Over the years, Glasgow has seen some fantastic IMPACT Wrestling shows, whether it be their early shows at the Braehead Arena or the later tapings at the iconic Hydro. From Jeff Jarrett vs Lionheart to Drew Galloway debuting, Glasgow really has seen it all when it comes to IMPACT. It has been eight years since the city last had the pleasure of hosting an IMPACT show and I think everyone will agree that it’s been far too long! 

The venue for tonight’s show was the O2 Academy, a venue which has hosted some great shows over the years courtesy of ICW. Maybe it’s a sign of the company’s popularity in the UK in 2023 or just overall apathy that Scotland seems to have for live wrestling these days but there was definitely room for a good few more bodies in this room. Saying that, this was not a poor turnout by any means. For a taping with a handful of matches announced, on a Thursday night, I was pretty impressed. I will say however, an hour and a half between doors and the opening bell isn’t ideal for any show… there’s only so many generic metal tracks a man can take!

MC for the night, Glasgow’s own Mr Simon Cassidy, takes to ring and gets us all hyped up as the action is finally ready to take place. But first! IMPACT President Scott D’Amore greets the Glasgow crowd and thanks everyone for their ongoing support of IMPACT and promises a great night ahead.

*SPOILERS ahead for an upcoming IMPACT Wrestling episode*

Glasgow Cup – Semi Final – Joe Hendry vs Rich Swann

We only had a handful of things announced ahead of time for this, and as you’ll see from the review there were plenty of surprises. The first of which was a one-night tournament (ooooh) called the “Glasgow Cup” which wasn’t incredibly obvious that Joe Hendry was going to win at all… speak of the devil! Joe Hendry’s music hits and an almighty cheer turns into a giant singalong as the room clearly do believe in Joe Hendry. He faces the very cheery and dancy Rich Swann, who I don’t believe I’ve ever seen wrestle in person so that was a nice surprise. This was your standard TV match, there wasn’t really anything special about it however both athletes are clearly top of their game and everything was done with precision. There was a part of the match where Joe had Swann in a chin lock for what felt like forever but I’m sure this wasn’t long in reality. Joe picked up the win without much difficulty and progressed to the final of the Glasgow Cup. This was a really solid match, again with this being a TV taping you’re not expecting Savage and Steamboat so for what it was, it was really enjoyable.

It’s always a pleasure to see Joe Hendry do his stuff and he and Swann do seem to have decent chemistry. Great shout from the powers at be to have Hendry out first as it created a great energy off the bat.

Glasgow Cup – Semi Final – Frankie Kazarian vs Leon Slater

Now I’m going to say this right now, this was the match of the night. Leon Slater makes his way to the ring to a relatively subdued reaction which makes sense given his lack of exposure in Scotland to date. Slater took on IMPACT legend Frankie Kazarian who is in impeccable shape, even more impressive when you think that he is 46 years old! If you’ve ever seen a Leon Slater match then you know exactly what this was. High flying action from bell to bell with dives over the top rope to the outside, springboards and flips are all Slater specials and were plenty in this match. Kaz definitely held his own however, using his size and athleticism to manage the wild Slater. Kaz picked up the win by submission which was a nice change after all the high flying action.

This was a fantastic match as stated above, easily one of the best I’ve seen in person this year. Leon Slater has a huge career ahead of him as seen by the fact that IMPACT have offered him a “long term” deal off the back of this tour. 

The Most Professional Wrestling Gods (Moose & Brian Myers), & Deonna Purrazzo vs SUBCULTURE (Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews, & Dani Luna)

Next up we had a fun little six-person tag with some fantastic talent. First through the curtain was the team of Moose, Bryan Myers and Deonna Purrazzo. Now I’ve seen Moose live several times and every time I am amazed by the sheer size of the guy, a human specimen! Himself, Myers and Purrazzo all had matching gear which I thought was a lovely touch and made them look really put together. Their challengers came in the form of SUBCULTURE, the group of Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews & Dani Luna. One note on SUBCULTURE is how much I love their aesthetic, they clearly have a vision and are executing it to perfection. This match was what you’d expect from a six-person tag. A lot of near falls and interference made for an exciting match with the team of Moose, Myers & Purrazzo picking up the win.

Couple of things, Dani Luna is a fantastic talent, I really look forward to seeing where she ends up moving forward. Andrews & Flash just keep on getting better over the years. A fun match overall and a good outing for SUBCULTURE.

Eddie Edwards vs Rhino

Now I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I was overly excited for an Eddie Edwards vs Rhino TV match… and I was right to be doubtful. Edwards made his way to ring first to a relatively subdued reaction. The complete opposite can be said about Rhino, who got a HUGE ovation from the Glasgow crowd. Rhino is not only a wrestling legend but has appeared in Glasgow a handful of times over the years, so he has a somewhat loyal fanbase in the city. The match itself was lacking any real excitement and just felt like any other TV contest. Edwards picked up the win in un-impressive fashion which felt a bit of a damp squib.

I know in my section we were all a bit confused that it was the finish to the match. Not really anything to write home about and I’m sure it will be forgotten soon. 

Jordynne Grace vs Gisele Shaw

This won’t be a shock to anyone but Jordynne Grace is in INCREDIBLE shape. Now we’ve all seen photos and seen her on TV but in person you really get an appreciation of the physicality of Grace. She was up against Gisele Shaw who has a real aura about her and really carries herself like a superstar. This match did seem great from what I saw but I’ll be honest I missed a lot of this match thanks to the obnoxious guy in front of me who decided to take umbrage with Rich Swann who had stopped at the back of the room (off camera) to watch the show. Our wee pal who clearly doesn’t get out of the house much decided to shout the full way through this match about how Swann was “breaking kayfabe” and ironically “distracting everyone”.

Ultimately this distracted everyone in our section and led to some back and forth which took a lot away from the match unfortunately. From what I was able to pay attention to, this match seemed really good and another great showing from Grace, who really should be world champion in WWE or AEW.  

Grado vs Trey Miguel

We took a trip down memory lane next with the man from the Tap End of Stevenson making his return to IMPACT. He was up against Trey Miguel who made his way to the ring first. Now I’m sure most people reading this were confused as to why Grado was facing the high-flying Miguel, however it definitely worked. Before we get on to that, as Miguel was standing in the ring, the lights dimmed and Madonna played over the PA. The whole of the O2 Academy burst into song like it was 2014 all over again and Grado burst through the curtain. Once we got into the match it was a classic Grado match with all the bells and whistles.

This was a nice laugh and good palate cleanser given the intensity of the other matches we had on the card. Grado may not wrestle as much these days but he hasn’t lost a beat. Grado picked up the win over Miguel and got to celebrate with his loyal fans.

An overall fun match which got the crowd hyped and gave us something to remember. 

Trinity vs Emersyn Jayne

Now anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of Emersyn Jayne. I personally believe she is one of, if not the, top female talent in the UK. Tonight she got a huge opportunity, stepping into the IMPACT ring with none other than Trinity! Emersyn made her way to the ring, getting into it with some fans at ringside before Trinity made her entrance in typical neon fashion. This was a great match as you would expect from two great talents. Would I have liked them to get a little bit more time to go all out? Yes. But I don’t believe there’s much more they could have done with the time they had. They went balls to the wall and put on a fantastic match. Trinity picked up the win as you would expect but Emersyn definitely put on a good showing and absolutely did herself proud.

This match did suffer slightly coming after Grado as it took a bit of time for the crowd to catch their breath and get into it, but by the end of the match the two had the crowd in the palm of their hands. 

Glasgow Cup – Final – Joe Hendry vs Frankie Kazarian

Now it was time for the final of the Glasgow Cup, which wasn’t obviously going to be won by Joe Hendry… We get another outing from the local hero, who had the crowd singing along with his entrance music once again. Kaz comes to the ring with significantly less support than earlier from the patriotic Glasgow crowd. This was a really good match and it is clear that this was two professionals at the top of their game. Following a lot of back and forth, Hendry picked up the win and ultimately lifted the Glasgow Cup. I’m sure this will be up there with some of the greatest achievements in Hendry’s career… All jokes aside it was good to see IMPACT going out their way to give Hendry a big moment at the Scottish IMPACT show on this tour. Kaz looked really good again and barely broke a sweat across two matches. What an incredible athlete.

Scott D’Amore came to the ring to give Hendry the cup and ended up being forced to dance along to Hendry’s entrance music, which he seemed to eventually get into! 

Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) defeated Josh Alexander & Eric Young

Main Event time! We have the legendary Motor City Machine Guns taking on Josh Alexander and Eric Young. Alexander makes his way to the ring first followed by Young who gets a huge ovation. Glasgow clearly loves Eric Young! The Machine Guns make their way out to another huge reception. Any long term fan of IMPACT/TNA knows how huge it is to be able to see the pair team in 2023. This match was pretty solid, another TV match that wasn’t really anything to write home about.

Everyone in the match was phenomenal and did everything so seamlessly throughout the contest. Young doesn’t quite get the credit for the shape he is in as he looks amazing. Such an overlooked name in the wrestling world. Sabin & Shelley picked up the win and quickly made their way back through the curtain.

Eric Young grabbed the mic and sent us home after thanking us for coming out to the show and supporting IMPACT. TNA chants filled the room as Young referenced the future of the company. 

This was a really fun show and kind of surprised me overall. I was expecting a lot more IMPACT focused matches and angles but they did a really good job of merging UK talent, which made for a more exciting product overall. This was my first ever IMPACT show and I was very much entertained. Even the matches that weren’t very exciting were still objectively good and did their job correctly. Hopefully we get more IMPACT… or should I say TNA shows on these shores in the near future!