Only four days removed from the electric TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view, Impact Wrestling once again provided a strong show filled with title matches, the start of the Bound for Glory series, and build towards Destination X and next week’s Open Fight Night.

Here, I will analyze each significant segment presented on the show. I will also provide a combination of aftermath and wishful thinking about what we hope to see in coming weeks.

X-Division Champion Austin Aries defeated Chris Sabin and Zema Ion in an Ultimate X Match

Fun match from Aries, Sabin, and Ion. It wasn’t as mind-blowing as past Ultimate X matches, but it didn’t need to be. It was a great opener and I was glad to see to see Aries placed in that slot. His promo with Hulk Hogan that followed was also very intriguing. While I don’t like seeing Aries dropping the X-Division title after holding it for so long, it only makes sense since there’s really no one left in the division who can defeat him for it. He’s worthy of the main event push he’s about to receive and there’s no better pay-per-view to do it at than Destination X.

TNA Television Champion Devon defeated Hernandez

Fine match between Devon and Hernandez. Although there were some clunky spots, they were able to make it work. I’d much rather see the Television title around the waist of a worker who is much more enjoyable to watch in the ring than Devon, so hopefully that title change occurs sooner rather than later.

James Storm wins a Bound For Glory Gauntlet Battle Royal

Solid battle royal with nice suspense as each entrant entered the match. Some of the picks were logical, but I was a bit shocked to see the likes of Magnus, Robbie E, and the returning D’Angelo Dinero as competitors instead of Kazarian, Austin Aries, and Crimson. It was a bit obvious that Storm was going over once he entered, but I’m not complaining. This is great momentum for him going forward and the Superkick finish to Samoa Joe was a cool spot. Storm’s promo following the contest was excellent and has me excited for the rest of this series.

Knockouts Champion Miss Tessmacher defeated Gail Kim (non-title)

Decent match between Tessmacher and Rayne. Nice effort from both Knockouts and served the purpose of getting Tessmacher over as champion.

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode defeated Mr. Anderson

Good match between Roode and Anderson. It received great time and featured very smart booking with Roode defeating Anderson clean. Although I would have preferred to see this title bout next week at Open Fight Night, it was a nice hook for this week that got over Roode big time.

Sting gets ambushed by three masked attackers

Sting’s promo was well done and is what we should have heard at Slammiversary. It was interesting to hear him name drop Jeff Jarrett, who many people speculated would be the first one inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame on Sunday. The attack on Sting could have been better, but it was an intriguing event that has me invested in Sting’s character for the first time in a long while.

Overall Show

A very entertaining show that featured great aftermath from Slammiversary, suspenseful teases for next week’s Open Fight Night, and exciting build for Destination X next week. Although most TNA shows as of late have been enjoyable, this show in particular was easily the most successful in recent memory where there weren’t any negative things that really shined through. Impact Wrestling going live has certainly improved their product and really has me looking forward to what they produce this coming summer season.

Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling, as well as my SAVE US GSM, WrestleRant and Spoilers podcasts for more of my thoughts and writings, along with WWE/TNA news, rumors, reviews and more.

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