Impact Wrestling
Date: January 12, 2023
Location: Charles F. Dodge City Center, Pembroke Pines, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Hard To Kill and since Impact does their pay per views on Fridays, the show is tomorrow night. That should mean the card is intact but you never know around here. Hopefully the roll can continue around here, as it has been a rather nice few weeks in a row. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Bully Ray’s rise to the top of the company, including him attacking Scott D’Amore last week.

We get a Zoom interview with Josh Matthews talking to Bully Ray and Josh Alexander, both at their homes. Alexander knows Ray is going after everyone he cares about and they will be in his mind at Hard To Kill. Ray thinks Alexander has given away his hand because Ray is in his head. Last week Ray didn’t need to have an Anthem executive take a swing at him.

Ray talks about how he has gotten Alexander to do whatever he wants, because Ray knows he can’t wrestle Alexander for one hour. That’s why he dragged Alexander into Full Metal Mayhem, which is Ray’s kind of match. Alexander doesn’t care because he’s ready for anything, but Ray loves hearing that, because Alexander has no idea what kind of pain is coming. Ray walks out and Alexander is ready. There was nothing revolutionary being said here, but points for doing it in a different way.

Brian Myers vs. Heath

Matt Cardona and Rhino are here too. They go technical to start with Myers taking him to the mat for some slaps to the back of the head. Back up and Heath hits a running forearm in the corner before raining down some right hands. Everyone almost gets into it on the floor so Rhino and Cardona are both gone. Heath uses the distraction to hit a running flip dive off the apron to take Myers out. Myers is right back with a running forearm and we take a break.

Back with Myers grabbing the chinlock but Heath fights up and starts slugging away. A release flapjack plants Myers and a neckbreaker gives Heath two. It’s too early for the Wake Up Call though, allowing Myers to grab the implant DDT for two of his own. The Roster Cut misses so Myers spears him down for another near fall. Myers goes up but gets super powerslammed (cool) back down, meaning it’s time to slug it out. They go up top with Heath being knocked down and Myers dropping the elbow for two. Myers yells at the referee though and it’s the Wake Up Call to give Heath the pin at 12:18.

Rating: B-. These two were actually having a heck of a match here and I’ll take that every time. Neither of them are exactly known for tearing it up out there and usually stay in the “eh, that was fine” category. This was a rather entertaining match and maybe the best I’ve seen from the two of them on their own.

Ace Austin and Chris Bey are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Someone has attacked Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary wants revenge. Taya says the four of them did this.

Savannah Evans vs. Rosemary

Tasha Steelz, Gisele Shaw, Jai Vidal (likely the rest of the four) and Jessicka are here too. They go straight to the power brawling to start with Rosemary hammering her into the corner to take over. That’s reversed so Evans can fire off forearms in the corner, only to have Rosemary come off the middle rope with a forearm of her own. Evans bails to the floor so Rosemary dives onto her and Vidal as we take a break.

Back with Evans charging into a knee in the corner and grabbing the Upside Down. A distraction lets Evans hammer away even more though and some choking from the floor makes it worse. The chinlock goes on but Rosemary is up almost immediately. Rosemary grabs a reverse DDT into a Sling Blade but Evans plants her with a spinebuster. A quick spear gets Rosemary out of trouble, only to have Vidal distract the referee. That’s enough for Shaw to get involved, allowing Evans to grab the full nelson slam for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but they set up the title match for the pay per view. There still isn’t a ton of heat to the whole thing but the injury angle with Taya should be enough to carry them through. It’s still almost weird to see Rosemary losing though, as she was such a force around here for so long.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Moose b. Rhino at Hard To Kill 2020.

Taylor Wilde is now a witch. The People’s Witch.

We look at Mickie James’ big losses, sending her into the Last Rodeo. Now she’s ready to win the Knockouts Title from Jordynne Grace, but Grace isn’t so sure.

Here is the Design to shave Sami Callihan’s hair, complete with the ring surrounded by lackeys. Deaner says this is the process so Callihan needs to take the first step. The lights go out and Callihan appears, with Deaner telling him to hand the baseball bat to Kon. Callihan hands it over, with Deaner comparing this to the story of Samson. Deaner keeps making sure Callihan is ok with this and we finally get to the haircut….until Callihan stops him.

Callihan finishes it himself and the fans aren’t happy. Deaner makes him look in a mirror so Callihan grabs the scissors. He hands them back to Deaner, who declares this the death of the Death Machine and the birth of Callihan. Odds are the big twist is coming later, but it’s still going to be the Design so it might not matter.

Gail Kim announces that due to Scott D’Amore being taken out by Bully Ray, a new authority figure will be named at Hard To Kill.

Mike Bailey vs. Anthony Greene

They start fast with Greene taking him into the corner but Bailey kicks him in the chest. Bailey knocks him to the floor and goes outside too, where he gets whipped into the steps for his efforts. Back in and Greene’s half crab sends Bailey to the ropes before Greene misses a charge to the floor. That lets Bailey hit the springboard moonsault, followed by the standing shooting star press for two back inside. A sitout powerbomb and superkick give Greene two each but Bailey blocks the running the ropes Unprettier. Bailey hits the spinning kick in the corner and the Ultimate Weapon finishes Greene at 6:49.

Rating: C+. Another nice showing from Greene here but Bailey seems like he is on the way to the main event scene very soon. It would surprise me if he isn’t the World Champion by the end of the year and that means racking up wins in spots like this one. Greene seems like he’ll be fine as a nice hand on the roster and that’s a fine place to be.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Bully Ray.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Joe Hendry/Jonathan Gresham/Rich Swann vs. Steve Maclin/Eddie Edwards/Moose

Before the match, Hendry says Hard To Kill is on Friday the 13th, but being up against Dancing Moose and his backup dancers makes you believe in Hendry/Gresham/Swann. Gresham and Edwards start things off….at least officially as Edwards tags Maclin in without doing anything. Gresham dropkicks the knee out and it’s Hendry coming in to crank on the arm. A suplex gets one on Maclin and it’s off to Swann to pick up the pace.

Edwards comes in and gets caught with a running hurricanrana before it’s back to Gresham and Maclin. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the parade of strikes sends everyone to the floor as we take a break. Back with Swann in trouble, including Moose pulling his hair and stepping on his head. Maclin grabs the chinlock, with Swann not even being able to jawbreak his way to freedom. The villains take turns beating on Swann until he manages a few shots to Swann.

Another good shot is enough to bring Gresham back in for the house cleaning. Moose manages to grab Gresham though and tosses him into a Blue Thunder Bomb from Edwards. Gresham gets in a kick to Maclin though and the hot tag brings in Hendry to fall away slam Maclin for two. Everything breaks down again and a parade of non-finishers sets up Moose’s spear to Hendry for the pin at 16:11.

Rating: B-. This is exactly what it should have been as they hyped up three Hard To Kill matches at once here. Moose pinning Hendry is the most effective outcome too, as it adds a bit of drama to the title match. They had a fast paced match too, making this about as good of a use of the main event spot as it could be.

Post match Edwards is left alone in the ring….and thunder sounds as the lights flicker to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case for more than a few weeks now, Impact checks every box on a show. This show covered or at least touched on every Hard To Kill match, which isn’t the easiest thing to do in a two hour show. They nailed this one pretty well with enough good action throughout. Nice work here and I want to see Hard To Kill, which is the entire point of a show like this one.

Results
Heath b. Brian Myers – Wake Up Call
Savannah Evans b. Rosemary – Full nelson slam
Mike Bailey b. Anthony Greene – Ultimate Weapon
Steve Maclin/Moose/Eddie Edwards b. Jonathan Gresham/Rich Swann/Joe Hendry – Spear to Hendry

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Impact Wrestling
Date: December 8, 2022
Location: Old Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

The slow build towards Hard To Kill continues as we still have over a month to go before the show. That means a lot more Bully Ray, who dominated the first fourth of last week’s show and will probably be around again this week. Other than that, it might be nice to hear some more from the World Champion Josh Alexander, so let’s get to it.

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

We look at Deaner killing Eric Young off last week.

Deaner talks about how Violent By Design is a movement, not a group of people. Now it is time to take out Sami Callihan.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Heath/Rhino

Heath/Rhino are defending. Rhino powers Sabin around to start but Sabin is up with a middle rope spinning crossbody for two. Heath comes in and gets his arm worked over but manages to send Shelley into the corner. Shelley charges into a raised boot in the corner, only to have Sabin twist Heath’s leg around the rope to take over. A dragon screw legwhip gives Sabin two and Shelley grabs the logical Figure Four.

Heath slaps his way out of trouble and gets to the rope, setting up a powerslam. Rhino and Sabin come in off the double tag to pick up the pace, with Rhino’s spinebuster getting two. Everything breaks down and Heath is sent outside, leaving Rhino to TKO Sabin for two more. Sabin takes out Heath’s knee again…and the Major Players come in for the double DQ at 8:30.

Rating: C+. This was starting to cook when the ending cut things off. The Players are a more interesting option right now and odds are this sets up a three way down the line. That isn’t the worst idea as the Players should have been Tag Team Champions a good while ago. Beating the popular champs and the Guns would be a nice way to get there, as this match showed what the other two can do on their own.

We look at Bully Ray going full villain on Josh Alexander and everyone else.

Alexander rants to Scott D’Amore and says he’s dealing with this his way tonight. With Alexander gone, Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice come in, with Swinger saying he wants a title shot. D’Amore says win fifty matches and it’s his. Swinger: “So you’re saying there’s a chance!”

Mickie James and Jordynne Grace have a tense but respectful photo shoot together.

Savannah Evans vs. Taya Valkyrie

Tasha Steelz and the rest of the Death Dollz are here too. Steelz powers her down to start as commentary makes Steiner Math references. Taya is knocked to the apron where she lands in the splits, only to be sent to the floor. We take a break and come back with Tay fighting out of a chinlock. A clothesline and Blue Thunder Bomb give Valkyrie two and it’s off to some weird double leglock. Taya switches into something like an STF but Evans grabs the hair to escape. A hard knee to the face rocks Evans, who is right back with a full nelson slam for the upset pin at 10:21.

Rating: C. Just when I had my “Evans never wins anything” loaded up, Evans goes and wins something. You do need to give her something like this every now and then, though it’s more than a little weird to see her beat someone as successful as Taya. Still though, interesting result that can do a lot more for Evans that it would have for Valkyrie.

Video on Ace Austin and Chris Bey in the New Japan Super Junior Tag League.

Moose attacks Bhupinder Gujjar as a message to Joe Hendry.

Delirious wants Eddie Edwards. The match is set for tonight.

Kon vs. Sami Callihan

The rest of Design (yes Design, minus the Violent By) is here with Kon. Callihan strikes away to start and pokes Kon in the eye to cut him off. Kon hits a hard shot in the corner and the stomping is on. A spinebuster lets Kon hammer away even more and we hit the nerve hold. Back up and Sami hits a running forearm for one but Kon pulls him outside. The chokeslam onto the apron rocks Sami again but he fights back anyway. The Design offers some distractions though and Kon hits a Death Valley Driver for the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C. This was ok, though calling it The Design and having a former member of the Ascension as part of the team in 2022 is a bit hard to grasp. Kon is an acceptable enough power guy but he isn’t likely to light the world on fire. Sami is going to need some help to fight these guys off and that probably doesn’t bode well.

Josh Alexander blows off Tommy Dreamer. He’s learning.

Trey Miguel spray painted his former pupil Jason Hodge on Before The Impact.

Miguel doesn’t find spray painting people, or the X-Division Title for that matter, disrespectful. Crazzy Steve comes in to say he paints with blood and Miguel seems to have a new challenger.

Here is Josh Alexander, in gear, for a chat. He wants to get out some of this aggression so it’s open challenge time, and he’ll even put the title on the line. So get out here Bully Ray, because he still has his Hard To Kill shot no matter what. Ray pops up on screen to make sure he understands everything. He’s busy right now though, as he is looking at photos of himself terrifying Josh Alexander and Alexander’s wife, so he’ll see Alexander at Hard To Kill. Instead here is Mike Bailey to say he’ll take the shot.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Mike Bailey vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is defending and runs Bailey over with a shoulder to start. Back up and an exchange of shoulders goes nowhere so they run the ropes, with Bailey scoring off a kick to the chest. A knee to the ribs puts Bailey down as well but he’s right back with the bouncing kicks to send Alexander outside. There’s the big running flip dive to keep Bailey in control as we take a break.

Back with Alexander driving some knees into the back and cranking on both arms. Alexander gets two off a backbreaker but Bailey dropkicks his way out of trouble. The back is fine enough for the running corkscrew shooting star press for two on Alexander. Not that it seems to matter as Alexander is back up with some rolling German suplexes. The ankle lock is broken up in a hurry though and Bailey kicks the arm. An armbar stays on the arm and Alexander can’t get out, leaving Bailey to hit a poisonrana.

We take a break and come back with Alexander working on the back some more. The C4 Spike is countered into a hurricanrana for two and Bailey kicks him down. Bailey misses the Ultimate Weapon but Alexander still can’t hit the C4 Spike. They crash out to the floor and Bailey kicks him off the apron. The running moonsault to the floor drops Alexander again and they go back inside to slug it out. Both of them fall outside again and we take a break.

We come back again (over thirty minutes in now) with Bailey snapping the arm across the top rope. The Flamingo Driver is countered into a torture rack slam though and Alexander slaps on the ankle lock. With that broken up, Bailey gets his feet up in the corner, setting up the Ultimate Weapon. Bailey suddenly remembers that he is supposed to have a sore ankle though and they’re both down. Back to back kicks to the chest keep Alexander down and a third second sets up moonsault knees to the same chest. Bailey, WITH THE BAD KNEE, is fine enough to try the bouncing kicks, earning himself more rolling German suplexes.

We take another break and come back again with Alexander getting the ankle lock in the ropes. Since that doesn’t count, Alexander goes with the Angle Slam as we’re told that Eddie Edwards vs. Delirious will be moved to next week. Alexander misses a moonsault but is back up to catch Bailey with a super Angle Slam for another double knockdown. The ankle lock goes on again and Bailey can’t flip his way out. Alexander even gets a grapevine but Bailey manages to make the rope.

They both go up top as we have four minutes left in the hour time limit. Bailey knocks him off the top and hits the Ultimate Weapon for two more. Back up and Bailey kicks away, only to have the Flamingo Driver countered into a Styles Clash. The ankle lock goes on again, sending Bailey to the ropes again. We have a minute left and Alexander hits back to back C4 Spikes to retain at 59:50.

Rating: B+. Well that came out of nowhere. This was the long, epic style match that you do not see on television in any promotion save for once in a very long while. These guys beat each other up and if you ignore Bailey’s still absurd selling issues, it was pretty awesome. Alexander takes out another name and they even surprised me by not going to the time limit draw in the end. Bailey will probably be back, but for now this worked rather well as a big time surprise.

Overall Rating: B. This is a show where the main event was almost all that mattered as it took up nearly half of the show. They have a few weeks left before Hard To Kill and this was a way to burn a week off with a great main event without much in the way of major angle advancement. Good show here, even if it was just a one off change of pace.

Results
Heath/Rhino vs. Motor City Machine Guns went to a double DQ when the Major Players interfered
Savannah Evans b. Taya Valkyrie – Full nelson slam
Kon b. Sami Callihan – Death Valley Driver
Josh Alexander b. Mike Bailey – C4 Spike

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: November 3, 2022
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are about two weeks away from Overdrive and the card is starting to take shape. While the World Title match is already set, we still need to get the X-Division Title match ready, which is where this week comes in. Odds are there are going to be more tournament matches this week and that should be a good thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Eddie Edwards blames PCO for the destruction of Honor No More and invites him to come fight him in the desert.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title Tournament First Round: Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey

Feeling out process to start with King being weary of the big kick. An exchange of rollups get two each until they both try kicks to the ribs. Bailey dropkicks him for two and King is sent outside, but it’s too early for the dive. Back in and Bailey cranks on the leg, with a leglock sending King over to the rope. King’s leg is fine enough to hold Bailey up for a spinebuster and they head outside again. This time it’s a t-bone overhead suplex to drop Bailey on the ramp, setting up a half crab on the floor.

Back in and Bailey realizes his knee is fine enough to fire off the kicks, plus a standing shooting star press for two. Bailey’s spinning kicks send King outside and the big top rope moonsault drops him again. King shrugs that off and puts on another half crab, with Bailey going to the ropes. Another grab of the rope drags Bailey back to the middle, where he rolls King up to advance at 8:43.

Rating: C+. This was a very Mike Bailey match, as he did all of his usual stuff: kicks, flips, and really annoying no selling of an injured body part. The athleticism is great but it would be nice to have him act more like a wrestler for once. I’m not sure I would have had King lose so early, but there isn’t much room to shake things up in an eight person tournament.

The Motor City Machine Guns tell Josh Alexander to not trust Bully Ray. Josh seems to think about it.

Gisele Shaw is passing out photos of herself with the Knockouts Title but VXT isn’t impressed. Shaw dumps them, with Deonna Purrazzo having to calm Chelsea Green down.

Savannah Evans vs. Jessicka

Tasha Steelz and the Death Dollz are here too. They talk trash and then slug it out with Jessicka knocking her into the corner for the running clothesline. A ram into all four corners has Evans in more trouble but a missed charge lets her grab a DDT for a much needed breather.

We take a break and come back with Evans hitting a suplex for two but missing a charge of her own. Evans headbutts away until a tackle drops her again. A running basement crossbody crushes Evans so the women get in a fight on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction to let Evans hit a full nelson slam for the upset pin at 11:11.

Rating: C. I still don’t know how much interest there is in Evans and now calling her the “Cannibal” (yes the Cannibal) isn’t going to help that much. That being said, it is a good idea to give her a singles win every now and then, just to keep her built up at least a bit. This is probably setting up Steelz/Evans for a Tag Team Title shot, because singles matches make a difference in tag wrestling for whatever reason.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Bully Ray wins the World Title at Lockdown 2013 and reveals himself as the leader of Aces and 8’s.

Killer Kelly wants something fresh to play with around here.

Steve Maclin is sick and tired of so many people jumping the line in front of him. He wants the World Title and is coming to get it.

The Major Players are ready to win the Tag Team Titles but make the mistake of saying his name. Joe Hendry pops up (out of a refrigerator) and says he wants the Digital Media Title. Cardona: “Why was he in the fridge?”

And now, to the desert, where Eddie Edwards is waiting for PCO. The fight is on with PCO getting the better of things until Eddie starts slugging back. A rock to the head gets Eddie out of a Mandible Claw and he blames PCO for everything. Then PCO chokeslams him onto a bigger rock but Eddie comes back with a shovel. PCO gets shoved into a grave and Eddie buries him with rocks and dirt. Well that was violent.

Taylor Wilde comes up to Mickie James and they’re ready to face each other in a friendly match. This would be another situation with two women talking like non-humans.

Eric Young vs. Sami Callihan

Deaner is here with Young. Callihan starts fast and hits a powerbomb on Young before knocking Deaner down to the floor. The fight heads outside with Young posting him but getting his back raked for his efforts. A suplex drops Young on the floor and Callihan bites his ear to make it worse.

Deaner gets in a cheap shot though and they head back inside, where Callihan invites Young to headbutt him. Young clotheslines him down but misses a moonsault so Callihan can load up the Cactus Special. Before the pile can be driven though, cue all of the people in yellow hoodies to beat Callihan down for the DQ at 6:10.

Rating: C. Yeah here we go with the Violent By Design stuff, as Callihan needs an army to fight against. The match was the usual brawl without much to be seen, but above all else it was about the big ending, which is likely going to be the start of something big with the team. Well, depending on who are under the hoodies that is.

Post match two of the hoodies are pulled off and it’s Big Kon (Konnor from the Ascension) and Alan Angels. Young comes back in and drives a spike into Callihan’s head to draw blood.

Jordynne Grace goes into her locker room and finds a bunch of pictures of Gisele Shaw holding up the Knockouts Title. Jai Vidal, Shaw’s assistant, apparently put up the photos, so Grace chokes him and lets him run off.

Moose vs. Ace Austin

Chris Bey is here with Austin. Moose gets sent to the floor to start but pulls Austin into a powerbomb swung into the steps. We take a break and come back with Austin being whipped hard into the corner. The big chop misses though and Austin unloads in the corner as well.

That is shrugged off with all of no effort from Moose but Austin kicks him down. A running double stomp gets two but Moose is back up to reverse slam him off the top (that was cool). Cue Bully Ray for a distraction though, meaning Moose misses his spear. Austin grabs a rollup for the pin at 11:14.

Rating: C+. This was a nice enough match as you can always get somewhere with power vs. speed. That is what they were playing at here until the ending with Ray offering a distraction. Austin winning is nice to see, but this is all about Ray vs. Moose, because something always has to be about Ray.

Gisele Shaw interrupts commentary with more of her photos before her title shot next week.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Aussie Open vs. Josh Alexander/Frankie Kazarian

Kazarian and Fletcher start things off with Kazarian running him over to grab a headlock. Back up and Kazarian flips him into a rollup for two and it’s off to Alexander vs. Davis. Alexander starts fast with a middle rope dropkick so it’s back to Kazarian. Some double teaming puts Kazarian down for all of three seconds before he’s back with a running….Russian legsweep? That’s a new one, but it lets Alexander come back in to punch Fletcher.

Everything breaks down and Alexander gets clotheslined over the top for a crash. Kazarian is rammed into Alexander and we take a break. Back with Alexander fighting out of a chinlock but getting slammed by Fletcher. A belly to back drop puts Alexander on the apron and a brainbuster gets two. The trouble doesn’t last long as Alexander rolls over and brings in Kazarian to clean house.

Something like a Big Ending/middle rope cutter drops Kazarian, who is also fine enough to get over to Alexander for a tag. Everything breaks down and Alexander powerbombs Fletcher but Davis hits a running forearm. Some double superkicks drop Alexander for two with Kazarian making the save.

Kazarian gets a hot tag of his own and starts to clean house again. Alexander ankle locks Fletcher as Kazarian puts Davis in some kind of armbar, only to have Fletcher roll out, sending Alexander into the other two for the save. Fletcher and Alexander suplex each other to the floor, leaving Kazarian to hit a slingshot cutter for the pin on Davis at 19:18.

Rating: B. This was a rather entertaining back and forth match, though the lack of tagging got old near the end. Upcoming opponents vs. a regular team is an idea that has worked for a long time and that was the case again here. Aussie Open continues to be a good team, but it would be nice to have them win a big match every now and then.

Post match Kazarian picks up the title but hands it off to Alexander to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is a weird time for Impact as they are doing almost everything right, but they are doing it on the way to a show that isn’t all that interesting. Kazarian feels a lot like Alex Shelley as a challenger and having the “will he/won’t he” stuff from Bully Ray isn’t the most thrilling. Hopefully they can find something better to do after Overdrive on the way to Hard To Kill, but we have a long way to go to get there.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Kenny King – Rollup
Savannah Evans b. Jessicka – Full nelson slam
Sami Callihan b. Eric Young via DQ when Violent By Design interfered
Ace Austin b. Moose – Rollup
Frankie Kazarian/Josh Alexander b. Aussie Open – Slingshot cutter to Davis

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tasha Steelz vs. Rachelle Steele

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

Post match Evans powerbombs Steele.

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

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

Tommy Dreamer vs. Chris Bey

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matt Cardona vs. Alex Shelley

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

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

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

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

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

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

Raj Singh vs. Joe Hendry

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 8, 2022
Location: The Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re still on the way to Victory Road and that means we should get some stuff being built up this week. That could go in a few different ways but we do at least have the main event set. In other words, it is probably time for Josh Alexander to keep dealing with Honor No More, who will be terrorized by Heath even more. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Ace Austin/Chris Bey vs. Aussie Open

Aussie Open is getting around as of late. The Aussies jump them to start and Bey is kicked out to the floor without much effort. Austin is right there for the save, including a handstand on the apron. Bey is back up with the big running flip dive but the Aussies catch them inside with a double spinebuster ram into each other. We settle down to Fletcher slamming Austin and running him over with a shoulder.

Back up and Austin avoids a charge in the corner, allowing the rolling tag off to Bey. A standing Sliced Bread drops Fletcher and everything breaks down, with Austin hitting the big running flip dive to Davis on the floor. That leaves Bey to frog splash Fletcher for two but Davis is back in to send Austin outside. Some forearms to the head rock Bey, setting up the Coriolis (kind of a double Death Valley Driver) for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C+. Good start to the show here and a nice way to establish Aussie Open as big deals. The Bullet Club still means something and it is a good idea to have the Aussies beat them clean. Aussie Open already has exposure coming off of AEW so push them for a bit, especially if they won’t be around that long.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at Victory Road.

Honor No More is ready to keep winning, with Kenny King wanting the X-Division Title. Eddie Edwards is going to crush Heath once and for all.

The Good Brothers want their Tag Team Titles back but the Motor City Machine Guns come in to say they want the dream match. Let’s do it at Bound For Glory. Or we’ll make it next week.

Mickie James vs. Raychell Rose

Mickie grabs a headlock and armbar to start but gets taken into the corner for a knee to the ribs. Back up and Mickie kicks her away and hits the top rope Thesz press for two. The MickDT finishes Rose at 3:15.

Rating: C-. Just a step above a squash here as Mickie begins her climb up through the ranks one more time. That is something that has some potential and now I’m wondering who else she is going to get to face on the way there. Nothing match of course, but it’s the start of a long story.

Kenny King breaks up a chat between Scott D’Amore and Mia Yim because he wants another X-Division Title shot. D’Amore says not so fast but he’ll have an idea next week. King is also getting a warmup match and it’s next.

Steve Maclin insists that there is no alliance with Moose and he’ll prove it.

Kenny King vs. Yuya Uemura

King takes him down without much trouble and Uemura’s shoulders have no effect. Uemura gets taken down by the head but slips up and drops an elbow for two. Back up and King pulls him off the top for a nasty crash though and we take a break. We come back with Uemura fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a dropkick. A Saito suplex gives Uemura two but King is back up with a spinebuster for the same. They head outside with Uemura being sent into the steps but Mia Yim comes out to yell at King. A kick to the head rocks King, allowing Uemura to get up top for a high crossbody and the pin at 12:30.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Uemura a win to start his time around here and if it builds up Yim in whatever she’s doing is a nice bonus. I’m not entirely sure where this is going but it is a good thing to have Uemura getting established. He is a guy with some buzz at the moment so let him see what he can do with a nice win to start.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Bobby Roode b. Sting at Victory Road 2012.

Sami Callihan is ready for barbed wire at Victory Road.

Doering finds Eric Young and says he still believes in violence. Then a bunch of people in yellow hoodies come up behind Doering and shout VIOLENCE over and over. WHY IS THIS STUPID THING GETTING BOOSTED UP AGAIN???

Taya Valkyrie vs. Chelsea Green

Rosemary, Jessicka and Deonna Purrazzo are all here too. Taya kicks her in the face to start and hits a running crossbody for two. Believe it or not, Taya talks trash but Green sends her outside. A running shot cuts Taya down though and Green chokes away back inside. Taya is back up with some strikes to the face, including a hard knee. Green kicks her in the head but Taya is pulls her down to go after the leg. That means a quick distraction so Purrazzo can trip Taya, setting up the Unprettier to finish for Green at 6:30.

Rating: C. This continues the issues between Rosemary/Jessicka/Taya, as the former two were nowhere to be seen when Taya was in trouble. The match wasn’t much to see but Green getting the boost is a good sign. She hasn’t quite been able to maintain momentum so seeing it keep moving forward for another week is a good thing.

Jordynne Grace isn’t intimidated by Masha Slamovich. She goes into her locker room and finds MASHA’S GONNA KILL YOU painted on a wall.

Vincent talks about resurrecting PCO and how their voices are in unison. They are together in Honor No More.

Digital Media Title: Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Brian Myers

Myers is defending and gets taken down for some forearms to the face to start. A basement superkick gives Gujjar two but it’s too early for the Gargoyle spear. Myers manages a quick posting and we take a break. Back with Gujjar hitting something like a Sling Blade and a Samoan drop gets two. Myers manages an enziguri and hits the implant DDT for two before going to grab the title. That doesn’t work as Gujjar takes it away and belts Myers for the DQ at 8:31.

Rating: C. And so it continues. The Digital Media Title sounded like something that could have been a fun idea, or at least a nice change of pace, but it is nothing more than a lower midcard title with Gujjar vs. Myers being a boring feud. I’m sure we’ll get something else between these two as this feud just has to continue.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Gail Kim comes up to Savannah Evans and Tasha Steelz to put the latter on commentary, as per Killer Kelly’s request.

Scott D’Amore makes a ladder match for the Digital Media Title in two weeks.

Eddie Edwards vs. Heath

Edwards jumps him before the bell but Heath punches into the corner to get out of trouble. That doesn’t last long as Edwards knocks him around and chokes on the rope for a bit. Back up and Heath manages a toss to the floor and we take a break. Back with Edwards hitting a forearm to the face for two and grabbing a chinlock. Heath fights up and stereo crossbodies put them both down. Back up and Heath hits a DDT for two, followed by the Wake Up Call, which draws out Honor No More. The distraction lets Eddie hit a low blow so the Boston Knee Party can finish Heath at 12:15.

Rating: C+. Heath is a weird case as he is clearly in over his head against Honor No More but he is inspired to keep fighting because of what happened to his friend. That being said, there is no reason for him to be beating Edwards or really coming close to doing so. Let him go over other members of the team, but this was about as much as he should have been able to do against someone on Edwards’ level

Post match Eddie grabs the mic and says Honor No More wants to know which side Josh Alexander is on in this war. Cue Alexander to say this isn’t a war because no one is pulling any strings against Honor No More. Alexander says his side is across from Eddie so the fight is on. Cue Honor No More for the beatdown, with Heath and Rich Swann running in for a failed save attempt. The big beatdown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t really feeling this one as there wasn’t much that kept my interest this week. The wrestling was fine and they advanced enough stories, but nothing was exactly jumping off the page. Victory Road isn’t looking overly interesting and that isn’t going to leave much time for Bound For Glory. Not a bad show here, but one of their weaker efforts in recent weeks.

Results
Aussie Open b. Ace Austin/Chris Bey – Coriolis to Bey
Mickie James b. Raychell Rose – MickDT
Yuyu Uemura b. Kenny King – High crossbody
Chelsea Green b. Taya Valkyrie – Unprettier
Brian Myers b. Bhupinder Gujjar via DQ when Gujjar used the title belt
Eddie Edwards b. heath – Boston Knee Party

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 18, 2022
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re coming off a pretty awesome Emergence and that means it is time to start getting going on the next special, meaning it’s off to Victory Road. I’m not sure what that is to entail but having the show just a few weeks ahead of Bound For Glory is more than a little weird. Let’s get to it.

Here is Emergence if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander escaping Alex Shelley at Emergence.

Opening sequence.

Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Horus vs. Trey Miguel

Crazzy Steve is on commentary. Taurus gets triple dropkicked to the floor to start and Kid dives on him. Back in and Kid hits some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers before headscissoring Taurus into the corner. Some Sling Blades put Kid down though and it’s Miguel coming back in, only to get taken down as well. Horus backdrops Taurus outside but a slingshot hurricanrana is pulled out of the air.

A headbutt drops Horus so Miguel hurricanranas Kid into Taurus for the knockdown. Everyone gets back in with Taurus dropping Miguel, only to get poisonranaed by Horus. With everyone else outside, Horus hits a huge top rope moonsault onto the pile for the huge knockdown. Back in and Miguel takes Horus down but gets Canadian Destroyed by Kid, who is spun into a piledriver to give Taurus the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. You remember what I say about how the X-Division style stuff is here to pop the crowd in an opening match and little more? That’s what we had here, as they had three people in there flying around, plus Taurus for the power. In other words, a very fun match and the right way to open any show as they packed in a lot of stuff without being out there too long.

We look back at Killer Kelly.

Zicky Dice and Johnny Swinger are impressed with Kelly. Cue Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans to rant about how much better Steelz is. Kelly pops in and doesn’t seem to care, but seems to get a match with Evans for tonight.

Rich Swann talks to Josh Alexander about tonight’s #1 contenders match and Alexander wouldn’t mind Swann winning. Vincent comes in to say Eddie Edwards is going to win. Alexander glares at him.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Kenny King vs. Heath

Vincent is here with King and the slugout is on fast. An early Wake Up Call attempt is blocked so King is sent outside for a conference. Vincent offers enough of a distraction to get heath outside, with King hitting the corkscrew slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Heath avoiding a springboard spinning legdrop and grabbing a jumping neckbreaker. King misses a charge in the corner and the Wake Up Call gives Heath the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C-. They didn’t have much time here but Heath’s roll continues. That takes something special, as they have turned Heath into someone with people getting behind him despite the fact that he’s, you know, Heath. Nice job with the story here, even if the match was only so good in the first place.

Post match here is Honor No More to beat Heath down, but Eddie Edwards spends awhile telling PCO to take Heath out. That takes so long that Heath hits a Wake Up Call on Bennett and gets out.

Kushida and the Motor City Machine Guns didn’t have a good night at Emergence but they’re ready to face Violent By Design next week. They are Time Machine, which is as clever of a name as you’re getting in their case.

Honor No More regroups until Scott D’Amore comes in. The team wants to know when their title shot is, but Doc Gallows is injured. Maria isn’t pleased, so D’Amore makes Matt Taven vs. Karl Anderson next week, and if Anderson wins, Maria is banned from ringside whenever the title match takes place.

Killer Kelly vs. Savannah Evans

Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. Kelly gets in her face to start before grabbing Evans’ hand and putting it around her own (as in Kelly’s) throat). That’s fine with Evans who sends her hard into the corner, only to have Kelly come back with a dropkick. A hard German suplex drops Kelly but she reverses a full nelson into the Killer Clutch for the tap at 3:32.

Rating: C. I remember wondering why Impact was bothering to bring Kelly in after her less than interesting NXT UK run. This is a complete surprise as Kelly is already making an impression and looks like she could be a player. That’s a lot more than I would have bet on and if Impact gets someone else in the Knockouts division, good for them.

Rosemary isn’t happy that she and Taya Valkyrie lost the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, saying that Havok would have been a better partner. Jessika has this though, as her debut match is next week.

We recap Masha Slamovich giving Jordynne Grace her death warrant.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Slamovich and respects Mia Yim. VXT comes in to mock her for not getting able to shake Mia’s hand. Trash is talked but here is Mia to issue the challenge for the titles. Deal.

X-Division Title: Chris Bey vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey is defending and armdrags him down a few times to start. Back up and Bailey kicks him in the head, sending Bey outside for a breather. The chase back inside lets Bey grab a slingshot DDT for two and Bailey is in trouble for a change. The Figure Four necklock goes on but Bailey is right back up with a running dropkick. It’s too early for the running corkscrew shooting star press but it’s not too early for Bailey’s bouncing kicks.

Bey is back up with a jumping Downward Spiral for two, only to miss a charge to the floor. That means Bailey can hit his middle rope moonsault but Bey kicks him down again. The big running flip dive takes Bailey down, setting up a top rope double stomp (with Bailey laying on the top rope for a unique spot). A sitout powerbomb gives Bey two but Bailey is back up with some more kicks. The Ultimate Weapon retains the title at 8:24.

Rating: C+. I don’t know what it is about Bailey but I can’t get myself to care about him. Maybe it is that his matches are similar most of the time (entertaining, but repetitive) or that stupid bow he does, but I can’t bring myself to get invested in him. He’s doing a good job as champion though and someone beating him will feel important when it happens. I’m just not getting behind him that much.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Christian Cage b. Ace Austin at Victory Road 2011.

Brian Myers runs into Bhupinder Gujjar and says this isn’t over. Why can’t it be?

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan vs. Rich Swann vs. Moose vs. Steve Maclin vs. Bandido

Elimination rules with tags required and the winner gets the shot at Josh Alexander at Bound For Glory. Swann and Bandido start things off with Bandido having to flip out of a wristlock. They both miss a bunch of dropkicks until Eddie and Sami tag themselves in. Everything breaks down and commentary explains the logic of not needing/wanting to be in the ring until the end, which is an extra degree of psychology.

We take a break and come back with Swann getting beaten down in the corner by Moose and Maclin, which doesn’t sit well with Sami. That’s appropriate as Swann gets over for the tag off to Sami to clean some house. The double teaming slows him down though and it’s a spear to give Moose the pin on Sami at 11:04. Then Maclin rolls Moose up for the pin at 11:08, which has Moose mad.

Callihan doesn’t leave and sends Maclin into Moose, allowing Bandido to hit the big dive to drop Maclin on the floor. Back in and the 21 Plex finishes Maclin at 12:07, leaving us with Eddie vs. Bandido vs. Swann. We take another break and come back with Swann and Bandido trading big shots to the head. Bandido starts striking away and grabs the one armed gorilla press. The pop up cutter gets two, as does Swann’s Lethal Injection.

Eddie tags himself in though and sends Swann into the post. The Boston Knee Party connects to get rid of Bandido at 19:57. We’re down to one on one and Swann gets elbowed in the face for two more. Swann catches him on top and snaps off a super hurricanrana, setting up the running kick to the head for two.

That’s enough for Eddie to be sent outside where he gets in a shot with Kenny the kendo stick for two more. Back in and the tiger driver is countered so Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party for another near fall. That’s enough for Eddie who comes back with a vengeance with the Die Hard Driver and the winning pin at 25:29.

Rating: B. This worked well and Edwards winning is the right way to go. Honor No More is a team that could go somewhere rather quickly if given the chance and maybe this is that chance. Edwards is someone who can be put right back into the main event scene in the blink of an eye and that seems to be what they are doing here. It helps that there were other viable options to get the title shot, so it wasn’t exactly a foregone conclusion. Rather good match with some drama here so nice job.

Honor No More celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Impact shaking off their reputation for a weak followup to the bigger shows as this was a perfectly good episode. They have also got us ready for Bound For Glory, where you can probably pencil in Honor No More for two title shots. Other than that, more stories have been built up and we should be in for some interesting stuff on the way to Albany.

Results
Black Taurus b. Laredo Kid, Rey Horus and Trey Miguel – Piledriver to Kid
Heath b. Kenny King – Wake Up Call
Killer Kelly b. Savannah Evans – Killer Clutch
Mike Bailey b. Chris Bey – Ultimate Weapon
Eddie Edwards b. Rich Swann, Sami Callihan, Moose, Steve Maclin and Bandido – Die Hard Driver to Swann

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

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

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

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

Eddie Edwards vs Ace Austin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tiffany Nieves vs. Jada Stone

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

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

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

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

Josh Alexander vs. Shera

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commentary talks but the video signal breaks up.

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

Rich Swann vs. Kushida

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

VXT vs. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what is coming tonight.

X-Division Title: Deaner vs. Mike Bailey

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

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

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

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

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

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

Madison Rayne vs. Masha Slamovich

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

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

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

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

Bullet Club vs. Honor No More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on future shows.

Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gisele Shaw vs. Rosemary

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

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

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

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

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

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

Savannah Evans vs. Jordynne Grace

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More vs. Good Brothers

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

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

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

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

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

Ace Austin vs. Alex Zayne

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

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

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

Against All Odds rundown.

Trailer for a movie sponsoring Against All Odds.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Chris Sabin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 16, 2022
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Slammiversary and that means there is a bit of work left to do. In this case that means hammering home the matches that are already set, but there is always the chance of something else being added at the last minute. Things have been going well as of late around here but now they need to stick the landing. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander vs. Violent By Design last week.

Opening recap, again with another classic theme (cool idea, as they keep playing up the history really well).

Jordynne Grace/Mia Yim vs. Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans

It’s the Queen Of The Mountain preview, so yes we get the still too complicated set of rules. Yim chops away at Evans to start before hitting a running dropkick for a bonus. Evans is able to send her into the corner though and Steelz gets hiptossed onto Yim for two. The tornado DDT gives Steelz two but Yim manages to send Evans into the buckle. There’s the tag off to Grace to clean house, including a Vader Bomb into a crossface on Steelz. Everything breaks down and Yim is sent into Grace, allowing Steelz to roll Grace up (with tights) for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C. This was a way to put the women in Sunday’s match into the ring together beforehand as a preview. I would say it was good stuff in that regard, but this felt like a match that I have seen more times than I can count. Steelz getting a pin means a bit before Queen Of The Mountain, but it feels just a step above building momentum towards Money In The Bank.

Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green, who were watching the match in the back, certainly aren’t a team.

Slammiversary/tonight rundown.

The Aces & Eights are back (Wes Brisco/Garrett Bischoff) are happy to be back but here is Honor No More to mock D’Lo Brown and be held back. Brown comes in and says that’s not how we do it around here anymore. They ask Brown if he remembers what it’s like being part of the team, which has Brown implying that the tag match is being made for tonight.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Eric Young.

Trey Miguel vs. Mike Bailey

They shake hands before the bell before fighting over arm control and trading rollups for two each. Bailey gets the better of the armbar battle so Miguel goes straight over to the ropes. Miguel snaps the arm across the top rope and hits a sliding kick to the arm, followed by a running kick to the head. They head outside with Bailey hitting a kick to the chest (which also hit part of the apron) and we take a break.

Back with Bailey kicking away and hitting the running corkscrew shooting star press for two. The half crab goes on, sending Miguel straight to the rope again. Miguel flips back into the dragon sleeper but this time it’s Bailey making it to the rope. They forearm it out (of course) and kick it out (of course) until Bailey does his bouncing kicks to take over. Miguel kicks him outside though and there’s the step up flip dive to drop Bailey. Back in and Bailey kicks him down again, setting up the moonsault knees to the chest. The big kick to the head gives Bailey two but Miguel is right back with a small package for the pin at 14:15.

Rating: B-. Oh like this wasn’t going to be good. The X-Division is one of those things where you can throw out almost any combination and all but guarantee a good match. That’s what they did here and there is nothing wrong with watching two young, talented wrestlers get out there and do their thing for almost fifteen minutes.

Video on Moose vs. Sami Callihan.

Alisha vs. Masha Slamovich

Alisha hammers away but gets dropped with a spinning backfist. There’s a suplex to make it worse and the Snowplow finishes Alisha at 56 seconds as the dominance continues.

Taya Valkyrie comes up to Rosemary in the back to talk strategy but Rosemary doesn’t think much of her given their history.

Chris Bey/Jay White vs. Briscoes

Non-title and the Good Brothers are on commentary. For the sake of simplicity I’ll only refer to Jay White as White and Jay Briscoe as Jay. White drives Jay into the corner but gets knocked back, meaning it’s Bey coming in to try his luck. Mark comes in to send Bey to the apron but a quick shot puts Mark down. Bey sends Mark into Jay, who is right back up to clean house without much effort. Everything breaks down and Bey hits the big running flip dive to drop the Briscoes as we take a break.

Back with White grabbing a chinlock on Jay, who fights up and wins a slugout. Everything breaks down and Mark hits the Iconoclasm on Bey. Redneck Boogie gets two with White making the save, earning himself a running big boot/German suplex combination. Mark misses the Froggy Boy on Bey but settles for a rollup pin at 14:31.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, as the Briscoes get a nice win on the way to their title defense on Sunday. You knew they weren’t going to beat White here but that is one of the reasons why Bey is on the team. Good stuff here but that is almost a guarantee from the Briscoes most of the time.

The Reverse Battle Royal is back on Sunday. Thankfully on the pre-show.

Raj Singh says Shera is going to win the battle royal but Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice don’t think so. Neither of them know the rules though.

D’Lo Brown is back in the Aces & 8’s gear.

We look back at Eddie Edwards turning his back on Impact to join Honor No More. This set up Honor No More vs. the Impact originals, with Nick Aldis joining the originals.

Aces & Eights vs. Honor No More

It’s Kenny King/Vincent for Honor No More and the Aces have D’Lo Brown with them. Everything breaks down early on with Aces & Eights managing to take over on King. Vincent comes in and gets hiptossed as everything breaks down again. The Aces clear the ring and we take an early break. Back with Bischoff clotheslining his way out of trouble and bringing Brisco in to clean house. Eddie Edwards offers a distraction though and Orange Sunshine finishes Bischoff at 7:01.

Rating: C-. This was another flashback moment and for a fast reunion, it wasn’t all that bad. Brisco and Bischoff were always the jobbers of Aces & Eights so there was only so much that was going to happen here. You’re also not going to have Honor No More lose in a spot like this so this was a fine enough yet still not exactly shocking result.

Post match Brown gets in the ring and thinks Honor No More better recognize before cleaning house. Matt Taven and Mike Bennett run in for the beatdown on Brown so Kazarian and the Motor City Machine Guns come in for the real save.

Slammiversary rundown.

It’s time for the contract signing between Eric Young, with Violent By Design, and Josh Alexander, plus Scott D’Amore as emcee. Young says he doesn’t care about history or what Slammiversary means because he only cares about himself. Alexander can’t believe that because he started as a fan watching people like Young. Impact Wrestling kept him going eight years ago when he broke his neck so yes, Slammiversary is a celebration of the past and the future.

Young calls that pandering because he has said the same thing to these same people. Alexander is better than these people but the people’s opinions don’t matter. The truth is this: Young rides that line between chaos and order. At Slammiversary, Young will open Alexander’s eyes. They both sign, with Young sending D’Amore off. Alexander says he isn’t scared because he has this company’s entire history behind him on Sunday. He lists off a bunch of the legends of the promotion, including a guy named Showtime Eric Young.

That is the man who had these people chanting DON’T FIRE ERIC and that man would be disgusted with this Young. The brawl is on, with D’Amore even punching Deaner out. Alexander is beaten down and busted open though, with Violent By Design ripping off the turnbuckle and tearing up the mat. The piledriver on the wood leaves Alexander laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the show well enough and they went with the big push towards Slammiversary. That worked out decently, though the show had already been made coming into this week. I’m looking forward to Slammiversary but they need to make the whole thing work, which is where Impact tends to shine. Pretty nice show here, even if they didn’t do much.

Results
Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans b. Jordynne Grace/Mia Yim – Rollup with tights to Grace
Trey Miguel b. Mike Bailey – Small package
Masha Slamovich b. Alisha – Snowplow
Briscoes b. Chris Bey/Jay White – Rollup to Bey
Honor No More b. Aces & Eights – Orange Sunshine to Bischoff

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

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AND

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