Hola Knockouts fans as I welcome you to this final stop on the road to Redemption!
On this week’s home-go show, our challenger Su Yung has a chance to showcase what she will bring in her Knockouts Title match against the current champion Allie when she teams up with Braxton Sutter to take on the team of Kiera Hogan and Fallah Bahh in an intergender tag team match. Will we get answers as to growing relationship between Sutter and Yung? Let’s find out.
Sutter introduces his tag team Bloody Undead Bride tag team partner while their opponents, who actually look like a fun pair, share an entrance together. The heels start the match by attacking the babyfaces from behind. They follow up by whipping them to the ropes, looking for a clothesline but both Hogan and Bahh duck and counter with a running crossbody. What’s this… the Impact Zone is actually reacting to the match?
The Knockouts go to their respective corners as the men begin this contest. Sutter blocks a charging attack from Bahh with an elbow block. He flies off the apron but is instead met a Belly to Belly from Bahh. After following up with a steamroller, the Knockouts are tagged in. Hogan flies to the ring from the top turnbuckle and takes Yung down with a crossbody for a two count which causes Yung retreats and tag in Sutter.
Hogan trips Sutter with a toe hold and adds in a leg drop. She tags in Bahh who goes for a sitting splash does that move ever connect? but Sutter rolls out the way. Yung gets tagged back in and takes Bahh down with a running dropkick.
The heels trade tags as they continue to work on Bahh, at one point Yung takes Bahh down on the outside floor via cannonball from the ring apron. Bahh finally finds an opening to make a tag after connecting a Samoan Drop on Sutter and the Knockouts are tagged back in. Hogan uses her speed to bring a fight Yung and counters out of the Panic Switch with a Butterfly Suplex.
Sutter runs in to aid his partner but gets slapped across the face from Hogan. Enter Bahh who evens the playing field. Yung tries to use the kendo stick to attack Bahh from behind but it’s no use. Instead, Sutter tosses him to the outside floor. He targets Hogan from a turnbuckle but she plants him with a Tornado DDT. Yung reenters with an uppercut to Hogan and connects the Panic Switch for the three count.
Post-match, Allie runs down to jump Yung from behind leading to a pull-apart brawl.
Check out a closer look at Sunday’s Knockouts Title match from a hype video package Impact managed to put together:
Speaking of hype video packages for Redemption, the opening to Impact’s Road to Redemption Preview Show sees both Taya and Kiera Hogan making brief appearances leading to believe that the two will be added to the card as a second Knockouts match for Sunday:
Thoughts: This week was all about giving Su Yung some momentum ahead of Sunday. I liked that it wasn’t through another squash match – in fact, the intergender stipulations made things a bit more fun! I usually try to avoid bringing up WWE whenever discussing Impact but I feel like WWE missed out on more fun moments during their Mixed Match Challenge Tournament by not allowing more intergender wrestling. Yes we saw bits and pieces of it during the finals and even at WrestleMania with Ronda Rousey and Triple H but one thing that I’ve always appreciated from Impact’s history (and even Lucha Underground for that matter) is that they’re more open to the idea of allowing the women mixing it up with the men.
The most I took away from the Allie and Yung brawl was how far the Allie character has come. From an assistant to Maria Kanellis, to an insecure competitor and now a fighting champion who is ready to fight fire with fire! I’m really rooting for her to retain Sunday but I don’t know, Impact has this history of slapping the belt on new talents too soon and I’m sure they can’t wait to push the eventual Rosemary/Su Yung feud or even a Yung and returning Winter feud but here’s hoping the new regime hold off on that idea for now anyway.
As random as her pairing with Fallah Bahh felt (I mean, it’s better than the fat shaming angle he’s been stuck in), I really enjoyed seeing Kiera Hogan this week. She had so much potential in her as part of Impact rebuilding their Knockouts division. Assuming she will be at Redemption, I hope she gets another chance to shine and that Impact continue to use her regularly.
What did you think of this week’s episode of Impact? Are you excited for Redemption? What do you think will happen? Let us know in the comments below!
