Impact Wrestling Redemption Match Ratings, Podcast Notes From Sean Ross Sapp

Aero Star defeated Drago
6.5/10
 

• Don Callis calling #ImpactRedemption. THE RIGHT MOVE.
• Josh Mathews puts over the next season of Lucha Underground. I'm also happy to hear a lively crowd for once. 
• This is also the right match to start out the show. They know each other well, work a fast pace and are the right combo to get the crowd on their feet. 
• Drago kicks Aero Star in the chest after a Hardy dropkick attempt, and he's over big. He follows up with a twisting tope con hilo. 
• Josh Mathews points out that you can't read a person wearing a mask.
• There were parts of this match that Aero Star was just off beat on. Aero Star is hesitating and looking back to wait on spots sometimes, but this is still a lot of fun.
• Drago hits a corkscrew springboard armdrag into a pinning combo. It was incredible. I dare say I liked it more than Aero Star's signature senton. Drago follows up with a hangman's DDT.
• Drago flattens Aero Star with a power bomb, but gets caught with a big springboard cutter. Aero Star botches a springboard and runs it back to win with a springboard codebreaker.
• Aero Star was not great in that match at times, but this was still a lot of fun 
• I will not miss Sonjay Dutt on laughing gas on the calls tonight.

Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championship
Scott Steiner & Eli Drake defeated LAX (c) to become Impact Tag Team Champions
6.5/10

• This match should be something.
• I love this duo of LAX, and Josh Mathews telling the story about Santana skipping prom and graduation to start wrestling was a nice touch.
• Steiner looks good early with a couple of reverse STOs and a double clothesline.
• LAX hit an amazing series of double team moves, including an assisted senton and moonsault. 
• Scott Steiner just did a god damn top rope frankensteiner. Then Eli Drake did a springboard moonsault.
• Eli Drake wins with the Gravy Train. Mother of god Scott Steiner is an Impact Wrestling tag team champion.

Cage defeated Dezmond Xavier, El Hijo Del Fantasma, Trevor Lee, Taiji Ishimori and DJZ
6.25/10

• This is really fast paced. Everyone gets in as Brian Cage just waits patiently for his opportunity. The crowd is begging for him.
• I prefer the King Cuerno character and gear to Fantasma.
• Trevor Lee keeps going after Cage, who accidentally gets tagged in. Cage does the corner clotheslines way better than Reigns.
• Cage runs wild, including an inside out German Suplex on Fantasma. He botches a second rope moonsault, but he runs it back. Cage then eats a whole bunch of superkicks
• Dezmond Xavier's urgency to work with Fantasma to knock off Cage was really cool. It didn't work, but I liked it.
• Cage gets caught with Collision Course from Lee, but the pin is broken up. 
• Dezmond Xavier flies through the air with a kick, then Fantasma gets him with a Samoan Driver. Then DJ Z gets a super super super (duper?) frankensteiner.
• Weapon X is a lot of steps to get to a reverse STO. Cage beats Xavier with the Drill Claw.

Taya defeated Kiera Hogan
6/10

• Kiera Hogan looked good on Impact. 
• Tessa Blanchard has joined the commentary table at Impact Redemption.
• Hogan and Taya are working fine, but are being overshadowed by Blanchard. There's actually a match going on now.
• This is really the best I've seen Taya look in Impact. She hits her finish after a good match. Taya's pin is stupid as shit without holding the shoulders down. 

Impact X Division Championship
Matt Sydal (c) defeated Petey Williams 
6.5/10
 

• Petey Williams is backstage doing math and Scott Steiner shows up. They're going to Cracker Barrel after the show.
• Sydal applies an awesome inverted deathlock.
• Callis and Mathews are calling this like a world championship match. 
• Josh Mathews has been good tonight. He sounds like he cares. No fake, over the top voice where he stretches out syllables for no reason. Good calls.
• The crowd isn't as loud for this match as others, but the work is just as good. Petey Williams connects with a TKO, then a Sharpshooter. Also a codebreaker off the apron. 
• Williams gets his knees up on a Shooting Star Press, and a Canadian Destroyer hits. Sydal rolls out of the ring.
• A couple more missed finishers. Sydal wins with a modified Here It Is Driver. What a great pin.

OVE defeated Tommy Dreamer, Eddie Edwards & Moose
7/10

• …………Tommy Dreamer promo sure was something. He quoted MLK. 
• Probably least excited for this match than maybe anything I've watched this month.
• Jake Crist gets powerbombed on the apron. Tommy Dreamer is still wearing those novelty Dusty Rhodes pants.
• Edwards eats an Exploder suplex through a chair from Callihan.
• Moose's ladder spot is insane. Tope Con Hilo into it.
• I'm just glad Jake Crist stopped wearing that weird hoodie while he wrestles. He throws a nice spinning wheel kick.
• The All Seeing Eye onto chairs was a crazy ass spot. This could have very well been a trainwreck of a match, but it's been really good so far. Whoever laid out this match deserves a lot of credit. 
• Dreamer gets a Death Valley Driver through the table at ringside.
• Boston Knee Party Powerbomb on Dave Crist through thumbtacks. Moose dives through a table onto Dave, but Jake catches him with a cutter.
• Callihan gets a bat out to go after Eddie, but Dreamer has a barbed wire bat that evens the odds. Until he gets punched in the penis and pinned. 
• After the match, Edwards tapes Callihan to the ropes and kicks Sami in the balls. Cane to the legs. Dreamer tries to stop Edwards, but gets hit too. Same with Moose. Then Alisha tries to stop him, but Edwards reacts and accidentally hits her.

Impact Knockouts Championship
Allie (c) defeated Su Yung (w/ Braxton Sutter)
5/10

• Allie misses a sliding elbow by a mile, then focuses her attention on Sutter, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense in a title match. 
• This match is just there. The offense doesn't look great at times, but isn't egregiously bad. Su Yung is really smooth, and a total heel. 
• Su Yung goes for the Panic Switch, but Allie rolls her up for the win.
• Braxton is worried about Su Yung being mad and proposes to her. She spits red mist in his face and applies the Mandible Claw.

Impact World Championship
Pentagon Jr. defeated Austin Aries (c) and Rey Fenix
6.25/10

• Some great, fast work in the opening stages. Fenix breaks up the Last Chancery with a springboard dropkick across the ring. About two minutes later, Fenix busts up another one.
• Aries is tossed over the top rope but lands in a huracanrana on Pentagon. Fenix follows outside with a twisting body press, and inside with a Swanton.
• Aries goes for a brainbuster on Fenix, but Pentagon "German suplexes" Aries. It wasn't much of a suplex though.
• The crowd thinks Fenix got a three, but he and Pentagon are still battling it out with Aries outside.
• Pentagon scores with the Pentagon Driver, which won the match at WrestleCon, but Aries breaks up the pin.
• Aries hits a 450 on both opponents, but they kick out. 
• Pentagon has a Gory Special on AND does a package piledriver. Wow. 
• Pentagon breaks the arm of Austin Aries and hits the Pentagon Driver for the win!