Hola Knockout fans as I welcome you to this week’s Impact Write-Up – the ReDefined edition! As we saw last week, the challenge was made to see Allie, Tessa Blanchard and Su Yung all collide in the ring at the same time. This week, the three rising Knockouts were given the chance to do just that with Su Yung’s Knockouts Title on the line!
Tonight’s ReDefined also see Scarlett Bordeaux hold another edition of The Smoke Show with special guests Katarina Leigh, Grado, and Joe Hendry to see if some peace can be brought to the trio. But before we can even get there, Ms. Bordeaux needs to arrive in the arena!
Apparently, Bobo isn’t just Bordeaux’s bag man, he’s also her chauffeur? How the hell does this guy still have a job as an on-screen minor character!? Even with ID in hand, Bobo isn’t allowed entrance as per Ron the Door Guard. All that changes when our favorite talk show host steps outside the car. She easily gets Ron to open the door with a quick wink, a cloud of smoke and a whisper of the magic words: Open Sesame. The perks of being a 10!
In a pre-match interview with Alicia Atout, Tessa Blanchard says she felt pressure every day since she was born to live up to her wrestling family’s legacy and make them proud. While being a great wrestler/athlete might be enough for some people, for a Blanchard it isn’t enough unless you’ve got something to show for it. With her famous family watching her, Blanchard plans on taking home the gold.
And on that note, time for featured Knockouts Title Match:
Blanchard lands the first strikes in this Triple Threat Title match, with a forearm to Yung and a back elbow to Allie. Allie takes control when she replies to Blanchard with forearms and a backstabber. She turns her attention to Yung, taking her down with a low kick and then places her beside Blanchard.
Allie runs the ropes to land a running Senton on both her opponents. She continues to work on Yung, managing to knock her off the ring apron but Yung’s ringside army of Undead Brides catch her. They launch their leader back on the ring apron as she glares towards Blanchard. Allie jumps in between Yung and Blanchard to break the stare down and continues to land some offense, going as far as jumping on Blanchard’s back to land an elevated forearm on Yung!
The crowd and Kiera Hogan are fired up for Allie until Blanchard gets to her feet to cut Allie off with a Cutter. As Blanchard locks in a grounded ankle submission, Yung sneaks back into the match and traps Blanchard in an innovated armbar hold. The submission battle comes to an end when Allie reaches the bottom rope for a rope break.
Allie corners Yung with a combination of chops and forearms – setting her up for a charging attack. Yung counters with a kick to the midsection and then sends Allie to middle turnbuckle. She heads to the top of the turnbuckle but in runs Blanchard to cut her off. Blanchard takes a step further, removing Yung from the turnbuckle with an Overhead Press Slam and dropping Yung onto her Undead Bridesmaids.
Allie uses the ring ropes to slingshot Blanchard back into the ring and lands a suplex on her at a corner for a near fall. When Allie grabs a handful of Blanchard’s hair, she is sent to the middle ropes for her troubles. This allows Blanchard to set up for the Hammerlock DDT but Allie reverses with a roll-up for a two count.
After Allie hits the Best Super Kick ever on Blanchard, Yung enters the ring with her bloody glove to choke Blanchard via Mandible Claw. Allie makes the save with another Best Super Kick Ever only to then find herself being choked by Yung. Allie fights Yung off with a Code Breaker but Blanchard quickly rolls Allie up from behind to get the three count and become the new Knockout Champion!
After her big win, Blanchard gives a warning to the entire Knockouts locker room to take notice of their new Knockouts Champion. If anyone of them wants to find out how hard a diamond truly is, feel free to step up!
And later, TMZ cameras catch Blanchard calling her parents to celebrate the big title win.
And finally, we close out this week’s Impact with The Smoke Show.
Bordeaux welcomes her trio guests but Grado immediately gets into an argument. Hendry tries to restore order by assuring his friend that next week, ahead of their tag team match against Desi Hit Squad, all will be explained through new music that he has written.
Leigh informs Bordeaux that she is very much in love with Grado and that Hendry is just a very good friend… even though he is so handsome, according to Bordeaux.
Bordeaux then whispers a secret about women to Grado’s ear that gets him quite excited. When she tries to calm Grado down, an upset (jealous?) Leigh slaps Bordeaux’s hands away. Grado flees the scene with Hendry running behind him leaving Leigh completely confused about what just happened.
Bordeaux tries to offer some advice about men but Leigh wants none of it. Instead, she passes along her own advice to Bordeaux: don’t try to come between her and her boys!
NEXT WEEK – oVe in six man action, @realsuyung gets her championship rematch, @TheEliDrake issues an open challenge, and @joeshendry and @gradowrestling look to get things back on the same page against The Desi Hit Squad! #IMPACTonPop pic.twitter.com/67lOLo9ivO
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) August 31, 2018
Next week, Su Yung will get a chance to win back the Knockouts Title from Blanchard in a championship rematch.
Thoughts: I know that us fans tend to give Impact a lot of smack for passing the Knockouts Title ever so frequently when a new name comes to the division but I really feel that Blanchard winning the Knockouts Title needed to happen. Since her debut on Impact, she’s been so impressive and the total package for the Knockouts division while Su Yung’s reign has, unfortunately, felt underwhelming. My favorite part of Yung’s reign wasn’t even about her but rather it being used as a was for Allie to channel in her inner ‘darkness’ to evolve into a more confident character.
Of course, what I want to see going forward is a meaningful and memorable Knockouts Title reign for Blanchard. Personally, I feel like the last Knockouts Title reign to have that feel was from Taryn Terrell‘s. She started off the as the underdog turned fighting champion turned heel Dollhouse Headmistress. That’s what I like to see, evolution and rivalry that tend to stretch out. They’ve done a steady job of keeping her character strong up to this point, so I think if Impact can continue to invest in Blanchard despite reaching the top of the Knockouts division ladder.
For a Knockouts Triple Threat match that had a strong build and with a ‘TV special’, I’m a bit surprised with how little amount of time the Knockouts were given. I think it was a missed chance to not give them a few extra minutes for a more a more exciting finish instead of the usual lame roll-up. Even though Blanchard walked out with the gold, Allie was the star of the match in my view.
I’m hoping this little confrontation Bordeaux had with Leigh leads to some feud between the two. They both deserve better than being stuck in this storyline with Grado that hasn’t contributed much excitement except some catchy music from Hendry. But hey, we did see a hint of something possibly brewing in the final seconds of The Smoke Show this week.
What did you think of this week’s episode of Impact? Are you excited to see Tessa Blanchard as Knockouts Champion? Would you like to see a Scarlett Bordeaux and Katarina Leigh feud? Let us know in the comments below!
