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Impact Wrestling Recap – Best of 2020, Match of the Year, and More

You know, a lot of people would have trouble coming up with enough good things about 2020 to have even one best-of show, but Impact Wrestling proves once again it's the most optimistic wrestling promotion by splitting their year-end 2020 best-of show into two parts!

I'm Jude Terror and this is The Shovel, and you would think I would have better things to do than recap a wrestling clip show, but the thing is, coming from the world of comic book "journalism" to the realm of pro wrestling "journalism," I bring that fanatical sense of completionism that drives all comic book collectors.

Impact Wrestling Recap for Tuesday, December 29th, 2020

A memorial graphic for Brodie Lee. Scott D'Amore and Josh Matthews once again host this episode from an abandoned mall's Christmas fireplace display. They get right to talking about how exciting the upcoming Hard to Kill PPV will be with Kenny Omega there. This segues into a video package about Impact's 2020 Slammiversary PPV and all the laid-off WWE midcarders that arrived that night, followed by some commercials.

Willie Mack shares his New Years' Resolution: just keep doing what he's doing. That's not a resolution, Willie! Scott D'Amore says his New Years' resolution is to be nicer to Josh Matthews… NOT! Give him hell, Scott. Matthews changes the subject to shill for Willie Mack vs. Moose at Genesis and then we get our first Best of 2020 match of the night: Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin at Rebellion.

After some commercials, Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz name winning the Knockouts Tag Team Championships as their New Years' resolution. Then Deonna Purrazo cuts a promo on Taya Valkyrie and accepts her challenge. Scott D'Amore makes it official for Hard to Kill.

After some commercials, Rich Swann sings that his resolution for 2021 is to beat Elias in album sales and get Impact Wrestling high. Josh Matthews and Scott D'Amore talk about the card for next week's Impact. CK Navarro vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Blake Christian vs. Ace Austin will give us a preview of the Super X cup coming at Genesis. Rhino and Cousin Jake will take on Eric Young and Joe Doering. Jordynne Grace and Jazz will face Havok and Neveah in the last semifinal match of the Knockouts Tag Team Championship tournament. Moose will face Matthew Palmer in a three minute challenge where Palmer simply needs to show he can last three minutes in the ring with Moose. Sami Callihan will finally end his rivalry with Eddie Edwards (for now). Kenny Omega, Don Callis, and the Good Brothers will be on Impact on January 5th as well. Then we see a video package celebrating Rich Swann's 2020.

After more commercials, Jordynne Grace shares her New Years' resolution, which is to respond to people on Twitter less, and I think Grace is the only person so far to take this prompt seriously. Also, responding to people less on Twitter is a great idea and everyone should do it, and even go further and just delete the app from their phones. Scott D'Amore and Josh Matthews talk up the return of the Motor City Machine Guns to Impact, leading to the second Best of 2020 match of the night, The Motor City Machine Guns vs. The North on Impact for the Impact Tag Team Championships.

Josh Matthews and Scott D'Amore tease Impact stars showing up in AEW, which will presumably have to wait until after this week's Brodie Lee tribute show. Johnny Swinger wishes Bill Watts down in Tulsa a Happy New Years for his New Years resolution. Acey Romero interrogates Crazzy Steve, hoping to clear Larry D's name in the shooting of John E. Bravo. He asks if Steve's Daredevil powers helped him see who shot Bravo in the dark. Steve says his bat sonar kicked in and he heard scuttlebutt, but it was from the groom's side, not the bride's side. He suggests Romero chat with Johnny Swinger. After Steve leaves, Romero finds Tommy Dreamer's Sherlock Holmes hat. Then we see a video recap of Wrestle House, something that annoyed me at first but ended up being one of the best parts of Impact in 2020.

After yet more commercials, we see Manik defeating Rohit Raju for the X-Division Championship. Manik defends the belt against Chris Bey and Raju at Hard to Kill. Now more commercials.

Brian Myers claims he doesn't make New Years' resolutions because he's the best he can be all the time. Then we watch Ken Shamrock's induction into the Impact Hall of Fame from Bound for Glory again.

After some commercials, Eddie Edwards claims he too does not make New Years' resolutions because he's always trying to be better. Then we see the Impact World Championship match from Slammiversary this year. Turns out that's the match of the year on Impact, so Eddie Edwards (who won the match) gives an acceptance speech. Josh Matthews and Scott D'Amore say goodnight and that's the end of Impact Wrestling in 2020.

Final Thoughts on Impact Wrestling for 2020

I returned to watching Impact this year after a long hiatus, nearly a ten-year hiatus as a matter of fact, and I'm glad I did. It was the pandemic and a switch from covering comics to covering wrestling that got me watching, but I was pleased to see Impact has mostly left the stink of the worst parts of the TNA era behind it.

In addition to delivering a lot of great matches and some entertaining television, even innovating a bit with stuff like Wrestle House, Impact also kept producing content throughout the year with zero fans in attendance, even after AEW and WWE both found other solutions. I'm looking forward to fans returning to Impact in 2021 (hopefully), but I do applaud their commitment to safety in the industry.

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