Hola Knockout fans and welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up. After a kick-ass Slammiversary, which by the way really was a great PPV overall, we are back from the Rebel Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Now before we go any further, I do want to give a quick thank you shout out to Nick for helping covet Impact last week!
TONIGHT at 8pm ET on @PopTV/@fightnet/@GameTVCanada!
As far @Tess_Blanchard is concerned she's number one contender for the Knockouts Championship, and she's coming for the title. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/kZHHu6ls0W
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) July 26, 2018
After securing a victory over Allie at Slammiversary, Tessa Blanchard (Happy birthday Tessa!) has her sight on the Knockouts Championship once again. She refers to herself as an uncrowned champion and sooner or later, she’ll be standing across the ring with the Knockouts Champion Su Yung who won’t have a chance with the Undeniable Knockout.
But for this week, Blanchard will do battle with Rebel:
The bell sounds off and the Knockouts start things off with some trash talking and finger-wagging. Blanchard charges after Rebel with a lariat but the latter dodges with a quick split and goes for a roll-up pin for a two count.
The Knockouts head to a corner where Rebel lands a handspring strike and attempts another roll-up cover but Blanchard counters with a boot to the midsection. Blanchard takes control, whiplashing Rebel to the middle ropes and then adds a running kick to the back.
After a corner snapmare and kick to the back, Blanchard sets Rebel for the Hammerlock DDT but Rebel escapes with a roll through. Rebel follows up with a gourd buster and begins climbing the top rope for a Guillotine Leg Drop but Blanchard meets her at the corner shouting out ”I don’t think so!”.
Blanchard knocks Rebel off the turnbuckle with a hanging DDT from the second rope. She orders the referee to move out the way and hits the Hammerlock DDT to get the win.
We move on to the debut of the newest Knockout of the Impact Wrestling roster Scarlett Bordeaux.
Bordeaux makes her entrance in smoky and grand fashion. She meets Alicia Atout at the entrance ramp for her first Impact Wrestling interview. Atout welcomes Bordeaux to Impact and asks her how does she feel to finally be at Impact Wrestling as part of the Knockouts division.
Bordeaux, who refers to herself as The Smoke Show, says that we are currently in a historic moment for women, not just in wrestling but in our culture. We are in the middle of a Revolution and she wants to be a part of that to help empower women. To be an inspiration to little girls, to fight for women’s rights and to be remembered as the greatest women’s activist of all time.
So… sort of like Susan B. Anthony – as Atout suggests. Bordeaux scoffs at the name drop and says she was going more for someone like Marilyn Monroe… or Cardi B! While some people will tell women to “cover up”, Bordeaux says she will refuse and will not be “hot shamed”.
Atout asks Bordeaux for some clarification on this “hot shaming”, Bordeaux laughs. Of course, someone like Atout wouldn’t know what “hot shame” is about. Instead, Bordeaux cuts the interview short by grabbing the mic from Atout, calling her a “five”, and tells her to take a seat in the audience. Bordeaux, the “ten” as she calls herself, declares that she is here to make wrestling sexy again and drops the mic after a quick lick on it. Well damn….
As it was seen at Slammiversary, Su Yung successfully retained the Knockouts Champion against Madison Rayne. In doing so, Rayne has become the latest victim to be put away in a casket at the hands of the current Knockouts Champion. Can anyone stop the Undead Bride?
We meet Alicia Atout again backstage, this time with the more friendly Knockout Allie. They reflect on Allie’s defeat at Slammiversary. Despite coming up short and personal feelings to the side, Allie says she lost to one of the most talented women in pro wrestling.
She shifts the focus to what happened to Madison Rayne. Allie believes she should have been there to save her, blaming Blanchard for being a distraction, but promises to put a stop to Su Yung’s ghastly actions – even if she has to do it alone.
IMPACT is MUST WATCH viewing EVERY SINGLE week. Slammiversary rocked the world and things will only get better from here.
THIS is what we have in store for you NEXT THURSDAY. There is no better time to jump on the IMPACT hype train than right now. #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/PlGWTEmywC
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) July 27, 2018
Not so fast Allie! In steps Kiera Hogan to lend a helping hand. Will this duo be able to overthrow Su Yung? We will find out next week when the two tag together in a match against Su Yung and one of her Undead Bridesmaids.
And finally, let’s check in with Impact’s “It Couple” Katarina Leigh and Grado. The pair meet-up with Joe Hendry but are soon interrupted by Eli Drake. Drake says things may have started off on the wrong foot for all of them but suggests to let bygone be bygones. He calls the trio in front of him The Three Musketeers and surprises them with a wrapped gift.
Grado opens the wrapped gift which turns out to be a photo of his girlfriend and his good friend. Is this love? Hendry tries calming down an upset Grado and says they are throwing this photo in the trash bin.
Thoughts: It’s pretty much a given that Tessa Blanchard is next in line for the Knockouts Championship. She continues to build up momentum and is driving through the opponents week after week. I have to admit, her match with Allie at Slammiversary was much stronger than the Knockouts Championship match. Both women absolutely delivered Sunday!
This week’s match with Rebel was all right. As I said earlier this month in regards to Rebel, I’ve enjoyed her seeing her in-ring improvement and she had a fair back and forth match with Blanchard, which was a bit of a pleasant surprise. But going back to Blanchard, are they just going to feed her opponents until she gets a title match against Su Yung? I’d like to see some kind of shake-up or interaction between Blanchard and Yung if a title match is in the works for these two.
Now, I normally try to avoid making any comparison between Impact Wrestling and WWE but I can’t help feel that Scarlett Bordeaux’s debut is what WWE wanted Emmalina to be. She has a presence, is vain as hell and the “Diva” looks to go with it. I have mixed feelings about Bordeaux’s debut. I think this can be a great character for sure and an interesting direction to go given the whole Women’s Revolution in women’s wrestling at the moment. But is it really needed now, when the Knockouts division is short on credible babyfaces and in-ring competitors? It’s only been a week but damn did Scarlett leave a memorable first impression!
What did you think of this week’s Impact? What are your thoughts on Scarlett’s debut? Do you think Tessa Blanchard will be the one to dethrone Su Yung? Let us know in the comments below!
