As we’re all rushing to find our last Christmas gifts and try to please the ones we love, Impact Wrestling is already on the road to 2019, and to Nashville, making everything to please the fans. Homecoming is now right around the corner, the build-up has been strong and interesting, but we still have a few Impact weekly episodes to share before the PPV. So many things to tell you… On the menu this week, the two last Ultimate X qualifying matches, Taya and Tessa will confront verbally, Santana will square off with Fénix, Moose will face off Cage. So no more words, let’s get ready for some action, but your French Enygma Steph way, of course…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjaG3nxSsV4]

The Nygma’s Chart of the Week

• Rich Swann defeated Dave Crist, with Jake Crist and Sami Callihan, to qualify for the Ultimate X Match. After the match, oVe beat down Swann until Willie Mack made the save. Sami pulled the Crist brothers off of Swann, and then Swann pulls Mack off of Sami.
• Moose told McKenzie Mitchell he wasn’t worried about Eddie Edwards as he was focused on Cage. He added machines can die, but legends live on forever.
• Backstage, Rich Swann and The Mack discussed what happened. Swann said he didn’t want to go down that road. He knows Sami and doesn’t want to get involved with him again.
• Josh Mathews was in the ring and brought out Taya Valkyrie and then Tessa. Taya said Tessa has been creative in retaining her championship, but she felt the Championship slipping away. At Homecoming, she will be all over her.  Taya’s only a challenger and a loser. Tessa did what she did to stay champion and will continue doing so.  Josh said, due to the situation, there will be an added stipulation, a guest referee, Gail Kim. Kim arrived, Tessa shut up and Taya was pleased. 

• Backstage, Tessa Blanchard was furious. She said she respects Kim, but she’ll run through her as well if she has to.
• Trey Miguel defeated Trevor Lee to qualify for the Ultimate X Match.
• Backstage, Fénix and Pentagon Jr. said that there shouldn’t be issues between them and LAX, but if there are, they can settle them in the ring. They only came to Impact Wrestling to show that they are the very best. 
• Dark Allie and Su Yung in a creepy video. Dark Allie said that Allie is no longer there and the end is the beginning and the beginning is the end. Su added the time has come. 

• Backstage, Konnan was still frustrated at LAX and said that Santana and Ortiz didn’t realize that The Lucha Brothers are coming to take their titles. Konnan says that they can deal with them on their own and he left. 
• Fénix w/ Pentagon Junior defeated Santana w/ Ortiz.
• Killer Kross was interviewed and said the writing is on the wall, Johnny Impact can’t do this on his own. Johnny arrived and said Kross was just trying to manipulate people and wanted nothing to do with him. Kross called him a half-assed husband. Johnny snapped on him, and Kross said that’s the guy that can beat Cage. Johnny told him again to stay away from him and Taya.
• Backstage, Kiera Hogan said that she realized that the old Allie is gone and all that is left was a soulless shell of what used to be Allie. Hogan said she was going to have her back to the end, but the end is here, and she’s ready to fight. The two will face off at Homecoming. 

• Eli Drake arrived at Shady Acres asylum and talked with Raven about Dreamer & Abyss. Drake wanted to see the man that inspired a generation who thought they were wrestlers. Drake said Raven is just waiting to die and he hoped he does so that generation can die along with him. Drake said he could adapt and beat Abyss at his own game. Drake told Raven to watch the match as he was escorted out.
• Jordynne Grace defeated Ruby Raze.
• Scarlett Bordeaux booked The Desi Hit Squad vs. Fallah Bahh & KM because she loves when men fight over her.
• Moose defeated Cage via DQ when Eddie Edwards attacked Moose. They brawled but Moose was able to escape from Eddie’s attack. The two will compete at Homecoming. 

The Nygma’s Nutcracker(s) of the Week

– Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Trey Miguel vs. Trevor Lee
Two weeks ago, we witnessed the debut of two-thirds of The Rascalz, in Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz. This week, Trey Miguel is making his debut against a former 3-time X-Division Champion, for a chance to become X-Division Champion. High stakes for a debut…
They locked up, working into some back and forth, with Miguel controlling early. They worked into counters, Miguel backflipped out of a German suplex, picked up the pace and connected with a hurricanrana. A dropkick sent Lee to the floor and Miguel followed with another hurricanrana.

Back in, Miguel headed up top, leapt over Lee and Lee cut him off with kicks and a backbreaker. Lee followed with chops and then tossed Trey across the ring. Miguel rallied with kicks, but Lee hit another backbreaker. Lee slapped him around, Miguel picked up the pace, hit a Pelé kick, and then a neckbreaker. Miguel headed up top, Lee cuts him off again but Miguel slipped out into a 619. The hurricanrana turned into a cradle connected and Miguel picked up the win.
I wish I could see more of them because it was a very good match. At the same time, Trevor Lee worths way more than that, he would have earned his spot in the Ultimate X match. But the 88th X-Division Champion is meant to be a first-time Champion.

– Moose vs. Brian Cage
You know I’m not a fan of big men matches. But Brian Cage is not a big man, he’s a Machine. So let’s take a look at what he can show us against Moose…
They collided right away, both trying to dominate. Moose hit a cheap shot and a shoulder tackle. Cage rallied and hit a dropkick and head scissors. Moose powdered, Cage followed and they brawled on the floor. Moose laid in chops, but Cage moved and Moose hit the post. Moose slammed Cage to the apron, and then whipped him to the barricade and followed with kicks. Cage quickly cut him off and hit an apron bomb. Back in the ring, Moose tripped him up and hit the corner dropkick. Moose connected with ground and pound, and laid in chops but was favouring his hand. He started whipping Cage to the buckles. Cage cut him off, but Moose quickly dropkicked him to the floor.

Moose whipped him to the barricades repeatedly and then rolled him back in. Cage picked up the pace and wiped out Moose with a tope. Back in, Cage ran into a boot but hit a spinebuster. Cage connected with strikes, enzuigiris, and a superkick but Moose hit the Go To Hell. Moose connected with the pop-up powerbomb and a Senton. Cage fired back and hit a marvel of a deadlift superplex. Moose bit Cage, they traded strikes and chops, Cage hit a knee strike, Moose hit a headbutt and the Game Changer, Cage his a discus clothesline and both men were down on the mat. Cage connected with a knee strike and a powerbomb, but Moose hit a spear. They worked to the floor but Eddie Edwards, wearing his hospital gown, attacked Moose. Moose and Eddie brawled, Eddie hit a suicide dive and ran wild with no shoes. Eddie grabbed his great friend Kenny and destroyed Moose with abdomen strikes and back strikes. Eddie tried to powerbomb Moose on the ramp but Moose run away.

– Santana w/ Ortiz vs. Fénix w/ Pentagon Jr
A little bird is telling me the World Tag Team Championship match is going to be a serious contender for the match of the night at Homecoming. Penta, Fénix, Santana and Ortiz are just fabulous wrestlers and death-defying maniacs.
They locked up, Santana laid in chops but Fénix countered the Lucha arm drag. Fénix then hit one, but Santana caught him with a springboard hurricanrana. Fénix went to the floor and Santana followed with a tope. Fénix fired back with kicks, and he then hit a springboard moonsault to the floor. Back in, Fénix headed up top, missed the Swanton and Santana quickly took over. They traded chops and strikes, and Santana hit the big uranage for 2. Fénix fired back, hit an enzuigiri and rolled it into a cutter.

Fénix hit a back fist, they worked into some counters, and Santana hit a gnarly reverse hurricanrana, but Fénix answered back a marvel of reverse hurricanrana. They started trading strikes, Fénix hit a head kick, Santana got hung into the ropes and Fénix hit the ropewalk kick. Santana hit a cutter, an alley-oop bomb and a sit-out powerbomb. Santana looked to go up top, Fénix cut him off and looked for the Black Fire Driver but Santana countered it into a cradle. After a spin kick, Fénix connected with the Black Fire Driver and got the win. Ortiz and Penta came to the ring and the 2 teams shook hands.

The not-Nygma’s Moment(s) of the Week (or the Nygma’s Broken Record Moment of the Week)

When The Desi Hit Squad met Scarlett Bordeaux, we reach the ultimate heights of numbness… Like Impact Wrestling quoted on Twitter, “Scarlett is like Beetlejuice. If you say her name often enough, she just appears out of thin air.” 

– Jordynne Grace
We understood she’s good and a brawler. But please, give her some valuable players to wrestle. Jordynne Grace deserves way more than that. 

The Nygma’s Award of the Week

– Dark Allie & Su Yung
Goodbye Allie, welcome Dark Allie… The pink bunny is dead, all hail the Psycho Bunny. Her segment this week was short but incredible. Just watch here, it’s wonderfully scary… 

– Eddie Edwards
A barefoot Crazy Eddie wearing a hospital gown beating up Moose with his friend Kenny. Just the fact of writing this sentence is completely nuts. I love the way Eddie Edwards is embodying his new character and has been pushing himself to these delirious limits. THIS is awesome…

– Gail Kim
I told you her appearance 2 weeks ago would lead us to something special at Homecoming. If I already knew, this week you had the answer. Gail Kim will be the special guest referee of the Knockouts Championship match. Will she favour Taya Valkyrie? Will she be fair-trade? Someone who built the Knockouts Division is definitely the good one to decide what it’s meant to become…

To be eNYGMAtic…

What an amazing episode! We had actions, talents, cinematic moments. But mostly, the PPV has taken a very interesting twist, thanks to this week’s events. Homecoming will be a great moment of wrestling, without any shadow of a doubt. By introducing Gail Kim, Konnan, Raven and many more in the equation, the matches could reach new heights. Because suddenly, everything is possible. We can also enjoy the fact the winner of the Ultimate-X match will be a first-time X-Division Champion, a fresh face for an eternal division. The December 20th and 27th episodes will be “Best of 2018” shows, so the equation will be complete on January 3, 2019. Homecoming is meant to be a must-see. Of course, I’ll be there until the end of the year, and in 2019, to tell you the tales of Impact Wrestling. On this very Nygma note, until next week, never EVER forget to stay #eNYGMAtic…

Impact Homecoming card (as of Saturday, December 15):

* Impact World Championship Match: Johnny Impact (c) vs. Brian Cage 

* Impact Knockouts Championship match: Tessa Blanchard (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie, with Gail Kim as special guest referee

* Impact World Tag Team Championship Match: LAX (Ortiz & Santana) (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Junior & Fénix)

* Ultimate X Match for the vacant X-Division Championship: Jake Crist vs. Ethan Page vs. Rich Swann vs. Trey Miguel

* Monster’s Ball Match: Abyss vs. Eli Drake

* Falls Count Anywhere Match: Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

* Singles Match: Dark Allie vs. Kiera Hogan

All pics, videos, and screenshots courtesy of Impact Wrestling. Photomontage by @frenchnygma exclusively for @steelchairmag.