IMPACT Wrestling witnessed the departure of several big names in 2016. Kurt Angle bid farewell to his longtime home during the promotion’s tour of England. Eric Young and Bobby Roode also followed in the Olympic Gold Medalist’s footsteps.
The top brass also saw a reshuffling of sorts as Smashing Pumpkin frontman Billy Corgan became IMPACT Wrestling’s president in August. Dixie Carter, on the other hand, positioned herself as chairwoman and chief strategy officer.
Despite these major changes behind the scenes, the promotion produced several stellar matches featuring the likes of Drew Galloway and Bobby Lashley. Let’s take a look at some of the best IMPACT Wrestling TV matches of 2016:
Kurt Angle vs. Drew Galloway – February 9
Kurt Angle’s IMPACT Wrestling farewell tour is an interesting chapter in both the promotion and the performer’s history. The Olympic Hero’s body was broken by the team he embarked on his farewell tour.
Angle chose Drew Galloway (aka McIntyre) to be one of his final opponents. They collided on the IMPACT tapings in England. Angle was no longer the wrestling in this match, but still put up a decent fight against the much younger and stronger Galloway.
The spots and drama are definitely up for the sheer lack of in-ring psychology in this match. Both McIntyre and Angle would ultimately end up in WWE as two of the hottest comebacks of the post-2016 brand split era.
Kurt Angle vs. Lashley – IMPACT Wrestling #608
Kurt Angle’s late career matches aren’t exactly the best. The Hall of Famer has seen better days. That being said, he gave many memorable moments to IMPACT Wrestling fans and got to leave on his own terms.
His match against Lashley turned out to be the former multi-time, multi-promotion champion’s farewell match in the IMPACT Zone. This was a varying combination of power, speed, and agility – with shades of mat wrestling from both men.
Ethan Carter III vs. Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy (IMPACT World Title Match – March 15)
Matt Hardy’s IMPACT Wrestling run is arguably the best run of his singles career. The former tag team specialist had singles success to a varying degree in WWE. He joined IMPACT and cemented himself as a bona fide heel – thanks to his character work.
Fans wanted Hardy to pay for his arrogance in this three-way against his brother Jeff and the charismatic EC3. However, they didn’t anticipate the many twists and turns this crazy bout brought with itself.
Ethan Carter III vs. Mike Bennett – Pinfall or Submission Only Match
EC3 had been virtually unstoppable prior to his meeting with “The Miracle” Mike Bennett. The former ROH star arrived in the IMPACT Zone along with his wife, Maria Kanellis. Bennett quickly made an impression over the then-World Champion EC3.
The duo delivered one of the best IMPACT Wrestling TV matches of 2016. The pinfall or submission-only stipulation made their work harder, but The Miracle managed to give the Top One Percent his first loss in IMPACT Wrestling.
Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy (The Final Deletion – June 15)
This match had the wrestling world talking when it first aired on Pop TV in June 2016. The Final Deletion was the first time I came across the spectacle known as a cinematic match. Everything from the presentation to sound effects to acting was perfectly executed.
The in-ring action was solid as well. Both Hardys demonstrated the moves that made them the talk of the wrestling world in the first place. IMPACT Wrestling really produced a masterpiece with The Final Deletion that even prompted WWE to try their hands on this lore.
