Sami Callihan def. Trevor LeeBetween facing Ethan Page last week and taking on Callihan this week, it looks like Lee is officially a babyface. I don't know what he did to officially turn, though. At any rate, this was a fun little match that allowed Callihan to maintain momentum and to set up the post-match angle that saw Cage confront Callihan. I'm looking forward to their eventual one-on-one clash for the Impact X-Division Championship. Impact World Tag Team Champions LAX def. The Heavenly Bodies (Non-title)According to the commentators, The Heavenly Bodies were a part of a recent IMPACT One Night Only pay-per-view, but I didn't watch it, so this was my introduction to them. They scored way more offense than I thought it would, but that's not a bad thing. They looked real good in defeat and it was an enjoyable encounter on the whole. Based off a backstage segment from later on in the night, Matt Sydal and Page appear to be LAX's next championship challengers.
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Toni Storm def. Meiko Satomura in a Semifinal MatchThe clash of styles here was perfect considering Satomura is such a seasoned veteran while Storm is still new to the game of wrestling yet has shown incredible potential in her few years on the scene. Putting those two things together made for an amazing affair that the crowd was heavily invested in from start to finish. I also loved how they gradually picked up the pace as they went along and the second half in particular was just fantastic. Their signature spots have been established nicely over the course of the tournament, so the fans in attendance popped huge when each of them kicked out of the other's finisher. Storm looked like an absolute star in victory here and Satomura proved once again that she remains among the best women's wrestlers in the world. What a match. Io Shirai def. Rhea Ripley in a Semifinal MatchSimilar to Storm, Ripley hasn't been doing this for very long, and likely even less than she has, so it's super impressive how she has been able to come into her own so quickly. After all, she showed signs of promise in in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, but her evolution as a character over the last year has been something to behold. Despite her defeat to Shirai, she has a very bright future ahead of her, and there's no questioning how tremendously talented Shirai is. This was another extremely entertaining match that was certainly worthy of taking place in the semifinals.
EC3 def. Adam ColeWith Bobby Fish returning from injury, Undisputed Era is officially back in full force. I liked Adam Cole's promo that started off the show as well as the enjoyable encounter between Cole and EC3 that followed. It had a nice pace and was honestly one of the better bouts I've seen EC3 in since his coming to NXT. He was long overdue for a victory, so that was refreshing. Considering he was attacked by Undisputed Era afterward, it's possible he'll be added to the likely WarGames II main event alongside War Raiders, Ricochet and/or Pete Dunne. Mia Yim def. AliyahAlthough this was billed as Yim's NXT TV debut, she actually appeared on NXT TV before years ago in a quick squash against Charlotte Flair. Of course, she has come a long way since then and her spot on the NXT roster is well-deserved. However, I wasn't a fan of Aliyah dominating a majority of this match. I understood what they were going for, but this should have been a better showcase for Yim that didn't make it look like she was inferior to someone who has mainly been positioned as an enhancement talent.
Jake Strong def. Aerostar, Dante Fox, King Cuerno, Big Bad Steve, PJ Black and Hernandez in a Seven to Survive Match to Win the Gift of the Gods ChampionshipI really like it when Lucha Underground devotes an entire episode to just one match. It makes it feel special and allows the action to breathe a bit, especially when there are as many competitors involved as there were here. All seven stars had their time to shine and I largely agreed with the order of the eliminations. It was smart to get a guy such as Hernandez out early, while leaving the likes of Aerostar, Cuerno and Fox in there until the end. It was an exciting affair on the whole, though I can't say I'm a fan of the aggressive push Strong is getting. I wasn't surprised he won the title, but he simply isn't an interesting future Lucha Underground Championship challenger to me as of now. Overall ShowAs noted, it's cool when the full hour of Lucha Underground is taken up by one match. You can't do that all the time, but on occasion, it's a treat. This was a fun multi-man match that I'm glad had a show dedicated to it instead of it being shoehorned into Ultima Lucha 4, which is already stacked. Speaking of Ultima Lucha 4, the two-part season finale kicks off next week and I'm extremely excited for it. If past installments have been any indication, it should be a blast.
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