Hola Knockout fans and welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up. We enter this final month of 2016 with a brand new TNA Knockouts Champion after Gail Kim made the decision to vacate the title due to injury. Elsewhere, we are also treated to a Thanksgiving Fallout after Allie completely snapped against Maria Kanelllis and Laurel Van Ness during last week’s dinner table segment.
Our first Knockouts sighting come from the ever-so flirtatious Laurel, who says she’ll need to some “cheering up” for Braxton Sutter after he failed to capture the X-Division title. Is he even really considered an X-Division star?
When Allie asks why she never sees Laurel and Braxton out together, Laurel explains that the pair are “keeping things on the down low”. Laurel goes on to say that while Braxton may feel sorry for Allie, she has no sympathy for the fan favorite and that by the end of the night, she’ll be without a job.
To address Allie’s employment status, we head to the ring to find Maria (though the Impact Zone refers to her as “Pie Face”) alongside Laurel. Tis the season of giving, Maria starts off by patting herself on the back due to her charitable persona. She says she has given TNA fans a role model they can look up to. While a few may appreciate Maria’s effort, most overlook it and with that, Maria calls out Allie.
Allie wastes no time apologizing for her accidental face pie toss to Maria last week but Maria isn’t buying. Instead, Maria accuses Allie of being jealous of Laurel’s relationship with Braxton and adds that she has been the worst assistant to have ever worked for her.
Laurel then takes her licks to Allie by revealing she went out on a hot date with Braxton the previous night. An angered Allie bites back but Maria inserts herself back in the dispute, getting into Allie’s face to belittle her again and calling her a “stupid bitch”.
Naturally, this causes Allie to slap Maria across the face. Allie! Allie! Allie! The good feel moment is cut short when Laurel takes Allie down with a right forearm and beats her down. Score one for the Heels this week.
We move on to our main event of the week, Six Sides of Steel for the Knockouts title between Jade and Rosemary:
The former Knockouts Champion Gail Kim makes an entrance first for this big match-up. She formally relinquishes the Knockouts title and finds a nearby close seat to fully support her Korean sista Jade!
On the subject of the possibility of Gail retiring, guest commentator Madison Rayne notes that Gail has said during their world travels together that she will continue to wrestle until she is no longer able to give 110%
After our contenders make their entrances and Jeremy Borash gives his big-feel introductions, the match begins! The Knockouts scramble through the cage door, Josh Matthews making it known that this match will be determined by pinfall or submission, and trade fighting fists against each other. Rosemary wins the tussle after running Jade’s face to the steel steps.
Rosemary takes a look under the six sided ring to find a trash can that she tosses inside the ring along with her opponent. Jade gets back on her feet, able to take Rosemary down with a variety of kicks and a gutwrench suplex before heading to a commercial break.
When we return, Jade remains in control of the match, delivering a head scissors take down and several knee shots to Rosemary. Jade dashes towards Rosemary but comes to a halt when the Demon Assassin teases a mist attack. Having slow down Jade, Rosemary begins to land some strong clothesline attacks and running Jade’s face across the steel cage.
Jade tries to mount a comeback with rapid kicks but gets caught in Rosemary’s clutches and suplexed to the cage! Remember that trash can from the start of the match? Well, it’s about to be put to use as Rosemary places it carefully next to Jade’s right shoulder, looking to repeat her Coast to Coast attack from two weeks ago.
The plan doesn’t follow through this time as Jade gets up in time, uses Rosemary’s weapon against her and knocks off Rosemary from the top rope via hurricaranna! Now it is Rosemary’s turn to feel the punishment of the cage, as Jade throws her face first and rams Rosemary’s back to the steel walls of the cage.
Jade goes for her packaged piledriver finisher but Rosemary manages to counter out with a beautiful German Suplex. The Knockouts then begin to climb the cage but Jade is able to knock Rosemary off. Jade continues to climb until she reaches the very top of the cage.
From there, Jade takes careful aim to Rosemary and soars from the heavens to hit a big time crossbody! The big risk only earns a two count over Rosemary. Jade takes a chance for another aerial attack but this time Rosemary catches up.
She blinds Jade with a mist attack, mounts her over the shoulder leading to the Red Wedding and three count pin. Rosemary is your new Knockouts Champion… and from the outside cage, Gail isn’t too thrilled about this.
Thoughts: A huge sigh of relief in knowing that we have finally been given a MOTY from the Knockouts.
This main event was really fun to watch between two breakthrough stars from TNA. After Jade’s Dollhouse split from earlier this year, this is the kind of match I’ve been hoping to see from someone like Jade. She has the crowd behind her and spots like the amazing top cross body makes you want to see even more!
In my eyes, Rosemary has just been the most interesting Knockout of 2016; granted it took her towards the end of the year to actually interact and enter in the Knockouts division but to see her hold the gold made it that much worth waiting for.
As great of a match this was, I do have to say that I wish these two had more time to build for a longer feud. Had Gail not gotten injured when she did, I really think we could have seen more promos from Rosemary leading up to her eventual title win. I also think that Rosemary winning the title over the likes of Gail would have given Rosemary more of a rub (she already has one win over Gail) but from the looks of it, the two could meet down the line.
Another issue I do feel the need to address, as other fans have mentioned, is the hot potatoes reigns we’ve seen the Knockouts title undergo. Just this year alone (including this match), the title has been traded hands six different times – with five of those times being under a new name. For the most part, none of these reigns had been memorable or had any meaning behind them. I would call myself a liar if I didn’t say these hot potatoes reigns, like the Raw Women’s title, has put a damper on the belt. I’m happy for Rosemary but I really hope that TNA management can give us a memorable reign this time around.
As for the secondary Knockouts storyline, I think Allie continues to do well in her role across Maria, who I also give props too. The split from these two is long overdue and I’m glad that things are finally moving forward with it. My only real complaint is that Allie’s breakaway from her bullies seems to stem from her jealousy of Braxton/Laurel when I think it should really be for the nonstop name calling and bullying she’s had to endure up to this point.
The love triangle cattiness just feels unnecessary and a bit out of place but if the payoff leads to Allie getting in the ring and actually being able to wrestle the likes of Laurel then so be it.
What did you think of this week’s episode of Impact? How do you think Rosemary’s reign as Knockouts Champion will play out? How would you book the Allie/Maria saga next? Let us know in the comments below!
