Genesis (2021)
The 2021 Genesis was a professional wrestling event produced by Impact Wrestling and the 12th edition in the Genesis chronology. It took place on January 9, 2021, at Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and aired exclusively on Impact Plus.
| Genesis (2021) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Promotional poster | |||
| Promotion | Impact Wrestling | ||
| Date | January 9, 2021 | ||
| City | Nashville, Tennessee | ||
| Venue | Skyway Studios | ||
| Attendance | 0 (behind closed doors)[Note 1] | ||
| Impact Plus Monthly Specials chronology | |||
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| Genesis chronology | |||
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Nine matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Willie Mack defeated Moose in an "I Quit" Match. In other prominent matches, Jordynne Grace defeated Jazz and Ace Austin defeated Blake Christian to win the 2021 Super X Cup Tournament.
Production edit
Background edit
In 2013, Impact Wrestling (then known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) discontinued monthly pay-per-view events in favor of the pre-recorded One Night Only events. Genesis was produced as a PPV from 2005 to 2013, but in 2014, Genesis was televised as an Impact Wrestling television special until 2018. On December 12, 2020, it was revived as a monthly special for Impact Plus, with that year's event taking place on December 12 at Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.[1][2]
Storylines edit
The event featured professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.[3]
A main feature of the show was the 2021 Super X Cup tournament,[4] which has been sporadically held in Impact Wrestling since the company's formation in 2002. The winner will receive the Super X Cup trophy, and winning the Super X Cup has historically been portrayed as a stepping stone to becoming a top contender for the Impact Wrestling X Division Championship. On the December 21 episode of Impact, the brackets were revealed.[5] Competitors included Impact stars (Ace Austin, Cousin Jake, Crazzy Steve, Daivari, and Suicide) and independent wrestlers (Blake Christian, KC Navarro, and Tre Lamar).
At Turning Point, Willie Mack defeated self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Champion Moose by disqualification after Moose repeatedly landed forearm shots on an unconscious Mack after the match.[6] The two have been in a feud that included Mack's best friend, Impact World Champion Rich Swann, who Moose called a "secondary champion". Moose would repeatedly perform the same action of the Turning Point conclusion on Mack, including a No Disqualification match the Impact after Turning Point;[7] and a tag team match on the go-home show before Final Resolution, where Mack and Swann battled Moose and Chris Bey.[8] On the December 15 episode of Impact, Moose, who again called out Swann, instead got Mack. Furious about a referee deciding when he was done, Mack challenged Moose to an "I quit" match so that he decides when he's done. The same night, IMPACT announced via their website that the match will happen at Genesis.[9]
After weeks of trying to find a compatible tag team partner, Jordynne Grace revealed on the November 24 Impact her partner for the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament, former WWE Women's Champion and NWA World Women's Champion Jazz.[10] This would become the start of Jazz's retirement tour going through 2021.[11] The duo would debut as a team on December 1, defeating Killer Kelly and Renee Michelle in the first round,[12] but fell to Havok and Nevaeh on January 4.[13] Backstage, Jazz and Grace would have a talk, with Grace apologizing for having Jazz postpone retirement to fall up short, but Jazz assured her she regrets nothing. Seeing as how Jazz had more to prove, Grace challenged Jazz to a match at Genesis, and Jazz accepted.[14]
Event edit
| Other on-screen personnel | |
|---|---|
| Commentators | Josh Mathews |
| Madison Rayne | |
| Ring announcer | David Penzer |
| Referees | Brandon Tolle |
| Daniel Spencer | |
| Interviewer | Gia Miller |
Preliminary matches edit
The opening match was a first round bout in the Super X Cup tournament between Ace Austin (with Madman Fulton) and Suicide.[15][16][17]
Next, Blake Christian fought against KC Navarro.[15][16][17]
The third match saw Cousin Jake against Daivari.[15][16][17]
The fourth and final first round match of the tournament involved Crazzy Steve and Tre Lamar.[15][16][17]
The semi-finals of the tournament began with Ace Austin (with Madman Fulton) taking on Cousin Jake.[15][16][17]
In the other semi-final round match, Blake Christian went up against Crazzy Steve.[15][16][17]
The seventh match saw Jazz versus Jordynne Grace.[15][16][17]
In the penultimate match, Ace Austin and Blake Christian compete in the finals of the Super X Cup tournament.[15][16][17]
Main event edit
In the main event, Moose took on Willie Mack in an "I Quit" match.[15][16][17]
Reception edit
Robert Winnfree of 411Mania reviewed the event and gave it a 7 out of 10, which was lower than 2018's event that got a 7.3 out of 10.[18] He praised the Super X Cup final and the "I Quit" match, but felt the show came across as "weekly Impact TV", suffering from pacing and "no connective tissue" to ongoing storylines.[15] Erik Beaston of Bleacher Report praised Moose-Mack for being "a hard-hitting, super physical match" but questioned the logic behind Moose getting his world title opportunity being "a bit convoluted, to say the least." He felt the Super X Cup final was "a great reminder of just how good Austin is this early in his career" and that Christian elevated himself throughout the tournament. In his critique of the Knockouts bout, he found Jazz a bit past her prime but felt she was "pretty damn good" and "showed flashes of the badass former champion" from WWE and the independent circuit, and proclaimed Grace as "a star of the future for Impact or whichever company she may take her talents to."[16] Bob Kapur of Slam Wrestling gave the event 4 out of 5 stars, writing: "[T]his was almost like two shows in one, with the first half underdelivering, and the last three being really strong. Some people will likely criticize the ending of the main event, but it was a good match and it helped drive the plot. And, in the end, that's what these Impact+ specials should be doing – supplementing the weekly TV shows to further angles rather than substituting for PPVs, which should be used for ending them. From that standpoint, it worked well."[19]
Results edit
| No. | Results[20] | Stipulations | Times[21] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ace Austin (with Madman Fulton) defeated Suicide | 2021 Super X Cup Tournament first round match | 10:05 |
| 2 | Blake Christian defeated KC Navarro | 2021 Super X Cup Tournament first round match | 9:03 |
| 3 | Cousin Jake defeated Daivari | 2021 Super X Cup Tournament first round match | 10:37 |
| 4 | Crazzy Steve defeated Tre Lamar | 2021 Super X Cup Tournament first round match | 9:17 |
| 5 | Ace Austin (with Madman Fulton) defeated Cousin Jake | 2021 Super X Cup Tournament semifinal | 10:34 |
| 6 | Blake Christian defeated Crazzy Steve | 2021 Super X Cup Tournament semifinal | 12:13 |
| 7 | Jordynne Grace defeated Jazz | Singles match | 12:07 |
| 8 | Ace Austin defeated Blake Christian | 2021 Super X Cup Tournament finals | 19:52 |
| 9 | Willie Mack defeated Moose | "I Quit" Match | 26:35 |
2021 Super X Cup bracket edit
| Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | ||||||||||||
| Ace Austin | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Suicide | 10:05 | |||||||||||||
| Ace Austin | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Cousin Jake | 10:34 | |||||||||||||
| Daivari | 10:37 | |||||||||||||
| Cousin Jake | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Ace Austin | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Blake Christian | 19:52 | |||||||||||||
| Crazzy Steve | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Tre Lamar | 9:17 | |||||||||||||
| Crazzy Steve | 12:13 | |||||||||||||
| Blake Christian | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Blake Christian | Pin | |||||||||||||
| KC Navarro | 9:03 | |||||||||||||
Notes edit
- ^ The event was held without a paying audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
References edit
- ^ "Genesis Returns on IMPACT Plus – IMPACT Wrestling". December 12, 2020. from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (December 12, 2020). "IMPACT Genesis Announced For January 2021". Fightful. from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed. "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ "Super X-Cup Returns at Genesis". Impact Wrestling. December 17, 2020. from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ "Super X-Cup Tournament Bracket Revealed". Impact Wrestling. December 22, 2020. from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ Coder, Brie (November 14, 2020). "Impact's "Turning Point" Results: Sami Callihan Challenges Rich Swann, Two New Champions Crowned". Wrestling Inc. from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ "IMPACT! on AXS TV Results – November 17, 2020". Impact Wrestling. November 17, 2020. from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ "IMPACT! on AXS TV Results – December 8, 2020". Impact Wrestling. December 8, 2020. from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ "Who Will Say "I Quit" at Genesis?". Impact Wrestling. December 15, 2020. from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
- ^ Vassalo, Colin (November 25, 2020). "Jazz returns, makes Impact Wrestling debut". Wrestling Online. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Middleton, Marc (December 28, 2020). "Jazz Now Preparing For 2021 Retirement Tour". Wrestling Inc. from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "IMPACT! on AXS TV Results – December 1, 2020". Impact Wrestling. December 1, 2020. from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "IMPACT! on AXS TV Results – January 5, 2021". Impact Wrestling. January 5, 2021. from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "Jordynne Grace Battles Pro Wrestling Legend Jazz at Genesis". Impact Wrestling. January 5, 2021. from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Winfree, Robert (January 9, 2021). "Winfree's Impact Wrestling Genesis Review 1.09.21". 411Mania. from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Beaston, Erik (January 9, 2021). "Impact Wrestling Genesis 2021 Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights". Bleacher Report. from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i IMPACT Wrestling Staff (January 9, 2021). "Genesis on IMPACT Plus Results". Impact Wrestling. from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Csonka, Larry (January 25, 2018). "Csonka's Impact Wrestling Genesis Review 1.25.18". 411Mania. from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Kapur, Bob (January 9, 2021). "Moose says 'I Quit' but still wins big at Genesis". Slam Wrestling. from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Cook, Ryan (January 9, 2021). "IMPACT Wrestling Genesis 2021 Results & Live Coverage Super X Cup Tournament, I Quit Match". Fightful. from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ "Impact Wrestling Genesis 2021". Cagematch. January 9, 2021. from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
External links edit
- Impact Wrestling Official Website