Hola Knockout fans and welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up. Sadly there are no Knockout matches this week but we are treated to the return of a former Knockouts Champion (sort of?), a special look at Tessa Blanchard putting the Knockouts division on notice and Allie reliving the attack her Demon Bunny partner Rosemary had to endure last week.
As Grado declared last week, he has a new girlfriend and it’s none other than Wint…. Katarina Leigh? A professional dog walker apparently? What happened to my favorite Lesbian Vampire persona?
Of course, Grado’s new love interest wouldn’t miss Grado’s return Impact Wrestling match – even if Joseph Parks Esq. has his doubts. When Leigh arrives backstage, Parks is still in disbelief that a woman such as her would be Grado’s girlfriend but Leigh says “it’s whats on the inside that counts” while Grado adds “the outside ain’t too bad either”. Oh…
Grado, who hasn’t missed a beat with the Impact Zone during his six months away, ends up picking the win against Rohit Raju with Leigh faithfully at his corner and cheering him on.
Post-match, the couple dance, kiss and celebrate but things take a semi-dark turn when they find their friend Parks knocked out backstage. Parks is the latest victim of at the hands of a mysterious attacker(s?) who has left a clue of a red card with an “X” marked on it. DUN DUN DUN!
We are treated to a highlight video of Tessa Blanchard discussing her family’s legacy. Blanchard brings up her own ambitions, her drive of wanting to be the best in anything she does and brings up some of her accomplishments around the world. She turns her attention to the current Knockouts division, saying that they don’t have the pedigree and knowledge that she does. Her goal is to have all eyes on her, run through the division and capture the Knockouts Championship. Tessa Blanchard is undeniable.
Next week, Blanchard will be able to follow up in her feud with Kiera Hogan as the two square off in what will be Blanchard’s Impact Wrestling in-ring debut:
NEXT WEEK – @Tess_Blanchard makes her IMPACT in-ring debut as she faces @HoganKnowsBest3. Will she back up all the talking she's done in the last few weeks? #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/0XHbaADF6b
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) May 11, 2018
And finally, speaking of the Knockouts Championship, the current Champion Allie takes a moment to reflect on last week’s “death” involving her best friend Rosemary at the hands of Su Yung. Allie then receives a spooky rag doll at the door with a note attached to it.
Could it be an invitation to Rosemary’s funeral for next week?:
NEXT WEEK – the witching hour has struck and we just received word that @realsuyung will hold a funeral for @WeAreRosemary.
Will The Demon Assassin be laid to rest for good? #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/A9gZyOFTsX
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) May 11, 2018
Or will the Demon Assassin return from the dead, as she did on social media:
— The Demon Assassin (@WeAreRosemary) May 11, 2018
Thoughts: After two weeks of what I consider to be some of the most interesting segments/storylines the Knockouts division has had in awhile, I’m kind of dissapointed in how underwhelming this week turned out.
Sure the return of a Knockouts Champion can be exciting but Katarina Waters didn’t return as her original Winter character; who by the way had the best Impact Wrestling theme song of all time…. with Taryn Terrell‘s “Everyday Nightmare” being a close second!
Instead, she’s outside the Knockouts division, with Grado of all people – who I can’t say I’m really a fan of but hey, looks like the Impact Zone still does. I don’t know, I just feel with Sienna being sidelined due to health issues, Rosemary injured with a torn ACL, and Taya planning a wedding that may keep her off television, Impact would bring in a returning name to be involved with the division instead to mix it up with some of the new generation of Knockouts in the meantime.
For me, the biggest bit that I’m holding onto with the Grado/Leigh storyline is the mysterious attacker angle. Who’s next? Will the couple be the ones to track down this perpetrator? Or plot twist, it was actually Leigh ordering these attack as a way to revert back to the supernatural Winter we love. Unlikely but hey just to put it out there!
On the other side of things, I did enjoy Blanchard’s video package. I think Impact has done a great job of putting the spotlight on one of their most well rounded signings. There just wasn’t much to take away from it this week, more so when you consider it was available on Impact’s YouTube channel before the show even aired.
Still I’m excited to her official match up with Kiera Hogan next week. My only concern is with Kiera recently revealing that her contract with Impact expiring soon, this feud may come to an end before really taking off. Here’s hoping Kiera sticks around!
And finally there’s the Allie closing segment. Again, not a whole lot to take away from it but I will say that Impact has really stepped up their game when it comes to shooting these kind of angles. Little touches like the music and those flashbacks helped make me look forward to seeing how things play out next, which I’m sure will be a better week than this one.
What did you think of this week’s Impact? What are your thoughts on Katarina Leigh not returning as Winter? What do you think will happen during next week’s funeral segment? Let us know in the comments below!
