Slammiversary 2022
Date: June 19, 2022
Location: The Asylum, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the big twenty year celebration of Impact wrestling and the company is doing its best to flash back and move forward at the same time. The main event is Josh Alexander defending the World Title, but we also have a Queen of the Mountain match and Ultimate X to keep up the tradition. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Rich Swann vs. Brian Myers

Swann is defending but Myers has the title belt. Myers shrugs off right hands to start so Swann snaps off a headscissors to send him outside. A drop onto the apron cuts Swann off though and we hit the chinlock back inside. With that not working, Myers grabs a chinlock to keep Swann down.

Swann fights up and strikes away for two but it’s too early for the Phoenix splash. Myers hits a spear (instead of the Roster Cut) for two, only for Swann to come back with a neckbreaker. An implant DDT gives Myers two more but Swann cuts him down with Lethal Injection. The 450 finishes Myers at 7:13.

Rating: C. This was a good bit more fun than I would have bet on with Myers hitting some nice stuff (that spear was quite impressive) before falling as he should have. Swann has fallen a very long way, but at least he is doing something and is valuable enough to be a champion. Now just find something more important for him and start using the talent that he has.

Reverse Battle Royal

Chris Bey, Steve Maclin, Zicky Dice, Johnny Swinger, Shark Boy, Raj Singh, Aiden Prince, Bhupinder Gujjar, David Young, Shera, Slash, Crazzy Steve, Mike Jackson, Nate Webb, Shogun, Chase Stevens

So there are ten people on the floor to start and the first eight to get inside have a regular battle royal, with the final two having a regular singles match for the win. I think. Even commentary isn’t too sure. Dice seems to get in and then get back out, followed by Bey, Swinger, Maclin and Young getting in. We more or less pause the match to watch Jackson (72 years old) go Old School on Shera while walking along the barricade. After 84 seconds (not exaggerating), Jackson drops down onto Shera’s arm, only to have Singh jump them and send Shera in anyway.

So the field of eight is Shera, Gujjar, Stevens, Bey, Shark Boy, Young, Maclin and Swinger. Shera tosses Stevens and it’s time for the brawling on the ropes. Maclin and Bey fight to the apron as we’re told the pay per view starts in less than five minutes. Bey hits the Art of Finesse on the apron to eliminate Maclin and himself. There go Shera and Gujjar so we’re down to Swinger, Young and Shark Boy.

The spinebuster plants Shark Boy but Swinger turns on Young and tosses him out, meaning it’s Shark Boy vs. Swinger in a regular singles match. Swinger throws him out and has to be told that’s not how it works. Worry not as Swinger stops to pose, allowing Shark Boy to hit the Chummer for the win at 9:44.

Rating: C. What else are you supposed to say about this? The match is more or less the Impact version of the gimmick battle royal and there is nothing wrong with that for a show like this one. I could have gone with a bit less of watching Jackson walking around the barricade, but Shark Boy winning the match is about as fun as it could have been. Nothing important, but it was fun enough while it lasted.

The opening video looks at the history of the company, which really does have some classic moments. I know the company has a bad reputation, but twenty years is a REALLY long time in the wrestling business and Impact deserves a lot of credit for sticking around. Now some of those stars are here (“In a place between yesterday and tomorrow.”) and it’s time for a celebration of the past and a step into the future.

X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin vs. Alex Zayne vs. Andrew Everett vs. Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey

Austin is defending and this is Ultimate X, with Everett taking the place of an injured Jack Evans. Tom: “This is the 47th Ultimate X match.” I don’t think that has the same zing that you think it does. It’s a big brawl to start with Bailey and Zayne clearing the ring so they can both go for failed climb attempts. With the two of them down, Miguel sends King outside and hits a big flip dive but has to cut Austin off.

Everett comes back in but Austin kicks Miguel and Everett down without much effort. Everything breaks down again and Everett German suplexes Miguel on the apron. The big dive drops the pile though and everyone is down on the floor. Back in and Zayne hits a running super hurricanrana on Everett, leaving us with Zayne vs. King. Bailey goes up but hits the Ultimate Weapon onto the pile instead of climbing, which doesn’t seem that bright.

A bunch of people go to the corner for a Tower Of Doom, with Miguel being smart enough to chill in the corner. Then he gives Zayne a super Canadian Destroyer, which doesn’t seem as bright as GOING FOR THE BELT. King, Austin, Miguel and Bailey all go up at the same time until Miguel and King are kicked down. Bailey and Austin hang on the top and slap away at each other but Everett goes above them, only to get headscissored down. Some kicks drop Austin as well and Bailey pulls himself up to win the title at 9:50.

Rating: C+. Ultimate X is one of those matches that sounds great on paper but it’s Impact’s version of the wacky ladder match: everyone does a bunch of stuff until someone shows enough intelligence to pull the belt down. Impact has been building towards Bailey winning for a long time now so this is about as good of an idea as they had. I’m not big on the guy, but at least it has been set up over the last few weeks.

Commentary pays tribute to Bob Ryder, who was a huge part of the development of Impact but passed away in 2020. This show is dedicated to him. That’s very nice.

We run down the rest of the card.

Scott Hudson (let the flashbacks begin) talks to the Motor City Machine Guns, Frankie Kazarian and Nick Aldis about their match with Honor No More tonight. First up though, the Guns are happy with being named the best team in the company’s history. Alex Shelley lists off some of the great teams over the years (and there are some impressive ones) but they are all ready to fight tonight. Aldis says the team doesn’t look the same but what matters is that they are here because they are serious about wrestling. They have a fifth man, but you’ll have to see who it is later. Hudson: “They’re keeping it kayfabe as always.”

We get a video from Sting, talking about what his time in Impact meant to him. He really was a big deal around here and it is nice to see him here. We even hear about his feud with Hulk Hogan, who I didn’t think you could talk about around here anymore.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie vs. Influence

The Influence is defending and hold their titles like babies. Valkyrie wrestles Rayne down to start and carries her into the corner, where Rosemary tags herself in. This doesn’t sit well with Valkyrie, even though that’s how you set up a tag most of the time. Dashwood comes in as well but gets taken into the corner for a kick to the head.

Back up and Dashwood gets in a shot on Rosemary to knock her into the corner so the champs can take over. The chinlock goes on, with Rosemary suplexing her way to freedom without much effort. Valkyrie comes in to strike away at both champs and something like a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Rayne. Everything breaks down and Rosemary’s spear is cut off.

That doesn’t seem to matter though as the champs are sent into each other, setting up stereo spears for stereo near falls. Rayne shoves Rosemary into Valkyrie though and a neckbreaker over the ropes drops Valkyrie. The Collab drops Rosemary but Valkyrie’s distraction lets Rosemary pop up. As Above So Below finishes Rayne for the pin and the titles at 7:19.

Rating: C. This could have been on any given edition of Impact and that isn’t a surprise. These titles still don’t mean much but at least it seems like teams are interested in winning them. Rosemary and Taya are kind of a thrown together team but they do have history so it could be worse. Not much of a match, though I can’t imagine that’s much of a surprise these days.

We get a video from Kurt Angle for thanking him for all of his time in Impact Wrestling. Simple and to the point here.

We recap Moose vs. Sami Callihan. Moose injured Callihan about ten months ago but Callihan is back and stalking Moose, setting up tonight’s Monster’s Ball match.

Sami Callihan vs. Moose

Monster’s Ball, meaning street fight, but with the gimmick that they have been locked away without food, water or light for 24 hours (as was the original idea of the match but it was dropped over the years). Sami jumps him during the entrance and they start fast with a slugout on the floor. A trashcan to the back drops Moose and it’s time for the cookie sheets to the head.

Moose gets in a trashcan lid shot of his own for a breather but gets smart enough to grab a water bottle and a hot dog from a fan. Sami is already busted open as Moose chokeslams him onto the apron. Moose does it again for a bonus as we’re told about this being the 54th Monster’s Ball match. Again: doesn’t sound so great. Sami gets put through a table and they get inside for the first time over four minutes into the match. Some shots to the ankle are blocked and Sami pelts a chair at Moose’s head.

The spear only sends Moose into the trashcan, which Sami stands up for a bonus. It’s time for the…barbed wire door (just go with it), allowing Moose to escape the trashcan. Moose goes up top, only to get shoved off and through a table at ringside. The thumbtacks are brought in but Sami’s tornado DDT is countered into a chokebomb into said tacks for two. Moose drags him through the tacks for a bonus but the spear is countered into a Death Valley Driver through the barbed wire door.

It’s time for a duel of the trashcan lids until both guys go down. Back up and it’s a regular slugout with Sami getting the better of things and hitting a Cactus Special for two. Another Cactus Special is cut off by a low blow and Moose sets up a trashcan. Moose goes up but gets powerbombed onto the (standing up) trashcan. Another Cactus Special gives Sami one so he grabs another one for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of a match where if you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it a dozen times. They hit all of the regular spots and Sami won to set him back on the right road after being gone for so long. I’m not sure what is next for Sami around here, but there are certainly a lot of people for him to beat him in one violent match like this after another.

We recap the Good Brothers vs. the Briscoes for the Tag Team Titles. The Briscoes won the titles but the Brothers said that it doesn’t matter until the Briscoes beat the. Throw in a trip to the Briscoes’ farm and it’s time for a title/grudge match.

Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers vs. Briscoes

The Briscoes are defending. It’s a brawl to start (shocking) with the Briscoes getting the better of things and double shouldering Anderson down. Some flip dives drop the Brothers again and Jay spinebusters Anderson on the stage. Mark gets back in and Jay tosses him a chair, which he uses for a running flip dive to take out the Brothers again. Back in and Mark hits Anderson with something like a Claymore but Anderson sends Jay into the chair in the corner to cut him off for a change.

The chinlock doesn’t last long on Jay as he fights up and superkicks his way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Mark to clean house with right hands and an enziguri as we hear about some great Impact teams of years past. An Iconoclasm gets two on Anderson but he’s right back with a spinebuster for two. The reverse 3D sets up the Magic Killer, with Jay making the save. Jay is sent into the post though and that means it is going to be awhile before he is ready for a tag.

Mark tries to fight his own way out of trouble but gets dropped with a single shot to the face. The Gun Stun is blocked and Jay comes back in (minus the tag) to help clean house. The Jay Driller and Doomsday Device are both broken up and a kick to the face drops Jay. Now the Magic Killer can connect to give the Brothers the pin and the titles at 10:06.

Rating: C+. This was surprisingly short as I was expecting something long and a bit epic. Instead, we got a pretty fast but hard hitting match without much of the Brothers being in control until the end. The Briscoes losing again is a bit surprising, but maybe they aren’t locked in as long as the Brothers at this point. I’m not thrilled with the Brothers winning, as they have dominated for far too long, but at least the Briscoes were able to breathe some fresh life into the division for awhile.

Post match respect is teased but here is America’s Most Wanted to interrupt. James Storm says tag team wrestling has always meant something around here and he is proud that this company has made it twenty years. After being told they wouldn’t last a week, a month or a year, sorry about your d*** luck. Beer is consumed.

We get a tribute to Mike Tenay and Don West. That’s rather awesome, though not so much with West battling lymphoma.

We recap Honor No More vs. the Impact originals. It’s the team that is all about respect and history vs. the team that doesn’t care in a story that pretty much writes itself.

Christy Hemme brings out Scott D’Amore (in Coach gear) for commentary.

Honor No More vs. Motor City Machine Guns/Frankie Kazarian/Nick Aldis/???

Maria is back with Honor No More (Eddie Edwards/Matt Taven/Mike Bennett/Vincent/PCO). Aldis is billed as a former NWA World Champion. True, but you would think his two Impact World Title reigns might carry a bit more weight here. There is a mystery partner and it’s….Dixie Carter? Ah never mind as she’s here for a speech (shocking I know) and also to introduce…Davey Richards. Not a name I would have bet on, or one I wanted to see for that matter, but he’s a name from the past.

It’s a brawl to start with the Guns beating up the Kingdom until we settle down to Aldis suplexing Bennett. Vincent and Kazarian come in to slug it out before we get the battle of the Wolves. Well maybe in a bit as Edwards hands it off to Taven instead, meaning it’s a parade of beatings. Everything breaks down and Honor No More takes turns getting beaten up in a bunch of corners. Shelley finally gets sent into the corner for a bunch of running shots, setting up Vincent’s running Downward Spiral for two.

Taven’s moonsault sets up Just The Top for two but PCO’s De-Animator misses. Shelley fights out of the corner, including a double Sliced Bread to Vincent and Edwards, which finally allows the hot tag off to Kazarian. House is cleaned again before it’s off to Aldis for a bunch of right hands. Everything breaks down again and it’s the Dream Sequence to Edwards, followed by a big dive to Bennett. Taven busts out the Flight Of The Conqueror to take out the pile, leaving Edwards vs. Richards again.

Richards gets the better of things and grabs the dragon screw legwhip in the ropes. The top rope double stomp misses but Richards is fine enough to grab a leglock on Edwards. Everyone in Honor No More outside of PCO gets caught in a hold so it’s PCO making the save. A Vader Bomb gets two on Sabin but the PCOsault misses Aldis. The Michinoku Driver puts PCO down and Richards adds the top rope double stomp for two.

Maria gets up on the apron for a distraction but Traci Brooks (Kazarian’s wife) pulls her off for a right hand. Kazarian saves Traci from PCO and it’s a top rope Flux Capacitor to plant PCO for two. Cue Kenny King to go after Kazarian but D’Lo Brown makes the save with a heck of a Sky High. There’s a Low Down to make it worse and the Guns strike away at PCO. The Kingdom gets dropped as well and there’s the Cradle Shock to PCO….with Earl Hebner coming over the barricade to count the pin at 18:46.

Rating: B-. This was the wild match that the show needed as a big celebration of the company’s history. That is something that you have to have on a show like this and it worked well enough. It helps that the match was good, but this was all about the history and tradition and that was a success.

AJ Styles talks about some of his favorite moments in TNA, including the Unbreakable three way with Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels. Styles has been named the Most Impactful X-Division wrestler and male wrestler overall and he thanks WWE for letting him do this, because Impact is that important. You can’t have a show like this without hearing from Styles so this had to be here.

We recap Queen Of The Mountain and go over the still ridiculous rules. It’s a five way match with wrestlers having to score a pin to become eligible to hang the title. When someone is pinned, they go to a penalty box for two minutes. The first person to climb a ladder and hang the title (because it’s a reverse ladder match with pins and a penalty box) wins.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Mia Yim vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Chelsea Green

Steelz, with Savannah Evans, is defending in Queen Of The Mountain and Mickie James is guest enforcer. Steelz has Mickie themed gear describing herself as “The Greatest Who Beat The Greatest” for a nice touch. The bell rings and Steelz bails to the floor to grab a table with Evans. Yim takes both of them out with a dive and Green hits her own flip dive (thankfully not breaking her arm for a change).

Purrazzo adds her own dive and Green rolls Steelz up to become eligible and send her to the penalty box for two minutes. Mickie sends Evans into the box as well, leaving Grace and Yim to beat up Purrazzo. Steelz and Evans are out with Steelz getting to strike away. Evans gets back inside and is ejected by Mickie, leaving Steelz to kick green down. Yim makes the save and suplexes Green for the pin/eligibility/penalty box time.

Green isn’t happy and hits Mickie with the door as Purrazzo has to cut off Yim from hanging the title. With Yim going up anyway, Steelz comes off the top with a cutter to pull her back down. As Purrazzo armbars Steelz, Green is released and takes Grace down with a spear. Steelz taps so Purrazzo can be eligible but it’s time to go after Grace. A Backstabber sends her outside as Green sends Yim into the corner for two. Green holds up the title as Steelz is released from the box.

The ladder is laid up against the ropes and it’s Yim coming off the penalty box to dropkick Green into said ladder. Yim hits a big dive to take out a bunch of people, setting up a package piledriver on the floor to pin Grace (remember Yim was already eligible). Green headbutts Steelz down and goes up but James is back in to break it up in an act of rather unprofessional revenge.

Purrazzo powerbombs Yim onto a ladder and goes up at the same time as Green. As Grace is released, Yim shoves the ladder over to put both Green and Purrazzo through the table. Yim gets dropped and double pinned by Grace and Steelz, meaning everyone is eligible. Steelz goes up but Grace hits her with a MuscleBuster for the pin, allowing Grace to hang the title for the win at 18:24.

Rating: C+. What do you say about a match like this? It’s total insanity and the rules are such a mess that it is quite the chore to keep track of everything that is going on. Grace was the monster throughout the match and it makes sense to have her win, as she hasn’t been around the title in a long time. Granted Masha Slamovich seems to be waiting on whoever won the title, but Grace winning is nice to see.

Goldilocks, the original backstage interviewer, talks to the most Impactful Knockout of all time: Gail Kim (I was hoping for Roxie Laveaux), who is rather pleased with everything that has been going on.

We recap Eric Young challenging Josh Alexander for the World Title. Alexander wants to lead the promotion into the future while Young wants chaos. And the title.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander vs. Eric Young

Young, with the rest of Violent By Design, is challenging. Feeling out process to start with Alexander driving him into the corner to little avail. A slap off goes to Alexander but seems to wake Young up a bit. Young clotheslines him down but gets kicked away to give us another standoff. Alexander grabs a quick Regal Roll, only to miss a moonsault. Young misses one of his own and it’s another standoff, because they like those things a lot.

This time it’s Alexander taking him into the corner for the Samoa Joe facewash but Young grabs a quick Death Valley Driver. Deaner loads up a table at ringside as Alexander fights back, only to get knocked off the top. Young’s top rope elbow gets two and it’s time to rip up the ring mat. The delay lets Alexander hit a powerbomb into some kind of a Boston crab (again with the Samoa Joe).

The C4 Spike is broken up and Young hits a Stroke for two of his own. A Black Hole Slam gives Young another two as the fans are rather pleased. Alexander drops him and hits a Christopher Daniels Best Moonsault Ever, followed by a Styles Clash into the ankle lock. Young is in trouble so Deaner throws powder into the referee’s eyes, meaning Young’s tap doesn’t count.

Doering gets up on the apron so Alexander hits an Angle Slam to drive him through the table. Deaner whips out the flag but Alexander has Coach D’Amore’s Canadian flag hockey stick. The distraction lets Young but a guitar shot for two and it’s time to rip up even more of the ring. A piledriver on the exposed wood gives Young two more and Alexander has had it. The release Rock Bottom onto the wood sets up the C4 Spike onto the same wood to give Alexander the pin at 18:45.

Rating: C+. As gimmicky as this was, and it was REALLY gimmicky, I had a lot more fun doing the tribute to the big moves of Impact’s past than trying to do a bunch of stuff that wouldn’t have been as interesting. Young vs. Alexander is not a big time main event so giving it a bunch of other stuff to hide that fact is a good idea. It was getting fun trying to guess what big move would be next and I had a much better time than I would have had with these two in a straight match.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a hard balance to hold together on this show and they wound up doing a good enough job with the whole thing. Balancing a big celebration of the past while also being a big show focused on the present is harder than it seems and they made it work for the most part. Nothing was too bad, though it also never had that one big match or moment that made it feel special. Seeing AJ Styles appear was a surprise and brought up the most emotions, but that isn’t exactly a good thing as he hasn’t worked here in years. Overall, a good show, but only a necessary watch if you’re a diehard Impact/TNA fan.

Results
Mike Bailey won Ultimate X
Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie b. Influence – As Above So Below to Rayne
Sami Callihan b. Moose – Cactus Special
Good Brothers b. Briscoes – Magic Killer to Jay
Frankie Kazarian/Motor City Machine Guns/Davey Richards/Nick Aldis b. Honor No More – Cradle Shock to PCO
Jordynne Grace won Queen of the Mountain
Josh Alexander b. Eric Young – C4 Spike onto the exposed boards

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 9, 2022
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are rapidly approaching Slammiversary and that means it is time to start filling out the card. The main event is set but we still need to add in a few more spots here and there. This includes another name in the Ultimate X match, plus a likely Moose vs. Sami Callihan match. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening sequence looks at Sami Callihan attacking Moose last week.

Callihan wants Moose.

Opening sequence, again featuring a classic TNA theme. I could go for more of these things.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Rosemary

Madison Rayne is here too. Rosemary knocks her into the corner to start and a ram into the buckle makes it worse. Dashwood manages to get in a shot of her own though and pulls Rosemary outside for a crash to take over. Back in and the Upside Down doesn’t get Rosemary very far as Dashwood clotheslines her down.

A full nelson is broken up though and a double clothesline gives them both a breather. It’s Rosemary up first with something close to the Last Chancery but Dashwood slips out. Rayne offers a quick cheap shot but Rosemary grabs a rollup for the pin at 6:04 anyway. Ignore Rosemary’s shoulders being down.

Rating: C. Pretty run of the mill match here with a bit of a wonky ending. Rosemary not having Havok here was a bit weird as they might not have the brightest future together. Dashwood and Rayne are still fine as heels, but it is still kind of hard to get invested in the division as it pretty much doesn’t exist.

Post match the beatdown is on but Taya Valkyrie comes in for the save. Rosemary and Taya don’t exactly seem to trust each other.

Slammiversary rundown.

The Good Brothers have come to the Briscoes’ chicken farm and we get some rapid fire clips of them looking around the place, including dealing with manure, talking to Mark’s (I think) son and chasing around a chicken. Then they run into Papa Briscoe, who tells them to get out. Violence is teased but the Briscoe Brothers come in via their truck and the big fight is on. Jay gets tied in a tree, but Papa grabs a wrench to keep the Brothers (Good that is) from throwing a cinder block at his head. Papa continues to steal every scene he is in for any promotion.

Heath says Rhino needs surgery and will be out for months. Revenge on Honor No More is promised.

Steve Maclin vs. PCO

PCO starts fast with a running clothesline and somehow winds up on the floor instead of Maclin. A dive takes Maclin down and PCO’s mouth is busted, but he hits another dive for good measure. The PCOsault is broken up so Maclin knocks him off the top and hits a dive of his own as we take a break.

Back with Maclin pulling PCO’s shoulder into the post a few times and grabbing a top rope superplex for two. PCO gets all fired up though and hammers away, including a DDT. The Cannonball sets up the Deanimator but another Cannonball hits steps. Maclin hits a running spear against the barricade and then crushes PCO’s arm in the step for a bonus. The shoulder is WAY messed up (looks dislocated) but PCO beats up the medical people. That lets Maclin hit a chair shot to the ribs, followed by a DDT onto the chair for the pin at 12:24.

Rating: C+. The Maclin push continues and beating PCO means a little something. I’m curious to see how far he can go, as we might be seeing him getting into the main event scene. It isn’t like there is anything else of note for him to do, so maybe there is an opening for him in there.

Post match PCO sits up and goes after Maclin, who runs off scared.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Samoa Joe retains the World Title in King of the Mountain at Slammiversary 2008.

Tasha Steelz, with Savannah Evans, yells at Deonna Purrazzo for not helping her last week. Purrazzo says she doesn’t need their help so the two of them storm off. Chelsea Green comes in to laugh.

Matt Morgan pops up as this week’s cameo and talks about what his time meant here. Vincent comes in to mock him before leaving.

Joe Doering vs. Josh Alexander

Non-title and the rest of Violent By Design is here. Doering shoves him down to start but Alexander is back up with a headlock. A belly to back suplex doesn’t get Doering out of trouble but he kicks out of the ankle lock without much effort. Doering gets in a running shoulder to drop Alexander for two and then sneers a lot. We hit the neck crank for a bit but Alexander is right back up with a middle rope knee. Some rolling German suplexes have Doering in trouble so the Violent By Design flag is thrown in. That’s fine with Alexander, who hits Doering with the flag for the DQ at 6:30.

Rating: C. Not much to see here other than Alexander snapping a bit on the way to the pay per view title match. Doering is still someone where I don’t get the appeal as he is the big monster of a team run by Eric Young. That is only going to get you so far and we passed that point a long time ago.

Post match Alexander cleans house and stares down Eric Young, who backs off.

Moose isn’t worried about Sami Callihan’s mind games, even as the lights flicker.

We look at Ace Austin joining the Bullet Club in Japan.

Austin and the Bullet Club were happy and then beat up an angry Alex Zayne.

Moose goes hunting for Sami Callihan….and actually finds him, setting up the brawl in the back. Callihan is busted open but Moose finds that he is locked in an area backstage. Callihan reveals that he has the key and beats Moose up before locking him in.

Matt Cardona insists that he is the REAL Digital Media Champion but since he is hurt, he hands it off to Brian Myers. That’s fine with Myers, who will defend against Rich Swann at Slammiversary.

Slammiversary rundown, with Alex Zayne being added to Ultimate X.

Honor No More vs. Frankie Kazarian/Motor City Machine Guns

That would be Matt Taven/Mike Bennett/Eddie Edwards for Honor No More. Bennett and Edwards trade headlocks to start for an early standoff. Bennett gets sent into the corner for some alternating shots to the face, allowing Sabin to come in and kick him down. That’s broken up and it’s off to Taven, who takes over on Sabin without much trouble. Kazarian comes in as well with a neckbreaker for Taven before cranking on Edwards’ arm. Everything breaks down and the good guys take over, including the springboard spinning legdrop to Bennett as we take a break.

Back with Shelley Stunning Edwards over the top rope but Bennett pulls the leg to cut him off. Everything breaks down again and Sabin gets launched into a powerbomb to take him down too. Bennett hits Edwards by mistake but Sabin and Kazarian are pulled to the floor to break up a hot tag attempt. Some shots to Shelley’s head seem to wake him up so Edwards kicks him in the head.

Edwards kicks Bennett by mistake though and now the hot tag can bring in Kazarian to clean house. Kazarian flips out of a double belly to back suplex and hands it back to Shelley to pick up the pace even more. Everything breaks down (again) and Sabin hits a cutter on Taven. The parade of dives is on until Sabin gets triple teamed inside.

Kazarian is back in to take Edwards down for two and Sabin hits a middle rope tornado DDT for two on Taven. A slingshot cutter hits Taven but Bennett cuts Sabin off. The Clothesline From Hell, Michigan (clever) hits Bennett but a low blow lets Edwards grab the Die Hard Driver for the pin on Sabin at 20:27.

Rating: B. This got the time to go somewhere and it shouldn’t be a surprise that it worked. Impact has the kind of roster that allows them to do something like this and it worked well as a main event. Sometimes you need to just let wrestlers have the chance to wrestle and the Machine Guns vs. OGK with the other two involved was always going to go well. You can mix and match the combinations for one good pairing after another here and that is a good sign for the future of this story. Good stuff, as Honor No More gets a boost on the way to Slammiversary.

Post match Heath runs in with a chair for some revenge but Kenny King and Vincent come in to build up the numbers again. Heath’s ankle is Pillmanized over and over to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped a lot here and we got a good show as a result. Slammiversary is all but set and now they have another week to get in the final push. They still need to make Slammiversary work though and that is the tricky part. Some good build can help though and that is what they did here, though next week will matter more.

Results
Rosemary b. Tenille Dashwood – Rollup
Steve Maclin b. PCO – DDT onto a chair
Joe Doering b. Josh Alexander via DQ when Alexander hit him with a flag pole
Honor No More b. Kazarian/Motor City Machine Guns – Die Hard Driver to Sabin

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 19, 2022
Location: Promowest Pavilion, Newport, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are on the way to Slammiversary and as of last week, we have a new #1 contender. Eric Young won Gauntlet For The Gold to earn the title shot against World Champion Josh Alexander, but that leaves a lot of the card to be filled in. This week will feature the Briscoes defending the Tag Team Titles against Violent By Design in an Under Siege rematch so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s Gauntlet For The Gold, with Eric Young beating Chris Sabin to win the title shot.

Opening sequence.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Laredo Kid vs. Mike Bailey

The winner moves on to Slammiversary. They trade legsweeps and no counts to start before flipping to their feet. An exchange of armdrags sends Bailey outside but he blocks a dive with a kick of his own. Back in and the fans are behind Bailey as he kicks Kid down for two more. The exchange of kicks goes to Kid and he grabs a neckbreaker for two.

Kid sends him outside for a suicide dive into the barricade and Bailey is in trouble for a change. Back in and back to back moonsault elbows to the back give Kid two but Bailey kicks him to the floor. That means another big flipping dive (you may notice a pattern here) and a missile dropkick gives Bailey two more back inside.

Bailey’s big kick to the head is countered into a powerbomb for two but Kid has to avoid the Ultimate Weapon. Bailey catches him on top but gets headbutted back down. Kid misses a dive though and a kick to the head gives Bailey two, setting up a pinfall reversal sequence to give Bailey the pin at 8:11.

Rating: C+. I’m still only kind of feeling Bailey as that bow he does at the beginning is hardly the most appealing thing. He can have a pretty good X-Division style match though and that is what they’re going for here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves Slammiversary with the title, but coming in I would have said something similar about Kid. There is talent in this division, and now they are starting to feature them a bit more often.

Ace Austin, in Japan for the New Japan Best Of The Super Juniors, is glad that Bailey has qualified because Bailey deserves punishment for his lack of loyalty. He has already won his first match in the tournament and that is because he is the best in the world. After the tournament, he is heading straight for Nashville to retain the title at Slammiversary.

We get a weird Slammiversary ad, featuring Josh Alexander hearing something and leaving his locker room. Eventually he finds a coat over a crate featuring the old TNA logo.

Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green, on the beach, laugh at the idea of being inside Rich Swann’s head. Cardona may be always ready but he’s not always available, because they are on their honeymoon. Green is ready to get the Knockouts tItle back at Slammiversary.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo/Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans vs. Jordynne Grace/Taya Valkyrie/Mia Yim

Purrazzo and Grace trade wrist control to start and it’s an early standoff. That means Steelz and Valkyrie come in with Valkyrie getting the better of things without much trouble. Some running knees in the corner crush Steelz and we take a break. Back with Grace hitting a running elbow to crush Steelz in the corner, setting up a delayed vertical suplex for two.

Evans comes in for a cheap shot though and it’s Purrazzo taking Grace into the corner. A butterfly suplex gives Evans two and the beating is on. Grace suplexes her way out of trouble though and the tag brings in Yim (the fans approve). There’s a Cannonball to Steelz and everything breaks down. Purrazzo gets in a shot to Yim to take over but Taya grabs the sliding German suplex. Eat Defeat gives Yim the pin on Evans at 11:23.

Rating: C. Evans taking the fall here was the logical way to go as she isn’t in the Queen of the Mountain match so there is no point in having someone else take the loss. Giving Yim the pin to get her a bit more over in the fans’ eyes and she is already one of the more interesting players in the division. Now just don’t make the Queen of the Mountain stuff its usual mess and they could be going somewhere.

Post match the lights go out…and it seems to have just been a glitch. Well that’s not nice teasing.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk with Tenille Dashwood as this week’s guest host. This week they are talking about the locker room itself, as they are glad to have gotten rid of some of the worse people. Cue Johnny Swinger, still in his mini Wrestlemania III ring cart, with Zicky Dice pushing him. Decay pops in and wants their Knockouts Tag Team Title shot but are told to go earn it. Dice thinks he recognizes Havok from the Dungeon and pain ensues.

Chris Sabin is disappointed by last week but he’s glad to be here for twenty years. There is one person he remembers from the start and he wants that match next week. That man: Frankie Kazarian.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin defeating Frankie Kazarian to retain the X-Division Title, June 25, 2003.

Eric Young talks about wanting to go to Wrestlemania III when he was a kid but his parents were too poor. We go through his career, including some cool old footage from his Team Canada days, plus his time in the Band. Then he turned into a star and went up to the top of the company, which he will do again at Slammiversary.

Josh Alexander acknowledges what Young has done and thinks he might be the MVP of the first twenty years of Impact. Alexander asks who gets to usher in the next era in Impact, but knows it’s going to be him.

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett vs. Good Brothers

The rest of Honor No More and the Bullet Club are here too, with Maria Kanellis-Bennett on commentary. Bennett and Anderson lock up to s-tart and slug it out as commentary brings up Maria’s history with the Good Brothers in Japan in 2015 but she moves on as fast as she can. It’s off to Gallows to clothesline Taven down before Anderson comes back in to whip Taven into the corner.

A blind tag lets Bennett come back in for a double hot shot though and the villains take over. Taven’s missile dropkick gets two and Bennett is smart enough to dropkick Gallows off the apron like a good villain should. We’re right back to the chinlock but Anderson pops up without much trouble.

The hot tag brings in Gallows to clean house, including something like a spinning Big Ending to Taven. The chokeslam is broken up though and Taven hits a Lionsault for two. Bennett superkicks Taven by mistake though and it’s the reverse 3D for…no count as Maria gets up on the apron. Maria comes in and Bennett accidentally spears her down by mistake. The Gun Stun finishes for Anderson at 10:36.

Rating: C+. Oddly enough, the Good Brothers are working slightly better as faces. Maybe it’s the lack of being the cool heels but this is an upgrade over what they have been doing. Maria costing Honor No More the match is a way to keep them a bit stronger, though the team continues to not exactly do much.

Sami Callihan is glad Moose broke his leg because it gave Sami the better part of a year to think about what he could do to Moose.

Masha Slamovich vs. Shawna Reed

Slamovich unloads on her in the corner to start and the Snowplow is good for the pin at 51 seconds. As usual.

Post match Havok comes out for a showdown with Slamovich.

We get part two of the Josh Alexander’s Slammiversary ad, as he looks at the crate with the old TNA logo. He opens the crate and we get a highlight package of the company’s history.

Raj Singh and Shera yell about Bhupinder Gujjar not joining them. Gujjar comes in and says let’s settle this in the ring. Singh laughs about him being by himself, but W. Morrissey comes in to say Gujjar isn’t alone. Deal.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. Violent By Design

The Briscoes are defending and it’s still bizarre to see them here. Doering and Mark start things off with Doering shoving him down. Jay comes in and locks up with Doering, who hands it off to Deaner pretty quickly. The champs take over on Deaner and put him in the corner for some elbows to the face. Deaner gets stomped down in the corner before being thrown outside. The Bang Bang elbow connects but Doering gets in a shot to the face as we take a break.

Back with Jay getting slammed and elbowed for two but he manages to get over for the tag to Mark. That means house can be cleaned, including Deaner being thrown off the top for two. A powerbomb gets the same but Doering posts Mark on the floor. Doering spinebusters Jay for two and Deaner’s top rope headbutt is good for the same. Mark is back in but the Doomsday Device is broken up. While Mark is dealing with Doering, Jay rolls Deaner up to retain at 13:58.

Rating: C+. After watching them for years, it is great to see the Briscoes on a slightly bigger stage and they are every bit as good here as they are in Ring of Honor. They are instantly the best team around here and that could be the case for a long time to come. Violent By Design isn’t the most thrilling team and now that they’re gone, the Briscoes can move on to someone else, perhaps the Good Brothers.

Post match Eric Young comes in to help with the beatdown but Josh Alexander comes in for the save to end the show and probably set up the six man next week.

Overall Rating: C+. We’ll call this one good enough, as Impact is on its way to Slammiversary and that could be a solid show. What matters is that they are setting up the card, or at least the pieces of the card, and you can see some of the show from here. Young vs. Alexander could be turned into something big, though they still have a long way to go to make it happen. Nice show this week, as they aren’t coming off of a bad post pay per view show for a change.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Laredo Kid – Rollup
Jordynne Grace/Taya Valkyrie/Mia Yim b. Deonna Purrazzo/Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans – Eat Defeat to Evans
Good Brothers b. Matt Taven/Mike Bennett – Gun Stun to Bennett
Masha Slamovich b. Shawna Reed – Snowplow
Briscoes b. Violent By Design – Rollup to Deaner

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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WrestleCon Supershow 2022
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Veda Scott

This is one of the biggest and most interesting shows of Wrestlemania Weekend as you do not know what you are going to get on any given show. Some of the matches are going to be announced in advance, but sometimes you are just going to get some wrestlers without opponents. This is the non-WWE ticket I make sure to get every year and this was no exception. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting opposite the main screen about five rows back.

One more note: after the show was over, the fans would be allowed to vote on their choice for best match. The wrestlers in that match would split $5,000, which seems to be a legitimate prize. It worked for Kip Allen Frye and it should work here too.

We open with the traditional graphic for the show as we wait on the feed to start. The music that was being played in the arena still going on in the background does help a bit.

The video starts with a look at Mark Hitchcock, a graphic designer who worked for WrestleCon but passed away on his honeymoon. The show is named in his honor, though the introduction of the tribute isn’t included here.

Mike Bailey vs. Bandido

Bad start to the show: ignore Bret Hart’s music starting for no apparent reason, plus the ring announcer introducing Bandido as Bailey’s video plays on the wall. Commentary talks about how they’re supposed to be impartial, but Veda might be about to marry Bailey in a few months. They start with the handshake but then start the fast pace with neither being able to hit much of anything.

With that not working, they wind up on the apron less than a minute in with Bandido missing a baseball slide, allowing Bailey to jump to the top for a moonsault out to the floor (that was some sweet timing). They walk around the ring with Bailey firing off some kicks to the chest. Back in and they chop it out until Bandido drops back to avoid a shot to the face, allowing him to nip up in a great looking sequence.

Bandido grabs a delayed vertical suplex….and by delayed I mean he holds Bailey up for 64 seconds before dropping him for a double knockdown. Back up and Bailey hits a running shot to the mask but Bandido grabs Three Amigos into the Eddie dance. There’s the frog splash to give Bandido two but Bailey counters the X Knee. The bouncing kicks rock Bandido, who is right back with a pop up cutter to put both of them down again.

They go to the floor and trade back to back to back to back dives (because of course) and they need a breather. It’s time for the required fight on the apron, including the chop off. Bailey takes him down and hits the moonsault double knees on the apron, only to miss the Ultimate Weapon (taking a rather hard landing on his knees). A big spinning faceplant sends Bailey out to the apron again, where a pop up cutter kind of drops Bailey face first.

Back in and the 21 Plex gives Bandido two and the kickout leaves him stunned. Bailey kicks him down and misses the Ultimate Weapon but settles for moonsault knees to the ribs. Shooting star knees to the ribs gets two and the Flamingo Driver (similar to the One Winged Angel) gives Bailey the same. Bandido is back up with some running knees and a release 21 Plex, setting up the super moonsault World’s Strongest Slam for the pin at 16:21.

Rating: B. This is a show where I’m going to be a good bit lighter on the ratings as this is all designed to be a bunch of one off matches. That was on display here, as they were doing everything they could and trying to fit in a bunch of spots. In that regard, they had a heck of a match here that had the crowd fired up, even if Bailey’s idea of selling his knee is grabbing it in between flips. Bandido continues to be amazing in just about everything he does and this was a lot of fun.

Post match fans throw money in the ring and, after seemingly realizing that it is cash instead of garbage, Bailey seems really taken aback. They split the money and show respect as Veda Scott takes some jabs at how expensive everything is at the hotel (hence why I stayed out of the restaurant).

And now, here is Bret Hart as a special ambassador. Bret comes to the stage, thanks the fans for being here, and wishes us a good night. He might have been out there for thirty seconds.

Mia Yim vs. Athena

Athena is better known as Ember Moon and is the hometown girl. We get a dueling chant before the bell with Athena dancing to her own chants. They mirror each other to start before going to a test of strength with Athena taking her down. Yim’s bridge holds up so they go to an exchange of wristlocks instead. Athena hits some cartwheel knees to the ribs and we’re already in a chinlock.

That’s broken up and Yim drives her into the corner before hitting a dropkick out to the floor. Athena has a seat at ringside and the chase lets her post Yim rather hard. Some right hands set up something like a standing Crossface, followed by Athena’s running forearm in the corner. Yim is back with the Tarantula but Athena breaks that up and hits a quick Downward Spiral.

The Koji Clutch goes on and is broken up just as fast, setting up a Boston crab from Yim. Back up and they hit stereo crossbodies for a quick double down. Yim is fine enough to hit a running big boot in the corner, setting up a Cannonball for two. The package piledriver is countered into an Alabama Slam so Athena goes up.

That’s broken up with a super hurricanrana attempt, which is countered into a super hurricanrana, which is countered into a super sitout powerbomb for two. The stunned Athena shoves Yim into the referee, meaning it’s time to grab a chair. That’s taken away and the distraction lets Yim hit the package piledriver for the pin at 13:40.

Rating: B-. Athena isn’t someone who has been around very much lately but she can still go in the ring. Yim would fit the same description, as she can have a good to quite good match with anyone but for some reason neither are in a major promotion at the moment. I could go for either of them somewhere else, as this was a good, back and forth match that kept me interested.

Post match Athena gets a nice show of respect.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Tomohiro Ishii

This is going to hurt. Feeling out process to start with Thatcher using the height advantage to grab a quickly broken nerve hold. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Thatcher but Ishii is back with a Kimura, sending Thatcher straight to the ropes. They forearm/uppercut it out until Thatcher snaps off a belly to belly for two. A short armscissors keeps Ishii down as Scott puts over Thatcher’s abilities to hurt people in so many ways.

Thatcher kicks him to the apron but Ishii is back in with a suplex (not the brainbuster for some reason) for two. We get the big slugout until Ishii punches an enziguri out of the air. Thatcher is fine enough to snatch an ankle lock, which is reversed into another ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and now the enziguri can connect, setting up a cross armbreaker to put Ishii in more trouble.

A Fujiwara armbar sends Ishii over to the ropes again (you don’t see him do that very often) but he’s back with a clothesline into an enziguri. The sliding lariat gets two but the brainbuster attempt is countered into the Fujiwara armbar. Ishii counters that as well, setting up the brainbuster for the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a match where you know what you’re getting when you sign up for it and that is what we got here. Ishii and Thatcher know how to hurt people and they make it look really easy to do so. I could go for Thatcher showing up somewhere else as he is the kind of person wrestler that can always be added to a roster for some depth. Ishii is long established and he gave you what you’re needing here. Good, hard hitting match.

Scott talks about how there are matches that make her want to get in the ring and compete, whereas that one makes her glad to have this comfy chair.

Johnny WrestleCon vs. Taya Valkyrie

This is a Dirty Dishes match with the loser having to do the dishes for the rest of their lives. Before the match, Taya says they have been married for about five years and when they first got married, Johnny was so nice. Shopping trips, nice dinners, even making the bed. So what happened? Johnny has gotten so lazy that he can’t clean up after himself and can’t even, ahem, clean himself in certain areas.

As proof of how much of a slob he is, Taya has brought THEIR DIRTY DISHES to the show, with a bunch of people bringing them out. Johnny: “YOU BROUGHT OUR DISHES TO DALLAS???” Johnny laughs at the idea of Taya having to be right all the time and says ring the bell.

Feeling out process to start as the fans shout about JOHNNY DISHES. Johnny chills on top and they shout at each other until Taya hits a heck of a chop. Taya gets shoved down into the corner but she knocks him into another corner for some running knees. And now, it’s time for some dirty dishes (Ian: “Can’t they just hire someone to clean them?”) but Johnny smashes a plate over Taya’s head.

The flipping neckbreaker gives Johnny two as the fans dub him JOHNNY DOGHOUSE. A coffee cup is broken over Taya’s head but she kicks him to the apron. Johnny knocks her down again and busts out some sponges to rake the skin off of Taya’s back. Some Clorox to the back makes it even worse but Taya is back up with a spear. Two bottles are broken over Johnny’s head for two (Scott: “Why is he kicking out??? JUST DO THE D*** DISHES JOHNNY!”) and it’s time to spray some more cleaning stuff in Johnny’s face.

The cookie sheet is brought in but Taya hits La Mistica into the broken glass. Johnny blocks a kick and knocks Taya down into the splits, setting up some hip gyrations. That doesn’t do much for Taya, who hits him low and puts a bucket on his head for a DDT. A Canadian Destroyer with the bucket on Johnny’s head gets two but the referee gets taken down. Therefore the Road To Valhalla gets no cover, allowing Johnny to hit him in the face with a glass.

Johnny puts the bottles on her stomach and hits Starship Pain, which winds up being a rather bad idea. Hold on as Johnny grabs a mic and asks for a kitchen sink to be brought in. We get a rather large sink brought in but a Skull Crushing Finale (nice) onto the sink is countered with a Stunner. Taya hammers away and hits him with a bunch of plates, setting up the curb stomp onto the sink for the pin at 14:31.

Rating: B. This one is much more about the fun than the quality and that is the kind of match you need to have at the WrestleCon Supershow. Seeing the two of them go completely over the top and have that much fun with a match is all you could expect here. It was a novelty match but I had a blast with it both live and watching it back. Good stuff here that didn’t take itself seriously in any way.

Johnny: “I HATE DISHES! But I love you.”

The ring announcer explains how to vote on the Match of the Night and the $5,000 prize.

We have another WrestleCon ambassador: Jushin Thunder Liger, and yes the fans seem to like him. I met him earlier in the day so this was a cool surprise again. Liger shows up, takes some bows, and leaves.

Michael Oku/Laredo Kid/Rey Horus vs. Josh Alexander/Black Taurus/Ace Austin

Lucha rules and Ring Of Honor’s Cary Silkin is on commentary but I can’t hear a word he’s saying. Taurus misses a charge to start and gets armdragged down by Kid. A headbutt into a snap powerslam drops Kid and it’s off to Horus, who gets smacked in the face. Horus knocks Taurus (and yes commentary plays up the rhyme) to the floor for the big dive, meaning it’s off to Oku for a running kick to Austin’s face.

Alexander comes in and kicks Oku in the face to even things up, setting up a powerbomb onto the knee. Everything breaks down and Alexander and company clean house, leaving Taurus to hit a pop up Samoan drop on Oku. Silkin’s mic is fixed as Oku manages to stack up all three opponents and half crab (his finisher) all of them at once). Horus is back in with the satellite DDT on Taurus, setting up the huge dive over the post to take out Austin.

That doesn’t keep Austin down as he’s back up with some flips on the apron to kick away at Horus and Kid. Oku takes Austin down so Taurus hits a huge corkscrew suicide dive. Back in and Taurus hits a running crucifix bomb (cool) on Kid as commentary actually tries to keep track of who is legal. Alexander Death Valley Drivers Kid and Horus at the same time but Oku dives in with a top rope splash.

Austin hits Oku with a spinning slam but Horus catches him with a Spanish Fly for two. The Tower of Doom is loaded up but the people come crashing down instead (on purpose), leaving Taurus to hit a super gorilla press on Horus. Oku makes the save though and it’s back to back to back top rope splashes to finish Taurus at 13:08.

Rating: B. Much like the previous match, this is what you should have expected when you saw this match added to the card. They didn’t bother with the tagging and such and it would have been ridiculous to try and do so. I haven’t seen much of Oku but he seems to be pretty good at this wrestling thing. The other five were all awesome and it was a treat to see Alexander live, even if he was replacing Jonathan Gresham. Heck of a match here, again.

BUY THE HIGHSPOTS VIDEO NETWORK! No really, it’s a heck of a deal for about $10 a month.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Biff Busick

This is going to hurt too. You might remember Busick as Oney Lorcan from NXT but he’s a bit more fun outside of WWE. They start slowly as Scott talks about Busick being busted open in a match earlier today. Suzuki grinds away on a headlock before switching over to a leglock as he has a thing about hurting limbs.

The threat of a Kimura doesn’t quite click as Suzuki gets caught in a headscissors, which is broken up for a standoff. Busick grabs a slam but has to escape an armbar over the ropes. They head outside with Busick being sent face first into the announcers’ table as Busick is busted open (again).

Back in and Suzuki drives an elbow into Busick’s head, setting up the Kimura. Suzuki switches to another armbar, allowing Busick to make it over to the ropes. The running elbows stagger Suzuki and it’s a half and half suplex into a half crab. Make that an STF as Busick goes Samoa Joe. Suzuki gets the legs free and makes the ropes, setting up a running kick to the chest. The chop off is on, with Busick staggering a lot more than Suzuki. Busick’s half and half doesn’t mean much as Suzuki hits another chop, setting up the Gotch style piledriver for the pin at 14:37.

Rating: B-. This was another good one but it felt a bit too much like the Ishii vs. Thatcher match. That being said, it was a hard hitting fight as Suzuki hurting people is always worth a look. Busick is someone else who didn’t quite get to be himself in WWE, though the lite version was still pretty good while it lasted. Another hard hitting match here and I had fun with it.

Team PCO vs. Team Onita

PCO, NZO, Jimmy Wang Yang, Barry Horowitz, Dirty Dango
Atsushi Onita, Rock N Roll Express, Juice Robinson, Colt Cabana

So this is….a choice. The ten person tag is the signature WrestleCon Supershow match as the captains get to pick their teams. Before the match, NZO gets in his catchphrase because…well why else is he here? Horowitz, who looks even more ancient than he is, comes out to We Are The Champions for a nice touch. Ian would also like to know how PCO could possibly know Dango but forgets all about that when Cabana comes out, turning Ian into a cheerleader for his former broadcast partner. Onita also has his chainsaw carrier with him for a bonus.

Cabana and Horowitz start things off with Cabana hugging one of his heroes. Horowitz tries to lock up but Cabana grabs the hand for a pat on the back instead. Robinson and Dango come in with Robinson working on a wristlock. A sunset flip gives us a crazy balancing act from Dango, who manages to turn it into some dancing. Cabana isn’t having that and comes in to catapult Robinson’s head up for a low blow (always funny) to take over.

It’s off to NZO to take Dango down and walk on his back, before handing it off to Yang for some COWBOY S***! Yang hammers away with some right hands in the corner and it’s off to PCO. Robinson tries to chop with him for some bizarre reason before handing it to Onita. The mist staggers PCO and they brawl to the floor for a pretty horrible DDT (with Onita losing him on the way down). Back in and Morton gets the tag, only to have NZO break up the double….uh, something.

Dango gets to pound Morton into the corner and hip grinds on his head for a bit. NZO misses a charge into the post though and the hot tag brings in Gibson so everything can break down. PCO cleans house and hits some suicide dives, setting up the Deanimator for two on Robinson. The chair is brought in but the PCOsault only hits mat, meaning Onita can come in. They mistime…something, until Onita kicks the chair into Dango’s face. The mist sets up a Stunner to give Onita the pin at 12:18.

Rating: D+. I know the match looked good on paper and was probably a funny idea, but this didn’t work whatsoever in execution and it was a huge misfire. A bunch of the people were either so broken down that they couldn’t move or just looked sad out there. This match tends to be the big showcase of the WrestleCon Supershow but this came off like a joke and that was more disappointing than anything else.

Post match Onita mists Yang and beats him into the crowd. That leaves Dango to get the Fandango music….and Summer Rae of all people comes to the ring to dance with him for some old times’ sake.

Rottweilers vs. Briscoes

You really can feel the energy when the Briscoes come out, as they are one of the most charismatic teams you will ever find. Hold on though, as we need to get to one of the most infamous moments of the weekend. Homicide seems to flip off a fan at ringside (though he might have been aiming at the Briscoes) but then Low Ki starts shouting at the fan. Said fan (in the front row) slams something against the barricade and Low Ki drops to the floor to get in his face.

The referee has to hold Low Ki back and Low Ki threatens to f*** the fan up. The rest of the fans egg Low Ki on and he goes outside again as the fan is taken out by part of the production team. With the fan gone, Low Ki sits in his front row seat before getting back on the apron. The bell FINALLY rings and commentary gets to talk again, as they were mostly silent during the whole thing.

Hold on again though as Homicide grabs the mic and says put that CENSORED in the front row. Homicide: “I F***** YOUR GIRL LAST NIGHT!” Low Ki says put him in the front row and adds an “oh good you’re back.” The fan shouts something else at Low Ki, who points out that he’s the one in the ring (though he’s on the apron at the moment) while the fan is the one paying to watch (fair point).

I actually got to talk to Low Ki the next day and he said that the whole thing was real, to the point where even the locker room wasn’t sure what happened after the show. Apparently the fan flipping him off was the point of no return and while Low Ki was working a bit, he was still mad about the whole thing.

With ALL of that out of the way, Mark and Low Ki trade arm control to start. Low Ki tries to roll out but Mark holds back, only to get pulled into an armbreaker over the ropes. With that broken up, Low Ki kicks him out of the corner and it’s Jay coming in for a running big boot. The Rottweilers are sent outside where they throw in a bunch of chairs. Jay likes this idea and grabs the mic, saying let’s make this No DQ. Doesn’t work for Homicide (brother) so Mark gets a running start and flip dives onto the Rottweilers on the floor.

The bell is rung on Low Ki’s head (right in front of the unruly fan) but Mark chairs Jay by mistake. We settle down to the Rottweilers elbowing Jay until Mark makes the save with a chair (as we seem to have hit No DQ by default). Everything breaks down and Jay superkicks Low Ki, who might have lost a tooth. The Doomsday Device is broken up but Homicide is sent to the floor, leaving Low Ki to have his Jay Drilled. The Froggy Bow gives Mark the pin at 12:00.

Rating: B-. Once we got all of the insanity out of the way, the match wound up being the pretty good stuff that you would have expected. You don’t see a bad Briscoes match and they were doing their usual stuff here, albeit against a team that you have to be an old school ROH fan to remember. The problem with that was the thing at the beginning, which took me completely out of the match and is all I could remember about the thing. Kind of a shame, but if Low Ki was going for memorable, he certainly got it.

Overall Rating: A-. Ten man tag and pre-main event fiasco aside, this was a heck of a show that did exactly what it was supposed to do. We got a bunch of solid wrestling with a nice mixture of things to make it work. The WrestleCon Supershow is designed to be a big mash up of all kinds of fun and wacky matches and that is what we had here. Heck of a show, but skip that ten man tag and the Low Ki stuff, as it really drags things down.

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

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

AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 5, 2022
Location: Majed J. Neshewat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Under Siege, which has come up rather fast after Rebellion took place just a few weeks ago. Last week saw Tomohiro Ishii announced as the new #1 contender to Josh Alexander, which should be a nice trial by fire for the new champion. It’s time for the final push towards Under Siege so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Tonight it’s Monster’s Ball with PCO vs. Jonah and they actually bring back the “they’ve been locked away for 24 hours” deal, which I don’t remember them using in years.

Brian Myers vs. W. Morrissey

Tables match. Morrissey hits a running splash in the corner and goes outside to load up the first table. That is broken up with a slingshot dive to the floor but Morrissey fights up again. Another table is loaded up but Myers is right back to cut him off as we have a theme going here. Instead Myers sets up his own table, only to have to escape a powerbomb attempt. Back in and a big boot drops Myers again so Morrissey loads up the powerbomb.

Cue Matt Cardona for the save bur Morrissey fights back and hits a double chokeslam. Now it’s Chelsea Green for a distraction so Cardona can get in a Digital Media belt shot. Cardona puts a bunch of toys on the table but Morrissey fights up again. Green grabs Morrissey by the hair so the Players can grab a table and charge, only to hit the post and have it break (which would have been as unique of an ending to one of these things as I have seen in a long time).

Cardona tries to escape but gets cut off by Jordynne Grace, who takes him back to the ring to put him down. A powerbomb/big boot combination puts Cardona through a table (remember neither are in the match) and Myers is back up to break a piece of a table over Morrissey’s back. That doesn’t count either (fair enough) and Morrissey plants him with a Boss Man Slam. Morrissey has had it with Myers and powerbombs him over the top and through a table for the win at 10:41.

Rating: C+. I liked that they had some creative stuff in here for once and the big powerbomb finish looked good. Morrissey is almost channeling Sid (minus the charisma) here and that is not a bad use for him. Grace and Morrissey as a team could grow on me, though I would hope the Players would go over them in the end, as Cardona and Myers as major heels could go somewhere.

Willie Mack and Rich Swann are ready for the Bullet Club but the Major Players come in to ask about what happened to Brian Myers. This seems to set up Swann vs. Matt Cardona.

Here’s what is coming tonight and at Under Siege.

X-Division Title: Ace Austin vs. Rocky Romero

Austin is defending and takes him into the corner to start, only to miss a shot to the face. Romero takes him down with a headlock takeover, followed by some Forever Clotheslines. That’s broken up with a kick to the face though and we take a break. Back with Austin knocking him out to the floor, leaving Austin to lay over the top rope. Romero switches places with him though and it’s a hurricanrana off the apron to take over. Austin’s kick to the face is countered into a half crab but Austin is right to the rope. Back up and a kick to the face sets up the Fold to retain the title at 10:53.

Rating: C+. This is what you bring in Romero for: he can make someone look pretty good without putting all of the focus on himself or winning a major match as his reputation is enough to carry him. Austin gets a nice title defense and some momentum as he goes into New Japan’s Best of the Super Juniors so this worked out well. I’m not the biggest Romero fan but this was a very fine effort from him.

Post match here is Trey Miguel to chase Austin off. The rematch is officially on for Under Siege.

Josh Alexander is ready to face Tomohiro Ishii at Under Siege because he wants to face the best in the world.

EGV is still coming.

Masha Slamovich vs. Damaris

Damaris hammers away in the corner and gets suplexed out for her efforts. The Snowplow finishes for Slamovich at 49 seconds.

Raj Singh and Shera threaten/growl at Bhupinder Gujjar for not joining up with them.

The Briscoes yell about Violent By Design having two more days as Tag Team Champions.

Violent By Design isn’t having any of the Briscoes trying to take their titles and power.

Bullet Club vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Jay White/Chris Bey for the Club here. White chops Swann into the corner to start but it’s quickly off to Mack for a facebuster/bulldog combination and an early near fall. Swann comes back in to chop at White until Bey gets in a cheap shot from the apron. Something like an F5 onto the top rope staggers Swann and the Club takes over.

White is smart enough to knock Mack off the apron, meaning Swann’s backdrop doesn’t set up a tag. Not that it matters as Swann gets over for the tag a few seconds later and house is cleaned. The Samoan drop from Mack sets up a splash from Swann which sets up a standing moonsault from Mack for two on Bey. White cuts off Swann though and it’s a half and half to drop Mack. The Art of Finesse gives Bey the pin at 6:49.

Rating: B-. White and Bey continue to make almost everything look easy while Swann and Mack are very smooth in their own right. This is a match that I could have gone with going a lot longer and it’s kind of a shame that it got so little time. It’s also nice to give another Bullet Club pairing a win rather than just the Good Brothers for once, as that has been done for so long.

Post match Honor No More runs in for the beatdown but the Good Brothers come in for the save. Rehwoldt uses this time to recap the Bullet Club’s week in New Japan, which is absolutely live and not a voiceover whatsoever.

Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans are walking through the back when the lights flicker. Decay starts haunting them and Evans is taken away, leaving Havok’s voice to say that Steelz is hers at Under Siege.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready for Taya Valkyrie and the AAA Reina de Reinas Title at Under Siege.

Steve Maclin vs. Tomohiro Ishii

They go straight to the forearm off to start until Ishii wins a battle of the shoulders. A powerslam sends Maclin outside and we take a break. Back with Ishii winning another exchange of forearms but Maclin grabs a backbreaker to take over. An elbow to the face sets up a chinlock, with Ishii actually using the rope for the break.

Ishii fights back up and chops away in the corner but Maclin hits an Angle Slam for two. The Boston crab goes on so Ishii grabs the rope again. Maclin slips out of a German suplex attempt and hits one of his own for two so Ishii blasts him with a clothesline. The brainbuster gives Ishii the pin at 12:53.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a great match but it gave Ishii a nice win on his way to the title match this Saturday. It’s a quick build to said title match and Ishii could have used another win but his reputation should make up for some of that. Other than that, you have Maclin taking a loss and I’m really not sure about that, especially coming off of his triple threat win at Rebellion.

Johnny Swinger tells Zicky Dice to dive into his training, as some women go into Swinger’s Dungeon. Swinger suggests a better finisher and offers to teach him all the crabs. Dice doesn’t think that will work, but he does accept….a certain kind of gag as another woman comes up with a whip. This joke is somehow working for me.

Under Siege rundown.

Jonah vs. PCO

Monster’s Ball and the fight starts in the back with Jonah jumping him from behind. They fight up the steps and make it into the arena, where PCO can’t chokeslam him off the stage. PCO slugs away to take over but gets suplexed onto the ramp. We take a break and come back with the two of them in the ring, surrounded by a bunch of weapons. Commentary talks about the history of the match, saying people like Abyss, Jeff Hardy and Tommy Dreamer put it on the mat. If you ignore that the match had been around for about six years before Dreamer was involved in one, sure.

Jonah gets in a sledgehammer shot to the neck but somehow doesn’t kill PCO, who is back with a hurricanrana. Jonah sends him into a ladder in the corner and it’s time to set up a table on the floor (which is far more devastating than a SLEDGEHAMMER). PCO fights back and slugs away, setting up a DDT onto the trashcan. The running flip dive through the ropes takes Jonah down again and the Deanimator connects on the apron.

The middle rope legdrop gives PCO two and Jonah is sent head first into a chair in the corner. Jonah plants him back first onto some open chairs for two and tells him to die. It’s thumbtacks time (because of course it is) and a powerbomb onto the tacks gives Jonah two. PCO catches him on top though and it’s a sledgehammer shot to knock Jonah through the ringside table. Back in and the PCOsault finishes for PCO at 17:57.

Rating: C+. It was the same kind of brawl that you have seen under different names for years now but at least they got a good deal of time and it felt like a blowoff between two monsters who have been going after each other for a long time now. PCO getting the win is a bit of a surprise but this was a heck of a fight to (in theory) wrap up the feud.

Overall Rating: B-. They had a pretty good build towards Under Siege here, which is a rather thrown together show but I don’t think it has the highest expectations in the first place. What matters here is we got some good action and you can see where some of these feuds are going in the next few weeks. I’m liking Impact most of the time these days and that was the case again here with another good effort.

Results
W. Morrissey b. Brian Myers – Powerbomb through a table
Ace Austin b. Rocky Romero – The Fold
Masha Slamovich b. Damaris – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Rich Swann/Willie Mack – Art of Finesse to Mack
Tomohiro Ishii b. Steve Maclin – Brainbuster
PCO b. Jonah – PCOsault

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 28, 2022
Location: Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Rebellion and the big story is that Josh Alexander got the World Title back from Moose in a heck of a main event. Other than that, we are less than two weeks away from Under Siege and need to get a card together pretty fast. Odds are we’ll be seeing a bunch of rematches so let’s get to it.

Here is Rebellion if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Rebellion in rapid fashion.

Opening sequence.

Here is Violent By Design for a chat. Eric Young talks about desiring power and control, and that is exactly what they went and got. Now they have defeated seven teams and are the permanent Tag Team Champions. If you are being honest, their success shouldn’t surprise you and there is no team anywhere that can take them down.

Cue Heath and Rhino to say they want the Tag Team Titles (with Rhino’s voice getting a bit high) but here are the Briscoes to interrupt. Jay says Dem Boys are in the house and you should have known that they were going to be back after that BS at the Multiverse of Matches. They have won titles everywhere they have gone and this will be no different. Heath tells them to get in the back of the line but Jay says they don’t do that for anyone. Young says this isn’t “an us” problem so the other two can figure this out and come find the champs.

Briscoes vs. Heath/Rhino

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Mark starts fast and clears the ring, setting up the big flip dive to the floor. The brawl is on outside until we settle down so Mark can suplex Heath for two. Heath manages to kick Jay outside though and Rhino gets in a clothesline as we take a break with the Briscoes in trouble.

Back with Jay getting elbowed down and Rhino grabs the nerve hold. Heath switches to his own chinlock and pulls the hair to keep Jay away from the tag. That lasts all of eight seconds as the tag brings Mark in for Red Neck Kung Fu. Everything breaks down and Jay hits the neckbreaker onto Rhino, setting up the Froggy Bow for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: C+. I can always go for more of the Briscoes and while this might not be WWE or AEW, it is great to see them getting on a bigger platform. I’m not sure if they are going to be around long term but just seeing them in Impact is a good sign. Now just get them into the title picture permanently (if they’re staying) and things should pick up a lot.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Moose comes in to see Scott D’Amore and isn’t happy with getting his rematch on five days’ notice. D’Amore tells him to go win his title back.

EGV is coming.

VSK vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

VSK tries to jump him to start but Gujjar gets a running start and hits an elbow to the face. That’s enough to send him outside so Gujjar is right there with a dive to take him out. Back in and VSK gets in a shot to the face as some rather young children seem to be chanting for VSK. The chinlock goes on and lasts as long as expected, with Gujjar fighting up for a Sling Blade. What looks to be a powerslam is broken up but the second attempt works, setting up the middle rope spear to give Gujjar the pin at 4:32.

Rating: C-. This was ever Gujjar match but not as interesting. The guy just doesn’t have that much of note in the ring and is serviceable at best. It also doesn’t help that his story is involving two other people who haven’t been seen as big deals either, making it feel as low level as you can get around here.

Post match here are Raj Singh and Shera, with the latter beating up VSK again.

Ace Austin calls himself Trey Miguel’s greatest weakness but here is Rocky Romero to offer him a spot in the New Japan Best of the Super Juniors. Austin likes the idea but tells Romero to leave. This gets Romero to challenge him for a title match next week. Austin says get in line, but Romero is off to talk to Scott D’Amore. Mike Bailey comes in to offer Austin a handshake but Austin walks away.

Steve Maclin wants the World Title shot at Under Siege.

Honor No More vs. Motor City Machine Guns/Mike Bailey

Eddie Edwards/Mike Bennett/Matt Taven for Honor No More here, with the rest of the team at ringside. Bailey and Taven start things off but it’s a brawl less than fifteen seconds in. Taven tosses Sabin into a powerbomb from Edwards but Bailey flips over them and starts kicking away. A Kenny King distraction lets Taven and Bennett take over on Bailey and Edwards adds the suicide dive as we take a break.

We come back with Bailey kicking Taven down but Edwards in in for the save. As expected, the tag to Sabin goes through mere seconds later and it’s time to clean house. The Dream Sequence hits Bennett and it’s time for the exchange of strikes to the face. Bailey and Bennett chop it out with Bailey getting the better of things and hitting the running shooting star press. The Guns set up Bailey for a double Dream Sequence and it’s time for the series of dives to the floor. Back in and a Kenny King distraction breaks up the Ultimate Weapon and Bennett Spears Shelley. The Die Hard Driver finishes Bailey at 11:05.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a good six man tag and they had the talent in here to make it work. It’s a good sign to see Honor No More picking up a win and there is something satisfying about seeing Bailey getting knocked around. The Guns being back is nice to see too, leaving me pretty happy with everything going on here.

Post match Sabin and Bailey aren’t getting along. With the Guns and Bailey gone, here are the Good Brothers to take out Honor No More.

Josh Alexander says it’s time to shut Moose up for good. He’s ready to face whoever Scott D’Amore has in store for the title shot at Under Siege too.

Here is new AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Taya Valkyrie for a chat, though Matthew Rehwoldt is still trying to find the words to deal with Deonna Purrazzo’s loss. Taya talks about her passion and creativity being held captive for a long time (seemingly talking about her time in WWE) but now she knows who she is. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to reach the top again and now she is the champ again. Cue Purrazzo to jump Taya from behind though and the Fujiwara armbar goes on. Decay comes in for the save.

Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans b. Decay

It’s a brawl around ringside before the bell until they head inside with Steelz being driven into the corner hard enough that the referee has to check on her. She’s fine enough to get splashed by both members of Decay before handing it off to Evans. The Upside Down is broken up by a grab of Rosemary’s throat and things slow down a bit. Rosemary claws her way out of a fireman’s carry though and it’s Havok coming in with a Death Valley Driver. Everything breaks down and a Havok backbreaker sets up a Rosemary spear finishes Evans at 4:51.

Rating: C. This was a quick one and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Havok as the challenger of the month. She makes for a good monster and hasn’t gotten much focus in recent years so it could be worth a shot. Sometimes you need to mix it up a bit and that is what we might be getting as Rosemary has already had her chance.

It’s time for It’s All About Me with the Influence bragging about their win. Gisele Shaw comes in and says she smelled cheap perfume and insecurity. A match with Dashwood is made for next week.

Vincent is ready to bring PCO back to fight in the coliseum, meaning Monster’s Ball, against Jonah.

Here’s what’s coming next week and at Under Siege.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is defending. Moose starts fast and powers him into the corner but Alexander switches places and chops away. That doesn’t last long as Moose sends him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Moose sending him ribs first into the apron and adding an apron powerbomb. Some shots to the face set up a chinlock with a knee in Alexander’s back.

That’s broken up and Alexander wins a slugout but can only roll so many German suplexes. The C4 Spike doesn’t work so Alexander grabs a Sharpshooter like any good Canadian. Moose makes the rope and gets back up for the exchange of forearms. Alexander rolls over into the ankle lock but Moose sends him into the corner, setting up the release Rock Bottom. A buckle bomb drops Alexander but Moose doesn’t launch the spear. Instead he tries another powerbomb, which is reversed into one from Alexander (with what seemed like a camera cut). The C4 Spike retains Alexander’s title at 16:10.

Rating: B-. These two work well together and they did it again here, though there wasn’t the same energy that the title match had over the weekend. It’s good to see Alexander pick up another win to really establish himself as champion, even if it is something that he already covered on Saturday. Now it is on to Under Siege for Alexander, as Moose might need to go away for a bit to reenergize.

Post match Tomohiro Ishii comes out to stare down Alexander and seems to be the challenger for Under Siege. Works for me.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one but Impact has a history of not having the strongest shows post pay per views. It doesn’t help that they had to jump right into the build for Under Siege in two weeks, but the card does seem to be made up of logical steps. This wasn’t a great show though and the best match, the main event, was done better just a few days ago. Not worth a watch, but that might be a one off problem.

Results
Briscoes b. Heath/Rhino – Froggy Bow to Rhino
Bhupinder Gujjar b. VSK – Middle rope spear
Honor No More b. Motor City Machine Guns/Mike Bailey b. Die Hart Driver to Bailey
Decay b. Savannah Evans/Tasha Steelz – Spear to Evans
Josh Alexander b. Moose – C4 Spike

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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Rebellion 2022
Date: April 24, 2022
Location: Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s back to pay per view for Impact and this time they have made me want to see what they have to offer. The main event is a long awaited showdown between Moose and Josh Alexander for the World Title, after Moose took the title at Bound For Glory and then went after Alexander’s family. The rest of the card looks pretty good too so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Eddie Edwards vs. Chris Bey

Bey is replacing an injured Jonathan Gresham. There are no seconds here for a change and the fans are behind Bey, complete with the TOO SWEET/HOWEVER YOU SPELL THE WEIRD BARKING THING THEY SAY AFTER TOO SWEET chants. Feeling out process to start with Bey grabbing a headscissors but getting taken down with a shot to the face. An overhead belly to belly suplex drops Bey again but he fires off some kicks to send Edwards outside.

There’s the big running flip dive, sending Rehwoldt into a weird Inception reference. Edwards hits a running knee for two, only to have Bey come back with a running clothesline. Some YES Kicks rock Edwards but he’s back with a failed tiger driver attempt. A Backpack Stunner gets Edwards out of trouble for two but his Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a cutter for two. The Art of Finesse misses though and Edwards’ tiger driver gets two. The Diehard Driver is enough to finish Bey at 9:22.

Rating: B-. This is the right way to open up a show, as they had a hard hitting, fast paced match until one of them got caught with a big move to shut them down. They had some bigger names in this one than you would see in most Kickoff Show matches and it was a good, back and forth match. Edwards beating Bey is a big win as Bey has had some moments lately, though hopefully Bey doesn’t have to start from scratch again.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Influence vs. IInspiration

The Influence is defending and jumps the IInspiration before the bell. We settle down to McKay vs. Rayne to start but it’s quickly off to Lee to send Rayne into the corner. Dashwood comes in to send Lee face first into the mat as we’re told Rebellion starts in about seven minutes. Good thing they didn’t waste time letting us think this might be some epic match.

Lee manages a rollup for two on Dashwood and they knock each other down for a double breather. The double tag brings in McKay to go after Rayne but has to send Dashwood into her in the corner. A bulldog Rayne face first onto McKay’s knee for two but Dashwood sends the IInspiration into each other. The Spotlight kick gets two on Lee, who kicks the belt out of Rayne’ hands for two. The Idolizer is broken up with a spear and the Clap (double Stroke) retains the titles at 6:35.

Rating: C. It doesn’t help that this is the Knockouts tag division for all intent and purpose but they were given no time here and the clock made it even more obvious. You can only get so far when you’re going home as soon as things start cooking and that caught them here. I’m not sure who comes after the titles next, but this is about it for the IInspiration going after the belts for the time being.

The opening video talks about how everyone has a spirit in them that wants to rebel and win, which they’ll try to do tonight.

Steve Maclin vs. Jay White vs. Chris Sabin

These three have been fighting back and forth for a few weeks. Stat during the entrances: White has competed in 3 triple threats, Maclin has competed in five, and Sabin has competed in SIXTY EIGHT. Dang that’s a bit nutty. Maclin has a skull painted on his face for some unexplained reason and it’s White bailing to the floor to start. Sabin gets run over with a shoulder and punched down, only to send Maclin to the apron.

White pulls him down and Sabin runs both of them over on the floor to pick up the pace a bit. Back in and Sabin hits a spinning crossbody to drop White but Maclin hits some backbreakers to take over. They all head outside with White dropping Maclin ribs first onto the apron and taking Sabin down as well. Back in and White suplexes Sabin into Maclin in the corner for two but Sabin kicks both of them down.

A double high crossbody leaves Sabin the only one standing before he chops away at both of them. The tornado DDT gets two on White but Maclin drops Sabin as well to put everyone on the mat. White’s swinging Rock Bottom gets two on Maclin but the Tower Of Doom is broken up.

Sabin knocks White into the Tree of Woe and missile dropkicks Maclin, who puts Sabin in the Tree of Woe as well. Maclin spears White but misses another to Sabin, sending Maclin flying out to the floor. That leaves Sabin to counter the Blade Runner into a rollup for two (how he beat White at Multiverse of Matches) before hitting the Cradle Shock….but Maclin rolls Sabin up for the pin at 12:05.

Rating: B-. At some point you have to pull the trigger on someone and Maclin has come a pretty long way in recent months. Having him pin Sabin is a big enough deal but giving him a win over White (even without pinning him) means even more. I’m glad to see Maclin getting a chance after having his chance cut in WWE through no fault of his own, and it seems like he’s making the most of it too. Good for him and a pretty sweet opener.

We run down the rest of the card.

Josh Alexander arrived with his wife and son, with the former talking about how important tonight is for him. Scott D’Amore comes in and gives Alexander a bit of a pep talk.

We recap Taya Valkyrie vs. Deonna Purrazzo for the AAA Reina de Reinas Title. Valkyrie returned at Multiverse of Matches and challenged Purrazzo for the title, but also wants revenge for Purrazzo beating her for the title in the first place.

Reina de Reinas Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending and the fans are behind Valkyrie to start. An armdrag into the corner doesn’t get Valkyrie very far so she runs Purrazzo over for two instead. The Shinsuke Nakamura sliding German suplex drops Purrazzo but she manages to pull Valkyrie head first into the post. Back in and a clothesline gives Purrazzo two and it’s a Downward Spiral into a Koji Clutch. Valkyrie powers out and bails to the floor for a breather, setting up a Russian legsweep to drive both of them back first into the apron.

They get back inside where Valkyrie hits her own clothesline for two but Road To Valhalla is broken up. The standing moonsault connects but Valkyrie goes straight to the rope to escape the armbar. Purrazzo goes up and dives into a sitout powerbomb, setting up an STF. That sends Purrazzo to the ropes for a change but she is right back with a kneebar. With that broken up, Valkyrie slips out of the Queen’s Gambit and hits the Road To Valhalla for the pin and the title at 9:02.

Rating: C+. They had to take at least one of the titles off of Purrazzo sooner or later and you had to know Valkyrie was getting the AAA title as soon as she showed up at Multiverse of Matches. Purrazzo had a heck of a ride up to the top but had to come down eventually. Next up will probably be dropping the Ring of Honor Women’s Title and that is the way this should go. If nothing else, it is nice to have Valkyrie back though and hopefully she sticks around with Impact for a bit.

Tasha Steelz isn’t worried about Taya Valkyrie or Rosemary, the latter of whom doesn’t know what is coming for her tonight.

We recap the X-Division Title match, which is more about Mike Bailey vs. Ace Austin with champion Trey Miguel trying to remind us that he is there too.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending. Austin talks too much trash to start and gets double teamed down, allowing Bailey and Miguel to take turns kicking him in the back. A missed dropkick makes it even worse for Austin, who is sent outside. Austin is able to break up Bailey’s handspring but Miguel takes Austin down with a suicide dive. Bailey takes down both of them with a springboard moonsault but Miguel strikes away back inside.

The big stomp to Bailey’s back is cut off as Austin powerbombs Miguel onto Bailey instead. That doesn’t work well for Austin as he is sent outside, leaving Miguel to avoid the Ultimate Weapon. Now it’s Bailey being sent outside so Miguel counters the Fold into a rollup for two (how Miguel beat Austin on Impact), leaving Bailey to hit a great moonsault to Austin. Miguel isn’t having that and dives onto both of them on the floor, giving them a much needed breather.

Back in and Bailey uses Miguel to set up a German suplex to Austin. Bailey’s double knees take both of them down, leaving Bailey to hit Austin with the Ultimate Weapon for two as Miguel makes the save. Some rollups get two each and it’s Miguel hitting the top rope Meteora for two on Bailey with Austin pulling the referee out. The Fold hits Miguel to give Austin the pin and the title at 10:24.

Rating: B. As expected, this was all action with the three of them not stopping for the ten minutes that they had. Austin getting the title back is interesting, but it is hard to imagine Bailey isn’t champion by Bound For Glory at the very latest. Total sprint here and I had a good time with it, as you kind of had to expect, even with the changes to to Jonathan Gresham’s injury.

Honor No More says they’ve had a great night so far and they’re ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

We get a vignette for EGV, complete with some binary code.

Jonah vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Battle of the monsters time and they go nose to nose to start. Ishii fires off forearms but Jonah knocks him back with just one. Jonah eventually runs him over and then hits the Vader standing splash to drop Ishii again. Some elbows to the neck let Jonah send him into the corner for some forearms to the head and the chinlock goes on.

Ishii fights up and starts his growling but Jonah forearms him back into the corner. That’s broken up again but Jonah is way too big for the brainbuster. Ishii wins the slug out in the corner and they slug it out again until Ishii goes after the knee to take him down. Back up and Ishii sends him into the ropes for a German suplex, setting up a hard lariat for two.

The sliding lariat is blocked though and it’s a shoulder to drop Ishii for a change. The Jonah Bomb gets two and a hard clothesline is good for the same. One heck of a spear cuts Ishii down but he avoids the Tsunami. Now the sliding lariat can connect for two and the brainbuster finishes Jonah at 14:35.

Rating: B-. Ishii isn’t at his former speed anymore and this is a formula that has been done many times, but my goodness they beat each other up here and I was surprised by the ending. Jonah continues to be an absolute beast and it gives Ishii a big boost to beat him. I’m not sure if that is the right move, but dang it was a fun monster fight.

Violent By Design is ready for all comers.

Tag Team Titles: Gauntlet Match

Violent By Design is defending and there are eight teams in total. The Major Players are in at #1 and Jordynne Grace/W. Morrissey are in at #2, because irony tends to be strong in gauntlet matches. Grace hits Myers in the face a few times and manages a suplex from his knees (egads) before handing it off to Morrissey vs. Cardona. With that not working, Grace comes back in as Morrissey gets in a chase on the floor. The melee lets Cardona roll Grace up for the pin at 2:17.

Hold on though as Morrissey chokeslams both of them and Grace hits the big dive through the ropes. The powerbomb through the table is broken up by a Green low blow but Morrissey is wearing a cup. That means Green is powerbombed through the table and the fans seem to approve. The Good Brothers are in at #3 and the Magic Killer finishes Cardona at 6:36 (total). Zicky Dice/Johnny Swinger are in at #4 and, after Dice hits Swinger by mistake, the Magic Killer finishes Dice at 8:41.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann are in at #5 and jump the Brothers to start in a hurry. Swann headscissors Anderson to properly start fast and it’s Mack adding a corner splash. Anderson rips Swann’s face though and it’s Gallows coming in to miss a charge into the corner. A big boot cuts Swann off though and Gallows hits those weird weird punches in the corner. Gallows suplexes him down and grabs a chinlock, with Swann jawbreaking his way to freedom.

The hot tag brings in Mack to clean house, including the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault for two. Anderson is back up with the spinebuster for the same and everything breaks down. A pop up right hand gives Mack two on Anderson but Gallows catches him on top. With Swann down, the Magic Killer finishes Mack at 19:20. Mike Bennett/Matt Taven are in at #6 and it’s a Gun Stun to rock Bennett early. A suplex to Taven is loaded up but Bennett trips Anderson down, allowing Taven to get the pin at 21:48.

Hold on though as the Brothers go after the rest of Honor No More so Taven dives….and hits his teammates. That means a Magic Killer on the floor leave Taven down as Heath and Rhino are in at #7. We start with Bennett getting punched in the corner but Maria’s distraction lets Bennett discus forearm his way out of trouble.

Taven hits a middle rope dropkick for two and Bennett puts on a chinlock with a knee in the back. Back up and stereo crossbodies put both of them down and the hot tag brings in Rhino. A double superkick staggers Rhino and Heath runs into him by mistake to make it worse. The Proto Pack is loaded up but Rhino Gores Taven down for the pin at 25:58.

Violent By Design is in at #8 to complete the field. Young clothesline Rhino down for a fast two and it’s a double kick to the head so Doering can come in. A double clothesline gives Rhino a breather and it’s heath coming in to kick Young in the face. The Wake Up Call connects but Deaner puts the foot on the rope for the save. Everything breaks down and Heath powerslams Young off the top for a change of pace. Doering breaks up the Gore though and it’s a piledriver to finish Heath and retain the titles at 33:02.

Rating: C+. This was long and there were parts where it felt like they were stretching, but Good Brothers vs. Mack/Swann was a good match in the middle of the whole thing. I’m not sure they needed to do the eight team thing when some of the teams were either thrown together or a joke, but the match needed to fill a quota so here we are. The division does have a bit of depth though so there might be something for the future.

We recap Tasha Steelz vs. Rosemary for the Knockouts Title. Steelz won the title last month and Rosemary won a battle royal to get the shot. They have some history so this is a bit personal.

Knockouts Title: Tasha Steelz vs. Rosemary

Steelz, with Savannah Evans, is defending and Havok is here with Rosemary. They start fast with Rosemary taking her into the corner and then throwing her right back out, complete with some screaming. The Upside Down goes on so Steelz bails out to the floor, where she slaps Havok for some reason.

Havok goes after her instead so that’s enough for an ejection. The distraction lets Steelz get in a cheap shot on Rosemary and the beating is on, including something like the Rings of Saturn. Rosemary makes the rope so there’s a Codebreaker to drop her again. A bite to the trunks slows Steelz down and a reverse DDT gives Rosemary two.

Steelz is back with Stratusfaction and the Blackout gets two, only to miss a frog splash. Rosemary sprays some mist in the face though and a spear connects for a VERY close two, meaning it’s time for Rosemary to be frustrated. She goes back up but this time it’s a running springboard cutter right back down. Steelz grabs a Michinoku Drive to retain at 11:44.

Rating: C+. Rosemary is a good person to have in the division because you can put her into any spot and she’ll be at least enough of a threat to make the match interesting. Steelz wasn’t about to lose the title so soon though and now she has a good first victory under her belt. Rosemary had some nice spots in there and that’s about all you can ask for here.

Slammiversary is coming to Nashville on June 19.

Long recap on Josh Alexander vs. Moose for the World Title. Moose stole the World Title at Bound For Glory with the Call Your Shot title match. Then Alexander had to go through the roster, got sent home, and then came back to go after Moose. That caused Moose to go after Alexander’s family, including spearing Alexander’s wife at an independent show. Now the title match is on, after a heck of a video to recap a months long feud.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is challenging and his son comes out with him in Alexander cosplay. They go nose to nose to start with Alexander taking him down for some knees to the ribs. The very early ankle lock sends Moose bailing out to the floor, where he yells at Alexander’s family. Alexander comes out after him and Moose gets in a cheap shot to take over for the first time. Back in and Alexander gets sent hard into the corner, where he ducks a chop and chops away.

That doesn’t work for Moose, who hits a heck of a dropkick to take over before dropping Alexander face first for two. They head outside again where Alexander gets in a posting, only to be sent hard into the barricade. Back in and Alexander snaps off a belly to belly suplex to put both of them down. Some running boots to the face rock Moose to send him outside again, setting up a running crossbody through the ropes to drop him again.

Back in and the C4 Spike is blocked so Alexander rolls ten straight German suplexes. Moose gets in a shot of his own though and the Sky High gets two. A pump kick staggers Alexander but he counters a crossbody into the ankle lock. The rope is grabbed so Alexander kicks him in the head, which just wakes Moose up. They chop it out until Moose hits a Rock Bottom for no avail. Back up and Alexander wins a slugout, setting up a C4 Spike for a very close two.

Another C4 Spike is blocked and Moose bites Alexander’s head. That’s enough to set up a top rope superplex for two more and Moose is frustrated. The spear is countered into a Styles Clash of all things and the ankle lock goes on. Moose rips the turnbuckle pad off to escape, allowing Moose to kick him low. Now the spear can connect for a VERY close two so Moose takes off the top turnbuckle as well. A buckle bomb into the exposed turnbuckle looks to set up another spear but Alexander cuts it off. The C4 Spike is enough to give Alexander the pin and the title at 23:50.

Rating: B. They got the result right, it came after a hard fought match, and Alexander is the champion as he should have been a long time ago. This felt like a pay per view showdown and Alexander won because he is the better man. Much like the previous match, I’m not sure how much drama there was here, but it was a great way to close up the show.

Alexander’s family comes in to celebrate with him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As has been the case for a little while now, Impact can deliver on the big stage. That’s what they did again here and I liked what we got almost all the way up and down the card. Nothing on here was really anything close to bad and they got the ending right. While their TV can be hit or miss (though it has been more hit lately), the company’s pay per views are usually quite good and this is the latest entry on that list. Check this out if you haven’t been with Impact in a bit as it’s a rather good show.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 21, 2022
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Rebellion and we should be in for a solid night. The card is mostly set with the World Title being more than ready, so now it might be time to focus on just about everything else. I’m actually looking forward to the pay per view and if they can get in one last push, we should be in for a nice Saturday. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Violent By Design vs. Decay

Non-title and it’s Eric Young/Deaner vs. Black Taurus/Crazzy Steve. Taurus hits Deaner in the face to start but Young gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. A running knee in the corner gives Deaner two but Taurus knocks him down and brings Steve in to clean house. Steve dropkicks Young off the apron and hits the Cannonball for two on Deaner, with Young dropping a top rope elbow for the save. Everything breaks down and Taurus is sent into the steps. The distraction is enough for Young to break a flag over Steve’s back, allowing Deaner to grab the DDT for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one and the champs cheat to win. Decay is going to be in the elimination match for the titles at Rebellion but it is still a little hard to buy that Violent By Design would need to cheat to beat them. At least it was short though, which is how I tend to like my Violent By Design.

Video on Moose vs. Josh Alexander, which has turned into something of an epic feud.

During the break, Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans jumped Rosemary and Havok as they checked on the rest of Decay.

Rebellion rundown.

Here are the Major Players (Chelsea Green/Brian Myers/Matt Cardona) for a chat. We look back at the three of them combining to put W. Morrissey through a table last week before Cardona says it is appropriate that he is in the ECW Arena because he is the Deathmatch King. Now he and Myers think they need some tag team gold around here, with Myers saying that they’re on the same page now. Green talks about how they were all you could talk about on their own, and now they’re united.

Cue Guido Maritato and Tony Mamaluke, better known as the FBI in ECW, to interrupt. Guido rants about how the Major Players are disrespecting this building and thinks the shirt says MAJOR SISSIES. The FBI clears the ring and Guido wants a Digital Media Title shot RIGHT NOW.

Digital Media Title: Matt Cardona vs. Guido Maritato

Cardona is defending and gets taken to the mat to start. A fireman’s carry takeover has Cardona messed up so he bails to the floor, where he almost hits Green in the face. The distraction lets Guido get in a shot but Myers offers a distraction of his own, allowing Cardona to kick a rope low on Guido. Back in and Cardona gets a bit more serious with some choking and the Reboot. Guido fights up as well and hits the Sicilian Slice, only to have Myers offer a distraction. The low blow and Radio Silence finish for Cardona at 4:56.

Rating: C. As much as I absolutely never need to see another ECW tribute or return again, they kept this short and Cardona won in the end so it could have been a lot worse. Cardona and Myers could make for a force around here and it is kind of amazing to see Cardona coming this far. This isn’t the same thing as having Hawkins and Ryder together again, so I’m curious enough about where this is going.

Post match the table is loaded up but W. Morrissey runs in and…gets taken down by Green’s low blow. Jordynne Grace of all people runs in for the save and cleans house, allowing Morrissey to chokeslam Cardona through the table.

Honor No More is ready to win all of their matches at Rebellion and mock Bullet Club for a bonus.

Jonah talks about how he hurt PCO and now he’ll do the same to Tomohiro Ishii at Rebellion.

Shera vs. Gabriel Rodriguez

The toss into the corner sets up the Sher Kamur for the pin at 16 seconds.

Bhupinder Gujjar isn’t regretting his decision to not join Raj Singh.

Moose is ready to go and make a public apology but wants assurances that Josh Alexander won’t attack him. Scott D’Amore isn’t impressed but he’ll be at ringside anyway.

Honor No More vs. Bullet Club

Vincent/Matt Taven/Mike Bennett/Kenny King vs. Jay White/Good Brothers/Chris Bey here with the rest of Honor No More at ringside too. Anderson shoulders Vincent down to start and hands it off to Gallows to do the same. Bennett comes in to get punched in the corner but avoids an elbow, allowing White and Taven to come in.

Taven dropkicks him down but spends too much time saying his name, allowing White to hit a chop. King comes in to trade missed dropkicks with Bey, with the latter being knocked into the corner. A Bennett brainbuster plants Bey and Taven gets two off a neckbreaker. Taven misses a charge though and the hot tag brings in Anderson to really clean house. Honor No More is sent outside and we take a break.

Back with Anderson and Bennett knocking each other down, setting up the double tag to White and Vincent. The spinning suplex gives White two but Vincent is back with a Russian legsweep for the double knockdown. The hot tag brings in Gallows to clean house as everything breaks down. Bey hits a big running flip dive to the floor, leaving Bennett to get Gun Stunned into the Magic Killer for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of insanity that you might have expected and there was almost no way that Honor No More was going to win, especially without its ace in the match. Other than that, the Bullet Club instantly feels bigger because of White being around. He’s a star and the kind of person you can build around for a long time to come, assuming he wants to stick around. Good match here, with a lot of people getting to shine.

Steve Maclin is ready for Chris Sabin and Jay White at Rebellion because he is in a club of his own (meaning the military).

The IInspiration were having a signing earlier before stopping to talk to the camera. They’re glad that Kaleb With A K is gone, as now they can get the Knockouts Tag Team Titles back.

Taya Valkyrie is back for the Reina de Reinas Title, and maybe to shut Deonna Purrazzo up a bit.

Ace Austin/Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel/Laredo Kid

Austin forearms Miguel in the face to start and goes after his arm to limited avail. Bailey comes in to run the ropes with Kid, who sends him outside for a heck of a suicide dive. Back from a break and it’s Austin driving a shoulder into Kid’s ribs in the corner. Kid fights up and strikes away though, allowing the hot tag off to Miguel.

Everything breaks down and Kid’s springboard is broken up with a kick to the head. Bailey and Austin hit their stereo running flip dives but Miguel is back up to kick them both down. Back in and Bailey spends too much time setting up a kick and gets dropkicked down. That leaves Austin to load up the Fold, which is countered into a rollup to give Miguel the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B-. It’s the kind of a match that is going to be entertaining and high speed every time, even if it isn’t exactly a classic formula. It’s a bit of a weird choice to give the champ the pin going into the title match, but maybe Austin can get the win back at the pay per view to even it up. I’ll take that over Bailey, who still hasn’t clicked for me.

Post match Austin wants Bailey to deck Miguel but Bailey strikes Austin down instead to stand tall.

Another Rebellion rundown.

Vincent excuses himself from an Honor No More huddle so he can go find some jumper cables. He finds PCO and electrocutes him back to life, because PCO is not human.

Here is Moose, with his lawyer RD Evans, for the public apology. The statement, to Josh Alexander’s family, is rather formal and includes some information about Moose’s title reign. That’s not good enough for Moose, who cuts it off and wants a better apology. He is sorry that he exposed Alexander as a horrible father and husband, plus for the beating that Alexander is getting at Rebellion. Moose isn’t sorry for sending Alexander home for more than a month. Then Alexander is going to beg Moose to come to his home and show his wife and son what a real man is.

Cue Alexander for the brawl with Moose, who gets in a cheap shot to set up a chokeslam. The table is set up at ringside but Moose takes too long, allowing Alexander to hit the C4 Spike through said table to end the show. I have no idea why the table was needed when a regular C4 Spike inside would have worked just fine but that’s modern wrestling for you.

Overall Rating: B-. They’re doing a good enough job of setting up the pay per view, which has been built up long enough that it needs to just take place already. The good thing is that they haven’t burned me out on any of the feuds, with Moose vs. Alexander being timed about as well as it could have been. There was enough good wrestling on here to keep me interested and Rebellion still has my attention so it’s a success all around.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 14, 2022
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re back to a regular show after last week’s Multiverse Of Matches special. With less than a month to go before Rebellion, it’s time for some of the final push towards the pay per view and the build could use some help. The main event will see Moore defending the World Title against Josh Alexander and things have already gotten personal. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander on the hunt for Moose.

Here is W. Morrissey to say he’s glad to be here on his own terms. We hear about him having a bad time here last time at the lowest point of his career when he was taken out by EMTs. Now he is back, clean and sober, and for the first time he knows he is not alone because of everyone here. The people gave him a second chance and opportunities so he is going to take every one of them.

Cue Brian Myers to interrupt and say that he isn’t impressed. Myers thinks Morrissey is going to be taken out of here again so the chase is on, with Morrissey catching him without much effort. A table is set up at ringside but here is Chelsea Green for a distraction so Matt Cardona can come in and take Morrissey down with a Digital Media Title shot. Green offers a slap off the apron so it’s a double powerbomb through the table. So at least Morrissey now has an actual challenge for a change.

We run down the Rebellion card.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale is challenging in another of Purrazzo’s Champ Champ Challenges. Purrazzo throws her down by the hair to start and then pounds away in the corner. Nightingale scores with a superkick for a quick two though and we take a break. Back with Purrazzo taking her down by the hair but getting caught with a standing bulldog for a breather.

A Pounce sets up a Cannonball in the corner to give Nightingale two more but Purrazzo kicks her in the face. The armbar is broken up so Nightingale comes back with the Babe Bomb (Death Valley Driver) for two. Nightingale loads up a clothesline but gets pulled into the Venus de Milo to retain Purrazzo’s title at 9:31.

Rating: C. This was another match to make Purrazzo look good before she probably meets her demise as the Champ Champ. What matters here is that they got Nightingale on TV again, as I would be shocked if she doesn’t get signed somewhere based on her most recent appearances. Not much drama here, but Purrazzo picking someone apart is fun.

We look back at Nick Aldis/Mickie James beating Chelsea Green/Matt Cardona at Multiverse of Matches.

James says she isn’t done with Green because this is just getting started. Green pops up behind her and the fight is on until Cardona grabs James from behind. A few hard shots leave James laying.

Tasha Steelz isn’t scared of Rosemary and hasn’t forgotten their history together. Now things have changed and it’s time for Steelz to get her revenge. Hold on as Decay pops up on screen and says their flavor tastes of Steelz’s own decay. I’m not sure what that means but it sounds good so I’ll take it.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Rocky Romero

Non-title and they shake hands before we get going. A headlock takeover doesn’t get Romero very far so they’re back up with a standoff. Romero takes him down again and Gresham is starting to look a bit frustrated. A whip into the corner is countered by a quick drop to the mat (that’s a new one) and Gresham knocks him down as we take an early break.

Back with Gresham working on a hammerlock as Eddie Edwards is watching backstage. Romero fights out and starts working on the arm, setting up the required exchange of chops. The Forever Clotheslines are broken up and they’re both knocked down again. Gresham gets knocked to the floor for the running hurricanrana but Gresham is right back up with the suicide dive. Back in and Gresham grabs a rollup with the limbs trapped for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: C+. Take two talented guys and give them some time on television and you get a positive result. That was the case here, as they had a nice match with some good action. Gresham has become the guy in recent weeks around the wrestling world and he keeps putting on one nice match after another. Romero might be hit or miss for you, but this was a nice look at both of them.

Post match they shake hands again.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Moose, with the latter stealing the World Title at Bound For Glory with the Call Your Shot title match. Then Alexander had to go through the roster, got sent home, and then came back to go after Moose. That caused Moose to go after Alexander’s family, including spearing Alexander’s wife at an independent show. Now the title match is on, after a heck of a video to recap a months long feud.

Mike Bailey is training when Ace Austin comes in to suggest their partnership continue at Rebellion, but Bailey doesn’t seem interested.

Alex Shelley vs. Steve Maclin

Chris Sabin is here with Shelley, who grabs a headlock to start before switching to a front facelock. Back up and Maclin gets in a few shots, only to be sent out to the floor. They get back in with Shelley chopping away and starting on the arm. Maclin gets sent outside but they switch places, allowing Maclin to hit a suicide dive. A backbreaker gives Maclin two and it’s time to stay on the back.

Shelley fights up and hits a running forearm, setting up Sliced Bread for two. The Downward Spiral into the buckle sends Maclin outside again, where he is fine enough to hit a running knee to the face. Shelley grabs Sliced Bread off the barricade to drop Maclin again but the top rope double stomp misses back inside. Maclin’s rollup with feet on the ropes is broken up by Sabin so Shelley grabs Shell Shock for the pin at 10:00.

Rating: C+. Maclin continues to be someone who has come a long way in Impact. He was never given a real chance to shine in WWE and it is nice to see him getting this kind of a chance somewhere else. Putting him in there with someone as good as Shelley is going to give him a lot of help and he looked good here in defeat.

Madison Rayne used a chair to beat Jesse McKay on BTI. Then the Influence fired Kaleb With A K, allowing W. Morrissey to powerbomb him through a table.

Gisele Shaw apologized to Rayne for her loss, meaning Kaleb With A K, but Rayne points out that he was fired. Shaw seems to imply violence.

Video on Moose, who will do anything he wants to win and then keep the World Title. If that means taking out Josh Alexander’s family, so be it. Now he’s ready for Alexander at Rebellion.

Here is Honor No More for a chat. Eddie Edwards talks about the wrestling history in Philadelphia, from ECW to Ring of Honor, with the most passionate fans in wrestling. Honor No More knows that isn’t the truth though because these are the most fickle fans in all of wrestling. They don’t care about any of these people because they want to see the next shiny thing.

Mike Bennett runs down the city and Matt Taven can’t believe that so many people turned on him when he was saving Ring of Honor. Cue the Bullet Club to interrupt, with Jay White not thinking much of Taven. Everyone knows Bullet Club is the best and they think we should be seeing some Thank You’s to the Club. They talk about how they put the Kingdom on the map in Japan in 2015. Anderson: “Hi Maria.”

That’s not cool with Bennett, but Maria talks about how they won’t bother saying they’re for live because Honor No More is more original than that. The big brawl is on in the ring and then onto the floor, with PCO hitting a top rope flip dive. PCO is in the main event so let’s get his opponent out here.

Jonah vs. PCO

Everyone else is gone as Jonah sends PCO into the corner for the running splash. A backdrop puts Jonah on the floor and it’s time to brawl outside. Jonah misses a charge into the post and PCO hits a neckbreaker. PCO’s neck is banged up though….so he grabs a roll of duct tape and wraps it around his neck as a makeshift brace. That’s a new one and the delay lets Jonah knock him down again.

We take a break and come back with Jonah working on a waistlock. A buckle bomb is no sold and it’s a running clothesline to drop Jonah. They get back up and slug it out again, with Jonah’s Tombstone getting one, meaning it’s time for the real beating. PCO DDTs Jonah and a high crossbody gets two, followed by some middle rope headbutts. A top rope headbutt gets two but the PCOsault misses. The DeAnimator only hits apron to knock PCO silly and the Tsunami finishes for Jonah at 14:02.

Rating: C. PCO is one of the most unique guys in wrestling and a win over him still means something. That was the case for Jonah here, as he got his second win over PCO in another monster brawl. Jonah is getting somewhere and could be a star if he is able to get a chance higher up on the card, as WWE continues to look odd for letting him go.

Post match PCO sits straight up so Jonah unloads on him and grabs a chair to keep up the beating. Another Tsunami onto the chair keeps PCO down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another good show for Impact and I want to see Rebellion more than I did in the last few weeks. Hopefully they are going to have one more push next week and then blow the whole thing off at the pay per view. Another efficient show here with some solid action but without giving away the big stuff for the important show. Nice job here.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for the Multiverse of Matches but that doesn’t seem to mean much at the moment. Part of the issue is that we also need to build up Rebellion, which is less than a month away. That doesn’t leave Impact a lot of time, though maybe they can give this week’s show some attention of its own. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander vs. Moose as they are on their way to a showdown at Rebellion for Moose’s World Title. Just to crank it up, Moose SPEARED ALEXANDER’S WIFE at a show in Canada over the weekend.

Josh Alexander arrives and Scott D’Amore tells him that while Moose isn’t here, he has recommended that Moose be stripped of the title and fired. Alexander grabs him by the jacket and says he needs Moose in the ring so he can take the title from him, man to man.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King

Non-title. Before the match, Gresham mentioned that he will be facing Eddie Edwards at Rebellion, but King’s entrance cuts him off. King talks about how he sees a great wrestler but a puppet for Ring of Honor. Gresham should be part of Honor No More, but he is called the Octopus because he is all arms and no brains.

They get in each others’ faces to start and we have a rather aggressive lockup. As expected, Gresham goes after the arm to put King in trouble before sending him outside. King manages to snap Gresham’s throat across the top to take over though and a suplex on the floor makes it worse. Back in and Gresham grabs a dragon screw legwhip, only to miss a high crossbody and bang up his own knee.

We take a break and come back with King hitting a spinebuster for two but Gresham goes right back to the knee. A dragon suplex into a tiger driver gives King two more but King’s knee gives out again. You don’t have to ask Gresham twice to grab a hold so the Figure Four goes on. Gresham stands up to crank on it even more and that’s enough for the tap at 12:04.

Rating: C+. There is something so entertaining about watching Gresham take someone apart and put them in pin in a variety of ways. That is exactly what we got here, with that adjusted Figure Four being a nice twist on what you might have expected. King was good as usual, but this was more about Gresham, as it should have been.

Post match Eddie Edwards runs in to go after Gresham but Rocky Romero makes the save, meaning we probably have a tag match coming up.

Here’s what’s coming at Multiverse of Matches and later tonight.

The Motor City Machine Guns are ready for their rematch with the Bullet Club because Jay White should know what it means to get pinned.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready for another Champ Champ Challenge at the Multiverse of Matches and there are a ton of possible challengers.

Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice vs. ???/???

This is Swinger’s Chump Chump Challenger and the opponents are…the Good Brothers. Dice immediately starts panicking and Gallows sends him flying with a fall away slam. The Magic Killer finishes at 51 seconds. As it should have been.

Post match the Good Brothers say they are back to what they do best. They’re on the way to Rebellion and the eight team elimination match, plus the Multiverse of Matches against the Briscoes. We cut over to PCO in the parking lot, screaming for Jonah. Cue Jonah to jump him from behind and the brawl is on, using a variety of parking lot accessories.

Jonah powerbombs him onto some wooden pallets and then gets in a few shots with a sledgehammer (as you do). A brick is placed on PCO’s ribs and cracked with the hammer but he grabs Jonah by the throat. Jonah’s head is crushed in a car door and PCO buries him underneath some dirt. That’s just something he happened to have laying around right?

Josh Alexander vs. Madman Fulton

Ace Austin is here with Fulton. Alexander wastes no time in starting with the suplexes before knocking Fulton outside. Fulton is sent into the barricade but manages to fight out of the C4 Spike back inside. The chokeslam is countered into a powerbomb though and an ankle lock makes Fulton tap at 1:49. That was quick.

Post match Austin teases going after Alexander but gets scared off. Alexander cranks on Fulton’s ankle so hard that Fulton’s boot comes off.

Trey Miguel asks Mike Bailey about his relationship with Ace Austin. Bailey says expect the unexpected.

Last week, Mickie James ranted about Chelsea Green turning on her, making Green a sellout just like Matt Cardona. Nick Aldis will be at the Multiverse of Matches, where it’s the Midcardonas vs. Al-Dis.

Matt Cardona doesn’t want to talk about this but Chelsea Green doesn’t like the idea of Mickie James treating her like the little sister.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Madison Rayne, Tenille Dashwood, Lady Frost, Gisele Shaw, Jordynne Grace, Havok, Alisha Edwards, Rosemary, Savannah Evans, Jesse McKay

The winner gets a Knockouts Title shot against Tasha Steelz, on commentary, at Rebellion. It’s a brawl to start (battle royal and all), though the IInfluence has time to stop and pose. Edwards actually forearms away at Havok, only to have Rosemary cut her down with a spear. Havok tosses Edwards and saves Rosemary from Evans. Everyone gets together to dump Havok and McKay gets rid of Dashwood.

McKay gets knocked off the apron but Kaleb With A K catches her. Rayne is out as well as McKay is thrown in, where she gets caught in a Samoan drop from Evans. That’s it for McKay and it’s Evans vs. Grace in the power slugout. Grace is tossed but Shaw and Frost toss Evans too. That leaves with with Frost, Shaw and Rosemary with Shaw getting the better of things. The other two get together and dump Shaw, with Rosemary knocking out Frost as well for the win at 7:15.

Rating: C-. Rosemary is one of those women that you can throw right into the title picture and no one will think anything is out of the ordinary as she really is that good. She has the resume and the status so this should work out well. I don’t know if she wins the title, but she is someone who very well could and that is a good choice for a challenger.

Black Taurus b. Deaner on BTI.

Eric Young and Violent By Design is ready to retain the Tag Team Titles at Rebellion.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Aiden Prince

Brian Myers has his own commentary table again. Headlocks and shoulders don’t work for Prince to start as Gujjar knocks him to the floor. That’s enough for Price to try walking out, only to get tossed back in without much effort. A powerslam gives Gujjar two but Prince gets in a knee to the back to take over. Gujjar comes right back with a Sling Blade into a powerslam for two but Prince hits a suplex. Prince misses a 450 though and the middle rope spear gives Gujjar the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C-. Another week, another Gujjar match as he has a cool looking finisher which takes some effort to set up. Other than that though, there is still almost nothing about Gujjar that makes him interesting. He’s a guy in tights for most of his matches and it doesn’t make me want to see anything that he is doing.

Post match W. Morrissey tries to powerbomb Myers through the table but Prince gets in the way. That means Prince gets the powerbomb through the table instead.

Masha Slamovich vs. Abby Jane

Tiger suplex and Snowplow finish for Slamovich in 48 seconds.

We run down the Multiverse of Matches card again.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club

Chris Bey/Jay White for the Club here. White shoulders Sabin in the corner to start but Sabin is back with a middle rope spinning crossbody. Shelley tags himself in and a neck snap over the ropes sets up a legsweep to put White in trouble. A backsplash/knee drop combination sets up a chinlock as commentary goes over some of the possibilities for the eight team gauntlet match at Rebellion. Bey sneaks in with a shot off the top to drop Sabin and we take a break.

Back with Sabin not being able to crawl over to Shelley, meaning Bey can get in some smirking. White gets in some shots of his own but a pair of leapfrogs allows Sabin to get over to Shelley. The Motor City Stretch has Bey in trouble until White makes the save and Bey returns the favor by breaking up Thunder Express.

Back to back choking on the ropes has Shelley in more trouble and he gets tossed outside. Bey’s suicide dive hits White though and it’s back to Sabin for the flip dive off the apron. They head back inside with Sabin hitting a bunch of running dropkicks in the corner to both Clubbites, setting up Thunder Express for two on Bey. White is back up to clear the ring though and Bey hits a big running flip dive to the floor.

Bey’s top rope splash gets two with Shelley making the save, which the referee is fine with this time. That doesn’t go well with White but he and Shelley go outside. Sabin drops Bey to set up Skull and Bones for two, followed by the Dream Sequence to White. Made In Detroit is broken up so White hits Sabin with a half and half suplex. The Art of Finesse gives Bey the pin at 17:42.

Rating: B. I don’t think there was much doubt in the ending after the previous screwy(ish) ending but they had a heck of a match on the way there. The Guns aren’t going to be hurt by a loss and the Club needed the win a bit more here. Very good match between two talented teams and it is nice to see Bey getting the pin in a pretty high profile match. He has come a long way and now he is having some success to back it up.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case, they continue to have issues with building towards two shows at once, even though the Multiverse of Matches feels like a quick pit stop on the way to the important event. Still though, they had a good main event and I want to see where things are going with Rebellion, which is the main point of this show. The main event is worth seeing if you have the time and Multiverse of Madness looks good so…success?

Results
Jonathan Gresham b. Kenny King – Standing Figure Four Leglock
Good Brothers b. Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice – Magic Killer to Dice
Josh Alexander b. Madman Fulton – Ankle lock
Rosemary won a battle royal last eliminating Lady Frost
Bhupinder Gujjar b. Aiden Prince – Middle rope spear
Masha Slamovich b. Abby Jane – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Motor City Machine Guns – Art of Finesse to Sabin

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