IMPACT! Wrestling blew away all expectations with Slammiversary XVI. Top quality matches and big surprises gave the struggling company a momentum they haven’t had in years. The arrival of The Good Brothers and the returns of Eric Young, EC3, and The Motor City Machine Guns have drastically shifted the IMPACT! Wrestling landscape. One month later, we’re entering Emergence, a two-night special event where all championships will be on the line. Can IMPACT! maintain their momentum or was Slammiversary just a flash in the pan? Let’s see what’s in store for Emergence: Night 1. This is the 8/18/20 edition of Brace for IMPACT!
The Good Brothers vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows made headlines when they appeared at Slammiversary to announce they had signed with IMPACT! Wrestling. Ace Austin didn’t appreciate the arrival of the hottest free agents in the industry. They began to cast a shadow over his rising star. With his new muscle Madman Fulton, Ace tried to make their lives miserable. Ace and Fulton attacked Gallows and Anderson backstage and in the parking lot. The latter event saw county police get involved when Ace and Fulton revealed the litter of empty beer cans in The Good Brothers’ car. Last week Gallows and Anderson interrupted an X-division match, demanding Ace and Fulton come out and face them. But they would have to wait until Emergence. Will The Good Brothers live up to the hype or will Ace and Fulton stop their rise to the top?
Rohit Raju vs TJP vs Chris Bey
Last week on IMPACT Wrestling, Chris Bey made an impromptu alliance with Rohit Raju for a tag team match against TJP and Fallah Bahh. TJP caught Bey in an armbar to win the match, but in doing so also earned the right to challenge for Bey’s X-Division championship. This made the X-Division Champion nervous, TJP’s much larger partner, Fallah Bahh, might insert himself into proceedings. However, Rohit Raju made a deal with Bey. If Bey made the match a triple threat, Rohit could perhaps lessen Fallah Bahh’s influence on the match. Chris Bey accepted, and on Tuesday night, he will defend his X-Division Championship for the 2nd time against TJP and Rohit Raju.
Brace For IMPACT for 8/18/20
The North vs The Motor City Machine Guns – IMPACT! Tag Team Championship
One of the major stories to come out of Slammiversary was the reunion of the Motor City Machine Guns. After 4 long years apart and 8 years away from IMPACT, it was a quite a surprise to see Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin join forces again. Even more shocking was that they defeated tag team champions The North on the night they re-debuted. Josh Alexander and Ethan Page were the most dominant tag team in IMPACT! history, holding the belts for 408 days. They didn’t take their loss very well at all. Ethan Page nearly cried on an episode of IMPACT! Backstage. But they’ll get their rematch Tuesday night at Emergence!
Brace For IMPACT for 8/18/20
TNA World Heavyweight Championship – Moose (c) vs Trey Miguel
When Moose appeared at Rebellion holding the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, everyone thought he was joking. He defeated Michael Elgin and Hernandez to “retain” the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Then he kept insisting he was TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He said he would only defend against TNA originals. People thought he was out of his mind. He faced Hernandez, Crazzy Steve, and Tommy Dreamer, defeating all of them. The TNA World Heavyweight Champion may not have been active, but while he’s wearing it, it seems like nobody can stop Moose.
But maybe nobody’s had the motivation. Trey Miguel’s star has been on the rise lately. He earned his way into the 5-way match at Slammiversary but came up short. He was the first to answer Eddie Edwards’ open challenge, but he couldn’t beat the champion. This must-have lit a fire something fierce under Trey. He wants singles gold, and he doesn’t care which belt it is. Tuesday night he’s challenging the possibly delusional Moose for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Can Trey Miguel hang with the champions or will he just be another victim of Moose’s reign of terror?
