The 2021 Genesis was a professional wrestling event produced by Impact Wrestling. It took place on January 9, 2021, at Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and aired exclusively on Impact Plus. It was the 12th event in the Genesis chronology, the first to be held since the 2018 event, and the first purchase-only event since the 2013 event.
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.
The event received positive reviews from critics, with much praise being directed to both the Super X Cup final and the "I Quit" main event.
Production Background 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 the event taking place on January 9, 2021, at Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
Storylines 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.
A main feature of the show was the 2021 Super X Cup tournament, 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 X Division Championship. On the December 21 episode of Impact, the brackets were revealed. 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. 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; and a tag team match on the go-home show before Final Resolution, where Mack and Swann battled Moose and Chris Bey. 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.
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. This would become the start of Jazz's retirement tour going through 2021. The duo would debut as a team on December 1, defeating Killer Kelly and Renee Michelle in the first round, but fell to Havok and Nevaeh on January 4. 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.
Event Other on-screen personnelCommentatorsJosh MathewsMadison RayneRing announcerDavid PenzerRefereesBrandon TolleDaniel SpencerInterviewerGia Miller
Preliminary matches The opening match was a first round bout in the Super X Cup tournament between Ace Austin (with Madman Fulton) and Suicide. Suicide gets the early advantage with side headlocks and a shoulder tackle, with Austin using his signature card to slice Suicide's fingers, but is unaffected due to wearing gloves. Suicide reverses an Irish whip attempt into an Octopus hold on Austin before rolling him up for a near fall. Suicide avoids a dive attempt by Austin, gets distracted by Fulton while attempting his own dive, but goes onto the apron to hit Austin with a rolling senton. Austin sends Suicide into the steel steps and continues the beat down in the ring. Suicide gets the better of Austin with open-palm strikes, avoids a roundhouse kick, and hits a dropkick into the corner for a two count. Austin gets out of Suicide's suplex attempt and hits the springboard roundhouse kick for two, before laying some mounted punches. Suicide delivers an electric chair facebuster followed by a double foot stomp for another two count. Suicide heads up top to hit a diving crossbody that Austin rolls through into a near fall. Suicide counters a tornado DDT into a brainbuster onto Austin for another near fall. Fulton distracts Suicide to allow Austin to hit a knee to the head, followed by "The Fold" to win.
Next, Blake Christian fought against KC Navarro. Both men lock up and push each other into the corner before a clean break. They trade side headlocks and flips in an attempt to one up each other, with Navarro planting strikes on Christian who answers with a wheel kick, followed by a roll-up for two. Christian delivers a snapmare and a dropkick to the head for another two count, forcing Navarro to roll outside the ring. Navarro brings Christian to the outside, and goes back into the ring to hit a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Navarro stomps on Christian before hitting running blows in the corner, followed by a double foot stomp for two. Christian escapes Navarro's submission hold with a donkey kick and lands an enzuigiri, hits a springboard dropkick followed by a 619, and delivers a corkscrew onto the floor. Navarro regains control in the ring, hitting a running punt kick from the apron, and landing a twisting neckbreaker for a near fall. Christian delivers a Death Valley driver and a superkick, followed by a standing shooting star press for another near fall. Navarro catches Christian on the top rope and attempts a superplex, but Christian hits a sunset flip powerbomb and goes back up top to hit "Air Blake" for the win.
The third match saw Cousin Jake against Daivari. Daivari lands some clubbing blows to the back and corner chops, before Jake hits a body block after Daivari runs around him. Jake tosses Daivari out of the ring, and brawls with him at ringside. Jake sets Daivari on the apron, who avoids his charge attempt, and catches his neck on the ropes. Back in the ring, Daivari goes after Jake's neck with chokes and a neckbreaker for two. Daivari keeps Jake grounded with elbows to the neck, a knee to the spine, and a dropkick to the back of the head. Daivari sends Jake to the outside and slams him into the steel steps, but only gets a two count in the ring. Daivari applies a body scissors and a sleeper onto Jake, who elbows his way out of it, but gets chopped in the corner. Jake lands a clothesline on Daivari that has both of them down. Both men rise as Jake hits Daivari with clotheslines and a running spear in the corner, followed by a Michinoku driver for two. Jake lands a sit-out powerbomb on Daivari for a near fall, who answers back with a DDT on Jake for another near fall. Daivari goes after Jake's legs to apply a figure-four leglock, but Jake grabs the ropes. Jake catches Daivari with the Black Hole Slam and advances to the next round.
The fourth and final first round match of the tournament involved Crazzy Steve and Tre Lamar. Lamar gets weirded out by Steve's mind games, where he licks him after a reversal, scares him out of the ring after a rope run fake out and gets spooked by his monkey. Lamar gets back in the ring and lands a Pele kick on Steve, who goes to the outside. Lamar delivers kicks and forearms to Steve both in and out of the ring, and lands a back elbow for two. Lamar stomps on Steve and applies a rear naked choke, before switching to an armbar, and lands a dropkick to the back of the head for a two count. Both men are on the second rope, with Lamar going for a Spanish fly, but Steve hits a side Russian legsweep that takes them both down. They rise to their feet and trade blows, Lamar getting the better of the exchange, but Steve lands another side Russian legsweep into a submission. Lamar misses a springboard crossbody, and Steve lands a diving DDT for the win.
The semi-finals of the tournament began with Ace Austin (with Madman Fulton) taking on Cousin Jake. Jake overpowers Austin throughout the early goings, forcing him to confer with Fulton. Jake lands some clubbing blows on Austin before whipping him into the corner. Austin delivers some strikes of his own, but Jake sends him over the top with Fulton catching Austin in mid-air, and Jake dives on both of them before staring down Fulton. Jake hits a closed fist on Fulton who shruggs it off, allowing Austin to hit a baseball slide and a running dive over the top rope onto Jake. Back in the ring, Austin targets Jake's neck with his knees, and delivers a low dropkick in the corner. Austin continues to knee Jake in the head, but gets taken down after a body block. Austin escapes from Jake's suplex attempt with knees to the head before landing a kick that gives him a two count. Austin applies a front facelock on Jake and delivers knees to the top of his head, but Jake fights out of it and takes Austin down. Austin avoids a powerbomb attempt and applies a crucifix pin on Jake, who escapes and lands a Michinoku driver for two. Jake delivers a clothesline on Austin, who gets thrown into the corner, and avoids a lunge to hit a sunset flip for two. Austin hits Jake with a spinning kick, a tornado kick in the corner, but get caught by Jake who lands a Buckle Bomb, a spear in the corner and the Black Home Slam for a near fall. Both men are on the top rope, Austin kicks Jake to escape a gutwrench move, and hits "The Fold" to advance to the finals.