Classic All Star Wrestling
Date: October 9, 2022
Host: Adam Parsons

I have absolutely no idea what this is but it aired on a local station on a Sunday afternoon so I had to check it out. This is a weird situation as there is no promotion or stars listed so not only do I not know where it is coming from but I’m completely lost going in. That’s a new way to go so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence featuring clips of Andre the Giant, an old Bam Bam Bigelow, Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Lawler, so I’m guessing this is some Memphis deal…..and then there’s a ring skirt that says HAWAII. What in the world is this?

Adam Parsons (who looks like he’s in a tiny room for a studio) welcomes us to the show and says we’re going to Portland to start. Parsons explains that this isn’t the famous Destroyer (Dick Beyer) but rather Fidel Sierra under a mask. Seriously I am totally lost as to what this is but it’s kind of great.

Brett Sawyer/Buzz Wayne Sawyer vs. Destroyer/Igor Volkoff

From what I can find, this is from April 11, 1981 at the Sports Arena in Portland, Oregon. Buzz and Destroyer start things off with Buzz picking up the pace, setting up a crisscross. Buzz slams him down for two but Volkoff makes a rather fast save. It’s Volkoff coming in and dropping Buzz with a knee to the ribs as we’re told there are four minutes left. There was either some slick editing in there or this has a five and a half minute time limit.

Destroyer comes back in to drop a knee as we hear about how Destroyer and Rip Oliver are the Tag Team Champions. The beating on Buzz continues as we’re down to three minutes. Buzz dives through the ropes for the hot tag to Brett though and house is quickly cleaned. A running forearm drops Volkoff and a knee drop gets two. Buzz…..seems to fall off the top in an attempt to take out Volkoff so instead it’s a small package to give Buzz the pin at 3:31.

Rating: C. The time didn’t help things but they did what they could with what they had. The Sawyers were a regular tag team all over the place so it was natural that they had some chemistry together. I’m not sure why Volkoff was here instead of Destroyer’s regular partner but they worked fine as a pair of villains. Brett was good enough in the ring, despite being one of the most horrible people in wrestling outside of it.

We’re off to Memphis, probably around 1986/1987.

MOD Squad vs. David Haskin/Ken Johnson

The Squad (Spike/Basher) are probably best known as being a low level team in Jim Crockett Promotions. But hang on as commentary says that this is the MOD Squad against….David Johnson and Thunderbolt (Larry) Hamilton? I have no idea what is going on here but I’ll trust Lance Russell over Adam Parsons.

MOD Squad vs. David Johnson/Thunderbolt Hamilton

We’re joined in progress with Hamilton taking Spike down and working on the arm. Spike gets up without much trouble and hands it off to Basher, who brings Johnson in to beat on him instead. The Squad’s manager is walking around ringside with a book called MOD RULES as Basher grabs a chinlock. A suplex drops Johnson again and Basher drops Spike onto him with a legdrop for two, with Spike pulling up from the cover. Something like a hart Attack from the top finishes Johnson at 5:21 shown….and apparently this is a 2/3 falls match (normal in Memphis)…and we’re not going to see the second or third fall. Ok then.

Rating: C-. Kind of a dull match, but the Squad was never exactly known as a great team. This was pretty much a squash as Hamilton got in some offense before Johnson got crushed. I’m not sure what the deal was with the wrong names, but this doesn’t exactly seem to be the most detail oriented setup in the first place.

From the Cobb County Civic Center in Marietta, Georgia, October 2, 1988. This seems to be from Southern Championship Wrestling, a Georgia promotion.

AWA World Title: Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Rich

Lawler is defending and Parsons seems to say they aired the setup to this match last week. We’re joined in progress with Lawler in trouble as Rich hits a bulldog for two. A second bulldog is broken up though and Rich takes out a camera man in the corner by mistake. Rich cuts off a comeback attempt and hits a clothesline into a piledriver but doesn’t cover. Instead, Rich snaps him throat first across the top and takes it outside.

A right hand only hits post though and Lawler is able to take down the strap. They get back inside with Lawler hitting a backdrop as the ring announcer sounds like he said we’re eight minutes in. Lawler hits a suplex and drops a fist for two but the middle rope fist misses. Rich loads up the foreign object to knock Lawler silly for the pin at 6:02 shown, despite Lawler’s foot being on the rope.

Rating: C. Given that rich was never AWA World Champion, I don’t think this is going to count. They trimmed off a lot here and this seemed to be much more about setting up something for a rematch later on. What we got was pretty standard Lawler, but having it in Georgia didn’t quite fit as well as in Memphis. Fine enough match, even if it was so clipped.

Parsons tells us that the result was overturned so no worries. We hear about Rich’s heel run in the south in the late 80s and we get a preview for next week’s show.

Roll credits, featuring multiple Parsons (no Iceman) as part of the production crew.

Overall Rating: C. I’m assuming that Parson and the Wrestling Legends Network (seems to be a parent company/distribution label) has bought up a bunch of old territory footage and is airing it on local television, half an hour a week. Well if you insist I guess, as I’ll certainly be doing this every week. This was a short collection but this is going to be a show where it’s a question of what do we have on any given show. I’m absolutely sold and this was a GREAT surprise treat.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Extreme Rules 2022
Date: October 8, 2022
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back with the violent pay per view and in this case the card might be able to live up to that hype. There is a different, or mostly different, gimmick to every match on the card and some of them could get rather violent. In addition, we find out who the White Rabbit is tonight and that could be a huge moment. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is narrated by Paul Heyman (of course) and features a boy in a spelling bee, trying to spell EXTREME. He asks for the definitions, with Heyman talking about what it means for tonight.

Imperium vs. Brawling Brutes

This is a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook, meaning street fight with some props at ringside. It’s a brawl to start, as it should be, with everyone pairing off in and around the ring. Kaiser is tied in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick but the rest of Imperium comes over for the save. Everyone goes for the weapons and Sheamus is sent into various things at ringside.

With Kaiser and Vinci holding Sheamus over a bar, Gunther chops away and hits the big boot before dropping him onto said bar. Back in and it’s Butch and Holland getting beaten up, including the double running dropkick to Butch in the corner. As Imperium poses, Sheamus fights up and it’s time to wreck Gunther’s minions.

Gunther tells Sheamus to bring it and the slugout is on. A release German suplex drops Sheamus but he’s right back up with a clothesline. Holland and Butch are back up to help with the beating until everyone knocks each other down. The teams get up and fight to the floor, with Butch hitting a heck of a moonsault off some barrels.

Gunther is back up and hits the shillelagh shot for two Sheamus. The rest of the Brutes get back in and beat down Gunther, allowing Sheamus to hit a heck of a shillelagh shot to knock Gunther silly. Gunther gets powerbombed through the announcers’ table, leaving Kaiser to get Brogue Kicked for the pin at 17:42.

Rating: A-. The good old fashioned part was right as these guys didn’t bother with anything more than what was advertised. They beat each other up for about eighteen minutes and you could feel a lot of the pain and violence they were showing off here. Sheamus getting the win was the right way to go and he can probably have a final showdown with Gunther. This was what I was looking for from this match and they delivered hard.

Miz isn’t happy about the idea of Dexter Lumis ruining his birthday tomorrow night. He’ll even talk about it with HHH….but something catches his eye. That would be Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty, who offers him a shirt. Miz throws it down and stomps on it, become the most despised man in the arena.

We recap Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan for the Smackdown Women’s Women’s Title. Morgan escaped with the title over Rousey at Summerslam so tonight it’s Extreme Rules so Morgan can prove she can hang with Rousey with no rules.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan

Morgan is defending and it’s Extreme Rules, meaning Morgan brings a baseball bat. That works fine for Rousey, who starts the brawl and takes it outside, with Morgan being knocked down. Rousey picks up the bat but takes too long, allowing Liv to blast her with a fire extinguisher. That’s not enough though as Rousey hits a Piper’s Pit on the floor, followed by a baseball bat to the ribs (with Rousey looking to the crowd to see how far that shot went for some good heeling).

Some more shots to the knee put Morgan down but she’s fine enough to hit an enziguri for a breather. Back up and Rousey gets in some shots with a bat to the knee but Morgan sends her into the steps. A table is set up in the corner inside but Rousey sends her face first into it a few times. The running knee sets up an armbar over the ropes but Morgan slips out and grabs a chair.

Said chair is wedged in the corner….and then falls out, meaning there is nothing for Rousey to hit when Morgan kicks her into the corner. Back in and Morgan hits some awful chair shots, followed by a Codebreaker to drive the chair into Rousey’s face for two. Rousey is put on the table for the top rope backsplash for two, followed by a pretty awful powerbomb onto the broken table. That’s enough for Rousey to pull her into some kind of a leg choke for the knockout win (with Liv smiling for some reason) at 12:17.

Rating: D+. I’m trying to be nice with this one because they were absolutely trying, but this just didn’t work. I don’t think there was any reason to believe that Morgan had a chance to win a fight against Rousey, weapons or no weapons, and there was no way around that. Now that being said, Rousey unloading on Morgan’s knee with a bat and having it do nothing is inexcusable and had me wondering who put this match together because they need to be fired. They were in a bad situation that didn’t suit them and then it was all downhill from there. Bad match, but they put the effort in and it got better by the end.

We recap Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre. Kross debuted about a month and a half ago, saying he wants to reset the timeline, meaning taking McIntyre out. McIntyre isn’t down for that and is tired of Kross disappearing, so they’ve having a strap match.

Karrion Kross vs. Drew McIntyre

Strap match and Scarlet is here with Kross. Hold on though as Kross jumps him before the strap is tied, meaning the fight goes into the crowd. They fight through the arena and make it back down to ringside, where Kross can’t suplexes him onto the steps. They get back inside with McIntyre in control and tying the strap to Kross’ wrist to officially start the match.

Some LOUD whips have Kross in trouble but Scarlet offers a distraction so Kross can manage a posting. McIntyre’s bad shoulder is banged up again but he wants to keep going, even as Kross hammers away. A Downward Spiral onto the announcers’ table (which isn’t like a Futureshock Cole) knocks McIntyre silly and the Doomsday Saito gives Kross two back inside.

McIntyre gets fired up by the whipping and a jumping neckbreaker drops Kross. Back up and the whip the heck out of each other until Kross finally gets staggered. The Futureshock drops McIntyre so he loads up the Claymore, only to have Scarlet get in the way. Some pepper spray blinds McIntyre and the Krosshammer (running forearm to the back of the head) finishes for Kross at 10:19.

Rating: B. Much like the opener, you went into this one expecting violence and that is exactly what you got. This was about two big, strong men beating each other senseless with a weapon that was going to make people cringe and they did exactly that. The ending was one of the ways they could go and McIntyre keeps face, but Kross needed to go over here after a brutal match and that is what happened.

Miz is on the phone about his birthday again when Gritty interrupts. More yelling ensues.

We recap Bayley vs. Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Title. Bayley returned at Summerslam and wanted to take over the division, including with her Damage Ctrl teammates. That means she needs a title and by pinning Belair at Clash At The Castle, she earned the shot here in a ladder match.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Belair is defending in a ladder match. After the Big Match Intros, they waste no time in going outside to grab a ladder each. Belair gets the better of things and goes up, only to have Bayley break it up without much trouble. After explaining to a fan that she is winning and therefore cannot suck, Bayley sends her into a ladder, with Belair using it for a quickly broken climb attempt.

Belair takes her down and hits the handspring moonsault onto Bayley onto the ladder but Belair is banged up too. A ladder is set up in the corner and a running sunset bomb sends Belair into the ladder for a big crash. Belair has to make another save so Bayley sends her outside and bridges a ladder between the steps and the barricade. The running elbow off the apron hits Belair on the ladder but Belair is back up with a ladder shot of her own.

Back in and Bayley knocks her down again, meaning it’s time to….break off a piece of her knee brace. The charge misses though and Belair grabs a KOD. Belair goes up but the rest of Damage Ctrl take her down, including a big shove off the ladder. That’s broken up with Belair hitting a double KOD (geez) but Bayley is back up to Roseplant Belair.

Bayley loads up the ladder over Belair….who presses it up to shove Bayley off for the insane power display save. It’s Bayley going up but Belair uses the braid to bring her back down. Bayley picks up a ladder but Belair picks up Bayley (and the ladder) and KODs them both, allowing Belair to pull the title down and retain at 16:38.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure on this one and a lot of that is due to how the ending of the match went. They did a good job of making Belair look like a monster, but this was Damage Ctrl slamming into a brick wall, as Bayley had worn her down and then the other two couldn’t finish it off. It made Belair look great but for the rest of the team, not so much. Other than that, this was a good ladder match with some creative enough spots, but there are so many of them these days that it’s hard to get overly excited about them anymore.

We recap Edge vs. Finn Balor. Edge formed Judgment day after Wrestlemania and then Balor turned on the team to take Edge’s place. Edge has since tried to destroy the team but can’t get rid of them no matter what he does. Tonight is his chance in an I Quit match.

Finn Balor vs. Edge

I Quit match and Edge starts fast with a neckbreaker. Edge drives him face first into the corner but Balor gets in a shot to the face to take over, including stomping Edge in the corner. It’s time to work on Edge’s knee and a leglock sets up a figure four. Edge isn’t about to quit but he can’t turn it over, meaning Balor can crank on it even more. With that not working, Balor takes it outside and ties Edge up in the ring skirt to keep up the beating.

Edge fights up and knocks him over the announcers’ table so they can fight into the crowd. They brawl around the arena and over by the Kickoff Show set, but Balor still won’t quit. Now it’s off to the concourse, where Balor is launched face first into the concrete overhead. The spear only results in Edge low blowing himself on a barricade though, with Balor bending Edge’s neck around said barricade.

They get back to ringside, where Balor can’t get Edge to quit so he wedges a chair in the corner instead. A Crossface has Edge in more trouble but he fights out and grabs the Edgecator for a bit of a flashback. Cue Damian Priest (Cole: “I was wondering when this idiot was going to show up.”) for the save, with Dominik Mysterio following, so Edge spears Balor through the ropes to take them all down. Back in and Rhea Ripley pops in to handcuff Edge to the top.

The three men of Judgment Day beat Edge down and Balor unloads with kendo stick shots to the back. Rey Mysterio FINALLY comes in with a chair (where the heck was he five minutes ago) and makes most of the save but Dominik knocks Rey off the apron. Cue Beth Phoenix to make the real save and beat the fire out of Balor with the kendo stick. Ripley gets up for the staredown so Beth beats her down as well and gets the key.

Edge is freed and spears down Priest, followed by three spears to Balor. Beth grabs the chair for Edge, who loads up the crossface but Ripley comes back in to blast Beth with brass knuckles. Judgment Day beats Edge down, including a bunch of Coup de Graces. Edge still won’t quit, so Beth is loaded into a Conchairto. That’s enough to make Edge quit at 29:53.

Rating: B. This did work and it did feel extreme, but they probably needed about five to seven minutes cut out to make it that much better. The ending was about the only way that they could go as you don’t want Edge quitting clean and it also makes him look like a hero for trying to save his wife. Balor and the team absolutely needed this win though and having them be all evil towards Beth made them look even better.

That being said, the Rey/Dominik stuff still isn’t working and still isn’t as interesting as WWE thinks it is. It’s also not as evil as Michael Cole would have you believe, as he was REALLY annoying on commentary, screaming like Dominik was blowing up a bus full of orphans when he hit Rey. Cole was going so far over the deep end that I wanted Rey to hit him instead of Dominik and I don’t think that’s the right idea. Other than that though, good, violent brawl.

They Conchairto her anyway. Panic ensues, because this time Beth is some helpless creature instead of the time when she’s a Hall of Famer and unstoppable force.

Charlotte is coming back at some point in the future.

Gritty gives Miz another shirt so Miz beats him up….but Dexter Lumis is behind Miz. The choke out ensues, followed by Lumis helping Gritty up. Gritty kicks Miz in the ribs and leaves with Lumis.

We recap Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins. They have been fighting for months and making it very personal, with both insulting the other’s family. Rollins beat Riddle at Clash At The Castle when Riddle let his anger get the better of him, so now it’s a match in the Fight Pit, which is Riddle’s style.

Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle

This is in the Fight Pit, which is a cage with no ropes and a platform around the top of the ring that they can walk on. You can only win by knockout or submission and UFC legend Daniel Cormier is referee for some extra flavor. The bell rings and the fans immediately want Bray Wyatt, but have to settle for Riddle walking the cage wall for a kick to the head.

Riddle hammers at the head and Cormier pulls him off, even accidentally sending Riddle into the cage. Rollins is back up to hammer away but Riddle flips out of a German suplex. More shots put Riddle down but Rollins shoves Cormier a bit, earning him a stiff lecture. A hard forearm to the back of the head drops Riddle and Rollins is getting cocky. A twisting frog splash rocks Riddle and a Stomp makes it worse, but Riddle beats the count.

Rollins isn’t exactly keen on fighting a ticked off Riddle so he climbs the cage and makes it to the platform. Riddle follows up and they fight near the edge, with Riddle grabbing a choke while holding onto a chain to avoid falling back to the ring. Rollins gets in a few more shots but Riddle catches him with an RKO, which is enough to send Rollins back down to the mat (not much of a fall when he grabs the edge and hangs from the platform before dropping).

Since he’s a bit nuts, Riddle drops a Broton from the platform to the mat (that looked good) for the huge crash. After taking some time to learn to breathe again, Riddle grabs a triangle choke so Rollins drives him into the cage over and over. That and a powerbomb aren’t enough to break it though and Rollins taps at 16:42.

Rating: C. What you have here is an idea that sounded good on paper but didn’t work out so well in execution. It was basically a cage match with room for some big bumps, but all that did was make me wonder why they didn’t just have a cage match. Yeah Riddle gets the big win, but he gets it in a match tailor made for him, which isn’t that impressive. The Broton looked excellent with the camera looking up, but other than that, this wasn’t the most memorable match and it didn’t exactly draw me in. I wouldn’t call it bad, though it’s nothing I need to see again.

Riddle goes to leave….and the lights go out, with the Fireflies coming up and Bray Wyatt’s voice singing He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands. We see real life versions of the Firefly Fun House creatures in the crowd, plus a Fiend mask on the stage. Then the Fiend pops up near the barricade and we cut to the stage, where there is a real life Firefly Fun House. A TV comes on with a monster saying something I can’t quite make out. Light comes from behind the door to the Fun House and it bursts open…..with someone holding a lantern coming out and wearing the mask from the TV.

The mask comes off and it’s Bray Wyatt. The lantern is blown out and a logo that looks like an upside down mutated butterfly comes up on screen to take us out. To say the place went coconuts for this would be an understatement as they lost it for every bit, but Bray has a long way to go to make up for the mess that was his last run with the company. I’m not saying he can’t, but he needs to be on a really, really short leash.

Overall Rating: B. As cliched as it sounds, this was a show where what was good was good but what was weak was weak. The best thing about this show was the fact that it had a variety of stuff and I was never bored watching it. The ending is the part that is going to have people talking, as it should, but the Donnybrook stole the night with one heck of a brawl. It’s a good show, even if it was a bunch of rematches with stories that need to be wrapped up already.

Results
Brawling Brutes b. Imperium – Brogue Kick to Vinci
Ronda Rousey b. Liv Morgan via referee stoppage
Karrion Kross b. Drew McIntyre – Krosshammer
Bianca Belair b. Bayley – Belair pulled down the title
Finn Balor b. Edge when Edge quit
Matt Riddle b. Seth Rollins – Triangle choke

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Bound For Glory 2022
Date: October 7, 2022
Location: Washington Avenue Armory, Albany, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the biggest night of the Impact year and the show doesn’t look too bad. Honor No More is in a pair of title matches, including the show’s main event, so tonight might determine all of the group’s future. That could go in a few ways but there is enough other stuff to keep the interest up. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Brian Myers vs. ???

Myers is defending in an open challenge and it’s……Dirty Dango (Fandango) for a surprise. Feeling out process to start with Dango hitting a dropkick to put the champ down. A legdrop gives Dango two and it’s time for Myers to bail out to the floor. Myers wins the fight outside as we go to French commentary for a bit.

Back in and the chinlock goes on, with the fans trying to cheer Dango back up to his feet. Some stomping sets up another chinlock but Dango sends him outside for the slingshot dive. Dango slugs away back inside, setting up a Falcon Arrow for two. Myers manages a quick implant DDT for two but Dango is back with a superkick into a tornado DDT. Something off the top misses though and it’s a spear into the Roster Cut to retain the title at 7:05.

Rating: C. Just a quick match with a surprise to get the show started. I doubt Dango stays around for more than another show or two and there is nothing wrong with that. Let him show up, pop the crowd and then leave without getting too involved. Myers can hold the title as long as he needs to and eventually someone is going to get a nice boost when they take the title from him. Good enough for an opener here and that’s all it needed to be.

The opening video looks at the people on the card and talks about this being in the shadow of the City That Never Sleeps. I mean…..a two and a half hour drive away if that counts.

X-Division Title: Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey is defending and after a quick handshake, we’re ready to go. They trade some early rollups for two each before Bailey has to bail to the ropes to avoid the chickenwing. A dropkick sets up another failed chickenwing attempt so Bailey sends him outside for the moonsault to the floor. Back in and Kazarian knocks him off the top for a crash to the floor as the pace slows. Kazarian starts in on the leg, which is never a good idea for a Bailey match.

Bailey fights up and hits a kick to the chest, setting up the bouncing kicks into the running corkscrew shooting star press. Kazarian gets up this time and hits Back To The Future (electric chair bridged back into a rollup) for two before they knock each other down for a breather. Back up and Bailey kicks him in the face, setting up the standing moonsault knees. The Ultimate Weapon gets two and Bailey is stunned. The Flamingo Driver is countered into the chickenwing, which is broken up just as fast.

Kazarian misses a charge and falls to the floor, where Bailey is waiting on him with the top rope Asai moonsault. That’s shrugged off though as Kazarian comes back in with a slingshot cutter for his own near fall. The Flux Capacitor (super Spanish Fly) gives Kazarian two but another Back To The Future is countered into a poisonrana. Bailey goes up for another Ultimate Weapon but gets pulled into another cutter. The chickenwing gives Kazarian the title back at 12:34.

Rating: B-. This is what you want to go with in an opener as they were flying around the ring until one of them got caught. Thankfully Kazarian didn’t waste too long working on the knee before Bailey got up for his flips and dives, meaning the frustration levels weren’t as high here. Kazarian winning is a surprise as Bailey has been on a roll lately, but it is certainly a twist at the end of a fast paced match.

Mickie James is ready to deliver under pressure with her career on the line. She isn’t passing the torch because she is the torch (A pro wrestling torch?) and tonight, they’re burning Albany down.

We recap Mickie James vs. Mia Yim. They fought at the beginning of Mia’s career and now she wants to be the one to end Mickie’s career and finish the Last Rodeo.

Mickie James vs. Mia Yim

If James loses, she has to retire but there isn’t any personal animosity. The fans are split as we start with a rather aggressive lockup. They both try armdrags so neither can get anywhere, meaning Mickie has to grab a headlock. A headlock takeover puts Mia down so she shoves Mickie away, with Mickie coming up favoring her knee. Mia takes her down by the knee out of the corner and some hard kicks make it even worse. Back up and Mickie hits a neckbreaker for a breather but can’t immediately nip up off the flapjack.

Mia is right back up with a buckle bomb but Mickie….kisses her out of the corner and hits a middle rope Thesz press. The Mick Kick is countered into a stretch muffler though and Mia cranks away to slow Mickie right back down. Eat Defeat connects but James falls into the ropes. Mia is frustrated and misses the cannonball, allowing Mickie to hit the MickDT for the pin at 10:56.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t the biggest surprise and that’s not a bad thing. Mickie isn’t going to be losing until she’s in a major spot and while Bound For Glory is a big show, she wasn’t in a top match on the card. Mia was a good choice for an opponent here as they had a nice match, but the drama wasn’t there because of how it was set up.

We recap VXT vs. the Death Dolls. VXT took the Knockouts Tag Team Titles from Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie so now Jessicka is taking Rosemary’s place.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: VXT vs. Death Dollz

VXT (Deonna Purrazzo/Chelsea Green) is defending (ignore Taylor Wilde’s Twitter handle being show on the Dollz’s chyron for whatever reason). Jessicka and Green start things off with Green being sent straight into the wrong corner. Some splashes knock her down but she’s straight over for the tag off to Purrazzo. Valkyrie comes in and takes her down for a quick double stomp and Pandemonium makes it even worse. The champs get in some stereo kicks to slow Valkyrie down though and a double snap suplex gets two.

Valkyrie drives Green into the corner and makes the tag but the referee doesn’t see it to keep the champs in control. As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later and it’s Jessicka coming in to clean house. Purrazzo manages a Downward Spiral into a stomp to give Green two. I’m Prettier is loaded up but Valkyrie makes the save, setting up a kick to the head into the Sick Driver for the pin and the titles at 7:24.

Rating: C. Well ok then. I certainly didn’t see this one coming as you would think that VXT would have kept the titles at least for a little while longer. The Dollz stuff has gone on for awhile now and I’m kind of curious to see what this win means for Rosemary. Either way, it’s quite the surprising result but the titles aren’t just sitting there, so at least they’re doing something.

We recap Honor No More vs. the Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Titles. Honor No More won the titles to make the stable feel important. Then the Guns earned the title shot to set this up. Not that complicated of a story but the match should be good.

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Honor No More (Mike Bennett/Matt Taven), with Maria Kanellis, is defending. Taven takes Shelley down to start and hits his catchphrase before it’s quickly off to Bennett vs. Sabin. Bennett takes him into the corner and stomps away, allowing Taven to come back in for an elbow to the head. Shelley comes in to kick Bennett off the apron though and it’s a kick to Taven’s arm to take over.

The Guns start taking turns on the arm, including stereo spinning kicks to both arms. That’s enough to draw in the illegal Bennett so he gets dropped as well. Taven misses a charge into the corner, allowing Bennett to get in a cheap shot from the apron so the champs can take over again. Some kicks to the head get two on Shelley and it’s a kick to the face into a backbreaker for the same.

Shelley is right back up and brings in Sabin to clean house, including the dropkick/tornado DDT combination to drop the champs. The Downward Spiral/missile dropkick to the back combination gets two on Taven but he’s right back up with Just The Tip for two of his own. Hail Maria (spike piledriver) gets two but the Proton Pack is broken up.

Something like a double Death Valley Driver plants Bennett and Taven gets tied in the Tree of Woe. Shelley launches Bennett into Taven but Taven breaks up something off the top. Bennett’s superkick accidentally hits Maria (BIG pop for that) but the distraction lets Taven grab a rollup (with feet on the ropes) to retain at 16:37.

Rating: B. Take two talented teams, give them over fifteen minutes, have a rather good match. This was one of the matches that looked like it was going to be among the best on the show and then they did just that. Granted the Motor City Machine Guns having a good match is like seeing the sun come up but it doesn’t make things any less entertaining. Honor No More looked like their usual talented selves and I’m glad that they’re getting to keep the titles, as they deserve the spotlight for a bit longer.

We look at Raven being inducted into the Hall of Fame on the pre-show, where he DDTed Tommy Dreamer one more time.

Video on the Call Your Shot gauntlet match. It’s basically a Royal Rumble for the Money In The Bank contract (for any title) with battle royal rules until the final two, when it’s a singles match.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

Twenty entrants, sixty second intervals (save for two minutes after the first two entrants), Eric Young is in at #1 and Joe Hendry is in at #2. Hendry spends a bit too much time posing and gets jumped from behind but he’s right back with a suplex. A spinebuster is loaded up but Steve Maclin is in at #3. Maclin loads Hendry up in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder to the ribs and it’s Rich Swann in at #4. House is cleaned until Hendry plants him with a tilt-a-whirl slam and PCO is in at #5.

Now it’s PCO getting to clean house, including a hanging DDT to Maclin. Savannah Evans is in at #6 and gets in PCO’s face, which doesn’t seem to be the most logical move. Everyone pairs off and it’s Johnny Swinger in at #7. Swinger slams Evans but hurts his back a bit, leaving Tasha Steelz to come in at #8. Evans and Steelz beat up Swinger until Killer Kelly is in at #9. Kelly goes after Evans so Steelz dumps both of them to clear out the ring a bit. Moose is in at #10, giving us Young, Hendry, Maclin, Swann, PCO, Swinger and Moose at the halfway point.

There goes Hendry, leaving Moose to slug it out with PCO, with the latter being sent out rather quickly. Sami Callihan is in at #11 and powerbombs Maclin as everyone pairs off again. Taylor Wilde is in at #12 and does very little until Gisele Shaw is in at #13. Young is in trouble so here are a bunch of guys in yellow hoodies to save him. One such hoodied guy, who reveals himself as Deaner, tosses Callihan. Bully Ray of all people is in at #14, for his first match in Impact in about eight years.

Ray tosses Steelz and it’s Tommy Dreamer in at #15 and we get the staredown with Ray for the ECW reunion (as mentioned by commentary). Rhino is in at #16 and we get the official ECW reunion, with Swinger joining in. Swinger is immediately tossed and it’s Bhupinder Gujjar in at #17. Dreamer gets tossed and it’s Heath in at #18. Heath and Rhino get to clean house until Bobby Fish (hometown boy) is in at #19. The ring is getting full and it’s even worse with Matt Cardona coming in at #20.

The final grouping is Young, Maclin, Swann, Moose, Wilde, Shaw, Ray, Rhino, Gujjar, Heath, Fish and Cardona. Hold on though as Cardona is cool with staying on the floor as Moose gets rid of Rhino. Heath is out as well and Cardona helps get rid of Moose, setting up a showdown with Ray. As commentary explains that this is a thing in the NWA and on Twitter, Wilde plays D-Von in a What’s Up to Cardona for a cool moment.

Wilde and Shaw fight on the ropes so Cardona throws them both out, only to be dumped by Gujjar. Young neckbreaker Gujjar on the apron for the elimination but gets kicked in the face by Swann to get rid of him too. We’re down to Swann, Maclin, Ray and Fish, with everyone else going after Ray, because he’s a monster you see.

With Ray breaking that up, Maclin gets rid of Swann and Ray gets rid of Fish, meaning it’s time for Maclin vs. Ray in a regular match for the title shot. Ray wins the slugout but gets caught in an Angle Slam for two. A Rock Bottom gives Ray the same and the Bully Bomb….finishes Maclin at 29:17. Meaning Bully Ray wins. A title shot. In 2022.

Rating: D. I know this show is designed to be the big historical event for Impact but did they really have to go back in time to BULLY RAY winning the title? Ray got his ECW reunion moment in the match and then wins the thing by pinning Maclin, who has been pushed around here for the last several months. Ignoring that a 51 year old Ray just came in and cleaned house before winning clean, it’s BULLY RAY. How low rent can you look with this stuff? But hey, he’s a name or something, and it isn’t like Impact has a reputation of going with old guys who wouldn’t get a push in a major company right? Awful call on all fronts.

As for the rest of the match, it was your usual gauntlet match. There were a lot of people coming in and going out rather quickly, with too many people in the ring at one time far too often. The sixty second intervals don’t work well for a match like this and it wasn’t even that good in the first place. Throw in the really dumb choice for a winner and this was a bad part of the show.

Eddie Edwards talks to Alisha Edwards and says it ends tonight with him winning the title. Their kids ask what happens if he doesn’t win, but Alisha says that won’t happen and leaves with them.

We recap Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich for the Knockouts Title. They’re both monsters and Grace is the last line of defense against the monster Slamovich. This has been treated as a big deal in the build to this show and it has been pretty interesting.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich

Grace is defending. They start very fast with Grace hammering her down in the corner and out to the floor, setting up a running kick through the ropes. Slamovich gets in a kick to the head on the apron and a belly to back piledriver on said apron knocks Grace a bit loopy. Back in and we hit the reverse chinlock to stay on Grace’s neck but Grace fights out without much effort.

A spinebuster out of the corner plants Slamovich again and they chop it out. Stereo spinning backfists put both of them down and the fans seem to approve. Back up and a Michinoku Driver gives Grace two more but the Vader Bomb misses. Grace hits a Jackhammer for another two but Slamovich slips out of the MuscleBuster and grabs a sleeper.

That’s shifted into a bulldog choke until Grave powers up and grabs the rope. Another driver drops Slamovich again and Grace slaps her in the face a few times. The Grace Driver gets two and Grace is stunned. She’s so stunned that Slamovich is able to hit an Air Raid Crash into the corner, setting up the Snow Plow for two more, as Grace gets a foot under the ropes. They go up top where Grace gets in a shot to the ribs, setting up something close to a super Grace Driver to retain at 15:57.

Rating: B. I’d call that quite the surprise, as Slamovich seemed primed to take the title here. Grave is a fine champion but it isn’t like she was on some legendary run. Unless this is setting up a rather eventual James vs. Grace showdown, I don’t know if I get this. They had a heck of a hoss fight, but this should have been Slamovich’s big moment instead of Grace retaining.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards for the World Title. Alexander has run through everyone but now it’s time to face Edwards, who is a former World Champion and the head of Honor No More. Edwards is more than a bit over the top though and his wife isn’t happy with what he is doing. Now Edwards needs to win the title to make everything ok.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards

Alexander is defending and Edwards sends Honor No More to the back. Both of their families are at ringside to make it more personal. They fight over a lockup to start as commentary breaks down the difference in the color of their gear. Edwards hits a chop, which is enough to make Alexander double leg him down and hammer away. Alexander knocks him outside for a breather before they switch places.

A slingshot dive drops Alexander for a change but he’s right back up with the crossbody to the back to send them both outside again. Back in and Edwards snaps off an overhead belly to belly before sending him right back to the floor. One might think they are filling in time here. The floor mats are pulled back, which takes long enough for Alexander to fight back. A German suplex from the apron to the floor is blocked so Edwards hits a Diehard Driver on the exposed floor.

Back in and Alexander seems to be favoring his leg and the Backpack Stunner takes him down. The half crab goes on but Alexander makes the rope. Back up and Alexander starts rolling some German suplexes, even going through the ropes and hitting another on the apron. That’s still not enough to break it up and they go outside with two more German suplexes, setting up another one on the ramp.

They head back inside with Alexander hitting a powerbomb onto the knee for two, only to have Eddie come back with Deep Six for two of his own. The Boston Knee Party is blocked and Alexander goes old school with a Styles Clash. Alexander puts on an ankle lock, which is broken without much trouble.

Edwards enziguris him off the top but the referee gets bumped. Cue Kenny King for a low blow before he is taken out by security, allowing a second referee to come in. The Boston Knee Party gets two on Alexander and a tiger driver gets the same, leaving both of them down. Alexander’s nose is busted but he comes up slugging, only to get rolled up for two. Another Boston Knee Party is blocked and the C4 Spike retains the title at 28:04.

Rating: B. Definitely a good match but this never hit that next level as it was bouncing pretty hard off the ceiling above it. Edwards is a strong challenger to Alexander and just like in the previous match, it felt like he should have won here instead of coming up short. What’s the point of Honor No More if Edwards loses in the biggest match the team has had? Anyway, solid main event, but I’m not sure if it was worthy of the final spot on the biggest show of the year.

Post match Honor No More is here for the beatdown. Cue Rich Swann and Heath for the save but the numbers take them out as well. Cue Bully Ray, who teases cashing in but helps Alexander take out Honor No More. Ray holds up the title at Alexander and they stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where the wrestling was good, the feeling was ok and the booking was out there. I’m not sure I get the thinking on a lot of these matches and while the quality can help, it doesn’t fix everything else that they did wrong. For tonight, it was certainly good enough but I don’t think I want to know the thinking that is going into the future around here. The Bully Ray stuff is just baffling and tells you a lot about what Impact thinks of their current crop of stars. Skip the gauntlet and you should like most of it, but my goodness there were some bad choices here.

Results
Brian Myers b. Dirty Dango – Roster Cut
Frankie Kazarian b. Mike Bailey – Chickenwing
Mickie James b. Mia Yim – MickDT
Death Dollz b. VXT – Sick Driver to Green
Honor No More b. Motor City Machine Guns – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Sabin
Bully Ray won the Call Your Shot gauntlet match – Bully Bomb to Maclin
Jordynne Grace b. Masha Slamovich – Super Grace Driver
Josh Alexander b. Eddie Edwards – C4 Spike

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Battle Of The Belts IV
Date: October 7, 2022
Location: Entertainment And Sports Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, William Regal, Chris Jericho

We’re back to another of these things and that does not offer the most inspiration. The series does not seem to be a priority for AEW but the action tends to be rather good. This is also a live show so maybe things can be picked up a little bit from its usual status, which would be appreciated. Let’s get to it.

All-Atlantic Title: Trent Beretta vs. Pac

Pac is defending and is still in the ring after wrestling in the 20+ minute Rampage main event. Trent has Chuck Taylor in his corner and wins an early slugout for a bit of a surprise. A running clothesline puts Pac on the floor and there’s the dive to take him out for a bonus. Back in and Trent hammers on the ropes, setting up a dropkick to take it outside again. A spear on the floor drops Pac for two back inside but he kicks Trent outside this time.

The table is set up but Trent fights back and loads Pac onto the table. That takes too long to launch though and Pac gets out, only to have Trent get back up top. The superplex brings him down though and we take a break. Back with Trent hitting a stomp out of the corner and grabbing the half and half suplex. The tornado DDT plants Pac hard for two and a piledriver is good for the same.

With Pac’s neck banged up, Trent takes him to the ramp, where Pac grabs a brainbuster through a table on the floor for the really big crash. JR isn’t sure why the doctor isn’t there and….well yeah fair question actually. Back in and the Black Arrow hits raised knees, meaning a small package can give Trent two.

A half and half superplex gives Trent two more but Pac pulls him into the Brutalizer. The rope is reached and Pac is starting to look spent. With nothing else working, Pac grabs the ring bell hammer again, with Trent picking him up. Pac channels his inner Randy Savage from Boston 1986 to Trent’s Tito Santana and knocks him silly for the pin at 15:20.

Rating: B. It wasn’t quite a classic but they did the right thing by having Pac wrestle twice, as it is hard to buy the idea of Trent being a real threat against him. They had a physical match and Trent got to show off a bit with no one else around for a change. This felt like a fight over a title and that’s the point of the show so they had the right idea.

Chris Jericho and the Jericho Appreciation Society promise to teach Bryan Danielson a lesson next week.

Claudio Castagnoli wants the winner of Danielson vs. Jericho for the Ring Of Honor World Title.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Jade Cargill

Cargill, with the Baddies, is defending and powers Nightingale into the corner. They go head to head until Nightingale dropkicks her into the corner. Nightingale sends her outside and dives through the ropes, only to hit the Baddies. Jade is fine enough to run Nightingale over though and we take a break. Back with Jade doing pushups but Nightingale runs her over with a clothesline out of the corner. The Cannonball in the corner sets up a middle rope dropkick for two. The doctor bomb is broken up and Jaded retains the title at 7:31.

Rating: C. Believe it or not, yes another challenger was built up in one match and then beaten by Jade without much trouble. This is the third time that Jade has pinned Nightingale and it still wasn’t that interesting. Jade needs a serious challenger and as fun as Nightingale is, she isn’t a threat to the title. Find someone to go after her title already because this is beyond repetitive.

Post match Vickie Guerrero comes out for a distraction and Nyla Rose sneaks in to steal the title.

Ethan Page and Stokely Hathaway yell at Matt Hardy about contract tampering. Good grief. Yes Tony, we know that there were stories about contract tampering from WWE. YOU DON’T HAVE TO MAKE AN ANGLE OUT OF EVERYTHING!

Hook rips up the Trustbusters’ envelope.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida are ready for Britt Baker are ready for Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Gates of Agony vs. FTR

The Gates, with Prince Nana, are challenging and in case you don’t remember them, it’s probably because they have had two matches as a team ever, with the most recent being about three months ago. The Gunn Club is in the crowd to make fun of FTR. Harwood and Kaun fight over a lockup to start before Kaun clotheslines him for daring to try a hiptoss. A swinging neckbreaker gets Harwood out of trouble so it’s off to Wheeler to fire off his own chops.

Kaun gets Wheeler into the corner as well though and it’s Toa coming in for a slam. The nerve hold goes on before Toa sits o his chest for daring to try a sunset flip. Toa’s belly to belly gets two and Wheeler is sent outside for a whip into the barricade. Back with Wheeler being driven into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs.

Wheeler flips out of a suplex though and dives between Kaun’s legs for the hot tag to Harwood. Everything breaks down and Toa catches Harwood’s middle rope crossbody. Wheeler middle rope dropkicks both of them though and everyone goes down. The double hanging DDT drops Toa and a spike piledriver gets two with Kaun making the save. The Big Rig hits Toa but Nana offers a distraction. Not that it matters as Harwood backslides Kaun to retain at 13:24.

Rating: B-. So this was the latest FTR match against a team that has nothing to do with AEW, despite them being an AEW tag team. In case you’re wondering, FTR has not had a tag match against an AEW team since April 6 (Young Bucks), with everything since then being six man tags or against teams from outside the company. This was another match where FTR is in no danger of losing against a team that means nothing around here, which is all they do anymore.

Post match the beatdown is on again and Brian Cage runs in to held the Gates. Wardlow and then Samoa Joe run in for the save and the good guys clear the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Battle Of The Belts continues its undefeated streak of having decent to good wrestling and feeling like absolutely nothing that happened here mattered in the slightest. They are reaching the point of being beneath the revival of Saturday Night’s Main Event and that is not a place you want to be. The fact that there has been one title change (plus one vacant title won) out of eleven title defenses in the history of this show has something to do with it, but if these shows have to exist, please come up with a way to make them matter, because these things feel like a big waste of time.

Results
Pac b. Trent Beretta – Ring bell hammer to the head
Jade Cargill b. Willow Nightingale – Jaded
FTR b. Gates Of Agony – Backslide to Kaun

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We’re off to another WWE pay per view and in this case it is another show where they already seem to have moved on to getting ready for the next major shows. In this case it’s Extreme Rules, but WWE is already hyping up Crown Jewel next month. That is the kind of show that can make for some good violence, but the show has been hit and miss over the years. Let’s get to it.

Edge vs. Finn Balor

We’re starting big with an I Quit match, as Edge’s war against Judgment Day continues. This is the kind of a win that could mean quite a bit for Balor, but WWE has a history of giving Edge one big win after another in major spots. I’m not sure why they would do that here, but there is a very real chance that they could go in the wrong direction, as Balor needs the win FAR more than Edge.

I’ll go with what should be the sane move here and pick Balor, likely due to Judgment Day threatening Rey Mysterio, or more likely Beth Phoenix. This is probably going to be quite the violent brawl with the usual assortment of weapons, including Edge’s obsession with breaking off a piece of a chair and putting it in Balor’s mouth. Despite that though, Balor wins, as he definitely needs to. I hope.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Bayley

This is a ladder match, because WWE enjoys those quite a bit. Bayley returned at Summerslam and has gone on to become one of the biggest deals in the division, as she is pretty easily the top heel at the moment. That means she is going to need some gold sooner rather than later, and this would be a very good place to start for her. In theory that is, as it might not be that easy.

As much as I want to go with the easy path here and take Bayley, I’m not sure I can imagine Belair losing the title so soon. I’ll go with my instinct and pick Bayley, but this is one of the picks that doesn’t give me much confidence. I could absolutely see WWE wanting to give Belair a longer win, but I would hope that Bayley isn’t going to lose in one of her first major matches since her return.

Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium

The feud continues with a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook, which is the latest fancy (Is that fancy?) term for a street fight. It is the kind of match that suits these guys the best and after the screwy finish to Sheamus vs. Gunther II on SmackDown, there is a lot of revenge to be had for the Brutes. This is tailor made for these guys and they have a story to go with it, so we should be in for a…well a good old fashioned donnybrook actually.

I’ll take the Brutes winning here, as there is a good chance that Sheamus is going to get the pin over Gunther here to set up their third match. What matters is that these guys are going to be able to beat each other up for awhile and hit each other really hard until one of them doesn’t get back up. That is exactly what you need on a sow like this and I’m looking forward to a brawl, which hopefully keeps a good feud going.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Liv Morgan(c) vs. Ronda Rousey

They have backed themselves into a pretty severe corner with this one, as Extreme Rules or not, there is almost no way for me to buy that Morgan would ever be a threat to Rousey. The first win came via Money in the Bank cash-in and the second came on a fluke. Yet here we are, being asked to believe that Rousey wouldn’t rip her head off in a matter of seconds. That is something that can be set up, but Morgan suddenly wanting to prove how violent she can be isn’t the way to go.

I’ll take Rousey here, as hopefully Morgan’s title reign is finally put out of its misery. Morgan has been trying but WWE has done a pretty miserable job of making Morgan feel like she is a serious threat to the top names in the division. You can only get so far winning off of flukes and screwups and Morgan has hit that wall. She needs to drop the title here, if nothing else before Charlotte comes back and beats her even worse. Rousey wins here, as she should.

Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

This one has gotten my interest over the last few weeks as it feels like the kind of match where two guys are going to beat each other up while looking like they want to destroy each other. Kross is in one of his first major matches on the main roster while McIntyre is still pretty much the default top face on SmackDown. That makes for a showdown and they have made this feel like a violent feud.

As much as it would make sense for McIntyre to win here, this needs to be Kross getting a win. After debuting and feeling like little more than a joke, Kross needs to come in and make a name for himself with a big win. That can be with or without Scarlett’s help, but Kross needs to go over here. McIntyre has been a made man for a long time now and he can get a win back later, but for now, this should be Kross.

Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle

I’m guessing that this will be the main event, as it is the most developed and by far most personal feud on the show. This is going to be in the Fight Pit, which was only used in NXT and is a cage featuring a platform around the top. There is potential to this one and Riddle could get a heck of a rub out of beating him. That being said, beating Rollins is quite the task and I’m not completely sold on Riddle being able to pull it off.

I’ll go with what makes sense here though and have Riddle win. It’s his match type and I’m not sure I can imagine Daniel Cormier being brought in to hold up Rollins’ hand after this kind of a violent match. Riddle could become a big deal with a win and the company needs some more top faces, so I’ll pick Riddle to win here, as he certainly could use a victory like this more than Rollins.

Overall Thoughts

The best thing about this show is its variety. There are some different gimmicks throughout the card and some of them feel like they have been built up over the last few weeks. Last year’s show had a total of one violence based match so having everything involved actually be about the carnage this time should help. I’m not sure how big of a show this is going to be, but at least they have set things up well. The White Rabbit stuff (I’ll go safe and say it’s Bray Wyatt) should help as a big moment, though I’m not sure how it is going to play in. I’m interested in the show though and now I have a reason to believe that it could work.

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NXT LVL Up
Date: October 7, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Matt Camp, Nigel McGuinness

We are back to the show that changes so little week to week that I didn’t even realize I watched the same episode twice. Odds are there are going to be a lot of the same things this week as tends to be the case around here. That should mean some ok stuff, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up for anything spectacular. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Indi Hartwell vs. Sloane Jacobs

Hartwell grabs a headlock takeover to start as we hear about Hartwell’s time in the Way. Jacobs slips out and hits a basement dropkick, only to get slammed down for two. A cravate goes on but Jacobs fights up and kicks her in the face a few times. Not that it matters as Hartwell hits the spinebuster for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: C-. As has been the case for the last several weeks, Hartwell continues to be little more than just kind of there and that doesn’t seem to be changing. I don’t know what happened to her over the last few months, but part of it might be that she is just ok in the ring most of the time. Jacobs is still figuring out what she is supposed to do in the ring, which could take her a long while.

Arianna James and Kiana James say don’t underestimate them.

Myles Borne vs. Guru Raaj

Borne wrestles him down to the mat without much effort before going after the arm. Raaj pulls him over with a headlock but gets reversed into a headscissors. That’s broken up as well and Raaj hits a pair of dropkicks for two. A top rope ax handle gives Raaj the same and we’re off to the chinlock. That lasts a bit longer than expected and Borne is back up with a dropkick of his own. There’s a suplex for two on Raaj, who is back with a running boot. Raaj goes up but dives into a Downward Spiral to give Borne the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. I think we can write off Borne’s awful debut match as a one off as he has come a long way in just a few weeks. Borne has the technical side down and if he can get some charisma to go with it, he’ll be fine. Then you have Raaj, who is also good enough with the in-ring stuff but has almost nothing to set him apart. Fix that and he could be around for awhile too.

Respect is shown post match.

Sol Ruca/Fallon Henley vs. Arianna Grace/Kiana James

Henley shoves James down without much trouble to start and drops Grace with an early right hand. Ruca comes in for a cartwheel into a moonsault for two on Grace but a quick pull of the hair lets James hit a running shoulder in the corner. We hit the seated abdominal stretch to make Ruca yell a lot until she fights back up. James cuts off the tag with a front facelock but a quick leg trip allows the hot tag to Henley. Everything breaks down and Henley hits a Shining Wizard to finish Grace at 5:05.

Rating: C. Grace and James are supposed to be something of a heel duo but I’m not sure what kind of a future they have together. On the other hand you have Ruca, who looks crazy athletic but is still brand new, and Henley, who has more charisma than she know what to do with most of the time. There is potential here though and this was by far the most exciting thing on the show.

Overall Rating: C. Yep, this was indeed an episode of LVL Up, meaning two mostly nothing matches and a decent main event. The lack of bigger names was a problem here though and it didn’t exactly make me want to see where these people go next. Part of that problem is they aren’t going anywhere other than this show, which is the high point for a lot of the people who appear here. For now though, ok enough week, even if nothing on it was particularly good.

Results
Indi Hartwell b. Sloane Jacobs – Spinebuster
Myles Borne b. Guru Raaj – Downward Spiral
Fallon Henley/Sol Ruca b. Arianna Grace/Kiana James – Shining Wizard to Grace

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Rampage
Date: October 7, 2022
Location: Entertainment And Sports Arena, Washington DC
Commentators:

It’s the first half of a live double shot with a special Rampage. That should make the show a bit more interesting, which is a boost that is rather necessary around here. We have a Trios Titles match tonight, as the previously announced mask vs. career match has been canceled due to reasons of Andrade El Idolo. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Rush/Private Party

Regal calls Excalibur a caramel cheesecake that he would let melt in his mouth. Regal to Jericho: “I’d rather rip off my own eyelids and dip my head in hot soapy water than sit next to you.” That’s quite the range of emotions. The Firm is watching at ringside as Castagnoli takes Kassidy down with almost no effort to start. Yuta comes in as Jericho and Regal argue over how filthy and horrible Blackpool, England is.

Kassidy gets sent down again so it’s off to Rush, who spits at Moxley and shakes his hair, which is enough to bring Moxley in. Rush’s German suplex is easily blocked as Moxley sends him into the corner and we take a break. Back with Rush coming in to stay on Moxley but Kassidy isn’t a fan. Moxley fights up and brings in Castagnoli to clean house, including a Swing to Quen and an airplane spin to Kassidy at the same time because he can do that.

Back up and Private Party kicks Moxley outside, only to get taken down by Yuta. A top rope splash gets two on Kassidy with Rush making the save. Moxley sends Rush outside and hits a suicide dive, leaving Kassidy to rake Yuta’s eyes. Silly String is broken up by Castagnoli and the pop up uppercut drops Kassidy. That leaves Yuta to grab an arm hold (the Bicep Slice) to make Quen tap at 10:11.

Rating: C+. They didn’t bother with much of the tagging stuff here and that is a good way to go. The people involved here tend to go better with all of the insanity and brawling, though Yuta was there for more of the traditional style. It’s a fun opening match and it had star power, so good job here, even if Private Party has faded so far since the start of AEW.

Video on Death Triangle vs. Dark Order, with 10 talking about how much Brodie Lee meant to him.

Varsity Blonds vs. Tony Nese/Josh Woods

Nese gets taken into the Blonds corner to start and Garrison comes in to crank on the wrist. A blind tag brings in Woods though and it’s an Angle Slam/neckbreaker combination to finish Garrison at 1:56. Arn Anderson is shown watching in disgust in the back.

Post match Mark Sterling says he has trademarked the term VARSITY in wrestling, so Nese and Woods are now known as the Varsity Athletes. If the Blonds use the term, he’ll sue. For a more personal issue though, his groin has been on fire since National Scissoring Day….and here is the Acclaimed to interrupt. Rapping and three way scissoring ensues.

Eddie Kingston talks about losing control two weeks ago against Sammy Guevara and then gets annoyed that he is out of time after thirty seconds. Kingston: “MJF gets fifteen minutes and I get thirty seconds?”

Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Madison Rayne/Skye Blue

Madison and Jay start things off with Rayne having to deal with an early Melo distraction. Blue comes in and manages a kick to Jay’s face, only to get tripped down and kicked by Melo. We take a break and come back with Rayne getting the tag to clean house as everything breaks down. Melo gets planted but Melo catches Rayne with a Gory Bomb. Blue superkicks Melo but the Queenslayer makes Blue tap at 7:48.

Rating: C. Melo and Jay are one of the most established teams around and them winning here wasn’t exactly a surprise. Rayne still doesn’t hurt anything by being around and it isn’t like she has taken up a major role. Blue feels like someone they could turn into something, though that name doesn’t exactly make me take her seriously.

The Dark Order wants to win the Trios Titles for Brodie Lee, but Pac and the Death Triangle says not so fast.

Here’s what’s coming on various show.

Swerve Strickland doesn’t care about getting cheers, but rather beating up Billy Gunn.

Trios Titles: Dark Order vs. Death Triangle

Death Triangle is defending. It’s a brawl to start with the referee having to get the belts out of the ring. Fenix can’t hurricanrana 10, who sends him over to the rest of the Order for a double faceplant. We settle down to Reynolds dropping a slingshot elbow on Fenix for two but it’s right off to Penta. That’s fine with Reynolds who drops him with a superkick to take over again. Silver comes in to slug it out with Penta and we take a break.

Back with Penta coming back in to take over, including a Backstabber to Reynolds for two. Pac comes in for a bridging German suplex and a near fall of his own, leaving Penta to pose over Reynolds. A spinebuster plants Reynolds again and Penta adds the top rope What’s Up stomp for two. Penta works on Reynolds’ arm as commentary talks about the Jim Crockett days. Pac suplexes Reynolds on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Reynolds dropping Pac and diving over for the tag off to 10. House is cleaned and 10 steals Shawn Spears’ 10 deal, only to get hammered down by known gimmick protector Pac. JR isn’t sure why the champs can triple team 10, who gets caught with a moonsault/flipping splash combination. Back up and 10 gets over to Silver for the tag and the slugout is on with Pac. A brainbuster gets two on Pac but a blind tag brings in Fenix. That doesn’t seem to matter to the Order, who loads up the Pendulum Bomb to drop Fenix for two just as fast.

Everything breaks down again and Penta Backstabbers Silver out of the corner. The Order is right back up to clean house with 10 hitting the discus lariat to give Reynolds a rather close two. Cue Jose the Assistant for a distraction and it’s Rush giving Pac the bell hammer. That’s enough to knock Reynolds silly (not clear if the Lucha Bros saw it) and Fenix takes out 10. Pac comes back in and grabs the Brutalizer for the pin at 21:05.

Rating: C+. There’s a lot to this one, with the first thing being a lack of any need for this to go over twenty minutes. This version of the Dark Order has no business lasting anywhere near that long against Death Triangle, Brodie Lee tribute or no Brodie Lee tribute. Then you have the Pac/Rush deal, which could go in a bunch of ways, most of which might be a bit weird. All in all, this is a match that went longer than it needed to and had a weird ending, but the action was enough to make up for a lot of that so it’s acceptable enough.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it was the live aspect or having some more star power around here, but this was a better Rampage than most. What mattered the most here was that the show felt more energized, which has been lacking some in recent weeks. Good show as the two six man tags made it work, with the bigger names helping a lot.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Rush/Private Party – Bicep Slice to Quen
Tony Nese/Josh Woods b. Varsity Blonds – Angle Slam/neckbreaker combination to Garrison
Tay Melo/Anna Jay b. Madison Rayne/Skye Blue – Queenslayer to Blue
Death Triangle b. Dark Order – Brutalizer to Reynolds

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Smackdown
Date: October 7, 2022
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

It’s the season premiere of a show that has seasons in the loosest sense of the world. This week features a showdown between Roman Reigns and Logan Paul, plus a rematch from Clash At The Castle with Gunther defending the Intercontinental Title against Sheamus. One of these things should be awesome so let’s get to it.

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

HHH is in the ring to get things going to say that there will be a time when you think everything is over but it is just the beginning. Welcome to Smackdown, where there is another QR code on the microphone cube.

Wade Barrett is introduced as the new member of the commentary teams. I’ve heard worse ideas.

With HHH gone, here is the Bloodline for a chat. Roman Reigns hits the catchphrase but gets cut off by Logan Paul, who stays on the apron. Reigns invites him in and the fans DO NOT like Paul. Reigns: “Don’t worry, they did that to me years ago too.” Paul Heyman is told to smarten Paul up, with Heyman saying that Logan (too many Paul’s around here) is the Mr. T. and Cyndi Lauper of his day.

The good thing is that Logan brings in more eyes who can acknowledge Reigns, so he is a good thing. Heyman goes over some other online celebrities like Ben Shapiro who would not have the guts to fight Roman Reigns. He can’t for Logan to be in a hospital bed, where he can acknowledge Reigns. Logan asks if Jey Uso is the Tribal Chief, which doesn’t sit well with Reigns. Sami Zayn plays peacemaker and rants about Logan before promising that Reigns will crush him. Zayn hits the catchphrase as Logan leaves. I’m not sure what they were going for here but if the idea was to get Logan over, they might want to try again.

Solo Sikoa vs. Ricochet

Sikoa jumps Ricochet after his flipping entrance but gets sent outside for a dive, with Ricochet still having his vest on. A triangle dropkick puts Sikoa on the floor and Ricochet flips into the superhero pose. Ricochet starts fighting back but a springboard is broken up, dropping Ricochet on the back of his head on the apron (OUCH) and we take a break. Back with Ricochet fighting out of a chinlock and striking away. A superkick into a jumping knee drops Sikoa so Ricochet goes up, only to have his shooting star press countered into Spinning Solo for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C. Well thankfully Ricochet’s head isn’t broken after that landing. Other than that, the match was another win for Sikoa, which is exactly how you get someone over. Sikoa is brand new to the main roster and he pinned a former Intercontinental Champion clean. What else can you do to get him over?

The Bloodline is pleased with what happened, with Sami Zayn taking some credit for Sikoa’s success. Jey Uso doesn’t like that so Roman Reigns calling him a hothead. Now Sami gets to deal with the Jey problem.

The Usos and Sami Zayn run into New Day. Insults are thrown and a six man is set for later.

Hit Row comes out for a match but three masked men jump them. Zelina Vega joins in and the men unmask to reveal Legado del Fantasma. Yes believe it or not, the three masked men who wear Legado del Fantasma masks, look like Legado del Fantasma and move like Legado del Fantasma are in fact Legado del Fantasma. Vega introduces the team in case you’re slow on the uptake.

We get a White Rabbit vignette, which says the date of 10.8.22, or Extreme Rules. Feed Your Hero.

Sonya Deville/Xia Li vs. Shotzi/Raquel Rodriguez

Deville drives Li into the corner to start and Li comes in for a shot of her own. That doesn’t last long though as the hot tag brings in Rodriguez to clean house. The Vader Bomb elbow connects and everything breaks down. An assisted standing Sliced bread drops Li and the Tejana Bomb finishes Deville at 2:14.

Video on Ronda Rousey vs. Liv Morgan.

Karrion Kross and Scarlett come to the ring but Drew McIntyre jumps him from behind. The strap is tied up but McIntyre has to beat up security. That’s enough to let Kross pull McIntyre into the post a few times before giving him quite the whipping. Drew’s back is all messed up but he gets to his feet and glares as the villains leave. That is always going to work and it did here.

The Viking Raiders talk about waiting and healing. A woman’s voice says Valhalla awaits.

Usos/Sami Zayn vs. New Day/???

The mystery partner is…..Braun Strowman, who should work well. Sami and Woods start things off but let’s go with Kofi instead. Jey comes in, glares at Zayn, and gets dropkicked down. New Day hits the double dive to take out the Usos and we take a break. Back with Kofi in trouble and Sami giving Jey a rather rough tag.

That’s fine with Jey, who chokes Kofi on the ropes to let off some steam. Kofi fights up and knocks Jimmy away, allowing the hot tag off to Strowman for the house cleaning. Sami and Jey get in an argument on the floor, leaving Jimmy to get caught with UpUpDownDown for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: C+. The Usos vs. New Day will be another fine tag program, as well as another instance where I cannot bring myself to care about seeing them fight again. I know they’re probably the two best WWE teams of their generation, but this is reaching Bockwinkel vs. Gagne levels of FIND SOMEONE NEW. Strowman was the perfect choice as the mystery partner here as he is great at getting the hot tag. It’s a great sign that WWE is getting it with him and that should serve him in the future.

Max and Maxxine Durpi argue in the back, with Max declaring himself LA Knight. Barrett: “I KNEW IT WAS LA KNIGHT ALL ALONG!”

Commentary previews the main event and there is a man in a white rabbit suit behind them.

Video on Gunther vs. Sheamus.

Intercontinental Title: Sheamus vs. Gunther

Gunther is defending and we get the Big Match Intros, complete with WXW and PWG references from Cole. They fight straight to the floor to start with Sheamus driving him into the barricade as we take an early break. Back with Sheamus hitting the forearms to the chest but getting sent chest first into the buckle to break it up. Gunther grabs a choke but Sheamus fights up, earning himself a release German suplex as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus driving him into the corner to break up another choke. Sheamus hits ten forearms on the apron, then does ten more over the other two ropes for a change of pace. White Noise connects for two but Gunther is right back with a powerbomb for the same. A top rope splash to the back gives Gunther two but Sheamus grabs White Noise.

The Cloverleaf goes on and Gunther taps….but it doesn’t count as he was reaching for the rope? That’s either one heck of an error or a bad plot point because that was a tap. As Sheamus seems confused, Imperium and the Brawling Brutes come down for the fight. The Brogue Kick is loaded up but the distracted referee lets Gunther get in a shillelagh shot to retain at 18:17.

Rating: B. It was a good fight but that tap was a REALLY bad visual and hurt all of the momentum they had. I’m assuming they were going for the reaching the rope and it looked like a tap thing but if that’s the case, the execution was terrible. Gunther retaining is ok, but there was no way they were reaching the level of their first match (which is hardly a fair request in the first place) and that tap hurt them a lot.

The brawl continues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show did work, though it seems WWE is already looking beyond Extreme Rules. There was some build towards the show, but a lot of this week felt like they were getting ready for more important things. Knowing that the White Rabbit will be revealed at Extreme Rules helps and the strap match should be good, but this week felt like it was trying to focus on several different things, with Extreme Rules being just one of them. Still though, good show with some nice action and stories being advanced, just not necessarily ones for tomorrow’s pay per view.

Results
Solo Sikoa b. Ricochet – Spinning Solo
Shotzi/Raquel Rodriguez b. Sonya Deville/Xia Li
New Day/Braun Strowman b. Usos/Sami Zayn – UpUpDownDown to Jimmy
Gunther b. Sheamus – Shillelagh shot

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NXT LVL Up
Date: September 30, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Sudu Shah

It’s another week of the NXT B show, which says a lot as NXT is a C show at best. That doesn’t leave much to get excited about around here, but they do things fast and have found a formula that works well enough. I don’t know what to expect this week but you can probably guess a lot of the names. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Javier Bernal vs. Ru Feng

Bernal grabs a headlock to start but gets punched back without much trouble. Feng is back with an armdrag into an armbar as the fans chant for Mortal Kombat. That’s reversed into a whip into the corner and Bernal is back with a hard clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on, followed by an elbow to the face for two on Feng. We’re already off to the second chinlock but Feng fights up and kicks away. A missed charge into the corner lets Bernal grab a jumping Downward Spiral for the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C-. I’m still not sure why Bernal got called up to the main NXT show as he is one of the most uninteresting guys in the ring. There is nothing to him to set him apart and yet he gets a promotion for whatever reason. Other than that you have Feng, who is your standard martial arts guy from about 1986. What were they expecting from this one?

Guru Raaj and Ikemen Jiro are ready for tonight’s main event and say so via subtitles.

Valentina Feroz vs. Thea Hail

Hail takes her down by the arm to start but Feroz is right back up to drop Hail hard. Some suplexes give Feroz two and we hit the cravate. Hail fights up again and gets a breather but Feroz pulls her into a sleeper. That’s fine with Hail though, who backflips into a rollup for the pin at 4:37.

Rating: C. Hail is growing on me and she is great as the overly enthusiastic college girl who happens to be kind of smooth in the ring. It worked well here and the win over Feroz is probably something of an upset. I don’t know how far either of them are going to go in NXT, but Hail being attached to Chase U at the moment should take her pretty far.

Edris Enofe/Malik Blade vs. Ikemen Jiro/Guru Raaj

Blade runs Jiro over but a nip up means a comparison of jacket vs. vest. It’s off to Enofe for a headlock but Raaj comes in off a blind tag and hits a basement dropkick. Enofe is back up and sends Raaj to the floor for a dive before taking it back inside. Raaj is sent into the corner and Blade/Enofe don’t seem to be overly worried. Enofe misses a dive in the corner though and it’s Jiro coming in to clean house. Jiro hits a slingshot dropkick to the side of the head and adds a Swanton for two on Blade. The Ikemen Slash misses though and the Climax gives Blade the pin at 6:52.

Rating: C. This was a completely watchable tag match and I’m glad to see Enofe and Blade being treated as a decent team for once. Jiro is always smooth in the ring and Raaj was fine here as well. They even had a story with Enofe and Blade getting too cocky to get them in trouble. Good enough for a main event here.

Overall Rating: C. Another run of the mill show here, which is the case far too often. It is so run of the mill most weeks that I watched last week’s show again, thinking it was this week’s and never noticed the difference. They need something to make this show stand out more and I have no reason to believe they will be doing so anytime soon. As usual it’s not worth getting annoyed over a 28 minute show, but do something to spice it up a bit, please.

Results
Javier Bernal b. Ru Feng – Jumping Downward Spiral
Thea Hail b. Valentina Feroz – Rollup
Edris Enofe/Malik Blade b. Ikemen Jiro/Guru Raaj – Climax to Jiro

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I know Impact Wrestling might not be at the top of everyone’s hit list at the moment but the company does have a long history of important shows and big moments. This show is the biggest thing that they offer and we should be in for a special night as a result. The build has gone well and there are some promising matches on here so if they can live up to the hype, we could be in for a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Brian Myers(c) vs. ???

I’m glad to be getting this out of the way early as there is no way of knowing how this is going to go. It’s a mystery opponent/open challenge deal because we haven’t had one of those in at least 14 seconds. This could be almost anyone and while that is interesting, there is only so much to be had out of a Kickoff Show match for the lower midcard title, even with the entertaining Myers involved.

We’ll go with Myers to….lose here, as a title change like this one would be a nice way to get the night started. As for who takes it, I have a grand total of no idea, but we’ll stay home and say Trey Miguel, who is always getting some kind of a match and could certainly use the win. Odds are it will be some outside or Bhupinder Gujjar getting another shot, but Miguel is more fun so we’ll go there instead.

Mia Yim vs. Mickie James

Sometimes you come across a match where the end result isn’t in doubt but it should be a fun ride getting there. That is what we have here, as James’ career is on the line in a recreation of Ric Flair’s final (ha) run in 2007/8. In other words, James isn’t likely to lose for a very long time as she moves through one challenger after another. It just happened to start pretty close to Bound For Glory so it isn’t likely ending here.

Obviously I’ll be taking James, as there is no reason to believe that she is going to lose anytime soon. Yim beating her would be an upset, although not the biggest in recent memory. The good thing is that James should be around for a long time to come and we should get to see her having good matches like this one for the time being. The match will work and it goes to James.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey(c) vs. Frankie Kazarian

This is the paying tribute to our past match, as former champion Kazarian, who somehow doesn’t age, comes back to challenge the hot new champion. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not a big Bailey fan, but he is certainly putting in the work to make the most of his time with the title. Bailey is a lot of things but he definitely isn’t lazy, which is always a positive.

I’ll go with Bailey to retain here, as he gets a heck of a challenge from Kazarian. The good thing about someone like a Kazarian is you can put him out there to do just about anything and know that it is going to work. Other than that though, Bailey is going to have to eventually drop the title to a big name, whoever that might be. It just won’t be Kazarian here, as Bailey retains.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: VXT(c) vs. Death Dollz

I had kind of forgotten these titles existed and that tends to be the case quite often with them. VXT does at least feel like a regular team and have done well so that could be a lot worse. Other than that though, you have the latest incarnation of Rosemary/Jessicka/Taya Valkyrie, who have been around and doing their thing for what feels like the better part of ever now.

There is no reason for the Dollz to get the titles here so I’ll go with VXT to retain here. It makes sense to keep the titles on them until a new team is built up to go after the belts later on. The Rosemary etc. stuff isn’t exactly interesting anymore but there is a good chance that they are going to a split after this match goes badly for them. Or at least that is what should happen.

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More(c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is one of those matches that should be good and probably will be, just because of who is involved. Mike Bennett and Matt Taven are underrated as a team and it would be nice to see them getting a chance on a big stage like this one. Throw in the Guns and they should be able to do as much good stuff as you would expect them to against a team as talented as the champions.

I’m not sure what to think of this one as you could go either way. The Guns getting the titles back would be a nice moment, but I’m not sure if there is any need to have them stop Honor No More. If the stable is continuing then they need to keep the titles here. Therefore I’ll go with Honor No More to retain in the match that I’m expecting to get completely wrong.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

This is their version of a Royal Rumble for what amounts to the Money In The Bank briefcase. There are twenty people involved but since a lot of them are unknown, there is only so much guessing that can be done. It should include at least a few surprises and predictable moments, but the question now is where does the whole thing end, which tends to be the important part.

Given who we know is already in the match, I’ll go with a bit of a gut instinct and say Joe Hendry, even if I have no reason to believe that he’s going to win. Getting eliminated from a battle royal is hardly crushing and Henry getting to inspire us somehow is always a good thing and it would be a nice way start off his Impact Wrestling career. Odds are he doesn’t win, but I’ll go with him as the pick anyway.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace(c) vs. Masha Slamovich

Impact has been pushing the heck out of this one in recent weeks, even giving it the go home spot on this week’s TV. Slamovich was the clear challenger for this show several months ago as she has come into the promotion and wrecked havoc on the Knockouts division. You have the unstoppable Slamovich against the monster that is Grace and that should make for a good one.

I don’t see any reason for Grae to retain here as Slamovich has been built up as untouchable for the last several weeks. That is where she needs to just win the title and become the new star, so hopefully Impact gets this one right and doesn’t try to do anything funny. Grace is awesome at what she does but this is the time to change the title and I think they will.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander(c) vs. Eddie Edwards

Now this is where things get complicated as you really could go either way. Alexander getting his win would be the second time in a row that he has won the (scheduled) Bound For Glory main event but that would come more or less at the destruction of Honor No More. The team feels like it is ready to either drop off the map or become the focus of the company, which is more or less what is decided by this match.

With that being said, I’ll go with the illogical choice here and take Edwards to win, making Honor No More the dominant faction of the promotion. Edwards is more than capable of being the World Champion, even if it is for the short term, though I don’t know where that leaves Alexander. It could go either way, but I’ll say Edwards wins the title here, just to mix things up a bit.

Overall Thoughts

While I don’t know if this is going to live up to Bound For Glorys of years past, there is enough here to make me care about what we are going to be seeing. If nothing else, just having the name Bound For Glory means something as it has been the biggest show for the company for the better part of twenty years. Even if it can live up to most of the hype, this is going to be a good night.

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