Impact Wrestling
Date: November 24, 2022
Hosts: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s Thanksgiving and that means we are in for a special Best Of show around here. That’s about as logical as you’re going to get for this time of year as there is no reason to believe that anyone is going to pay attention to a show on such a big holiday. You never know what you’ll see on something like this but let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

The hosts welcome us to the show and promise us some great Thanksgiving moments, plus a look at Overdrive.

We’ll start with Thanksgiving 2008, with Rhino pinning Alex Shelley in a triple threat match also involving Sheik Abdul Bashir. As a result, Rhino gets $25,000 and Shelley has to wear a turkey suit, as enforced by Mick Foley with threats of firings/bad history lessons.

Wrestlers say what they are thankful for (Joe Hendry is thankful for mirrors because he gets to see who he really is).

Deaner asks Eric Young if this is the end of Violent By Design but doesn’t get an answer. It’s time for an answer to the unanswered questions so they have to go back to where it all began. How about before that when the team doesn’t exist?

We go back to Thanksgiving 2007, at the Angle household, featuring Kurt and Karen as pilgrims and Jeremy Borash, Tomko and AJ Styles as guests (it was a weird time). They pray (with gold medals on the plates) and Styles eats during the prayer. People keep opening their eyes during the prayer, with Karen and JB making faces at each other. Robert Roode and Traci Brooks come in, as do James Storm and Jackie Moore (with beer). Chris Harris arrives and complains about the directions.

Eric Young shows up, a bit under dressed, and breaks a bunch of stuff. Kurt stands up to yell, revealing that he’s wearing the World Title, and sends Eric to the kid’s table (Eric gets lost on the way). Then the X-Division arrives, with Sonjay Dutt trying to get donations for starving children. Storm and Young get in a drinking contest and Styles leaves as Black Reign (Dustin Rhodes) and Rellik (that’s overused joke spelled forwards) arrive. Reign lets his rat Misty into the food and we take a break.

Back with Young and Storm rather drunk (Young has found a wig and they have both lost their shirts). Jay Lethal (as Black Machismo) arrives as Kurt looks like he wants some cyanide. Then So Cal Val arrives, so Lethal gives her his jacket to walk on. Kurt tries to restore order as Awesome Kong shows up and sits at the other end of the (really long) table. She eats food that may or may not be wax and, since there are a bunch of tables, Team 3D arrives, with food being thrown at them.

A bunch of people leave to get away from Team 3D, who were invited by someone other than Kurt. They sit at the kid’s table and take food from Kurt’s daughter, who says they suck (I would have paid to see her put through a table). Then Kevin Nash and Scott Hall arrive and Karen takes pies to the face. Everyone else shows up and the food fight is on. This was HILARIOUS in a wrestling way.

We look at Mickie James beating Taylor Wilde at Overdrive. Then Deonna Purrazzo comes out to yell at her and sets up the next match in James’ Last Rodeo.

From Thanksgiving 2016, loser wears a turkey suit.

Grado vs. Robbie E.

They slug it out to start with Grado getting the better of it off the snap jabs. A double clothesline puts both guys down as this is a little less funny than I was expecting. Robbie grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:39.

Grado is turkey suited.

We look at the end of Josh Alexander beating Kazarian with the C4 Spike to retain the World Title at Overdrive. Then Bully Ray came out, announced he was officially challenging at Hard To Kill in January, and beat up Alexander in front of his family. Then, with Alexander zip tied to the rope, Ray pulled Alexander’s wife over the barricade….and just threatened her because Alexander was loose. After the show, Ray grabbed the title but Rich Swann came out for the save. Scott D’Amore came out and threw stuff at Ray while asking what was wrong with him. Great segment. Why does it need to be Bully Ray and not someone new?

From Thanksgiving 2013.

Here are all of the winners of the matches tonight plus Velvet who is with Sabin. Roode points this out and Sabin throws Velvet out. Bobby asks everyone what they’re thankful for. Bad Influence is thankful for their intelligence and large endowment. Kaz is thankful that Park isn’t here to drink the gravy or fornicate with the pumpkin pie. Gail is thankful for being the prettiest and most dominant Knockout in the history of the company. Oh and her family too.

Sabin is thankful for his hair, being the best X-Division Champion ever and Velvet Sky. The Bro Mans are thankful for Mr. O Phil Heath, Zema Ion (officially part of the team) and for being the best team ever. Bad Influence: “I’m not sure about that.” Roode says the real Thanksgiving was last month in Canada and the fans will be thankful when he becomes the next champion.

It’s time to eat but here’s Angle to interrupt. He sees a ring full of turkeys, which are fighting words for the people in there. Roode challenges him to a fight which Angle accepts, and here’s his backup. Fernum and Barnes (a couple of losers who lost the Turkey Bowl) are still in the turkey suits. You can fill in the blanks yourself here: bad guys are destroyed, food is everywhere, Spud panics, turkeys fly. The good guys, Velvet and ODB celebrate to end the show.

More wrestlers are thankful for various things.

We look at Kenny King going after Mike Bailey at the overdrive pre-show and losing a six way match as a result.

King is going to take out Bailey before going after the X-Division Title.

From Thanksgiving 2017.

Team Edwards vs. Team Adonis

Eddie Edwards, Garza Jr., Allie, Fallah Bahh, Richard Justice
Chris Adonis, Caleb Konley, Laurel Van Ness, KM, El Hijo Del Fantasma

The loser of the fall wears a turkey suit and there’s food at ringside, along with Eli Drake. We’re not ready yet though as the teams sit down at the food tables as Drake insists that everyone has to put on the suit if they lose. He has a statement for JB to read, which pretty much just says everyone play nice.

Justice sticks his finger in Konley’s mouth to start and gets two off a rollup. Laurel comes in and jumps on Justice’s back so it’s off to the women for a change. KM and Bahh are up next with some shots to Bahh’s head taking us to a break. Back with Bahh crossbodying KM and bringing in Garza….WHO TAKES OFF HIS PANTS! I’m rather thankful.

Garza gets punched down though and it’s time for the heel beatdown. Adonis comes in for two off a legdrop and it’s time for a bearhug (on a guy with a bad shoulder). That goes nowhere and the hot tag brings in Eddie to clean house. Everything breaks down in a hurry and KM gets crushed between Justice and Bahh.

We get the big crash to the floor and Justice falls off the apron, only to be caught without much effort. Allie dives onto everyone to break up the pile and everyone is down. Back in and Adonis can’t grab the Adonis Lock, allowing Eddie to roll him up for the pin at 16:04, meaning Adonis gets to wear the suit.

Rating: C-. Oh what were you expecting here? This was all in good fun and nothing more than a comedy match. The match was just there for the sake of having a one off match for a holiday special and as a result, it’s really hard to be harsh on it. Adonis having to wear the suit is fine and it continues a (rather goofy) tradition. It wasn’t anything good, but it’s perfectly harmless.

Post break, Adonis refuses to wear the suit. Security actually stops him as the referee holds up the suit like an executioner’s ax. After a lot of persuading and a GOBBLE GOBBLE (One of us?) chant, Adonis finally puts it on and walks around a bit. Adonis isn’t cool with the chants though and the required food fight, with Adonis hitting Drake in the face with a pie, ends the show. This was actually entertaining as they just went with the simple comedy and it worked perfectly well.

Delirious and Yuyu Uemura yell at each other in….something and Japanese.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Steve Maclin wants the World Title but he is being held captive by his own company. From now on, it’s mayhem for all.

From Thanksgiving 2007.

Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin

This is the finals of the Turkey Bowl, with the winner getting $25,000 and the loser wearing the turkey suit. Joe and Sabin double team Styles to start and knock him to the floor. That leaves Sabin to take Joe down but a kick misses, giving us a staredown. Styles gets knocked to the floor again and we take a break.

Back with Sabin charging into a hot shot but Joe comes back in to punch Styles in the face. Styles breaks up the suicide elbow to Sabin though, meaning Joe punches him in the face some more. The drop down into a dropkick hits Joe and we take a break. Back again with Joe countering the springboard moonsault into an Air Raid Crash with Sabin having to make a save.

We take another break and come back again with Sabin hitting a springboard DDT to drop Joe. That earns Sabin a trip to the floor but Styles Peles Joe. The charge into the corner only hits kick to the face though, allowing Joe to hit the Muscle Buster for the pin at 9:33 shown (of the nearly thirty minute match).

Rating: B-. Well it seemed to be a good match, at least from what we saw of the thing. Joe was on another planet at this point and Styles was in his weird phase as Angle’s wacky goon, but it isn’t like he was going to be awful in the ring. Throw in a very talented Sabin and of course this was going to work, even if we missed almost twenty minutes.

Post match we cut to a livid Kurt Angle (AJ’s boss), storming out of his own Thanksgiving dinner. Back in the arena, AJ won’t put the suit on so here is Jim Cornette to order him to do it. After some coaxing, Styles (very slowly) puts the suit on so Tomko and Kurt come out to yell. Samoa Joe and the Outsiders come out to laugh at Angle and pals, meaning the brawl is on. The bad guys are cleared out, with Eric Young coming in to add a turkey leg to Angle to wrap things up. Then Hall got fired and Joe was given a live mic at the pay per view where he went on an all time rant against a lot of people.

Overall Rating: C. I never know what to say about these things, especially when it was a bunch of clips from what was little more than a comedy concept. There was a bit of decent action and it is fun to look back at some flashes of different times in the company’s history, but there was nothing worth seeing here. Granted that is kind of the point, but this was still a weird choice for a show.

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: October 27, 2022
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are on the way to Overdrive in a few weeks and that means we need an X-Division Title match. The tournament begins here with the finals at Overdrive and we should be in for something good. Other than that, Frankie Kazarian is coming for the World Title and Josh Alexander will need to deal with him. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Mike Bennett and Matt Taven come in to yell at Scott D’Amore about everything that has gone badly for them. They don’t want to be in that kind of situation again, so he fires them.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title Tournament First Round: Alan Angels vs. Trey Miguel

They fight over arm control to start with neither being able to get very far. Angels breaks up a rope walk wristdrag and Miguel gets kicked outside. Back in and a reverse Sling Blade gives Angels two but Miguel is back up with a handspring enziguri. The running knees give Miguel two and Angels’ DDT out of the corner gets the same.

Miguel slips out of a superplex attempt and it’s the Cheeky Nandos kick to knock him silly. Angels is fine enough to knock him him and grab an Octopus hold on the mat, followed by a frog splash for two. Back up and Miguel kicks him in the face, setting up the Lightning Spiral for the fast pin at 8:20.

Rating: C+. Impact has long since figured out that the idea of having an X-Division match open the show is going to work every time. The fans get behind Miguel, who can fly around like few others and make you care about him with ease. Other than that, you have Angels, who is still known enough from AEW and fits in well as a first round victim for a bigger star.

Bullet Club comes in to see Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer because they think Ray took out Ace Austin last week. Ray denies it again and Chris Bey vs. Dreamer seems to be set up. The Club leaves and Dreamer tells Ray to stay away because he’s why this is happening.

VXT and Gisele Shaw want to get rid of Mickie James and then get the Knockouts Tag Team Titles back.

Tasha Steelz vs. Rachelle Steele

Savannah Evans is here with Steelz. Steele gets kicked in the face to start but Steelz grabs the mic, saying she shouldn’t be in the ring with someone so lame. Evans is told to come in and take care of this, so Evans hits a clothesline for the DQ at 1:56. Steelz doesn’t seem to mind.

Post match Evans powerbombs Steele.

The Motor City Machine Guns come up to Heath and Rhino to ask for the Tag Team Title shot they were promised. Heath and Rhino tell them to go to management, which works for the Guns.

Post break, the Guns come up to Scott D’Amore but the Major Players are already there. D’Amore doesn’t want to listen to the arguing so he makes Shelley vs. Cardona for later tonight.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Chris Bey

Ace Austin is here with Bey. They both miss clotheslines to start and Bey can’t hit his spinning kick to the face. Cue Bully Ray to get on the apron to yell at Austin as we take an early break. Back with Bey hitting a double stomp to the back and a standing moonsault gets two.

Dreamer’s arm goes into the post and Bey gives it a Codebreaker, setting up a DDT for two more. Bey gets caught on top though and here is Moose to yell at Ray. The referee gets distracted and Moose trips Bey, who thinks it was Ray. The Death Valley Driver is broken up and the Art of Finesse finishes for Bey at 10:24.

Rating: C. The ending was a huge relief as I was worried they would have the ECW guys beat the Bullet Club again. I’m not big on Dreamer in the first place and it would have been way too far to have he and Ray get wins over these guys in some combination -over back to back wins. Not a great match, but it’s all about the storytelling anyway.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Bully Ray b. Sting to retain the World Title at Slammiversary 2013.

Aussie Open wants the Tag Team Titles so anyone can come get them next week.

Tommy Dreamer tells Bully Ray to calm down but Ray isn’t going to do that. He’s tired of no one believing him, including Dreamer. They’re good though.

Matt Cardona vs. Alex Shelley

Their respective partners are here too. Cardona jumps him before the bell and they head outside with an exchange of rams into the apron. Back in and Shelley works on the arm but Cardona grabs a neckbreaker for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit before an elbow to the jaw takes Shelley down again. The Reboot misses though and they forearm it out. A tornado DDT gives Shelley two with Myers putting the foot on the rope.

Myers comes in so Sabin kicks him out, leaving Cardona to rake Shelley’s eye. Radio Silence connects for two and a rollup with tights gets the same. With nothing else working, Cardona grabs the Digital Media Title but the referee gets distracted, allowing Shelley to grab a DDT onto the title for two in a rather hot near fall. Back up and Myers hits Shelley in the head with the belt for the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C+. There was a lot packed in here but they made it work well enough anyway, with both guys keeping up with all of the quick near falls. The Major Brothers getting the title shot isn’t a bad idea, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see this winding up as a triple threat. Entertaining stuff here as the Major Players are a good team when they get the chance.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Heath and Rhino make the save.

Rich Swann and Josh Alexander are in the back when Gail Kim interrupts. She tells Alexander to watch his back and Steve Maclin jumps him from behind. Frankie Kazarian makes the save.

Post break, Kazarian says he’s looking out for Alexander to make sure Overdrive stays on. Neither of them are looking for a partner, but they’ll team together against Aussie Open next week.

Raj Singh vs. Joe Hendry

Before the match, Hendry talks about how this is Las Vegas, where people lose everything they have every day. Tomorrow, someone is going to have to tell their wife that they lost the house, the car and the kid’s college fund….but he saw Joe Hendry. It’s ok because the wife believes in him too and we start fast with Hendry taking him down for a pat on the head. A fireman’s carry faceplant (the Trust Fall) drops Singh, who makes the mistake of saying Hendry’s name, making him rise back up. The Standing Ovation (high spinebuster) gives Hendry the pin at 1:47.

Eric Young tells Deaner that he’s supposed to learn things. Now it’s time to beat up beat up Sami Callihan.

We get a sitdown interview with Eddie Edwards, who says Honor No More is no more. Eddie still believes that there is no honor in this company but there are still problems. Like PCO.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

VXT/Gisele Shaw vs. Mickie James/Jordynne Grace/Taylor Wilde

Green rolls away from James to start so it’s off to Shaw instead. James runs her over with a shoulder and it’s off to Purrazzo to power Wilde down. Wilde kicks Purrazzo’s leg out and tilt-a-whirl slams Green for two. Everything breaks down and the heroes clear the ring as we take a break.

Back with Green taking Wilde down and hammering away before Shaw fires off some knees to the face. Wilde gets away without much trouble and the hot tag brings in James to clean house. That lasts for all of ten seconds before Shaw gets in a cheap shot to take James down in the corner. Shaw grabs a chinlock before Shaw grabs a chinlock, only to have James fight up with a clothesline.

The real hot tag brings in Grace to clean house, including a spinebuster for two on Purrazzo. Everything breaks down but James gets driven back into the corner. A powerbomb/something like a Blockbuster combination gets two on James and Grace runs Shaw over for touching the Knockouts Title. Back inside and James DDTs Green for the pin at 15:17.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here with a longer match than I would have guessed. James is probably on her way to a huge showdown with Jordynne Grace, maybe at Hard To Kill, and she might have to go through the rest of VXT to get there. Good main event here, as Grace and James are turning into some of the bigger stars in the whole company.

Overall Rating: C+. Overdrive isn’t exactly looking great so far but they are doing some good stuff on the way there. That is the kind of thing that you do not get to see very often but they are managing to pull it off. There were some good enough matches on this one, though the Bully Ray/Tommy Dreamer stuff is still dragging a lot of the rest down.

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: October 6, 2022
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Bound For Glory, which is tomorrow for whatever reason they have come up with this time. That is one of those things that is always a little weird and I can’t quite get into the idea here either. The good thing is that the card is already set so we should be in for the hard sell this time around. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Antonio Inoki.

Opening recap.

Kenny King vs. Frankie Kazarian

They fight over a lockup to start and go long enough that it has to be broken up in the corner. Some armdrags take King down but it’s way too early for the chickenwing, meaning Kazarian has to settle for a hammerlock. The Royal Flush is countered as well and Kazarian takes him down with a clotheslines. That just earns him a dropkick out to the floor, followed by the springboard spinning legdrop to give King two back inside.

The seated abdominal stretch goes on for all of three seconds before King gets caught in a backslide for two more. The strike off goes to Kazarian and a neckbreaker gets two, followed by his own springboard spinning legdrop for two of his own. King is back up with a toss into the corner and a bridging t-bone suplex for another near fall. A tiger driver gets two more but Kazarian pulls him into the chickenwing for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: C+. As expected, this is what you get when you take two talented stars and put them in the ring against each other with a bit of time. Both of them can work well with anyone and they did it again here, with Kazarian getting the momentum going into tomorrow’s title match. King doesn’t have anything going on at the moment so it isn’t like a loss is going to do anything to him.

Video on the history of the X-Division Title match, with a look at the numbers of both Mike Bailey and Frankie Kazarian’s title reigns over the years. That’s a nice twist on things.

Bound For Glory/tonight rundown.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards for the World Title.

Mike Bailey is ready for Frankie Kazarian. They’re pushing the heck out of this match and we’re not even thirty minutes into this show.

Mia Yim vs. Gisele Shaw

Mickie James is on commentary. Yim armdrags her down to start as James praises both of them. Shaw gets sent outside for a breather/some yelling at James, allowing Yim to grab a guillotine choke back inside. That’s broken up and Yim is sent outside, allowing Shaw to hit the big dive as we take a break.

Back with Yim striking away until an exchange of kicks to the head gives us a double knockdown. Yim is up first with a dropkick into the corner but Eat Defeat is countered with a whip into the corner. A backbreaker into a flatliner gets two on Yim, who is right back with Eat Defeat for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: C. This was a nice warmup match for Yim, who has a big one coming up with James at the pay per view. That’s all you need to do sometimes and I’m sure James will get to have a staredown or something after the match. They kept this one simple and it worked just fine for everyone involved.

Post match Mickie gets in the ring and stares Yim down.

Video on the Call Your Shot gauntlet.

Video on Killer Kelly…who is attacked by Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Raven jumps Jeff Jarrett on January 23, 2003.

Brian Myers walks through the back and mocks potential challengers for the Digital Media Title. Also, a guy in yellow runs by shouting I AM VIOLENCE.

Video on Masha Slamovich vs. Jordynne Grace.

Moose vs. Steve Maclin

Sami Callihan is guest referee and Moose is still very banged up from Barbed Wire Massacre. They slug it out to start with Maclin taking him to the mat and firing off right hands. Maclin chops away in the corner and Callihan doesn’t bother watching what is going on. Moose gets knocked outside for a suicide dive and somehow Maclin’s head is busted open. Both of them are down on the floor so Sami shouts ARE YOU OK.

Back in and Moose goes after the cut open head but stops to yell at Callihan, allowing Maclin to chop away. More wound ripping staggers Maclin though and a hot shot keeps him in trouble. A discus forearm rocks Moose though and Maclin puts him in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder and a VERY delayed two. Moose catches him on top with the chokebomb but this time Sami won’t even count. The spear connects for two but Callihan Cactus Driver 97s them both and puts Maclin on top for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. What are you supposed to say here? This was an angle somewhat disguised as a match and nothing more as Callihan was the focus of this thing. The three way feud has gone on longer than I thought they could make it work and it is still decent enough, but I’m not sure how you pay this off after you have already done a barbed wire match.

Three guys argue over who should get the last spot in Call Your Shot but they go to Scott D’Amore’s office….and Joe Hendry comes out, having gotten the final spot. Dancing ensues.

Swingerellas vs. Death Dollz

Johnny Swinger, Zicky Dice and Rosemary are all here and the Dollz are Taya Valkyrie/Jessicka. Brunhilde (yes Brunhilde) gets choked into the corner to start and it’s off to Riley (I think?) who gets caught a sliding German suplex from Taya. The Sickishi Driver finishes Riley at 1:32.

VXT isn’t worried about the Death Dollz.

Matt Taven vs. Alex Shelley

Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis and Chris Sabin are here too. Taven takes him into the corner and unloads with right hands to start but the Climax is countered. The Border City Stretch is countered as well and Taven bails to the floor for an early breather. Back in and Bennett trips Shelley down so Sabin distracts Taven to keep things even.

That’s fine with Shelley, who kicks Taven in the back on the floor. Back in and Taven goes to the eyes, setting up a backbreaker as we take a break. We come back with Taven hitting another backbreaker for two and cranking on both arms. Taven misses a Lionsault as the fans are split with their cheering.

Shelley rolls him up and grabs the Border City Stretch but can’t keep it on. An elbow drops Shelley but he Downward Spirals Taven into the middle buckle. A Maria distraction lets Taven go up but Aurora Borealis hits knees. Since that isn’t enough cheating, Bennett offers a distraction so Just The Tip can give Taven two. Back up and Shell Shock gives Shelley the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C+. They had too much interference for this to really take off but they gave Shelley the pin to set up the title match on Friday. Taven continues to be underrated in the ring and Shelley is still one of the best hands in all of Impact. It’s also nice to have one match between the tag wrestlers instead of doing it over and over so I’ll take what I can get here.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Josh Alexander is ready for Eddie Edwards….who pops up after the interview for the face to face showdown. With Alexander gone, Alisha Edwards come in to say this isn’t Eddie and either Honor No More is done or they are.

It’s time for the contract signing between Masha Slamovich and Jordynne Grace with Scott D’Amore as emcee. Scott talks about how great both of them are and Masha signs without saying a word. Grace respects her and how she got here, but Grace isn’t ready to give up the title. We hear about Grace’s accomplishments but she knows Masha hasn’t had the chance to learn from losing. That is a lesson to be learned and Grace is teaching it to her tomorrow night. Masha says something in Russian, which is translated to “Masha’s gonna kill you”. The brawl is on and the Snowplow sends Grace through the table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They had something of a strategy here as there was almost nothing to do to get ready for Bound For Glory so they didn’t go too far with anything. This show was about holding everything together until the pay per view and there were enough good matches to make the show enjoyable. Nothing great, but Friday is all that matters this week.

Results
Frankie Kazarian b. Kenny King – Chickenwing
Mia Yim b. Gisele Shaw – Eat Defeat
Steve Maclin b. Moose – Cactus Driver 97 from Sami Callihan
Death Dollz b. Swingerellas – Sickishi Driver to Riley
Alex Shelley b. Matt Taven – Shell Shock

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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Emergence 2022
Date: August 12, 2022
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

I usually don’t do these shows but the Alex Shelley/Josh Alexander segment from this week’s Impact actually got me to check it out. This is the latest non-pay per view pay per view special from Impact and the card looks good enough to be worth a watch. In addition to the World Title match, Honor No More faces Bullet Club and has to disband if they lose. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Brian Myers

Myers is defending and stops to insult Chicago before the match. How great can this place be? DOES ANYONE ELSE HERE HAVE A BLUE CHECK MARK BY THEIR NAME??? They fight over wrist control to start until Gujjar takes him down and drops a jumping knee. It’s too early for the Gargoyle Spear though and Myers bails to the floor, setting up a quick fight on the floor.

Myers kicks the rope for the low blow on the way back in, setting up a suplex for two. Gujjar shoves him off the top though and scores with a missile dropkick into a ripcord knee. There’s a Samoan drop for two on Myers but he’s right back with an implant DDT for two. Myers hits a spear of his own for two but the roster cut misses, sending Myers into the corner. That’s fine with him though as Gujjar gets kicked into the buckle, allowing Myers to grab a rollup for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. Completely run of the mill match here and that was a fine enough way to ope things up. Gujjar continues to be ok enough in the ring but Myers is a good bit more interesting and offers more options going forward. I’m surprised to see Gujjar take a pin, but at least he has a bit of an out with the kicking into the buckle.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles; Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary vs. VXT

Valkyrie/Rosemary are defending and has Jessika in their corner. Taya sends Green up against the ropes to start and flips her into the corner, allowing the tag off to Purrazzo. Rosemary comes in for some choking in the corner but charges into an elbow to the face to put the champs in trouble for a change.

The fight goes to the floor where Jessika misses a clothesline and gets dropkicked into Rosemary, as there is no such thing as competent help these days. Back in and Green elbows Rosemary in the face over and over before cranking on both arms at once. They both hit big boots at the same time though and it’s a double knockdown. The hot tag brings in Valkyrie to start cleaning house but Green reverses Road To Valhalla into a rollup for two.

Stereo German suplexes drop VXT and Rosemary spears Purrazzo. The Stomp hits Rosemary though and Green dives onto Jessika. Rosemary comes back in for a Road To Valhalla/X Factor combination but Green makes the save. Jessika offers a distraction but Rosemary mists Taya by mistake. A double suplex (yes a double suplex) gives Green the pin and the titles at 8:00.

Rating: C. I’m not sure if I should be surprised by that one or not, but I’ll go with the result that doesn’t give us arguing champions. Valkyrie and Rosemary were kind of a thrown together team and while VXT are still new, they do feel like a regular team. The division still needs help, but at least they have some fresh teams out there for a change.

The opening video talks about how to change, everything has to emerge. We also get the usual look at the big matches.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey vs. Jack Evans

Evans is challenging, because there is no way he would be champion in 2022. Bailey bows to him to start but gets rolled up when offering the handshake. Evans bails out to the floor as Bailey is frustrated, leaving commentary to tell us about Evans’ history in the company. Back in and they rollups to start, followed by an exchange of dropkicks.

Stereo crossbodies put both of them down before they trade kicks to the legs. Bailey gets the better of that (of course) to send Evans outside, setting up the required big dive. Back in and Evans hits a springboard spinning kick to the face, setting up the quickly broken Muta Lock. Evans kicks him down again but Bailey flips over him out of the corner and hits a kick to the face. The running corkscrew shooting star press gives Bailey two but Evans is right back with a Falcon Arrow for the same.

An exchange of kicks to the head means a double knockdown and they get a breather. Back up and Bailey kicks him outside, which of course means a big springboard moonsault (as X-Division champions tend to do). Evans shrugs that off and hits a Blockbuster for two back inside. Bailey catches him on top but it’s a German superplex to bring Bailey crashing down. The moonsault misses for Evans though and Bailey kicks him into the Ultimate Weapon for the pin to retain at 12:32.

Rating: C+. As I have said before, you know what you’re getting with the X-Division these days and they did it well anyway. This was a good way to get the crowd into the show and have Bailey get another win. Not a classic or really anything lose as the usual X-Division selling issues were all over the place, but it did its job just fine (as usual).

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Eddie Edwards gives Honor No More their weekly pep talk, though Maria takes over this time.

We recap Steve Maclin vs. Sami Callihan. Sami has recently returned and thinks Maclin and Moose are working together, which they deny. Tonight is Callihan’s chance for revenge.

Steve Maclin vs. Sami Callihan

Callihan jumps him in the aisle and the fight is on outside with Callihan suplexing him on the ramp. A chair is thrown in and the referee gets decked, leaving Callihan to take Maclin down again. They fight into the crowd and then go backstage. The bell never rang so no match.

We recap Kushida/Chris Sabin vs. Violent By Design. Violent By Design is going after the Motor City Machine Guns but since Alex Shelley is busy tonight, Kushida is filling in to team with Sabin.

Kushida/Chris Sabin vs. Violent By Design

Eric Young and Deaner for Violent By Design here with Joe Doering in their corner. Young starts with Kushida and then drops to the floor just after the bell. Kushida takes him into the corner back inside so it’s quickly off to Deaner. That works for Kushida, who tries the Hoverboard Lock but goes with a tag to Sabin instead. Sabin holds Deaner up so Kushida can get a running kick to the arm but it’s right back to Young.

That’s fine with Kushida as well, as he catches Young up top with a running kick to the head. Deaner starts doing something though and catches him on top, setting up a double slam to take over. A Russian legsweep sets up Young’s knee drop for two and Sabin gets knocked off the apron to make it even worse.

The villains spend too much time setting up a double team though and Kushida uses both of them as a launchpad (cool) for the tag off to Sabin. House is cleaned, including a tornado DDT and a running kick to the face for two on Deaner. Young saves Deaner from the Cradle Shock but Kushida kicks Deaner in the face to break up the dive. Instead, Sabin hits the suicide dive onto Young and Kushida kicks Deaner into the Cradle Shock for two with Young making a save.

Everything breaks down and Young sends Kushida outside, setting up a running neckbreaker to drop Sabin. Deaner hits a top rope headbutt into Young’s top rope elbow but Kushida makes a diving save of his own. Kushida hits the double handspring elbow to leave everyone down. They all slug it out from their knees and then keep it going on their feet until Violent By Design gets kicked down. The Dream Sequence knocks Deaner silly and another version hits Young. The Skull And Bones is loaded up so Deaner grabs the flag, allowing Doering to shove Kushida off the top. Young piledrivers Sabin for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C+. Nice tag match but words don’t describe how happy I am to see Violent By Design getting another win. The team who are managing to drag down anything they do and make anyone seem worse is getting a win on a major show because this team has to keep going. How lucky we all are.

We look at VXT winning the Knockouts Tag Team Titles on the pre-show.

VXT brags about their title win.

Here is Kenny King, in street clothes, with a chair to deal with Heath. After promising that Honor No More will beat the Bullet Club tonight, King gets distracted by Sami Callihan and Steve Maclin fighting in the crowd. Cue Heath who, after ducking a chair shot, hits the Wake Up Call to leave King laying. Heath says Bullet Club can handle itself, but if Honor No More is still around, the Wake Up Call is waiting for them.

Bandido vs. Rey Horus

AAA showcase match and believe it or not, Chicago likes Bandido a lot. Respect is shown to start before Horus’ running shoulder has no effect. Well no negative effect, as it makes Bandido do the Eddie Guerrero dance. Horus takes him down with a headscissors but Bandido is right back up with a superkick. Neither can follow up and we have an early standoff. Bandido kicks him in the face again to send things outside and of course the big running flip dive connects.

Back in and Horus kicks him down for two but gets Three Amigos for his efforts, setting up a handstand flipped into a backsplash. Horus manages to send him outside for the big running (no flip) dive, followed by a top rope spinning splash for two back inside. Bandido is right back with the one handed gorilla press and a running kick to the face for two. Not to be outdone, Horus gets a running start and flips up into a DDT out of the corner to put them both down again.

This time Horus takes him to the corner, where Bandido gets in a shot of his own and apron superplexes Horus down hard. Bandido cranks on both arms at once before grabbing a pop up cutter. Horus rolls up for a faceplant though and they trade kicks to the face for a double knockdown. After a double situp (nice), Bandido knocks him down and hits a frog splash for two. The satellite DDT gives Horus two but Bandido hits X Knee, setting up the 21 Plex for the pin at 12:57.

Rating: B-. Much like the X-Division Title match earlier, you have this match for one reason and one reason only. These guys are going to pop the crowd with their insane offense and look great doing it, so it makes sense to bring them in for a pick up in the middle of the show. As usual, Horus was very good but Bandido was better, but it was the awesome showcase as usual.

Moose again insists that he and Steve Maclin aren’t a team but here are Sami Callihan and Moose to brawl. Moose helps Maclin beat him down and they come into the arena with the double teaming continuing. D’Lo Brown and security come in for the save and here is Scott D’Amore to say let’s do this No DQ with Moose banned from ringside.

Sami Callihan vs. Steve Maclin

No DQ. Sami gets in a cheap shot to start fast and Maclin gets rammed into the steps over and over early on. Maclin is already busted open so it’s time to choke away in the corner. A good shot to Callihan lets Maclin tie him up in the Tree of Woe on the barricade, followed by a suplex on the floor.

Maclin bothers to throw him inside and piles up the chairs, one of which is used to crack Callihan in the back. Some shots to the face take too long though and Callihan gets in a suplex onto the open chair. The chair is pelted at Maclin’s head and hangs around it as Sami is starting to look confident.

Maclin has to low blow his way out of the Cactus Driver 97 and it’s time to pull out a toolbox (oh dear). Instead of using it though, Maclin plants him with the KIA to set up a sleeper. That’s broken up as well so Callihan stomps him low over and over. Callihan grabs some zip ties and ties Maclin’s hands behind his back, setting up the Cactus Driver 97 to give Callihan the pin at 11:23.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what to think of a lot of these brawls as there is only so much you can get out of the violence. It’s what Callihan thrives on though and you can probably pencil him in for either a showdown with Moose or a handicap match at Bound For Glory (or maybe a three way). Either way, Callihan is going up and Maclin is going down, the latter of which I wouldn’t have bet on seeing.

Long recap of Honor No More vs. Bullet Club. Honor No More is tired of not getting their Tag Team Title shot but Bullet Club is tired of Honor No More. Therefore, it’s title shot vs. Honor No More’s future in a ten man tag.

Honor No More vs. Bullet Club

No DQ and that would be Eddie Edwards/Matt Taven/Mike Bennett/Vincent/PCO (with Maria) vs. Ace Austin/Chris Bey/Hikuleo/Good Brothers. It’s a huge brawl to start, because it shouldn’t be anything else. Everyone goes to the floor early on until Gallows runs over Taven and Bennett back inside. Edwards and Vincent fight up and stomp Anderson down in the corner but Austin and Bey come back in to clean house.

PCO cuts off Bey’s dive and chokeslams him onto the apron and does the same to Austin (in the ring this time as he’s being a nice monster for once). It’s Hikuleo coming in this time and knocking PCO into the corner, setting up a missed charge to put PCO on the floor. Bey hits a dive but Taven cuts off Hikuleo from doing the same. Austin is back up with a running Fold to Taven off the apron onto the pile on the floor (that was awesome).

Somehow we’ve gone about seven minutes without any weapons so the Good Brothers bring some in, as you had to know was coming. Gallows and Austin take turns knocking people down for two each before Bennett and Taven take Hikuleo down by the leg. Honor No More gets together to take Bey down but the PCOsault only hits the trashcan.

Now it’s Gallows being taken into the crowd to continue his beating but he gets up to brawl with PCO. Gallows shoves PCO off a barricade and through….something, which seems to get rid of him for the time being. Back at ringside and we get the required table being set up, with Vincent hitting Redrum off the top to drive Gallows through. Gallows is back up WAY too soon to save Anderson but the Magic Killer is broken up. A spear takes Gallows down and the Climax onto the trashcan gives Honor No More the pin at 15:23.

Rating: B-. Another wild match here and the only ending they could have had. You don’t need to do anything ridiculous like get rid of Honor No More here, as the team hasn’t really gotten off the ground yet. Give them at least some kind of a title shot and see what they can do, as it isn’t like Bullet Club losing is going to be a big problem.

We recap Jordynne Grace vs. Mia Yim for Grace’s Knockouts Title. Yim won the title shot and the two of them have been having problems teaming together, so now it’s time for a showdown over the title and respect.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Mia Yim

Grace is defending and, after the Big Match Intros, takes Yim down with a headlock. Back up and Grace leapfrogs over her a few times before dropkicking the knee out. A German suplex drops Yim but she is back up with a basement dropkick of her own. Grace bails outside and that means a big running flip dive to take her down again.

Back in and Yim grabs a guillotine choke, only to get taken down with a heck of a suplex. They head up top so Grace tries a sunset bomb but gets blocked, leaving her to settle for a Liger Bomb and a big crash. Yim is right back up with some kicks to take over but Grace busts her spine for two. A Muta Lock goes on until Yim breaks the hand grip and starts slugging it out with Grace for a change.

Yim gets the better of it and comes back with a springboard tornado DDT for two. That isn’t cool with Grace, who comes back with a MuscleBuster for two of her own. Grace puts her up top and gets caught with Code Blue for another near fall. Eat Defeat is loaded up but gets countered into a pinfall reversal sequence. With that not working, Yim tries a kick to the head but gets pulled into the Grace Driver for the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B. These two beat the fire out of each other until Grace caught her in the end. That is the kind of match that makes both of them look good and they did so here. Grace is likely to head into Bound For Glory with the title and it is hard to imagine that she isn’t facing Masha Slamovich, or at least she should be, which should be good.

Post match respect is almost shown until Masha Slamovich interrupts and gives Grace the death warrant.

We recap Josh Alexander defending the World Title against Alex Shelley. After beating Chris Sabin in a #1 contenders match, Shelley has his first ever one on one World Title shot. It turns out that Alexander was inspired by Shelley, but Shelly wants to be the champion no matter what. They had a great contract signing too and that was enough to make me watch the show.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander vs. Alex Shelley

Alexander is defending. A fight over a lockup goes nowhere as they seem to have quite a bit of time. Shelley grabs a headlock and grinds away for a bit before changing gears and kicking at the knee. The knee gets tied up but Alexander fights up and switches into an armbar. Alexander starts cranking away again until Shelley slips out and hammers away in the corner. An armbar doesn’t work well for Shelley but he takes Alexander outside and stomps on the arm.

With the arm sufficiently worn down, Shelley goes back to the leg with a leglock on the mat, only to switch into another armbar. Thankfully commentary is right there to explain the idea of breaking Alexander down, as that is why you have a broadcast team. Alexander fights out and throws Shelley down for a double breather. Shelley hits him in the bad arm so Alexander uses the good one to hit him in the face.

A t-bone suplex sends Shelley flying but he’s fine enough to hit a Downward Spiral into the buckle. Shelley’s frog splash gets two, only to have Alexander pull him into the ankle lock. The rope gets Shelley out of trouble and the ankle is good enough to hit Sliced Bread for two. An Air Raid Crash gets two on Alexander, who rolls straight out to the floor.

Standing Sliced Bread rocks Alexander again and the Border City Stretch has Alexander in big trouble back inside. With that broken up, Shelley hits some chops to put Alexander down on one knee. Shell Shock is countered into some rolling German suplexes and Alexander falls on top of him for two.

Another enziguri is countered into the ankle lock, which Alexander switches into a Sharpshooter. That’s countered into the Border City Stretch but Alexander rolls out into a Tombstone for a rather near fall. Back up and the C4 Spike is countered so Alexander settles for a Shell Shock to Shelley. With Shelley knocked silly, the C4 Spike can retain the title at 27:32.

Rating: A-. This match went long and never felt like it did, as they knew how to get the most out of each other. Alexander is still great at being able to make it feel like everyone is working hard to take the title from him while Shelley is able to put together a match with anyone. What matters is they had me believing that Shelley could pull it off and in a way, I wanted him to. Alexander is heading into Bound For Glory as champion though and that should work well. Heck of a match here and a worthy main event.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like an In Your House style show with a great main event and a big showdown in the ten man tag. They didn’t go through a lot of their big matches and a good chunk of this show was designed to set up things for later, but they had a good show on the way there. I was convinced to watch this show and I wound up liking what I saw, so well done on doing so well with what you have. Check out the main event, but don’t skip the rest of the show if you have a chance.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Jack Evans – Ultimate Weapon
Violent By Design b. Chris Sabin/Kushida – Piledriver to Sabin
Bandido b. Rey Horus – 21 Plex
Sami Callihan b. Steve Maclin – Cactus Driver 97
Honor No More b. Bullet Club – Climax onto a trashcan to Gallows
Jordynne Grace b. Mia Yim – Grace Driver
Josh Alexander b. Alex Shelley – C4 Spike

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 11, 2022
Location: Old Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the night before Emergence and that means it is time for the big final push towards the show. That could make for a good episode, as we might be seeing some Emergence build, plus some time for the people who don’t usually get the chance to shine. Oh and a contract signing, just because. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s wild street fight.

Opening sequence.

Karl Anderson vs. Kenny King

Anderson’s Never Openweight Title isn’t on the line and no one is at ringside. King snaps off some armdrags into an armbar to start, which lasts all of a few seconds. Back up and they both miss kicks to the head, giving us another standoff. A back elbow to the face drops King but he snaps the leg across the middle rope to take over.

The seated abdominal stretch has Anderson in trouble but he fights up and twists King’s knee for a change. A running backsplash hits King and the Rocket Kick gets two. King kicks the leg out again and grabs a leglock, sending Anderson straight to the ropes. Back up and Anderson grabs a Gun Stun out of nowhere for the pin at 7:54.

Rating: C+. These guys did well and Anderson getting the win should give him some momentum on the way to Emergence is a good idea. There is a chance that the knee injury will play into the big showdown tomorrow night so this very well could have been setting things up. Nice opener though, as the Club is always going to get a reaction.

Post match King chairs Anderson in the leg but Heath runs in with a Wake Up Call before Pillmanization can occur.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and tomorrow.

Video on Alex Shelley finally becoming #1 contender.

Deaner vs. Kushida

Joe Doering and Chris Sabin are here too. Kushida snaps off an armdrag to start but a second one misses, allowing Deaner to stomp away. Back up and Kushida handspring kicks Deaner out to the floor but it’s too early for the Hoverboard Lock. Doering offers a distraction though and Deaner gets in a cheap shot.

We take a break and come back with Deaner raking the eyes to cut off some chops. Kushida goes right back after the arm but a knee and clothesline take him down. Doering’s distraction is cut off by Sabin though, allowing Kushida to grab a hammerlock northern lights suplex for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C. Not too bad here, as Kushida is going to be good for at least a decent match every time. It takes something special to get around the mess that is Violent By Design but Deaner tends to be the easiest to watch. Just drop the team already though, because this is awful and going nowhere.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Alex Shelley b. Chris Sabin at Genesis 2009 to win the X-Division Title.

Bhupinder Gujjar AGAIN challenges Brian Myers for the Digital Media Title and finally gets the shot at Emergence.

Eric Young yells at Violent By Design and promises to get rid of Chris Sabin and Kushida at Emergence.

Tiffany Nieves vs. Killer Kelly

Nieves slaps her in the face to start so Kelly hits a kick to the face to take over. A running basement dropkick in the corner sets up a choke (the Killer Clutch) to make Nieves tap at 1:23. They’re doing a nice job at rebuilding the Knockouts division.

Eddie Edwards gives Honor No More a pep talk before tomorrow.

Madison Rayne vs. Mia Yim

Rayne drives her into the corner to start until Yim grabs a hammerlock. That’s broken up with a faceplant but Yim is fine enough to grab a rollup for two. A chase around the ring goes badly for Yim as she gets posted, setting up some choking on the ropes. Rayne charges into a boot though and the Tarantula has her in trouble.

Another faceplant gives Rayne back to back near falls but a hurricanrana is countered into Yim’s sitout powerbomb. Some dropkicks send Rayne into the corner for the Cannonball but Rayne counters the package piledriver. A crucifix bomb gives Rayne two so Yim is back up with an enziguri. Eat Defeat finishes Rayne at 9:25.

Rating: C+. It’s almost weird seeing Rayne on national TV twice in a week but she was working well enough here. Rayne is someone who has become a legend in Impact just due to how long she has been around and the championships she has won and she is always good for a match like this. Yim is a threat to Jordynne Grace this week though and it makes sense for her to get the win here.

VXT is ready to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

Jordynne Grace wants to make sure Mia Yim is ready for tomorrow but they get catty over their recent tag matches.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey vs. Rocky Romero

Bailey is defending. They go with the rapid fire technical off to start and that’s a standoff. Neither can get anywhere off an armdrag or a dropkick so Romero dropkicks the knee out and rolls him up for tow. Back up and they trade kicks to the legs until Romero sends him outside. That doesn’t last long and it’s Bailey blocking a middle rope hurricanrana by landing on his feet for another standoff.

We take a break and come back with Bailey kicking the post by mistake, allowing Romero to hit the Forever Clotheslines. Bailey’s leg is fine enough to kick him down again, setting up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two. Romero’s springboard tornado DDT gets the same and Bailey gets blasted with a clothesline. Back up and Bailey hits a superkick for a double knockdown and we take another break.

We come back again with Bailey hitting an Asai moonsault before kicking Romero down back inside. The moonsault knees to the chest give Bailey two but Romero Falcon Arrows him into a cross armbreaker. The standing shooting star press drops bailey for two more but Sliced Bread is countered into a rollup. More Forever Clotheslines are countered with a shot to the face and the Ultimate Weapon retains the title at 19:04.

Rating: B. This was the latest Bailey showcase match and it rather well, especially for a match on free TV. Bailey isn’t my taste but he can do some impressive looking stuff in the ring, which is exactly why he is in this kind of a spot. At the same time you have Romero out there doing the good version of his thing, which worked well. Nice stuff here.

Emergence rundown.

Here is Scott D’Amore to run the contract signing between Alex Shelley and Josh Alexander. D’Amore talks about how he has coached both of them and introduced Shelley, who is finally getting his World Title shot. Alexander gets quite the hype as well and D’Amore is really excited about the dream match.

Before signing, Alexander talks about going to his first wrestling show in 2005 and Shelley was on the card. Alexander knew that Shelley was special because he stood out in a world where it was hard to be unique. The next day, Alexander stepped into a ring for the first time and over the next seventeen years, he has seen all kinds of Shelley copycats. It will be an honor to get in the ring with him and Alexander signs.

Shelley talks about the similarities in his career and asks why Alexander isn’t just another of those copycats. Alexander: “I’ve always been more of a Chris Sabin guy. You know, someone who has actually won the big one.” Alexander thinks Shelley might be self sabotaging himself because he’s too talented to never be World Champion.

Shelley talks about the injuries that the two of them have had over the years and says that the problem for Alexander is who he is across the ring from tomorrow night. When Shelley gets in the ring, he won’t be looking at the champ, but rather at an Alex Shelley mark. Shelley promises to win the title but has a consolation prize. He signs the contract and hands it to Alexander. Shelley: “There’s your Alex Shelley autograph.” Shelley walks off to end the show.

This was GREAT and one of the best contract signings I’ve ever seen. They came in with little story beyond “Shelley has never had a title shot” and turned it into a personal story without ever going too far into hatred. Shelley isn’t really known for talking but he blew it away here and I want to watch the match. Great stuff and far, far better than I would have bet on seeing.

Overall Rating: B-. Rather good show here and I’m actually on the fence about watching Emergence. I had no interest in watching coming in and they might have talked me into it so well done on all accounts. Impact has come a long, LONG way in the last few months and that was on display again here. Good show with an awesome closing segment so well done.

Results
Karl Anderson b. Kenny King – Gun Stun
Kushida b. Deaner – Hammerlock northern lights suplex
Killer Kelly b. Tiffany Nieves – Killer Clutch
Mia Yim b. Madison Rayne – Eat Defeat
Mike Bailey b. Rocky Romero – Ultimate Weapon

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: July 28, 2022
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are on the way to Emergence and now we have a main event set. This time it is going to be Alex Shelley getting his shot at Josh Alexander and the World Title, but odds are we are going to have more Violent By Design interference on the way there. Kushida is here too and that should help. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Alex Shelley becoming #1 contender but getting beaten down by Violent By Design, with Kushida running in for the save.

Eddie Edwards vs Ace Austin

Kenny King and Chris Bey are here too. Austin teases him with the posing to start so Edwards unloads on him in the corner. That earns Eddie a takedown and a playing card cut between the fingers in a spot Austin hasn’t used in a bit. King offers a distraction though and Edwards runs Austin over, setting up the choking on the ropes.

Austin is sat on top for some chops but comes back with a series of strikes. Back up and Austin sends him outside, setting up the big running flip dive. A springboard spinning Fameasser gives Austin two but Edwards’ Backpack Stunner gets the same. King and Bey get in a fight on the floor, meaning it’s a double ejection as Edwards and Austin knock each other down.

We take a break and come back with Edwards striking away before cutting Austin off with a clothesline. Austin gets back up with a springboard spinning kick to the head for two but the Fold is countered into a quick butterfly powerbomb. The Die Hard Driver finishes Austin at 15:34.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match where you put two talented stars together and have them put on a good match. It works every time and that is what they did here, as Honor No More gets a victory for a change. Austin and Bey are in the Bullet Club to take the losses so this was a logical use of TV time.

Here’s what’s coming at Emergence and tonight.

Heath is ready to keep on Honor No More, like he did to Vincent on Before The Impact. I’m not sure hitting one finisher is taking them out but it’s better than nothing.

We look at Raj Singh and Shera cutting off Josh Alexander from making a save for the Motor City Machine Guns last week.

Alexander is ready for Shera tonight. Alex Shelley comes in to say being big and strong doesn’t make the best wrestler, so Alexander has to face the smartest wrestler around.

Laredo Kid/Trey Miguel vs. Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice

Swinger seems to think Kid is Bob Seeger and fails to jump him to start. Dice comes in and is rather happy at dodging a charge, only to get double dropkicked out to the floor. That means it’s time to put on the dungeon masks, only to have Miguel take Swinger out with a dive. Dice drops Miguel to take over but a handspring kick to the face gets Miguel out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Kid for a high crossbody, setting up a quick frog splash to finish Dice at 4:00.

Rating: C. I know they’re nothing that matters but my goodness Dice and Swinger can be funny. Impact knows what they have with the two of them and they have some of the most entertaining moments on the show. Kid and Miguel aren’t much of a team but having them beat up the resident goofs isn’t a bad thing.

On Before The Impact, a fake Heath distraction helped Bhupinder Gujjar beat Vincent.

Brian Myers still doesn’t want to face Bhupinder Gujjar but Decay comes in to say Black Taurus will get the Digital Media Title shot instead.

Tiffany Nieves vs. Jada Stone

This is an OVW showcase match with Tasha Steelz, with Savannah Evans, on commentary. Nieves takes her down to start as Steelz rants about not being Knockouts Champion. Some kicks send Nieves into the corner but she misses a Cannonball. A rollup, with a grab of the rope, gives Nieves the pin at 2:06.

Post match Killer Kelly comes out to wreck Nieves and Stone, which doesn’t have Steelz very impressed.

Eric Young doesn’t want Deaner’s excuses for failing last week. First up it’s the Motor City Machine Guns and then Kushida.

Video on Alex Shelley becoming #1 contender for the first time, including a surprise video from Johnny Gargano, who praises Shelley as well.

Josh Alexander vs. Shera

Non-title and Raj Singh is here with Shera. Alexander gets blocked by the power to start but hits three straight clotheslines to knock Shera over the top. Shera wins the quick brawl on the floor and sends Alexander back inside, where Alexander hits the running crossbody to the back. Singh offers a distraction but Alexander is fine enough to ankle lock Shera for the tap at 3:15.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to get anywhere here but my goodness it’s nice to stop pretending that Shera is going to be some big deal. This version of him is a lot easier to take than the dancing schmuck of years past but now he’s just a big guy who loses important matches. Alexander is always worth a look though and that’s part of how the champion should feel.

Moose says there is no alliance between himself and Steve Maclin. If anyone should be mad at Maclin, it’s him, who didn’t need help to beat Sami Callihan.

Honor No More wants to know what Scott D’Amore is going to do for them and want their Tag Team Title shot. Noise is heard though and Mike Bennett is gone.

VXT is preparing for Deonna Purrazzo’s bachelorette party when Jessika comes in to invite herself. She’s quite the life of the party but Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie come in to say that’s not happening.

Raj Singh is in the ring to complain about what happened to Shera. Cue Sami Callihan with the Cactus Driver 97 to drop Singh. Callihan says he’s going to take care of Steve Maclin and Moose on his own.

Ric Flair Flashback Moment of the Week: Flair forms Fourtune but Jay Lethal interrupts with his amazing impression.

Mia Yim is ready for Jordynne Grace but the video signal breaks up.

Commentary talks but the video signal breaks up.

Scott D’Amore finds Honor No More messing with the TV truck and is sick of this. They want their title shot so at Emergence, it’s five on five. If Honor No More wins, they get the Tag Team Titles but if they lose, they disband (with D’Amore bringing up Jim Cornette forcing Team Canada to do the same back in the day).

Rich Swann vs. Kushida

Kushida is billed as the Timesplitter and this is a first time ever match. Respect is shown before the bell as Kushida takes him down by the leg to start. Kushida takes him down again, which sets up a standoff. Back up and they run the ropes with neither getting very far, setting up stereo missed dropkicks. Kushida works on a wristlock and sends Swann outside for some posing as we take a break.

We come back with Kushida working on the arm but Swann knocks him into the corner. A running basement dropkick puts Kushida on the floor on the floor and Swann kicks him in the head back inside. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Kushida is back up for stereo crossbodies. The comeback is on for Kushida, including a running armbar takedown out of the corner.

Kushida gets the cross armbreaker but Swann gets his foot on the ropes pretty quickly. They strike it out with Kushida going for the arm but getting knocked down anyway. There’s a neckbreaker to drop Kushida again, only to have Swann miss the Phoenix splash. Kushida takes him down by the arm again but Swann snaps off a super hurricanrana. Swann goes up but gets pulled down into the Hoverboard Lock for the tap at 19:04.

Rating: B. Kushida is my favorite New Japan wrestler so it’s nice to see him on a show like this. Swann can go with anyone and beating him still means something so this was a great way to make Kushida seem like a big deal out of the gate. I’m curious to see what he is going to do and this is already a bit more than he ever did in NXT, so there is some hope to be had.

Overall Rating: B. Impact’s roll continues and I can certainly take that. The good thing here is that they are setting things up and making me want to see them, with Alex Shelley making more than a better fit in the main event than Violent By Design. Other than that, Honor No More’s issues continue to grow and we are getting a resurgence of Sami Callihan for a bit of fresh blood. I’m starting to look forward to seeing this show every week and that is not something I have not expected to say for a long time now.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 21, 2022
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re on a fresh taping cycle and on the way to the next special. That means we need a new #1 contender and thank goodness that means someone outside of Violent By Design. The main event of this week’s show is Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin for a shot at Josh Alexander and the World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the history of the Motor City Machine Guns, both together and against each other. They’re both ready for the chance to be #1 contender.

Opening sequence.

VXT vs. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace

VXT is Deonna Purrazzo/Chelsea Green, who were absolutely needing a team name. Grace and Purrazzo start things off with Purrazzo taking her to the mat but getting reversed into a headscissors for a standoff. Back up and Grace runs her over with a shoulder before sending Purrazzo into the top turnbuckle over and over. Yim comes in for some rollups to Purrazzo and armdrags to Green.

It’s already back to Grace but everything breaks down, with Purrazzo offering a distraction so Green can take over on Grace. Some rams into the corner get Grace out of trouble and the hot tag brings Yim in to clean house. Grace has to save Yim from a double suplex and there’s the big dive to drop VXT on the floor. Back in and Purrazzo Downward Spirals Yim to set up Green’s Stomp for two but Yim grabs a double Stunner. There is no Grace though and VXT hits a kind of double suplex for the pin on Yim at 9:12.

Rating: C. You have to establish the new team with a win here and they did just that by having them pin the #1 contender. Granted this might be more about issues between Grace and Yim, which is a story that needs to be told as well. Nice job on the two birds with one stone shot, and the match wasn’t half bad either.

Post match Yim isn’t pleased with Grace. Good thing they have a title match coming up in a few weeks.

Honor No More wants the Tag Team Titles and aren’t surprised that Impact keeps moving the goalposts on them. They’ll take out Heath instead, because he keeps attacking them one at a time. Eddie Edwards wants to know where PCO was when Heath was attacking Vincent last week. There is no more room for mistakes.

Here’s what is coming tonight.

X-Division Title: Deaner vs. Mike Bailey

Deaner is challenging and has Joe Doering with him. Bailey unloads on Deaner in the corner and kicks him in the chest for a knockdown. The Ultimate Weapon misses but Bailey is right back with a Boston crab instead. Deaner gets out and bails to the apron, only to get kicked in the face. Bailey gets caught in the ring skirt though and Doering runs him over with a shoulder as we take a break.

Back with Deaner sending him into the corner, setting up the running dropkick to the back of the trunks. Bailey fires off the rapid kicks to set up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two. Something like a powerbomb plants Bailey for two more and it’s time to chop it out. Bailey gets the better of things and kicks him in the chest and then the head, only to miss the moonsault knees onto the apron. Deaner’s running flip neckbreaker in the ropes takes Bailey down but he slides back in for a heck of a moonsault to drop Deaner on the floor. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon retains Bailey’s title at 12:24.

Rating: C+. Another pretty solid defense for Bailey, but I still can’t get into him with that cheesy grin and bow. You can tell that he’s being presented as a star though and that is more than a lot of the champions. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from him, but giving him a weekly match where he gets to show off a bit is not a bad idea.

Ric Flair Flashback Moment of the Week: Sting beats Ric Flair on Impact in 2021.

VXT wants in the Knockouts Title match so Gail Kim gives them just that: a Knockouts Tag Team Title match.

Eric Young confirms Violent By Design’s loyalties to him and tells them to eliminate the sickness.

Madison Rayne vs. Masha Slamovich

Gisele Shaw is here with Rayne. Slamovich rips the face mask off of Rayne and throws her down, setting up the Snowplow for the pin at 1:14. Total squash, again.

Post match Slamovich gives Shaw an envelope, with a picture of herself covered in what looks like blood.

Bhupinder Gujjar still wants a Digital Media Title shot against Brian Myers. That works for Myers, but apparently Vincent has been talking trash about Gujjar so they can fight each other instead.

Killer Kelly says she is always watching you. A man comes up and Kelly says no one knows when to shut the F up.

Bullet Club vs. Honor No More

That would be Ace Austin/Chris Bey vs. Matt Taven/Mike Bennett with Maria Kanellis. Taven and Austin start things off and fight over wrist control until Taven takes him down into a chinlock. That earns Taven a kick to the head and a legdrop, only to have him come back with a dropkick. Bey and Bennett come in to chop it off until Bey snaps off a dropkick for two.

Taven comes back in off a blind tag though and a middle rope dropkick takes Bey down. It’s back to Austin to kick people in the head before sending Taven outside for a shot from the apron. Taven is thrown inside, leaving Bennett to kick Austin down and take over again. The Purple Thunder Bomb gets two back inside and Bennett grabs the chinlock. Austin fights up and avoids a charge in the corner, allowing the hot tag off to Bey to clean house.

A torture rack neckbreaker gets two on Bennett as everything breaks down. Austin gets sent outside and Bennett brainbusters Bey, only to miss Aurora Boreallis. Maria gets on the apron for a distraction so Austin pulls her down, with the distraction letting Bennett get in a low blow to Bey. Cue Heath with a Wake Up Call to Taven though and Austin runs in with the Fold for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what there is to say about a match like this, as it is all over the place near the ending until one of them gets a pin. The Heath deal was a fine enough way to go and follows the story that they have been telling in recent weeks. Other than that, Honor No More loses again, which is almost a trend for them lately.

Steve Maclin isn’t worried about Sami Callihan but the lights go out and Callihan attacks him. Cue Moose to help with the beatdown but Callihan turns the lights out again and disappears. Sami actually having a device to turn the lights off makes this at least a bit more plausible than the normal light powers.

Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie can’t get Jessica to put the Havok mask on but she’s not down for it. Jessica has an idea and leaves, with Rosemary freaking out over her not being herself. Taya thinks it’s cute, which has Rosemary contemplating violence.

Josh Alexander is ready for Chris Sabin or Alex Shelley, but he knows there are a lot of people waiting on him after Emergence. This includes Rich Swann, who pops in and asks for a title match. That’s currently taken, so Swann gets the debuting Kushida next week in what might be a #1 contenders match but D’Amore isn’t quite clear.

Here’s what’s coming on future shows.

Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley

The winner gets the World Title shot at Emergence and somehow this is Shelley’s first ever #1 contenders match. They shake hands and hug to start because this is all about competition. It’s a technical off (as you might have expected) to start with Sabin’s rollup giving us a standoff. Sabin spins around him into an armdrag before another cradle gets two. Shelley needs a breather on the floor as Josh Alexander is watching backstage.

Another rollup gives Shelley two for a change and we take a break. Back with Sabin grabbing a neckbreaker and another one gets two. The neck crank goes on to keep Shelley in trouble and the chinlock goes on. Another neckbreaker gets another two as Sabin certainly has a target. Back up and Shelley takes the knee out and we go to another break.

We come back again with Shelley tying up the legs before working on the arm for a change. Shelley ties Sabin up so much that Sabin is hooking his own leg (that’s a new one) before going with a more basic leg crank. Sabin slips out and grabs a DDT for a needed breather to go back to the neck. A tornado DDT gives Sabin two more but Cradle Shock is countered.

Shelley kicks him in the knee and drives said knee into the mat to cut him down again. A belly to back sets up the Border City Stretch, with Sabin having to go to the ropes. Sabin is back up with a jumping enziguri and another kick drops Shelley for a double knockdown. The Clothesline From Hell, Michigan misses so they trade superkicks. Now the Clothesline can connect but the Cradle Shock is blocked again. Shelley hits Sliced Bread for two and Shell Shock is good for the same. The Border City Stretch goes on and Sabin taps at 24:13.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked, as it’s nice to have the kind of chess match that you get from people who know each other so well. You can have all of the flips and dives that you want, but this was more about the technical side of things as the two of them tried to pick the other apart until one couldn’t hang on. Shelley winning is an interesting way to go, but it isn’t like there was a bad choice from the pair.

Post match Sabin raises Shelley’s hand but Violent By Design runs in for the beatdown. Kushida comes out for the save and checks on the Guns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show here as they set things up for the future and did enough to make me want to stick around next week. Kushida debuting at the end was nice, though MY GOODNESS ENOUGH WITH VIOLENT BY DESIGN. They’re the weakest part of the show by a good while and there is nothing to suggest that they are going away anytime soon, which is hurting some of the good will Impact has had going for it lately. Fix that and Impact is one of the better weekly shows going, but there are still some holes to fix.

Results
VXT b. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace – Double suplex to Yim
Mike Bailey b. Deaner – Ultimate Weapon
Masha Slamovich b. Madison Rayne – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Honor No More – Fold to Bennett
Alex Shelley b. Chris Sabin – Border City Stretch

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 30, 2022
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re a day away from Against All Odds and that means it is time to wrap up the card. I’m not sure if that is going to work out in such a short term build but at least they have some time to get it done. The main event of Josh Alexander defending the World Title against Joe Doering is already set and should work out well enough for a one off. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Honor No More injuring Mark Briscoe last week and taking him out of Against All Odds (and probably out of the company).

America’s Most Wanted and the Good Brothers try to get PCO to jump from Honor No More to…whatever they’re calling themselves. Vincent comes in to say PCO belongs to Honor No More and no one else.

Trey Miguel vs. Steve Maclin vs. Laredo Kid vs. Chris Bey

The winner gets the X-Division Title shot at Against All Odds. Maclin gets double teamed to start and knocked outside, with Kid hitting a big dive to follow him out. That leaves Miguel to avoid a kick to the head and hits a basement dropkick. Kid comes back in for a spinning faceplant on Miguel but it’s Maclin coming back in for an elbow to the face.

Mayhem For All is broken up by Miguel so Maclin and Bey head to the apron. A running hurricanrana sends Maclin out to the floor and Kid hits the big dive, allowing Bey to moonsault onto the other three. Back in and Bey hits a pop up cutter for two on Kid with Miguel making the save. The top rope Meteora finishes Bey to send Miguel to the title match at 6:13.

Rating: C+. I’m running out of ways to say that a match with a bunch of cruiserweight style wrestling experience are going to have an exciting match like this one. Miguel getting the title shot makes sense and should give us a good match when they get the show tomorrw. I double Miguel wins there, but at least he did here.

Raven of all people joins us to talk about the Clockwork Orange House Of Fun match.

Against All Odds rundown, plus what’s coming tonight.

Gisele Shaw vs. Rosemary

Taya Valkyrie is at ringside and the Influence is on commentary. They go with the grappling to start until Rosemary grabs her by the hair and bites her head. Rosemary sends her into the buckle over and over, with Shaw going outside as we take a break. Back with Shaw chopping away in the corner as the Influence talks about Shaw getting a potential internship.

A series of running elbows gets two on Rosemary but Shaw misses a running knee. Rosemary’s exploder suplex drops Shaw for two but she’s back with a springboard cutter (didn’t look great) for two of her own. Back up and Rosemary gets in a shot of her own to set up the spear but everyone gets in a fight on the floor. The distraction lets Shaw knee Rosemary to cut off the spear for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: C. Shaw going to the Influence isn’t that interesting, though I don’t quite think that is where this winds up. Rosemary losing via a distraction/something close to shenanigans isn’t the worst ending, but I’m not sure where this story is heading. That being said, it’s a story involving the Women’s Tag Team Titles and I’ll take that over just random title matches.

Post match the Influence comes in to beat up Rosemary with Shaw’s help. The three of them pose together.

Mickie James isn’t worried about Deonna Purrazzo and/or Chelsea Green. The two of them come up and mock James for only thinking about herself, so James decks both of them.

Rosemary summons James Mitchell and ask about Havok. He has seen her in the darkness a bit, so Rosemary tells him to tell her that it’s ALL HANDS ON DECK.

Savannah Evans vs. Jordynne Grace

Non-title and Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. Grace gets driven into the corner to start for some shoulders to the ribs but runs Evans over to cut that off fast. They fight to the floor where Evans hits a chokeslam onto the apron, followed by some choking back inside. Evans’ full nelson is countered into a bulldog and Grace strikes away, setting up the MuscleBuster for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C-. Grace didn’t squash her but rather muscled through Steelz’ bodyguard to set up tomorrow’s rematch. I don’t think there is a ton of reason to believe Steelz has a chance at Against All Odds, but maybe it’s a better move to just get the rematch out of the way and move on to someone else for Grace.

Video on Joe Doering, who was very big in Japan.

Josh Alexander is proud of getting to retain the World Title at Slammiversary but now he’s ready for Doering at Against All Odds.

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More vs. Good Brothers

PCO/Vincent are challenging for Honor No More, with the rest of the team and James Storm at ringside too. Anderson takes Vincent into some corners to start so PCO comes in to hammer away. That means it can be back to Vincent for some running forearms in the corner to rock Anderson again.

A middle rope legdrop crushes Anderson again as this is one sided so far. The Deanimator actually connects for once but Vincent’s chinlock doesn’t last long. Gallows comes in off the tag and starts cleaning house but the Magic Killer is broken up. Vincent misses Redrum though and it’s a rollup to give Anderson the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C. The Brothers are pretty good at what they do and Honor No More can be thrown together in almost any combination for a match like this. They didn’t have a ton of time here so they had to pack a lot of things into this one in a hurry. The division needs some more teams, but Honor No More works in a five minute match.

Post match Honor No More beats down the Good Brothers and James Storm but Chris Harris and then Heath, with pipes, come in for the save.

Post break the Good Brothers, Heath and America’s Most Wanted celebrate, but Storm says Harris isn’t wrestling at Against All Odds. Harris says he is and Storm gives in.

Ace Austin vs. Alex Zayne

Chris Bey is here with Austin, who bails to the floor at the bell. Back in and Zayne sends Austin into the corner before headscissoring him back out. A knee to the face drops Austin and we take an early break. Back with Austin working on the arm but Zayne slugs away and hits a clothesline.

The backbreaker into the faceplant drops Austin again but he’s right back with the Miz clothesline in the corner. The springboard kick to the face looks to set up the Fold, which is blocked by Zayne’s jumping knee. Austin bails to the floor so Zayne moonsaults onto both of them. Back in and a Bey distraction cuts Zayne off though, allowing Austin to hit the Fold for the pin at 10:29.

Rating: C+. This was your other X-Division match of the week as Austin gets a boost off a win on the way to….whatever else he is going to be doing. Zayne continues to be a guy who can do all of the flips and such, though he needs to win something if they want these wins over him to matter. He got close here, but that is only going to go so far.

Against All Odds rundown.

Trailer for a movie sponsoring Against All Odds.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Chris Sabin

Alex Shelley is here with Sabin and Kazarian’s wife and son are here. They trade armdrags to start and that means an early standoff. Armdrags and headscissors escapes give us another standoff as they’re even so far. Sabin dropkicks the knee out and we’re already in the Figure Four. The rope is grabbed so Sabin wraps the leg around another rope, only to get kicked away.

Kazarian hits the legdrop over the ropes to take over, setting up a fisherman’s suplex for two. Sabin sends him outside for a slugout, where the Wave of the Future sends Sabin into the post. We take a break and come back with Sabin fighting out of a front facelock and snapping off a DDT for two. Kazarian gets sent outside for a change and it’s Sabin hitting a suicide dive. They trade rollups for two each back inside until Kazarian hits a slingshot DDT for two more.

The Flux Capacitor is blocked so Kazarian settles for a northern lights suplex. Sabin is able to send him outside for a tornado DDT onto the floor, but since it’s modern wrestling, Kazarian is fine enough to grab a slingshot cutter for two back inside. The Cradle Shock give Sabin two so Kazarian takes him up for a superplex and a double knockdown. They slug it out and trade kicks to the face until Sabin hits the Clothesline From Hell, Michigan. The second Cradle Shock finishes Kazarian at 21:16.

Rating: B. That’s your wrestling match of the week and they made it work really well. There were no shenanigans and Sabin won with his finisher. It’s one of the better TV matches you’ll see, which was done with no gimmicks or insanity. That is the kind of thing that is going to work every time and they had a heck of a match here, which shouldn’t be surprising.

Overall Rating: B-. This was more of a wrestling heavy show and that isn’t a bad thing. There are a lot of talented people on the roster and this show served as a big table setter for Against All Odds. Maybe they can make the show work on such short notice, but I can’t imagine the expectations are that high. For now though, we had a good TV show and that is all you need sometimes.

Results
Trey Miguel b. Steve Maclin, Laredo Kid and Chris Bey – Top rope Meteora to Bey
Gisele Shaw b. Rosemary – Jumping knee
Jordynne Grace b. Savannah Evans – MuscleBuster
Good Brothers b. Honor No More – Rollup to Vincent
Ace Austin b. Alex Zayne – Fold
Chris Sabin b. Frankie Kazarian – Cradle Shock

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 26, 2022
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are well on the way to Slammiversary and that means it is time to build towards the matches that are already set for the show. This includes the World Title match of Josh Alexander defending against Eric Young, which will probably be built up a bit more this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s main event, with the Briscoes retaining the Tag Team Titles over Violent By Design. This set up a post match staredown also involving Josh Alexander, likely setting up a six man tag this week.

Opening sequence.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Alex Shelley vs. Trey Miguel

We get a respectful handshake to start until Shelley grabs a hammerlock. Miguel spins out of that in a hurry though and we’re at a standoff. A whip into the ropes doesn’t work for Shelley, as Miguel is right there with a few kicks to the arm. Shelley sends him outside though and there’s the baseball slide to stagger Miguel. The chop hits the post though and Miguel grabs a middle rope moonsault as Shelley grabs his hand.

Back in and Shelley is fine enough to knock him out of the air and start cranking Miguel’s leg around the rope. A dragon screw legwhip makes Miguel scream and the Motor City Stretch makes it even worse. That means Miguel needs a rope for the break and a dropkick has Shelley in trouble for a change. Miguel grabs his leg before firing off the kicks to the chest anyway and grabbing a dragon sleeper.

Shelley slips out so Miguel dropkicks him in the back of the head for two. A Downward Spiral into the middle buckle drops Miguel as well though and they grab hands for the slugout. Miguel gets the better of a strike off but misses the top rope Meteora. Shelley grabs a scoop brainbuster for two before Miguel counters Shell Shock into a crucifix for the pin at 12:26.

Rating: B. This was the technical exchange that was bound to be great because the two people in the match were that good. Miguel can look excellent when he has the right opponent and that is where Shelley comes in. Shelley is one of the smoothest and most talented wrestlers in the world so this was destined to work very well.

The Briscoes and Josh Alexander are ready for Violent By Design. The Good Brothers come in and want a Tag Team Title shot, which is cool with the Briscoes.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Masha Slamovich vs. Havok

Rosemary is here with Havok. They slug it out to start with Havok sending her into the corner, only to miss a charge. Slamovich hits a heck of a spinwheel kick in the corner, followed by a hard kick to the head. Something that is supposed to be the Snow Plow (closer to a suplex slam) finishes Havok at 1:28.

Rosemary isn’t sure what to do.

Trey Miguel is fired up about his win but Kenny King comes in to say the title is coming his way at Slammiversary. Black Christian doesn’t think much of King and challenges him for the Ultimate X spot. Deal.

Rich Swann thinks Matt Cardona is ducking him so Swann is coming for him. As for Matthew Rehwoldt, if he wants to throw Swann out of Gauntlet For The Gold, come see him face to face.

Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace

Green gets her to give chase to start and then pulls her down by the hair back inside. Commentary explains the idea of the Queen Of The Mountain match, which even they admit is pretty complicated. Grace fights back up and hits a backbreaker but Green knocks her to the floor for a flip dive off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Grace being sent face first into the middle buckle for two and then gets four more for a bonus. The hard spinebuster gets Grace out of trouble and she grabs a sleeper in the corner. With that broken up, Grace hits some shots tot he face and a torture rack spun into a powerbomb gets two. The MuscleBuster is broken up so Green hits a facebuster, with Grace bridging up for the kickout. Grace’s electric chair is broken up but she’s fine enough to hit the Grace Driver for the pin at 11:26.

Rating: C. Just a match here, with the ending surprising me a bit. Green doesn’t exactly win much around here and it would be nice to have her get a bit of a boost. Granted at the same time, Grace winning is always a good thing and the Queen of the Mountain match is…well it might have pinfalls involved but that might only be in stages 3, 19 and G.

Honor No More complains to Scott D’Amore about the unsafe working environment that caused Maria Kanellis to get hurt. They want the Good Brothers at Slammiversary but they’re taken with the Briscoes instead. Eddie Edwards issues threats.

Deonna Purrazzo doesn’t want Mia Yim coming in and making a name off of her but Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans come in. Steelz offers to let Purrazzo at ringside for Evans vs. Yim next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Kazarian runs him over with a shoulder to start and grabs a headlock on the mat. Back up and a headlock takeover puts us in about the same spot so Sabin goes after the arm as we hear about Kazarian’s history in the company. The headlock takes Sabin back down but he fights up in a hurry and tosses Kazarian outside in a big crash. Back in and a high crossbody hits King, setting up a hard clothesline for two.

The crossarm choke goes on for a bit, followed by a quick German suplex. Kazarian is right back with a shot to the face, setting up a springboard spinning legdrop. The slingshot DDT gets two more on Sabin but he’s right back with a running boot to the face. Kazarian tries to go up but gets belly to back superplexed back down. Back up and stereo crossbodies put both of them down but Honor No More runs in and decks Kazarian for the DQ at 10:25.

Rating: B-. This is a match that was going to work because of the talent involved but the ending didn’t help things. It was nice to have Kazarian back for a one off as he looks as good in the ring as he ever has been. Odds are the ensuing tag match should be good as well, while also giving Honor No More something better to do.

Post match the big beatdown is on so Honor No More poses.

Post break Honor No More rants about how Impact has no respect. Heath and Rhino come in for the yelling and likely match setup.

Shera/Raj Singh vs. Bhupinder Gujjar/W. Morrissey

Singh and Gujjar start things off with Gujjar hitting a dropkick followed by a Sling Blade. It’s already off to Morrissey for a shot to the face before it’s right back to Gujjar for the slingshot elbow. Shera gets in a shot from behind though and Gujjar is in trouble for the first time. Gujjar belly to belly suplexes his way to freedom though and the hot tag brings in Morrissey to clean house. The powerbomb is broken up by Shera as everything breaks down. Morrissey chokeslams Raj and the middle rope spear gives Gujjar the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C. I can see the potential in Gujjar, but at some point he needs to do something other than feuding with Shera and Singh. The story is pretty much little more than Singh wanting Gujjar to be on his team but Gujjar keeps saying no, repeat for several weeks. There is something to Gujjar, but he needs to get out of this story already.

Moose is ready for his tag match next week, whether or not Sami Callihan is out to get him. He knows what Sami is doing but here is Steve Maclin, Moose’s partner next week, to tell him to be ready. The lights flicker but no one is here.

Here is what’s coming next week.

Briscoes/Josh Alexander vs. Violent By Design

Alexander and Deaner start things off with an exchange of arm control until Deaner grabs a headlock. That’s reversed into an armdrag into an armbar before Jay comes in to stomp away in the corner. Mark comes in and gets taken into the corner though, allowing Young to choke away. That earns him a backdrop and everything breaks down, with Jay hitting a big flip dive to the floor. Mark adds the Bang Bang Elbow and we take a break.

Back with Young elbowing Jay in the back but Jay gets over for the tag to Alexander without much trouble. That lets Alexander hammer away on Young in the corner but a Deaner cheap shot puts Alexander down again. Alexander’s neck gets caught in the corner for a dropkick to the back, leaving his nose busted.

A backbreaker/neckbreaker combination gets two on Alexander but he fights out of trouble without much effort. The hot tag brings in Mark to clean house and the Froggy Bow gets two on Young. Jay gets to clean house and there’s Redneck Boogey for two on Deaner. Young gets in a flag pole shot to Mark so the Deaner DDT can get two. Everything breaks down and Deaner gets in a hockey mask shot to Mark, setting up Young’s piledriver for the pin 17:09.

Rating: B. I can go for having Violent By Design in a six man tag like this as they should know how to cheat to win. While I don’t need to see them get another title shot, they can be used to boost things up a bit on the way to the Slammiversary main event. Other than that, the Briscoes are gearing up for the big title match against the Good Brothers, while Alexander wasn’t really a factor here, making it kind of a pointless, yet still good, match.

Overall Rating: C+. There are some good parts to the show and I like the Honor No More stuff getting a little more attention. We also had some Slammiversary matches moved forward and I could go for seeing where some of the stories go. Some of the matches need some more work, but this was a solid enough step towards the pay per view and had enough good action to go with it.

Results
Trey Miguel b. Alex Shelley – Crucifix
Masha Slamovich b. Havok – Snow Plow
Jordynne Grace b. Chelsea Green – Grace Driver
Frankie Kazarian b. Chris Sabin via DQ when Honor No More interfered
Bhupinder Gujjar/W. Morrissey b. Raj Singh/Shera – Middle rope spear to Singh
Violent By Design b. Briscoes/Josh Alexander – Piledriver to Mark

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: May 12, 2022
Location: Promowest Pavilion, Newport, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Under Siege and that means we need a new #1 contender. Josh Alexander successfully defended the World Title against Tomohiro Ishii so now it’s time for something new. That means the return of the Gauntlet For The Gold, a huge gauntlet match, to crown a new #1 contender. Let’s get to it.

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

Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt are in the ring to hype up the Gauntlet For The Gold.

Video on Gauntlet For The Gold.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Chris Bey vs. Kenny King

The winner is in the Ultimate X X-Division Title match at Slammiversary and Maria Kanellis-Bennett is on commentary. King takes him down with a headlock to start but gets armdragged into an armbar. A dropkick puts King on the floor, where he gets knocked down again for a bonus. Back in and King hits some running knees in the corner for two, followed by a snap powerslam for the same.

The neck crank goes on for a bit before King misses a springboard spinning legdrop. Bey’s torture rack neckbreaker gets two but King grabs the Chin Checker into the tiger driver for two. That has Maria VERY fired up and in full cheerleader mode but Bey cuts her off with a slingshot DDT for two of his own. Standing Sliced Bread plants King and Bey goes up, only to have Maria offer a distraction. The Royal Flush sends King to Slammiversary at 8:35.

Rating: C+. Good choice for an opener here as there was almost no way that this wasn’t going to work. King is someone with enough of a resume around here that he is going to tie into the history and feel like a viable challenger so the win is a good idea. Bey losing is a bit weird, but maybe he can get back in there some other way.

Gisele Shaw and Alisha Edwards don’t seem to get along before their Knockouts Tag Team Title shot. Yes, another thrown together team.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Influence vs. Alisha Edwards/Gisele Shaw

Edwards and Shaw are challenging and it’s Edwards rolling Rayne up for some near falls to start. Everything breaks down early and stereo Thesz presses have the champs in trouble as we take a break. Back with Edwards beating on Dashwood until a Rayne distraction cuts her off.

Dashwood grabs a neckbreaker for two and the champs take turns choking in the corner. Rayne’s neckbreaker gets two of her own but Edwards gets over for the hot tag to Edwards without much trouble. House is cleaned, including a spear for two on Shaw. Edwards tags herself back in though and it’s the double Stroke to retain the titles at 11:07.

Rating: C-. With the IInspiration gone, I continue to not exactly see the need for these titles to exist. Until some more teams are built up, they are glorified vanity trophies for the Influence and no one else. As usual, there just isn’t that much depth to support them and it shows more and more every time they get to face another thrown together tag team.

Violent By Design promises to get the Tag Team Titles back next week. For tonight though, Eric Young is winning the Gauntlet For The Gold.

Here is Gail Kim for a chat. She is excited about the 20th anniversary Slammiversary, which means we need something historic. This time around that is going to mean the first ever Queen Of The Mountain match. The five names participating are Tasha Steelz, Chelsea Green, Jordynne Grace, Deonna Purrazzo and….here are Steelz and Savannah Evans to interrupt.

Steelz can’t believe how much Kim is doing to take the title from her but she knows that Evans is going to be the fifth entrant. Actually no, because the fifth entrant is…..MIA YIM! That sends Steelz over the edge but the lights go out and Yim, with minions, is here for the save. Purrazzo comes in to help beat Yim down but Taya Valkyrie and Grace make the real save.

Rich Swann is ready for Gauntlet For The Gold but he also doesn’t think much of Digital Media Champion Matt Cardona.

Bullet Club vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Josh Alexander

Jay White/El Phantasmo for the Club. White and Alexander start things off but we’ll go with Phantasmo before anything can happen. Phantasmo actually takes him to the mat, which isn’t ok with Alexander. That means Phantasmo gets sent into the corner for the tag to White, who gets to face Ishii. White gets run over with a shoulder but it’s too early for the brainbuster. Instead White runs him over and gets to pose a bit, as he likes to do.

The choking on the ropes ensues and it’s back to Phantasmo, only to have Ishii get fired up. Some double teaming slows Ishii down though and it’s White chopping him in the corner. Ishii finally gets in a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Alexander to run over Phantasmo. Everything breaks down and the C4 Spike hits White, with Phtantasmo making the save. It’s back to Ishii, who German suplexes Phantasmo and Alexander decks White. The sliding lariat sets up the brainbuster to finish Phantasmo at 10:32.

Rating: B-. Pretty good match here, as the Bullet Club takes a hit. That being said, losing to the World Champion and a star like Ishii is hardly a devastating loss. White vs. Alexander has to be at least a candidate for the Bound For Glory World Title shot assuming it is still a possibility and keeping the two of them mostly apart here was a good idea. Alexander’s roll continues though, and I’m not sure who is supposed to stop him.

The Briscoes, the new Impact Tag Team Champions, are ready for Violent By Design again next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Gauntlet For The Gold

Royal Rumble style, twenty entrants, two minute interval to start then ninety seconds each (weird), regular match when it gets down to two. Chris Sabin is in at #1 and Alex Shelley is in at #2 by the power of coincidence. A battle over wrist control doesn’t get either of them anywhere as commentary talks about the history of Gauntlet For The Gold. Neither can get the better of anything and it’s Eddie Edwards in at #3.

The Guns wisely start in together on Edwards but he clothesliens both of them down in a bit of a surprise. Vincent, also of Honor No More, is in at #4 to give us a mini tag match. Oddly the Guns get the better of things when their odds are worse and it’s Steve Maclin in at #5. The Guns are dropped again and it’s Maclin working with Honor No More (though he doesn’t seem happy to do so) until Shark Boy makes his return at #6.

The Chummer hits Maclin and the Guns are back up to help clean house. A double Chummer hits Honor No More and we take a break. Back with Shark Boy gone, Raj Singh having come in at #7, Trey Miguel having come in at #8 and Bhupinder Gujjar coming in at #9. Gujjar beats up and elimiantes Singh, because that is the only reason these two exist around here.

Shera is in at #10 and slugs it out with Gujjar with Shera getting the better of things. W. Morrissey is in at #11 and gets to clean house, including eliminating Shera and Vincent. Eric Young is in at #12 and hits Morrissey with a hockey mask, setting up the piledriver. Young blocks Gujjar’s skinning the cat attempt and tosses him out and Maclin hits Miguel with an Irish Curse.

Johnny Swinger, in a mini Wrestlemania III ring cart (as powered by Zicky Dice in a hilarious bit) wacks to the ring like a Bushwhacker, is in at #13, gets tossed, and wacks his way out as we take another break. Back again with Black Taurus having come in at #14, Heath having come in at #15 and having to be saved by Rhino at #16. The Gore hits Edwards and he gets tossed out as we see Shelley being eliminated during the break.

Moose is in at #17 and tosses Taurus and Rhino in short order. Heath slugs away at Moose and gets tossed as well but it’s Rich Swann in at #18 to get the numbers back up a bit. Swann hits Moose with a Lethal Injection but Young slows him down with a low blow. Matt Cardona’s….music plays, as Matthew Rehwoldt is in at #19 to toss Swann from behind. PCO is in at #20 and gets to clean some house, including eliminating Rehwoldt.

Morrissey and PCO get the big slugout (with Morrissey TOWERING over him) until Maclin tosses both of them in an impressive feat. That gives us a final four of Moose, Young, Maclin and Sabin, with Moose being the only one standing. Then the lights go back and it’s Sami Callihan (who returned at Under Siege) to get rid of Moose. Rage seems to be implied as we’re down to three.

Maclin and Young start stomping on Sabin in the corner but he’s back up with a double clothesline. Sabin manages to send Maclin to the apron though and some dropkicks put him down,meaning it’s Sabin vs. Young in a regular match for the title shot. Young knocks him down and hits the top rope elbow for two, plus a clothesline for the same. Sabin is back with a tornado DDT for the same but the Cradle Shock is countered into a piledriver to give Young the pin and the title shot at 36:34.

Rating: C+. The best thing that you can say about a match like this is that it didn’t drag and they managed to make it work here. They even had some comic relief with Swinger and Shark Boy in there to make things a bit more fun. As for Young winning….I guess it works, though it doesn’t exactly feel like something that should be headlining what is often their best show of the year. Maybe it winds up working, but it isn’t exactly exciting.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was built around one match and that match wound up doing rather well. That is a rare change of pace for Impact, as they rarely come out hot after a bigger show. Hopefully they can keep that up, as Slammiversary could be quite the success if they put everything together well. They have a main event set, and while it could be good, they might have their work cut out for them to make the card feel that important. It can be done, but it won’t be the easiest trick.

Results
Kenny King b. Chris Bey – Royal Flush
Influence b. Gisele Shaw/Alisha Edwards – Double faceplant to Edwards
Tomohiri Ishii/Josh Alexander b. Bullet Club – Brainbuster to El Phantasmo
Eric Young won Gauntlet For The Gold 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:

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

AND

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