Impact Wrestling
Date: November 4, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

Things are staying interesting after Bound For Glory as Moose is the World Champion and needs some friends to go after his challengers. This time around, that means a guest star in the form of Minoru Suzuki, who will be in for a six man tag. I think that’s enough to hype up the show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Steve Maclin vs. Rohit Raju vs. Laredo Kid vs. Black Taurus

For a future X-Division Title shot and Raj Singh and Crazzy Steve are here too. Maclin and Taurus clear the ring to start and take turns running the ropes until Taurus scores with a clothesline to the floor. The two of them wind up on the floor and Laredo hits a moonsault onto everyone else. Back in and Raju hammers Kid into the corner, setting up a sitout gordbuster for two. Taurus comes back in so Kid hurricanranas out back to the floor, setting up a dive for two. Raju rolls up Kid for two but gets kicked into Taurus, allowing Kid to hit a Michinoku Driver for the pin and the title shot at 5:21.

Rating: C+. Kid is the right choice to get the title shot as a match with Trey Miguel could be excellent. I’m also glad that Maclin didn’t take the fall, as he has still been protected and now they are moving him up the ladder, at least a little bit. Hopefully they figure something out for everyone, as this is becoming a bit more interesting.

Post match X-Division Champion Trey Miguel comes out for the staredown but Maclin jumps him. Kid and Miguel clear Maclin out.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Madison Rayne is ready for Mickie James tonight, but she doesn’t know anything about hosting Locker Room Talk on the same show.

Ace Austin shows off an I Beat Chris Sabin shirt and thinks Madman Fulton can do the same.

Here is Violent By Design for a chat. Eric Young talks about how Rhino had a decision to make and made the wrong choice. If you’re Violent By Design, you’re Violent By Design forever. Young has been out of the ring for six months and now it is time to get his hands dirty again. Tonight, the first brick will be laid in the monument to violence.

Eric Young vs. Jay Vidal

The fans know Vidal and Young gives him a chance to introduce himself. Vidal is excited, which Young says is a sign of the sickness. The beating is on in a hurry, including a running clothesline into a powerbomb. The piledriver finishes Vidal at 1:07.

We go to the IInspiration’s locker room (which looks like a hotel) for Locker Room Talk, where the lights go out and Decay haunts them. TURNING POINT is written on a mirror.

Ad for Turning Point.

The IInspiration says they don’t want to do Ghostbusters so Gia Miller tells them to stay away from the Undead Brides. Don’t worry though, because the IInspiration has a plan for them.

Good Brothers vs. FinJuice

Non-title. Finlay grabs Anderson’s arm to start for some early twisting, plus Robinson to come in with an ax handle. Anderson manages to send Robinson outside though and Gallows adds a big boot to send us to a break. Back with Robinson getting crushed in the corner to set up the chinlock. Robinson avoids a chinlock though and it’s back to Finlay to pick the pace way up. A Rock Bottom onto the knee gets two on Anderson but the Doomsday Device is broken up. Everyone collides for a four way knockdown….and here’s the Bullet Club to attack Robinson for the DQ at 10:06.

Rating: C. FinJuice continues to look good in the ring and they feel like an established, regular team over here. I was worried that they were just more guest stars from New Japan but it is nice to have had them sticking around for the time being. Now just get the Good Brothers off of this show for the better part of ever and we’ll be getting somewhere.

Post match the beatdown is on, including a bunch of low blows and title shots.

Johnny Swinger is trying to sell his decorations to raise money for his own casino. Hernandez isn’t interested.

FinJuice is sick of the Bullet Club so Scott D’Amore gives them a match against said Club next week. We’ll make that a #1 contenders match too.

Knockouts Title: Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James

Rayne is challenging and has Kaleb With A K with her. They grapple around the ropes to start before fighting over wrist control. With that not working, Mickie catches a kick to the ribs but gets in a tug of war with Kaleb With A K over Madison. Mickie gets the better of things and goes up, only to get slammed back down for two.

After the rhythmic breathing is covered, Madison starts raking the eyes on the ropes. A hard whip into the corner has Mickie in trouble but she makes the clothesline comeback. There’s a neckbreaker to drop Madison but another Kaleb With A K distraction lets Rayne grab a cutter for two. Mickie is sent outside, where Kaleb With A K slaps the post by mistake. Back in and the top rope Thesz press retains the title at 7:42.

Rating: C. I know Rayne might not feel like a legend at times, but this was actually quite the high profile match for the division. Both of these two should be in the Impact Hall of Fame, as they have held the Knockouts Title more than almost anyone else. Rayne is a veteran who can still have a fine match and James can do well with anyone. Nice job here and a bigger feel than I would have expected.

Post match here is Mercedes Martinez to continue the trend of M named women. She congratulates Mickie on everything she has done, but now she wants her title shot (which she earned by winning the Knockouts Knockdown tournament). The title match is on at Turning Point.

The IInspiration comes up to the Undead Brides and asks them to face Decay on their behalf next week. A discussion on the belief in ghosts ensues.

Josh Alexander, Matt Cardona and Eddie Edwards are ready for the main event.

Chris Sabin vs. Madman Fulton

Ace Austin is in Fulton’s corner. Sabin tries to start fast but his middle rope crossbody is pulled out of the air. With that not working, Sabin goes for the hair, twisting it around like a wristlock. You don’t do that to Fulton, who takes him outside for a Rock Bottom onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Fulton hitting a middle rope crossbody of all things. Sabin manages to low bridge him to the floor for a breather though, setting up a dive. Back in and Fulton is too big for the Cradle Shock but Sabin flips out of a spinning Rock Bottom. A small package gives Sabin the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C. Sabin continues to make almost everyone else look better as his Impact renaissance rolls on. I could go for the next Sabin vs. Austin showdown and they are doing a nice job of setting everything up. Fulton is still a heck of a monster, though they might hold off on having him eat so many pins.

Post match Sabin has to duck Austin’s interference and runs off to fight another day.

Turning Point rundown.

Moose/W. Morrissey/Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Cardona/Eddie Edwards/Josh Alexander

Alexander and Moose start but it’s off to Suzuki instead for the big showdown. Alexander gives us a token headlock before they slug it out, meaning it’s quickly off to Morrissey. The ankle lock doesn’t last long so Eddie comes in to send the villains outside. A hard dive sends Moose into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Morrissey kneeing Cardona from the apron, allowing Suzuki armbarring him over the ropes. Suzuki comes in for a Crossface before handing it back to Morrissey. The monsters take turns beating on Cardona, who enziguris his way to freedom. The referee misses the tag to Eddie though and Morrissey gets to beat on Cardona even more.

That lasts all of a few seconds before the real tag brings in Alexander to wreck things. Everything breaks down and Eddie Blue Thunder Bombs Morrissey, leaving Alexander and Suzuki to slug it out again. Suzuki hits the Gotch Style piledriver for no cover, as Eddie kicks him in the face. In the melee, Morrissey hits a powerbomb to finish Eddie at 14:26.

Rating: C+. They managed to make a Matt Cardona match feel important so well done. The evil trio looked good here, even if they are likely a short term team. Edwards is a made man and Alexander is fresh off the run of his career so they both should be fine going forward. Alexander vs. Suzuki alone should be enough to get us somewhere so well done again.

Overall Rating: C+. When the heck did Impact get so competent? This was a well put together show with stories being advanced and characters I care about. I know a lot of people are never going to give them a chance and after so many years of disappointment, I can’t fault them whatsoever. For now though, Impact is one of the more consistently good shows today and I’m starting to look forward to watching it week to week. Nice job, and not something I would have ever bet on being the case.

Results
Laredo Kid b. Black Taurus, Steve Maclin and Rohit Raju – Michinoku Driver to Raju
Eric Young b. Jay Vidal – Piledriver
FinJuice b. Good Brothers via DQ when Bullet Club interfered
Mickie James b. Madison Rayne – Top rope Thesz press
Chris Sabin b. Madman Fulton – Small package
W. Morrissey/Moose/Minoru Suzuki b. Josh Alexander/Eddie Edwards/Matt Cardona – Powerbomb to Edwards

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 28, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re at the beginning of a new era in Impact Wrestling as this is the first show after Bound For Glory. We do have a new World Champion, but it is not Josh Alexander, who was challenging Christian Cage at the pay per view. Alexander did win, but Moose cashed in his Call Your Shot title match to leave as champion. That’s your big story and now we get to see everything else too. Let’s get to it.

Here is Bound For Glory If You Need A Recap.

We open with a long recap of Bound For Glory, as you kind of have to do.

Opening sequence.

Here is Moose to get things going but cue Eddie Edwards with a kendo stick. The brawl is on with Moose tossing him outside but getting caught with some kendo stick shots. Security breaks it up and gets Eddie to the back, meaning it’s time for Moose’s title win. Moose talks about everything he had to do to get here and brags about finally getting his hands on the title. He took the title from Josh Alexander in front of Alexander’s wife and child, but Moose has no sympathy.

Now he is the greatest champion and it doesn’t matter if you are elite, the chief of a tribe, the Boss, the Man, a king, the queen or what day you own a title. You can add a NEW DAY to the week and he is still the greatest champion in wrestling. He has done some horrible things to get here, but imagine what he will do to keep it.

Cue Alexander to take Moose down and hammer away but Moose gets away. Now it’s Minoru Suzuki for the showdown with Alexander and I think we have Alexander’s rebound match. Alexander turns to stare at Moose but Suzuki turns him around to start the brawl. Referees and security break it up in a hurry and I could go for more of this. Moose’s promo was rather braggadocios but it felt like something that suited him rather than just crazy rambling.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We get part of the IInspiration music video.

Moose is ready to deal with the locker room that he has angered over the years and yes, he can handle it. Cue Matt Cardona to say he got this close at Bound For Glory and he’s coming for the title. Security has to break them up too.

X-Division Title: Rocky Romero vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending. They fight over wrist control to start with Romero getting the better of things until Miguel gets in an armdrag. A dropkick puts Romero in the ropes and Miguel grabs something like an Octopus with Romero still down. Miguel sends him outside for the middle rope moonsault as we take a break.

Back with Romero elbowing him in the face and working on the arm that he banged up during the break. A dropkick puts Miguel on the floor and Romero hits a running shot to rock him again. Back in and a hurricanrana into a cross armbreaker has Miguel in trouble so he stacks it up for the escape.

Romero doesn’t let go though and powerbombs the heck out of Miguel. They slug it out from their knees until Miguel kicks him in the face. The top rope Meteora connects but Romero rolls through into a half crab. That’s broken up as well and Miguel hits him in the face but has to counter the Forever Clotheslines. Miguel cuts him off again and this time the top rope Meteora retains the title at 11:40.

Rating: B-. This was the good version of Romero with the counters and the good strikes and it was a solid match as a result. Sometimes Romero can be all over the place so it’s nice to see the better side coming out. Miguel gets a win over a name challenge in his first defense as well, meaning we can move on and find the first big challenger.

Post match, Steve Maclin runs in and takes Miguel out.

Jordynne Grace thinks she is perfect as the first Digital Media Champion. Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans come up to mock Grace and Rachael Ellering. That doesn’t bother Ellering, who is ready to fight Steelz, as scheduled, tonight.

Steve Maclin says no one has beaten him and he wants the X-Division Title. Scott D’Amore comes in to say he can get the title shot if he earns it next week. With that done, Eddie Edwards and Matt Cardona come up to argue over the title shot. D’Amore makes a six man tag with the two of them and Josh Alexander vs. Moose and anyone he can find. Hold on though as now D’Amore has to go and stop Alexander from attacking a referee. D’Amore explains the six man tag and tells Alexander that he can be the face of the company. He is a machine, but don’t run on emotions. Do it for his family.

Tasha Steelz vs. Rachael Ellering

Savannah Evans and Jordynne Grace are here too. Ellering chops away in the corner and scores with a running backsplash, setting up an STO. Steelz snaps her throat across the top though and the forearms ensue. A tornado DDT plants Ellering for two and we hit the chinlock. Steelz sends her outside and then back in for the stomping but this time Ellering grabs a fisherman’s buster for a sudden two. A rather messy backslide finishes Steelz at 5:09.

Rating: D. This was a pretty lame miss as they didn’t seem to have much to do and then the ending was even worse. Steelz isn’t the greatest in the ring and while Ellering is good, she needs something better to work with here. It could have been worse, but this wasn’t the best.

W. Morrissey says Moose betrayed him and he still wants the World Title. Moose comes in to say he screwed Morrissey before Morrissey could screw him, which is what he promised. He offers Morrissey the first shot for help in next week’s six man but Morrissey doesn’t answer.

The IInspiration is happy to be here and say they want to give back and inspire the division. When asked what that means, they talk about how great they are and end the interview. Yeah they’re still just the IIconics.

Joe Doering vs. Heath

The rest of Violent By Design and Rhino are here too. Heath dodges around to start but Doering runs him over with a crossbody for two. Some right hands put Heath down again but he’s back up with some forearms. There’s a running ax kick to drop Doering again as the comeback is on. Deaner trips Heath though and it’s a big brawl for the no contest at 3:14.

Rating: D+. Another match that didn’t have time to go anywhere as we continue on the road to what is likely a big tag team showdown. I’m not sure how long this feud can keep going, but it has breathed new life into Rhino, which is quite the trick at this point in his career. At least they didn’t have Heath lose here, so it could have been a lot worse.

Post match the brawl is on until Eric Young distracts Rhino so Violent By Design (including the now healthy Young) destroys Heath and Rhino.

The Good Brothers brag about their win at Bound For Glory but FinJuice comes in to say they did the work in the match. The challenge is on but the Brothers tell them to earn it.

The (certainly not KISS) Demon is here but Johnny Swinger complains about how 1993 has been the worst year of his career. Swinger shouts a lot but the rest of Decay comes in to scare him off (as he thinks it’s the Dungeon Of Doom, which was awesome).

Here is Mickie James for a chat. When she came back, she didn’t have the Knockouts Title on her mind but she wasn’t about to turn down that kind of opportunity. She thanks Deonna Purrazzo for an amazing match at Bound For Glory but there are a lot of talented women back there who want a shot of their own. Cue Madison Rayne, with Kaleb With A K, who is glad that Mickie is back. Madison doesn’t know why she isn’t listed among the all time greats, because she has been here forever. Mickie points out the times Madison has left but Madison is right back with the challenge for the title match next week. Game on.

Moose and W. Morrissey recruit Minoru Suzuki to be their partner. The chance to get his hands on Josh Alexander is enough to get him to say yes.

Ace Austin vs. Chris Sabin

Madman Fulton is here with Austin. They go with the exchange of arm cranking to start until Sabin gets two off la majistral. Back up and Austin misses a spinning kick to the face, allowing Sabin to take him down by the leg. The Iron Maiden works on the leg some more but Austin gets out and kicks him down. Austin eventually hits a suplex for two and it’s time for the playing card cut on the finger. A legdrop is good for the same and we take a break with Sabin in trouble.

Back with Austin catapulting him throat first into the bottom rope but missing a middle rope legdrop. That’s enough for Sabin to start the comeback with the running forearms and a fisherman’s buster for two of his own. It’s too early for the Cradle Shock though and Austin kicks him in the back.

An exchange of kicks to the head puts both of them down, with the fans chanting THIS IS IMPACT. It’s Austin back up first with a springboard kick to the face but the Fold is blocked. Sabin’s big tornado DDT gets two and the fans are way into this again. Back up and Sabin backdrops Austin over the top and onto Fulton but Fulton is back up with a distraction. Now the Fold can finish Sabin at 14:48.

Rating: B. I was getting quite into this one by the end and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. These guys are able to do all kinds of things in the ring and they had a good back and forth match here. Fulton interfering gives Austin the win and saves some of Sabin’s face so this was about as good as it could have gone. Solid match and it was nice to see a main event where the other stars got a chance to shine.

Overall Rating: C+. This didn’t exactly feel like the fallout show from the biggest night of the year but it did feel like a pretty nice regular television show. I’ll certainly take what I can get in that regard and the action was more good than bad. I liked the show and I’m curious to see where some of these stories go, so they are off to a good start after Bound For Glory.

Results
Trey Miguel b. Rocky Romero – Top rope Meteora
Rachael Ellering b. Tasha Steelz – Backslide
Heath vs. Joe Doering went to a no contest
Ace Austin b. Chris Sabin – The Fold

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 14, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We’re less than two weeks away from Bound For Glory and that means it is time to really hammer home the stories. Most of the card is set, save for the final spot in the X-Division Title match. Things have been going well as of late and I’m actually interested in where the show goes. Keeping that up is not going to easy but maybe they can make it work. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s main event as Josh Alexander vs. Christian Cage continues to heat up.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: Rohit Raju vs. El Phantasmo vs. Willie Mack

The winner joins Trey Miguel and Steve Maclin for the title match at Bound For Glory and the rest of the Bullet Club is in Phantasmo’s corner. Phantasmo is sent outside to start, leaving Mack to shoulder Raju down. Phantasmo replaces Raju and can’t get anywhere with some shoulders of his own. This time it’s Mack being knocked outside so Raju and Phantasmo can slug it out. That’s broken up and Raju is sent outside again as they certainly have a formula here.

Phantasmo manages to knock Mack down and hit a springboard Swanton for two. Back in and Raju hits a Cannonball to both of them at the same time. Mack runs them both over though and shows off the crazy power with the double Samoan drop. The double standing moonsault gets two but Phantasmo catches Mack on top.

That means a super hurricanrana, with Mack Swantoning onto Raju for a big crash. A top rope splash gets two on Mack but he’s right back with the Stunner. The Club has the referee so Mack kicks them to the floor and hits the big flip dive. Raju uses the breather to Flatline Phantasmo for two but Phantasmo is back with a rather low punch. The Pedigree style Neutralizer gives Phantasmo the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. It’s hard to screw up a match like this and they certainly didn’t here. Phantasmo winning is fine as you don’t want to have two heels in a three way match for the title. The drawback here was the fairly fired formula of having two in and one out, as there was barely any stretch of the match with all three involved. That’s how triple threat works, but it would be nice to try something else for a change.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton are ready for tonight’s battle royal to determine the entrance order for the Call Your Shot gauntlet match (this company has a bad history of making things a bit complicated). Neither of them are worried about possibly being #1, because Fulton likes fighting a bunch of people at once.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at Bound For Glory.

Savannah Evans vs. Lady Frost

Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. Frost strikes away to start and is easily sent into the corner for a running shoulder to the ribs. The comeback is cut off with a big boot and we take a break with Evans in full control. Back with Evans hitting a Samoan drop but Frost manages some running shoulders in the corner. That earns Frost a heck of a clothesline, setting up a full nelson slam to give Evans the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C-. More or less a squash here with Evans being established as the new monster. You can always go with that as it serves as a way to keep her strong at the moment, which can set up someone conquering her later on. Frost has a good look but hasn’t exactly done anything to make herself stand out so far.

Post match here are Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt for a chat. Purrazzo is here because she gets to pick Mickie James’ opponent for next week and Evans sounds like a good idea. Evans is down.

Steve Maclin says people don’t know his background but he’ll let us in. Where he comes from, there are people called ribbon chasers and they almost got him killed. Around here, he sees people chasing titles, but he’s going to win the X-Division Title because he wants a target on his back.

Gail Kim recaps Knockouts Knockdown, including the announcement that the IInspiration will get a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot at Bound For Glory. Decay comes in to say they shouldn’t have to defend the titles, but Kim gets a letter from a deliveryman. It’s from the IInspiration, who think it’s nice that Decay gets to share the ring with them. We wrap it up with “if this letter is not read out loud in an Australian accent, please start again from the beginning.” That was funny, but Rosemary is ready for violence and chaos at Bound For Glory.

VSK vs. Rich Swann

Brian Myers and Willie Mack are here too. VSK strikes away to start and scores with a fast fireman’s carry backbreaker. A slam into a splash gives VSK two and we’re already in the chinlock. Swann fights up and slugs away, setting up a neckbreaker. The Phoenix splash finishes VSK at 2:59.

Johnny Swinger is still cleaning out Swinger’s Palace but Hernandez comes in to take all of his money. One of the Swingerellas comes up to Swinger and asks him out. That’s a no, and she walks away in tears. Swinger leaves, so here is Chris Sabin to see the place one more time. Swingerella #2 (or Riley) says she likes him but his love is the wrestling ring. She leaves, so Sabin sits down and we get a montage of moments from the Palace. I’m going to miss the place too, as it went from a one off joke into a pretty funny running gag.

Heath comes in to see Scott D’Amore and is ready to sign his contract. One thing though: he wants his first match to be at Bound For Glory and wants to team with Rhino against Violent By Design. D’Amore doesn’t think Rhino is interested, but Heath will fight by himself is Rhino doesn’t show up. That’s good enough for D’Amore and the contract is signed.

Chris Bey vs. Chris Sabin

The Bullet Club and FinJuice are here too. Feeling out process to start with Sabin shouldering him down and grabbing a quickly broken armbar. They fight over armdrags and that means an early standoff. The guys on the floor almost get into a fight so the referee tosses them before anything can happen.

We settle down to Sabin grabbing a snap suplex for two but Bey ties him in the ropes for a middle rope elbow. Another elbow gets two on Sabin, setting up a top rope clothesline for the same. The chinlock goes on but Sabin fights up and scores with a pretty hard kick to the chest.

A rolling fisherman’s buster (as in a fisherman’s suplex but Sabin rolls through and hits a buster) gets two on Bey, who kicks him in the head again for another near fall. Back up and they trade clotheslines for a double knockdown. They slug it out until Bey loads up a rolling…something, only to get kicked out of the air. The Cradle Shock finishes Bey at 12:07.

Rating: B-. This was fun and good at the same time, which is quite the hard to pull off. The two of them are both able to go in the ring and do just about whatever they want, which is rather hard to pull off. Sabin is a legend around here and it makes sense to warm him up again, even if that means beating Bey clean in a good match.

Trey Miguel is ready for the X-Division Title match and has already beaten a few people. Cue one of those wrestlers in Alex Zayne, who says Miguel never beat him. That’s fine with Miguel and a match is made, for some reason with an allegory about a chicken sandwich. Also of note: Zayne TOWERS over Miguel and it’s a bit of a strange visual.

The Good Brothers are still on vacation and are ready to be back at Bound For Glory. Now get them some opponents already.

Battle Royal

Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Fallah Bahh, Moose, Hernandez, W. Morrissey, Brandi Lauren, Kimber Lee, Matt Cardona, Johnny Swinger, Petey Williams, Alisha Edwards, Matthew Rehwoldt, Jake Something, Brian Myers, Rachael Ellering, Laredo Kid, Black Taurus, Raj Singh

The winner is #20 in the Call Your Shot gauntlet but the runner up is #1. Moose tosses Alisha in a hurry and Swinger eliminates himself to get away from Lauren and Lee. Austin hides behind Fulton and Cardona tosses Williams. Cardona can’t eliminate Myers as the Learning Tree catches him for the save, only to have Ellering kick Myers out instead. Kid is tossed with Taurus and Hernandez following. There goes Rehwoldt, followed by Ellering and Singh. The ring is getting cleared out a bit and we take a break.

Back with a bunch of brawling and near eliminations until Austin kicks Something out. Fulton shrugs off some mist and helps Austin get rid of Lauren and Lee. Cardona takes too long loading up a running boot and gets tossed, leaving us with Moose, Morrissey, Fulton, Austin and Sabin. Fulton gets the better of a brawl between the giants until a double big boot knocks him out.

We take another break and come back again with Fulton saving Austin from an elimination. Austin tries to get together with the monsters, who toss him out in a hurry. Sabin manages to low bridge Moose to the apron and kicks the leg out, leaving us with two. A missile dropkick puts Morrissey down but Moose pushes him back over the top. Morrissey unloads on Sabin before tossing him out for the win at 19:38.

Rating: C. These things are always kind of hard to grade but a monster winning is a smart move, especially if you put Sabin at the start. Sabin is someone who could put on a good run and even tease a win in the end so this was a well thought out match. It wasn’t the most interesting match, but it could have been a lot worse.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Minoru Suzuki is coming. Well dang.

The ropes have been taken down and we get a sitdown interview between Christian Cage and Josh Alexander. Christian talks about how important it was to win the title back because he spent so many years out of the ring due to his injuries. Alexander talks about how much the X-Division means to him but now he wants to make it mean even more by winning the World Title. He doesn’t have a single regret about the decision he made and is ready for Bound For Glory.

Christian sees the fire in Alexander’s eyes but no one thinks in the ring like he does. Alexander grew up watching Christian and is a huge fan but at Bound For Glory, Alexander is the wild card. Christian knows what it takes to be on this stage and it’s going to be sink or swim, which Alexander will learn soon. He’s a fan of Alexander, but we see a clip of a fan asking if Christian would like to face him, and Christian doesn’t know who Alexander is. Alexander storms off to end the show. That’s the kind of personal Edge that the match needed.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was a nice boost toward Bound For Glory and that’s what it needed to be. The pay per view is looking better every week and I’m still getting used to this idea of being into Impact. If they can make Bound For Glory a better version of TV, we’re going to be in for a heck of a show. Nicely done here, and that has been the norm for a good while now.

Results
El Phantasmo b. Willie Mack and Rohit Raju – Double underhook faceplant to Raju
Savannah Evans b. Lady Frost – Full nelson slam
Rich Swann b. VSK – Phoenix splash
Chris Sabin b. Chris Bey – Cradle Shock
W. Morrissey won a battle royal last eliminating Chris 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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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 7, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We are just over two weeks away from Bound For Glory and if you don’t know all of the card so far, you can probably guess what is coming on the show. There is still a lot of work to do though, including Eddie Edwards needing to deal with Moose. That could go in a few different directions so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Bullet Club vs. FinJuice/Chris Sabin

It’s Chris Bey/Hikuleo/El Phantasmo for the Club. Bey takes Sabin into the corner to start but we actually get a clean break. They go back back and forth with neither actually getting anywhere so Phantasmo comes in to take Robinson down. A standing moonsault hits Robinson he’s back up with an atomic drop. The non-Club starts taking turns on Phantasmo’s arm. Robinson has to fight off everything at once but Bey finally knocks him down to take over. Hikuleo teases coming in but jumps down to rake Robinson’s back instead.

Somehow Robinson survives and gets over to Finlay to pick up the pace. That just earns him a shot to the face though as everything breaks down in a hurry. Sabin high crossbodies Bey and Phantasmo at the same time and it’s a triple dive to take out the Club on the floor. A Dominator spun into a DDT gives Sabin two on Phantasmo but Hikuleo is back with a chokeslam. Phantasmo adds the top rope splash for two but Sabin is back up with a backslide. Hikuleo offers a distraction though and it’s a low blow from Phantasmo, setting up the Art of Finesse for the pin on Sabin at 8:47.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a six man tag and that’s what we got here with everyone getting to have their chance. There is always something about taking this many people and putting them in the ring for a showcase. The fact that they have some international star power makes it that much better.

Josh Alexander says it would usually be an honor to team with Christian Cage but tonight is about getting rid of Ace Austin and Madman Fulton before Bound For Glory.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here is Heath for a chat. The fans seem happy to have him back as he has been out for a year. Last year at Bound For Glory, he was ready to get his Impact contract but he had to sit at home. Thank goodness he had some little girls to be doctors for daddy. While he was out though, he saw Rhino joining Violent By Design and that isn’t the real Rhino.

What he wants right now is to talk to his best friend but he gets Violent By Design instead. Eric Young asks what Heath doesn’t get because the team made Rhino better. The fans tell Young that he isn’t Rhino but Young goes on a rant about how that Rhino isn’t coming back. Heath is going to lower his eyes, leave the ring and never come back. That isn’t happening so the beatdown is on with Heath being buried under the flag.

Willie Mack, with Rich Swann, is ready to win the X-Division Title back. Brian Myers’ Learning Tree comes up and a tag match is teased for later.

Post break, Myers tells the Learning Tree that they’re on their own.

Brandi Lauren/Kimber Lee/Lady Frost vs. Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans/Mercedes Martinez

Martinez powers Frost into the corner to start but gets wristdragged back down. The threat of a right hand sends Frost off to Lauren, who bites Evans’ hand. We take a break and come back with Lauren in trouble in the corner but clotheslining her way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Lee to clean house as everything breaks down. The illegal Martinez cleans house until Steelz steals the pin on Lee at 9:38.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one and a good chunk of it was spent in the break. The double Su Yung deal isn’t the most interesting idea as it doesn’t make Yung look all that unique, but if Yung isn’t around, it doesn’t matter that much. It was a fine way to set up some stuff at Knockouts Knockdown, but not exactly great on its own.

Post match here is Alisha Edwards to clean hour with a kendo stick.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christopher Daniels b. James Storm at Genesis 2013.

Alisha Edwards rants about Kimber Lee so Gail Kim puts the two of them, Savannah Evans and Jordynne Grace in a Monster’s Ball match for Knockouts Knockdown. Works for me.

It’s time for It’s All About Me, with Tenille Dashwood and company. Tenille and Madison Rayne are excited to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Knockouts Knockdown so here are their opponents: Decay. We get a weird beeping noise and Decay is ready to retain, but we’re out of time. That’s not cool with Decay, who says this is their show now. The Influence runs off in fear. There is some pretty awesome chemistry between these four, though that could just be Rosemary being scary and funny at the same time.

Moose and W. Morrissey are ready to get rid of Eddie Edwards, just like they did Sami Callihan. For now though, they’re going to be in the Call Your Shot at Bound For Glory. They’re still not friends either.

X-Division Title Tournament First Round: Black Taurus vs. Steve Maclin vs. Petey Williams

Maclin takes over to start but Taurus takes him down with a Sling Blade. With Maclin on the floor, Williams hits a running dropkick to Taurus’ back. A slingshot hurricanrana to the floor takes Maclin down but Williams has to deal with Taurus. The distraction lets Maclin hit an Angle Slam to Williams, followed by something close to a Death Valley Driver on Taurus.

Maclin goes after Williams though, allowing Taurus to fight back and powerslam him for two. Williams’ crucifix gets two on Taurus, followed by a running knee. Maclin runs both of them other but gets caught with a DDT to put everyone down. We get the three way strike off until Taurus hits Maclin with a running crucifix bomb (or close to it). Taurus ties Williams in the Tree of Woe but gets sent outside. Williams slips out and gives Taurus the Canadian Destroyer but walks into Mayhem For All to send Maclin to Bound For Glory at 7:13.

Rating: C+. The multi-person theme continues this week and this time around we get Impact continuing to push Maclin, which is a good thing. Above all else, Impact is trying someone new and maybe it works in the end. Maclin might not be the most thrilling, but he also isn’t bad and is being treated as something important. That’s something any promotion needs to do at times and it’s working well enough here.

Christian Cage says Josh Alexander can scout him tonight but keep his emotions in check. Christopher Daniels comes in to say he’s here to win the World Title. It can be in Impact or AEW, but he’s coming for the belt.

Johnny Swinger is panicking over Swinger’s Palace being shut down so they’re cleaning out the closet. This includes a photo of Dixie Carter (Swinger approves) but here is Fallah Bahh to say his money paid for a lot of this stuff. He’s glad they’re being shut down and leaves, as John E. Bravo finds a poster for a Jeff Jarrett DVD set. Swinger: “Did we buy this?” Bravo: “Won it. In a lawsuit.”

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Manny Lemons/Zicky Dice

Lemons (so that’s his name) and Dice jump them to start and get knocked down without much trouble. Dice gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Swann to plant him with a bulldog. Mack chops away and then twists Lemon’s nipples to mix things up a bit. Fans: “SQUEEZE THE LEMONS!” Everything breaks down and Mack holds Lemons up for a middle rope Blockbuster from Swann for the pin at 2:44. As much trouble as Mack and Swann should have had with these two.

Post match Brian Myers and the rest of the Learning Tree comes out to beat down Mack and Swann.

We look back at Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo at James’ horse farm last week.

James and Purrazzo get in a fight in Scott D’Amore’s office. Scott gives them a no contact clause until Bound For Glory and the match is off/the title is stripped if they fight before them. They can do a Pick Your Poison series as well, with James picking Purrazzo’s opponent at Knockouts Knockdown.

Here’s what’s coming at Knockouts Knockdown.

Christian Cage/Josh Alexander vs. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin

Cage and Fulton start things off with Fulton powers him down without much effort. Back up and Christian scores with some right hands to the jaw to knock Fulton into the corner. That doesn’t seem to matter as Fulton clotheslines both of them down and hands it off to Austin, who is quickly backdropped. Austin gets in an elbow in the corner and a superkick gets two on Alexander as we take a break.

Back with Austin kicking him in the head for two more but Alexander gets over for the tag to Christian. A few rooms of the house are cleaned but Fulton runs Cage over to cut that off in a hurry. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Fulton powers him into the corner again. It’s back to Austin for a springboard DDT but Christian spears him out of the air.

The double tag brings Fulton and Alexander, with the latter hitting a torture rack spun into a powerbomb for two. Some rolling German suplexes get two on Alexander but everything breaks down. Austin has to kick away Alexander’s ankle lock so Alexander grabs Rolling Chaos Theory, only to have Cage tag himself in. The Killswitch finishes Austin at 16:30.

Rating: B-. This was your above average main event tag match to advance the biggest match of Impact’s year. As a result, it worked out rather well, a lot of which is due tot he four people involved here. Good match here, with Cage playing some mind games as Alexander was rolling until the ending.

Alexander isn’t happy to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. What matters here is the fact that they have a target with Bound For Glory (and another with Knockouts Knockdown) and they are moving in that direction. You can see most of the card from here and now it is time to build up what is missing. Another fine show here and it did what it was supposed to do while including some solid enough action as well.

Results
Bullet Club b. FinJuice/Chris Sabin – Art of Finesse to Sabin
Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans/Mercedes Martinez b. Brandi Lauren/Kimber Lee/Lady Frost – Butterfly suplex to Lee
Steve Maclin b. Steve Williams and Black Taurus – Mayhem To All for Williams
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Manny Lemons/Zicky Dice – Elevated Blockbuster to Lemons
Christian Cage/Josh Alexander b. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin – Killswitch to Austin

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: September 30, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We are on the way to Bound For Glory and we now have the main event set for the World Title. As a result of Josh Alexander giving up the X-Division Title to set up the main event, we need a new X-Division Champion and the tournament begins tonight. It’s time to get serious around here so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title Tournament First Round: Laredo Kid vs. Alex Zayne vs. Trey Miguel

The winner goes on to the title match at Bound For Glory. Zayne hiptosses Kid over to Miguel for a hurricanrana but they’re all back up to miss dropkicks and that means a standoff. Kid is sent outside and Zayne hits a running twisting backsplash for two on Miguel. That doesn’t last long as Kid is back in to send Zayne outside but Miguel does the same, setting up a running hurricanrana over the top to flip Kid off the apron.

Back in and Miguel ties Zayne up for the Cheeky Nandos kick and then up Zayne’s legs while suplexing Kid at the same time. Kid is back up with a 450 to break it up so Zayne suplexes Kid down. Miguel takes Zayne down and hits a jumping double stomp to the back. With Zayne down, Kid springboard cutters Miguel off the top onto him for a crash in a cool spot. Miguel is fine enough to go up top and hit the super Meteora to put Kid away at 8:42.

Rating: B-. It worked in WCW and it worked here, as they had three young, talented high fliers go out there and go nuts for a few minutes, which is all you should do in something like this. It’s an idea that is always going to work and it is nice to see Miguel get a win. Now give him the title already!

Miguel is very fired up over his win.

Matthew Rehwoldt was watching that match and wants to attack Laredo Kid’s mask. They’ll fight next week. He was watching the match live and had a pre-tape ready? That’s some fast production.

Sami Callihan has been attacked and suffered a broken ankle at the hands of W. Morrissey and Moose. That’s about the best option they had to write him off for a legitimate injury.

Eddie Edwards is ready to face W. Morrissey in a street fight for revenge. Tonight it ends once and for all, and then Eddie is coming for Moose.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Influence vs. Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering

For the Knockouts Tag Team Title shot at Knockouts Knockdown and Kaleb With A K is here with the Influence. Dashwood starts with Ellering and we hit the stall button so both teams can pose together. They eventually fight over a wristlock with Ellering getting the better of things and taking her down over and over. There’s a headlock takeover to do it again as Dashwood can’t get anything going to start. Dashwood slides outside, where she trips Ellering down as we take a break.

Back with Grace coming in for some shoulders in the corner to put Dashwood in trouble. A backsplash into a double suplex gets two on Dashwood but Rayne gets in a kick from the apron to rock Grace. Rayne’s knee to the face gets two and the Influence stand on Grace’s hair to make it worse.

Grace fights up in a hurry and brings Ellering back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Ellering’s STO sets up a Vader Bomb from Grace for two, with Kaleb With A K putting the foot on the rope. Rayne gets in another cheap shot to take over but Ellering kicks her in the head. Kaleb With A K distracts Grace though, leaving Ellering to take a double Stroke for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: C. This might not have been the best match ever or anything but it was a perfectly competent match between two teams who felt like they belonged together. The division is starting to take a little shape and that is because we have some actual teams. You don’t get that very often around here and it is nice to see for a change.

Christopher Daniels is back to deal with Madman Fulton when Josh Alexander comes in. Alexander is glad he’s back, but Christian Cage comes in to say he didn’t need help. Daniels leaves and Christian says Alexander needs to be ready.

Brian Myers teaches the Learning Tree about physical fitness. Sam Beale thinks VSK is being treated better but Myers doesn’t want to hear it. Beale tells the other two to take some notes.

The Good Brothers are still on vacation, where they have been putting themselves over on Twitter and beating up Jon Moxley. They aren’t worried about any of the teams around here. Bound For Glory is coming though and they need opponents, so Bullet Club can face FinJuice for the title shot.

Deonna Purrazzo drives onto Mickie James’ horse farm and jumps her in the stables. Purrazzo hits her with a bucket but Mickie fights back and screams a lot. A pitchfork misses Mickie, who gets in a shot with….something hard. They fight outside where Mickie blasts her with a hose (the white shirt is just a coincidence I’m sure) but gets sent face first into a water bucket (the white shirt is just a coincidence I’m sure). Purrazzo leaves with Mickie down.

FinJuice doesn’t like the Bullet Club having a numbers advantage but Chris Sabin is here to even the odds. Six man next week.

Madman Fulton vs. Christopher Daniels

Ace Austin is here with Fulton. Daniels does get a nice reaction and it feels like a special return. Fulton throws him down to start and grabs an early delayed vertical suplex. Daniels slips out of a powerslam though and hammers away, including knocking Fulton outside. The Arabian moonsault takes Fulton down again but he kicks Daniels in the face to take over again.

Some elbows and choking in the corner keep Daniels in trouble but he comes back with a running DDT. A middle rope hurricanrana sets up the running STO for two on Fulton, who is back with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam (Striker: “Through the wasteland. The water is currency!”). Austin offers a distraction so here is Josh Alexander to cut him off. Angel’s Wings gets one and Daniels is stunned, so he tries a middle rope Downward Spiral instead. That sets up the BME to finish Fulton at 6:58.

Rating: C. I’m not sure I get the point in having Fulton kick out of the Angel’s Wings so easily when he was going to get pinned a few seconds later, but that’s a fairly minor point. What matters here is Daniels looked good and could still be a player around here. The guy seems immune to time and it is cool to see him back here where he was quite the big deal in the company’s glory days.

We go to Swinger’s Palace where Scott D’Amore comes in. Johnny Swinger tries to talk D’Amore out of taking Bound For Glory to Las Vegas but that isn’t happening. Swinger promises to make it the class of Las Vegas, but admits he doesn’t have a gaming license. That’s too bad, because D’Amore has no choice but to have them shut down.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton go to see D’Amore because they don’t like Christopher Daniels and Josh Alexander. D’Amore makes a tag match…but with Christian Cage instead of Daniels. Makes a bit more sense.

Here is Violent By Design for Rhino’s decision. Eric Young talks about how the team was in full control (it was just the Tag Team Titles) but Rhino let the sickness back in. Now Rhino needs to make a decision because he’s either all the way in or all the way out. Cue Rhino, who looks confused about what to do. Young tells him to make the right decision so he can avoid the violence. Rhino is surrounded….so here is Heath to interrupt. The brawl is on and Heath clears the ring….but Rhino leaves through the crowd without making a decision.

The Digital Media Title is coming, with matches taking place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on the various web shows. I kind of like that.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Eddie Edwards vs. W. Morrissey

Street fight as Edwards is out for revenge. Morrissey starts fast by kicking Eddie in the face and it’s time to go outside. It’s already time to bring in the weapons, with Morrissey hitting him with a wet floor sign. Eddie low bridges him to the floor though and hits a heck of a suicide dive. A replica TNA World Title knocks Morrissey silly and it’s time for a table. Morrissey sends him into the steps though and starts taking his time, which probably isn’t a good idea. Eddie manages a drop toehold into the steps (I knew it was a bad idea) and we take a break.

Back with Morrissey hitting a splash in the corner and unloading with trashcan lid shots to the head. Eddie gets in some shots of his own though and there’s a Blue Thunder Bomb onto the trashcan. It’s time for a barbed wire chair but Morrissey kicks him in the face again. Morrissey puts a chair onto Eddie and drives another chair onto him before setting up four chairs, two by two.

A superplex is loaded up but here is Alisha Edwards with a kendo stick for the save. Eddie powerbombs him onto the chairs and unloads with the stick, but Alisha has an idea. She puts the barbed wire chair over Morrissey’s head and the Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 15:18.

Rating: B-. This was what you would want from a match like this and it was entertaining while it lasted. Alisha coming in to help her husband was a good way to go, though Edwards is going to need some help to deal with Morrissey and Moose at the same time. It was a good start to the next leg of the story though, especially when everything had to be reset due to Sami Callihan’s injury.

Post match here is Moose to throw Alisha down and spear Eddie through a table in the corner. The giants grab Alisha, with Morrissey holding her in place as Moose wraps a chair around Eddie’s neck. The chair is sent into the post and Eddie is out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Impact being this good feels completely normal. It has been the case for a long time now and the good thing is that it seems like a new era for the show instead of a nice run. Impact has such a terrible reputation and while the idea of it being a player has long since sailed, it is very nice to have the show be such a steady offering. Another positive effort this week as we get close to the biggest show of the year.

Results
Trey Miguel b. Alex Zayne and Laredo Kid – Super Meteora to Kid
Influence b. Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering – Double Stroke to Ellering
Christopher Daniels b. Madman Fulton – Best Moonsault Ever
Eddie Edwards b. W. Morrissey – Boston Knee Party into a barbed wire chair

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

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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 23, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We are a month away from Bound For Glory and it seems that we have a main event. At Victory Road, X-Division Champion Josh Alexander announced that he was using Option C to cash in his title for a shot at Christian Cage’s World Title. This has been teased for a few weeks now and is the absolute best idea that they have at the moment. Alexander feels unbeatable and that comes from months of putting in the effort. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Scott D’Amore to get things going. He explains Option C and brings out Josh Alexander, but reminds him that once he hands over the title, a tournament begins to crown a new champion. Therefore, make sure this is what you want. Alexander talks about having neck surgery six years ago and having doubts about his future. He has no doubts this time though, because he knows he can be the face of this company.

This brings out Christian Cage, who says Alexander almost lost his career but Christian DID lose his career for seven years. Cage tells him to think about this, because right now he is the face of the X-Division, but he won’t be the face of this company. Instead, he’ll just be a face in the crowd. Alexander says that makes his decision that much easier and hands over the title.

D’Amore leaves but here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to interrupt. Austin doesn’t go away quietly after a loss at Victory Road and calls out Alexander for being a quitter. He would never give up the title like that….but Alexander says that wasn’t an option because Alexander took the title from him. The fight is on but Austin’s cane shot hits Cage by mistake. There were some great lines in there and I like where this is going.

Rich Swann and Willie Mack aren’t happy with losing their Tag Team Title shot at Victory Road but they want their next shot. Mack wants in the X-Division Title tournament and Swann wants in the Call Your Shot gauntlet match. Cue Brian Myers to say he’s in the gauntlet as well, but he whines so much that a tag match is set for later tonight.

Josh Alexander complains about Ace Austin so Scott D’Amore makes the match between them for later tonight.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Hikuleo vs. David Finlay

Chris Bey and Juice Robinson are the seconds. The massive Hikuleo drives him up against the ropes to start but can’t hit a shot to the face. Instead he hiptosses Finlay into the corner, making Finlay pause for a second. Finlay’s crossbody is countered into a slam and Bey tripping him from the floor makes it worse. Hikuleo kicks him in the face for two and we take a break.

Back with Hikuleo getting two off a powerslam and grabbing a chinlock. Finlay fights up and grabs a jumping neckbreaker, setting up a middle rope crossbody for two. The sleeper slows Hikuleo down for a bit until he powers his way out and hits a heck of a clothesline for two of his own. The chokeslam is countered into a Stunner though and Finlay avoids a charge, setting up a rollup for the pin at 11:14.

Rating: C+. This was a totally fine big man vs. little man match, though pinning the giant so early on in his time around here seems to be a bit questionable. FinJuice continues to grow on me though and it is nice to see two guys getting over so well, mainly due to their talent alone. Nice match, and I’m curious to see where they are going.

Post match the brawl is on again with FinJuice getting the better of things, but El Phantasmo, also Bullet Club, runs in to help with the beatdown.

Violent By Design says what happened to Rhino last week was necessary. Violence is the only cure for the sickness and while Rhino can apologize, he needs to decide and do the right thing. They need an answer next week.

Matt Cardona is done with Rohit Raju and Shera but Chelsea Green is ready to take out Raju herself.

Su Yung’s followers present her with…..a red belt, which doesn’t seem to please her. Ok then.

Chelsea Green vs. Rohit Raju

Matt Cardona is here too. Raju shoves her into the corner to start but she’s back with a pair of kicks to the face for two. That earns her a hair takedown and a snap suplex gives Raju two of his own. Green Thesz presses him for some right hands to the face and a snap German suplex makes it worse. The jumping knee connects for Green but she can’t get the Unprettier, allowing Raju to grab a rollup and the ropes. Cardona breaks up the latter but here is the returning Raj Singh to send him into the steps. Raju grabs a small package for the pin at 4:07.

Rating: C-. Great, the Desi Hit Squad is back. Things have gotten better for Raju but the team was such a horrible waste of time before that I’m almost depressed at the idea of having to watch them again. The match itself was fine enough, and Green looked like was hanging in there rather well.

We look at W. Morrissey taking out Alisha Edwards at Victory Road.

Eddie Edwards swears vengeance but doesn’t want to hear from Sami Callihan. That doesn’t work for Sami, who wants revenge of his own. Moose comes in for the brawl but gets beaten down as Eddie wants to know where W. Morrissey is.

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Brian Myers/???

Myers says his learning tree isn’t ready to team with him in this match so he has a surprise partner: VSK, another of Myers’ students. Swann and VSK start things off with the latter hitting a surprise dropkick to take over early on. Back up and Swann nails his own dropkick, setting up a double flapjack with Mack’s help.

Myers comes in and gets flattened with a flying shoulder but a Zicky Dice distraction lets VSK score with a sliding German suplex. Mack fights up and forearms the heck out of Myers, allowing the double tags to Swann and VSK. The rolling splash gives Swann two but VSK grabs an elevated DDT for the same. Swann superkicks him out of the air though and a high crossbody (possibly due to Dice’s mistimed shove) is good for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: C. Just another match here as VSK isn’t exactly a threat to a former World Champion. I know he has been around AEW for a while now but that doesn’t make him feel like a star here. The same is true of Myers, who feels about as firmly midcard as you can possibly be.

Johnny Swinger is worried about Impact going to Las Vegas and putting him out of business. He writes a letter to Scott D’Amore, who he thinks has just bought the company from Bob Carter’s daughter (Swinger: “Babe.”). Therefore, D’Amore needs to come to Swinger’s Palace next week and talk about this. Signed, JJ Dillon.

The Good Brothers are still on vacation because they have beaten every team around. They are on the top of the mountain and the only thing to do is knock any other team off the mountain. Can they get lost on the mountain while they’re up there?

Video on the Good Brothers.

Here is Mickie James for a chat. She is rather touched by her reception and talks about how awesome Empowerrr was, but Deonna Purrazzo has changed everything. Mickie calls Purrazzo out for a face to face chat so here is the champ. Purrazzo doesn’t like Mickie even saying her name after attacking her last week, which Mickie doesn’t buy.

Mickie throws out the Bound For Glory challenge, but Purrazzo isn’t interested in giving Mickie a boost with nothing in it for her. It’s a no, but the brawl is on anyway with security breaking it up. Cue Scott D’Amore to make the match for Bound For Glory. You know it was happening but it had to be set up.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Mickie James wins the Knockouts Title on Impact, May 23, 2013.

Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan go after W. Morrissey, but get cut off by security. Scott D’Amore makes the street fight for next week.

Gail Kim announces a tournament for Knockouts Knockdown, featuring an eight woman tournament with four Knockouts and four from elsewhere. The winners get a Knockouts Title match, but here is the Influence to interrupt. Madison Rayne thinks they should get a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot, but Kim says they have to beat Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Ace Austin vs. Josh Alexander

Madman Fulton is here with Austin, who bails into the corner to start. Austin drives him up against the ropes for a clean break but Fulton trips Alexander from the floor. That doesn’t seem to bother Alexander, who snaps off a suplex to send Austin outside. Austin jumps up to the apron, where he gets caught with a quickly broken ankle lock. Back in and Alexander gets two off a delayed vertical suplex but a Fulton distraction lets Austin get in a kick to the head.

We take a break and come back with Austin grabbing the chinlock with a bodyscissors. That’s reversed into a quickly broken ankle lock so Austin hits a belly to back slam. Alexander pops up with a German suplex and Austin is rocked again. A running big boot drops Austin but the C4 Spike is broken up. Instead, Alexander rolls some German suplexes until Austin grabs the rope for a break.

Another C4 Spike attempt is broken up and Austin grabs a neckbreaker for two. Alexander knocks him to the apron for a suicide dive to the back (that’s a new one), sending them both outside. Back in and Austin hits a heck of a superkick to knock Alexander off the apron and outside onto Fulton. The Fold is countered into a powerbomb onto the knee though and the C4 Spike finishes for Alexander at 15:12.

Rating: B-. Are you surprised that these two had a good match? There was no serious doubt about the winner here, as there shouldn’t have been. What mattered here was making Alexander into a bigger star and that is what they did, as he beat the most recent #1 contender. Good match with the right result.

Post match Fulton comes in to stomp on Alexander and the beatdown is on. Christian Cage comes in for the save and helps clear the ring but Alexander isn’t pleased. Fulton and Austin come back in to jump the good guys….until Christopher Daniels of all people makes a surprise return for the save. Everyone is stunned as Daniels clear the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was what they needed as Bound For Glory is beginning to take shape with a month to go before the pay per view. The Daniels return was a surprise and a nice one at that, especially if AEW isn’t going to be using him. I’m liking where things are going in Impact and if they can keep it up, we could be in for another strong month from them.

Results
David Finlay b. Hikuleo – Rollup
Rohit Raju b. Chelsea Green – Small package
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Brian Myers/VSK – High crossbody to VSK
Josh Alexander b. Ace Austin – C4 Stack

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

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 16, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We’re on the way to Victory Road and ultimately Bound For Glory, which should make for a pair of back to back big shows. The main story this week is a ten man tag with most of the biggest feuds in the company being thrown into one big match. That should be enough to set up Victory Road so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap sets up the ten man tag, as there isn’t anything else worth mentioning on the show.

Opening sequence.

Violent By Design vs. Decay

Rhino/Deaner for the team here, with everyone else at ringside. Rhino jumps Black Taurus to start and it’s already off to Deaner to kick away at the ribs. That’s broken up with an elbow in the corner and Crazzy Steve comes in for a backsplash. Deaner takes him into the corner though and the villains start taking turns in a violently designed way. Steve neckbreakers his way to freedom and bites Deaner in the head so Eric Young gets on the apron. The distraction lets Deaner…accidentally hit Rhino with a flag, setting up Steve’s middle rope DDT for the pin at 3:36.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to get going and was all about the storyline anyway. The idea of having Rhino’s troubles with the team continue is only kind of interesting, but Rhino is better than some of the options that Impact has. You know what you’re getting with him, but he still does his thing at a completely acceptable level.

Post match Young yells at Rhino, who isn’t having this. Young goes to turn away but Rhino grabs him by the wrist. That’s too far for the rest of the team and Rhino is beaten down. Seems like the team is minus a member.

We go to Swinger’s Palace, where Johnny Swinger seems happy that they’re heading to Las Vegas. That being said, he thinks Dixie Carter is still running this place and the idea of Scott D’Amore, the guy from Team Canada, being in charge, has to be a rib.

TJP is happy with winning money off of Steve Maclin beating Petey Williams last week. Williams comes in and I think we have a match for later.

Johnny Swinger thinks Billy Corgan runs the company.

Team Christian Cage is ready because none of them are afraid to fight. Chris Sabin tells Josh Alexander that they’re on the same team tonight but that changes at Victory Road. Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan are willing to work together tonight too. That’s why Cage likes the team. As for Ace Austin, he better be ready, but it won’t be enough.

We run down the Victory Road card.

TJP vs. Petey Williams

TJP goes technical to start but gets taken down into a front facelock. That’s broken up so Williams goes with a headscissors on the mat instead. TJP is back up as well and hangs in the ropes to annoy Williams again, earning TJP a Codebreaker to the floor. Back in and the tilt-a-whirl Russian legsweep drops TJP as we take a break.

We come back with TJP having to fight out of a chinlock and grabbing a DDT out of the corner. The boot scrape in the corner sets up a missed Swanton but Petey can’t hit the Canadian Destroyer. Instead he grabs the Sharpshooter, which sends TJP over to the ropes. TJP loads up la majistral but Petey drops down for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. They were having the near technical marvel you would expect and that is a good thing. Williams can be a fine member of the roster and it is nice to see him do more than just the Canadian Destroyer. TJP can work well with anyone and they had a rather nice, albeit a bit short, match here.

Post match Steve Maclin comes in to wreck both guys.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin wins the X-Division Title on July 4, 2013.

The Good Brothers say Rich Swann might have had a chance in last week’s Bunkhouse Brawl but Willie Mack is still in the hospital. Cue Swann and Mack to take them out in a hurry.

Post break, Mack says he’s back because it’s time to take out the Brothers and win the Tag Team Titles. Scott D’Amore comes in to make the title match for Victory Road.

Here is John Skyler for a chat. Laredo Kid beat him on Before The Impact so he’ll beat him now.

John Skyler vs. Laredo Kid

Skyler swats away a handshake offer to start so Kid slaps him in the face. With Skyler knocked to the floor, Kid takes him down with the suicide dive. Back up and Skyler snaps off a belly to belly before taking Kid inside. Kid manages a double clothesline for a double knockdown, setting up a slugout. Skyler goes for the mask like a villain should, setting up the rollup for the pin at 3:46.

Rating: C-. Another short match here and that’s probably a good thing. I like that they are actually building up someone new with Skyler, as they could use some fresh faces. Even if Skyler isn’t going to break through to the next level, it is nice to see Impact taking a shot at someone. Maybe they get something out of him, but at least it isn’t the same people over and over again.

It’s time for It’s All About Me with co-guests Madison Rayne and Kaleb With A K. Since this show is a little backwards, here is “host” Taylor Wilde, who brings in Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace. They don’t seem to like each other but Wilde asks what happened when she and Dashwood wrestled. Dashwood shouldn’t be scared of a match at Victory Road so the match is on.

Earlier today, Matt Cardona jumped Rohit Raju and Shera as they arrived.

Scott D’Amore yelled at Cardona so the match is made for Victory Road, No DQ. That’s cool with Cardona.

Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Trey Miguel

They fight over a lockup to start until Rehwoldt goes after the eyes to take him down. A running clothesline puts Miguel on the floor and Rehwoldt drops him face first onto the apron for a bonus. Back in and Rehwoldt twists him down by the arm for two, setting up some knees to the back for the same.

Miguel fights up and kicks him in the face so a springboard missile dropkick can connect for two. A split legged moonsault misses though and the Director’s Cut gives Rehwoldt two of his own. Rehwoldt misses a Swanton for the big crash and it’s a suplex into the Hourglass to give Miguel the pin at 7:49.

Rating: C. Much like the earlier matches, this was a way to bring in some fresh people and see what they can do. Rehwoldt might not be a top star, but he can go fill in some time on the show without being the same people we’ve seen over and over again. Perfectly watchable match and it’s always nice to see Miguel get a win.

Post match Deonna Purrazzo comes out to hit Miguel low. Mickie James runs in for the save and brawl, setting up the big dive off the top to take out the pile.

Tasha Steelz says she and Savannah Evans didn’t steal the titles because from Decay they had the titles stolen from them at Slammiversary. If the champs want them back, come get them at Victory Road.

We recap Hikuleo showing up last week and attacking Juice Robinson. At Victory Road, it’s Hikuleo/Chris Bey vs. FinJuice.

Bey says he and Hikuleo do whatever they want around here. On Saturday, one shot will be too sweet.

Victory road rundown.

Team Christian Cage vs. Team Ace Austin

Austin: Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Brian Myers, Moose, W. Morrissey
Cage: Christian Cage, Sami Callihan, Eddie Edwards, Chris Sabin, Josh Alexander

Myers has Sam Beale and his prospects with him. Callihan and Austin start things off with Callihan taking him into the corner and stomping away. Eddie comes in to chop Callihan down and we get the rare Sami/Eddie collaboration. We get the big ten man staredown and that’s enough to take a break.

Back with everyone brawling on the floor until Callihan throws Austin back inside to keep up the beating. Hold on though as Beale comes in, earning himself a low blow, allowing Myers to get in a cheap shot of his own. Fulton sends Callihan into the corner but he gets in a shot of his own to put Fulton down. Sabin and Austin come in to pick up the pace with Sabin taking over. Now Cage is willing to come in to uppercut away at the also legal Fulton.

This lasts all of a few seconds before Cage has to slip out of a slam. Eddie comes in to help take Fulton down but it’s off to Moose, who gets caught in a belly to belly. Moose tosses Eddie outside though and we take another break. Back with Eddie not being able to sunset flip Austin, as Fulton comes in and keeps Eddie in trouble. Morrissey finally comes in to rip at Eddie’s face and the villains keep alternating the beatdown.

A big elbow keeps Eddie in trouble and Morrissey chokes with the boot in the corner. Eddie is fine enough to hit a running clothesline out of the corner and it’s time for the parade of secondary finishers. Austin kicks Christian low and goes up but Eddie catches him on top with a superplex onto the pile. Back in and Christian can’t hit Myers with the Killswitch but Alexander can hit Divine Intervention for the pin at 21:18.

Rating: B. This was about as efficient of a match as you could have as it was taking so many feuds and putting them all together. That opens up a lot of doors, as you can have some fresh matches while also pushing towards what is already set for Victory Road. Good action here too, with the ending sequence building up Alexander as well. Is it that insane to think he might be the Bound For Glory title challenger?

The winners pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Impact has been doing some rather watchable stuff over the last few months, but it has been so far under the radar that it does not get the credit it deserves. This did a nice job setting up Victory Road, albeit partially by rapid firing matches to the card. To be fair, that is often the best way it can go and we had a good show as a result. Nice job again, which has been the norm around here for a long time.

Results
Decay b. Violent By Design – Middle rope DDT to Deaner
Petey Williams b. TJP – Cradle
John Skyler b. Laredo Kid – Rollup
Trey Miguel b. Matthew Rehwoldt – Hourglass
Team Cage b. Team Austin – Divine Intervention to Myers

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: September 9, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We are almost up to Victory Road and that means Bound For Glory is not too far away. Victory Road should be good on its own, but there are a few other things to get to first. The shows have been good enough as of late and if they can keep that going, or even improve on it, we could get some where. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tasha Steelz vs. Rosemary

Savannah Evans and Havok are here too. Steelz grabs a rollup to start so Rosemary bites her in the face to even things up. There’s the Upside Down to put Steelz in more trouble but she avoids a top rope dropkick. Some running shots in the corner set up a running kick to the chest to give Steelz two and we hit the chinlock. As tends to be the case with chinlocks, Rosemary is back up in a hurry so Steelz drops her with a jumping knee. Stratusfaction gets two and Steelz dodges a desperation spear. Not that it matters as Rosemary is right back up with the spear for the pin at 4:40.

Rating: C-. This was mostly a squash until Rosemary hit the spear. That’s a bit of a weird way to go with an established name like Rosemary but it isn’t like Steelz is some unknown loser. Steelz got to show off some different offense here as she is rarely in the ring by herself in a featured spot like this one.

Post match Evans gets in the ring but Steelz steals the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. The distraction lets Evans nail Rosemary and Havok from behind so the villains can run off.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Ace Austin is ready to win the World Title but walks off to talk to Scott D’Amore. Ace has an idea for next week: Christian Cage vs. Madman Fulton. D’Amore thinks it needs to be bigger and we have a ten man tag.

Post break, Ace and Fulton recruit Brian Myers to their team, who agrees without a second thought.

Rhino is still in prison with Violent By Design as Eric Young tries to cleanse him. Young pours water over Rhino’s head and declares him new.

Rich Swann vs. Karl Anderson

Bunkhouse Brawl, meaning street fight, so there are some plywood boards set up in the corner and weapons at ringside. Swann starts fast by flip diving onto Luke Gallows and then sending Anderson through one of the boards in the corner. There’s a kick to Anderson’s head on the ramp and Swann whips him hard into the apron. A low blow cuts Gallows off again and Anderson gets one of his own. Swann takes a bit too much time though and Anderson unloads on him with a trashcan lid. There’s a suplex onto the ramp to keep Swann in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Anderson wedging a chair in the corner but getting thrown face first into it instead. Not that it matters as Anderson throws him through a board in the corner because the Elite doesn’t sell their head hitting a chair. Anderson misses a running trashcan lid shot and crotches himself though, allowing Swann to make the comeback. Gallows offers a distraction though and a spinebuster cuts Swann down again.

The Gun Stun is blocked with a handstand so Anderson blasts him with a clothesline. A table is loaded up but Swann kicks Anderson in the face and goes up top. That’s broken up thanks to a distraction though and they switch places, with Anderson coming off the top with a Gun Stun (not) through the table to finish Swann at 13:38.

Rating: B-. Anderson’s selling issues aside, this was a hard hitting brawl with Swann fighting for revenge for his friend. The numbers game caught up with him in the end though as we continue the build to the big Tag Team Title match (and likely change). This is an easy story but it is working out well, assuming you can ignore Anderson shrugging off being sent head first into a chair.

We get a sitdown interview with Mickie James, who didn’t like Deonna Purrazzo attacking her at NWA 73. She’s bringing back Hardcore Country to go after Purrazzo.

Matthew Rehwoldt talks about how this is art and he is coming for Trey Miguel.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin wins the X-Division Title at Bound For Glory 2013 in Ultimate X (with the help of a ladder).

Josh Alexander doesn’t think as much of Chris Sabin being an eight time X-Division Champion because it means he’s an eight time loser. Christian Cage comes up to introduce himself and gets Alexander on his team for next week. Alexander seems interested in the World Title.

Rohit Raju says Chelsea Green wanted to be kneed in the face last week because she wanted a real man to take control. Well that was disturbing.

Chris Bey vs. David Finlay

Rematch from two weeks ago where Bey cheated to win. Bey hides in the corner to start and then goes to the floor to hide again. It’s kind of easy to see a professional wrestler outside of the ring though and Finlay goes outside to chop away. Bey flips out of a belly to back suplex and runs back inside, only to get elbowed in the face. A backsplash gives Finlay two but Bey is back with an elbow to the back of the head. Bey hits a corner enziguri into a top rope clothesline for two but the Art of Finesse is blocked.

Now the belly to back suplex can connect and a Rock Bottom backbreaker gives Finlay two more. An STF has Bey in big trouble and we’ll switch that to a Crossface like the cool kids do these days. Make that the Rings of Saturn, with Bey finally making it over to the ropes. Bey jumps over him in the corner though and grabs a spinebuster for two. Some YES (or BEY in this case) kicks rock Finlay but here is Juice Robinson to break up Bey’s cheating pins. The distraction lets Finlay get his own pin at 8:43.

Rating: B. I liked this one a good bit and that shouldn’t be a surprise. Bey has been a consistently solid star and Finlay is rather talented as well. They got some time on their own and the ending was the right way to go as it tied into what they did before. Good match here, as the story continues without much in the way of ridiculous moments.

Post match the beatdown seems imminent but Hikuelo, the giant Bullet Club member, comes in for the save. Robinson’s leg gets Pillmanized to make it worse.

We go backstage for the Chris Sabin/Josh Alexander contract signing for the X-Division Title match at Victory Road. Sabin respects Alexander and signs. Alexander points out the eight losses and says Sabin isn’t winning again before signing as well. Scott D’Amore says they’re both great and gets a handshake as Alexander leaves without incident. Christian Cage comes in and gets Sabin on his team as well.

TJP, Fallah Bahh and No Way come in to Swinger’s Palace and don’t like the odds on Steve Maclin vs. Petey Williams. It’s time to fix that.

Steve Maclin vs. Petey Williams

Maclin doesn’t waste time and counters a crossbody into a suplex. A butterfly backbreaker has Williams in more trouble but he chokes back up with chops and right hands. Williams German suplexes him out of the corner into the spinning Russian legsweep. There’s the dropkick through the ropes into a dive onto Maclin, setting up the slingshot Codebreaker. The Canadian Destroyer is loaded up but here are No Way, Fallah Bahh and TJP, and the Conga Line, to interrupt. Maclin’s reverse inverted DDT driver is enough to finish the distracted Williams at 3:29.

Rating: D+. Not much of a match as it didn’t exactly have time to go anywhere before the distraction finish, but Maclin winning in the end is the right call. They might have a little something here with Maclin and that is a good thing for Impact. The company needs some stars who haven’t had a big run yet and Maclin could fit that bill. That being said, a second straight distraction finish might not be the best way, especially when he needed a save against Petey Williams.

Williams glares at TJP, who doesn’t seem to think much of it.

We look at W. Morrissey and Moose taking out Eddie Edwards last week.

Eddie Edwards doesn’t care about the odds but Sami Callihan comes in to interrupt. Christian Cage comes in to break that up and gets them on his team as well. Sami is in, but Eddie says it’s one or the other.

W. Morrissey and Moose interrupt Ace Austin’s interview to say they’re in for next week. That’s cool for Austin.

Victory Road rundown.

Moose vs. Eddie Edwards

Moose runs Eddie over to start and sends him straight into the corner. Eddie chops his way out of the corner and snaps off the rapid fire chops to get a breather. That’s too much for Moose, who runs him over again. They head outside with Eddie getting posted as we take an early break.

Back with Eddie catching him with an enziguri on top, setting up a super hurricanrana. They chop it out until Eddie manages to turn him inside out with a clothesline. A missed charge in the corner lets Eddie hit the Boston Knee Party but Morrissey puts Moose’s foot on the ropes. Back up and Moose hits the spear for the pin at 10:26.

Rating: C. This was shorter than I was expecting but at least they let Moose get a win. You don’t see that enough anymore and again, the numbers game plays a factor. They are definitely focusing on that idea more and more lately and it is a different way to go around here. At least there seems to be a focus, and that is a good thing.

Post match the beating is on but Chris Sabin runs in for the save, setting off a rapid fire series of people involved in next week’s ten man tag. Alisha Edwards comes in to try and save Eddie but gets caught by Morrissey. Cue Sami Callihan with a bat each for himself and Eddie and the ring is cleared again. The bats are clinked together and Christian’s team is complete to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This started to go downhill a bit near the end but at least they had a good enough first hour to carry the show. What we got here was a lot of stuff to set up future shows but there was enough here to make it work on its own. It’s a solid show, which has become the norm around here more often than not.

Results
Rosemary b. Tasha Steelz – Spear
Karl Anderson b. Rich Swann – Gun Stun onto a table
David Finlay b. Chris Bey – Rollup
Steve Maclin b. Petey Williams – Reverse inverted DDT driver
Moose b. Eddie Edwards – Spear

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: September 2, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We’re still on the road to Victory Road and that means more of Ace Austin, which is not a bad thing. Tonight we have Tommy Dreamer vs. Austin with Dreamer possibly being added to the World Title match if he wins. That’s the kind of threat that Impact might actually follow up on, which doesn’t give me much hope. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Daffney. That was a really hard one.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Madison Rayne/Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood vs. Taylor Wilde/Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace

Ellering and Kaleb With A K start things off with Rachael wrestling him into the corner without much effort. A release gutwrench suplex drops Kaleb With A K for two and it’s Grace coming in for some standing clotheslines. Rayne gets in a cheap shot though and Dashwood gets to come in and take over. Grace powers out of a chinlock by slamming Rayne backwards but Kaleb With A K cuts off a tag.

A kick to the face cuts that off without much effort though and Wilde comes in to clean house. Wilde’s tornado DDT gets two on Kaleb With A K with Dashwood having to make a save. Back up and Rayne has to grab Kaleb With A K’s hands to block a German suplex, only to have Ellering break it up, meaning the German suplex can give Wilde the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C. This is a good example of how to do intergender wrestling, as Kaleb With A K was a perfect fit to take this kind of a beating. It can be put together well without going too far into being ridiculous and that’s what they pulled off here. That is quite the trick, so well done on making it work.

We look at Deonna Purrazzo retaining the Knockouts Title at NWA Empowerrr and then attacking Mickie James at the 73rd Anniversary Show.

Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt don’t care for Mickie James or Trey Miguel.

Tommy Dreamer talks about the time he took the ECW World Title from Christian Cage, though Cage pops up to say Dreamer didn’t pin him in that match. That’s true, but Dreamer just wants one chance to be the face of Impact Wrestling. He asks Cage to not get involved tonight because he wants to do it himself. Sure.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Black Taurus/Crazzy Steve vs. No Way/Fallah Bahh

The rest of Decay is here, as is No Way’s Conga Line. Actually hold on as part of the Conga Line attacked Rosemary, because it’s Tasha Steelz in disguise. We come back from a break for the opening bell, with Steve slugging away at Bahh in vain. Bahh throws him down with ease and it’s off to No Way vs. Taurus. A Sling Blade drops No Way and a hard right hand has him in more trouble.

No Way gets in a quick tag to Bahh and sunset flips Taurus, who gets crushed by Bahh’s splash. A belly to belly lets No Way come back in for two and Bahh hits the running hip attack in the corner. Bahh drops No Way down into a legdrop for two on Taurus but a double clothesline gives him a breather. The hot tag brings in Steve to slug away as everything breaks down. Steve bites Bahh in the head and a middle rope DDT is good for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C-. Totally run of the mill tag match here and that’s about all there is to say. No Way was playing things a bit more heelish here, which is kind of weird when you have him doing the dancing deal before the match. It might be nice to see him doing something else, because right now he’s the same guy he was in WWE but with a different company name at the top of his contract.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christian Cage b. Sting at Final Resolution 2007.

W. Morrissey doesn’t like Sami Callihan for saving Eddie Edwards. He does have a bit of respect for the two of them for hating each other….and here is Moose to interrupt. Moose agrees with everything Morrissey has said since he got here. Neither of them like Sami Callihan, but Moose is looking for an alliance instead of a friend. Glaring ensues.

Steve Maclin is very intense and wants Petey Williams next week.

Here is Moose for a chat. He doesn’t like that everyone, like Eddie Edwards, wants to be a hero. They have a long history together, but Moose is a different guy now. So get out here so Moose can teach him that the hero doesn’t always save the day. Cue Eddie so the brawl can be on. W. Morrissey runs in for the beatdown and a double powerbomb leaves Eddie laying. No Sami Callihan for the save, as per Eddie’s request.

No Way and Fallah Bahh didn’t know anything about Tasha Steelz attacking Decay. TJP comes in to reform the team with Fallah Bahh and is cool with No Way too. They’ll head to Swinger’s Palace next week.

Eric Young is ready to cure Rhino and chains him up in a prison.

X-Division Title: Josh Alexander vs. Jake Crist

The returning Crist is challenging after Alexander wanted to fight any former X-Division Champion. Alexander drives him into the ropes to start and catches a charging Crist in a powerslam. Crist sends him to the apron so Alexander goes up top, only to be pulled back down for a neckbreaker. The front facelock goes on for a bit and Jake plants him down again. Crist grabs the front facelock again but this time Alexander strikes his way to freedom in a hurry. Alexander rolls some German suplexes to knock Crist silly and Divine Intervention retains the title at 5:36.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, other than Alexander ending Crist with those suplexes. This was little more than a workout for Alexander, who is going to need someone special to take the title from him. That’s kind of a problem, but I’m curious to see where they go with the whole thing.

Post match Alexander is asked why he put the title on the line. That’s because he has to so he is challenging people for the title. Cue Chris Sabin to say he is a big Alexander fan but Alexander is a one time champion, compared to Sabin’s eight title reigns. The challenge is on for Victory Road and Alexander is down for that. Makes as much sense as anything else right now.

Sam Beale is offering Brian Myers’ offer to find a new wingman and we see some applications. One of them looks like David Arquette.

The applicants are here and Brian Myers isn’t impressed. He makes a few random cuts, including one who likes Mojo Rawley. We get down to two, with one of them being Zicky Dice of minor NWA fame. The two of them (Dice and Manny Lemons) will be back next week.

Rohit Raju/Shera vs. Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green

Raju and Cardona start things off but it’s quickly off to Shera to run Cardona over instead. The big elbow crushes Cardona and it’s back to Raju, who is quickly slammed down. Green comes in to work on Raju’s arm before kicking some non-existent dirt into his face. A headscissors sets up a slap to Raju, who brings in Shera. That’s fine with Green as she slaps Shera into Radio Silence from Cardona. Raju posts Cardona though and a jumping knee finishes Green at 3:33.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here but you’re only going to be able to get so much out of Green working on the arm and slapping the heels in the face. This feud has been going on for a little while now and it isn’t all that interesting, but at least they are doing a few things to keep it fresh. Now just find a way to keep it from being so dull and we might get somewhere.

Su Yung and Kimber Lee have turned Brandi Lauren into one of them. Maniacal laughter ensues but Yung doesn’t seem pleased.

Here are the Good Brothers for a chat because we can’t escape them for a week. Karl Anderson tells the fans to sit down and shut their fat mouths. He knows the fans feel like they are seeing some rock stars but be quiet for a bit. They aren’t happy with Rich Swann and Willie Mack stealing a pin on them last week but Mack got powerbombed through a table for what he did. Mack is in traction right now so now his name is Willie Lack The Ability To Walk. Cue Rich Swann with a chair but referees are out there in a hurry to break it up.

Post break, Rich Swann has to be held back again so Scott D’Amore gives Swann a Bunkhouse Brawl with Karl Anderson next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Ace Austin vs. Tommy Dreamer

If Dreamer wins, he’s in the World Title match at Victory Road and Madman Fulton is here with Austin. Dreamer is wrestling in a Dusty Rhodes mask because reasons. Austin takes him down for a kick to the back to start so the mask comes off to make things serious. A Cactus Clothesline puts them on the floor and Dreamer posts him hard. Fulton saves Austin from going into the barricade though and Austin kicks Dreamer in the face.

Back in and a powerbomb gives Austin two but Dreamer crotches him on top. A neckbreaker out of the corner gives Dreamer a breather and the slugout is on. Dreamer hammers away in the corner and bites Austin’s head, setting up a powerslam for two. An enziguri drops Austin again but he’s right back up with a springboard Fameasser for the same. Back up and Austin charges into a cutter but Fulton breaks up the cover. Dreamer posts Fulton but gets caught with the Fold for the pin at 7:44.

Rating: C. It probably isn’t a good sign when I have a sigh of relief that the good guy loses. This was your usual Dreamer match, as he doesn’t do much outside of his hits. Dreamer is fine enough in the ring and can do his usual stuff, but it is a good idea to keep him limited. Now if they can keep him limited from talking too, we should be in better shape.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty run of the mill show here without much of anything standing out. They did a nice enough job of building Victory Road, but there was nothing that really grabbed me. What makes me a little more hopeful though is the fact that this feels like a one off instead of a new normal. Impact has actually built up some good will in recent months and that is rather nice to see.

Results
Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering/Taylor Wilde b. Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne – German suplex to Kaleb With A K
Black Taurus/Crazzy Steve b. No Way/Fallah Bahh – Middle rope DDT to Bahh
Josh Alexander b. Jake Crist – Divine Intervention
Rohit Raju/Shera b. Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green – Jumping knee to Green
Ace Austin b. Tommy Dreamer – Fold

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: August 26, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

Emergence has come and gone and that means it is time to start the path towards either Bound For Glory or whatever other one off show is taking place before then. Christian Cage is still the World Champion, having vanquished the horrible threat of Brian Myers. That means he needs a new challenger and we might be able to find out who that is tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Emergence.

Opening sequence.

Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan

Fallout from the Emergence #1 contenders four way. The brawl starts on the floor before the bell and Sami hits a powerbomb inside. The bell rings with Sami winning a slugout but being sent outside for the running flip dive from the apron. That doesn’t last long for Sabin, as Callihan powerbombs him into the post. Sami is having none of these chops from Sabin and pokes him in the eye before heading back inside. Sabin gets kicked off the ropes and it’s off to something like an Indian Deathlock.

That’s broken up so Sami takes him up top, only to get shoved back down. The missile dropkick gives Sabin two and it’s an exchange of strikes to the head for a double knockdown. They slug it out again until Sami takes his leg out, setting up a curb stomp. The Cactus Special gets two but Sabin is back with a kick to the face. Sabin grabs the Cradle Shock for the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C+. I continue to be impressed by Sabin’s resurgence, even though it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. Sabin is still one of the more talented in-ring stars Impact has and he has looked great in most of his matches. Throw in Sami doing well enough and I’m liking this section of the card fairly well.

Post match here is Moose to take Sabin out. Moose loads up the chair and baseball bat over Sami’s face but Eddie Edwards runs in for the save.

Taylor Wilde doesn’t like Tenille Dashwood, Kaleb With A K or Madison Rayne. Violence is promised.

Sami Callihan wants to know what was up with that from Eddie Edwards. Eddie says they have helped each other once and now they’re done. Sami: “No hug?”

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here is Mickie James to hype up NWA Empowerrr. She runs down the card, including Deonna Purrazzo defending the Knockouts Title against Melina. We get a video on the match but here are Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt to interrupt. Purrazzo can’t wait to represent women’s wrestling, but who wants to see a movie when they know the ending? Mickie talks about how Rehwoldt cost Melina her match at Emergence and Purrazzo says she might be underestimating Melina a bit. For now though, the fight is on but Trey Miguel runs in to take out Rehwoldt. Melina comes in to go after Purrazzo and the good women stand tall.

Brian Myers explains how to customize your gear. Sam Beale thinks Myers is trying to avoid talking about losing the World Title match but Myers isn’t hearing it. Maybe it’s time for an open casting call, with Beale asking if he is in charge of that.

Chris Bey vs. David Finlay

No seconds for a change and Finlay goes right after Bey in the corner. Bey tries to pick up the pace but walks into a dropkick for a trip to the floor. Back in and Bey sends him throat first into the middle rope for a breather. We take a break and come back with Bey choking and kicking away but Finlay is back up with a European uppercut.

Bey pulls him into a sleeper to cut that off though and then switches into a cravate. Finlay suplexes his way to freedom and they head outside, where Finlay sends him into the apron. Back in and a running elbow connects in the corner, setting up a chokebreaker for two. Deep Six gets two on Bey but he grabs a rollup out of the corner and uses the ropes for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: B-. Just like in the opener, there is no reason to be surprised by these two having a good match as they are both that talented. They went back and forth until Bey cheated to win like a good villain should. That’s how these two should go and it keeps the story going for at least a few more weeks.

Josh Alexander got a good fight from Jake Something at Emergence but Jake ran into the greatest X Division Champion of all time. Now he’s ready for his next challenge.

Here is Christian Cage for a chat. He beat Brian Myers at Emergence and now he’s ready for Ace Austin. Christian looks at the title…..but nah, Austin isn’t beating him for the title. Cue Tommy Dreamer, with Christian asking what is going on with Dreamer’s hair. Dreamer talks about how he didn’t like Kenny Omega and Don Callis being around here but now he knows Christian really cares about wrestling (I’m not sure I get the connection but Dreamer hasn’t been all there for years).

The seven years Christian was out of action was a dark time in wrestling and Dreamer thanks him for being so great for all these years and representing Impact Wrestling. Oh and Dreamer would love one more match with Christian. Cue Ace Austin and Madman Fulton, with Ace introducing himself to Christian.

Ace is a prodigy but Christian is the one making all the towns for both companies. He’ll get to keep doing that, but after Victory Road, Christian’s bag is going to be about ten pounds lighter. Christian says Ace should stand on his toes so he can be seen over the top rope. The brawl is on with Dreamer and Christian clearing the ring.

Eric Young says Rhino needs to be cleansed through violence.

Ace Austin wants a match with Tommy Dreamer next week. Scott D’Amore is fine with that, but if Dreamer wins, Victory Road is a triple threat.

Taylor Wilde vs. Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne

Taylor dives onto the three of them on the floor to start fast and kicks Kaleb With A K (in his neck brace) in the chest for two. The numbers game gets the better of her but Wilde sends the women into the corner to break it up. Wilde rolls Rayne up but a Spotlight Kick finishes Wilde at 3:08.

Rating: D+. There wasn’t much else that could have been done here and the match worked out about as well as could have been expected. Wilde losing sets up a few different singles matches down the line and it’s nice to see her having an actual story. Nothing to it from a match standpoint, but it moved things forward.

Post match the beatdown is on but Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace make the save.

Brandi Lauren is asked about Melina vs. Deonna Purrazzo but Su Yung and Kimber Lee abduct her.

Steve Maclin beat the returning TJP on BTI. Petey Williams made a save.

TJP isn’t happy with Petey Williams helping him because Fallah Bahh is his partner. Petey comes in and TJP isn’t going to thank him. They agree to stay out of each others’ ways.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christian Cage b. Monty Brown (the Big E. prototype in a lot of ways) at Destination X 2006.

Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green are ready for Mahabali Shera and Rohit Raju. Green even has the shirt to prove it.

Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans didn’t lose at Emergence. Fallah Bahh and No Way come in and agree to take care of each others’ problems next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Good Brothers

Non-title. Anderson sends Swann into the corner to start and hits him in the face for a bonus. Swann snaps off a headscissors to escape and it’s Mack coming in for a splash/legdrop combination. It’s off to Gallows, who misses a running shoulder in the corner so Swann can start in on the arm. Gallows isn’t having that and takes Swann into the corner to unload.

That doesn’t last long though as Swann gets away from Anderson and brings Mack back in to take over. Anderson gets in a few shots but Mack hits him in the face, allowing the hot (not really) tag back to Swann. House is cleaned again, including the rolling splash for two. Anderson’s spinebuster gets the same but Swann counters the Gun Stun into a rollup for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. There’s your title match setup because almost every company has to do this anymore. Mack and Swann winning the titles (which they almost have to eventually) will be a cool moment and it will be nice to see them finally pull it off. If they have to take them from the Good Brothers too, it makes things even sweeter.

Post match the brawl is on again, with Mack being sent into a chair in the corner and getting taken down by the Magic Killer. Mack is put through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opening two matches made this show work and the rest of the card was enough to keep it going. This was another pretty good show and they have me somewhat interested in seeing where the stories go. I’m not sure where things are heading for Bound For Glory, but I want to find out and that means they are doing well.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Sami Callihan – Cradle Shock
Chris Bey b. David Finlay – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne b. Taylor Wilde – Spotlight kick
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Good Brothers – Rollup to Anderson

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