Hola Knockout fans and welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up. Our TNA Knockouts Champion Sienna has really been MIA ever since winning the gold back at Slammiversary. Sure a quick cameo and small video package is tolerable but we want to see more from the rising Knockout! Thankfully, the champion is front and center in her first title defense against the one and only Gail Kim. Hmm, is former champion Jade not entitled to her rematch clause?
While Gail makes a solo entrance to this title match, Sienna has her pitched collaborator Allie accompanying her to the ring. Even before Maria Kanellis’ duo can reach the ring, Allie sounds off at Gail. She congratulates Gail on her recent news of being this year’s inductee to the TNA Hall of Fame but also adds that the honor is usually followed with retirement. Gail doesn’t appear too keen on hanging up the boots yet. A suggestion of “forced retirement” is thrown on the table.
We commence the match with Gail using her speed for an early advantage; evading Sienna’s offense and taking her down with a running headscissors. The challenger follows up with a Flying Dragon attempt but Sienna uses her strength to reverse this with a Samoan drop. Sienna tosses Gail to a corner and lets a stomping rampage loose. A ringside Allie gets involved by choking Gail when Sienna distracts the referee.
The Knockouts return to the corner turnbuckle, this time Sienna setting up Gail at the second rope. A battle for control commences as the two trade right forearms but ends with Gail landing a diving gutted blockbuster to Sienna. The maneuver leaves both women down on the mat.
When Allie tries to get involved a second time, out comes Jade to the rescue! She knocks Allie off the ring apron and sets up for her packaged piledriver finisher on the tangible floors. Lucky for Allie, another Knockout would get involved, this time it being Marti Bell who strikes Jade from behind with her now signature baton of a weapon.
Back in the ring, Allie makes another effort of getting involved by taking aim at Gail with the Knockouts title at hand. Gail is fully alert of Allie’s presence and rids of with a strong right forearm. The small distraction allows for Sienna to put Gail away with a running shoulder block, thus successfully retaining the belt in her first title defense.
From one bad Knockout to another, we head backstage to find the playful Rosemary filling Bram’s mind with, you guessed it, some decay thoughts.
While Bram and Rosemary continue to bounce off the question if they’re meant to be together or not, Reby Sky firmly stands by her “broken” husband Matt Hardy. She stands up against her brother-in-law from hell Jeff Hardy, who seems to still be at war with Matt despite two big wins over him. What will it take to end this Hardy battle!?
Thoughts: A lukewarm night for the Knockouts this week.
While this particular match happened to slip through the cracks of the last set of TNA spoilers, there were still some questions that I had to ponder about. Aside from the short amount of time given to the title match this week, I do have to question how this match actually came about.
How exactly did Gail earn this title shot, over the previous champion Jade, who was the one that was pinned for the title? A simple segment of, maybe, Maria booking the match as, the still acting, leader of the Knockouts division would’ve been sufficient. But as we are witnessing, Maria seems to be distancing herself from the Knockouts division to focus on her new blossomed feud with Dixie Carter. Not necessarily a bad thing per-se, as it gives other Knockouts in the division more time on screen but it feels like Maria took some of that spark with her when she stepped to the side.
The Knockouts did what they could with the time given to them. Not a terrible match but also nothing too memorable from it. I did enjoy Allie’s introduction, the obnoxious tone just fits this character and I did like Gail’s blockbuster spot from the second rope. The finish felt a bit clustered with so many interference, though I do understand the need for it to carry the current ongoing feuds. All I ask is that Sienna stick with her AK-47 finisher over this Silencer one; it just looks more effective as a finisher, much like Jade’s packaged piledriver over the STO.
So where does Sienna go from here? She’s beaten Gail, a big win on its own, and Jade looks like she will concentrate more on Marti for the time being. Where does the title picture go from and how will it shape in the upcoming weeks?
On another note, I am really invested in this new side of Rosemary. Interacting with the likes of Bram has brought a new layer to Rosemary’s character. She’s already has Abyss and Crazzy Steve tamed, surely adding Bram to the list can lead to interesting angles. Let’s just hope that it all of this carry when/if Rosemary gets involved in the Knockouts division on a full time basis.
