Hola Knockout fans and welcome to the final Impact before Sunday’s Bound for Glory PPV! That’s right, here we are once again at Impact’s (so-called) biggest night of the year. Personally, I think that honor goes to Slammiversary but I digress.
Back to the topic at hand: our Knockouts Championship match for this year’s Bound for Glory will see Tessa Blanchard defend the title against the returning Taya Valkyrie. Ahead of her title defense, Blanchard will take on Mexico’s own Keyra.
But first, it seems that Bound for Glory will see the final chapter in the Allie vs. Su Yung saga. Having lost her friend Kiera Hogan after Yung placed her in a coffin last week, Allie decides to meet with Father James Mitchell for some help.
He greets her, expecting her eventual arrival, and asks if the darkness has consumed her yet. Allie asks Mitchell for his help to enter The Undead Realm, assuring him this isn’t about getting her soul back given a previous deal. For Allie, this is about saving Kiera and Allie is willing to do what it takes to save Kiera.
Mitchell agrees to help Allie and come Sunday, a coffin will be open to allow her to enter the Undead World. However, Mitchell makes no promises that she’ll be able to save her friend. After promising sort of an I.O.U, they shake hands to close the dark deal.
We move on to short featured Knockouts match
Josh Matthews informs us that Keyra is a second generation wrestling star who has partaken in a handful of intergender matches as the women trade stiff forearms. Keyra blocks a kick and takes Blanchard down with a standup hurracarrana. She follows up with a body slam and drags Blanchard to a near turnbuckle to connect a moonsault from the second rope. Kick out at two.
From the opposite corner, Keyra charges after Blanchard but the Knockouts Champion powders to the outside. Keyra stays in pursuit and delivers a high kick to Blanchard and climbs the to ring apron for another hurracarrana. Blanchard catches her and uses her strength to counter by running Keyra’s back to the ring post.
Back in the ring, Blanchard applies an abdominal stretch but Keyra leaps to reveres to a cover for a two count. Keyra lands corner offense: running forearm, leg sweep, kick to the head all ending with a running basement dropkick. Blanchard kicks out of two and takes back control after delivering a flatliner from the second rope into the Hammerlock DDT for the win! See you Sunday Taya!
Thoughts: For what was supposed to be the go-home show to Bound for Glory, this week’s episode of Impact was missing that ‘big feel’ to it. For me it goes back to just the lacking build between Blanchard and Taya.
Their only confrontation wasn’t even face to face and frankly, this whole match feels one sided to me. Blanchard has been collecting wins/momentum since her debut while Taya (randomly returning as a Face) was on hiatus around the same time. In my attempt to find a silver lining, I’ll say that this will be a fresh match-up we haven’t seen yet, giving Taya a clean slate.
With all the continued work between Impact and AAA, I wouldn’t mind if we continued to see more Luchadora names on Impact regularly. Although the match was short and predictable, Keyra, surprisingly, held her own against Blanchard.
Regardless of my frustrations in how this match between Blanchard and Taya has come together, I really hope the women can deliver a great match at Bound for Glory. From there, hit the reset button during these next T.V. tapings in New York and start rebuilding other contenders within the division regardless who walks out as champion.
Now I am quite surprised by the Allie/Mitchell segment! My prediction heading into Bound for Glory was always that Allie and Yung would have one more match under some kind of stipulation – a casket rematch, maybe? However, this segment opens up new questions and possibilities for me.
When the card was broken down for Sunday, it didn’t seem like the addition Allie/Yung would be for a match but rather a battle similar to Delete or Decay from awhile back. This is all speculation of course but I appreciate that Impact are trying something new here. This storyline between Allie and Su Yung was already dragging on for so long with no developments. This is a chance to go out with some kind of bang!
What will happen in this Undead Realm? Will Kiera or even Rosemary appear? Does Su Yung have some kind of trickery awaiting Allie? Will this be taped or seen live? What other role with James Mitchell play going forward? Keep us guessing Impact!
What did you think of this week’s Impact? Are you excited for Bound for Glory? What do you think will happen in the Undead Realm? Let us know in the comments below!
