IMPACT Wrestling Results: Winners, Grades and Reaction from February 9

Four days before No Surrender, Impact Wrestling hit AXS TV with a show dedicated to putting the final touches on the latest live-event special.

Headlined by a contract signing between Impact world champion Rich Swann and top contender Tommy Dreamer, as well as an Impact tag team title match pitting The Good Brothers against Chris Sabin and "Cowboy" James Storm, the show appropriately set the stage for Saturday's event.

What went down and who built momentum for themselves heading into the spectacular?

Find out with this recap of the February 9 episode.

Eight-Man Tag Team Match

Credit: Impact Wrestling

This week's show kicked off with a preview of Saturday's Triple Threat Revolver match at No Surrender as Josh Alexander, Trey Miguel, Suicide and Willie Mack battled Ace Austin, Blake Christian, Chris Bey and Daivari in an eight-man tag team match.

As usual, the massive Madman Fulton towered over the festivities, watching from ringside.

Alexander outwrestled Austin first and then executed a wheelbarrow slam that drove Miguel into The Inevitable for a near-fall. Suicide and Bey paired off next, the masked avenger of Impact getting the best of the former X-Division champion.

The heels slowed the babyface momentum, Daivari turning the larger Mack inside out with a lariat clothesline. Bey tagged back in, rekindling his rivalry with Mack. The heels teed off on the big man, Christian tagging himself in and sending a message to the rest of the roster that he is ready to become a player right out of the gate.

Mack downed Daivari and finally made the hot tag to Miguel, who exploded into the match and engaged in a series of holds and counters with Christian. The action broke down, each competitor hitting his signature stuff. Alexander applied an ankle lock and appeared to have Austin ready to tap when Christian came from out of nowhere with a 450 splash to break the hold up.

Mack and Daivari wiped each other out, and Suicide downed Austin and Bey. Christian delivered a snapdragon suplex to Miguel and wiped Suicide out on the floor. Christian hung Miguel up on the top rope but missed a 450 splash attempt. Trey applied an hourglass submission and scored the submission win.

After the match, Sami Callihan appeared, mockingly applauding Miguel. He implored Trey to save himself disappointment and the fans' boredom by quitting now rather than flaking out Saturday at No Surrender.

Result

Miguel, Mack, Alexander and Suicide defeated Christian, Daivari, Austin and Bey

Grade

B+

Analysis

This was a hell of a match to kick things off. The nonstop pace, the creativity and the breakout performance by Blake Christian helped elevate this beyond that of a typical multi-man tag match and really set the stage for Saturday's innovative Triple Threat Revolver match.

And on top of that, the video appearance by Callihan continued his budding rivalry with Miguel. Trey has unlimited potential and is finding himself as a singles star every week. Putting him in there with a former world champion like Callihan is exactly what Impact has to do to establish him in that role.

Overall, a superb way to kick off a go-home show while also propelling a fairly significant story forward.

ODB vs. Kimber Lee

Credit: Impact Wrestling

A week after Knockouts legend ODB made her return, saving Jordynne Grace and Jazz from a beatdown at the hands of Kimber Lee, Susan and Knockouts champion Deonna Purrazzo, she battled Lee in singles competition.

As usual, Susan and Purrazzo watched from ringside, ready to jump into action to ensure victory for their cohort.

Comedy spots early gave way to a physical showdown that Lee seized control of by pulling her opponent off the ropes. A Lotus Lock built on her momentum as The Gatekeeper looked for a momentous win. Lee retained the upper hand heading into the commercial.

ODB fought her way back into the match, dropping Lee with a shoulder tackle and following with a Bronco Buster. ODB brought Lee off the ropes and to the mat, only for Purrazzo and Susan to jump on the apron and provide a distraction.

Grace and Jazz made the save, fending off The Virtuosa and Susan. ODB added a double clothesline to the floor, but taking her eye off the competition allowed Lee to surprise her with a roll-up for the win.

Result

Lee defeated ODB

Grade

C+

Analysis

For someone who has not competed regularly on television in quite some time, ODB picked right up where she left off and never looked rusty in this one. She executed all of her greatest hits while selling enough to put Lee over as a threat to beat her.

The brawl at ringside would seem to suggest a six-woman tag team match might be upcoming Saturday at No Surrender, but the company has yet to make that one official. There are worse ways to utilize the talent involved while steadily building to Purrazzo's next championship program. (Update: Susan informed Purrazzo and Lee they would compete in said match at No Surrender.)

A solid entry into the rivalry, this had quality in-ring action from two understated performers and just enough storytelling surrounding it to help push it past average.

Cousin Jake Addresses His Future

Credit: Impact Wrestling

Cousin Jake made his way to the ring, an ultimatum to join Violent By Design hanging over him like a dark cloud. He talked about Deaner, his turn to the dark and the path Jake wants to take moving forward.

Eric Young, Joe Doering and Deaner made their way into the Impact Zone, stalking toward the ring as Jake continued to contemplate his next move.

Young told Jake to be the real him, to be the best version of him. Jake removed his camouflaged sweater, throwing it to the mat. "They say if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. I stand for something. I stand for Jake Something."

Jake attacked, taking the fight to Violent By Design. The heels got the upper hand, though, and trapped Jake head-first in a steel chair. Deaner got his cohorts to back off, opting instead to settle things like men, and Young obliged.

The heels headed up the ramp, leaving the defiant Jake lying in the ring.

Grade

B

Analysis

Not only did we see the latest chapter in this particular rivalry, with Deaner setting up a potentially emotional war with his cousin, but we also saw the evolution of Jake himself.

Refusing to take the easy way by siding with the faction, he stood for himself and unveiled a persona he has pushed for himself across social media: Jake Something.

What that something is, we will find out in time. For now, look for the young star to benefit exponentially from working with someone like Young, who is no stranger to building stars.

The segment was well executed and, like others on the show, propelled things forward. That is all you can ask for from a competent, well-produced presentation.

Tasha Steelz vs. Nevaeh

Credit: Impact Wrestling

Ahead of their Impact tag team title defense against Private Party at No Surrender, The Good Brothers cut a promo on Chris Sabin and James Storm, with whom they would clash later in the evening.

Back in the Impact Zone, Knockouts tag team champions Fire 'N Flava hit the ring for Kiera Hogan's singles match with Nevaeh, accompanied by her own tag team partner Havok.

Nevaeh attacked early and often, delivering a short clothesline and rocking the champion with a more traditional one for a near-fall. Hogan turned the tide in her favor, choking her opponent in the corner. Nevaeh answered with a big chop and rocked Hogan with a forearm.

The more experienced competitor slammed Hogan face-first into the mat and applied a rear-naked choke. A sidewalk slam followed, but Hogan responded with a dropick. A slugfest ensued before Hogan scored a small package for a near-fall. Nevaeh delivered a big STO to down the champion.

Tasha Steelz entered the ring and delivered a Codebreaker to Nevaeh, only to be caught by the referee, who called for a disqualification. The top contenders celebrated another triumph over the champions.

Result

Nevaeh defeated Hogan via disqualification

Grade

C

Analysis

The effort was there, but there was more than once where it felt like the competitors were on different pages. The result was a slightly disjointed match that accomplished what it intended to but did not serve as a true representation of either woman's best work.

Nevaeh and Havok continue to get over on Steelz and Hogan, making their case for a shot at the titles sooner than later.

That contest, if their Hard to Kill encounter was any indication, should be a damn fun match between two teams with proven chemistry.

Black Taurus vs. Kaleb

Credit: Impact Wrestling

XXXL's Larry D and Acey Romero were joined by Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb for an in-ring promo.

Larry D said he and his partner found someone to take care of Rosemary on Saturday at No Surrender, and Dashwood cut a promo hyping the tag team match at the show. Kaleb threw down a challenge for a match tonight since he won't get to compete at the Impact Plus special.

Rosemary and Crazzy Steve entered the arena and introduced AAA's Black Taurus. The bull mask-wearing badass obliterated Kaleb with a clothesline and then put him away with a twisting suplex slam for the one-sided victory.

XXXL and Dashwood watched on from ringside, clearly terrified by the prospects of sharing the ring with Taurus at No Surrender.

Result

Taurus defeated Kaleb

Grade

A

Analysis

This was a hell of a debut for a big, imposing, physically dominant athlete in Black Taurus. He looks like a million bucks and just bowled over Kaleb here. Best of all, the squash match did nothing to hurt anyone's credibility in that Dashwood's social media manager is a glorified manager.

Best of all, it silenced the overly confident heels, who were absolutely certain they had found someone to counter Rosemary, only to have their own ability to win Saturday night suddenly in doubt.

Good stuff here and further proof of Impact's ability to spread creativity across the board and not just at the top of the card.

Impact Tag Team Title Match: James Storm and Chris Sabin vs. The Good Brothers

Credit: Impact Wrestling

Chris Sabin never received a rematch for the Impact Tag Team Championships after Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson won them from the Motor City Machine Guns back at Bound for Glory. Tuesday, he righted that wrong, teaming with "Cowboy" James Storm to challenge The Good Brothers in a star-studded tag team contest.

Sabin and Storm dominated early, through the break and back out, but the champs finally stunted their momentum. Anderson and Gallows worked over Sabin in their corner of the ring, cutting him off from his partner and overwhelming the former world champion.

Matt Hardy and Private Party appeared onstage just in time for Storm to explode into the ring and take the fight to the champions. He took Anderson down with a headscissors and then flattened Anderson with a backstabber.

Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy, though, rushed the ring and touched Sabin and Storm, drawing a disqualification and ruining Sabin and Storm's quest for the gold. Hardy flashed a scheming grin before hurrying to the back with his clients.

Result

Sabin and Storm defeated The Good Brothers via DQ

Grade

B

Analysis

This was a fun tag match that was really building steam late before the finish. Sabin and Storm are excellent together and look like a much more polished team than their limited experience together would suggest. Anderson and Gallows busted ass, and the result was a good match with potential for a second in the near future.

Hardy as the scheming and manipulative heel, setting up that finish to avenge Sabin and Storm jumping in front of Private Party for a title opportunity, was a great touch and further puts him over as a mastermind at this point in his career.

After the break, Scott D'Amore approached Hardy and Private Party, adding Storm and Sabin to Saturday's match in retaliation for the AEW stars' involvement in the main event. That development upped the stakes and was logical.

Impact has hit it out of the park with story advancements this week, and this added to that run.

Contract Signing for Rich Swann vs. Tommy Dreamer

Credit: Impact Wrestling

D'Amore joined Impact world champion Rich Swann and Tommy Dreamer in the ring for the contract signing for their match at No Surrender.

Dreamer addressed Swann, thanking him for the opportunity. Before The Innovator of Violence could go too far, Moose interrupted the proceedings. He admitted anger over the match taking place and recalled Swann promising him a title match first.

The top contender claimed Swann was taking the night off at No Surrender because he's wrestling a man who is turning 50 years old. Swann and Moose came face-to-face, and D'Amore warned the latter that he would suspend him for life if he got involved in the title match Saturday night.

The back-and-forth bickering between Swann and Moose ended with Dreamer exclaiming "enough!" The legendary competitor recalled a text message between him and Moose from July, just after Slammiversary. He claimed to fight for dreamers and said he would use his platform for good. "And being the Impact champion gives me a larger platform."

Dreamer embraced Swann, who kept a close eye on Moose to close out the show.

Grade

A

Analysis

Moose has hovered over Swann's title reign like a dark cloud, always raining on his parade, so it was nice to see that Impact's creative team did not dismiss him this week. He is pissed, rightly recalled the title shot he was promised and made his presence felt on a night that should have belonged to Dreamer.

Expect more of the same Saturday night.

Speaking of Dreamer, the hardcore icon cut an emotion-fueled promo like only he can and really set the stage for what his title match at No Surrender means to him and his career. It is more than personal wealth, and now fans have something to invest in emotionally.

That match will be worth watching, if only to see if the grizzled veteran can go back in time 20 years, channel his younger self and defeat Swann for a most unexpected title run.

A great way to cap off this week's show and build more intrigue and excitement for a No Surrender show that may be deceptively strong.