[2018-10-14-Impact-Bound For Glory] Austin Aries vs Johnny Impact

[Superstar Sleeze]

Impact World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries vs Johnny Impact - Bound for Glory 2018

So who had these two down for best shoot-style brawl of the 2010s? Anybody? Anybody? I love both dudes. I have been banging the Morrison drum for a while, but I thought this was his more visceral, pugnacious performance yet. The fucking wacky shoot ending is unprofessional as fuck and Aries is a massive prick for doing it, but it does add to bizarrely shoot-y nature of the match. It turns into more of a spectacle and Aries' rationale for it in an Instagram Live interview is all the more ridiculous, but first the match. 

The first five minutes of this match are absolutely killer. IT FEELS LIKE A FIGHT! Fancy that! Struggle, grappling, nasty, dirty. Pro Wrestling fans like me and a lot of people who will read this have become desensitized. Aries had insulted Morrison's wife, Taya who was also ringside. Morrison responded in kind by wrestling this match as a fight and being all fired up. It made the story more real. It was not just pretend oh let me watch these two dudes do pretty moves to each other. They went after it tooth & nail. The way Aries hooked in the Guillotine Choke and they tussled. They really ratcheted up the aggression It looked so good. They had a great slap exchange and they were just wailing on each other.  Morrison's strikes were on point especially his elbows. Watch how Morrison hits that plancha to the outside. It was not Aries standing around, Morrison just dove on him. I thought when Morrison leapfrogged Aries on the outside and did a split leg on the apron & railing only to do a Pele Kick was his best, most impactful use of Parkoor ever. I liked how Aries took advantage time and time again when Morrison started going for too many flying/gymnast moves. Aries was wrestling a meat & potatoes style. I love how Aries chops so damn good. There's a great moment where Aries rifles him with a kick and Morrison steps up and clobbers him. It felt so damn real.  Aries was a great heel. Taya had a perfect moment when Aries was taunting her, the way she screamed Fuck You and flipped off felt like a shoot I loved it. 

After getting cut off going for springboards, Morrison returns the favor as he rocks with an elbow as Aries was going for his full speed suicide dive. Springboard Corkscrew for Morrison and he hits his Tidal Wave kick as he finally earned those moves. I did think the following section not only dragged but departed from what made the match great, which was this hate-filled, pugnacious shoot-style so going for Spanish Flys and all that jazz took me out of it. 

When they started fighting on the apron, they got me back and form the Apron Death Valley Driver on this match just rocked. Aries hits a picture perfect 450 Splash for two. The Running Dropkick, which is the set up to the Brainbuster meets feet and Starship Pain gets two as Aries grabs the ropes. This leads to Aries rocking with a Roaring Elbow, Big Dropkick and Brainbuster but Morrison gets the ropes. Good symmetry there. With a nearfall a piece, you know the end is night. Last Chancery! Morrison makes the ropes, I wish Taya was exhorting her husband on camera would have made for a good visual. Aries was staring a hole into Taya. I would have liked some taunt. A fuck you or suck it would have been massive heel heat and I am surprised Aries didnt got for that. Great slugfest and Aries just out of nowhere just runs full steam ahead and wipes Taya the fuck out! Morrison is livid and beats the tar out of Aries. I would have liked him to show more concern for his wife and also not take so long to beat Aries because you know your wife just wiped out, but that's a nitpick. Morrison hits Aries brainbuster and Starship Pain. 

Aries pops right up, starts flipping off the crowd (turns out he was flipping off Don Callis), and walks out. Morrison clearly says "Are you fucking kidding me?". 

So what the hell happened. Aries had a 45 minute conversation with Killer Kross who was ringside along with Moose as Aries' flunkies, but never got involved. I did not listen to 45 minute conversation because I have better things to do but if someone did and I got the details wrong please lemme know. Basically Aries was working on like the last day on his contract for this show and he was in the midst of negotiations in the run up to the show. Morrison makes a short joke. In fairness, my Dad is 5' 6" like some dudes do take that shit seriously like my Dad. I am 6' so I know not to do that around him for instance. Aries comes up with this tweet that's ok to make fun of short people but not other protected classes like race, handicapped, sexual orientation or weight and basically how come it is ok to make fun of short people. In the middle the tweet, he calls Morrison out for having a "gay look" and called Taya "husky". I think we can argue until we are blue in the face about what heels can or cannot say. I do think there is a line. I don't think he crossed it here. He was a heel. He was not going to glorified for these comments. He was going to be shamed and beaten. So I do agree with him. Morrison & Taya agreed to the tweet and said they would sell it on TV, but were cool with as a shoot. Regardless of my feelings or Aries' or Morrison's or Taya's, Don Callis did not agree and ordered the tweet be taken down. Aries got pissed. I think this is where Aries is in the wrong. Your boss disagrees with you creatively sorry man, but just drop it. It is not like tweet was going to draw thousands and thousands of fans or millions of dollars. I know it is a principle point of as a heel I should be able to do heelish things, you gotta sallow your pride. We all do. Aries concocted this shoot finish to drum up some controversy. Let's be real, his feelings were hurt, he felt wrong and he wanted to lash out at Callis and fucking ruin the moment. He was a fucking asshole. His rationale was hilarious. Stating that Starship Pain is a weak move and would never knock a man out that long and when Connor MacGregor loses he does not stay around long. He also added it was his own Brainbuster (because no one else has ever done a Brainbuster) is why he lost not Starship Pain. What a loon. On top of that, he begins the conversation talking about protecting the business. Hate to break it to you but this finish did just the opposite of that. Just call a spade a spade, your feelings were hurt, you felt wronged and you lashed at the biggest possible moment to say Fuck You to Callis and ruin his main event of the biggest night of the year and Morrison/Taya were collateral damage. So fuck you Aries. 

Killer match though. ****1/2