Five Point Recap: Redemption 2018

I’m still not entirely sure what they’re being redeemed from. Sunday night, Impact Wrestling presented their first traditional pay per view in nearly six months with the first Redemption pay per view. The show was several months in the making but at the same time, only had a few weeks to set up their main event due to the Alberto El Patron no showing an event and subsequently being fired from the company. So what went down on their big night?

In case you want the long form, here are the full results.

1. Pentagon Jr. defeated champion Austin Aries and Fenix to become the new Impact Wrestling World Champion.

This was the match added to the card after El Patron walked out. It was a rematch from the WrestleMania weekend Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground main event, which Pentagon Jr. won as well. This was the first match for both Pentagon Jr. and Fenix at an Impact Wrestling event.

It had a rather hot start.

Aries/Pentagon/Fenix LIGHT IT UP in Redemption Main Event | IMPACT Wrestling Redemption Highlights

2. Eli Drake and Scott Steiner defeated LAX to come the World Tag Team Champions.

Steiner was Drake’s replacement partner in his Feast or Fired briefcase cash-in match after Chris Adonis walked out on the promotion. The win makes Steiner a twelve time World Tag Team Champion (six in NWA/WCW, two in WWF, two in New Japan Pro Wrestling and two in TNA/Impact Wrestling) with his most recent reign coming back in 2009 with Booker T. This is Drake’s first reign with the titles.

Welcome home?

Scott Steiner Returns to an IMPACT Ring LIVE at Redemption! | IMPACT Wrestling Redemption Highlights

3. Tessa Blanchard debuted.

Blanchard, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Tully Blanchard, made her debut on commentary during the Taya Valkyrie vs. Kiera Hogan match. She came out as a surprise about a minute into the match and talked about her wrestling pedigree, claiming it was better than Valkyrie’s or anyone else’s in the Knockouts division. No in-ring debut date has been announced.

Another name never hurt anything.

Tessa Blanchard Debuts at Redemption! | IMPACT Wrestling Redemption Highlights

4. Allie and Matt Sydal retained their titles.

Knockouts Champion Allie and X-Division Champion Matt Sydal both held onto their titles by defeating Su Yung and Petey Williams respectively. Allie retained by reversing Yung’s Panic Switch into a sunset flip while Sydal held onto his title with a rollup after his shooting star press hit knees. Both reigns began on the March 8 episode of Impact Wrestling.

Two retain, two lose.

Braxton Sutter Gets Involved in Allie's Match vs Su Yung | IMPACT Wrestling Redemption Highlights

5. Impact Wrestling returns to pay per view in July.

Late in the show, commentators Josh Matthews and Don Callis announced that the promotion’s next pay per view will be Slammiversary XVI, taking place on July 22 at the Rebel Complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This is the first time the event will be held in Canada and the first time it has taken place outside of the United States.

It sounds better than Headlockaversary.

Slammiversary XVI PPV Location REVEALED

Opinion: The show was certainly eventful with two title changes, even if you’re not in agreement with what took place. It’s a good sign that they already have another show set up for the summer rather than waiting another six months until Bound For Glory rolls around. The main event is worth checking out and has a bit of a surprise ending so check the show out it you have time.

Did you like the show? Which title change surprised you more? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his Amazon author page with 26 wrestling books. His latest book is the WWE Grab Bag.

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