Hardcore Justice 2021
Date: April 10, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

It’s the Impact Wrestling Wrestlemania weekend offering with the hardcore themed show, as operated by Tommy Dreamer. Now for once this actually makes sense, though somehow Dreamer is likely to be main eventing the show as well. The card looks decent and has been built up on Impact as of late, so it feels like an actually pay per view. Let’s get to it.

The opening video features Eric Young talking about how he has a sickness and violence is the only cure. Tommy Dreamer has that same sickness and tonight, Young is willing to provide the cure for him.

Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. TJP/Fallah Bahh vs. Josh Alexander/Petey Williams

Austin, TJP and Alexander are feuding over the X-Division Title and got to pick their own partners. Alexander gets run over by the huge Bahh to start, including getting knocked to the floor. Back in and Bahh strikes away but Alexander takes him down by the leg. Williams comes in but gets knocked into the corner by TJP. A drop toehold lets Williams hit a dropkick to the back, only to get pulled into TJP’s Octopus variation. It’s off to Austin, who is taken down for a nasty arm crank from TJP.

Bahh comes back in and gets caught in the corner for some shoulders from Fulton. Some double teaming sets up a running crossbody to Bahh’s kneeling back for two but Bahh backdrops his way to freedom. Williams tags himself in to take over on Austin and it’s back to Alexander for a quick German suplex. A blind tag brings Fulton back in to side slam Alexander for two and a big boot lets Austin come back in.

Austin’s spinning legdrop gets two but Alexander pops back up with a powerslam. Austin kicks him into the corner for the hot tag to TJP and the pace picks up. There’s a tornado DDT to Austin and everything breaks down. Bahh crossbodies Fulton down and the Mamba Splash hits Austin but Alexander tags himself in to steal the near fall. Williams Sharpshooters Austin and Alexander ankle locks Fulton but TJP grabs a choke on Williams at the same time.

Bahh breaks the whole thing up and it’s Fulton having to save Austin from the Canadian Destroyer. Everything breaks down again and Fulton cleans house with everyone going down. TJP knocks Alexander into the corner for a facewash and the Canadian Destroyer hits TJP. Williams stomps on Bahh’s ankle and Alexander ankle locks him for the tap at 13:41.

Rating: B-. This was exactly what it should have been with a hot opener featuring some talented people. The Canadian Destroyer may have become one of the biggest jokes in wrestling but there is still a little something special about Williams using it. This was all about the main trio though and they could tear the house down at Rebellion. Good stuff here and they’re off to a solid start.

Here’s what’s coming today.

Hernandez vs. Shera

This is a chairs match dubbed Chairly Legal. Dang it why do I have to love puns? The exchange of shoulders goes to Shera and he hammers away in the corner. Hernandez gets in a shot of his own though and the first chair shot goes over Shera’s back. Some chairs are set up at ringside but Hernandez spends too much time on the building, allowing Shera to chair him down. Back in and Hernandez gets in a chair shot of his own and wedges some chairs in the corner.

Shera goes face first into a chair in the middle of the ring for two and the big ax handles keep him down. A quick spinebuster gives Shera two and they head outside with Hernandez taking over again. Some chairs are thrown in and Shera manages to superplex him onto the pile for two. Hernandez is right back up with chair shots of his own but here is Rohit Raju to blast Hernandez with a chair. A confused Shera gets the pin at 9:01.

Rating: C. Another not too bad match here with Shera getting a lot better, mainly due to not having everything focused on some stupid dance. The chairs were the focal point here and they didn’t go outside of that, which made enough sense for a one off match like this. Hernandez is fine in this role and that is all he needs to be. Not a great match but it fit in well on a show like this one.

We go to Swinger’s Palace where Chris Sabin and James Storm aren’t happy with being told to take the night off. XXXL comes in and can’t get a seat so a match is set up for…well actually one isn’t because XXXL gets to sit down. Matt Cardona comes in to ask what the deal is around here. He says Swinger has been in wrestling for 150 years so here is Dreamer to it’s MATCH TIME. This isn’t Wrestle House….but Dreamer is in charge so we’re having Cardona vs. Swinger in a Crate American Bash.

Doc Gallows vs. Black Taurus

Karl Anderson and Crazzy Steve are here too. Taurus hammers away to start but misses a crossbody, allowing Gallows to hit a clothesline to take over. Gallows knocks him down again and hammers away, including an uppercut to cut off a comeback attempt. A suplex sets up a chinlock for a bit before a trip to the floor.

Taurus is sent over the barricade and we head back inside for another chinlock. With that broken up, Gallows hits a bit boot but Taurus fights up with a shot to the ace. A top rope clothesline sets up a 619 into a missile dropkick for two on Gallows. Anderson offers a distraction though and it’s a superkick into a chokebomb to finish Taurus at 9:01.

Rating: D+. This was mostly a squash until Taurus had a nice comeback. I like Taurus a good bit but there is no way he should be beating Gallows here. That being said, there is only so much that can be done when Gallows isn’t exactly giving him much throughout the match. The Brothers are not exactly my favorite people in Impact and this didn’t do much to change that idea.

Violent By Design is ready to cure Tommy Dreamer and company.

Matt Cardona vs. Johnny Swinger

Crate American Bash, meaning there is a crate at every corner with something inside to use. Swinger, with the Swingerellas, gets rolled up to start and lies about the tights being pulled. Back up and Swinger hits a strut but needs to hide in the ropes, allowing Cardona to do his own strut, which will always work. Some forearms to the back set up a Paul Orndorff elbow on Cardona and it’s time to grab the first crate. Inside….is a framed photo of Scott Hall, which is a call back to the WCW version of this match because reasons.

Swinger knocks him off the apron and into the barricade for a breather. Back in and Swinger goes for the second crate but Cardona takes him down with a jawbreaker. Swinger pulls him off the ropes though and opens the second crate to find…a rat trap. Ok that was funny. Cardona gets his knees up in the corner and adds the middle rope dropkick.

Back up and a collision gives us another double knockdown but Cardona is up first. The third crate has….something Cardona likes but he doesn’t pull it out. Swinger gets the other crate and finds some brass knuckles for a big smile. That’s about it for the smiling though as he charges into Radio Silence for the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C-. Total comedy match here and there is nothing wrong with that. Swinger is someone who has gone from a complete groan to one of the more entertaining things about Impact Wrestling, which has been a great surprise. I’m guessing the third crate has some kind of toy or action figure inside, which would be appropriate for the match, though it does make me wonder why Dreamer had these things sitting around. Anyway, this was fine.

Cardona takes the third crate with him.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu at Hardcore Justice 2010. You need this on a taped pay per view? This eats up nearly ten minutes.

XXXL is having trouble keeping up with James Storm and Chris Sabin’s drinking.

Here is Sami Callihan to say he tries to help people, including Trey Miguel. It worked last week and under his mentoring, Miguel could reach the next level. Passion is about taking what you want and since Sami wants to be on Hardcore Justice, he is going to be on Hardcore Justice. The open challenge is on.

Sami Callihan vs. Sam Beale

Beale is Miguel’s student and Sami runs him over to start. Sami offers him a free shot and then knocks Beale down again. Beale’s face is rubbed into the mat and Sami bites him a bit before taking it outside. Some right hands have little effect on Sami, who snaps off a t-bone suplex to drop Beale again. Back in and Beale rolls him up for two so Sami nails a hard clothesline. The package piledriver finishes Beale at 4:05.

Rating: D+. This was a storyline advancement rather than a match and while I’m not a fan of the angle, it’s not like they spent a lot of time on it. Sami messing with Trey is either going to result in a big match at Rebellion or them being the Tag Team Champions. Neither is overly appealing but PLEASE DON’T MAKE THEM A REGULAR TEAM! Just let them fight and be done with it already.

We recap Brian Myers damaging Matt Cardona’s eye Jake Something’s eye. Therefore, it’s a hardcore blindfold match.

Brian Myers vs. Jake Something

Striker: “Look up the last time someone named Jake was in a blindfold match.” Good grief. They’re both blindfolded and there are weapons at ringside. Myers gets knocked outside early on and finds a trashcan lid to take Something down. In a smart move, Myers grabs him by the wrist and then finds another weapon to hit him in the head. They head back inside with Myers dropping him again and covering, albeit with Jake on his stomach.

Back up and Jake manages a sitout powerbomb, followed by some Scott Hall style shoulders while holding Myers’ wrist. Myers manages to find the referee and send him into Jake. The knockdown allows Myers to pull up the mask and hit a low superkick, which draws out Cardona with the third crate. Cardona slaps the mat for a distraction and slides Jake the crate. A shot to the head knocks Myers out and opens the crate, revealing a bunch of action figures. Jake hits a Boss Man Slam for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: D+. Another match that wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a fun idea that advanced a bigger story. In that regard it worked out well and it isn’t like this is going to be anything more than that. Cardona vs. Myers is slowly growing on me and as long as it doesn’t get treated as anything overly serious, it should work out well. Now give Jake a new last name and everything gets better.

Tommy Dreamer and his team (Rich Swann/Willie Mack/Eddie Edwards) are ready for Violent By Design.

Rosemary vs. Alisha vs. Havok vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Susan vs. Tenille Dashwood

Weapons match and the winner gets a Knockouts Title shot at Rebellion. Actually hold on as Su Yung comes out to attack Susan and we have a replacement. Yung is too much for Dashwood, who runs off rather than deal with her. Grace hammers on Alisha in the corner while Rosemary and Havok knock Young outside. That team lasts all of three seconds before they knock each other to the floor. Dashwood grabs Grace’s leg so the chase is on, meaning Kaleb With A K almost hits Dashwood with a frying pan by mistake.

It’s time for the staple gun and Kaleb With A K takes the shot to save Dashwood. That leaves Havok to legdrop Alisha for two with Grace making the save. The big staredown goes to Grace, who cuts off Alisha’s try with a trashcan. Grace plants Alisha for two with Yung making the save this time as you can see Susan being taken to the back (only took the referees the better part of ten minutes to help her). Yung beats on Grace until Havok comes in with a noose to take her down. Rosemary gets the Upside Down on Grace and it’s time for little red bag of thumbtacks.

Alisha hits something like a reverse DDT to drive Rosemary into them before whipping out a kendo stick (which is dubbed Kendra). Yung gives Alisha the Mandible Claw to cut that off and drag her away, which can’t end well. Havok and Grace slug it out with Havok knocking her down (allowing Striker to get in the always wrong “they’re all the same height on the mat”) and going up. Cue Nevaeh to throw powder in Havok’s eyes though and Kaleb With A K adds a superkick. Grace is back up with a Vader Bomb to Havok but Dashwood comes in and steals the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C-. This started to drag a bit in the middle but Dashwood winning actually surprised me. It is nice to see her FINALLY moving up as she has every tool imaginable but for some reason nothing has clicked yet. The weapons were a pretty minor part here but hopefully this leads to Yung returning full time. Susan isn’t working so give us what works better for a change. Not much of a match, but the right person won.

XXXL is very drunk but still want their match. James Storm says it’s time…..to play beer pong apparently. Chris Sabin throws the ball at the cup and knocks it off the table, so Larry D. offers to show him how it’s done. This misses completely, with Swinger dubbing him Knuckleball Schwartz. Storm throws a ball at Larry and the fight is on with Storm and Sabin standing tall, allowing Storm to drop a ball in the cup for the win. Swinger panics because he forgot to pay for his insurance.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about how important Jazz is but her time has passed. Tonight Purrazzo will prove that and it is title vs. career.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jazz

Jazz is challenging with her career on the line. An early spinwheel kick gives Jazz two and she starts in on the arm. That’s fine with Purrazzo, who catches her with an arm snap across the top rope. The armbar is on but Jazz gets in an elbow to the face, only to get pulled into a Downward Spiral for two. Purrazzo stays on the arm and ties Jazz’s limbs around the bottom rope for a change of pace. Some kicks put Jazz on the floor so she has to pull herself back in, allowing Purrazzo to stomp away some more.

They head outside with Purrazzo hammering away until Jazz runs her over. It’s time to throw in some weapons and they head inside again, with Jazz nailing the snap jabs. An X Factor gets two but Purrazzo goes after the arm again to take over. The title is brought in but Purrazzo pulls it away and chairs her down. A DDT onto the chair gives Jazz two and frustration is setting in. Jazz can’t get a double chickenwing so Purrazzo snaps off an exploder suplex. The Queen’s Gambit retains the title at 13:08.

Rating: C+. They were going for the big, emotional moment here and came pretty close to nailing it. Jazz might not be the biggest legend of all time but she has wrestled everywhere and done pretty well for a long time, so it is more than ok to give her something like this. Solid enough match too, making this feel like a good co-main event.

Post match Purrazzo leaves and Jazz gets the big sendoff, with Jordynne Grace coming in to thank her. This would be a lot better if Striker would shut up about Mama calling on the Louisiana wind and her children always waiting. Just….stop talking sometimes man.

Tommy Dreamer has been attacked so the main event will be 4-3.

Eddie Edwards/Willie Mack/Rich Swann vs. Violent By Design

This a Hardcore War, meaning WarGames (minus the cage) with two men starting for three minutes and the team who won a coin toss (Violent By Design) sending in another man after two minutes. Two minutes later, the other team evens things up. Once all eight are in, it is the first fall to win with No DQ of course. Eddie Edwards and Deaner start things off on the floor as Striker wants Dreamer to come out in the Willis Reed or Kirk Gibson moment.

They knock each other around on the floor before heading inside, where Eddie hits a belly to belly suplex. That sends them back outside…and then get back in, with Eddie hammering away to take over. The Backpack Stunner connects as time expires, with Striker, who read the rules earlier, not being sure who has the advantage. Rhino is in to make it 2-1 and the slow beating is on. Brown talks about how Rhino has changed, to the point where Rhino won’t even speak to him.

As I try to imagine Brown and Rhino as a team with Rhino doing the head shake, Willie Mack, with Kenny and a chain (which Striker thinks sounds like a country song) comes in to even things up. The good guys take over with various weapons shots, including a toaster (Brown: “I love French toast.”) until Joe Doering comes in to make it 3-2.

Edwards and Mack jump the monster but he knocks both of them down at once without much trouble. Deaner puts Mack’s hand in the toaster and bends it back until Rich Swann is in to even it up. Swann cleans house, including kicking Doering low, with a handicap parking sign. With Violent By Design down, Swann and Edwards set up a table at ringside as Eric Young comes in to complete the villains.

Young brings in a hockey stick to beat on people in various painful ways until the countdown is on and…..Trey Miguel evens things up with a golf club. Miguel gets in Doering’s face and gets crushed with a crossbody, which has Striker loudly thanking God for Doering. Deaner beats on Mack but gets caught with Swann’s handspring cutter. Rhino Gores Swann through a table in the corner for two, meaning it’s time to go to the corner.

The Tower of Doom plants everyone but Doering, who puts Eddie on a table outside. Miguel gets up with a top rope Meteora to drive Doering through Eddie through the table though, leaving Mack 3-1 inside. Rhino is sent outside and a pop up Downward Spiral gets two on Doering with Young making the save. Young is back up with the piledriver to finish Mack at 20:25.

Rating: C+. This was pretty good but felt a bit like the hold house show versions of WarGames in the NWA days. Yeah it’s a big, violent match but don’t expect anything taken to the next level. Miguel coming in to replace Dreamer was a surprise and Dreamer not getting the spotlight was nice. They did well enough for a main event here, but it’s no classic, at least partially due to Striker’s odd obsession with Doering.

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure how much more you were expecting from a hardcore themed show over Wrestlemania weekend. It advanced some stories and gave us a few good moments with some talented wrestlers. For $10, that’s about all you can ask for and it worked out as well as could be expected. Nothing worth seeing on here, but if you throw it on, you won’t have the worst time.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 8, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

It’s the first show on a new night as Impact is back on Thursdays. As a result it is time for a stacked card, including the first ever Kenny Omega match around here. Throw in the fact that we are less than three weeks away from Rebellion and it is time to start setting up the card. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Jordynne Grace/Havok/Rosemary vs. Tenille Dashwood/Nevaeh/Alisha Edwards

There are all kinds of people at ringside. Grace drives Alisha into the corner to start but she is right back with a quick Downward Spiral for two. A Jackhammer gets two on Alisha and it’s off to Rosemary to scary Dashwood out to the floor. The chase lets Havok knock Dashwood down but Kaleb With A K gets her off the table. Grace hits a big dive onto Kaleb but gets taken into the corner for some rapid fire stomping.

Dashwood charges into some boots though and Grace rolls over for the tag off to Rosemary. House is cleaned in a hurry and Rosemary catches Alisha in the Upside Down. Alisha is back up as everything breaks down again. Nevaeh Russian legsweeps Havok off the apron and through the table at ringside, leaving Rosemary to hit the Red Wedding to finish Alisha at 7:49.

Rating: C-. As usual, there is only so much you can do when you have this many people involved in a match, especially including everyone on the floor. The match wasn’t bad by any means, but it is just a preview of the Hardcore Justice match. Thankfully they didn’t stay out there too long, as I’ve rarely gotten the idea behind seeing people wrestle on one show to get to see them wrestle on another show later in the week.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Matt Cardona wants Brian Myers but tonight he’ll settle for Jake Something.

Coming soon: Let’s Get WILDE.

Susan seems to have some Su Yung flashbacks.

Matt Cardona vs. Jake Something

Cardona’s headlock doesn’t last long so Jake powers him out to the floor for a running shoulder. A basement dropkick puts Jake outside again but he’s right back in to run through Cardona without much trouble. Cardona flips out of a suplex and grabs a neckbreaker for a breather and hits a quick faceplant to rock him again. Radio Silence is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two and they crash out to the floor over the top. Cue Brian Myers to jump both of them at the same time for the DQ at 4:59.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to get very far but it was nice to see Cardona being treated as someone who is just being himself instead of some former WWE star. He is starting to fit in around here and that is a great thing for a change. Hopefully we are getting something better with the Myers feud though, because it isn’t exactly thrilling stuff so far. Jake continues to just be there, probably because his last name is Something.

Post match Myers hits Cardona in the face with the steps, possibly taking out Cardona’s eye. Sure he’ll fight Cardona at Hardcore Justice.

XXXL laughs at Trey Miguel but he isn’t teaming with Sami Callihan. More insulting seems to make Miguel think about it though.

Eric Young blames Deaner for last week’s loss but worry not, because Deaner can make up for it tonight.

XXXL vs. Sami Callihan/Trey Miguel

Well in theory at least because there is no Miguel. Actually scratch that as yes there is, and he charges into the ring to go after both monsters on his own. Trey sends them to the floor and loads up a dive but Sami tags himself in and we take a break. Back with Acey planting Trey with a side slam. XXXL picks Trey up and drops him down for a crash but Sami comes in for the save. Trey tags himself back in and they glare at each other, setting up the stereo dives. Back in and Trey grabs the Hourglass to make Larry tap at 7:47.

Rating: D+. Yeah we’re going with this story again because it is something that just cannot go away forever. I’m not sure why people find this interesting, but for some reason the tag partners who hate each other keeps coming up over and over. Now it’s Sami and Trey, because there was nothing else that could be done with them and this is as good as we can get because reasons. Nothing match of course, because this is all about the tired idea that we’ve forever, because of course it is.

Chris Harris and James Storm have a good time at Swinger’s Palace.

Chris Sabin vs. Deaner

Sabin starts fast with some rollups for two each before working on the arm. Deaner gets more serious by choking away in the corner but Sabin is back with a dragon screw legwhip. A running boot in the corner sets up a fisherman’s driver for two. Deaner’s rollup gets two as Sabin’s foot is underneath the rope so he sends Sabin into the corner instead. A pull out into a sitout powerbomb gets two but Deaner’s rollup with feet on the ropes only gets two. Sabin is right back with the Cradle Shock for the pin at 5:35.

Rating: C-. Another match which was designed to continue the story of one of the weaker stables going on at the moment. I’m still not getting into Violent By Design and Young’s brainwashing of a guy who was a redneck pest about three months ago. Sabin is still good for almost anything though and it is nice to see him back in the ring on his own for a change.

Post match Eric Young pops up on screen and Chris Harris has been attacked. Rhino comes in and Gores Sabin as Young shouts again like he does every single week.

Josh Alexander tells Ace Austin about a triple threat match for the X-Division Title. TJP comes in and is rather happy about it as well but here’s Tommy Dreamer to make a hardcore triple threat tag match for Hardcore Justice with TJP, Austin and Alexander getting to pick a partner.

Post break, Eric Young comes up to Tommy Dreamer and doesn’t like him being in charge at Hardcore Justice. Dreamer says he’ll get some friends and fight Violent By Design at Hardcore Justice too.

Video on Jazz’s career and how she went everywhere in the industry.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready for Jazz, because she is ready to take over the foundation that Jazz has built. She is even willing to face Jazz on her own.

Tommy Dreamer catches up with Brian Myers and makes it Myers vs. Cardona a hardcore blindfold match.

Here’s what’s coming at Hardcore Justice.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann/Eddie Edwards vs. Kenny Omega/Good Brothers

Don Callis handles Omega’s entrance. It’s a brawl to start with Swann and Omega being left alone. Omega tries a dive to the floor but takes out the Good Brothers by mistake. Swann and company hit their own dives and we take a break. Back with Anderson getting triple teamed, including a flipping legdrop to the back of the neck getting two. Gallows comes in to drive Edwards into the corner as Striker thinks the Good Brothers are bad role models.

Omega drives Edwards’ face into the mat and it’s back to Gallows for a chinlock. This lets Striker talk about how great Omega is and saying if you don’t like him, there is more than enough wrestling around. So yeah, if you don’t like what you’re seeing here, change the channel. Edwards gets up and brings in Mack to clean house The standing moonsault hits Anderson and Omega at the same time but Gallows takes him down and hammers away.

We take another break and come back again with Omega dropping an elbow on Mack before handing it off to Anderson, who misses a charge. Striker talks about how obnoxious it gets to have Omega and the Brothers praising Japan all the time. Yeah imagine a wrestler trying to sound smarter and cooler than everyone else. And imagine them getting to do commentary for two hours a week.

A chinlock keeps Mack in trouble but Omega falls down on a slam attempt. Mack hits a double clothesline to Anderson and Omega, allowing the hot tag to Swann. A double bulldog gets two on Omega and everything breaks down. Omega drops Edwards and it’s time for the parade of people hitting each other in the face. The V Trigger drops Mack and a triple splash (with Striker pointing out that they did it in Japan) gets two on Edwards with Swann making the save.

The tag brings in Swann and for the slugout with Omega, who tries the quick One Winged Angel. Swann escapes, with Striker saying that means Swann can escape the One Winged Angel. Swann’s 450 gets two and Callis has to break up the pin. No matter as the Boston Knee Party to Anderson sets up the Phoenix splash for the pin at 22:26.

Rating: B-. It was an entertaining enough match and they did a nice job of making Swann seem like a bit more of a threat to Omega. Now granted this might have raised his chances of winning from zero percent up to about a third of a single percent because Omega is absolutely walking out with another title, but at least they tried. The other people were just kind of there, but Edwards vs. Omega could be interesting.

Overall Rating: C. This is one of the better Impacts in a bit, mainly because they were doing a rapid fire build towards Hardcore Justice and couldn’t waste a bunch of time. I’m still not wild on a lot of the things that they are doing at the moment, but at least they have something to do and that is more than you can say about them for the last few….well months probably.

Results

Rosemary/Jordynne Grace/Havok b. Tenille Dashwood/Nevaeh/Alisha Edwards – Red Wedding to Edwards

Matt Cardona vs. Jake Something went to a double DQ when Brian Myers interfered

Trey Miguel/Sami Callihan b. XXXL – Hourglass to Larry D.

Chris Sabin b. Deaner – Cradle Shock

Rich Swann/Willie Mack/Eddie Edwards b. Kenny Omega/Good Brothers – Phoenix splash to Anderson

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

We’re coming up on Hardcore Justice and that means a lot more Tommy Dreamer. It fits a bit better this time around but that doesn’t exactly make things all the more interesting. I’m not entirely sure what we are going to get for the show, but until then we are in for a lot more Kenny Omega as the harvesting of Impact continues. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Havok/Nevaeh vs. Fire N Flava

Non-title and Havok/Nevaeh seem to be fine after some recent issues. Kiera talks a lot of trash to Havok to start and is launched across the ring. A backbreaker gets two on Kiera and it’s off to Nevaeh. That means a trip into the corner so Nevaeh can hit a Hennig necksnap for two.

Havok comes back in and gets sent into the corner, setting up a running boot to the face. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Kiera goes up, only to be pulled out of the air for a slam. The hot tag brings in Nevaeh as everything breaks down. Havok’s sitout powerbomb (where she didn’t get Kiera that far up) gets two but Tasha is back with a cutter. A frog splash finishes Havok at 7:18.

Rating: C-. This is another match we’ve seen over and over again so any of the impact that it could have is long gone. There are only so many times you can do this and we reached that point a good while ago. The women’s tag division has such little depth that there is pretty much one team to go after the titles. Now that they have lost over and over, I’m not sure what is left for the belts.

Post match Nevaeh turns on Havok and beats her down to end the team.

James Storm is ready for his 1000^th match in Impact tonight. Storm talks about how Bob Ryder kept saying Storm and Chris Harris had something special and made sure they were on TV. Tonight Storm is ready for Eric Young and has some friends. Chris Sabin comes in and he has a surprise: Harris is here too, and it’s time for a nice reunion.

Deonna Purrazzo and Susan hate Jazz did to Kimber Lee and swear revenge. Jazz runs in to beat them both down.

Sami Callihan vs. Larry D

Acey Romero is here with Larry. Sami goes straight at him to start and knocks Larry out to the floor. A dive is cut off and Sami is sent into the apron so we can take a break. Back with Larry knocking Sami outside again and sending him into the post. They go back inside with Larry hitting a hard clothesline, causing Striker to ask “is there a cover in Larry D?”, because Striker has to make everything sound weird.

Sami gets up and catches Larry on top, meaning it’s a Death Valley Driver for two. They head to the apron where Larry blocks a piledriver so Sami slips back inside to rake the eyes with a bit of fiendish gleaming. Sami hits MJF’s Heatseeker (a jumping hanging piledriver) for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: C-. There is only so much someone of Sami’s average size can do against a monster like Larry and that was on display here. They did their thing about as well as could be expected here and the big story is probably coming after the match because there wasn’t much in the match itself.

Post match XXXL beats Sami down but Trey Miguel doesn’t make the save. Sami seems pleased, as this story must continue.

Video on FinJuice taking the Tag Team Titles to New Japan.

Kenny Omega, Don Callis and the Good Brothers are not happy with FinJuice. They’re about to watch the One Winged Angel video again, but Omega and Callis have an idea for the Brothers.

Sami Callihan talks to Trey Miguel about pushing him to his limit. Trey needs to use his anger to put himself on a new level. Sami claims credit for Trey’s success and wants them to team up against XXXL next week. That’s a no, but Sami says think about it work a week.

Brian Myers vs. Suicide

Suicide grabs the arm to start and we’re in a quickly broken Octopus. Myers slips out and hits him in the throat, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two. A Rock Bottom sets up the Roster Cut to finish Suicide at 2:53.

Post match Myers talks about Matt Cardona’s challenge to a match, which isn’t going to happen because this is Myers’ place, not Cardona’s.

Jazz comes up to Tommy Dreamer and wants to face Deonna Purrazzo. Dreamer brings up ECW’s Ultimate Jeopardy match, which we can bring back with a title vs. career match at Hardcore Justice. Works for Jazz.

Tony Schiavone and Tony Khan preview this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Khan rants about how annoying Kenny Omega is but makes sure to hype up his six man tag this week. This sends Khan sailing into a rant about how he is the professional wrestling world and the Forbidden Door. With the insanity still rolling, Khan talks about some more of the card, with Schiavone wrapping it up.

We go to Swinger’s Palace, where Johnny Swinger won’t let John E. Bravo use the restroom. Don Callis and Kenny Omega come in to ask about some action on Omega vs. Rich Swann. They even show the One Winged Angel video, which is enough to sway the odds. Callis puts down a $20,000 bet on Omega.

TJP/Josh Alexander vs. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin

Alexander and TJP argue over who gets to start with Fulton, who eventually throws Alexander around to get going. Austin comes in for all of a few seconds before Fulton comes in so Alexander can grab a headlock. That’s broken up so Alexander hits a top rope shoulder to drop the monster again. It’s back to Austin, with Alexander taking him down in a hurry. Everything breaks down just as fast with Alexander getting mad at TJP for helping him. That’s fine with TJP, who tags himself in and gets taken down into Austin’s chinlock.

Fulton adds a middle rope choke and we hit the chinlock again. TJP breaks that up in a hurry and we hear more of Striker’s nonsense designed to sound smart. The hot tag brings in Alexander to clean house as everything breaks down again. Alexander seems to take a shot to the eye though and splashes TJP in the corner by mistake. Austin kicks Alexander in the face for two but he’s right back with a Regal Roll. TJP tags himself in again and hits the Mamba Splash but they fight over the cover. During the confusion, TJP gets rolled up for the pin at 9:12.

Rating: C. So to recap, in a match after we tease tag team partners who don’t get along, we get tag team partners who don’t get along. Alexander vs. TJP should be a good one, but seeing them go this route to get there takes a lot of the fun out of whatever they are going to do. It’s such a tired plot device but we keep seeing it over and over, even twice on a show in this case.

Don Callis comes up to Willie Mack and talks about bringing Mack into the company. He shows Mack the One Winged Angel video but Rich Swann comes in. Callis: “Kenny loves your finishing move and can’t wait to kick out of it.” Swann talks about his heart and says he would slap Callis’ glasses off if Callis wasn’t his boss. That’s fine with Callis, who isn’t his boss for the next ten minutes. Cue Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers for the beatdown but Eddie Edwards and Mack make the save to clear the room.

Coming soon: something that doesn’t have all of the letters in its name.

Rohit Raju comes up to Hernandez and suggests the team name Indian Latin Xchange. Hernandez just cares about money and tells Raju to go get some.

Violent By Design is ready to beat James Storm in his 1000^th match tonight. They have all been cleansed by the violent water of change.

Tommy Dreamer has a talent meeting for Hardcore Justice. Deonna Purrazzo is ready for Jazz and leaves, but Dreamer talks to Susan about Su. She has no idea what he means and Purrazzo pulls Susan out. Dreamer announces a multi-woman Knockouts scramble where anything goes for a title shot at Rebellion. Some of the women are more pleased than others.

Here’s what’s coming next week and at Hardcore Justice.

Eric Young vs. James Storm

This is Storm’s 1000^th Impact match and Violent By Design, Chris Harris, Jake Something and Chris Sabin are all here. Feeling out process to start as Striker says Storm is the best tag team wrestler in Impact history. Striker: “There. I said it!” Who else would it possibly be? The guy has more reigns (15) and more days (over 1,600) as champion (between NWA/Impact) than anyone so that’s not much of a bold declaration there. Storm hammers away and elbows him into the ropes but Young knocks him outside.

We take a break and come back with Young getting two as Storm has to grab the rope. Young chokes on the rope as Striker lists off the names on the ringside, again showing how bad Something is as a wrestling name. Storm fights up with some shots to the face and a running neckbreaker for two as they’re both down.

Eye of the Storm and the Last Call are broken up but the second Eye of the Storm works just fine. Young is back with his own neckbreaker into a top rope elbow for two more. A superkick gives Young two and Storm is sent outside, meaning it’s time to start the big brawl. Young goes after Chris Harris, who knocks him silly with a left hand. Back in and the Last Call (which commentary says means Closing Time, which is Storm’s Codebreaker) gives Storm the pin at 13:58.

Rating: C. This is the definition of a fun match for a feel good moment and that is what we got. Storm winning with his old partner’s help was a fine way to go and it helps to have Young get kicked in the face every time. Now unfortunately there is some bad news, as Young tore his ACL in there somewhere and, aside from some previously taped matches, this is going to be it for Young for probably the rest of the year.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event helped a lot here so there is only so much that you can complain about here. At the end of the day, this was all about a one off celebration of James Storm and hyping up Omega and pals getting in the ring next week. Oh and tag partners who hate each other, but the less I have to think about that, the better. Not much of a show, but the main point worked out well enough.

Results

Fire N Flava b. Havok/Nevaeh – Frog splash to Havok

Sami Callihan b. Larry D. – Hanging jumping piledriver

Brian Myers b. Suicide – Roster Cut

Ace Austin/Madman Fulton b. TJP/Josh Alexander – Rollup to TJP

James Storm b. Eric Young – Last Call

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

We are most of the way to Sacrifice and now we have a main event as Moose will challenge Rich Swann for the World Title. That would be the Impact World Title, as the TNA World Title now seems to be the official secondary title (at least for now) around here. That should be a heck of a match when they get the chance so hopefully the rest of the card looks as good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Black Taurus vs. Ace Austin vs. Chris Bey

The rest of Decay and Madman Fulton are here and the winner gets the X-Division Title shot against TJP at Sacrifice. Taurus gets jumped to start with both fellow villains standing on his chest in the corner. Some running dropkicks keep Taurus down but he pops up and tosses Bey into Austin into another corner. Back up and Bey offers a distraction, allowing Austin to hit a springboard kick to the head.

That’s enough to send Taurus outside for the stereo dives, meaning it’s Austin vs. Bey grappling away back inside. Austin flips out of a headscissors, followed by Bey doing the same. They both catch kicks at the same time so Bey heads to the apron, where Taurus pulls him down. Taurus catches Austin’s dive and slams him onto Bey on the floor to take over. Back in and Taurus strikes away, including a running elbow for two. Bey sends Austin to the floor and kicks Taurus in the head in the corner.

Taurus loads up a suplex on Bey but Austin is back in with a springboard dropkick to put all three down. I’m not sure why Taurus is down as the dropkick hit Bey, but I guess it makes for a better visual. Taurus Pounces Austin to break up the Fold and a heck of a pop up Samoan drop plants Bey. Austin catches Taurus’ charge though and sends him to the floor, where Taurus is holding his knee. Back up and Fulton grabs Bey, leaving Austin to hit the Fold for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C+. Austin was the right choice to win here as he is on a roll but this was a good performance from everyone. The X-Division has suddenly gotten pretty sweet again and I could go for seeing more of these people doing their thing. Austin vs. TJP should be a heck of a match and Taurus looked like a heck of a monster here.

Jordynne Grace and Jazz are ready for Deonna Purrazzo and company but here are Fire N Flava to mock their losses. They will be at ringside tonight but Grace says let’s just make it a triple threat.

Brian Myers tries to talk to Matt Cardona, who is refereeing his match tonight. Cardona is calling it straight tonight though because he wants to keep it professional.

Commentary runs down the card.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Havok

Kaleb With A K (still in the neck brace) is here with Dashwood. A shot to the back of the head just annoys Havok, who backs her into the corner as a result. Dashwood’s crawl through the legs is caught so she elbows Havok in the head. The Russian legsweep is easily blocked though and Dashwood is sent to the apron. Havok misses a charge and gets kicked in the face, setting up a neckbreaker over the middle rope.

We take a break and come back with Havok caught in the Tarantula to keep her in trouble. The Taste of Tenille gets two and she sends Havok face first into the mat for two more. Dashwood grabs a full nelson but Havok throws her down and gets a boot up in the corner. A backbreaker into a clothesline gives Havok two and there’s a kick to the head to put Dashwood down again. Kaleb gets up to offer a distraction though and the Spotlight Kick (with Havok leaning over for a long time) finishes Havok at 7:49.

Rating: C-. It’s more of the same from Dashwood, as she still lacks that spark. She continues to go from one random match to another with little in between them. That was the case again here, meaning Dashwood was fine but it was far from interesting. I’m not sure if this is supposed to lead to Havok vs. Nevaeh, but is that really something that is supposed to be exciting?

Post match here’s Nevaeh to beat down Dashwood and Kaleb With A K.

Sami Callihan seems to be in Trey Miguel’s trophy room and says Miguel has no passion. He goes into an office and shoves over I guess Trey’s business partner. Now it’s time to go into Trey’s wrestling school and beat up a bunch of people. One of the students gets in his face but Sami doesn’t want to hear it and beats the student down as well. Another wrestler runs in and Sami backs off before offering to be his teacher instead. Sami tells the camera that the kid is in good hands.

It’s off to Swinger’s Palace, where TJP wants to know the odds on his match with Ace Austin. Cue Madman Fulton and Ace Austin, with TJP winning some bets on Austin asking various questions. Chris Bey comes in and gets in Ace’s face, but Johnny Swinger says no fighting until he gets odds on it. TJP wins a bunch of money off of that too.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Sting b. Rob Van Dam at Sacrifice 2011 to retain the World Title.

Eric Young scolds Deaner for losing to Jake Something last week and Joe Doering punishes him with violence. Young is only doing this because he cares. Deaner: “I know.”

It’s time for the Tony Schiavone/Khan announcement of the week, as they promote Dynamite and Revolution. Khan talks about how it is every promotion against THEM, though he won’t say who THEM is (because he can’t say WWE). Now he is the leader and we get multiple Forbidden Door mentions. More Dynamite plugs wrap us up, with Khan shouting a lot. Then Schiavone goes over a lot of the same material again in a quieter manner. This one felt a lot longer than the rest.

Video on Moose, who is now officially a World Champion. He knew he would always get here and now it is time for Rich Swann to be destroyed by Mr. Impact.

Good Brothers/FinJuice vs. XXXL/Reno Scum

Finlay and Luster trade headlocks to start until Finlay dropkicks him into the corner. Anderson comes in to beat on Larry D. before handing it off to FinJuice for a Russian legsweep/big boot combination. Acey comes in and gets the double kicks in the corner from the Brothers. Finn comes back in but gets sent into the corner, allowing the villains (Maybe?) to take turns. That’s broken up and it’s off to Anderson for the Magic Killer…but they take a bit too long and Thornstowe grabs a rollup for two. Now the Magic Killer connects for the pin at 4:01.

Rating: D. Not much to see here as the point was to build towards the Good Brothers vs. FinJuice, which isn’t exactly an interesting feud in the first place. They didn’t get much time here and that is a good thing, mainly because you might not want XXXL/Reno Scum out there very long. Maybe they should build up FinJuice a bit more other than “they’re from Japan”.

Post match, FinJuice and the Good Brothers have a big staredown.

Rich Swann talks about how Moose may be a monster, but he isn’t a World Champion. On paper, Moose is strong, fast and big, but he doesn’t have the heart.

FinJuice and the Good Brothers argue about how they almost lost. The Brothers want them to carry the bags but FinJuice wants to carry the titles. The title match is set for Sacrifice.

Brian Myers vs. Eddie Edwards

Matt Cardona is guest referee. Myers starts fast and goes after the arm, setting up a belly to back suplex. It’s already back to the arm but Edwards sends him outside, meaning Myers needs to grab a chair. That takes too long though and Edwards hits a big running flip dive over Cardona. We take a break and come back with Myers grabbing a chinlock, snapping Edwards’ throat across the top, and putting the chinlock on again.

Edwards fights up with some chops and a bridging suplex gets two. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same but Myers is right back with a Downward Spiral for two. Myers goes up, earning himself a Backpack Stunner for two. A reverse neck snap across the top lets Myers load up his elbow pad with a foreign object for the Roster Cut (oh good grief) and….that’s a DQ as Cardona calls for the bell at 11:05.

Rating: C-. This was more about Myers and Cardona, because that’s what you should focus on when you have Eddie Edwards involved. Myers has gotten a bit better around here, but what are you expecting from someone whose character seems to be built entirely around the fact that he’s mad about being cut from WWE. I mean….the Roster Cut?

Deonna Purrazzo isn’t worried about a triple threat match tonight. Or ODB for that matter.

Here’s what’s coming at Sacrifice and next week.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Jordynne Grace

Non-title and there are a bunch of other people at ringside. Purrazzo is sent outside to start and we take a break less than thirty seconds in. Back with Grace getting double teamed in the corner but managing to send Purrazzo outside. Grace hammers away on Kiera, who she has to hold up for a bit. Purrazzo trips Grace down but gets chopped into the corner by Hogan.

The Fujiwara armbar is broken up in a hurry and Grace sends them both into the corner. That earns her a Fujiwara from Purrazzo so a rope has to be grabbed in a hurry. Hogan high crossbodies Purrazzo for two and then gets the same on Grace. Purrazzo takes Hogan down by the leg but pulls Grace down into a failed Fujiwara armbar attempt.

Grace hits a spinebuster on Purrazzo, who manages to block a suplex. A double clothesline sends Purrazzo and Hogan to the floor, meaning it’s time for everyone on the floor to get into a brawl. Grace dives onto everyone and takes Hogan back inside for a beating in the corner. Tasha Steelz saves Hogan from the Vader Bomb though and it’s Purrazzo sneaking in to steal the pin on Grace at 12:24.

Rating: C-. This felt a lot longer than it was and there wasn’t much of a flow to the thing. The ending worked out well enough and I can go for the champ not taking a fall here. It certainly wasn’t terrible or even bad, but this didn’t feel like a main event. Instead it was a bit more flat, which isn’t how you want a main event to go.

Post match Grace and Steelz brawl to the back but here’s ODB to jump Purrazzo. ODB takes her down and poses with the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m not sure what to think of this one as they were trying to focus on a lot of things other than the main event scene and it didn’t go well. There wasn’t much worth caring about with this show and that was getting more and more obvious with each match. Just not a very interesting show and that’s one of the worst things you can say about any given episode.

Results

Ace Austin b. Chris Bey and Black Taurus – The Fold to Bey

Tenille Dashwood b. Havok – Spotlight Kick

FinJuice/Good Brothers b. XXXL/Reno Scum – Magic Killer to Thornstowe

Eddie Edwards b. Brian Myers via DQ when Myers used a foreign object

Deonna Purrazzo b. Jordynne Grace and Kiera Hogan – Rollup to Grace

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

We’re on the way to both Rebellion and No Surrender, meaning things are going to slowly start taking shape. That is not a bad thing either, as Impact is a lot better when they have a focus. Odds are we’re coming up on Moose vs. Rich Swann for the World Title, which should be something good. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Matt Hardy and Private Party invading last week and becoming #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Rich Swann for a chat. Swann talks about everything that he did to get back here and now he has a target on his back. For now though he has something to take care of so he would like Tommy Dreamer to come out here right now. Swann talks about No Surrender being on February 13, which happens to be Dreamer’s 50^th birthday. He watched Dreamer back in the land of extreme and now wants to repay the favor by giving Dreamer a shot at the title.

Cue Sami Callihan to say this is Dreamer trying to get himself over as usual. Swann lost to Kenny Omega and embarrassed the company. Sami is the heart and soul of the company and deserves a title shot. Cue Chris Bey to say that February 13 is his birthday as well so he should get a title shot. Now it’s Moose coming out everyone is scared to challenge for his title so he’s here to interject. Swann has never beaten him and Moose knows he remembers when Moose nearly decapitated Willie Mack.

Yeah Swann remembers, but Moose said the title shot was on his time. The No Surrender match is already set so now it’s on Swann’s time. Cue Willie Mack to Stun Bey and go after Moose, with Striker not exactly being excited about the whole thing. The villains bail and the six man seems imminent for later. Sami makes the lights go out and here’s Ken Shamrock to jump Swann, Mack and Dreamer with the rest of the villains joining him in the beatdown.

Post break, Swann and company are ready for a match tonight, with Dreamer promising to “UFC Shamrock’s a**.” They go to see Scott D’Amore, who says they look terrible. The match is on but D’Amore thinks they need a fourth. Now Impact’s resident mathematician Scott Steiner isn’t available, but D’Amore has an idea. There is someone in his office and the trio looks very pleased.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at No Surrender.

Matt Cardona/Josh Alexander vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton

Fallout from an interview gone bad last week. Alexander goes for Fulton’s ankle to start and gets kicked into the corner for his efforts. Austin comes in and gets planted down in a hurry before it’s off to Cardona (with the bright lime green trunks). A clothesline puts Austin on the floor and Alexander backdrops Cardona onto the two of them for a big crash. We take a break and come back with Alexander getting caught in a side slam/middle rope legdrop combination. Austin drives a knee into the back and pulls Alexander into the corner as we’re firmly in the tag formula.

A claw legsweep gives Fulton two but Alexander manages to kick him into Austin, allowing the hot tag to Cardona. That means the middle rope dropkick to rock Austin but it’s too early for the Reboot. Instead Cardona settles for two off a slingshot splash but Fulton makes the save and drags Austin to the corner. Everything breaks down and Alexander slugs away on Fulton to knock the monster to his knees. Cardona charges at Austin, who launches him into a Rough Ryder (going to need a new name) to finish Fulton at 10:18.

Rating: C. This took some time to get going and I’m still not big on a lot of what Cardona does in the ring, but he looked smooth here. Maybe he can get somewhere on his own and if that is case, great for him for proving himself right after all the years in WWE. It’s also nice to see more of Austin, who I would like to see move up the ladder around here. The same is true of Alexander, even if he is still playing second fiddle in a tag team.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Matt Hardy debuts at Genesis 2011 against Rob Van Dam. It’s only his entrance and this only lasts about a minute.

Rohit Raju is all fired up to win the X-Division Title back but he needs someone (off camera) to help him. Whoever it is seems to agree.

It’s time for the weekly visit from Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone. They care about each other, just like Khan cares about the wrestling fans. He sees Impact as his own fantasy wrestling league. Last week he was in the zone with Matt Hardy, Jerry Lynn and Matt Hardy and now Private Party might win the Impact Wrestling Tag Team Titles. They would have to beat the Good Brothers, who happen to be on Dynamite tomorrow night! Schiavone runs down the Dynamite card and Khan talks about Beach Break.

Brian Myers runs into Matt Cardona in the back and doesn’t seem impressed. Myers leaves and Cardona says that was a bad move.

Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers

Eddie, who is rather banged up from Barbed Wire Massacre, sends him over to the ropes to start and we get a clean break. The referee yells at Myers over a possible hair pull so Eddie snaps off a belly to belly to the floor. There’s a suicide dive to take Myers down as it’s all Eddie so far. Back in and Myers rolls right back to the floor, where he gets in a shot to Eddie’s bad arm.

Myers stomps away in the corner and trips Eddie down but he comes back with some clotheslines. As Striker says that whoever is in D’Amore’s office will be the next Lex Luger at the Great American Mall (I believe he means Mall of America, as again Striker isn’t as smart as he tries to sound), Eddie hits a Backpack Stunner. Myers grabs a Downward Spiral and loads up his clothesline, only to charge into a thumb to the eye. Eddie drives him down with the thumb in the eye and gets DQ’ed at 6:14.

Rating: C. I haven’t been big on Myers since he started getting pushed but this worked out well enough. Granted that might be due to Eddie Edwards being in there, but at least we didn’t have to see Myers win another match with a clothesline. Eddie going more heelish could be interesting, assuming they actually pull the full trigger this time around.

Fire and Flava want their celebration to be awesome and hope they sold enough tickets. Johnny Swinger walks by with a group of women, saying the palace is this way. Kiera Hogan says she has the worst idea.

Matt Hardy praises Private Party for their win last week but they did it because of him. They are ready to win the Tag Team Titles at No Surrender but are also going to win the battle royal to get the AEW Tag Team Title shot at Revolution. He’ll even throw in a bonus by not taking as much off the top of their checks! It’s time to go be winners.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Rosemary

Dashwood has Kaleb With A K with her while Rosemary, with far less face paint than usual, has Crazzy Steve. Rosemary runs her over to start but Kaleb gets up for a distraction, allowing Dashwood to unload with the camera bag for two. Dashwood grabs a neckbreaker over the apron to send Rosemary outside, where she punches Kaleb in the face.

That earns her a trip back inside, where Rosemary grabs the Upside Down. With that broken up, Dashwood runs her over for two more. The seated full nelson goes on but Rosemary fights up and runs her over with a clothesline. There’s a fall away slam to send Dashwood flying but the spear only hits corner. Not that it matters as As Above, So Below finishes Dashwood at 4:55.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what the problem here was but Rosemary looked rather different here, seeming a bit slower and without the same spark in her eyes. She hasn’t looked the same since returning from her knee injury, but that has been a long time now. This didn’t work so well for her, and hopefully that isn’t the new norm.

XXXL is glad to be back when Rosemary and Crazzy Steve come up. Larry lays out Steve so Rosemary barks at both of them.

We go to Swinger’s Palace, where John E. Bravo is dealing Blackjack to Fallah Bahh, who loses quite a bit. Fire and Flava come in and want them to go the party, including the Swingerellas, who can serve drinks. Fallah Bahh can’t come because he has no money, which makes Swinger (in an extreme closeup) laugh at him. The sad Bahh is left alone.

Deonna Purrazzo brags to Kimber Lee and Susan about retaining the Knockouts Title. Lee and Susan brag about beating Jazz and Jordynne Grace, who pop in to issue the challenge. Grace calls Susan Susie, who does not like the old name. The match is on for next week.

And now it’s Fire and Flava Fest, with Alisha as emcee and promising to praise her homies. The only guests here are a referee, John E. Bravo, Johnny Swinger and the Swingerellas. Alisha introduces Fire and Flava, with Kiera Hogan (the Fire) loudly bragging about their win. Tasha Steelz (that would be the Flava) talks about how they promised they would be here and it’s time to star the party. The six guests aren’t exactly making that much noise, with the referee saying this is a dumpster fire. Hogan: “YOUR OUTFIT IS A DUMPSTER FIRE!”

It’s time for the Swingerellas to hand out the food, which means some boxed sandwiches. Bravo complains about the bread so it’s time for the booze, which Alisha spits out after one sip. Hold on though as there is a Marshmallow Man at ringside, which Steelz knows is Fallah Bahh. Actually it’s Nevaeh, who decks Steelz. Havok pops up and clotheslines Hogan but can’t quite put her through the table. Catering is destroyed and Alisha declares Havok and Nevaeh the winners. Of what isn’t clear, but they win.

James Storm and Chris Sabin have a drink and agree that while they might not be the Motor City Machine Guns or Beer Money, they’re something. Now they need the Tag Team Titles. Storm likes the idea so let’s have some shots.

Fire and Flava aren’t thrilled with what happened so here’s the referee, who complains that he got nothing of what he was promised and wants a refund. That’s not happening…..and we spent two weeks to set up a FYRE FEST JOKE??? It was old a year and a half ago when AEW did it and now we had a ten minute segment to set it up in 2021????

Joe Doering vs. Cousin Jake

The rest of Violent By Design is at ringside. Jake goes right at Doering to start and gets knocked out of the corner. A slam sets up a rebound elbow drop to keep Jake in trouble but Doering misses a crossbody. Jake tries a dive over the top but Doering kind of knocks him away. Back in and Jake hits a running shoulder to the ribs in the corner but walks into the crossbody. A big clothesline finishes Jake at 3:13.

Rating: D+. Doering is a huge guy but he feels like the latest giant monster who is going to cause trouble for a bit. I don’t particularly need to see the trope again, but maybe Doering can learn to do something other than sneer and make things better. It just feels like something that has been done so many times before and it isn’t thrilling here.

Post match the beatdown is on and they load up the Pillmanizing (with Striker saying the word with WAY too much enthusiasm and explaining who it is named after) but Young says hang on. They leave Jake with a Violent By Design shirt and walk away.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Moose/Chris Bey/Ken Shamrock/Sami Callihan vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack/Tommy Dreamer/???

The mystery partner is…..Trey Miguel, who has not been around in about two months. Striker: “For me, on a personal level, this is exciting.” Bey tags himself in to take Moose’s place, because he wants to face Dreamer. That doesn’t last long so it’s off to Swann for a rolling splash/elbow combination to keep Bey down. We take a break and come back with Bey still in trouble but he manages to get Swann over for the tag off to Sami.

The package piledriver is broken up and Swann snaps off a headscissors. Mack comes in to run Sami over and hit a standing moonsault. A dropkick takes out Mack’s knee though and Shamrock comes in to take over. Sami’s shoulder to the ribs makes Mack’s eyes bug out and the villains take turns beating him up. Mack punches Bey in the jaw to escape the corner but another dropkick takes his knee out again. Sami grabs a standing leglock and Moose powerbombs Bey onto Mack for two.

Since Bey can’t keep anything going tonight, Mack nails him with a pip up right hand, allowing the hot tag off to Miguel. The pace picks up in a hurry, including an atomic drop into something like a jumping Stunner/Codebreaker on Sami. Shamrock suplexes Miguel hard though and everything breaks down. Sami powerbombs Miguel but walks into a cutter from Dreamer. Moose spears Mack but gets missile dropkicked by Miguel. A hard suplex puts Miguel down again but he snaps off a hurricanrana to pin Sami at 12:18.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty standard main event formula match and it worked out well. The main point was the return of Trey Miguel though and that was quite the success. He has an energy to him that you aren’t going to see in most people around here and I’m glad to have him back. Now just let him win something for a change, because otherwise it’s the same problem all over again.

Post match Shamrock and Callihan are left alone, so Shamrock ankle locks the referee to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. The ending helped, but this was a flat show otherwise with almost nothing important or energetic throughout the show. The lack of AEW praise for the most part helped, but man they aren’t doing themselves any favors. Tommy Dreamer gets a World Title shot? The Edgeheads Explode? Eric Young gets another low level goon? A freaking Fyre Fest joke? I need a lot more than that to make two hours work and as fun as Miguel is, he isn’t enough to fix all that.

Results

Matt Cardona/Josh Alexander b. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Pop up Rough Ryder to Fulton

Brian Myers b. Eddie Edwards via DQ when Edwards poked him in the eye

Rosemary b. Tenille Dashwood – As Above So Below

Joe Doering b. Cousin Jake – Running clothesline

Trey Miguel/Tommy Dreamer/Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Moose/Sami Callihan/Ken Shamrock/Chris Bey – Hurricanrana to Callihan

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: January 19, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re done with Hard To Kill and the big story seems to be Kenny Omega being primed up for a shot against Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swann. I’m not sure when that could be taking place as Impact is off pay per view until late April, but maybe they have something in mind. Let’s get to it.

Here is Hard To Kill if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Hard To Kill.

After the show ended, Don Callis praised Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers on their win. Callis stopped to talk to the camera though, saying it was a good example of what the Invisible Hand can do. He and Omega are heading back to Jacksonville, but they’ll be back.

Opening sequence.

Eric Young vs. Rhino

Young has Deaner and Joe Doering while Rhino has Cousin Jake. Rhino knocks him down to start and it’s time for Young to take a breather on the floor. Jake isn’t having that and throws Young back inside, where he gets in a quick low blow to take over. The jumping stomps ensue and we hit the neck crank to keep Rhino down. Commentary compares AEW invading to the Monday Night Wars as Rhino fights out and throws Young down for a breather. That’s enough to have Deaner get up for a distraction and Doering comes in for a cheap shot to Rhino’s leg. A heel hook makes Rhino tap at 4:03.

Rating: D. This was a nothing match with Young getting to show how evil and vile his team is in case we hadn’t gotten the idea in the first dozen or so examples. Young just doesn’t feel like some evil mastermind no matter what Impact says but this seems like something that is going to have some legs.

Post match Young and company beat Rhino down and Pillmanize his leg while making Jake watch.

Here’s a recap of Hard To Kill and a chat about how important the main event was.

After Hard To Kill was over, Moose attacked Rich Swann.

Swann is ready to prove he is the World Champion.

Acey Romero and John E. Bravo talk to Tommy Dreamer, saying that Larry D. is being framed. They have found matching fingerprints on both the Ring Rust cologne and the gun. Dreamer is intrigued.

Here are the Good Brothers for a chat. They’re awesome you see and are going to be Tag Team Champions for as long as they want. It’s always going to be the Magic Killer, the pin and a just too sweet….but here’s Chris Sabin to interrupt. Sabin talks about how the Good Brothers stole the Motor City Machine Guns Tag Team Titles because neither of the Guns were ever pinned. They want a rematch, but Gallows points out Sabin’s lack of a partner. Sabin does have a partner though, and here’s James Storm.

They get in the ring with Storm listing off Sabin’s resume and reciting his song lyrics as he gets in the Brothers’ faces. The challenge is thrown down….and here are Matt Hardy and Private Party (from AEW) to interrupt. Matt says that Private Party has a chance to be the second best tag team ever (after the Hardys of course).

They have a six man tag tomorrow night but tonight, Private Party can get in the ring. Matt will get 50% of the money tonight because it’s a third party and tomorrow it’s the usual 30%, meaning Matt is getting 260%! Storm says that’s some bad math and this is a private conversation. Matt doesn’t want to hear it because he saved this company, so tonight it can Private Party challenging the Good Brothers for the Tag Team Titles. Hardy: “Those titles belong to my brother and I! Impact stripped them from us in some stupid teleportation angle!”

Gallows has a better idea: the two teams can face off tonight for a title shot. That works for Hardy, who gives Private Party a pep talk and threatens the other teams. The truth is the truth. That was a nice surprise and Private Party could use a change of scenery at this point and this could help them.

Matt Cardona says he’s here for an opportunity and wants to prove the fans right.

We recap the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, including Fire and Flava winning them at the pay per view.

Kaleb With A K and Tenille Dashwood seem confused with Fire and Flava come up to ask if they’re going to be there for the title celebration. Johnny Swinger comes up to offer the two for one special again. Swinger tries to get both of them at once so they bring up the stolen money. Fallah Bahh comes in to accuse everyone of being a thief but here is Brian Myers. Bahh and Myers don’t like each other and a match seems likely for later.

Kimber Lee/Susan vs. Jordynne Grace/Jazz

Deonna Purrazzo is here with Lee and Susan. It’s a brawl to start with Grace and Jazz cleaning house and Jazz getting two on Susan. The chinlock goes on and Jazz adds some crossface shots. Grace comes back in for the shoulders in the corner and takes it outside. The beating continues but Kimber grabs Grace by the hair for a takedown as we go to a break.

Back with Susan hammering on Grace and choking on the rope. Grace is fine enough to catch Susan on top but the fireman’s carry is escaped. A spinning kick to Grace’s hands in front of her face gets two and Lee chops her down in the corner. Lee misses a charge in the corner though and Grace blasts her with a clothesline.

There’s the tag off to Jazz and Susan gets one of her own. Susan’s jacket comes off but Jazz punches her into the corner anyway like a villain should (even though Jazz isn’t a villain). Grace hits some running knees in the corner and adds a backsplash, setting up Jazz’s DDT. Lee makes a save and argues with the referee, allowing Purrazzo to get in a belt shot so Susan can get the pin at 10:42.

Rating: C. Not too bad here as the numbers game cost the heroes a win. Grace and Jazz don’t need to be a long term team but if Jazz can give her a rub during her last run, good for them. I’m getting into Purrazzo and her minions, so maybe they have a little something here with them.

Taya Valkyrie is asked about losing at Hard To Kill when John E. Bravo comes in to yell at her. Dreamer and Romero come in to accuse her of causing Larry D. to shoot Bravo….and she admits it. Taya shouts that she wants Bravo dead and gets taken away by police. Dreamer thinks she’s going to prison in Jacksonville, Stamford (Dreamer: “For two years with an option for three.”) of maybe Baltimore. Dreamer: “It’s finally over.” Thank badness.

Taya is taken away but the cops let her stop to talk to Rosemary, who isn’t happy. Rosemary says they had a plan but Taya breaks down and talks about what their friendship meant. Rosemary pulls her into a hug as Taya is escorted outside. She says this is why they don’t have friends, but here’s Crazzy Steve for a shared laugh and sneer.

It’s time for another AEW paid announcement, with Tony Schiavone telling us that this is a REAL television studio. Schiavone throws us to Tony Khan and Jerry Lynn, the former of whom hypes up Private Party vs. James Storm/Chris Sabin later tonight. We also run down the Dynamite card. Khan is proud of Matt Hardy for showing up and insists that he (Khan) is a nice guy. Hardy isn’t because he is the greediest guy in the sport and can carny Impact. Khan says he and Lynn will be at ringside tonight….and they’re backstage at Impact.

Here’s Rich Swann for a chat. On Saturday, he felt the pressure of leading Impact Wrestling into battle. That is the kind of pressure he thrives on but can you blame him for having trust issues when it comes to Moose? That’s the man who has been walking around claiming to be World Champion and the man who put his best friend on the shelf. Yes Swann’s attention has been on Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers lately, but Omega isn’t here tonight, so the schedule is wide open.

Moose can come out here right now, so here he comes. Swann looks ready to fight but Moose says don’t make mistakes when you’re too emotionally invested. Moose wants his title shot, so Swann calls him an idiot. Swann is trying to give him his title shot right now and takes the jacket off. That’s not happening because it’s on Moose’s time. Swann: “Then what the h*** are we supposed to do right now?” Swann punches him in the jaw and the fight is on, with Swann ripping off Moose’s suit. The Phoenix splash connects to send Moose scurrying.

Rohit Raju comes in to Scott D’Amore’s office and TJP follows. Raju freaks out and says TJP couldn’t challenge for the title. Scott says Manik won the title and just happens to be TJP. D’Amore: “OF COURSE HE IS! EVERYBODY KNEW THAT!” Ok that was funny. Anyway, Raju gets a match in two weeks. A happy Raju leaves because that’s all he wanted. Scott: “You think I should tell him it’s a non-title match?” Again, that was funny.

Fire and Flava have a celebration for their titles in the back with a referee as the guest. They offer him various packages to the celebration but when Havok and Nevaeh come in, the packages are suddenly sold out. The two of them get a special offer though: a package where they can watch from home.

Brian Myers vs. Fallah Bahh

Myers can’t knock Bahh down to start but Bahh can knock him down, setting up the big legdrop. As Striker asks the fans to name the legdrop for him, Bahh hits a crossbody for two. A belly to belly gets the same but Myers kicks him in the head and knocks him down. We hit the chinlock for a bit until Bahh fights up without much trouble. Bahh crushes a standing Myers in the corner and then crushes a seated Myers in the corner for two more. Hold on though as Myers claims a thumb to the eye, allowing him to get in a low blow. The running clothesline finishes Bahh at 4:12.

Rating: C-. This could have been a heck of a lot worse and they did their thing well enough. I’m still not sure what the appeal of Myers is supposed to be, but at least they’re pushing someone. Can we please get him a better finisher than a running clothesline though? He isn’t exactly JBL.

Ace Austin isn’t happy with how he was used at Hard To Kill because he didn’t have a match scheduled for the show. Then he tried to get into the X-Division Title match and wound up dealing with Matt Cardona, who seems to work here now. Cardona says he is always ready, but that means sitting in catering in his gear. Cue Josh Alexander to say he’s sick about hearing about Austin. Alexander is the one who is going to make sure Austin never reaches his potential. The shoving sets up the brawl with Madman Fulton getting in a cheap shot from behind. Cardona runs in for the save and we are probably having a tag match soon.

Stills from Barbed Wire Massacre from Hard To Kill.

Eddie Edwards is being checked by the doctor but here’s Brian Myers to have his eye checked. Myers says he’s more important than this backyarder so Eddie challenges him for next week.

Here’s what coming next week.

Private Party vs. James Storm/Chris Sabin

For the #1 contendership and Matt Hardy is here with Private Party. Joined in progress with Sabin avoiding an armdrag from Marq Quen but Quen makes it work the second time. A standoff sets up a handshake but Isaiah Kassidy comes in for an atomic drop to set up an enziguri. Kassidy stays in for a front facelock but Sabin slips out and flips over for the hot tag off to Storm. A Sling Blade cuts Kassidy off and Storm sends him to the apron.

The Silly String into a tornado DDT plants Storm, setting up a running enziguri in the corner. Cue Tony Khan and Jerry Lynn to sit down, with Khan holding a small notebook and smiling a lot. We take a break and come back with Quen stomping Storm down in the corner as Striker recaps everything we saw before the break. Kassidy comes in and it’s a double atomic drop into a wishbone into a double basement dropkick.

Storm flips his way out of a front facelock though and the hot tag brings in Sabin with a high crossbody. An enziguri into a tornado DDT drops Private Party and there’s a missile dropkick to Kassidy’s back for two. Quen saves Kassidy from a double suplex so Storm pulls Quen to the floor. The Backstabber hits Kassidy for two and Storm adds a neckbreaker. Quen is back with an enziguri to Storm but Sabin gives him a brainbuster.

Sabin and Kassidy slug it out until Quen kicks Kassidy over, allowing him to hit a jumping enziguri. A moonsault onto Sabin’s back gets two and Storm’s Skinning the Cat is broken up with a dropkick. Kassidy takes Storm down with a big flip dive but Jerry Lynn grabs Sabin’s foot on the ropes. The Gin and Juice (a middle rope hurricanrana into a cutter) finishes Sabin at 15:25.

Rating: B-. This is where things can help a lot for Private Party, as they can get out there with someone other than the AEW teams and hopefully develop more as a team. This is more where the crossover story should work out for both companies too as Private Party can get more out of this kind of a deal. Good match too, despite a few sloppy parts from Private Party.

Post match the Good Brothers come out for the big staredown. Sabin and Storm get back in and it’s a three way brawl to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: C. Good enough show here and slightly better than most of their usual post pay per view shows. I can go for having people like Private Party popping in here instead of having the AEW wrestlers dominating the shows. The show was kind of up and down, but the ending of the Wrestle House stuff is a breath of fresh air around here. I’m curious about where some of these things are going, but they are going to need to tighten the show up around here a little more.

Results

Eric Young b. Rhino – Heel hook

Kimber Lee/Susan b. Jordynne Grace/Jazz – Belt shot to Jazz

Brian Myers b. Fallah Bahh – Running clothesline

Private Party b. James Storm/Chris Sabin – Gin and Juice to Sabin

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We’re back with another Impact pay per view, even though the point seems to be to make another company’s World Champion look good. This time around the focal point is the invading Kenny Omega, will will team with the Good Brothers against Impact World Champion Rich Swann, Chris Sabin and Moose, after Alex Shelley was forced out of the show for unclear reasons. The rest of the card looks ok so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Brian Myers vs. Josh Alexander

This was thrown in this week on Impact since every pay per view needs a pre-show match these days. Myers beat Alexander via DQ and bragged about it so we’re having this for the sake of shutting him up. I’m not sure what Impact sees in Myers but there are far worse places he could be than in the pre-show match. Alexander is going to need a boost soon so we could have something going here.

I’m going to take Alexander here as there is no reason for this to drag on for another match. As much as he has been featured, Myers isn’t being pushed to the moon so they aren’t likely to give him anything here. The match will likely be on about the same level as a regular TV match and that’s all it needs to be given where they are here. It probably didn’t need to be here, but Alexander can get your attention well enough.

Eric Young/Deaner/Joe Doering vs. Tommy Dreamer/Rhino/Cousin Jake

It isn’t a good sign when my first reaction to a match is “at least they’re keeping it all here” but that’s about as good as I can go with this. We have Dreamer being Dreamer, the epic Deaners split, Doering (he was big in Japan, right up there with Jesse and the Rippers) and Young as some kind of mastermind because this company loves him very much. It’s also Old School rules, because they can’t say Extreme and Dreamer can’t do much else.

I’ll go with Young and company as for some reason this seems to be one of the upcoming big things. Young is tolerable enough in some spots, though the love affair with Doering isn’t exactly doing much for me. Adding in the turned Deaner isn’t going to make things better, but if they can keep all of this stuff crammed into one match, it could be a lot worse than what we’re getting.

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan

This feud MUST continue and this time it’s Barbed Wire Massacre because when you think Edwards, you need something like this thrown in. I know this is viewed as some legendary rivalry but it feels like they are just warming it up because neither has anything to do. Edwards is able to carry almost anything to at least watchable, but as soon as I heard the barbed wire deal, I could hear Josh Matthews with his machine gun delivery taking away any impact it might have.

Give me Callihan to win, likely thanks to Ken Shamrock because we need another evil alliance to triumph. Shamrock and Callihan are somewhat intriguing, but I don’t need a Barbed Wire Massacre to make it work. The match should be good enough and odds are Alisha will get involved, but I’ve been over this feud for a good while now because it ran out of steam years ago.

Ethan Page vs. Karate Man

We continue with the “why is this a thing” section, but in this case Page has so much charisma that he can manage to face himself and make it work. I’m going to assume this is a cinematic match and Page’s way out of the promotion, but you never know with something like this. The Karate Man stuff alone is always worth a look, but I’m almost scared of what to see here.

Since they’re facing each other, I’ll go with Karate Man to win and get rid of Page once and for all, which should make your head spin at least a little bit. There is a chance that we could be in for some good jokes here and under the right circumstances, this could be one of the best things on the entire show. Page is awesome at his goofy stuff, and hopefully he gets to showcase himself well on the way out.

X-Division Title: Manik(c) vs. Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju

This is part of one of those stories that works out well almost every time because it’s a classic. Bey and Raju are convinced that Manik is TJP (because Manik is TJP) but can’t beat him or prove it, meaning their frustration factor has increased about 17 fold. Now it’s a free for all for the title, which opens up a few interesting doors as they could go in a few different directions.

I think they’ll play it safe here and have Manik retain the title because there are more places to go with something like this. Manik is someone who can have a good match with anyone and Bey is one of the better young stars around here. Raju has been rather nice as well lately, so we could be in for something good. This might be the match with the most promise on the whole show and I can’t say I’m surprised.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Nevaeh/Havok vs. Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz

Who would have thought that a tournament for the vacant titles would come down to two of the only regular teams who happened to be feuding for weeks before the tournament started? Hogan and Steelz have done a nice job of being the most annoying heels imaginable, which made Havok and Nevaeh grabbing them by their throats that much better. This was almost a guarantee for the final, so at least they’re doing the logical thing.

I’ll take Havok and Nevaeh to win here as you need some faces to win on this show. It isn’t the most intriguing match on the show but it was the only way to go to get to the tournament finals. I’m not sure how far these titles can go as WWE hasn’t been able to make theirs work for years now. The match will be the same thing that we’ve seen several times between them now but….yay belts?

Rosemary/Crazzy Steve vs. Tenille Dashwood/Kaleb With A K

This seems to have been added near the last minute and I’m still trying to make myself care about Dashwood. The Instagram deal is fine, but it feels like something you would see at a tiny independent promotion because it’s that easy of a story. There is no doubt that the talent is there, but for some reason it isn’t clicking. You can only get so far with something like this though and I think we’ve reached her current limit.

I don’t see a reason for Kaleb With A K and Dashwood to win here, even though they need it a lot more. Rosemary seems to be building up something with Susan, so unless she interferes and costs them the match, I don’t see a reason to have Rosemary and Steve lose here. The match itself should be another TV level match, which is quite the trend for most of this show.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo(c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

The Knockouts singles division has done well enough for itself in recent months and Purrazzo is awesome as the technical wizard champion. Valkyrie is almost the old guard in a way, despite her title reign not even feeling all that long ago. While her big reign is over, Valkyrie can go in the ring with anyone and Purrazzo is one of the best things going in the company today.

Purrazzo being one of the best things going today is more than enough to keep the title on her here. Beating Valkyrie is more along the lines of beating a challenger of the month, but she just happens to be a really successful challenger of the month. It means something to beat her though and Purrazzo can continue her reign with another rather nice win added to her list.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Rich Swann/Chris Sabin/Moose

This whole invasion (if that’s what you call Omega and Omega alone showing up from AEW) is making me think of Lando Calrissian saying “this deal is getting worse all the time”. So far, the highlight of the feud for Impact is their World Champion escaping with a pin over their Tag Team Champion. Omega and Don Callis have been treated as stars who are gracing Impact with their presence. I know it gives Impact exposure, but this is feeling more like New Japan coming to Ring of Honor every day (and that’s not a good thing).

Of course Omega and the Good Brothers win here, because why would they lose here? I know this is probably heading towards Omega taking the Impact World Title, as that is the best way to continue making Impact look like they don’t compare to AEW in any way. Yes AEW is more important and Omega is a bigger star, but sweet goodness could Impact look much worse so far?

Overall Thoughts

This show looks pretty dreadful on paper as there is nothing of note to look forward to. I’m sure some of the matches will work as Impact tends to shine when they just go to the ring and focus on the wrestling, but nothing on here really jumps out. Hopefully the show winds up working, because this feels like they have almost no reason to do this show other than they have to. It will likely be good enough, but they need to work on spicing things up.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: December 15, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

It’s back to the Kenny Omega Is A Bigger Star Than Anyone Else Around Here Show and that proved to be a winning formula last week as the audience was quite up. Final Resolution has come and gone so now it’s off the Hard To Kill build. I’m not sure what that is going to mean with Omega being thrown into the mix but it’s interesting to think about. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at a mixture of Omega’s World Title win, promo from last week, and the main stories from last week’s show. It is implied that Omega is coming for the various Impact Titles.

Opening sequence.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Alisha

Kaleb With A K (in a pink suit) and Eddie Edwards are here too. Alisha shouts a lot and then gets knocked down in a hurry. The Thesz press with right hands have Dashwood in some trouble and a backsplash gives Alisha two. A headscissors puts Alisha into the corner but she misses a charge, allowing Dashwood to grab a neckbreaker for her own two. The stomping keeps Alisha down in the corner and we hit the chinlock.

Alisha gets up and is sent to the apron, where she manages a knee to Dashwood’s face. The comeback is on and a bulldog gives Alisha two with Kaleb With A K pulling Dashwood to the floor. Eddie goes after him but takes a camera to the face. Alisha dives onto Kaleb With A K but the distraction lets Dashwood hit the Spotlight Kick for the pin at 5:13.

Rating: C-. This is one of Dashwood’s better runs since she left WWE but it still isn’t exactly great stuff. I’m not sure what’s missing but there is a fire that isn’t there and it’s holding her back. Alisha has gotten a bit better in the last few months and she was perfectly acceptable here, even if this felt like it was designed to set up a mixed tag which already happened.

Post match here’s Sami Callihan on screen to tell Eddie and Alisha to spend time with their families, because it might be their last chance.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The Motor City Machine Guns talk about their three step process to getting the Tag Team Titles back. They have their rematch clause and since there is only space for two machine guns around here, Karl Anderson is going to have to step aside.

We go to Kenny Omega’s bus, where Omega and Callis mock the Guns and tell Karl Anderson, also there, to go get them. Various New Japan tournaments are referenced.

Post break Rich Swann cuts Anderson off before he can go beat up Chris Sabin. Swann: “Because Omega told you to?” Anderson: “I call him Kenny. He’s my friend. You call him champ.” The Guns come in and a match is set between Sabin and Anderson.

Here’s Moose in a suit for a chat. He gives us an injury update on Willie Mack, who will not be able to wrestle for a few weeks. That’s because Moose hurt him, even though no one believes what he is capable of doing. Moose doesn’t like everyone talking about Rich Swann, who may be a great competitor but the difference is Swann stays hurt while Moose hurts people. Swann needs to call Mack and ask what he is getting into.

Cue Mack, who says he isn’t here to wrestle. He isn’t mad at Moose, but rather because the referee said he couldn’t go anymore even though he had plenty left. No one is telling him he’s done, so they can have an I Quit match at Genesis. Moose doesn’t think that’s a good idea but Mack charges the ring. Security breaks it up for a bit so Moose breaks it up.

Moose goes to the back where he is asked what happened out there (Do the interviewers not even watch?). He is tired of indy wrestlers trying to make a name for themselves. One of those guards just ripped his shirt! He gets people trying to do something but don’t you EVER put your hands on him. They couldn’t last three minutes in the ring with him so if you do it again, you’ll get hurt like Mack. That could go a few places.

Chris Bey comes in to see Rohit Raju and congratulate him on losing the X-Division Title at Final Resolution. Raju already has his rematch set for Hard To Kill, which Bey doesn’t seem to like. Bey had an idea for him and goes to leave, but Raju pulls him back. Bey says that if Raju can prove that Manik is TJP, he can get the title back without having to beat him. Raju says he thought of that and great minds think alike. That’s what the two of them should do and as luck would have it, Bey is facing Manik next.

We get another Double Tony Paid Advertisement. Khan says that one of the nice things about Impact is you get to see Kenny Omega and he won’t even slap an injunction on it. Omega is one of the best wrestlers in the world along with Jon Moxley, even though Omega stole the title from him.

Schiavone says it’s hard to find AXS TV, to the point where your smart TV will just ask why if you try to find it. We run down the Dynamite card (Featuring SCU. Tony asked them if they remembered when TNA had fans and they said “no, we don’t”.) and Don Callis is invited to show up so Khan can start teaching him about wrestling. Still funny, with Schiavone being far funnier than he should be.

Eric Young talks about losing his mother to sickness and how sickness and disease can destroy anything. He’s sitting in front of a handcuffed Cody Deaner and promises to baptize him in the holy water of change. Can we go back to Khan talking about how horrible this show is?

Chris Bey vs. Manik

Non-title and Rohit Raju is here with Bey. Manik gets taken into the corner for some choking to start but he’s back with a slingshot headscissors. Something like a torture rack into a reverse Samoan drop plants Bey and Manik sends him outside. The dive connects and we take an early break.

Back with Bey hitting an elbow to the back and going after the mask. Manik fights out of a chinlock attempt and hits a kick to the chest. Bey takes him right back down into a seated abdominal stretch but this time Manik is right back with a belly to back. A quick dropkick puts Manik on the floor though but he’s right back in with a high crossbody. The Detonation Kick looks to set up the double underhook chickenwing, allowing Bey to hit a low blow. Raju tries to come in and go after the mask, so Bey has to stop and yell at him. That’s too far for Raju, who hits Bey in the back of the head to earn Bey a DQ win at 11:32.

Rating: C. Both guys are good in the ring and looked fine here though I’m curious to see where things go. If nothing else, TJP is awesome in whatever role they give him and it’s nice to see him getting a story with some prominent. Raju continues to rise through the ranks and Bey is rather good at anything he does so I approve of all of this.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Sting’s entrance at Final Resolution 2006, setting up his win with Christian over Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown.

Than Page tells Josh Alexander that it’s all going to be ok, even though he lost at Final Resolution. Josh doesn’t want to hear it though because they can’t be a team right now. Page says we (yes we) will always have your back. Page leaves and here’s Brian Myers to say he’s a tag team specialist who won the Tag Team Titles in front of 82,000 people. A team is proposed but Alexander would rather beat him up. Good move man.

Back on the bus, Omega calls Rich a b**** and Callis tells Anderson to go get his name back from the Guns. Anderson goes off (again) but Omega is kind of ticked off about Swann. He is here to make this show about them instead of Swann and it’s been a long time coming.

Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz vs. Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary

Rosemary takes Steelz down without too much trouble and it’s Taya coming in to whip Steelz into a suplex from Rosemary for two. Some right hands to the head have Kiera in trouble but Steelz gets in a cheap shot from the apron. Kiera grabs a neckbreaker for two and brings Rosemary into the corner so Steelz can kick her in the ribs. Rosemary gets in a quick Upside Down for a breather but Kiera pulls Taya off the apron to break up a tag attempt.

That doesn’t last long as Rosemary gets over for the hot tag a few seconds later. Taya starts cleaning house, including a spinebuster to Kiera. Cue Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee to beat up Rosemary and since the referee doesn’t see it (because he’s not that good), it’s Hogan hitting a superkick into a fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pin on Taya at 7:25.

Rating: C. The match was working well enough until the dumb referee not noticing anything happening, even when Taya was looking outside for a long stretch. Kiera and Tasha advancing isn’t a surprise as they are one of the only regular teams coming into the tournament, but at least they had a decent match on the way there.

Eric Young continues to indoctrinate Cody Deaner about how wrestling is a disease. A sickness cannot give back or provide because it can only take from you. Eric says a parasite latched onto him and Cody says he never saw it. Joe Doering opens a cell door and that’s that.

Kiera and Tasha dance about making it to the finals and promise to win the titles. Tasha says there is no money in the gold fanny pack but here’s Johnny Swinger to talk about when he and Buddy Rose cut off a guy’s finger in Portland. They storm off and Swinger steals the gold fanny pack, complete with the roll of money in a hidden compartment.

Josh Alexander vs. Brian Myers

Alexander goes after him to start but gets taken down with a quick legsweep. Cue Ethan Page to help but Myers posts him for his trouble. Back in and Myers takes Alexander down for some knees between the shoulders. The chinlock goes on but Alexander fights up, only to be sent into the corner. Myers loads up his clothesline…..and here’s the Karate Man (Page’s alter ego) to jump Myers for the DQ at 3:14.

Rating: D. This feels like a parody of a bad wrestling segment, which is probably what they are going for, but they did get Myers off television in a hurry. Nothing match of course, but Page as the Karate Guy does seem a little amusing. It seems like the end of the North though, which is kind of a shame but after that long title reign, they didn’t have much else to do.

Cody Deaner admits that he has the disease so Young pours water over him and declares him cured and free. The world belongs to us. Great. Young is getting a stable.

Acey Romero comes in to tell Tommy Dreamer that Larry D. was set up. Dreamer doesn’t buy it but here are Rhino and Cousin Jake to say Eric Young is poisoning Cody Deaner’s mind. Dreamer tells the two of them to do something about Young and Doering, unless they’re scared.

For the next two weeks: The Best Of 2020.

Chris Sabin vs. Karl Anderson

Alex Shelley is here with Sabin. Joined in progress with Anderson taking him over with a headlock but getting reversed into a headscissors for a standoff. Sabin picks up the pace and runs Anderson over but can’t get la majistral. We see omega and Callis not paying attention as commentary says the two of them are paying attention. Anderson gets in a boot rake to the face and Sabin gets sent hard into the corner.

A few kicks to the ribs don’t get Sabin very far as Anderson rakes the eyes to cut him off again. Anderson sends him hard out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Anderson taking him down in a rather aggressive chinlock before switching to an armbar. That doesn’t last long either as Sabin fights up and a collision gives us a double knockdown.

Sabin starts the comeback with a running elbow in the corner followed by a high crossbody for two. A running boot in the corner sets up a tornado DDT for two more and they’re both down. They slug it out until a double clothesline knocks them both down again. They pop back up and it’s another double clothesline for yet another double knockdown. It’s Anderson up first with the spinebuster for two but a rollup with trunks is enough to finish Sabin at 17:26.

Rating: B. This was a rather solid main event and that’s great to see on any given show. It’s a pretty simple formula: take two guys who can work rather well and put them in a match against each other for a long time. That’s the kind of thing that is going to work out for everyone and it worked well here. Solid main event and that’s never a bad thing.

Post match Rich Swann comes out to yell at Anderson but leaves with him at the same time. Omega gets up and says watch a master at work. Callis follows him as we see Anderson kicking Swann in the face. The Machine Guns come in for the save so here’s Luke Gallows to break it up. Swann superkicks Gallows but Omega blasts Swann with a wet floor sign. Omega thinks it sounds good to make the six man at Hard To Kill, so Callis makes the match official. Goodbye and good night.

Overall Rating: C+. Much, much better show than last week as they had a theme throughout and then paid it off in the end. Omega actually doing something other than sitting around talking helps a lot too and the six man should be awesome. This is the kind of show that they needed to have last week and even though I’m not a fan of Young, it makes sense to give one of their bigger stars (egads) a bigger story like what he was doing here. Pretty nice show here and the kind they needed to have.

Results

Tenille Dashwood b. Alisha – Spotlight Kick

Chris Bey b. Mania via DQ when Rohit Raju interfered

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz b. Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Valkyrie

Brian Myers b. Josh Alexander via DQ when Ethan Page interfered

Karl Anderson b. Chris Sabin – Rollup with trunks

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 8, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

I’m actually looking at this show live for the first time in a long time as AEW World Champion Kenny Omega is here. Why AEW would want to do something with Impact Wrestling is beyond me but it could be interesting to see where they go with whatever they have planned. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Kenny Omega winning the AEW World Title on Dynamite with Don Callis on commentary. Callis helped cost Moxley the title and then said you would hear more about it Tuesday on Impact. That’s still some pretty tame interference and it’s hardly the big screwjob that commentary was treating it as being.

Josh Alexander vs. Chris Sabin

Ethan Page and Alex Shelley are here too. Feeling out process to start with Sabin taking him down, only to have Alexander pull Sabin to the mat by the arm. A stomp and some knees to the ribs have Sabin in trouble and there’s a backbreaker to make it worse. We hit the seated abdominal stretch and then a chinlock as commentary ignores everything going on here to talk about Omega and AEW.

Sabin manages to slip out and kick him in the head to send Alexander outside. The suicide dive connects but Sabin’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto the knee for two. A ripcord forearm drops Sabin again but he grabs a jackknife cover for the surprise pin at 9:45.

Rating: C. The Tag division, or at least the top of it, is quite good around here and Alexander is someone who can do a lot of good things during the show. Sabin is way past his prime but he can still go in the ring. If this sets up another big showdown somewhere down the road, I certainly wouldn’t be complaining.

Commentary talks about Omega and Callis like it’s the most important story in the world, even though it has almost nothing to do with anyone involved with this show.

Chris Bey comes up to a rather intense Moose and asks about their tag match tonight. Moose says they’ll talk after Bey’s World Title shot on Saturday. Bey isn’t sure what to think about him.

Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone have a paid advertisement telling us to watch AEW tomorrow. Khan doesn’t like how Omega won the belt and thinks Don Callis can be on the show tomorrow night. There are some great tag teams around here and maybe Khan will just buy the whole promotion. Khan: “You worked for Impact Wrestling back in the day right?” Schiavone: “Yeah for one night. Then I quit the business for 18 years.”

Brian Myers vs. TJP

They start fast with TJP taking him down and then grabbing a headlock for some spot calling. Myers puts him on top but TJP is right back down. They head outside with Myers sending him into the barricade as we take a break. Back with TJP hitting a tornado DDT but having to bail out of the Mamba splash.

Myers hits a Downward Spiral but misses a clothesline (his signature move according to Matthews, as he promises that this is what you will see every week) and gets pulled into the kneebar. A rope is grabbed so TJP snaps off a belly to back suplex. Myers avoids a charge though and hits a running clothesline for the pin at 11:47.

Rating: D+. Yeah it’s the former Curt Hawkins getting a nearly twelve minute match on the biggest show Impact could have had in years. Why does this surprise any of you? I’m still not sure what the point is in having Myers featured so prominently unless he’s helping out backstage, but with the reputation that he received in WWE, this isn’t doing him much good.

The Deaners are ready to face Eric Young and Joe Doering, but Cody says he has to do this on his own. Eventually he relents and lets Jake come to the ring with him, but it’s all serious tonight.

Rohit Raju laughs at TJP for losing and brags about how great of a year he has had. The final Defeat Rohit Challenge of 2020 at Final Resolution is open to anyone (except TJP of course) and TJP wishes him luck.

Eric Young vs. Cody Deaner

Young pounds away to start and yells at Cody a bit. Cody’s shots to the ribs don’t work as Young chokes on the ropes and sends him outside. Back in and Cody gets in a few more right hands, only to miss the top rope headbutt. The piledriver finishes Cody at 3:44.

Rating: D+. Yeah what were you expecting here? Young and Doering are being treated as the new monsters around here and it was Young against a Deaner. How else was this going to be anything but a complete squash? It’s still one of the least interesting teams in the company but they make sense in this spot.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Rhino runs in with a pipe for the save.

John E. Bravo wants Tommy Dreamer to arrest Larry D. for attempted murder. Dreamer goes over to Larry and tells him what’s going on, but Larry has an idea: a match with Dreamer at Final Resolution. If Larry wins, he goes free, but if he loses, he’ll go to jail peacefully. Dreamer says it’s on, as Larry asks how he can win his freedom from attempted murder in a wrestling match. Dreamer: “I can do anything I want.”

Post break Tommy Dreamer comes in to see Scott D’Amore, who isn’t happy with Dreamer making matches but he can’t be too upset now. Dreamer is worried about Kenny Omega and Don Callis because he’s been there before. He’s worried about what happens to the locker room but D’Amore isn’t worried.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles Tournament First Round: Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary vs. Deonna Purrazzo/Kimber Lee

Purrazzo and Rosemary fight over the arm to start with Rosemary scaring her into the corner so it’s off to Taya. Lee knocks her into the corner as well and it’s a double suplex to give Purrazzo two. Taya fights up and brings in Rosemary to clean house, only to have Purrazzo catch her in a Downward Spiral.

Lee’s flipping neckbreaker sends Rosemary’s back into the knee for two. Purrazzo kicks Rosemary in the face as everything breaks down. Taya and Lee do the splits and slug it out on the mat until Purrazzo kicks Lee by mistake. Purrazzo and Taya fight to the floor, leaving Rosemary to hit the Wing Clipper on Lee to advance at 6:59.

Rating: D. Not much to see here and given how the other first round matches have gone, I can’t say I’m surprised by how the ending went. Taya and Rosemary are a better team and it’s not like Purrazzo needs to be in the Tag Team Title scene when she’s already Knockouts Champion. Boring match, as the show continues to drag.

Here are your updated brackets:

Havok/Nevaeh

Jordynne Grace/Jazz

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz

Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary

Alisha doesn’t have time for Tenille and Kaleb With A K because she’s worried about Sami Callihan hurting Eddie Edwards. Tenille isn’t happy that they have to do this later.

Purrazzo and Lee come up to yell at Scott D’Amore over everything Purrazzo has to do. D’Amore mocks them a bit and makes Purrazzo vs. Rosemary for the Knockouts Title at Final Resolution.

Here’s Sami Callihan for a chat. He says he’s the highest rated name in Impact Wrestling because of everything he does around here and has carried this place on his back. The company needs him more than he needs it and that’s why he gets away with everything. He’s the one who put this company on the map when he crushed Eddie Edwards’ face with a baseball bat so let’s look at that footage.

Now he’s here holding things down while Ken Shamrock takes a needed vacation. While he’s doing that, he wanted to hurt Eddie again to pop the ratings, so let’s see that as well. Instead here’s Alisha, with Sami threatening to break her neck. Cue Eddie from behind to jump Sami, who takes a beating and runs away.

Post break Alisha tells Eddie that he needs to help her with her problem but he’s too fired up.

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Moose/Chris Bey

Swann and Bey trade flips to start with Swann rolling over into a dropkick. We take a very early break and come back with Moose throwing Mack down and then throwing Bey onto him for two. Moose continues the pounding with raw power and hands it off to Bey for two more. It’s back to Moose, who yells at Bey on the way out.

Mack manages a pair of Stunners and makes the hot tag off to Swann, who is quickly powerbombed by Moose. Instead of covering, Moose heads outside with Mack, leaving Swann to beat on Bey. Moose comes back in and gets superkicked down, with Swann hurricanranaing Bey onto him for two. Mack misses the Six Star Frog Splash though, allowing Moose to spear him down. Moose elbows him in the head over and over until Swann breaks it up but Bey pins Mack at 11:48.

Rating: C. Moose continues to look like a monster and I can’t imagine anything else headlining Hard To Kill but Moose getting his World Title shot against Swann. Bey needed a win after last week’s loss to Mack so this went as well as it could have. I’m a bit surprised that Bey didn’t pin Swann, but it’s nice to avoid the cliché like that.

Josh and Madison hype up the interview with Omega and Callis one more time.

Post break Swann, who took the fastest shower in recorded history, isn’t allowed to go to the parking lot because Kenny Omega has the parking lot blocked off. Josh gets to go by for the interview though and Swann is ticked.

Josh goes onto the bus with Omega and Callis, who cuts things off for a special moment: the ceremonial changing of the name plate on the title. Josh asks Callis about the interference last week, including wanting to know how long this has been in the works. Omega offers Josh the Moxley name plate because they were close before (Callis: “He’s a Stamford Stooge.”).

Callis talks about Omega’s uncle, the Golden Sheik, training him in Canada 27 years ago. The Sheik became Callis’ manager and then introduced him to his ten year old nephew Kenny. Since then, Callis has helped Omega throughout the years. Why else would Callis get back into the wrestling industry five years ago? Was it just to do a podcast? Was it just to do commentary in New Japan? It was all part of a plan to make Omega the biggest star in the world, down to the point where Tony Khan invited Callis into his home to set up Callis’ spot on commentary.

Callis is the one who booked Omega vs. Chris Jericho in the Tokyo Dome in the match which gave birth to All Elite Wrestling. Now you have a Hall of Famer in his mid 30s as the World Champion because they make history. Josh tries to ask if the title win was tainted but Omega says he’ll be taking over the interviewer role.

What would happen if someone who Josh couldn’t stand put their hands on Josh’s father? Would that make you pick up whatever you could to attack that person? What did Moxley expect would happen when he laid his hand on the invisible hand behind Omega’s push? Omega didn’t taint anything because he has dominated the wrestling world for years. Look at the top 20 AEW matches in history. He’s in about 17 of them. Mexico, England, Zimbabwe. No matter where you look, Omega is the king.

Look at this bus, where they like to live in style. So why impact Wrestling? As a child, Omega collected comic books but he had to quit because no matter how many comics he got, he could never get the rarest of them all. Now he has a new hobby: having the Action Comics #1 of wrestling with the title. Sure he had the X-Men and Spider-Man #1 in his collection, but maybe he can add some Impact Titles to his collection. There is going to be a big announcement on Dynamite and they need to get the Lex Express ready to go. Omega does his goodbye and good night to end the show.

So that’s the big interview and the reveal is that….Callis, who is the biggest Omega fan not named Meltzer in the world, has helped him get where he is today because Omega’s uncle trained Callis and he wanted to repay the favor? I’ve heard far worse explanations and while I’ve never cared about Callis in the slightest, this could be interesting. It seems that we are going to be getting something with Omega going after other titles and I’m assuming he’ll do that better than Austin Aries a few years ago. It’s too early to know where this is going yet, but this is enough to keep me intrigued for now.

Overall Rating: D+. I can’t get on them too much for having a lame show with this much hype as it’s all taped in advance, but they did not exactly put their best foot forward. This show was mainly focused on Omega being the most important thing in the world, which didn’t exactly make the Impact regulars look like they mattered in the slightest. Granted when you have Brian Myers, Eric Young, Tommy Dreamer and Rhino in featured roles, how good can things be? Bad show, but the Omega deal is all that matters.

Results

Chris Sabin b. Josh Alexander – Jackknife rollup

Brian Myers b. TJP – Running clothesline

Eric Young b. Cody Deaner – Piledriver

Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie b. Kimber Lee/Deonna Purrazzo – Wing Clipper to Lee

Chris Bey/Moose b. Willie Mack/Rich Swann – Elbows to Moose’s head

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 22, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We’re done with Turning Point and now things are starting to get a little more interesting. There were two title changes on the show as the Good Brothers and Deonna Purrazzo won the Tag Team and Knockouts Titles (you can figure out which did which). Other than that, the hunt is still on for John E. Bravo’s shooter. Let’s get to it.

Here is Turning Point if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at Turning Point, which did feel like an important show.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Willie Mack

Non-title, No DQ and a rematch from Turning Point where Moose won but had the decision overturned for attacking after the bell. They charge at each other to start with Mack hammering away and hitting a dropkick into the corner. There’s the Cannonball to send Moose outside but he tosses Mack over the barricade. Moose whips him into the barricade for a bonus and says this is for Rich Swann. Back in and Moose misses a dropkick but nips right back up.

The second dropkick works and it’s time to stomp away on Mack. There’s a hard whip into the corner but Moose misses a charge into the buckle. The slugout is on with Mack hitting the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault. The Stunner doesn’t work so Mack goes with the swinging slam. Mack misses the Six Star frog splash and Moose nails the spear (now called Lights Out, which is as generic of a name as you can get, as opposed to the good No Jackhammer Needed). Moose hammers away with right hands on the mat until the referee stops it at 10:09.

Rating: C. These two work well together with Moose handing out quite the beating to him in both matches. Mack as the buddy of Swann and taking the beating to set up the title match is a good way to go, though you would expect the bigger guy to be the one waiting after the little buddy was beaten down. Either way, Moose looked great and that’s the point of something like this.

Post match beats on him again. Remember when Eric Young did something like this a few weeks ago and it was nowhere near as effective? Just an observation.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We go to the Tree House where the Rascalz are sad about being evicted. They remember when Wentz and Gail Kim went to see the Jonas Brothers. Gail pops in….but it’s just a story apparently as Wentz doesn’t remember that. Then there was the time when Moose popped in and beat all of them up. Then the lights go out because they haven’t paid the light bill. See? It must have been Moose.

The Deaners come in to see Detective Dreamer, who is narrowing down his suspects. Cody suggests that Tommy search Johnny Swinger’s fanny pack (where they found a gun at Turning Point).

Suicide vs. Gio

And never mind as here are Eric Young and Joe Doering (who debuted at Turning Point) to jump Gio for the DQ at 41 seconds.

Post match, Young says this is what he promised and the world belongs to them.

Deonna Purrazzo says her and Kimber Lee’s plan has come together perfectly. Now it’s time to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. The lights go out and Su Yung has left a message saying bad things happen next week.

Heath and Rhino are in the back with Heath talking about his contract. Rhino tells him to go make it work and walks out of the room to run into Eric Young and Joe Doering. Rhino says it’s not happening with them here so they beat him down. Heath comes out and Eric points Doering at him, with the two of them going into the room. Pain seems imminent.

Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve

Fallout from Steve saving Swoggle at Turning Point. Steve drives him outside to start and then snaps off a headscissors back inside. An upside down Figure Four necklock over the ropes has Myers in more trouble and they fight to the apron as the announcers talk about the Knockouts Tag Team Titles tournament. We take a break and come back with Myers slapping on a chinlock to keep Steve in trouble.

A suplex gets two on Steve and Myers isn’t happy with the kickout. That means we hit another chinlock, followed by a sleeper to mix it up a bit. Steve breaks it up and sends him into the corner for some clotheslines, followed by the running senton for two. A Russian legsweep into something like an Octopus Hold on the mat sends Myers straight to the ropes, as he should be doing. Myers pokes him in the eye to get out of a belly to back suplex though and it’s a running clothesline for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: D+. Myers continues to be just kind of there for the most part but at least he’s doing something other than whining about how he should have been used better in WWE. Granted I’m not entirely sure what that new character is, but he’s getting a chance and that’s better than some others do. Steve is just kind of there, but I’ve seen a lot worse.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Madison Rayne/Gail Kim b. Brooke Tessmacher/Tara to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles on the November 3, 2011 Impact.

Here are the brackets for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles Tournament:

Tenille Dashwood/Alisha

Havok/Nevaeh

Killer Kelly/Renee Michelle

Jordynne Grace/TBA

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz

Sea Stars

Deonna Purrazzo/Kimber Lee

Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary

Johnny Swinger comes in to see Tommy Dreamer and asks to see what’s in the fanny pack. Swinger: “You mean the pharmacy pack daddy?” It’s a gun, so Dreamer declares him guilty before saying we’re bringing back WRESTLERS’ COURT next week. If he’s guilty, why are they going to court?

Knockouts Tag Team Titles Tournament First Round: Alisha/Tenille Dashwood vs. Nevaeh/Havok

Kaleb With A K is here with Dashwood/Alisha. Nevaeh gets sent into the corner and caught with a running clothesline from Alisha. A double suplex takes Nevaeh down again and it’s Dashwood staying in to kick away at the ribs. Dashwood hits a clothesline into a chinlock, though she does make sure to hit a smile for the photos. Nevaeh fights up and the double tag brings in Alisha, who walks into a spinning release Rock Bottom from Havok.

Alisha gets whipped hard into the corner, though Dashwood is distracted by another photo shoot. Back up and Alisha gets in her own whip into the corner, setting up a sliding clothesline. Everything breaks down and Dashwood is sent outside. Alisha is back up with a middle rope X Factor on Nevaeh but Havok catches her in a wheelbarrow, with Nevaeh adding a cutter for the pin at 6:37.

Rating: C-. The tournament could be a bit of a slog as there are only so many teams, but Nevaeh/Havok should be one of the better options available. You can probably guess the finals from here but there are enough possibilities out there to make it interesting and that’s always a good sign. Dashwood and Alisha shouldn’t have been a threat and they didn’t waste time with anything else, so at least it’s off to a good start.

Jordynne Grace is on the phone with her mystery partner, who was retired but agreed to team with her anyway. That could be interesting.

Hernandez vs. Fallah Bahh

They charge at each other to start until Bahh takes him down with a crossbody. Hernandez gets to the apron and scores with a slingshot shoulder though, sending Bahh outside. That means a big dive to crush Bahh as they’re going with the power stuff so far. Back in and Hernandez hits a big clothesline and we’re off to the neck crank.

That lasts as long as the common neck crank with Bahh fighting up and sending him into the corner for the splash. The running hip attack makes it worse but Hernandez is up at two. The Samoan drop is broken up though and Hernandez knocks him down, setting up the top rope splash for the pin at 3:35.

Rating: D+. Now this really needs to be the end of the feud as it wasn’t interesting in the first place and has dragged on FAR too long. I’m not sure why they went with Hernandez winning here as he isn’t exactly presented as anything important, but he does have a bigger history. Then again Bahh hasn’t had a chance, and this wasn’t much better.

Rohit Raju brags to Scott D’Amore about retaining at Turning Point, making D’Amore long for Austin Aries. Raju leaves and TJP comes up, with D’Amore saying it’s so frustrating that TJP can’t ever have another title shot. All D’Amore can think of is what would Dusty Rhodes do. How would he find a way for ANYONE BUT TJP to get a title shot? TJP gets the hint as D’Amore rides away, like a day as midnight approaches.

Video on the Good Brothers winning the Tag Team Titles.

Ethan Page comes up to Scott D’Amore, with the Good Brothers, demanding a title shot. Karl Anderson suggests that Page face a PHENOMENAL opponent, which is cool with Page, as long as it means a title shot when he wins. D’Amore makes the match and insider lingo abounds.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Trey Miguel/Rich Swann vs. Dez/Wentz

It’s the Rascalz’ farewell match. The dancing is on before the match as they’re all friends, though Wentz winces a bit when trying to match everyone else in the splits. We take a break and come back with the opening bell, as Wentz drives Trey into the corner. Wentz reverses a wristlock into a headlock and they fight over wrist control again. They both miss some shots to the face and try dropkicks at the same time, setting up stereo nipups into a standoff.

Dez and Swann come in to shove each other away off an exchange of lockups. Both guys stick a few landings, with Trey saying he can’t do that. Swann catches him with a shot to the face and it’s Trey coming in, only to be sent into the corner for some rapid fire double teaming. We take a break and come back with Wentz kicking Trey in the face, followed by a DDT. Trey is fine enough to get over for a hot tag to Swann though and it’s time to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Swann’s standing shooting star press gets two. All four wind up on their knees in the middle of the ring for a circle slugout. Everyone hits a kick to the face and they’re all down again. Dez and Wentz finally take over on Swann with the rapid fire kicks and the Hot Fire Flame connects.

Trey superkicks Dez into the corner for the save though and everyone is down again. Wentz gets caught in the corner for a Cheeky Nandos kick from Trey and Swann adds the frog splash to Dez. That’s broken up by Wentz, who shouts at Swann a lot. Another Hot Fire Flame misses and Trey hits Dez with the top rope Meteora. Swann kicks Wentz in the back of the head for the pin at 15:48.

Rating: B. It was a good and fast paced match and I’m sad to see the team go. I’ve been a fan of them since the day they debuted but at the same time, they have never won a title around here and you can only get so far without picking up some gold. The company is going to need some help to make up for them being gone, but you kind of have to move on at some point and the Rascalz need to do that at the moment.

Post match everyone hugs and cries, with the Rascalz leaving their jackets on the top rope.

The Rascalz and Swann go backstage and hug….but Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock jump them for the big beatdown. It’s better than the New Day split, though not quite as emotional.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event and post match beatdown worked well but the rest of the show was pretty hit or miss. This week’s show was far from bad and the focus on the Rascalz worked, but other than that it’s a show meant to build towards things later. That doesn’t make for the best show, though at least it feels like a one off rather than a trend. It helps that they have a good angle to go out on so hopefully it picks up next week.

Results

Moose b. Willie Mack via referee stoppage

Gio b. Suicide via DQ when Joe Doering interfered

Brian Myers b. Crazzy Steve – Running clothesline

Nevaeh/Havok b. Alisha/Tenille Dashwood – Wheelbarrow cutter to Alisha

Hernandez b. Fallah Bahh – Top rope splash

Rich Swann/Trey Miguel b. Dez/Wentz – Kick to the back of Wentz’s head

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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