Impact Wrestling – December 13, 2018: Don’t Screw This Up

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 13, 2018
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gaming Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

This needs to be a good show as the next two episodes are going to be Best Of 2018 editions, meaning this is the last chance to set up Homecoming until the go home show. They’ve got a big main event with Moose vs. Brian Cage, which should see both guys beating each other up very well. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at the big stories. Well and the smaller stories too but that doesn’t sound as good.

Opening sequence.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Rich Swann vs. Dave Crist

Jake Crist and Sami Callihan are at ringside with Dave. Crist sits in the corner for a long time to start, which is enough to lure Swann in to a false sense of security and a big boot. Stomping and choking ensue in the corner, followed by Swann being sent to the floor so Jake Crist can drop Swann on the apron. Back in and Swann starts hamming away with right hands (and some dancing of course), followed by a Lethal Injection for two. The Phoenix splash misses but Swann is right back with a rollup for the pin at 3:59.

Rating: D+. Not enough time to do anything but it was perfectly acceptable while it lasted. It also makes sense to have Swann move forward to the title match over a second Crist Brother as there’s little reason to believe that they wouldn’t dominate any two other wrestlers. The wrestling was fine enough here, but the time hurt them a lot.

Post match the Crist Brothers jump Swann….until Sami calls them off. Willie Mack comes in for the save and Stuns Sami, but Swann pulls him off for a change. Sami looks back as he leaves. Interesting indeed.

The announcers preview the rest of the matches.

Moose isn’t worried about Eddie Edwards because he’s busy drinking orange juice or whatever they do in a nut house. As for tonight, he’s got Brian Cage. Machines die, but legends never do.

Mack asks Swann what was up with that. Swann is trying to protect Mack, who is going to get into a war he doesn’t want if he goes after Sami.

Josh is in the ring to talk about the history of the Knockouts Title. After listing off some legends and former champions, he brings out Taya Valkyrie and Tessa Blanchard for a chat. Taya says this isn’t a rivalry because Tessa has had to cheat to save the title both times. That’s not how a champion or a Knockout represents themselves and she’s done it twice.

Tessa asks how Taya would know how a champion acts, because the best she can do is watch her husband. Taya is a loser, just like all these people. It may not be how a champion acts but it’s how she’s kept the title all this time. Josh interrupts because there’s going to be a special referee for their title match: Gail Kim. WELL OF COURSE IT IS!!! I mean, she’s barely been gone a year since retiring as Knockouts Champion so it must be time to bring her back again.

Post break Tessa isn’t happy. Can you blame her? She certainly respects Gail (expect to hear that a lot) but she’ll run through her if necessary.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Trevor Lee vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is the Fresh Prince Of Midair. I rather like that. Lee goes with an armbar to start so Miguel flips out into a hammerlock for a counter. A moonsault out of a German suplex messes with Lee and he snaps off a running hurricanrana to make things even worse. Lee gets dropkicked outside for another hurricanrana but he grabs a belly to back backbreaker to take over.

Another backbreaker legs Lee bend Miguel’s back over his knee as things certainly have slowed down. A nipup into an enziguri staggers Lee though and a jumping neckbreaker gives Lee two. Miguel tucks Lee’s head into a turnbuckle for a 619 and a running West Coast Pop finishes Lee at 6:28.

Rating: C+. The extra time helped here and I’m getting into the Rascalz more every time I see them. Miguel is very fun to watch when he gets to go out there and flip around a lot, which he does as well as almost anyone else at the moment. You can always use someone to go out there and do some fun high flying stuff and a trio makes it even better. Good stuff, as I’m not wild on Lee’s Impact stuff.

The Lucha Bros are ready to fight LAX. Tonight it’s Fenix vs. Santana, which should be good.

Su Yung makes Allie say that it’s the beginning of the end.

Classic Clip of the Week: Ultimate X at Bound For Glory 2009.

Video on LAX vs. the Lucha Bros. As I said as soon as this was hinted at: YES PLEASE!

Konnan yells at LAX for not being ready for the Lucha Bros. He leaves, so LAX says they’ll do this on their own.

Fenix vs. Santana

Everyone shakes hands before the bell and Santana starts with Fenix’s bouncing armdrag, with Fenix landing on his feet because he can. Fenix gets sent to the floor for the running flip dive but he’s right back with a jumping kick to the head. That means a moonsault from the top to take Santana out again but he misses the Swanton back inside. Santana’s running dropkick gets two and a swinging Rock Bottom is good for the same. Fenix is fine enough to hit the rolling cutter (he does that very well) for two of his own.

They trade reverse hurricanranas, with Fenix dropping Santana on his head for a double knockdown. Back up and Santana misses a charge to get himself caught in the ropes, allowing Santana to walk the ropes for a kick to the face. Santana hits his own rolling cutter and a Batista Bomb gets two more. Fenix kicks him in the head, but can’t hit the Black Fire Driver. With Santana fighting out, Fenix blasts him again and the second attempt is good for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: B. Well of course this was fun, with both guys beating the heck out of each other with one big spot after another. It’s a very fun match with both guys doing whatever they could come up with, which is how a match like this should have gone. If they give these teams twenty minutes (or more) at Homecoming and tear the house down, we could be in for an instant classic.

Killer Kross isn’t sorry about what he’s been doing lately with Johnny Impact. This brings Johnny in to stay stay away from him and his wife. Johnny grabs him by the throat, which is what Kross wanted all along. Impact again says to stay away from the two of them. Just don’t have Johnny turn heel to retain.

Kiera Hogan is still shaken after what Allie did to her last week. She’ll do whatever it takes to save her friend in the end.

We go back to the mental hospital, where Raven is explaining aliens to Eddie Edwards over a game of chess. Eli Drake of all people comes in to tell Raven that the hardcore style is dead at homecoming. Raven: “You staying for lunch?” Drake wants Raven to make sure he watches but Raven says they don’t get pay per view there. Orderlies take Drake away.

Homecoming rundown.

For the next two weeks: the Best of 2018.

Ruby Raze vs. Jordynne Grace

Raze has Katarina in her corner. Grace sends her into the corner to start and Raze isn’t getting anywhere off an Irish whip attempt. A running hip attack in the corner has Raze in trouble so Katarina gets on the apron for a distraction. That’s enough for Raze to snap off a German suplex and a hanging swinging suplex gives her two. Grace powers out of a chokeslam attempt and they start trading the big forearms. A missed charge in the corner lets Grace electric chair Raze up for a powerbomb. Katarina comes in and gets MuscleBusted onto Raze, setting up the Vader Bomb for the pin on Raze at 4:10.

Rating: D+. Again, not enough time to go anywhere but at least it didn’t go on longer than it needed to and the right person won. Callis is right in comparing Grace to Rhyno and that’s not a bad thing at all. Grace is different than all of the other Knockouts and that’s the kind of thing the division needs.

Gama Singh and the Desi Hit Squad argue about Scarlet Bordeaux when he shows up. She says they’re in the running with KM and Fallah Bahh so they can fight over her. Fair enough.

Moose vs. Brian Cage

This could be fun. The exchange of shoulders doesn’t get either of them anywhere so Cage hits a dropkick and hurricanranas Moose outside. Moose chops the post by mistake though and then chops Cage as well, hurting his hand even more. Cage catches a charge and powerbombs him against the apron but Moose is right back with a delayed running dropkick to the head.

Some hard whips into the corner keep Cage in trouble and another dropkick knocks him off the top. Cage is fine enough to get in a shot to the face, setting up a big running flip dive over the top. Back in and Cage gets two off a spinebuster but gets pulled off the middle rope with the chokebomb.

Cage is right back with the apron superplex and the kickout gives us some confusion. Moose takes his glove off to chop a little harder but an exchange of discus lariats puts both guys down. Cage’s powerbomb barely gets Moose up and he’s right back to his feet for a spear to drop Cage again. They head to the floor and here’s Eddie, still in a hospital gown and without shoes, to jump Moose for the DQ at 11:18.

Rating: B-. Take two bulls and have them hit each other a lot for about ten minutes. It’s worked for years in wrestling and it’s always going to, especially when they’re two guys as scary as these two. I’m fine with the DQ ending as you don’t want either of them losing before a big show. Good match, and something I could go for more of at a later date.

The fight is on and Eddie hits a suicide dive to send Moose into the barricade. Some kendo stick shots have Moose in trouble and he runs away to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a few steps away from being a great go home show (Impact interacting with Cage would have helped) as it had good angle advancement and some rather good wrestling up and down the card. If they can get the main event working better, they’ve got a great pay per view waiting on them in January. Hopefully they can get the momentum back with one show in January before Homecoming though, as the next two weeks are going to throw them off a lot. Still though, strong show here.

Results

Rich Swann b. Dave Crist – Rollup

Trey Miguel b. Trevor Lee – Running West Coast Pop

Fenix b. Santana – Black Fire Driver

Jordynne Grace b. Ruby Raze – Vader Bomb

Moose b. Brian Cage via DQ when Eddie Edwards interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6