A month after first setting out to determine who the better man is, Chris Sabin and Frankie Kazarian battled Thursday night on Impact Wrestling on AXS TV.

The contest between two godfathers of the X-Division headlined a show that also featured final hype for Friday's Against All Odds event and a blockbuster tag team match pitting world champions The Good Brothers against Honor No More's Vincent and PCO.

Who earned bragging rights from that match, and which star emerged victoriously from the Battle of the Futures main event?

Find out now with this recap of the June 30 broadcast.

X-Division Championship No. 1 Contender's Match

The top contender to "Speedball" Mike Bailey's X-Division Championship was determined in the night's opening contest, a four-way between Bullet Club's Chris Bey, Laredo Kid, Steve Maclin and Trey Miguel.

The fast-paced, nonstop action that has defined the X-Division over the years was prevalent here as the four competitors never gave the audience a moment to breathe or become disengaged.

Miguel won the match, pinning Bey with double knees just seconds after The Ultimate Finnesser dodged the Meteora.

The former champion was the right option to go over here and the perfect first opponent for Bailey. The two worked with each other the Thursday before Slammiversary, where Speedball captured the title, and Miguel defeated him. There is history, that previous encounter was extraordinary, and the next one could be even better live.

The X-Division is routinely home to some of the best, most fun wrestling in the business, and this was no different. Was it the best the division has offered thus far in 2022? Probably not, but that is a tall task given the greatness on display featuring these and other stars. It was still an excellent choice for the opener, with the right guy going over to set up what should be a show-stealer come Friday night at Against All Odds.

Kudos to Maclin, too, who continues to be one of the most improved wrestlers in the business.

Result

Miguel defeated Bey, Maclin and Kid

Grade

B

Top Moments

• Maclin dodged a charging Miguel, leading to the former X-Division champ getting tied up in the ropes. Maclin took advantage and obliterated him with a spear in a cool spot.

• The intensity shown by Miguel elevated the match and put over its high-stakes nature. A former champion looking to send a message to new titleholder Bailey, he continued to showcase why he might be the most underestimated talent in the company. Get him in the main event!

Rosemary vs. Gisele Shaw

Gisele Shaw sought to impress The Influence's Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood as she battled one half of the Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Rosemary.

The Demon Assassin's partner, Taya Valkyrie, was conspicuous by her absence, while Rayne and Dashwood joined Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt on commentary.

Shaw impressed, defeating the champion with a running knee and earning the acceptance of the heels.

It was a solid match that continued to showcase Shaw, who is still finding herself as a performer in Impact. She could not have had a better opponent here in Rosemary, who is a grizzled veteran of the Knockouts division and one of the most trusted, respected competitors in Impact Wrestling.

The alliance with Dashwood and Rayne, who is injured and will likely not be able to compete any time soon, should help enhance her stature and elevate her in the process. It might even lead to a tag team title match alongside Dashwood against Rosemary and Valkyrie sooner rather than later.

Getting those reps in high-profile title matches is exactly what she will need to continue her journey to stardom.

Result

Shaw defeated Rosemary

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Shaw delivered a springboard cutter, similar to that utilized by Cody Rhodes, midway through the bout that she should revisit as a potential finisher.
• The heels beat Rosemary down after the match and, again, Valkyrie was nowhere to be found.

• That is, until afterward in a backstage segment. Rosemary did not take exception to the absence of her partner, instead summoning Father James Mitchell, who pled ignorance as to where her former partner, Havok, is. Rosemary asked him to pass along the message, "All hands on deck."

Jordynne Grace vs. Savannah Evans

New Knockouts champion Jordynne Grace found herself confronted with the challenge of Savannah Evans, who was accompanied by former titleholder Tasha Steelz. The Boricua Badass will challenge Grace on Friday night at Against All Odds but hoped to see her associate soften up Thicc Mama Pump.

Instead, Grace overcame a size disadvantage and a nasty Full Nelson from Evans to wow audiences with a Muscle Buster that both showcased her unbridled strength and earned her an emphatic statement victory.

Grace is a phenomenal professional wrestler who has showcased her abilities in both the Knockouts division and in rare intergender matches against top male talent. She is nothing short of outstanding and has absolutely earned this first Knockouts title opportunity in two years.

Evans is a raw performer still attempting to determine who she is as a wrestler. She has every tool necessary to be a force for years to come, and working with wrestlers like Grace, who is in her prime and on the best run of her career, will only help her get there faster.

The match between Grace and Steelz, like the Miguel vs. Bailey mentioned earlier, will have every opportunity to steal the show tomorrow night.

Result

Grace defeated Evans

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Grace's Muscle Buster to Evans was jaw-dropping and a hell of a visual given the height disparity between the two.

The Good Brothers vs. Honor No More

The battle for tag team supremacy between Impact world tag team champions The Good Brothers and Honor No More continued Thursday as Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson battled the enigmatic Vincent and The French Canadian Frankenstein, PCO.

Honor No More's most unpredictable tandem dominated the action throughout, working over the champions to surprising success. A late-match miscalculation by Vincent as he attempted Redrum allowed Anderson to score a schoolboy rollup for the win.

After the match, Honor No More attacked the victors and buddy "Cowboy" James Storm. "Wildcat" Chris Harris hit the ring to protect Storm, and the returning Heath made the save, sparking the babyface comeback that left the heels reeling ahead of Against All Odds and a high-profile 10-man tag team match.

The match was fine for what it was, which was more of a sprint than anything. It was nice to see Vincent get some extended in-ring work, which he has not had a ton of, while PCO throwing fists with Anderson and Gallows always makes for a good time.

The biggest takeaways, though, were the tease of Harris' in-ring return and Heath's comeback.

Harris eventually pitched himself as the fifth man on the babyface side of the Against All Odds match, and his partners accepted after some hesitation. He has not been a TV regular in a long time, and when he was, it was most memorable as Braden Walker in WWE's poorly received ECW relaunch.

One of the godfathers of Impact Wrestling and one half of one of the greatest tag teams in company history, he absolutely deserves the opportunity to go out a hell of a lot better and more fittingly than the last time fans saw him on a major stage.

Heath always brings certain energy with him and should make for a fun addition to the team, but one has to imagine he has peaked as a performer in Impact, relegated to tag teams and the midcard. That is not always a bad thing and that spot has worked well for him to this point.

Result

Good Brothers defeated PCO and Vincent

Grade

C+

Top Moments

• Harris rushing to the ring to check on Storm, teasing a physical showdown with the heels before Heath made the save, was a nice nod to the backstage segment that would end with his official entry into Friday night's match.
• Heath returning from an ankle injury, which was caused by the heels, as the surprise partner for the Good Brothers and America's Most Wanted was both a nice booking choice and proof of some long-term booking from Scott D'Amore and Co. 

Alex Zayne vs. Ace Austin

Ace Austin stunned the wrestling world, and former friend Alex Zayne, by joining Bullet Club during his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. After a shocking assault of Zayne during a press conference, The Inevitable squared off with his former bestie in singles competition Thursday night.

The athleticism of both competitors was on full display, with Zayne really impressing with a front flip into a hurricanrana from the ropes and his signature Moon Sauce plancha to the outside that wiped out both his partner and Bullet Club teammate Chris Bey.

His revenge-fueled performance would fall short, though, and Austin delivered The Fold and scored the hard-fought victory.

The fact that Hannifan made a point on commentary to say that Austin has put Zayne in his rear-view mirror suggests his run in Impact may have been short-lived. At least for now. If it is, it's somewhat disappointing because Zayne seriously impressed in his short opportunity to shine this week.

The right guy probably went over given the time and effort put into Austin by Impact officials. He is the future of the company, is riding a high following the Bullet Club association and should absolutely be highlighted. Hopefully, the right people were watching and reconsider keeping Zayne around because he can be a potential breakout star for the promotion throughout the second half of 2022.

Result

Austin defeated Zayne

Grade

B-

Top Moments

• Zayne has a move in his arsenal named the "Baja Blast," and this Mountain Dew Zero-drinking, Taco Bell-eating writer appreciates the hell out of that.
• The Moon Sauce plancha spot was impressive and stood out as the most memorable of a very solid match.

Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Chris Sabin and Frankie Kazarian may have set aside their competitiveness for the last month as they thwarted Honor No More's attempts at ruining the 20-year celebration of Impact Wrestling, but they came together once more Thursday night in a battle of the futures.

A fantastic wrestling match between two of the pillars of the early days of the X-Division saw Sabin overcome everything thrown at him by his opponent to deliver the second of two Cradle Shocks for the pinfall victory.

A gritty, counter-filled match between two guys who know each other extremely well was what the competitors deserved. The fans also earned it through their support of the company over the last two decades, and it was a wonderful way to see referee Brian Hebner off. The second-generation performer officiated his final match in Thursday's main event.

Perhaps most impressive is the fact that at ages 40 and 44 respectively, Sabin and Kazarian never appeared to be winded or slowed over the course of the 20-minute main event. They barely even broke a sweat as they proved their conditioning remains one of their greatest attributes.

Sabin winning was the right call since he is a full-time Impact star. All Elite Wrestling's Kazarian is hardly affected by the loss, while Sabin notches another signature win in what has been a very good, lowkey-great year for the former world champion.

Result

Sabin defeated Kazarian

Grade

A

Top Moments

• The seamlessness of the counters and sequences between Sabin and Kazarian was impressive given the fact that they have not routinely squared off in many years. 
• Alex Shelley, at ringside in support of Sabin, was invested the entire way. Like the Impact faithful, he was a fan witnessing a damn good match and was completely engrossed on the ride his longtime tag team partner and Kazarian took the audience on.

• Late in the match, Sabin and Kazarian rose simultaneously, their heads together before engaging in an exchange of rights and lefts. It was a great moment that highlighted the desire to win, despite the physical exhaustion.