Impact Wrestling – November 17, 2019: It Worked Twice
IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling
Date: November 19, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews
It’s a big night tonight with a huge gauntlet match to crown the new #1 contender. Now if you have been paying attention around here, the winner is hardly the biggest mystery in the world but that does not mean it’s a bad way to go. We’re coming up on Hard To Kill and things are starting to get somewhere with the card. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening recap.
Opening sequence.
Rascalz vs. Desi Hit Squad vs. Deaners vs. Reno Scum
It’s Wentz and Dez for the Rascalz here. Wentz armdrags Thornstowe down to start and it’s the Rascalz kicking away at him for two. Luster comes in to run Dez over for two of his own and it’s a Pit Stop to make it worse. The Deaners come in and beat up Thornstowe until we settle down to Cody slugging away at Raj.
Jake comes in and starts slugging away at everyone and a double powerbomb plants Raj. Everything breaks down and Jake suplexes Raj onto the big pile at ringside. The big dive follows, setting up Raju….dancing instead of diving. Dez adds a Space Flying Tiger Drop and everyone is down. The Deaners come back in for Get Er Done on Raju but the Rascalz come in and break it up. The push moonsault finishes Jake at 8:45 to give Wentz the pin.
Rating: C. The action was fast paced and it was fine for what it was, but it brings up the same problem with the similar X-Division style matches: there’s so much stuff going on that you can’t keep track of anything and it’s just one move after another. It’s fine for a popcorn match built around excitement, but don’t expect much in the way of quality.
Post match Scum stays on the Rascalz so Trey Miguel comes in for the save. X-Division Champion Ace Austin runs in to hit him with the belt though and the villains stand tall. Trey’s mom is not pleased as Ace uses the loaded wrist brace to knock Trey cold.
Taya Valkyrie/John E. Bravo vs. Jordynne Grace
Taya immediately hands it off to Bravo so Grace sends her outside for the dive. Back in and the double teaming has Grace in some trouble until she runs Bravo over like he isn’t even there. The backsplash gives Grace two and that’s enough for Taya, who walks out. Grace hits a running knee to the back, setting up the Vader Bomb to finish Bravo at 4:24.
Rating: D+. Just angle advancement here and there is nothing wrong with that. Grace seems like the next big hope to take the title off of Taya, but at this point that has been the case several times now. I’m not sure if that is what we are going to get, but Grace has been set up as the next big hope and maybe that is where we are going.
Gama Singh yells at the Desi Hit Squad for losing. They go yell at Fallah Bahh and beat him up.
Rob Van Dam isn’t at Impact this week because he and Katie Forbes were partying last night.
Susie is wandering around in the back when James Mitchell comes up to see her. He can’t believe what he’s seeing and asks what a nice girl like her is doing here. Susie is just drawn to this place so Mitchell offers to take her under his wing. She leaves so here’s Rosemary to say that she knows James is trying to suppress the Undead Bride. Their father, and James’ boss, wouldn’t like that so Rosemary isn’t letting it happen.
Flashback Moment of the Week: Cody vs. Eddie Edwards from 2016.
The Rascalz are in the clubhouse and giggle about Dez’s abs. Trey’s mom comes in and the rest of the guys are rather impressed. She is worried about the dangerous wrestlers and calls him by his middle name: Tiberius. This was rather amusing.
Johnny Swinger vs. Buck Gunderson
The referee has no legs as Swinger knocks Buck down and drops a headbutt to the ribs. Choking on the ropes ensues as the announcers preview next week’s flashback show. Buck gets in a dropkick but ducks his head, setting up the swinging neckbreaker to give Swinger the pin at 2:20.
Post match here’s Ken Shamrock to beat up Swinger for the issue with the bag from last week (don’t ask). The ankle lock sends a tapping Swinger to the floor.
Post break Swinger asks Joey Ryan for advice on dealing with Shamrock. Joey: “Don’t make him touch your d***.”
We get a preview of next week’s flagship show, including Don Callis as Sexton Hardcastle. Edgey injokes indeed.
Gauntlet Match
Six people, the winner is the #1 contender. Moose is in at #1 and Daga is in at #2 to get things started. Daga picks up the pace to start and dropkicks the leg, setting up the running Downward Spiral. They head to the floor with Daga hitting a moonsault off the apron, only to have Moose throw him around with ease back inside. The Dominator gives Moose one but Daga sends him back into the corner for a running basement dropkick. The spear cuts Daga in half though and Moose moves on at 5:10.
Rich Swann is in at #3 and looks rather nervous about facing the monster. A running hurricanrana has Moose in trouble but he’s right back with a dropkick to send Swann outside. They switch places with Swann’s running hurricanrana off the apron earning himself a bit of a breather. Moose throws him down again though and Swann has to beat the count back in. This time Swann manages a DDT but gets lawn darted face first into the middle buckle for two.
Swann slips out of a powerbomb though and kicks Moose in the head, setting up the Lethal Injection for a VERY close two (good near fall there). The middle rope 450 hits Moose’s knees though and the middle rope chokebomb gives Moose two of his own. A hot shot makes it even worse but Swann jumps into a crucifix to finish Moose at 15:14.
Michael Elgin is in at #4 and Swann knows he’s in trouble. Elgin hits a slingshot elbow to the face and we take a quick break. Back with Swann hitting a dive and sending Elgin back inside for a low superkick. A whip sitout spinebuster gives Elgin two and Swann gets sent hard into the corner to rock him again. Swann gets caught in the Crossface but a foot on the ropes lets Swann get out to the apron.
Elgin snaps off a half nelson suplex to drop Swann on his head and knock him silly. A twisting Swanton misses back inside though and Swann starts kicking away. Elgin dragon suplexes him though and nails a hard clothesline to drop him on his head. A top rope superplex hits Swann but he pops right back up with a reverse hurricanrana for two. That’s quite the recovery time there. Elgin is back up with an apron superplex into a Falcon Arrow for another near fall. Another clothesline takes Elgin down again and it’s time to hammer away in the corner….before shoving the referee for the DQ to send Swann forward at 31:23.
Elgin isn’t done though and hits the Elgin Bomb, drawing out some more referees to get rid of him. We take a break and it’s Brian Cage in at #5 to continue the destruction. Swann can barely stand but manages to kick Cage in the head anyway. That’s only good for one though and Cage throws him down with ease. Swann’s superkicks set up another kick to the head and a running step onto the head puts Cage down again. The 450 gets two and it’s a cutter into Lethal Injection for a delayed two. The Phoenix Splash misses though and it’s Weapon X to get rid of Swann at 41:14.
Tessa Blanchard is in at #6 to complete the field and, after a break with a house show ad, we’re ready to go. Tessa isn’t scared of the monster so he shoves her into the corner. A powerbomb doesn’t work for Cage so Tessa springboard dropkicks him to the floor. Cage hits the F5 onto the apron though and we take another break. Back again with Tessa dropkicking the leg out and scoring with a tornado DDT for two. Another Cage powerbomb attempt is countered with a hurricanrana into the corner.
A top rope splash gives Tessa two but Cage, bleeding from the lip, knocks her away without much effort. Tessa is rocked but hits a superkick into a cutter, setting up the hammerlock DDT for the big near fall. Another hurricanrana sets up Magnum for a rather close two and Tessa can’t believe the kickout. The second Magnum is countered into a buckle bomb but Weapon X is countered into Code Red for the pin and the title shot at 55:17.
Rating: B. This was the Rich Swann Show as he got to stay out there for a long time and get the fans behind him all over again after getting beaten down time after time. The other big deal here is of course Tessa, which you knew was going to be the ending but it doesn’t make things any less special. This match worked on a variety of levels and never felt long, which is pretty impressive for a nearly hour long match. Good stuff here, with the right people doing the right things.
Post match Tessa is stunned as cage congratulates her to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. This show is all about the main event and there is nothing wrong with that. They’re coming up on Hard To Kill and have their big moment ready for the show with the rest of the card getting tied together as the next few weeks go. Tessa and Swann stole the show here though and that was something that they needed to do as the stage is getting bigger again. Good show, but that flashback episode next week sounds rather interesting.
Results
Rascalz b. Desi Hit Squad, Deaners and Reno Scum – Push moonsault to Jake
Jordynne Grace b. John E. Bravo/Taya Valkyrie – Vader Bomb to Bravo
Johnny Swinger b. Buck Gunderson – Swinging neckbreaker
Tessa Blanchard won a gauntlet match last eliminating Brian Cage
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