Prince’s The Day After: Impact Wrestling Under Siege 2022

Good day to the readers! Prince Osborne back again with the next addition to my series, The Day After, this time from one of the dedicating promotions of the year I’ve seen so far, Impact Wrestling as they went Under Siege five days ago.

The Countdown Show

Tag Team Match: Heath & Rhino vs. Raj Singh & Shera

Heath & Rhino def. Raj Singh & Shera (Rhino pinned Raj Singh) at 6:29

An acceptable tag match that had a standard layout and worked well. Heath & Rhino ushering back to the title scene piques interest more towards the tag division. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars!

Three Way Match: Rich Swann vs. Laredo Kid vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey

Rich Swann def. Laredo Kid by pin fall at 7:56

A tremendous sprint here between three of the best the X-Division has to offer. Laredo as a part-time X-Division sensation is amazing, Swann returning to his roots and winning this bout is great but we have to give it to Speedball who is having a blast of his lifetime since stepping inside Impact. He is nothing but a splendid mashup of a high-flyer and a aggressive beast. X-Division matches recently never cease to amaze me and this bout was no different. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

The Main Show:

Singles Match: Gisele Shaw w/Alisha Edwards vs. Madison Rayne w/Tenille Dashwood

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Gisele Shaw won by pin-fall at 7:15

For the first time since her arrival to Impact, Gisele Shaw impressed me very much here defeating a legendary Knockout in Madison Rayne. The work was smoothly done while the shenanigans were kept on point. Gisele bringing a seemingly face turn and teaming with Alisha is a nice shift for both and a nice boost to the tag division of the Knockouts. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars!

Singles Match: Chris Sabin vs. Steve Maclin

Chris Sabin won by pin fall at 13:22

Such a fantastic sprint here between two of the hottest stars of Impact currently. Sabin still proves to the world that he could give a barnburner while Maclin’s rise to the upper echelon of Impact’s rich roster is a great build so far which makes clear that this loss doesn’t hinder or budge the momentum Maclin has right now. He gave a fantabulous fight to Maclin throughout and wowed the crowd again. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Singles Match for the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship: Taya Valkyrie (C) vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Taya Valkyrie won by pin-fall at 10:08

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The best match out of the trilogy they had and a better rematch from Rebellion. Both have pretty good chemistry here with Deonna showing a sense of urgency to reclaim the title. Taya is someone I wish to be a great wrestler but her career throughout has been on a “on-off” pattern. So I wish she gets the best run with the title now. The finish wasn’t the best option but could’ve executed it better. Mia Yim’s return hypes me up for her run here as I’m glad that she’s not another addition to AEW. She has been here before and it feels right to see Mia back in her place. Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars!

Singles Match for the X-Division Championship: Ace Austin (C) vs. Trey Miguel

Ace Austin won by pin-fall at 13:03

Another fantastic encounter from the X-Division roster between a newly crowned champion and a very equivalent challenger. The chemistry was excellent and the tensions were palpable which led to a thought where Miguel could eventually pull off the upset but Austin outnumbered the former champion and started his run with a strong defence. Austin being billed as one of the BOSJ tourney combatants adds nothing but prestige to Impact as well as himself and this win brings a different kind of momentum with him ahead of the epic Japanese tournament. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars!

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Ten Man Tag Team Match: Bullet Club (Jay White, Chris Bey, El Phantasmo, Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Kenny King, Vincent, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett

Honor No More def. Bullet Club (Mike Bennett pinned Karl Anderson) at 18:20

This was a chaotic, fun brawl that spilled all over the place as expected when Bullet Club is involved in multi-man action. But, it’s not contrived as usual. I think Eddie Edwards wasn’t showcased well here being the leader of HNM. Other than that, the other nine men had bright spots to shine especially White, Phantasmo, Taven & Vincent. The ending gave a nice call-back to the days of New Japan and HNM winning cements their place more stronger in Impact as a diabolic unit. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

Singles Match for the Knockouts World Championship: Tasha Steelz (C) vs. Havok

Tasha Steelz won by pin fall at 10:25

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Another solid defence by Steelz against the menacing Havok that solidified her run to the next level. This match proved that Steelz can go at it clean as a slate without any help from the outsiders. Havok gave a tough run for Steelz but it as the latter who stood tall with all the momentum. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars!

Tag Team Match for the Impact World Tag Team Championships: Violent by Design (Eric Young & Deaner) (C) w/Joe Doering vs. The Briscoes (Mark Briscoe & Jay Briscoe)

The Briscoes def. Violent by Design (Jay Briscoe pinned Deaner) at 11:16

This was a fantastic old school tag team bout between two of the prominent teams Impact has right now. The Briscoes are a legendary team without a shadow of doubt and Violent by Design gave a really competitive fight here. EY & Deaner surprisingly competed here which is a rare combination from VBD but I prefer EY & Doering than this and Doering & Deaner. The winning moment was one of the greatest Impact moments of the year already as the crowd were extremely raucous for Dem Boys becoming Dem Champs. Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars!

Singles Match for the Impact World Championship: Josh Alexander (C) vs. Tomohiro Ishii

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Josh Alexander won by pin fall at 23:31

A blistering heavyweight war between an icon of Japanese wrestling and a juggernaut of North American wrestling. Alexander fought extremely hard to reach the position of being a World Champion so it takes more than a step above on what he did to keep that position. This match clearly tells the hard reality of the aforementioned fact that no matter who steps up, Alexander WILL FIGHT his life out and be the face of Impact! This match felt so special not only because of Ishii’s tenacious effort here but also the diligent nature of Alexander heading here hours after escaping from a catastrophic vehicular crash. God bless him! Now, the match itself was what you could’ve expected – a flabbergasting fight with scintillating strike exchanges and tremendous display of technicality. The crowd was darn rowdy and had Ishii’s back more than Josh’s. Even though there was the littlest to nil chance of Ishii winning, he gave THE launchpad for Alexander to usher in as one of the greatest stars Impact has ever seen. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Overall Match Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars Overall Show Rating: 9 out of 10 points

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Final Verdict

Impact is giving their PPVs a special feel this year & Under Siege is no different from that mentality. It was a home run from the countdown show till the end of the night! Alexander vs. Ishii was a thing of beauty and my Match of the Night while Sabin vs. Maclin was a breakthrough performance for Maclin and Austin vs. Miguel rocked hard as expected from the X-Division. Those two are the up & close contenders for the MOTN position.