The new talent initiative hits its peak on IMPACT
Pre-show: Gibson and D-Von can't find their partners (C+); Slaughter d. Barr (C-, great chemistry); Cor Von comes out and calls us all betas (B)
-Truth starts the show whining about his conspiracy, and demands another rematch. Styles cuts him off. He's tired of beating Truth, so he's asked Nixon to hold a #1 Contender battle royal! Truth fumes, but Styles points out that he's IN the battle royal, so he could, y'know, earn a shot.
Rating: B
-Slater welcomes us to a very special event. After conquering the demon Abyss, Slater's godhood has eclipsed such mortal concerns as the US title. Indeed, he has set his sights at last on the greatest of prizes- the World title! Therefore, he is gifting his old belt to Finlay in anticipation of receiving his new one- after all, Finlay was invaluable in softening up Abyss for him! However, the powers he has allowed to exist in NLW have decreed that the title must be defended tonight in exchange for recognizing the transaction. Behold the glory of his Follower.
Rating: C
-US Title: Finlay (c) v. ???
Finlay's mystery opponent is another debut...it's TAKA MICHINOKU! Taka gives Finlay a workout, but ultimately comes up short of enacting a second title change in a half hour.
Rating: B
-Nixon comes out to announce that he's put some effort into cultivating the NLW roster and freshening it up. No doubt we've noticed a few new faces, but he has put special work into bolstering the now-thriving tag division! We will see the fruits of his labor right now, as the Dire Wolves defend against...the Wild Samoans!
Rating: B-
-Tag Titles: Dire Wolves (c) v. Wild Samoans
Like Taka before them, the Samoans get to look credible before ultimately jobbing.
Rating: B-
-The Dire Wolves have no time to celebrate before they're jumped by a couple of cowboys! Looks like the Blackjacks are here now, too!
Rating: D+
-Match: Freebirds v. Dudleys
D-Von comes out alone, prompting an awkward pause. Mike Awesome eventually comes out as a sub, but with the team synergy gone, D-Von gets owned pretty badly.
Rating: C+
-Cody and Ted are out to the ring, hoping Colt learned a valuable lesson on what it means to underestimate them. They're capable of doing bad, bad things, even though one of them is a rich kid and the other is dashing. Colt is out with London to empathize with the whole being underestimated thing, but doesn't think they need to resort to cheating to compensate.
Rating: C
-Match: Colt/London v. Priceless
Cody wins, but has to use the ropes for leverage on the pin.
Rating: C+
-#1 Contender Battle Royal: Abyss, Gibson, Martel, Riggs, Cor Von, Matthews, Morrison, Slater, Truth, Guerrero
Final Four are Martel, Truth, Eddie, and Slater. Martel catches fire and eliminates Truth and Guerrero...but gets bundled out by Slater! ALL HAIL
Rating: B-
Post-show: Styles/Slater staredown (B-); Tajiri and Tito Santana d. Faces of Fear (D)
Overall: C+ FAILURE lol angles c'mon now game don't be that way
Rating: 2.88
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~Tommeri Uranius Bombaldi the Fourth, esq.
(aka not Krakenprophet)