Impact Wrestling – February 17, 2022: All The Right Pieces

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 17, 2022
Location: Charles Dodge Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for No Surrender and the show is looking good. We have a double main event of W. Morrissey challenging Moose for the World Title, plus Honor No More fighting Team Impact to stick around the company. There is enough other good stuff here to make me interested in the show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is Moose (meaning no opening sequence, which is a shame as this show has a catchy theme song) for the No Surrender contract signing. Scott D’Amore is in the ring but before W. Morrissey comes out, Moose explains what a contract signing means (I think it’s pretty clear). There is no Morrissey for some reason, but D’Amore says Morrissey can sign the contract any time in the next two days.

Moose isn’t happy, but if Morrissey makes the match, pain is waiting on him. He signs and then goes to leave, where Morrissey jumps him on the ramp. The fight is on and Moose gets chokeslammed off the stage and through a well placed table. Now Morrissey signs the contract as Moose is left laying.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The Bullet Club is ready for tonight but they’re looking forward to No Surrender as well, where they’re going to win the Tag Team Titles and get closer to the X-Division Title. Jay White finds if funny that Eric Young is trying to make his own Bullet Club but maybe he can join the real one. Maybe Young can do some laundry, or maybe White can just take him out at No Surrender. Too Sweeting ensues.

Masha Slamovich vs. Kiah Dream

Masha gives her a free shot and then hits a Burning Hammer. Dream gets pulled up at two so the Russian Doomsday Device can finish her at 47 seconds. That worked.

Ace Austin vs. Blake Christian vs. Laredo Kid

The winner is in the No Surrender X-Division Title #1 contenders match and Madman Fulton is here with Austin. Kid and Christian knock Austin down to start and trade dropkicks until Kid gets him into the corner. Austin is back up to send Kid outside and kick Christian in the head. Christian sends Austin outside but the suicide dive bounces off of Fulton’s back. A dropkick knocks Austin off the apron though and we take a break.

Back with Austin getting two on Kid and then stomping away. Christian gets stomped down as well but Kid is back up with a running knee to Austin. The three moonsaults are broken up by Christian, who puts them both down and hits a split legged moonsault for two on Kid. A big flip dive to the floor sets up a double reverse DDT to leave Christian as the only one up. Another dive takes out Fulton but Kid plants Christian with a poisonrana back inside. The frog splash gets two but Austin makes the save. Christian’s Spanish Fly gets two on Austin, who is right back up with the Fold to finish Christian at 12:05.

Rating: B-. I know it’s a simple idea and something that has been done for years, but just having the X-Division go out there and do their thing for ten or so minutes is always going to work. They’re crazy athletic and know exactly how to do this kind of a match, which made for a rather entertaining spectacle here. Yeah it’s a bunch of spots going a hundred miles an hour, but dang does it still work.

Decay doesn’t think much of humans, especially Jonah.

The IInspiration come in to see Kaleb With A K and thank him for those photos he took of them last week. He was the best they ever had and they seem to offer him a job.

Lady Frost vs. Gisele Shaw

This is Shaw’s debut. The fans are behind Frost as Shaw shoves her in the face. Frost flips over her and hits a dropkick to the back before something like a Cannonball gives Frost two. Shaw is right back with a hanging DDT out of the corner for two more and a big right hand rocks Frost again. A running knee to the back of the head gives Shaw two more but Frost kicks her down again. The Temperature Drop moonsault gives Frost two but she takes too much time loading up another one. That means a super Spanish Fly can bring Frost back down and a corkscrew Vader Bomb finishes Frost at 4:39.

Rating: C+. Frost got in a lot here but Shaw wasn’t exactly looking nervous, which seems to fit in well for her. That being said, it isn’t like there was much to see here and Shawn only stood out so much. I’m not about to pretend that a four and a half minute match is enough to make an opinion on someone, but this was a nice enough start.

Honor No More’s Kenny King is ready to make Chris Sabin bend the knee tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo isn’t worried about Mickie James because she is the champ champ rather than just the champ. Anyone who wants a shot at either of her titles can come get it at No Surrender.

Kenny King vs. Chris Sabin

Honor No More is here, as is Team Impact, minus Steve Maclin. They go technical to start as Ian Riccaboni (on commentary) explains what you should expect from King (which he does rather well). King is sent outside for a quick meeting with Honor No More but Sabin stomps on Matt Taven’s fingers to cut him off. Back in and King hits a powerslam for two and we hit the reverse chinlock. The knee in Sabin’s back makes it even worse so he gets to the ropes without much trouble.

King kicks him in the head for two and the reverse chinlock goes right back on. Sabin fights out of that too and it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Back up again and this time it’s Sabin hitting a running boot in the corner, setting up a tornado DDT for two. King grabs a spinebuster for a breather, which has Honor No More talking to Riccaboni even more. A tiger driver gives King two more but the Royal Flush is countered into a crucifix to give Sabin the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C+. Another case where these two work well together because they are talented wrestlers who work styles that mesh. King is still very athletic and Sabin can wrestle a good match against anyone while still having the ability to keep up in any match. Good stuff here, as Team Impact gets a win to keep things even.

Post match Maria says that Honor No More is a team but they didn’t take out Jonathan Gresham, suggesting that someone on Team Impact did.

Post break, Team Impact isn’t sure what to do and seems to accuse Steve Maclin as he comes in. Maclin gives them a unifying pep talk and the team is in.

Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans vs. Chelsea Green/Mickie James

Green starts with Steelz, who tags out almost immediately, as you might have expected. Evans gets rolled up for two and send into the corner to make it worse. Mickie comes in for some knee lifts, setting up a hurricanrana out of the corner a neckbreaker for two. It’s back to Green for a Natural Selection for two on Steelz but Evans shoves her off the top.

We take a break and come back with Green fighting out of a chinlock and rolling Steelz up for two. The choking in the corner cuts Green off again but she is up in a hurry for the hot tag off to James. Some clotheslines have Steelz rocked and the Mick Kick gets two. Everything breaks down and the Mick Kick/MickieDT put Evans down, only to have Steelz hit a crucifix bomb to finish James at 12:23.

Rating: C. Not the most exciting match here but it was designed to have Steelz get some momentum going into a title match that does not have the most drama. That is something that can be done well enough with something like this and it should be fine for Saturday. James is a far bigger star than Steelz so the win should help her a bit, even if the title doesn’t seem to be in serious jeopardy.

It’s time for the final chapter of Brian Myers’ How To Be A Professional, with Myers yelling at VSK and Zicky Dice for letting him get beaten up by W. Morrissey last week. The Learning Tree is done and the two of them are cut.

Here’s what’s coming at No Surrender.

Violent By Design vs. Bullet Club

That would be Eric Young/Deaner/Joe Doering vs. Guerrillas of Destiny/Jay White, with the rest of both teams here too. Young and White start things off with neither being able to get very far. An exchange of chops in the corner goes nowhere so White drags him over to the corner for the tag to Tama Tonga. Deaner comes in as well and gets taken down so Doering comes in, only to get triple teamed in the corner.

The Guerrillas double clothesline him to the floor and Violent By Design needs a breather on the floor. We take a break and come back with Doering covering Tama Tonga for two and handing it off to Young. Tama Tonga can’t quite get over for the hot tag so Doering is there with a crossbody for two. Some elbows get Tama Tong out of a fireman’s carry and it’s off to Tonga Loa for the Doering showdown.

They collide a few times and shout at each other a lot so we’ll try Young vs. White instead. The rapid fire chops rock Young in the corner and everything breaks down. The Guerrillas give Doering a Magic Killer but Young saves Deaner from the same. Young’s top rope elbow gets two on White but Young gets sent outside. That leaves Deaner to take a 3D into a top rope headbutt into a frog splash to give Tonga Loa the pin at 13:39.

Rating: C+. Pretty good main event here, as the Bullet Club continues to look more and more dominant every single week. White is starting to come off like the star that he was in New Japan and the Guerrillas are some of the scariest people in all of wrestling. Violent By Design might not be the best competition, but at least they have a reputation around here.

The Good Brothers come out for a staredown with the Guerrillas to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another solid show this week as they have put the pieces in the right place to make for an entertaining two hours. What makes this show work is that there are a lot of entertaining parts. You have the World Title, the Bullet Club, Honor No More, the various women’s stories and more. It makes for a good, balanced show and that is what makes this work. Things are getting better around here and No Surrender has my attention, so nice job.

Results
Masha Slamovich b. Kiah Dream – Russian Death Machine
Ace Austin b. Blake Christian and Laredo Kid – Fold to Christian
Gisele Shaw b. Lady Frost – Corkscrew Vader Bomb
Chris Sabin b. Kenny King – Rollup
Tasha Steel/Savannah Evans b. Chelsea Green/Mickie James – Crucifix bomb to James
Bullet Club b. Violent By Design – Frog splash to Deaner

 

 

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