Countdown to Impact Rebellion

This cannot end in a no contest, a disqualification or any other such nonsense. This angle had such promise but it has failed to deliver. Without a real war between brands this isn’t much of a feud. Impact does have some people who can lead the way like Chris Bey, Eddie Edwards, Eric Young, James Storm, Moose, Rhino. Sami Callihan, TJP and Tommy Dreamer. Nobody is pulling the trigger on any of this though. Callihan could be fighting Moxley. Storm could take on Adam Page. Rhino could tangle with Brian Cage or Lance Archer. Perhaps one of them losing the title will be a call to arms and this angle can really get going. Since everything has been going AEW’s way I would assume if anyone is losing their title it will be Swann. Winner: Kenny Omega.

One of the most anticipated matches of the decade will end with the belt collector leaving with the Impact unified championship. Probably with interference by Callis and the Good Brothers.

Impact has done a good job of making this one feel like an important historical moment, like they did with Tessa Blanchard’s title match, Hulk Hogan’s debut, and the initial Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle match. They’ve pulled out all the stops (hi, Mauro), so hopefully this delivers in the ring too, with a minimal of outside interference, and just two competitors executing a great match. The build has been all about the omnipotence of Omega’s finisher, the One-Winged Angel. Traditional booking logic would see Omega hit the move and Swann kick out. But the likelihood of Swann being the first person to do so are zero-point-zero. Omega hits it, wins the match, and adds another belt to his collection. Winner: Kenny Omega

Together or apart, FinJuice is fantastic, at least their time in NJPW is. It would be really something if they kept the titles. The Good Brothers though seem destined to win them back.  Winners: The Good Brothers.

Look for the Good Brothers to recapture the tag team titles. I hope this is the start of something great between Impact and New Japan.

The build for this one has been pretty lacklustre. It’s basically been a war of promos full of inside references and private jokes. The fact that FinJuice has been a non-entity on Impact TV – having won the titles in their debut, and then heading off to Japan – has actually diminished the importance of the titles, and made this match feel less important. In short, these two teams will really need to put on a great one for this to feel special. And, unfortunately, putting on great matches has not been the Good Brothers’ forte as of late. They’ll win the titles, simply so they can be showcased on TV again. But hopefully they lose them shortly thereafter – the titles need more prominence than the GBs can provide. Winners: the Good Brothers

Deonna has settled in as a solid champion for Impact. They just need some more competition for her to tangle with. Could Chelsea Green be on the way? We hope so. Winner: Deonna Purrazzo.

I don’t see the Virtuosa dropping the belt anytime soon. Deonna gets the win with help from the returning Kimber Lee.

The heel-heel nature of this match makes for kind of a weird dynamic. I’ve said in the past that Deonna would make a really good babyface if they let her show her natural real-life personality like she shows in interviews and in the CELL-ebration pre-show fan fests. So this may be a good way to turn her. Dashwood is pretty much a comedy character at this point, so there’s no way she should beat Purrazzo. I could see Purrazzo winning, then Dashwood and her stooge Kaleb attack her, leading to a save by the returning Taylor Wilde – who actually would be a worthy competitor to Deonna eventually (even if that dynamic ends up being face vs. face). Winner: Deonna Purrazzo

This will be one of the better matches of the night as all three competitors are so darn good in the ring, especially the underrated, underappreciated TJP. In my heart, I would love to see TJP wearing gold again but it appears to be Ace Austin’s time at present. Winner: Ace Austin.

Impact seems to be pushing both Ace and Alexander which means one of them will pin TJP. I could see Austin keeping the belt, but would not be surprised if the Walking Weapon leaves champion.

This should be one heck of a match. These three have been involved in a few matches together, but they’re talented enough that they should be able to make it feel fresh and exciting. I am a big fan of Alexander and think he’s destined to be a world champion at some point. A good way to do kickstart that run is with a win here. Winner: Josh Alexander

Lots of talent on display here. There is just no personality. Both of these men need a new path, new personas, stuff that ECW used to do with veteran talent in the day to revitalize their careers. Come on, Impact. Put your noses to the grindstone. Winner: The guy who used to be Curt Hawkins.

Cardona has had Myers’ number this entire feud, it’s about time Bad Mood Brian backs up the talk and beats his former partner and start him on a positive trajectory.

My mother always told me that if you can’t say anything nice about someone, it’s better to say nothing at all. When it comes to these two boring personalities and their boring feud and the chances that this won’t be a completely skippable bore-fest, I’ll say nothing at all. Winner: A&E, because most people will likely switch over to the “Rowdy” Roddy Piper biography while this match is on

Sami every day, twice on Sundays. He is one of the best Impact has. Winner: Sami Callihan.

Fresh off his new contract signing, I think Trey is headed to the moon and I don’t think losses for Sami have ever hurt him

The stipulation for this one, and the intensity in the build-up suggests that this will be a hard-hitting fight. Trey actually needs something like that because since he’s returned, he’s been somewhat underwhelming. A good fight against Sami could do wonders to up his interest level, and finally give people a chance to see him as a player instead of thinking his best days were as the leader of the Rascalz. Winner: Trey Miguel

Just let them destroy each other and this bout should be okay. I STILL HATE that freaking Deaner. Winners: Chris Sabin, Eddie Edwards, James Storm and Willie Mack.

 I don’t see the freight train that is Violent By Design being derailed just yet, even with the knee injury to EY, I think VBD will dominate.

Even though this one isn’t being billed as No-DQ, hopefully they add that kind of stipulation, since this one is begging for something more than a standard 8-man tag match. Tables, weapons, and blood would really be a welcome addition. With Eric Young injured, this could be a neat way to introduce a new member of VBD, so look for that as a possibility too. No way that VBD should lose – this faction should continue to continue its dominant run for a while. Winner: Violent By Design

Fire N Flava are the stable champs that Impact needs for their women’s division right now. Both women could add a lot to the roster if the team was made to go their separate ways but it seems too early for that. Winners: Fire N Flava.

With the addition of Ellering to this angle, I could see either Grace and Ellering winning the championships or Hogan/Steelz cheating to win, leading to dissension between the new partners

With Rachel Ellering joining the mix, it would be a strong introduction if her team were to capture the gold. Fire N Flava are entertaining as champs, but could also be just as entertaining – maybe even more? – if they lost and then were doing whatever they could to try to regain the titles. Winners: Jordynne Grace and Rachel Ellering