Since the beginning of the year and Hard To Kill, finding a motto, a new road to follow in 2020, has been difficult to put into words. Impact Wrestling has moved forward so much, our 2019 motto, the company almost created a new identity for itself. Limits have been banned, the impossible has become possible. Now, the question is, what’s next, which barriers to break? Maybe that’s what we can explore week after week, PPV after PPV, all along this year.
On the menu this week, from Las Vegas, Nevada, Michael Elgin will square off with Eddie Edwards in the third match of the Best of 5 Series. Madison Rayne launched an open challenge with a golden opportunity. Josh Alexander will face off TJP. And the team of World Champion Tessa Blanchard, Tommy Dreamer and Trey will compete against Ace Austin and his acolytes, Reno Scum. So no more words, let’s get ready for some action, but your French Enygma Steph way, of course…

The Nygma’s Chart of the Week

• TJP w/ Fallah Bahh defeated Josh Alexander w/ Ethan Page.
• Johnny Swinger found Willie Mack and said that they both need to get their reps up. Mack agreed and thought they should do that in the ring. Swinger smelt some tag team chemistry between the two of them.
• Michael Elgin said he is ready to get that 3-0 in tonight’s match against Eddie Edwards. He recounted all of Edwards issues he’s had in Impact, including his controversial feuds with both Sami Callihan and Ace Austin. Elgin believed those were once Edwards’ nightmares. However, he wanted Edwards to view him as his new nightmare now.

• Willie Mack defeated Johnny Swinger.
• After some highlights of Jordynne Grace winning the Knockouts title last week, Madison Rayne made her way to the ring and mockingly praised Grace. She talked about all of her title reigns and said since she is so giving, she will help continue the legacy of the Knockouts division and announced her golden opportunity open challenge.
• Madison Rayne defeated Mazzerati.

• Backstage, Jordynne Grace told Gabby Loren that she has been wrestling since she was 14-years-old and winning the Knockouts Championship is something she has worked so hard for. She promised she’ll be a fighting champion and was looking forward to defending it against Havok at Sacrifice this weekend.
• John E. Bravo arrived and praised Taya. He aired a special video package for her. Taya ran down Bravo in the dressing room and he ran away claiming she loved the video. Taya said she will get that title back.
• Katie Forbes was not too happy with what people were saying about her online. Rob Van Dam cheered her up. He saw Daga and Wentz and joked about how he beat Daga. Daga came up to him and wanted to have a match. RVD didn’t want to do it until next week.

• Tessa Blanchard, Trey and Tommy Dreamer told Gabby Loren how they were preparing for their match. Dreamer answered by saying that they’re going to win clean and fair. Trey wanted to take out Austin since he wanted to bang his mom. Blanchard wished the better man to win, which might just be a woman.
• Eddie Edwards defeated Michael Elgin in the third match of the Best of 5 Series. Elgin 2- Eddie 1.
• Rhino defeated Dave Crist w/ Jake Crist. Moose was on commentary.

• Havok was looking everywhere for Father James Mitchell. She found a message that said, “Your time has come.”
• Chris Bey signed with Impact Wrestling and Gabby Loren was interrupted by a mysterious video, #RealityIsLost.
• Ace Austin & Reno Scum defeated Tessa Blanchard, Tommy Dreamer & Trey.

The Nygma’s Nutcracker(s) of the Week

– TJP vs Josh Alexander
They locked up and worked into counters as TJP grounded things. Josh fought back and took control, but TJP kipped up and made the ropes. TJP followed with head scissors, a dropkick and a RANA. Josh levelled him with a big boot and grounded him with elbow strikes. He followed with body shots, but TJP countered into an octopus hold. Josh cut him off with a back elbow, followed with grounded knee strikes and kept TJP grounded. TJP fought to his feet, fired back and countered into the octopus until Josh hit a backbreaker. He followed with a knee drop, strikes and chops. The running elbow connected, they worked up top and TJP countered. Josh followed with chops, took TJP up top and TJP countered into the rolling armbar.

Josh fought and TJP pulled him to the centre of the ring and then dumped Josh. The plancha followed, and back in, TJP hit a dropkick, a wrecking ball dropkick and headed up top. The senton missed, backbreaker by Josh and the sleeper followed, he swang him around and TJP countered for a kneebar but then followed with a Saito suplex. Josh cut him off and follows with a Three Seconds Around The World. He followed with strikes and kicks, TJP fired back as they traded. Spin kick by TJP, Josh cut him off with a German suplex. TJP rolled into the armbar, but Josh powered up and hit a backbreaker. He took TJP up top, followed him up and TJP countered into a superplex and an octopus hold. He transitioned to the kneebar and Josh made the ropes. Josh fired back, but TJP hit kicks. Josh countered the detonation kick and TJP pulled off the buckle pad to escape. He countered the sleeper into a cradle for the win.

– Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards – Match #3
They went at it right at the bell, trading, and Edwards followed with an overhead suplex and a suicide dive. Back in, Edwards hit the lariat and the Tiger Driver. Elgin counters back and hit a German suplex and a sliding lariat. Edwards to the apron, Elgin followed and hit an apron DVD. He followed with the back elbow, clubbing strikes but Edwards fought off a powerbomb until Elgin lit him up with strikes. Edwards fired back, they traded and Edwards was down. Edwards fought to his feet, they traded again and Edwards was down. Elgin talked shit, Edwards fired up and delivered strikes. He followed with chops, Elgin fired back and cut him off. He followed with clotheslines but Edwards cut him off and dumped him.

Elgin cut off the suicide dive with a forearm strike, looked to powerbomb him on the ramp but Edwards countered into a RANA. The Boston Knee Party followed, and back in, Edwards followed with the top rope double stomp. They traded, Elgin levelled him and hit the falcon arrow. The bucklebomb follows but Edwards countered into a cradle. Crossface by Elgin but Edwards countered out and hit a Boston knee party. Elgin hit a lariat, and another. They worked up top and Elgin looked for a burning hammer, but Edwards countered and they traded enzuigiris. Edwards followed Elgin back up, Elgin countered into a super bomb but Edwards countered into a cradle and picked up the win.

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

Honestly, nothing to say.

The Lollipop and Baby-Oil Nygmalicious Moment of The Week 

No Joey in Vegas! That’s a sin…

The Nygma’s Awards of the Week

– #RealityIsLost
Impact has been hijacked for a few weeks now by some mysterious vignettes with a QR code to scan, saying #RealityIsLost. I can’t help but think of a wrestler we haven’t seen on TV since Hard To Kill. A former World Champion who, in a previous life, was assuming the character of a hacker. I may be wrong, the best way for you to find out about is to check here or here.

.@GabbyLorenTV was going to tell you all about Sacrifice this Saturday but apparently whoever the hell @RealityIsLost is decided they were more important. #IMPACTonAXSTV pic.twitter.com/kTxTlP6xMv

— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) February 19, 2020

– Chris Bey
Like The Rascalz or Ace Austin before, Chris Bey worked some matches in the Impact Zone before being signed, mostly when Impact Wrestling was tapping in Las Vegas. Like I told you yesterday, as soon as the news broke, Bey, 24, is the charismatic, high-flying, “Ultimate Finesser.” He’s already an accomplished in-ring star and should, for sure, become very soon a serious contender for the X-Division title.

– The Gut Check Challenge
It will happen next week but I needed to refresh your minds before. Impact Wrestling once again decided to revive one of TNA’s classics. I don’t know what next week’s one will look like but in 2012 and 2013, it was a regular segment on Impact. Contestants wrestled a match against a TNA wrestler, after which their performance was evaluated by three judges. Contestants who received a “yes” from at least two of the judges were awarded a contract with TNA and sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling, TNA’s developmental territory, for further training. Joey Ryan, Brian Cage, Ivelisse or Adam Pearce took part in. In 2015, it became a One Night Only episode. Ten Gut Check participants competed in singles matches and tag matches against ten members of the active roster: if they would win, they would move on to compete in the main event match where the winner of that match earns an appearance on the next live Impact Wrestling. Shaun Ricker, aka Eli Drake, Davey Richards, EC3, Dalton Castle and DJZ, to name a few, were involved in this show. Again, what will happen next week? I don’t know…

To be eNYGMAtic…

I liked this episode. TJP and Fallah Bahh are pretty unexpected contenders for the Impact World Tag Team Championship but last week and this week’s matches proved TJP and Bahh could make it. Su Yung is back and she made Havok know about. Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards again had one hell of a great match. The Tessa/Ace feud should find an end this weekend at Sacrifice, so we’ll be able to know who will face Tessa at Rebellion. The #RealityIsLost mystery should be revealed soon.
To reach the end of a chapter, you have to go one page after another. Even if some of you may have read what I will not tell you here, taking the time to build up Rebellion may be what’s best for Impact Wrestling right now. Two months is a long time and nothing at the same time, so let’s move on one question mark after another. On this “Nygma Is A Reader” note, until next week, never EVER forget to stay #eNYGMAtic…

All pics, videos, and screenshots courtesy of Impact Wrestling and AXS TV. Photocollage custom made by @frenchnygma exclusively for @steelchairmag.