Salutations Knockout fans!
Welcome to this week’s edition of Impact Write-Up! After an eventful TNA summer run in New York City, we enter the fall season by heading out to the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where, during the first night, the Knockouts Championship is on the line as champion Gail Kim takes on challenger Havok. Can Gail put a stop to Havok’s destruction or will Havok seize the opportunity to capture the gold? Let’s find out:
Out first is the champion herself, Gail Kim, who makes her way to the ring to a saluting crowd until she drops to the ground after a surprise attack from behind thanks to Havok! Not one to take to kindly to such a tactic, Gail gets back to her feet and does what she does best and fight off this foe! It doesn’t take long for Havok to regain control as she rams Gail to the six sided ring as referee Brian Stiffler tries to take control of this brawl to officially start the match. Neither women are willingly to comply as Gail Kim continues to fight off Havok, attempting an Irish Whip but Havok overpowers her and instead sends Gail straight into the ring post.
Just as Havok appeared to inflict even more damage, Gail is able to escape by kicking Havok straight to the steel steps! With that, Gail throws a fury of forearms to Havok but it doesn’t take long for Havok to use the outside environment to her advantage as she lifts Gail onto the barricade! Looking to finish Gail off, Havok sets up Gail for an Air Raid Crash but Gail is able to break free, landing a big boot to Havok’s head along with a quick cross body! However, Havok catches Gail and traps her into a bear hug along with an arm lock. Using the outside to her benefit, Havok strikes Gail’s trapped left arm to the ring post before dropping her entire body using all her force! OUCH!!! After this intense brawl, one question remains: will there still be a Knockouts Championship match?
Concerned for her well being, Gail is taken backstage with medical officials to have her arm checked out. Director of operations Kurt Angle was informed that Gail had separated her shoulder and wouldn’t be wrestling tonight. Injured or not, Gail insists that she will compete in her match against Havok!
Main event time (you read that right; Knockouts are main eventing Impact this week!) and just like the first time, champion Gail Kim is out first only this time is accessorizing some shoulder bandages from her injuries earlier that night. Once in the ring, the champion had a few choice words her contender: “You may have taken me down but you have not taken me out!”
With that, Havok makes her entrance with smoke and all. Before even arriving to the ring, Gail goes straight to Havok getting her own payback! Despite having the first strike in the match, Gail’s injured shoulder works against her, as Havok makes Gail’s left arm a target early on. First with a hard kick and then with multiple once Gail is down by the turnbuckle. Using her more healthy right arm, Gail quickly strikes back at Havok but it’s no use as Havok’s prior ambush attack gives her the full edge in this main event. Havok goes for a double arm lock in an attempt to have Gail submit but Gail finds a way out of it. She escapes a leg drop from Havok and quickly for a figure four leg lock from the outside! She breaks it before the ref can count it as a DQ and swiftly makes it the ring to land a crisp cross body turn into pin fall. Havok kicks out at two! Looking to end things, Gail goes for the Eat Defeat but Havok is able to counter it to give Gail a second helping from what she received earlier that night dropping all her weight from a trapped arm bear hug lock. With the champion down, Havok finishes things with a forceful chokeslam for the three count pin crowning Havok the new Knockouts Champion!
Thoughts: First off, kudos to TNA for giving the Knockouts the opportunity to main event Impact this week. I think it really shows that the company trusts their women enough to play such a keynote to the show. I really appreciated the constant mention of this natch through out the night; it made it feel that more important to tune in to.
The match in itself was a short but a worthy one given the brawl that had happened during the first hour of the show. Havok really gave it to Gail, going as far as to injure her arm before the match had even officially started. I’ve always preferred Gail as a Face, as she shows more courage as evident by her decision to compete despite not being medically cleared o compete.
Havok winning the title is refreshing as this is the first time we’ve seen a brand new champion since mid 2012 when Brooke won it. With that being said, let the reign of Havok begin!
