Impact recap & reactions (July 20, 2023): Nick Aldis & Eric Young cross paths to honor tradition

Slammiversary was full of title changes and returns. Thursday night’s episode of Impact Wrestling (July 20, 2023) set the table for directions moving forward. Some were obvious, like Josh Alexander chasing the world championship and Kushida wanting to cash in his X-Division title shot. Some were more of a mystery, such as where do Nick Aldis and Eric Young go from here.

It turns out that Aldis and Young will be intertwined at least for the content from the latest TV taping session. Young was fresh off returning from the dead as Scott D’Amore’s mystery partner to triumph over Bully Ray and Deaner at Slammiversary. Aldis felt the sting of defeat when Alex Shelley pinned him to successfully retain the Impact World Championship.

Young spoke with Gia Miller about his future in Impact. He has a story to tell addressing his past in due time. Even though Young loves history, he also appreciates change and evolution. Aldis entered the scene looking for an ally in his war against the cretins trying to change the business. He wants to save Impact from being run into the ground. Young clarified that he hasn’t stated what his mission is or what direction he will be heading. Young hinted at a singles match, and Aldis picked up on it. Aldis cordially agreed to wrestle Young next week.

Aldis and Young have been teammates and enemies over the years. They joined together in the World Elite and also feuded over the world title. Their last singles duel in Impact was in 2014, so revisiting this matchup is a long time coming. How that contest unfolds should be telling for both men moving forward.

Let’s blitz through the rest of the results from Impact Wrestling.

Scott D’Amore opened the show. He was back in power as president of Impact. The Good Hands interrupted to call D’Amore a coward for conveniently hiding behind his authority role when they still wanted a piece of him. D’Amore answered by booking them in a match against Rich Swann and Sami Callihan.

Rich Swann & Sami Callihan defeated Good Hands. The Ohio boys handled business with combo offense and a teamwork slam for victory.

Ace Austin and Chris Bey were annoyed that the Rascalz interfered in their match at Slammiversary resulting in losing the tag titles. Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz entered the scene flapping their gums. ABC threw fists. Security broke it up. D’Amore told ABC to get ready for their title rematch, and he ejected the Rascalz from the arena. Enter Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice. Swingman thought he was getting a raw deal with the task of earning 50 wins to be rewarded with a world title shot, especially since he was still at zero. D’Amore acquiesced and told Swinger that if he wins his next match then he’ll get the shot. That match would be Swinger versus Dice next week. Oh, one more thing. The loser will get fired.

Jake Something defeated Kevin Knight. Jake is back in Impact to make a statement. He did just that against Knight. This matchup was power versus athleticism. Knight scored a lot of nifty moves, but Jake delivered a swinging side slam in the end for victory.

Courtney Rush defeated Savannah Evans. Gisele Shaw and Jai Vidal were being pests, so Jessicka rammed Shaw into the ring post and Jody Threat carried Vidal to the back over her shoulder. Rush struck with a spear to win. Later backstage, Shaw bumped into MK Ultra, and Threat dropped Jai on the floor like a sack of potatoes. Jai shivered in fear.

Trinity came to Impact to win the Knockouts Championship. She achieved that dream. Now, the real work begins to keep the title and establish her legacy in Impact.

The Coven felt cheated when losing the Knockouts tag titles to MK Ultra. They are coming to take the belts back from Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly. First, the Coven will have to make a statement next week against Trinity and Dani Luna.

Jonathan Gresham pointed out the lack of rules in the X-Division. He has spent his career trying to usher in honor and respect to the ring. Gresham teased that perhaps Impact is not the place for him. (Full details here.)

Dango defeated Santino Marella. As Santino was ready to strike with the Cobra, a mystery person entered the area wearing riot gear to snatch the Cobra. Dango took advantage to shove Santino colliding into the intruder’s helmet. Dango scored a roll-up to win. The secret was revealed to be John E. Bravo in cahoots with Dango. (Full details here.)

Alisha Edwards sassed Traci Brooks, so a fight broke out.

Impact World Tag Team Championship: Subculture retained against ABC. This was an energetic match with lots of action. ABC were screwed in the finish when the Rascalz barged in to physically interfere. Subculture had no hand in that, but they did benefit for victory to pin Chris Bey on a roll-up without Ace Austin available to help.

Josh Alexander hosted the main event segment to announce that he is 100% medically cleared to compete. The juices of competition flowed, and Alex Shelley accepted the challenge for the Impact World Championship. Lio Rush interrupted to remind them that he might want to use Option C. Kushida entered demanding to cash in his X-Division title shot before Rush can use Option C. Bully Ray entered on stage as a distraction for Moose and Brian Myers to attack the babyfaces from behind. Rush chose not to join in on the bad deeds. The show closed in chaos with Bully, Moose, and Myers standing tall. (Full details here.)

Impact did well for a fallout show after Slammiversary to hash out the stories moving forward. There were a lot of first steps, so it isn’t exactly clear how the landscape will shake out just yet. Subculture and ABC had the most exciting match of the show, even though, shenanigans sullied the ending. I liked seeing Santino wrestle more seriously using his judo skills. The man himself is too entrenched in the Santino character to ever be seen differently, so this was a nice combination of the two. Kevin Knight’s athleticism continues to impress. The same for Jake Something’s power.

Share your thoughts on the latest episode of Impact Wrestling.