Impact Wrestling
Date: June 2, 2022
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentator: Tom Hannifan

We’re closing in on Slammiversary and in this case that means even more Eric Young. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but the good thing is that things haven’t been too terrible so far. Young is set to challenge Josh Alexander for the World Title at Slammiversary but the show needs some more buildup first. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s main event, with Violent By Design beating Josh Alexander and the Briscoes.

We get a new opening sequence, complete with a THIS IS TNA voiceover, albeit set to the current roster.

Mia Yim vs. Savannah Evans

Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary and Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. The entrances let commentary explain the still rather complicated Queen Of The Mountain rules. Yim fires off knees to start and sends Evans down early. Evans is right back with a DDT for two as Purrazzo talks about how she never needed an insurance policy. Hannifan: “You don’t remember Matthew Rehwoldt?” Purrazzo: “No.”

Yim fights out of a chinlock but gets powerbombed down to cut her off. There’s a World’s Strongest Slam to give Evans two but she misses a charge into the post. A cannonball gives Yim two, only to have Evans come back with a fisherman’s suplex for two of her own. Evans is sent outside so Steelz grabs Yim, only to have Jordynne Grace run down to cut her off. The distraction lets Yim hit Eat Defeat for the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C. More momentum building here, though I have no idea how you build momentum for something as zany as Queen of the Mountain. I’m not sure how great of an idea it is to bring back a match that screams RUSSO as much as this one, but at least they have something going on. Perfectly fine opener here, as Yim gets established again.

Slammiversary rundown.

Earlier today, Shark Boy told Eddie Edwards to treat Impact with more respect. Chris Harris of all people came in to break it up.

The Influence annoys Rosemary and offers her some makeup. Rosemary says they’ll need it after she bites their faces off. The rest of Decay comes in to scare them off.

Kenny King vs. Blake Christian

Trey Miguel is on commentary and King’s Ultimate X spot is on the line. King strikes him into the corner to start but Christian flips around and hits a kick to the face. They head to the floor and neither can get anywhere, with Christian using the steps to jump over him. Back in and a kick to the head puts King on the floor, setting up the big suicide dive as we take a break.

We come back with King hitting a t-bone suplex for two and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. Christian fights up and hits a dropkick to the back, setting up a quick splash for two. King knocks him away and comes back with a springboard Blockbuster. The spinebuster gives King two more but Christian manages to drape him over the top. There’s a splash to King’s back but the 450 hits raised knees. The Royal Flush finishes King at 13:00.

Rating: C+. This was your weekly X-Division match and as usual, it worked out fairly well. I was half thinking that they were going to pull a surprise here but King is the bigger name and the logical choice to be in the title match. Christian has been around for a bit but he hasn’t had that match or moment that makes him stand out from the pack. He is still good, but nothing has really jumped off the page yet (with an emphasis on the last word).

Jack Evans of all people is in the Ultimate X match.

Bhupinder Gujjar thanks W. Morrissey for having his back last week and says he has Morrissey’s back anytime. We pan over to PCO, who is losing his mind (I think, as it’s hard to tell).

Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Rich Swann

Swann’s newly won Digital Media Title isn’t on the line, but Matt Cardona has stolen the title anyway, which is in no way or shape code for hiding the fact that this show was taped first. Rehwoldt takes him down to start and poses but Swann goes to the test of strength offer, meaning it’s time to alternate hands into some dancing. Swann dropkicks him to the floor but Rehwoldt gets in a kick to the head to take over back inside. Some kicks rock Rewholdt again but he’s right back with a fireman’s carry slam for two. That’s fine with Swann, who hits a Lethal Injection into a phoenix splash for the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C-. This was kind of a weird short form story as Rehwoldt hasn’t been involved in anything for months and then gets a random match with Swann. They didn’t do anything nutty here and it’s fine for Rehwoldt, a former wrestler, to be able to hang in there for a few minutes like this. Not a stand out match or anything but it filled in its time well enough.

On BTI, Alisha Edwards was given an envelope by Masha Slamovich.

Edwards reveals that it was an 8×10 of herself with a red X drawn through it. Gisele Shaw comes in to suggest that Edwards is in trouble.

Here are the Good Brothers for a chat. After confirming that his skinny jeans look good, Karl Anderson talks about getting to face the Briscoes at Slammiversary. We hear about all of the places they have won gold over the years, from Las Vegas to Tokyo to London to Saudi Arabia. The Briscoes have won a lot but they can’t touch the Good Brothers. Sure they might be the Delaware State Sack Racing Champions, but the Good Brothers were at Madison Square Garden.

Anderson has a special video though: the top ten things the two of them have done here in Impact Wrestling. 10-7 are a variety of Magic Killers, but then we get to 6-2, which is THAT TIME WE BEAT THE BRISCOES! #1 is…actually cut off by the Briscoes themselves as things get a bit serious. Dang I wanted to know what was on top. Jay calls the Good Brothers soft, because the Briscoes are the ones out there putting in the work every day.

They’re still on the farm working hard because that is what they do, but Anderson wants to tell us what was #1: it was THAT TIME WE BEAT THE BRISCOES. The fight is on with the Briscoes clearing the ring to send the Brothers running. Despite the Good Brothers physically towering over the Briscoes (that’s still weird to see), this feels big and like an actual major tag team showdown. It’s also weird to see the Brothers as someone I don’t mind, but stranger things have happened.

Josh Alexander is ready for Eric Young, but not so ready for getting jumped by Violent By Design.

Come to some upcoming shows. The fact that these shows are happening is almost hard to fathom when you consider how low Impact reached at some point.

Josh Alexander wants Joe Doering next week but Scott D’Amore tries to talking him out of it. Alexander gets the match anyway.

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett vs. Rhino/Heath

Eddie Edwards is on commentary. Bennett and Rhino start things off with Rhino shouldering him down early on. Heath comes in to crank on the arm before it’s off to Taven. That doesn’t go well either as Taven is knocked outside and we take an early break. Back with Heath in trouble as we keep looking at Edwards and Hannifan on commentary.

Bennett drops an elbow for two and we hit the chinlock to keep Heath down. That’s broken up though and a missed charge/enziguri…isn’t enough for Heath to bring Rhino back in. A clothesline drops Taven though and now the hot tag brings Rhino back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Taven Climaxes Rhino for the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C. Honor No More continues to kind of just be there without much of note going on. Odds are they’ll be in for a high enough profile match at Slammiversary and that is about the best you could ask for from them. They need something to do and maybe that is what they get in the coming weeks.

Post match Honor No More runs in for the big beatdown on Heath and Rhino, complete with a bunch of chair shots to Rhino’s knee. Frankie Kazarian and the Motor City Machine Guns make the save.

Post break Rhino is put in an ambulance with Heath riding along. Kazarian and the Machine Gus want Honor No More so Scott D’Amore tells them to find two partners who have been in Impact at any time ever to settle this.

Slammiversary/next week rundown.

Moose/Steve Maclin vs. PCO/W. Morrissey

Matthew Rehwoldt joins commentary for the first time. PCO isn’t having any of Maclin’s headlock to start so it’s off to Moose vs. Morrissey instead. That means an exchange of chops in the corner with Morrissey getting the better of things and handing it back to PCO. Everything breaks down with PCO and Morrissey cleaning house with running splashes in the corner.

There’s a double chokeslam to Maclin and Morrissey gets to choke Moose with a boot. A cheap shot allows Maclin to come back in though and it’s time to start working on Morrissey’s knee. The standing leglock goes on but Morrissey uses the good leg to kick Maclin out to the floor. PCO comes back in to clean house, including the Cannonball to Maclin.

The Deanimator crushes Maclin on the apron and a belly to belly puts Moose down. PCO’s running flip suicide dive drops both of them again but the PCOsault misses back inside. That doesn’t seem to bother PCO as he is right over for the tag to Morrissey so everything can break down. Morrissey gets tied up in the Tree of Woe so Maclin can hit a spear in the corner, followed by a suicide dive to PCO. Back in and a double arm DDT finishes Morrissey at 14:19.

Rating: C+. The match itself was good and I’m glad Maclin got a win, but this was kind of a weird set of pairings. It felt almost like something you would get if you pulled names out of a hat and then aired it as the main event. I’ve heard of worse ideas for matches and it worked well, but it felt fairly random.

Post match Moose spears PCO but Sami Callihan appears and baseball bats Moose down.

Overall Rating: C+. Another solid enough week here as we move that much closer to Slammiversary. They had some good enough action here, but they also set up another match for the pay per view and advanced some of the stories that were already made. Impact might not be flashy a lot of the time, but it is doing enough efficiently to make things work, as they did again here.

Results
Mia Yim b. Savannah Evans – Eat Defeat
Kenny King b. Blake Christian – Royal Flush
Rich Swann b. Matthew Rehwoldt – Phoenix splash
Matt Taven/Mike Bennett b. Heath/Rhino – Climax to Rhino
Steve Maclin/Moose b. PCO/W. Morrissey – Double arm DDT to W. Morrissey

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: Alex Shelley vs. Trey Miguel

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Masha Slamovich vs. Havok

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

Rosemary isn’t sure what to do.

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

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

Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is what’s coming next week.

Briscoes/Josh Alexander vs. Violent By Design

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

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

Brian Myers vs. W. Morrissey

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

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

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

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

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

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

X-Division Title: Ace Austin vs. Rocky Romero

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

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

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

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

EGV is still coming.

Masha Slamovich vs. Damaris

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

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

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

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

Bullet Club vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steve Maclin vs. Tomohiro Ishii

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

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

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

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

Under Siege rundown.

Jonah vs. PCO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: April 7, 2022
Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas
Host: Josh Matthews

It’s a special week this time around as rather than building towards Rebellion with a regular show, we’re going to look at some of the Multiverse Of Matches card. The show was held over Wrestlemania Weekend but a lot of it had little to do with the upcoming pay per view. It should be fun for a one off though so let’s get to it.

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

Note that I’ll be posting the full versions of the matches rather than the possibly clipped versions from the broadcast.

The opening video gives us a Multiverse Of Matches highlight reel.

X-Division Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Chris Bey vs. Blake Christian vs. Vincent vs. Rich Swann vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending in Ultimate X and Swann busts out a Scott Hall pose for a great moment. It’s a group attempt to crawl across the ropes to start but that is all broken up. The audio gets a lot louder as Miguel is left alone, only to be pulled down by Swann and Bey. That means a three way exchange of strikes to the face with bey getting the better of things.

Grace is back in with a MuscleBuster to Bey but Christian clears the ring out again. Miguel takes Christian down though and goes up, only to get pulled down by Vincent. That earns Vincent a cutter from Swann, who is pulled down by Bey rather quickly. Bey plants Swann with the Art of Finesse so Christian goes up, only to drop does onto Bey with a Canadian Destroyer. Instead of climbing though, Christian hits a big flip dive onto the pile. It’s Grace going across the cables and using her legs, only to get knocked down by Miguel. That’s enough for Miguel to grab the title and retain at 7:25.

Rating: B-. This was one of those things where I’ve seen a bunch of Ultimate X matches over the years and a lot of them run together. The climbing was the focus here again as it tends to be, though it was a lot of two people do their thing and then some others take their place. Fun match, but if you’ve seen a few of these, you’ve seen them all.

Trey Miguel is ready for his triple threat title defense at Rebellion. If you can’t see the fire in his eyes right now, you aren’t looking close enough.

We look at Chelsea Green turning on Mickie James, who got taken out by Matt Cardona. A mixed tag match was set.

Mickie James is ready to take Green out and Nick Aldis is glad to be back for one night only. He just wishes it was under nicer circumstances than him stretching Cardona.

Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green vs. Nick Aldis/Mickie James

Green turned on James and Cardona took her out, so James brought in Aldis for a battle of married teams. The girls get in a brawl to start but we settle down to Aldis pounding on Cardona on the mat and in the corner. Mickie comes in but gets taken down by Cardona’s clothesline to put her in trouble. It’s off to Green to choke in the corner and forearm away, setting up the chinlock to keep James down.

The Reboot misses for Cardona though and Mickie grabs a flapjack, allowing the hot tag off to Aldis. The clothesline comeback is on, setting up a Tombstone. There’s a top rope elbow but Green makes the save as everything breaks down. Cardona has to save Green from the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf but she gets sent outside anyway. Back in and stereo King’s Lynn Cloverleafs make Cardona and Green tap at the same time at 8:00.

Rating: C. I remember this being a bit longer in person but it still worked out well enough. There is a simple story here with the two married couples going at it over one of them being attacked a few weeks ago. Aldis continues to look like a star, though he might be a bit dull, and James has been a legend for years. Green has come a long way and Cardona…my goodness he has had a career renaissance in the last year or so and it has been a lot of fun to watch.

Eddie Edwards is here representing Pro Wrestling Noah because they didn’t turn their backs on him. He is in his old school green and is ready to prove himself to Tomohiro Ishii.

Eddie Edwards vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Feeling out process to start with Edwards backing him up against the ropes to no avail. An exchange of shoulders (eventually) goes to Ishii but he is sent outside for the suicide dive. Ishii gets sent into the barricade but he is fine enough to hit a powerslam to drive Edwards into the floor. A DDT onto the apron rocks Ishii for two and Eddie is starting to get cocky.

That’s not a good idea against Ishii, who hits a suplex and unloads in the corner to take over. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets Eddie out of trouble for two and he kicks Ishii in the head in the corner. The Backpack Stunner is broken up so they trade snap German suplexes and clotheslines for a double knockdown.

Back up and Edwards starts striking away in the corner, earning a glare from Ishii and a YOU CENSORED UP chant from the crowd. Ishii hammers away but the sliding lariat is blocked and Edwards knees away. The Boston Knee Party is blocked and Ishii hits a running knee of his own. Edwards blocks the brainbuster and tries the Die Hard Driver but Ishii slips out. The big clothesline sets up the brainbuster to give Ishii the pin at 14:58.

Rating: B-. This felt like the match where they beat each other up until one of them just couldn’t get up again. That is a formula that will always work well enough, though it didn’t quite hit the highest point here. Ishii isn’t what he used to be but he is still good enough to get by on a combination of reputation and skill. If nothing else, it is nice to see a first time match that felt special, which is the point of this show.

Jonah/Josh Alexander vs. PCO/Moose

PCO jumps Alexander to start and knocks him into the corner. Alexander gets in a kick to the face though and it’s Jonah coming in, albeit after glaring at Alexander a bit (with commentary pointing out their previous issues). It’s off to Moose for the showdown with Jonah, but about ten shoulders won’t put Jonah down. One big shoulder does put Moose down, though Alexander tags himself back in to chase Moose around the ring.

PCO cuts Alexander off and it’s a double whip to send Alexander into the barricade. Back in and PCO drops his middle rope leg and Moose starts stomping on Alexander’s wrist. Alexander is able to grab a suplex on PCO but he’s back up to knock Jonah off the apron before the tag. The second attempt works just fine though and it’s Jonah coming in to clean house.

That doesn’t last long as the big backsplash misses and Alexander is already back in. Everything breaks down and PCO hits his big flip dive to the floor, setting up the Deanimator on Alexander. Back in and Jonah hits a superkick on PCO, leaving Alexander to blast Moose with a clothesline. We get the BOO/YAY slugout with Moose and Alexander until Moose bails from the threat of the C4 Spike. The Spike hits PCO instead for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C+. Sometimes you need four big, strong guys to beat on each other for a little while. That is what we got here and it was entertaining while it lasted. That’s about all you can ask for here and they even built up Moose vs. Alexander at Rebellion. Throw in some fun interactions and this was about as good of a use of their time as they could have had.

We recap Jay White vs. Chris Sabin. They have met each other time after time and now it is Sabin’s chance to prove himself.

Chris Sabin vs. Jay White

White is a bit popular around here. A chop against the ropes wakes Sabin up to start and another hurts White’s own hand. Sabin grabs him by the arm and takes him down to the mat before grabbing an armdrag into a chop of his own. White is sent outside for the suicide dive and then gets dropped face first onto the apron. Back in and White catches him on top, setting up another chop out to the floor.

A pair of belly to back drops onto the apron have Sabin in more trouble and the half crab goes on back inside. With that broken up, White hits a backbreaker into a waistlock to stay on the back/ribs. Sabin fights up and hits a shot to the ribs of his own before another good one puts White down. Some elbows to the back of the head set up a missile dropkick to give Sabin two as his chest is a scary shade of purple.

White is back up with a snap DDT for two and a Saito suplex drops Sabin again. A swinging suplex gets two more and it’s White’s turn to be frustrated. The swinging Rock Bottom plants Sabin for another near fall and White is annoyed at the referee (the same one who allegedly messed up in the tag match last week).

Sabin counters the Blade Runner into a ram into the corner but White goes back to the damaged chest. That just fires Sabin up for some, ahem, machine gun style chops to put White down for a change. There’s the hard clothesline but the Cradle Shock is blocked. White tries the Blade Runner again, only to get rolled up to give Sabin the upset pin at 16:01.

Rating: B. I didn’t see that coming and I was actually surprised by the pinfall. White losing outside of anything but a big match is weird and Sabin winning a major singles match almost feels even weirder. It was a heck of a match though with both guys looking as smooth as they ever did. That’s the good thing about seeing people like these two getting in the ring and they made it work very well. Match of the night so far.

Post match Steve Maclin comes in to go after Sabin but White pulls him off. Maclin goes after Sabin again but gets hit low, leaving Sabin to celebrate.

Sabin talks about beating White in an upset because no one expected him to win. Now White will never forget it.

Good Brothers vs. Briscoes

This is a few hours after the Briscoes had their instant classic against FTR. We get the Big Match Intros and you really can feel the energy when the Briscoes are in the ring. They just make things feel big and the charisma is off the charts. Mark and Anderson go to the mat to start but everything breaks down in a hurry.

Back in and Karl rakes Jay’s eyes to take over and we settle down with Jay being sent into the corner. Gallows stomps away and Anderson goes back to the eyes like a villain (I think?) should. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Jay is taken into the corner for some right hands from Anderson. That doesn’t last long either and the hot tag brings in Mark to clean house.

The Iconoclasm gets two on Anderson and Redneck Boogie (commentary didn’t seem to know the name) connects for the same. Everything breaks down and the reverse 3D gets two on Jay. Mark breaks up the Magic Killer and everyone is down again. It’s Mark getting up first and heading to the top but Chris Bey pops up to distract the referee. Cue Jay White to shove Mark off the top, setting up the Magic Killer for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: C+. They went fast here and a lot of that is probably due to the Briscoes being a bit gassed after their earlier match. What mattered here was giving the Bullet Club a win and it isn’t like the Briscoes lose much after a previous match and interference. They had a good match here though and the energy was high to end the night.

Deonna Purrazzo doesn’t care that Mercedes Martinez won the Interim Ring Of Honor Women’s Title earlier tonight (at a different show) and she doesn’t care who answers her Champ Champ Challenge tonight.

Here’s Deonna Purrazzo for the Champ Champ Challenger.

AAA Reina de Reinas Title: Faby Apache vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending and defeated Apache to win the title in the first place. I had been hoping for Mercedes Martinez or Taya Valkyrie but this was certainly a surprise. Feeling out process with Apache taking her down by the leg and some legsweeps give them two each. A slugout goes to Purrazzo but Apache takes her down into the corner to stomp away. Purrazzo is back with some arm cranking but can’t get the cross armbreaker. Apache grabs a suplex into a legdrop as the fans aren’t sure what to make of her.

La majistral gives Apache two as Rehwoldt continues to sing Purrazzo’s praises. Something like a reverse Figure Four has Purrazzo in trouble until she gets over to the rope. Purrazzo is back up with a standing moonsault for two but Apache grabs the Fairy Tale Ending for her own two. The Fujiwara armbar is broken up and they kick each other in the face for a double knockdown. Back up and Purrazzo hits a German suplex but can’t get the Queen’s Gambit. With that not working, Purrazzo pulls her into the armbar for the tap to retain at 8:56.

Rating: C. The problem here is that the fans didn’t know Apache and they didn’t react tot he match as a result. While Apache is someone who was a threat to the title, you need something to care about and that isn’t the case with someone popping into the promotion for the first time. The match wasn’t bad, but it had almost no heat and that dragged things down.

Post match Purrazzo grabs the mic and says it doesn’t matter who what Mercedes Martinez won earlier tonight because she is the Champ Champ….and here is Taya Valkyrie to interrupt. The fans welcome her back and Valkyrie says Purrazzo should be worried about that Reina de Reinas Title. Valkyrie will see her at Rebellion.

Purrazzo says Valkyrie can bring it.

Valkyrie is ready to win the Reina de Reinas Title and shut Purrazzo up.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Alex Shelley vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey was all over Wrestlemania Weekend and this is one of a handful of matches I saw from him. The fans aren’t sure who to cheer for here but both seem rather popular. They take about a minute to lock up with Shelley working on a wristlock. Bailey breaks that up fast and sends Shelley into the corner to give us a standoff. A whip into the ropes doesn’t get Shelley anywhere as bailey is back with his bouncing kicks to the arms into the enziguri.

Shelley is sent outside where he seems to injure and then fix his own shoulder. A jawbreaker works a bit better for Shelley and they head outside again with Shelley chopping away against the barricade. We pause for a Ric Flair strut and a top rope knee is driven into the chest back inside. Shelley hits a leg trap DDT for two and we hit the crossarm choke. Bailey fights up again and kicks him down, setting up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two.

Shelley pulls him down into the Motor City Stretch, sending Bailey over to the rope. They head to the apron (oh dear) where Bailey trips him down but misses his moonsault knees (freaking ow man). That lets Shelley hit a slingshot DDT, which mostly drives Bailey’s shoulder into the apron to knock him silly. A brainbuster on the floor drops Bailey again but he dives back in and sends Shelley outside.

That means a big springboard moonsault because selling isn’t a thing on this show. Back in and Shelley gets annoyed so the real fight is on. Bailey kicks him down and hits the Ultimate Weapon (standing moonsault double knees) for two. A quick Motor City Stretch attempt is countered into a rollup for two before Bailey bounces him off the rope for another rollup and the pin at 15:03.

Rating: B-. You knew you were going to get this kind of a match on the show and it worked well here, though Bailey taking those big moves and popping up to win a few moments later was more than I could reasonably take. That was a problem for him all weekend long and while it is the kind of thing that you have to expect, it still isn’t easy to see over and over.

Overall Rating: B. This was more or less the Multiverse Of Matches show (minus the Knockouts Tag Team Title match) with Josh’s intros and some short promos added. It’s a pretty entertaining show and a nice way to take a breather after Wrestlemania Weekend. Rebellion can have its final push next week and they did advance enough on this show too. All in all, not a must see show, but worth a look if you don’t have time for the full Multiverse show.

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Multiverse Of Matches
Date: April 1, 2022
Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

This was a show that got my attention as it has a pretty nice card with a lot of things going on. The idea is that there are multiple companies coming together with some representatives for some matches we might not have seen before. That should be enough, even if this is just a side trip on the way to Rebellion. Let’s get to it.

I was in attendance for this show, sitting opposite the entrance in the fifth row center.

The opening video runs down the card.

X-Division Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Chris Bey vs. Blake Christian vs. Vincent vs. Rich Swann vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending in Ultimate X and Swann busts out a Scott Hall pose for a great moment. It’s a group attempt to crawl across the ropes to start but that is all broken up. The audio gets a lot louder as Miguel is left alone, only to be pulled down by Swann and Bey. That means a three way exchange of strikes to the face with bey getting the better of things.

Grace is back in with a MuscleBuster to Bey but Christian clears the ring out again. Miguel takes Christian down though and goes up, only to get pulled down by Vincent. That earns Vincent a cutter from Swann, who is pulled down by Bey rather quickly. Bey plants Swann with the Art of Finesse so Christian goes up, only to drop does onto Bey with a Canadian Destroyer. Instead of climbing though, Christian hits a big flip dive onto the pile. It’s Grace going across the cables and using her legs, only to get knocked down by Miguel. That’s enough for Miguel to grab the title and retain at 7:25.

Rating: B-. This was one of those things where I’ve seen a bunch of Ultimate X matches over the years and a lot of them run together. The climbing was the focus here again as it tends to be, though it was a lot of two people do their thing and then some others take their place. Fun match, but if you’ve seen a few of these, you’ve seen them all.

Here’s what’s coming on the rest of the card as the structure is taken apart.

Earlier today, the Good Brothers promised to take the Briscoes out to even their career series.

Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green vs. Nick Aldis/Mickie James

Green turned on James and Cardona took her out, so James brought in Aldis for a battle of married teams. The girls get in a brawl to start but we settle down to Aldis pounding on Cardona on the mat and in the corner. Mickie comes in but gets taken down by Cardona’s clothesline to put her in trouble. It’s off to Green to choke in the corner and forearm away, setting up the chinlock to keep James down.

The Reboot misses for Cardona though and Mickie grabs a flapjack, allowing the hot tag off to Aldis. The clothesline comeback is on, setting up a Tombstone. There’s a top rope elbow but Green makes the save as everything breaks down. Cardona has to save Green from the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf but she gets sent outside anyway. Back in and stereo King’s Lynn Cloverleafs make Cardona and Green tap at the same time at 8:00.

Rating: C. I remember this being a bit longer in person but it still worked out well enough. There is a simple story here with the two married couples going at it over one of them being attacked a few weeks ago. Aldis continues to look like a star, though he might be a bit dull, and James has been a legend for years. Green has come a long way and Cardona…my goodness he has had a career renaissance in the last year or so and it has been a lot of fun to watch.

Aldis motions that he wants the NWA World Title back. Or maybe the Impact Digital Media Title.

Deonna Purrazzo doesn’t care that Mercedes Martinez won the Interim Ring Of Honor Women’s Title earlier tonight (at a different show) and she doesn’t care who answers her Champ Champ Challenge tonight.

Alex Shelley vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey was all over Wrestlemania Weekend and this is one of a handful of matches I saw from him. The fans aren’t sure who to cheer for here but both seem rather popular. They take about a minute to lock up with Shelley working on a wristlock. Bailey breaks that up fast and sends Shelley into the corner to give us a standoff. A whip into the ropes doesn’t get Shelley anywhere as bailey is back with his bouncing kicks to the arms into the enziguri.

Shelley is sent outside where he seems to injure and then fix his own shoulder. A jawbreaker works a bit better for Shelley and they head outside again with Shelley chopping away against the barricade. We pause for a Ric Flair strut and a top rope knee is driven into the chest back inside. Shelley hits a leg trap DDT for two and we hit the crossarm choke. Bailey fights up again and kicks him down, setting up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two.

Shelley pulls him down into the Motor City Stretch, sending Bailey over to the rope. They head to the apron (oh dear) where Bailey trips him down but misses his moonsault knees (freaking ow man). That lets Shelley hit a slingshot DDT, which mostly drives Bailey’s shoulder into the apron to knock him silly. A brainbuster on the floor drops Bailey again but he dives back in and sends Shelley outside.

That means a big springboard moonsault because selling isn’t a thing on this show. Back in and Shelley gets annoyed so the real fight is on. Bailey kicks him down and hits the Ultimate Weapon (standing moonsault double knees) for two. A quick Motor City Stretch attempt is countered into a rollup for two before Bailey bounces him off the rope for another rollup and the pin at 15:03.

Rating: B-. You knew you were going to get this kind of a match on the show and it worked well here, though Bailey taking those big moves and popping up to win a few moments later was more than I could reasonably take. That was a problem for him all weekend long and while it is the kind of thing that you have to expect, it still isn’t easy to see over and over.

The Influence isn’t worried about their Tag Team Title defense. Madison Rayne is reminded of one of her favorite quotes: “Everyone else sucks and we’re the Knockouts Tag Team Champions.” Who said that you ask? Tenille Dashwood of course. All three of the teams are going to hate each other or not get along so they should be fine.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Decay vs. Lady Frost/Gisele Shaw vs. Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans vs. Influence

Influence is defending and there are actually no seconds here. Shaw and Frost are replacing the IInspiration, who are missing for no apparent reason. Rosemary and Steelz start things off but Steelz hands it off to Evans before anything happens. A dropkick to the leg takes Evans down so Rosemary can bite her head, only to get knocked into the corner. Evans hiptosses Steelz into her for two but Shaw tags herself in.

Something like Natural Selection gets two on Steelz and it’s off to Frost for Cryme Tyme’s old G9 of all things. Instead of covering, they let Steelz tag in Havok for the wrecking on Frost. Rosemary adds the spear before handing it off to Dashwood for the stomping. A northern lights suplex gives Rayne two and Steelz has to make the save after a neckbreaker.

Frost kicks her way to freedom so it’s off to Havok vs. Rayne, with no one interested in Rayne’s offer of a tag. Everything breaks down as we hit the parade of secondary finishers, leaving everyone down. Evans/Steelz and Decay fight to the floor, leaving Frost and Shaw to kick the champs down together. Frost gets knocked off the top though and a double Stroke is enough to retain the titles at 9:03.

Rating: C. What else were you expecting from a match like this? There are eight women fighting to get ring time and no one is going to get the chance to shine. The titles still don’t mean much and it is hard to imagine anyone but the IInspiration taking the Influence down. At least they weren’t out there long and the match wasn’t awful, but it isn’t like these things ever work that well.

Eddie Edwards is here representing Pro Wrestling Noah because they didn’t turn their backs on him. He is in his old school green and is ready to prove himself to Tomohiro Ishii.

Eddie Edwards vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Feeling out process to start with Edwards backing him up against the ropes to no avail. An exchange of shoulders (eventually) goes to Ishii but he is sent outside for the suicide dive. Ishii gets sent into the barricade but he is fine enough to hit a powerslam to drive Edwards into the floor. A DDT onto the apron rocks Ishii for two and Eddie is starting to get cocky.

That’s not a good idea against Ishii, who hits a suplex and unloads in the corner to take over. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets Eddie out of trouble for two and he kicks Ishii in the head in the corner. The Backpack Stunner is broken up so they trade snap German suplexes and clotheslines for a double knockdown.

Back up and Edwards starts striking away in the corner, earning a glare from Ishii and a YOU CENSORED UP chant from the crowd. Ishii hammers away but the sliding lariat is blocked and Edwards knees away. The Boston Knee Party is blocked and Ishii hits a running knee of his own. Edwards blocks the brainbuster and tries the Die Hard Driver but Ishii slips out. The big clothesline sets up the brainbuster to give Ishii the pin at 14:58.

Rating: B-. This felt like the match where they beat each other up until one of them just couldn’t get up again. That is a formula that will always work well enough, though it didn’t quite hit the highest point here. Ishii isn’t what he used to be but he is still good enough to get by on a combination of reputation and skill. If nothing else, it is nice to see a first time match that felt special, which is the point of this show.

We recap PCO/Moose vs. Josh Alexander/Jonah. This is double fallout from Sacrifice where Alexander returned to go after Moose and Jonah injured PCO. There is nothing wrong with combining two feuds and this should be a hard hitting fight.

Jonah/Josh Alexander vs. PCO/Moose

PCO jumps Alexander to start and knocks him into the corner. Alexander gets in a kick to the face though and it’s Jonah coming in, albeit after glaring at Alexander a bit (with commentary pointing out their previous issues). It’s off to Moose for the showdown with Jonah, but about ten shoulders won’t put Jonah down. One big shoulder does put Moose down, though Alexander tags himself back in to chase Moose around the ring.

PCO cuts Alexander off and it’s a double whip to send Alexander into the barricade. Back in and PCO drops his middle rope leg and Moose starts stomping on Alexander’s wrist. Alexander is able to grab a suplex on PCO but he’s back up to knock Jonah off the apron before the tag. The second attempt works just fine though and it’s Jonah coming in to clean house.

That doesn’t last long as the big backsplash misses and Alexander is already back in. Everything breaks down and PCO hits his big flip dive to the floor, setting up the Deanimator on Alexander. Back in and Jonah hits a superkick on PCO, leaving Alexander to blast Moose with a clothesline. We get the BOO/YAY slugout with Moose and Alexander until Moose bails from the threat of the C4 Spike. The Spike hits PCO instead for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C+. Sometimes you need four big, strong guys to beat on each other for a little while. That is what we got here and it was entertaining while it lasted. That’s about all you can ask for here and they even built up Moose vs. Alexander at Rebellion. Throw in some fun interactions and this was about as good of a use of their time as they could have had.

Mickie James and Gail Kim are running something called Dresselmania II which seems to be some kind of charity deal. Cool.

Here’s Deonna Purrazzo for the Champ Champ Challenger.

AAA Reina de Reinas Title: Faby Apache vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending and defeated Apache to win the title in the first place. I had been hoping for Mercedes Martinez or Taya Valkyrie but this was certainly a surprise. Feeling out process with Apache taking her down by the leg and some legsweeps give them two each. A slugout goes to Purrazzo but Apache takes her down into the corner to stomp away. Purrazzo is back with some arm cranking but can’t get the cross armbreaker. Apache grabs a suplex into a legdrop as the fans aren’t sure what to make of her.

La majistral gives Apache two as Rehwoldt continues to sing Purrazzo’s praises. Something like a reverse Figure Four has Purrazzo in trouble until she gets over to the rope. Purrazzo is back up with a standing moonsault for two but Apache grabs the Fairy Tale Ending for her own two. The Fujiwara armbar is broken up and they kick each other in the face for a double knockdown. Back up and Purrazzo hits a German suplex but can’t get the Queen’s Gambit. With that not working, Purrazzo pulls her into the armbar for the tap to retain at 8:56.

Rating: C. The problem here is that the fans didn’t know Apache and they didn’t react tot he match as a result. While Apache is someone who was a threat to the title, you need something to care about and that isn’t the case with someone popping into the promotion for the first time. The match wasn’t bad, but it had almost no heat and that dragged things down.

Post match Purrazzo grabs the mic and says it doesn’t matter who what Mercedes Martinez won earlier tonight because she is the Champ Champ….and here is Taya Valkyrie to interrupt. The fans welcome her back and Valkyrie says Purrazzo should be worried about that Reina de Reinas Title. Valkyrie will see her at Rebellion.

We recap Jay White vs. Chris Sabin. They have met each other time after time and now it is Sabin’s chance to prove himself.

Chris Sabin vs. Jay White

White is a bit popular around here. A chop against the ropes wakes Sabin up to start and another hurts White’s own hand. Sabin grabs him by the arm and takes him down to the mat before grabbing an armdrag into a chop of his own. White is sent outside for the suicide dive and then gets dropped face first onto the apron. Back in and White catches him on top, setting up another chop out to the floor.

A pair of belly to back drops onto the apron have Sabin in more trouble and the half crab goes on back inside. With that broken up, White hits a backbreaker into a waistlock to stay on the back/ribs. Sabin fights up and hits a shot to the ribs of his own before another good one puts White down. Some elbows to the back of the head set up a missile dropkick to give Sabin two as his chest is a scary shade of purple.

White is back up with a snap DDT for two and a Saito suplex drops Sabin again. A swinging suplex gets two more and it’s White’s turn to be frustrated. The swinging Rock Bottom plants Sabin for another near fall and White is annoyed at the referee (the same one who allegedly messed up in the tag match last week).

Sabin counters the Blade Runner into a ram into the corner but White goes back to the damaged chest. That just fires Sabin up for some, ahem, machine gun style chops to put White down for a change. There’s the hard clothesline but the Cradle Shock is blocked. White tries the Blade Runner again, only to get rolled up to give Sabin the upset pin at 16:01.

Rating: B. I didn’t see that coming and I was actually surprised by the pinfall. White losing outside of anything but a big match is weird and Sabin winning a major singles match almost feels even weirder. It was a heck of a match though with both guys looking as smooth as they ever did. That’s the good thing about seeing people like these two getting in the ring and they made it work very well. Match of the night so far.

Post match Steve Maclin comes in to go after Sabin but White pulls him off. Maclin goes after Sabin again but gets hit low, leaving Sabin to celebrate.

Good Brothers vs. Briscoes

This is a few hours after the Briscoes had their instant classic against FTR. We get the Big Match Intros and you really can feel the energy when the Briscoes are in the ring. They just make things feel big and the charisma is off the charts. Mark and Anderson go to the mat to start but everything breaks down in a hurry.

Back in and Karl rakes Jay’s eyes to take over and we settle down with Jay being sent into the corner. Gallows stomps away and Anderson goes back to the eyes like a villain (I think?) should. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Jay is taken into the corner for some right hands from Anderson. That doesn’t last long either and the hot tag brings in Mark to clean house.

The Iconoclasm gets two on Anderson and Redneck Boogie (commentary didn’t seem to know the name) connects for the same. Everything breaks down and the reverse 3D gets two on Jay. Mark breaks up the Magic Killer and everyone is down again. It’s Mark getting up first and heading to the top but Chris Bey pops up to distract the referee. Cue Jay White to shove Mark off the top, setting up the Magic Killer for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: C+. They went fast here and a lot of that is probably due to the Briscoes being a bit gassed after their earlier match. What mattered here was giving the Bullet Club a win and it isn’t like the Briscoes lose much after a previous match and interference. They had a good match here though and the energy was high to end the night.

The Bullet Club poses on the stage to end the show.

After the show, the Briscoes called that a bunch of BOLOGNA (Mark’s word) and promised to be back in Impact.

Overall Rating: B-. This might not have been an instant classic, but it was a fun night and one of the shows I had been looking forward to leading up to the weekend. Impact continues to be good when they are able to focus on the wrestling itself and this time they were able to mix things up a bit and have a fun show. Rebellion is the show that mattered, but this was the lighter show and they made that work rather well.

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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 6, 2022

So Supercard of Honor has come and gone and…it isn’t likely to mean anything for the time being, as Ring of Honor isn’t relaunching for a long time. That means we get to go back into the vault and that is where things can get fun. Ring of Honor has a long history and now we get to see some of it for the time being. Let’s get to it.

From The Era Of Honor Begins, February 23, 2002.

IWA Intercontinental Title Super Crazy vs. Eddie Guerrero

The title is vacant coming in and Eddie is trying to get things back together after being fired from the WWF in November. Crazy offers a handshake coming in and gets slapped in the face as Eddie isn’t friendly here. An elbow to the face and a suplex give Eddie two as commentary rapid fires off Eddie’s accolades. The headlock slows Crazy down as the fans aren’t sure who they like more.

Crazy fights up but gets caught in a belly to back suplex and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up as well and Crazy snaps off some armdrags before hammering away in the corner. They head outside with Crazy being dropped face first onto the apron, allowing Eddie to hit a brainbuster on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Eddie hitting a slingshot hilo for two and grabbing a seated abdominal stretch. Crazy fights up again and slams him down, setting up the springboard moonsault for two. Going up takes too long though and Eddie snaps off a super hurricanrana. A hard powerbomb drops Crazy for two more and Eddie hits back to back brainbusters (prototype Three Amigos). The frog splash misses though and Crazy grabs a small package for the pin at 10:42.

Rating: B-. There is something so sweet about watching Eddie in the ring as he really was that smooth. This was a pretty big upset as Eddie was someone with a lot of experience and success on the big stage. Crazy was a star in ECW, but that isn’t quite the same as being at Wrestlemania. Nice match here, though Eddie would be back in WWE in about two months.

From The Era of Honor Begins, February 23, 2002.

American Dragon vs. Low Ki vs. Christopher Daniels

I’ve never actually seen this and Daniels, in full on evil priest gear, is billed from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Dragon (better known as Bryan Danielson) and Ki get together to kick Daniels down but Daniels is back up to knock them into a three way standoff. Ki dropkicks Dragon down but gets suplexed by Daniels. Dragon gets tied in the Tree of Woe, leaving Ki to kick away at Daniels.

That’s broken up with Dragon grabbing Cattle Mutilation so Daniels has to make a save of his own. Daniels Boston crabs Dragon and camel clutches Ki at the same time, which is quite the unique spot. With that broken up, Ki starts kicking away at Dragon until Daniels is back up.

We take a break and come back with Daniels and Ki trading chops in the corner. Dragon pulls Daniels into an Indian Deathlock with a reverse full nelson (think a kind of Gory Stretch on the mat) but lets go of the arms to northern lights suplex Ki for two at the same time. With that broken up, Dragon takes Daniels down by the arm and gets in a kick off competition with Ki, using Daniels’ back as a target. They kick each other in the leg by mistake though and everyone is down again.

We take another break and come back again with Daniels being slammed off the top, leaving Dragon to kick away at Ki. Back up and Daniels tosses Dragon at Ki for a tornado DDT. Daniels abdominal stretches Dragon on top but Ki pulls him into the Hanging Dragon for a change. Everyone is down for a bit until Ki enziguris Dragon into a Blue Thunder Bomb to give Daniels two.

Dragon catches Ki on top but Daniels joins them on top for a triple superplex to leave everyone down for a bit. A tiger suplex gives Dragon two but Daniels has to break up Ki’s Dragon Clutch. Daniels hits the (yet to be named) BME on Ki with Dragon making a save this time. Cattle Mutilation goes on Daniels but Ki makes the save with a Phoenix splash. The Ki Crusher gives Ki the pin on Daniels at 20:04.

Rating: A-. The biggest thing to remember about this match is the fact that it took place back when the WWF was still a thing. This was WAY ahead of its time and you can see the influence that this style would eventually have on wrestling. It helps that it’s almost all action between three young guys who were trying to make the fans notice. You can see why these guys were on last and it showed that ROH was going to try for something different. I’d say that it worked.

From the Conclusion, November 28, 2003.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. AJ Styles/Samoa Joe

The Briscoes are defending. AJ and Mark go technical to start before hitting the mat for an exchange of headlocks. Styles starts going after the leg before handing it off to Joe for the real limb damage. Jay comes in and gets caught in a front facelock, which is switched into a kneebar to send Jay over to the ropes. It’s back to Styles for something like a Big Ending, setting up the drop down into the dropkick.

Mark comes in off a blind tag with a springboard knee to the back as commentary wonders if the Briscoes have any future as a successful team. Everything breaks down and the Briscoes are knocked to the floor, setting up the stereo dives. We take a break and come back with Mark snapping off a suplex on Styles before chopping away in the corner. A northern lights suplex gets two and a quick shot at Joe allows Jay to come in for some double stomping.

AJ gets in an enziguri but Joe gets suckered in, allowing the champs to change places. A double DDT (one reverse, one regular) gets AJ out of trouble though and the hot tag brings in Joe to clean house. Some limb cranking has Jay in trouble before it’s back to AJ for a running neckbreaker. Joe is back in for the rapid fire strikes but Jay grabs him by the waist so Mark can add a missile dropkick into the German suplex. Everything breaks down again and Joe snaps off a string of suplexes to Mark. AJ clotheslines Joe by mistake though and a shooting star press gives Mark the pin to retain the titles at 15:52.

Rating: B. This is the kind of thing that I had been wanting to see when ROH started doing this kind of show. They have so many great matches like this one that hasn’t been thought of in years just sitting around, so open up the vault and let us see some of this stuff. It’s a dream match on paper and then they delivered, though it’s always bizarre to see the young Briscoes like this. More of this kind of stuff for sure though.

Overall Rating: A-. They went with some classics here and the good thing is that they could continue to do so for as long as they need. Ring of Honor’s video library is one of the most impressive in the wrestling world today, just due to the amount of hidden gems in there. Let us see what they have and give us a fun time until the new stuff is ready. Based on this, feel free to take your time too.

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It was nice to have that feeling back again.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-anything-can-happen/

Ring Of Honor
Date: March 9, 2022
Host: Ian Riccaboni

We’re done with the Hall of Fame shows so I have no idea what to expect this week. We could be in for something interesting out of the vault, but Ring of Honor has a tendency to throw in a surprise here or there. The relaunch is less than a month away though so they don’t have much more time to fill. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at how Ring of Honor has come up through the years and the foundation of what it was built on.

Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show, which will be a Hall of Fame special looking at the original class.

First up we look at the Briscoes, who have been around since the first match in Ring of Honor history and are the greatest tag team the company has ever had. We see some clips of their greatest feuds and a highlight reel of some of their big matches, from title wins to grudge matches. Jay Briscoe’s World Title wins are included as well.

Riccaboni brings in Cary Silkin for a chat about the Briscoes, who he calls the Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig of Ring of Honor.

Next up is Bryan Danielson, who Silkin describes as Old Faithful.

We get Danielson’s Hall of Fame video, looking at him in the main event of the first Ring of Honor show, plus his rise to the World Title. Then he feuded with Nigel McGuinness for a long time before moving on to other promotions around the world.

Danielson’s highlight video looks at winning the World Title and some major title defenses. This is the kind of stuff I’d like to see more of out of the video vault as there are some forgotten gems in there. We also look at the unification match with Nigel McGuinness, which is still brutal, and his final match before heading to WWE. There is probably a very many hours long DVD worth of great Danielson matches and I could go for watching a lot of them.

Next up is Samoa Joe, who Silkin credits with navigating the company through some rough waters.

The Joe highlight video looks at Joe showing up and quickly winning the World Title, which he held for a VERY long time. We hear about his dominance before heading to other promotions, including a jump back to Ring of Honor in between.

We see some of Joe’s most famous matches, including winning the World Title and Joe vs. Punk II, plus his final match against Homicide (not counting his 2015 comeback). And then, the return of course, plus his second final match.

We’ll wrap it up with CM Punk, who Silkin and Riccaboni say you can’t talk about without talking about the trilogy with Joe. Silkin was a bit worried about the Summer of Punk but knew he would do the right thing.

Punk’s video looks at his Ring of Honor highlights, from his debut to winning the Tag Team Titles to the Joe trilogy and of course the Summer of Punk, leading to his departure for WWE.

We get some more classic clips, including Punk vs. Terry Funk from Glory By Honor II, which is one of those matches that you probably weren’t getting anywhere but Ring Of Honor. For something a bit more traditional, we look at the World Title win, setting off the Summer of Punk, including him dubbing the microphone as a pipebomb. His heel turn was pretty awesome and you can see all of the star power that made WWE bring him in. Then he lost the title to James Gibson and moved on to WWE.

Silkin is presented with a plaque as the final inductee, winning the Cary Silkin Legacy Award. Well that’s very nice.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sure how to rate this one but I had fun with the whole thing so we’ll call it good. This was the short form version of the last four weeks and that might be the way that a lot of viewers would prefer to go. The Silkin deal was a very sweet moment and another thing that was well deserved, as the company probably doesn’t survive without him around. It’s sad to see Ring of Honor changing so much, but dang I’ve had fun with all of these flashbacks.

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Ring Of Honor
Date: February 9, 2022

It’s a special theme episode this week as we look at the first inductees into the Ring Of Honor Hall of Fame: the Briscoes. When you think about it, there isn’t anyone else it should have been if you are just looking at accomplishments. There are all kinds of classic matches here and hopefully they open the vault a bit. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We open with a video on the Briscoes (seems appropriate), including a bunch of home videos. It moves on to some of their better moments and bigger feuds before welcoming them to the Hall of Fame.

From Night of Champions on March 22, 2003 in Philadelphia.

Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Amazing Red vs. Briscoes

Styles and Red (only the second champions in the titles’ history) are defending and the Briscoes (both teenagers here) are making their debut as a team. Jay and Red run the ropes to start before Mark comes in to try some suplexes. It’s too early for that so we’ll go with an exchange of rollups for a standoff instead. AJ comes in to ride Mark on the mat before snapping off a German suplex.

It’s back to Jay, who gets German suplexed as well, albeit with Red adding a superkick to make it worse. Back in and Mark hits a high collar suplex on Styles, setting up some running double chops/boots in the corner. We take a break and come back with AJ snapping off a backbreaker into a suplex for a breather. The tag brings in Red for a top rope elbow but Jay makes a blind tag for a missile dropkick.

Red is right back with Brain Damage (kind of a kneeling tombstone but Red falls backwards while driving Jay’s head into the mat, making it a bit unclear who got the worst of it). AJ comes back in with a brainbuster but Mark powerbombs his way out of a hurricanrana attempt. The middle rope moonsault DDT is countered with a dropkick but Mark’s springboard cutter is knocked out of the air.

Red cuts Jay off and comes in for a running kick to drop Mark. That lasts all of three seconds as Mark lays him out with a clothesline and brings Jay back in. Some of the rooms of the house are cleaned and we take another break. Back again with Mark suplexing Red for two and handing it back to Jay for a DDT. A front facelock keeps Red in trouble but he powers up and gets over to AJ….as Mark has the referee in a classic spot.

Red manages to kick Jay down and drop Mark on his head, allowing the hot tag off to AJ. The pace picks up so AJ can strike it out with Jay as everything breaks down. An assisted DDT plants Red for two but AJ is back in with a double DDT to both brothers. The Jay Driller and Styles Clash are both broken up, leaving Red to hit the super Code Red for two on Mark. Back up and AJ launches Red into the air for a super hurricanrana on Jay, sending him straight into the Styles Clash to retain the titles at 25:40.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was awesome and you could see that the Briscoes had all of the promise in the world. They still needed some extra ring time and seasoning but the base was there. These guys tore the house down and I wasn’t sure how it was going to end. I haven’t seen much of this time from Ring of Honor so it’s pretty cool to see how good some of this stuff can be.

We see a montage of all twelve Tag Team Title wins. That’s pretty awesome actually as it shows you just how many changes have taken place over the years. If nothing else, it’s weird seeing the Briscoes grow hair.

We look at Jay Briscoe’s two World Title wins.

From Global Wars 2018.

Briscoes vs. Cody/Hangman Page

Brandi Rhodes is here with Cody and Page. Mark and Hangman (who looks VERY young here) start things off with an exchange of shots to the face before they glare each other down. Jay and Cody come in for the staredown before Cody works on the wristlock. We take a break (apparently due to the power going out in the building) and come back with the Briscoes taking turns on Page in the corner.

Jay knocks Cody off the apron and kicks Page in the head for two as Colt Cabana (on commentary) makes chicken references. Page gets over to Cody for the tag and it’s time to clean house as Ian Riccaboni recaps what fans missed when the power was out (with Sabu references abounding for a good chuckle).

Back in and Jay pounds Cody down in the corner but Brandi grabs a chair…which seems to scare Mark off. Mark gets back inside and hits a Death Valley Driver but has to roll out of the Froggy Bow. The double tag brings in Jay to slug it out with Page and we take a break (TV, not power out). Back with Page blasting Mark with a clothesline for two but Jay’s neckbreaker gets the same on Page.

Redneck Boogie gets two more but Brandi gets on the apron, with Mark being whipped into her. Brandi grabs her shoulder and the distraction lets Mark kick Cody low. The Buckshot Lariat drops Mark though and a top rope moonsault to the floor takes out both Briscoes. Cross Rhodes gets two on Jay, who brawls to the floor with Cody. That leaves Mark to slip out of a super Rite of Passage (Deadeye) as Cody is whipped into the barricade. Back in and the Jay Driller sets up the Froggy Bow to give Mark the pin at 18:25.

Rating: B+. Another hard hitting and energetic match, which shouldn’t be a surprise. The Briscoes can hang with anyone and it makes sense to put some of the top AEW guys going today in here. That being said, it isn’t exactly an important match for the Briscoes and it would have been nice to see one of their title wins in full. I’ll take what I can get though and this was rather great stuff.

One more Briscoes video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A. This was great and that is an awesome thing to see. What mattered here was making the Briscoes look good and that is what they did here. The team has been one of the only standards for all of Ring of Honor’s history and there was so, so much to pick from here. I could have absolutely gone for a three or more hour version of this because the Briscoes have more great matches than anyone else in Ring of Honor history. Check this out if you’re a fan of the team and then go see some more of them, because they’re an all time great team.

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 26, 2022

We took a little detour last week into the history of the women’s division but this time around we should be back to normal. Well, at least as normal as you can get while the company is on hiatus and we’re looking at the Best Of Ring of Honor. That could mean a few things, but odds are we’ll be seeing more of the recent stuff. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Narrator Ian Riccaboni welcomes us to the show, where we will be going back to Final Battle in December 2021.

TV Title: Dalton Castle vs. Rhett Titus vs. Joe Hendry vs. Silas Young

Castle is defending and it’s one fall to a finish, with Castle bailing to the floor to walk into the crowd. Hendry (who is looking jacked compared to his old days) gets taken outside so Young can send him into the barricade. Back in and Castle t-bone suplexes Young, meaning it’s time for a lap around the ring. Titus comes in for a quick rollup but gets sent outside for an apron flip dive from Young.

Hendry blasts Titus with a clothesline but gets belly to belly suplexed into the corner. Castle is back in with the Bang A Rang to Titus, who reverses into a cradle for two. Titus sends Young outside but Hendry pulls Titus’ high crossbody out of the air, because he’s strong enough to do that.

A double fall away slam sends Young and Titus flying so it’s Castle coming back in with a big smile on his face. It’s Titus coming back in and getting planted by a heck of a Hendry powerbomb. There’s the Bang A Rang to plant Titus but Hendry belts Castle in the face. Cue Castle’s friend Dak Draper to take Hendry down though, leaving Titus to avoid Young’s moonsault. The dropkick gives Titus the pin and the title at 8:51.

Rating: C. They kept this fast and that’s probably the better idea. It was another one of those wild matches that was only there to be as exciting as possible and that is often better than letting things go long. Titus winning the title after trying for so long is a feel good moment and I liked what we got here. Granted that might have been Castle and his Dancing Chickens.

Jimmy Jacobs loved his time in Ring of Honor. He certainly is a legend around here.

Christopher Daniels talks about his time in Ring of Honor and what it meant to his career.

Mike Bennett talks about how this is the big finale and he wants to remember it.

The Briscoes can’t sleep without having the Tag Team Titles. Over the years, the only team to get the better of them was OGK, so they’re coming for revenge and the titles.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. OGK

OGK, with Maria Kanellis-Bennett, is defending. Mark powers Taven into the corner to start so Bennett comes in for the slugout. Taven is back in with a middle rope dropkick to put Mark down and the champs clear the ring in a hurry. Taven’s Flight of the Conqueror only hits Bennett though, allowing Mark to grab a chair. That means a big dive to take out both champs and it’s Taven in trouble back inside.

Bennett makes the save with an elbow to Jay for two as commentary even thanks Jim Cornette for his time around here. The tag brings Mark back in for Redneck Kung Fu, plus Redneck Boogie for two. Jay (already bleeding) can’t hit the Jay Driller as Bennett saves Taven and chops away. Bennett hangs Jay over the apron so Taven can hit a heck of a top rope splash for two back inside.

Taven Climaxes Mark but can’t cover, sending Maria into a half lap around the ring. The Briscoes send them outside for the big dives, setting up the Blockbuster off the apron to drop Bennett again. Back in and the Froggy Bow gets two on Taven, with Maria pulling the referee out. Maria gets dropped but it’s a Flight of the Conqueror Doomsday Device (dang) to drop Mark on the floor, setting up another near fall.

Hail Mary gets the same with Jay having to make the save. A quick Jay Driller sends Bennett rolling back to the floor but Taven hits Just The Tip on Jay. The top rope splash hits knees though and the Jay Driller gets two. The Doomsday Device gets the same as commentary is SCREAMING at these near falls. Another Jay Driller into the Froggy Bow gives the Briscoes the titles back at 15:36.

Rating: B. I know it’s a bit overdone but there is absolutely no one who should be the final ROH Tag Team Champions. The Briscoes are so far and away the greatest team in the company’s history that you could probably cut their careers in half and still have them at the top of the list. Heck of a match too, and that’s what you would have expected from these teams.

Post match respect is shown, with Jay thanking all of the fans.

CM Punk talks about his time in Ring of Honor and how special it was. It was a spirit that he loved and he will continue to foster it in AEW.

Overall Rating: B-. This is the kind of show that is going to each up the next few weeks and that is not a bad idea. Ring of Honor has about ten weeks left before they get some fresh content and airing stuff like Final Battle for a long stretch of that makes sense. Do the same with Death Before Dishonor and maybe the Anniversary Show and you have most of the time covered. Throw in a Best Of Jonathan Gresham and maybe the Briscoes and they should be all the way up to April.

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