in another enhancement match, but this time he dominates better and shows off his agility. Ace looked smooth as butter, so a much better showing for the new talent.

Madison Rayne maybe?

Two weeks. #IMPACT

WATCH NOW – https://t.co/jyZYT6QL46 pic.twitter.com/0TYN2wD3wd

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) March 23, 2019

Johnny explains his heel turn and blames the smarks. Starting to be a tired excuse for reasons, but hey, it’s wrestling. Johnny plays the “I’ve defended this title more than anyone” reasoning. He makes an analogy that people only watch wrestling for the crashes like NASCAR. Taya says they control the belts so they have the power. It was kind of a flat promo, but solidifies them as shitty heels.

Rosemary and Jim Mitchell have a moment where Rosemary says she’ll go back to the undead realm and talk to HIM, if Jim won’t give her what she wants. So we know where this is going. But since Supernatural was announced to be coming to an end, do things not bode well for Rosemary?

Decent match where Willie and Ethan both showed their hybrid abilities. Ethan’s “All Ego” has been biting him in the ass often enough during his time in IMPACT. A Cross Arm Iconoclasm gave Page a near fall, but Willie puts together the right combination of offense and lands the Stunner for the win. Nothing super special, but decent TV match.

What did @realKILLERkross just tell @TheRealMorrison? #IMPACT

WATCH NOW – https://t.co/jyZYT6QL46 pic.twitter.com/7oLQIwhSOO

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) March 23, 2019

Rolando interviews Disco at the bar. Glenn says he doesn’t have to try since it’s a girl. It’s actually quite amusing.

Melissa catches Gail Kim coming out of management’s office about Tessa’s earlier demands, and then a brawl between LAX and Lucha Bros kicks up.

Really good match between Swann and Callihan. Signature moves kicked out of, nice back and forth…just a generally solid match with good flurries from both men. Rich with the surprise Cradle win allows for Sami to get upset and we get a new face to IMPACT! Sawyer Fulton shows up and reveals an oVe shirt. Seems like he’s going by Mad Man Fulton in IMPACT. This all makes sense after being a part of Sami’s Death Machines stable in MLW as well.

Overall Score: 6/10

Decent show, slightly above average. The show felt a little better than last week, but still fell a little flat as a ‘Go Home’ show. We got a few good filmed segments either for comedy or story progression. Eli and Eddie’s match lends to more build for them. The main event was really good wrestling wise and story wise. Nothing was pushed by leaps and bounds, but we got everything we could want in a weekly TV show. Story progression, solid wrestling and different elements of entertainment.

Twitch Views:

• Week 1: High – 10,350 / Low – 8,500
• Week 2: High – 8,000 / Low – 6,500 
• Week 3: High – 8,500 / Low – 7,900  
• Week 4: High – 7,100 / Low – 5,300
• Week 5: High – 7,450 / Low – 5,650
• Uncaged: High – 9,000/ Low – 8,000
• Week 6: High – 8,025/ Low – 5,300
• Week 7: High – 14,400/Low – 9,800
• Week 8: High – 7,200/Low – 4,500
• Week 9: High – 9,700/Low – 4,000
• Week 10: High – 4,900/Low – 4,150

Well now, first night of the NCAA Tournament could’ve played into a huge hit for the top end. The show comes in with it’s lowest viewership since being on Twitch. Yes, maybe the barely average show last week didn’t help, but whenever WWE has a lower audience during a large event, people love to use THAT as the reason. So see, I can do it too. You can’t stop me. No take backs.

All seriousness though, the show averaged like 4,600 viewers and after 3 fairly strong weeks, this has to be a disappointment. Next week is Against All Odds, so maybe people were taking the week off before the TV Special…but still, not great.