Impact Wrestling Review: Sabin Fed Up, Carter Heels Up

By Chris Featherstone

This edition of Impact Wrestling was brought to us again from St. Louis, MO. It was the aftermath of the No Surrender television special, leaving viewers inquiring about the status of the Aces and Eights, along with what AJ Styles planned on addressing to Dixie Carter.

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The MEM vs. E.G.O. match was expected to happen, but not so much from an interview that led to E.G.O. attacking Magnus, him issuing an open challenge, all three members coming out, followed by Sting and Samoa Joe, which prompts the six-man match. E.G.O. winning was the smart move, seeing how this feud could (and should) build at least until Bound for Glory. Hopefully this feud can rebound from the rather hasty beginning, which I believe it can.


Jeff Hardy vs. Manik was a good match, and showed how elevated the X Division can be if given the right television exposure. Jeff Hardy being in the X Division would actually give it the boost that it needs, and Hardy vying for the title would not hurt him whatsoever.

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Chris Sabin turning heel was probably the best thing that could happen to him right now. Being overshadowed by Aces and Eights, Main Event Mafia and E.G.O., Sabin had no chance of being in the main event scene after his short world title reign. Moreover, it seems as if TNA did not have any creative ideas for Sabin, and it is always easier to book someone as a heel. Hopefully this at least gives Sabin a small push, which it certainly may. A triple threat match with Manik vs. Hardy vs. Sabin at Bound for Glory would be a potential show-stealer.


ODB vs. Mickie James was a decent match. Without a doubt, the right person won. I am aware of the contract negotiations going on between James and TNA, but even if there were not any, ODB should have still won the title. ODB is the most popular Knockout in the entire division, and three years is long enough to be without the championship. With Velvet Sky being a de facto heel, she could easily go back to her Beautiful People mannerisms and have a good feud with ODB (seeing how ODB represents everything anti-Beautiful People).

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The segment between Eric Young/Joseph Park and the Bro Mans was actually quite funny. Having Robbie E lose to both Young and Park consecutively was a good way to commence the feud between the tag teams, and they saved some dignity by attacking the team afterwards. However, Park saw blood, which caused him to briefly transform to Abyss.

It appears as if that is the closest thing we will get to Abyss for the foreseeable future, which many people aren't too pleased about. However, Park's character is refreshed with his alliance with EY, and it still has live to it.


Gunner vs. Hernandez was quite a lackluster match. Neither of them are increasing in stock concerning their interest, and the tag team division is very dismal. The only thing this match did was show how much Hernandez is being underutilized, which comes to no surprise. Hopefully we will see better feuds before the end of the year, but it is highly doubtful.

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The closing segment between AJ Styles and Dixie Carter was actually much better than expected. The initial (dismantled) pipe bomb executed by Styles did not set a promising stage, but this "shoot" promo went much better. Dixie Carter coming out and playing a heel was a fresh change of character. You could definitely tell that she was uncomfortable playing that roll, but once the jitters subside in the upcoming weeks, we could actually see the overall interest of TNA significantly rise. Let's hope that our expectations do not end with disappointment leading to Bound for Glory.

Could TNA experience an upswing with Dixie Carter playing an on-screen heel? Sound off below.

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