A new name for a brand-new PPV of a brand-new Impact Wrestling. Redemption is a pretty well-chosen name as this PPV is really a do-or-die test for the company and its new regime. It takes place this Sunday night, live from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. After 2 special events in January and March, Redemption will be the first PPV Impact is going to produce and air live this year.
The New Chapter has offered great surprises, new talents and all the action the fans were expecting to have. Austin Aries made a statement right when he came back when becoming IMPACT World Champion. He offered great matches against Eli Drake, Johnny Impact or Matt Sydal and even became IMPACT Grand Champion. New faces like Brian Cage or Su Yung also proved the future could be bright for the company. Cards were switched for the homegrown talents when they were allowed to work now in every division of the company.
Redemption is all about confirming this trend and ensure the fans this road is the good road. If we can regret people like Rosemary, Johnny Impact or Abyss are not on the card, we can also rejoice in the talents the Lucha Underground partnership is bringing to this PPV. A complete 30-minute Road to Redemption All-Access Preview Show is available here. But let’s take a look at The eNYGMAtic’s crystal ball…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1IVcpmBa8I]
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Here is the full card of the event:
Taya Valkyrie vs. Kiera Hogan
“It is Fire vs. Ice tonight as ‘The Girl on Fire’ Kiera Hogan will clash with ‘Lucha Royalty’ the ice queen herself Taya Valkyrie in a match just made for Redemption tonight! What will happen when Taya and Kiera step into the ring with each other tonight with all the eyes of the world watching? This is a chance for both Taya and Kiera to prove themselves worthy of a Knockouts Championship in the near future. Taya has been busy mixing it up with Rosemary as of late and the ‘Demon’s Dance’ went to the Demon Assassin, but a victory on Pay-Per-View tonight could change things for Taya. As for Kiera Hogan, she keeps getting opportunities like this and she will not want to let them slip through her grasp. This would be a marque, signature victory for the Girl on Fire.” – Impact Wrestling
As the match was announced at 4PM today, not a lot to be said on this match. Taya Valkyrie is one of the most striking women in the Knockouts roster. The Demon’s Dance match against Rosemary 10 days ago showed she’s afraid on absolutely nothing and no one. Kiera Hogan made her debut with Impact Wrestling during last January set of tapings. At only 23, the real “Hogan” , as it’s her real surname, is on the learning curve but have already made her marks in the Impact Zone, whether as a singles competitors or in a mixed Tag Team match like last Thursday.
The Frenchy Prediction: Kiera is going to show how tough she can be, but Taya has more experience so I give her the win.
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Aero Star vs. Drago
Aero Star and Drago are pure Luchadores. Some of you who had the chance to see them wrestle on Lucha Underground know how strong both these men can be. This match, that seems to come from out of nowhere, is a good way to cement the partnership between Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling. Drago competed in the 2017 Super X-Cup tournament and even reached the semifinals. The two former Lucha Trios Champions for sure will provide a fast-paced, high-flying match.
The Frenchy Prediction: There are no specific stakes in this match so making a choice is very uneasy. But I’ll go for Drago as he already wrestled in the Impact Zone
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Taiji Ishimori vs. Dezmond Xavier vs. El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Brian Cage vs. DJ Z vs. Trevor Lee
Another match that was decided the last-minute. The Machine Brian Cage will have to take care of 5 opponents at the same time. Taiji Ishimori and Trevor Lee are both former X-Division Champions and some striking forces in the ring. AAA Latin America Champion El Hijo del Fantasma is also an opponent to take seriously. In last year’s AAA vs. Impact feud, he had been a serious contender. DJ Z is making his comeback from injury with this match while Dezmond Xavier will return to the Impact Zone after a 2-month trip in Japan. The pin and so the win can come from everywhere, we can expect Caleb Konley not to be far away from Trevor Lee. But Brian Cage has been way too more impressive over the last few weeks not to make a statement for his first Impact PPV.
The Frenchy Prediction: Brian Cage, who else…
House of Hardcore 6-Man Tag Match: Tommy Dreamer, Eddie Edwards, and Moose vs. oVe (Dave Crist, Jake Crist and Sami Callihan)
This match has been built upon hate. It all started with Sami Callihan accidentally hitting Eddie Edwards with a baseball bat and breaking his nose and face. Edwards’s friend Moose suffered from Sami Callihan’s striking instinct when he cost him his match and his Feast or Fired Briefcase against Eli Drake. The story may have stopped here but Sami Callihan decided to stalk Eddie Edwards’s wife, Alisha, Edwards helped Moose when oVe ambushed him after his match against Callihan. At Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground, Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan, aka Jeremiah Crane in his Lucha Underground character, were supposed to put an end to their feud but this time, Impact Wrestling Executive Vice-President Don Callis prevented Callihan from injuring Edwards again when he threw in the towel for Edwards. But a new man entered into the equation, the Hardcore Legend Tommy Dreamer. And with a House of Hardcore match, you can expect weapons and blood to be on the menu. oVe wanted a fight, they will have one. And a violent one.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjOIHL3l2LI]
The Frenchy Prediction: It would be hard to make Tommy Dreamer lose his signature match. I will give him, Moose and Edwards the win but expect the match to be like no other. Alisha Edwards could be involved but she would add some spice to the match only if oVe was bringing a female asset to it.
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IMPACT World Tag Team Championship Match: LAX (c) vs. Eli Drake and Scott Steiner
Eli Drake was not really the happiest when he found out his Feast or Fired briefcase was the Tag Team Title shot one. But he made the cleverest choice when he asked Scott Steiner to come back and help him defeat LAX and win the belts. As the former World Champion, Eli Drake has proved he’s not only good with a mic but in a ring. If Scott Steiner is praising his gift of gab, let’s not forget Big Poppa Pump is pretty unpredictable and he would punch everyone is bothering him, even Drake. On the other side, LAX has become the babyface team of the roster when The Cult of Lee decided to steal their Hispanic identity signs. Santana and Ortiz, under Konnan’s tutelage, have done a tremendous job in retaining the titles. But Konnan and Scott Steiner have a very long past in common.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8kSHE3RhcY]
The Frenchy Prediction: If Steiner is decided to make Konnan pay, it can cost Drake the match and the titles. There’s also the mysterious case Konnan revealed this week. Could it hold a secret weapon? Because of the high level of disqualification, LAX will retain the titles. But who’s going to disqualify the other team? That’s the question…
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IMPACT X-Division Championship Match: Matt Sydal (c) vs. Petey Williams
Namasté Matt Sydal was a double Champion not so long ago, IMPACT Grand and X-Division Champion. With his new enlightened attitude, he’s reached the highs of Impact Wrestling. But as soon as he revealed the name of the man who’s helped him find his way, quite strangely, things went wrong for him. Josh Mathews may have been his biggest asset when hidden, he’s become his worst now revealed to the world. I made too many jokes on them to add another but it seems like Sydal’s chi is not centred anymore. Petey Williams, with the X-Division title opportunity he earned in the Feast or Fired match, is probably one of the best contenders Sydal could hope to have. This match has everything to be a great one. May Josh Mathews not interfere in it…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu2R-VOgxRw]
The Frenchy Prediction: Even if Sydal is centring his chi and Josh Mathews stays away from what’s for me a dream match, I give the win and the title to Petey Williams.
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Impact Knockouts Championship Match: Allie (c) vs. Su Yung
What an intriguing character Su Yung is… and a fierce wrestler too… When she made her debut alongside Braxton Sutter, no one was expecting this little woman to be such a bundle of rage and strength. With a kendo stick as her best friend, she can attack anyone viciously. And she targeted Knockouts Champion Allie for her first appearance in the Impact Zone. But when you push someone as hard as she did with Allie, she obviously let a new side of the Champion be revealed. Good-bye the nice little girl, welcome to a ferocious and focused Allie. When she attacked Su Yung after her match this week, she proved she would do absolutely everything to defend her Gold.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFhmmgtBJtg]
The Frenchy Prediction: For me, giving the belt to Su Yung now would be a little too soon. But I want to see more of these two women. Allie retains.
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Impact World Championship Triple Threat Match: Austin Aries (c) vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Fénix
I’ll pass on Alberto El Patron parting ways with Impact Wrestling. Even if Austin Aries was disappointed he would not be able to wrestle El Patron, as he hasn’t done it before. When Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground event happened, Aries just found out the day before what Pentagon Junior/Dark was about, a bone-breaking machine and an amazing Luchador. As far as Rey Fénix/Fénix, Aries confessed they already squared off before. Even if Aries lost the match at WrestleCon, he enjoyed it so much he gave them a second chance but this time with his Impact World title on the line. Like he stated in a recent media call, Penta and Fénix may be Lucha brothers, they also may be the better enemies. With the title on the line, brotherhood can vanish even before the Luchadores head to the ring.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fISHLj5XyY8]
The Frenchy Prediction: This match can really steal the show. As neither Pentagon nor Fénix are a part of Impact Wrestling roster, I don’t see any reason for Aries to lose the title. But the story of these 3 men is not meant to end with the PPV…
All pics and videos courtesy of IMPACT Wrestling