Impact Wrestling – April 29, 2021: The Champ Is (W)here

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 29, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We’re done with Rebellion and Kenny Omega is the new World Champion. That could make things interesting around here, though I’m almost worried to see how Omega treats this show. Other than that, we have the rest of the fallout to deal with, which should open some interesting options. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rebellion if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Rebellion, which was quite the big card.

A bunch of guys come up to Scott D’Amore because they want a title shot at Kenny Omega. Scott tells them to go to the ring and he’ll deal with this. Don Callis pops up to say Omega will be here on Zoom but D’Amore says he’s either here in person or he’s stripped of the title and suspended from Impact and Dynamite (as per the Rebellion contract).

Opening sequence.

Here is D’Amore with the roster around the ring. D’Amore praises Rich Swann but says there is no rematch clause, so we need a new #1 contender. Therefore, at Under Siege, there will be a six way match to find Omega’s first challenger. We’ll be having qualifying matches over the next two weeks so let’s start right now.

Jake Something vs. Chris Bey

Bey makes sense, but what is the qualifying process for getting into these matches? Jake takes him into the corner to start and, after kicking out of a sunset flip, blasts Bey with a clothesline. Bey gets him caught in the ropes though and it’s a top rope elbow to the back of the neck as we talk about everyone waiting for Omega to arrive.

A top rope clothesline gives Bey two but Jake punches him in the face. Jake’s powerbomb is countered but the sitout powerbomb plants Bey for two. The Art of Finesse is broken up and Jake blasts him with a clothesline. Bey bails into the corner so Rohit Raju grabs Jake’s foot, allowing Bey to roll him up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C. Jake continues to be nothing more than a jobber to the stars/midcard stars and that is probably the right place for him. Not only is the name a bit much to take, but he hasn’t won anything of note in a long time. Bey is someone who has all kinds of potential and while he won’t be getting the title shot, he is someone worth putting into a #1 contenders match to see how he does.

Don Callis tells Kenny Omega to take the jet and get here as soon as possible. Sami Callihan comes in to laugh at the idea of Omega and Callis’ plans going up in smoke. Oh and he’s coming for what is his.

Taylor Wilde feels like her decade away is gone because she’s here for Impactpalooza. Tenille Dashwood comes in to say Wilde is here to be her partner. Actually Wilde is here for Deonna Purrazzo’s title, which Dashwood thinks means a Tag Team Title shot. Wilde: “No.”

Here’s what’s coming tonight and next week.

Sam Beale vs. W. Morrissey

Before the match, Morrissey says you know his face but not him. This industry is full of bad people but he isn’t afraid to shot it. Morrissey runs him into the corner to start and hits a running kick to the ribs. There’s a big clothesline and a Jackknife to finish Beale at 1:22. Simple and effective here.

Kimber Lee isn’t worried about Taylor Wilde being back. Deonna Purrazzo is going to let Lee and Susan go out there without her, and NO she is not scared of Wilde. She seems a bit more anxious after everyone else leaves.

Willie Mack doesn’t get why new people pick on him, but he’ll face W. Morrissey at Under Siege if Morrissey is interested.

Taylor Wilde vs. Kimber Lee

Susan is here with Lee. This is Wilde’s first match in over ten years and her theme music sounds like kids shouting LET’S GET WILDE. Brown thinks Lee looks like a princess, with Striker telling him to let it go. Lee jumps her at the bell to start fast but Wilde snaps off some armdrags. A wheelbarrow into a failed leglock attempt doesn’t get Wilde very far so we take a break.

Back with Lee holding a full nelson with her legs and then bridging her over for two. Wilde slips out and tries another leglock, with Lee bailing to the ropes. Susan gets in a shoe to Wilde’s face but she is right back with a shot to the face for two. Some kicks give Lee two but a top rope backsplash hits knees. Now Wilde can get the leglock, which is something like a modified Indian deathlock for the tap at 9:43.

Rating: C-. I’m still a little confused as to why Wilde was brought back in, though she was completely acceptable here. Lee and Susan are fine as lackeys for Purrazzo, though I’m not sure how interested I am in Wilde running through them to get her title shot. Wilde worked well enough here though and she’ll get better when the rust is gone.

Post match Susan jumps Wilde but Tenille Dashwood makes the save.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Ace Austin wins a six way match at Rebellion 2019.

Moose comes up to Scott D’Amore and asks why he’s in the qualifying matches. D’Amore tells him that he has his chance to get the title shot but Moose doesn’t seem thrilled. James Storm comes up and hands him a sack lunch, which he’ll need for their match.

X-Division Title: Ace Austin vs. Josh Alexander

Austin, with Madman Fulton, is challenging. Alexander takes him down by the arm and cranks away as Striker complains about having to worry about Kenny Omega all the time. A backbreaker gives Alexander two but he misses a kick to the face. Instead Austin goes for his ankle and takes him into the corner for the stomping. Austin’s kick to the face connects and it’s time to elbow Alexander in the head.

That lets him cut the finger with the playing card but Alexander is fine enough to break up a springboard. Rolling Chaos Theory out of the corner plants Austin and Fulton needs to give him some coaching. Back up and Alexander hits kind of a powerbomb for two but Austin is back with a knee to the face. That earns him an ankle lock, which is quickly broken as tends to be the case.

Austin kicks him in the face for two but Alexander punches him right back down. They head to the apron for an exchange of kicks until Alexander plants him with a World’s Strongest Slam on the apron. Fulton’s missed charge sends him knees first into the steps but Austin hits Alexander in the face back inside. A Phoenix splash hits Alexander….in the feet at least but a hurricanrana out of the corner is countered into a powerbomb onto the knee. The ankle lock makes Austin tap at 11:10.

Rating: B-. These matches have been the wrestling portion of a lot of the shows as of late and that is what you can always use on a show like this. Alexander is someone who might not be the most thrilling personality but he can go in there and have a good match with just about anyone. I still want to see Austin go a lot higher than he already is, but putting Alexander over is the right idea here.

Don Callis is still trying to get Kenny Omega here when Johnny Swinger, who owes $20,000 in a lost bet from Rebellion, comes up. Callis offers to let him off the hook if he can drive Omega here, with Swinger saying to page him the details. Callis: “Page?”

We look at Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering winning the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Rebellion.

Grace and Ellering are happy with their win but here are Fire N Flava to yell a lot and set up the rematch at Under Siege.

Matt Cardona vs. Brian Myers

Rematch from Rebellion and an Under Siege qualifying match. The brawl starts on the floor before the bell before they head inside to officially get things going. Myers runs him over early and Ryder comes up favoring his knee. They head outside with Myers sending him knee first into the steps as we take an early break. Back with Myers cranking on the knee and taking it out again to put Cardona down.

Cardona rakes the eyes to get out of a leglock but Myers wraps the knee around the post instead. Back up and Myers manages to get a knee up in the corner, setting up the middle rope dropkick. Something like a Sky High plants Myers again but the knee gives out, allowing Myers to put him down again. Myers gets a bit too cocky though, allowing Cardona to hit Radio Silence for the fast pin at 9:20.

Rating: C. The knee work was fine here and it makes sense to have Myers get too cocky before losing to a fluke pin. Cardona is another name who isn’t likely to win anything in the end but at least he is someone fresh near the main event scene. Impact needs to build up some newer names and Cardona would fit that category, even if he never actually gets anywhere near the title.

Violent By Design says the war isn’t over and disappointment can elicit more violence. They will be represented in the six man scramble because the sickness will not win.

El Phantasmo is coming from New Japan. If he just has to.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards

Another Under Siege qualifying match. They start fast and it’s an early standoff as we take a break thirty seconds in (because that’s a good schedule). Back with Sami raking the eyes in the corner as Brown talks about having a rival he wanted to rip apart but remembering that he had something bigger in mind (meaning X-Pac, because Brown actually has a history to draw on). Sami grabs something like a standing Crossface but Eddie sends him into the corner for a super hurricanrana. Eddie cuts off a charge to hit the Blue Thunder Bomb for two….and here are Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers for the double DQ at 9:04.

Rating: C. I was starting to wonder how they were going to fill in the Omega thing at the end and still finish the match so the solution was to combine the two. I can see why you don’t want either of them losing here, though I’m almost scared of the shenanigans this is going to lead to for the Under Siege match. These two work well together though so it was hard to get annoyed at this one.

Post match the beatdown is on, including FinJuice getting dropped for trying a save. Callis says everyone got what they wanted to end the show. It’s amazing how much more tolerable Omega was when he didn’t say anything.

Overall Rating: C+. I can always go for a show that has a point and follows through on it over the course of the show. Aside from a title match and a few other things, this was all about getting to the six way match at Under Siege. We had a good, easy to watch show as a result and the Omega thing, while fairly manufactured drama, kind of fit for what they’re doing with him. Nice followup to the pay per view here so I’m rather surprised.

Results

Chris Bey b. Jake Something – Rollup with feet on the ropes

W. Morrissey b. Sam Beale – Jackknife powerbomb

Taylor Wilde b. Kimber Lee – Indian deathlock

Josh Alexander b. Ace Austin – Ankle lock

Matt Cardona b. Brian Myers – Radio Silence

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards went to a double DQ when Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers interfered

 

 

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