Impact Wrestling
Date: May 5, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We’re finally done with Rebellion and that means it’s time to start getting back to normal shows. I’m not sure what we’re going to be seeing around here but we have a new TNA World Champion, because that company needs some nostalgia instead of an interim Impact World Champion. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Rebellion recap, which seems to include Kiera Hogan leaving the company after her loss to Kylie Rae. That would be a loss to the division as she was a solid hand.

Opening sequence.

Here’s a limping Sami Callihan for the opening chat. He can see everyone watching at home and knows the fans are cheering for him. After making his own sound effects, Sami says it’s time for the Draw to brighten your day a little bit. He took a heck of a beating at Rebellion but he’s still standing. At Rebellion, he went toe to toe with the World’s Most Dangerous Man and the referee stopped it. He doesn’t want OVE messing with his business anymore but for now, he wants to finish his business with Ken Shamrock.

Cue Ken to say Sami needs to calm down and open his ears. Shamrock talks about how he has made a lot of people tap out over the years but Sami didn’t tap. Sami: “No s***.” Shamrock talks about the people he’s made tap before, including Big Show, Bas Rutten and the Rock. Sami didn’t tap, so they can either go out back or put them behind them and go after the Impact World Title.

Cue Michael Elgin (Sami: “Big Mike getting the same reaction from the crowd he always does.”) to say he doesn’t need all of those weapons that Sami needs. Elgin says he’ll fight either of them but the line starts behind them. Sami says it’s the same thing you always hear from Elgin so the fight is on. Elgin bails and Sami disappears to leave Shamrock alone. A three way feud between these three could be….well a disaster is a real possibility.

Chris Bey is ready to become the new X-Division Champion and make it the Finesse Division Champion.

Willie Mack is a little tired from partying over his title win but he’s ready for Bey.

Preview for the rest of the show.

XXXL vs. OVE

Jake Crist/Mad Man Fulton here, with Dave in the corner. Was there ever a reason why we don’t see the Crists team together more often? Josh to Madison: “Do you ever go to an all you can eat buffet?” Madison: “No. Look at me.” Larry and Fulton shove each other around to start with neither really getting anywhere. Fulton’s shoulder drops Larry but he’s back up with a slam so Romero can come in for the elbow.

Jake comes in and gets slammed down to set up the quickly broken chinlock. Larry slams him down for two more but Dave saves his brother from a double shoulder. Back from a break with Acey getting stomped down in the corner and somehow Fulton manages a Regal Roll. He rolls all the way over to Larry for a right hand to the head and then kicks Romero in the face.

Romero comes back with a spinebuster and the hot tag brings in Larry. Everything breaks down with Larry shrugging off the kicks to the face and backdropping Larry over the top. Back in and a powerbomb/reverse bulldog combination gets two on Larry but Acey Pounces Fulton. Larry is up with the Best Hand In The House for the pin on Jake at 13:02.

Rating: C-. XXXL are like the worse version of the Bouncers from Ring of Honor and that’s not exactly a high compliment. I get the idea and what they’re going for with it but how many THESE GUYS ARE HUGE teams can you have? The match was fine enough and they are pushing someone new with XXXL. That’s a good thing, but I’m not sure how much of a shelf life they have.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Kurt Angle b. Mick Foley at Victory Road 2009.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk with Madison Rayne (who changed clothes since she was shown on screen earlier) and Johnny Swinger. This week’s guest is Havok, who doesn’t seem all that impressed. Madison brings up Havok’s loss at Rebellion and gets glared down hard. Havok reminds her of what happens when people get under her skin so Madison moves on to Nevaeh.

Havok doesn’t know why Nevaeh showed up last week so Madison brings in the next guest: Kimber Lee. That doesn’t sit well with Havok either and Lee saying she’s rising to the spot makes it worse. Swinger thinks that means they both want him so Havok shoves him away. Violence is teased between the women.

Cody Deaner has parked his RV on the side of the road for isolation. He talks to some old LJN action figures while having a beer and then tries to sell merch. You knew someone was going to do this at some point.

Suicide vs. Johnny Swinger

Swinger wants a weapons check and jumps Suicide, only to fail with back and eye rakes. Swinger: “WHOA! EASY SPIDEY!” Suicide avoids a charge to put him outside but gets crotched on top. Choking ensues and Swinger elbows him in the head but misses the falling headbutt. The Swinger Neckbreaker misses and it’s a Codebreaker into the Swanton to give Suicide the pin at 3:41.

Rating: D+. They kept this short and Swinger lost, which are the only two requirements for one of his matches. He’s grown on me quite a bit as of late because they haven’t had him winning important matches or doing anything more than goofy. I don’t need Suicide back but that could be said about a lot of the people this company brings back in.

Ace Austin adds himself to the X-Division Title match because he’s beaten names like Eddie Edwards, Tessa Blanchard and Tommy Dreamer.

Moose doesn’t think much of Michael Elgin declaring himself the real World Champion when Moose has been the one beating all the big names. The reality is that Moose is the real World Champion because Tessa Blanchard is on vacation in Mexico. Josh points out that there is no value to the TNA World Title….by the way how did Moose even get the belt? Enough of that though because there will be a #1 contenders tournament starting next week. Here are the brackets:

Moose

Trey

Sami Callihan

Michael Elgin

Ken Shamrock

Rhino

Mad Man Fulton

Hernandez

Or not actually as Moose pulls himself out of the tournament. He already has the REAL World Title, which Josh again points out that he didn’t deserve. Moose lists off the people he’s beaten up and those wins make him the real champion. That’s enough of this.

Joseph P. Ryan vs. Cousin Jake

Rebellion rematch. Ryan stalls for the first minute but Jake gets the better of a chase and hammers away. A clothesline puts Ryan on the floor and we stall again. Back in and Ryan hits a dropkick, stops to yell at the crowd, and gets knocked right back down. An attempted stall is broken up by a right hand to the face but Ryan snaps him throat first across the top rope.

The neck crank doesn’t last long as Jake is back with a Michinoku Driver. A clothesline into a sitout powerbomb gives Jake two but Ryan is back up with Sweet Tooth Music for the same. Jake throws him down again but Ryan hides behind the referee in the corner. A poke to the eye and a rollup with trunks give Ryan the pin at 8:46.

Rating: D. What does Impact see in having Ryan as a regular wrestler? His entire appeal is the shtick and the answer is to get rid of what made him work? It doesn’t help when you have him going outside to annoy a crowd who isn’t there, which only made a match that didn’t have much value in the first place feel even longer.

Video on Kiera Hogan.

We go to the Don Koloff Arena, the home of the Battle Arts promotion. The North is introduced and they stop to beat up some mannequins on the way to the ring. Page slips on his way in but picks up the mic, saying it’s time to defend the titles. Alexander is asked who he would face in his dream match. Alexander: “KURT ANGLE!” Page: “Kayfabe man. His 90 days aren’t up yet.”

Two rather skinny guys come out, with one of them holding a mask. There is no disrespect meant and the match is on. We don’t actually see the match but rather some rapid fire clips, with the North winning in about 40 seconds show. This was a fun little bit and it was a nice way to keep the North holding the titles in the mess.

Rosemary consults some cards to see what is in store for her future. She gets some message and realizes she needs to speak to the high priestess. Some of the other cards please her as well.

Rohit Raju knows he should be in the #1 contenders tournament.

The tournament starts next week, plus Moose defending against Suicide and Lee vs. Havok. Rayne has changed again, because this is totally happening live and in real time of course.

X-Division Title: Chris Bey vs. Ace Austin vs. Willie Mack

Mack is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Austin grabs the title from the referee so it’s Mack taking over early on, including a double clothesline. Back from the completely necessary break after twenty seconds with Mack’s standing moonsault hitting both challengers at once. Ace and Bey go outside for a meeting, but Ace turns on him after all of a split second.

Back in and Ace works on the champ’s arm but lets go after cutting the fingers with the playing card. Bey takes Ace’s place and hits a pop up hurricanrana to send Mack outside. Ace and Bey slug it out on the floor but Mack takes them both down with a running flip dive to send us to a second break.

Back with Ace snapping off a suplex for two on Bey before kneeing him in the ribs. Ace’s belly to back suplex gets two and he unloads on Bey in the corner for two more. They kick each other down as Mack pulls his way back in and the three way slugout is on. Mack forearms Ace down again and hits some alternating running shots in the corner.

An exploder suplex drops Bey again but Ace breaks up the frog splash. Mack tries a powerbomb out of the corner with Bey coming in to add a Backstabber for two. It’s a Stunner to Bey but Ace hits the Fold on Mack. That’s broken up at two so Ace hits the Fold on Bey with Mack making a VERY last second save (which he might not have made in time). Ace gets knocked off the top though and the Six Star retains the title at 19:05.

Rating: B. This is one of the places where Impact has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years. Mack was the senior statesman here at 33, meaning you had three young guys out there doing what they could to steal the show. It was the best thing on the show by far and Mack retaining makes sense for the future. Very good main event here, and a positive sign for the company’s future.

Overall Rating: C. This was a little bit of an odd show as the main event was the only match worth seeing but the rest of the show was built around storyline advancement. A tournament is the best thing that can be done in a situation like this, as proven by the fact that WWE, AEW and now Impact, as in the only three major promotions running at the moment, are all in the middle of a tournament. If nothing else it can by them some time until Tessa gets back, and that might need a lot of time. Not a terrible show, but that main event had to bail it out.

Results

XXXL b. OVE – Best Hand In The House to Crist

Suicide b. Johnny Swinger – Swanton

Joseph P. Ryan b. Cousin Jake – Rollup with trunks

Willie Mack b. Chris Bey and Ace Austin – Six Star Frog Splash to Austin

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 28, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the second night of Rebellion and that means it’s time to find out what is going on with the World Title. That’s quite the situation and hopefully they have a good answer to the problem. It’s a pretty rare situation so I’m curious to see what they come up with for the whole thing. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the top stars and talks about how everyone wants to make it their night.

Suicide vs. Chris Bey vs. Trey vs. Rohit Raju

Josh on Suicide: “His origin story begins in a video game!” They take turns shoving each other together a few times before it’s a four way standing switch. Suicide drops off and watches the other three, with Trey doing the same. Bey and Raju do several more standing switches until they see the other two looking at them.

Trey gets sent outside and pulls Bey with him, leaving Raju to get caught in an octopus hold. That’s not the smartest idea but Bey gets back in to get caught in another hold at the same time. Raju kicks Bey and Trey down for two until Suicide comes back in to hurricanrana Bey. Trey puts Suicide and Raju down, leaving Bey to dropkick Suicide through the ropes.

A double dive is loaded up but Raju rolls Bey up for two instead. Suicide dives onto Raju and Bey, leaving Trey to hit a springboard flip dive onto all three. Everyone breaks up a cover and it’s Bey hitting a butterfly suplex for two on Raju. Suicide blocks Bey’s springboard armdrag and Trey hits a 619 to Raju and Suicide in the corner. With the three of them distracted, Bey superkicks Raju for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: C+. Take four people, throw them in there at the same time, and let them do whatever they can. It’s worked as an opener for years now and it always will work because it’s the kind of exciting match that is perfect for this spot. Bey winning was a good move as well and he has a bright future around here.

We look back at last week’s show.

Taya Valkyrie and Jordynne Grace aren’t here but we’ll still do Full Metal Mayhem with Rosemary vs. Havok.

Tessa Blanchard joins us via Facetime and promises to be back better than ever. She’s ready to beat Michael Elgin when she gets back and he won’t be World Champion.

Cousin Jake vs. Joseph P. Ryan

Ryan hides in the corner to start and then gets shoved down. A cheap shot lets Ryan gets in a few right hands, only to get knocked straight down again. There’s a toss across the ring and a whip into the corner gives Jake two. Jake misses a charge into the post though and we take a break.

Back with Jake’s arm in trouble and Ryan bending it around the ropes. The hammerlock slam is blocked so Ryan sends the arm into the post instead. Now the hammerlock slam works and we hit the quickly broken armbar. The driving shoulders have Jake in more trouble until he toss suplexes his way to freedom.

A Codebreaker to the arm sets up another hammerlock but this time Jake is back up with a spinning belly to back suplex. Jake hits a discus lariat for two and Ryan is sent outside for the big dive over the top. Back in and Jake’s sitout powerbomb gets two but Ryan is back with a superkick for the same. With the frustration setting in, Ryan tries another but has to settle for a rollup with a grab of the rope to pin Jake at 11:15.

Rating: C-. They had a story here and that helped, but Ryan just isn’t all that great in the ring. He’s mainly a gimmick guy and this gimmick is WAY less annoying than his previous one. The arm thing here was better, though it’s not like it was anything all that interesting in the first place. It could have been worse, but I’m still not going to care much about Joey Ryan.

Rosemary is at the bar and complaining about having to be in Full Metal Mayhem. Taya Valkyrie calls her and freaks out about wearing SWEATPANTS. Rosemary doesn’t want to face Havok again because that’s in her past but for now, Taya owes her one. A girls’ night is promised.

We recap Rosemary vs. Havok. They’re both monsters but this is taking place because we need a replacement match.

Rosemary vs. Havok

Full Metal Mayhem, meaning anything goes. Rosemary says they don’t have to fight but Havok insists. That’s fine with Rosemary, who staples Havok’s hand (as you do). Havok shrugs that off and takes the staple gun away to staple Rosemary’s back. A back elbow cuts Havok off though and a Sling Blade puts her down. It’s time for the street signs to Havok’s back until she gets in a big boot.

Havok charges into a chair in the corner though and Rosemary chokes her with a chain. That lets Rosemary shout about how James Mitchell’s blood is on Havok’s hands. Choking ensues until Havok pulls her in with the chain. More weapons are brought in and Havok hits a running knee in the corner. Rosemary pulls her face first into an open chair though and they’re both down, with the chair wrapped around Havok’s head.

Rating: B-. Given the lack of build for this, they beat each other up rather well and the Nevaeh cameo could go somewhere. Taya and Jordynne can do their thing later on and now Rosemary could serve as a good challenger for the winner down the road. All in all, perfectly fine here and a good, hard hitting match.

Willie Mack, with Rich Swann, talks about how big a fan he was of the X-Division growing up and Swann welcomes him to the club. Johnny Swinger comes up to ask for his title shot so they can all be in the champs’ club. Mack: “This guy smells like a car wash.”

Flashback Moment of the Week: Rich Swann beats Sami Callihan at Rebellion 2019.

Michael Elgin is disappointed that Tessa Blanchard and Eddie Edwards aren’t here because he can’t beat them up. Tonight, he becomes World Champion.

Video on Michael Elgin.

Here’s Elgin to address the World Title situation. He debuted at Rebellion 2019 and set his sights on the World Title. That was going to be realized here and it’s clear that Tessa is stuck in Mexico. Eddie has already gotten enough of him so get a referee out here right not to declare him the World Champion. Before the announcement is finished though, here’s Moose with the TNA World Title.

Moose says that Tessa is holding the Impact World Title hostage and Elgin agrees, because it’s his title. We hear about the title mattering, but Elgin calls him out for running down TNA and then talking about being World Champion. Elgin tells Moose to go back to the midcard so the challenge is on, but here’s Hernandez to interrupt. He wants in on this too, so ring the bell.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Hernandez vs. Michael Elgin

The title is vacant coming in….I think? We take a break less than ten seconds in and come back with Hernandez blocking Elgin’s suplex, allowing Moose, in his Ultimate Warrior inspired gear, to break things up. Elgin throws Moose down and hammers on Hernandez in the corner, setting up a northern lights suplex for two on Moose. Hernandez runs them both over but Elgin is back up and grabs a half crab to put Hernandez back in trouble.

That’s broken up and Moose is knocked out to the apron. Elgin’s middle rope dropkick gets two on Hernandez and we take a break. Back with Moose still down and Elgin slugging it out with Elgin. Moose comes back in and breaks up Elgin’s charge into the corner with a boot to the face.

Elgin goes up but gets caught with a dropkick, only to have Moose go after Hernandez. A superplex brings Moose back down and we take another break. Back with Hernandez chopping away and kicking Elgin in the face for two. Moose makes his own save with a bunch of shoulders and a splash for two on Hernandez, with Josh calling him the Ultimate Moose to make the reference clear.

Elgin German suplexes both of them at the same time for two but Moose is back with the chokebomb out of the corner for two on Hernandez. That’s enough for Elgin, who buckle bombs Moose into the corner, only to get speared down. Hernandez gives Moose a spinebuster but Elgin steals the two. The Elgin Bomb hits Hernandez so Moose pulls the ref out at two. Elgin shoves the referee down so here’s a replacement, only to have Hernandez dive onto Elgin and take out another referee. Back in and Moose spears Hernandez for the fast pin at 28:32.

Rating: C+. This went on longer than it needed to and they could have done the same thing if they cut out about seven to ten minutes. What we got was good stuff though and Moose is now set up as the next challenger for Tessa. She has a lot to do when she gets back, but it could be a long time before we finally get there. Anyway, this was a fine power three way, though they went longer than they needed to.

Moose is announced as the new champion to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was mostly good and they did what they could have done with everything being all over the place. As is the case with almost any wrestling show these days, you have to put some big asterisks next to it and that’s perfectly fine. It was a solid show and there was enough good wrestling to make the whole thing work. Now comes the hard part: keep the momentum going after two successful pay per view shows.

Results

Chris Bey b. Rohit Raju, Suicide and Trey – Superkick to Raju

Joseph P. Ryan b. Cousin Jake – Rollup while holding the rope

Rosemary b. Havok – Pipe to the head

Moose b. Hernandez and Michael Elgin – No Jackhammer Needed to Hernandez

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

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

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 7, 2020
Location: Coca Cola Roxy, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

Things are getting interesting around here as they are running out of original content but apparently are going to do a big empty arena taping soon enough. As a result, we could be seeing a lot of Rebellion, though not quite in the same situation. I’ll take what I can get though as they’ve made me want to see the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here’s an annoyed Willie Mack for a chat. He calls out Ace Austin and Reno Scum for attacking the injured Rich Swann last week so come out here and try that on him. Cue Reno Scum so Mack says let’s do this.

Willie Mack vs. Reno Scum

The brawl is on in a hurry with Mack sending Thornstowe outside but the numbers game takes him down early on. Legend drops Thornstowe down in a legdrop for two and we get the Pit Stop for a bonus. Thornstowe gets two off a standing moonsault and we hit the neck crank. Make that a chinlock, which is totally different you see. Mack raises his knees to block a splash so it’s off to Legend, who gets knocked down as well. The double teaming takes Mack down again but he sends the two of them into each other in the corner. A Stunner drops Legend and the Six Star Frog Splash finishes Legend at 5:51.

Rating: D+. There was only going to be so much here and Mack beating the team is the logical way to go. Scum is little more than lackeys and Mack is someone who could become a major player around here with his charisma alone. The fact that he can go in the ring helps, but you’re only going to get so much out of a handicap match.

Post match Ace Austin comes in and takes Mack down.

Show rundown.

Kylie Rae runs into Gail Kim and, believe it or not, is very excited. Then she runs into Susie and they like each others bows. Kiera Hogan comes in to say there are no friends around here. Kiera laughs off the idea that Rae is facing her at some point and gets a match with Susie this week. Rae could be rather entertaining around here.

Daga vs. Chris Bey

Daga headlocks him down to start for all of half a second before Bey is back up. They trade some fast paced rollups for two each and that means an early standoff. A headscissors into a dropkick puts Bey on the floor but he’s able to break up a rope walk armdrag. Bey kicks at the chest and hits a backdrop to send us to a break. Back with Daga still in trouble and having to fight out of an abdominal stretch.

A bodyscissors holds him down a little longer and Bey switches into a sleeper. That’s countered with a flip over the back and Daga scores with a gutwrench powerbomb for two. They head outside with Daga hitting an enziguri, followed by a big running dive off the ramp (though he seems to switch whatever he was doing in the air). Back in and Daga tries a sunset flip but Bey sits down and grabs the rope for the cheating pin at 14:23.

Rating: B-. This was your weekly future stars showcase match and that’s a good idea. Impact has a lot of young talented people and putting them out there for fifteen minutes a week is going to do a lot of positive things for the show. If they had figured this out years ago, who knows where we might be around here.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Xscape match from Lockdown 2011.

John E. Bravo is covered in pads so Taya Valkyrie can beat the heck out of him with a chair in preparation for Full Metal Mayhem against Jordynne Grace. He tries to hide behind the stuffed dog but that just makes her angrier. Bravo says it’s not worth it but Taya insists the Knockouts Title IS worth it.

The Deaners, TJP/Fallah Bahh and XXXL join the Rascalz in the Treehouse but they bring food and beer by mistake. Trey and Wentz leave.

Madison Rayne vs. Havok

Josh is on commentary alone. Rayne tries to avoid her a few times to start so Havok knocks her into the corner. A clothesline drops Rayne again and there’s a running boot in the corner. Rayne’s strikes work a bit better the second time but stops to pose, giving us the Kurt Angle/Big Show “What’s behind me?” spot. More forearms and a Tombstone finish Rayne at 3:37.

Rating: D+. Squash match here with Havok continuing to be a monster. Havok is someone who they could push for a long time to come as you can always use someone like her. At the same time you have Rayne, who is one of the more consistent people around. This was nothing to see though, which is kind of the point here.

Tessa Blanchard and Eddie Edwards aren’t exactly on the same page before tonight’s Tag Team Title match but Eddie’s offer to be a team is on the table.

We get a sitdown interview with Ken Shamrock, who has had to get treatment on his eyes thanks to Sami Callihan’s fireball. He can see though and he’s not cool with Sami trying to injure someone and take food off of his table. They’ll have a contract signing next week for Rebellion. Shamrock knows he has to keep his composure so he can get to Sami on April 19. The lights start to flicker and Shamrock storms off to find Sami.

OVE vs. Rhino/Tommy Dreamer

Rayne is back on commentary and Mad Man Fulton is here with OVE. Dreamer and Dave fight over wrist control to start but it’s off to Jake and Rhino in a hurry. A shoulder runs Jake over and it’s back to Dreamer for a double elbow to the jaw. Fulton offers a little interference though and that means an ejection. Jake kicks Dreamer in the face and the stomping in the corner begins. The chinlock goes on, followed by a double suplex for two. Dreamer catches Dave on top with a superplex though and it’s back to Rhino to clean house. Jake kicks Dreamer in the face over and over but walks into a Gore for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: D+. Yeah sure. I’m not even able to get annoyed at this stuff anymore because the ECW guys are going to be around forever no matter what and who cares if they’re beating former Tag Team Champions clean? Yeah the story is that OVE is lost without Sami, but it’s Rhino and Tommy Dreamer. Was there NO ONE else available here? The Deaners or two popcorn vendors?

Post match Fulton comes back in to beat down the ECW guys.

Rosemary is still at the bar and runs into Johnny Swinger, who hits on her as only he can. The Young Bucks are mentioned and Johnny promises to bring M. Jackson next week. We’re in Atlanta so it’s going to be Mike Jackson isn’t it?

Kiera Hogan vs. Susie

Susie doesn’t like being shoved in the face to start and grabs a bulldog for two. Hogan knocks her into the corner and poses a bit, followed by a running elbow for two more. The cravate doesn’t last long and a fisherman’s neckbreaker is broken up as well. It turns into more of a catfight in the corner until Hogan superkicks her for another near fall. Susie catches her on top and snaps off a hurricanrana. That just earns her a kick to the head and a fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Susie at 5:03.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one and they didn’t have the best chemistry in the world. That being said, it kind of makes sense to have Susie lose because she’s not in her full on evil form. Hogan is someone who has always had potential and that is something they could use in the division. Just push her instead of all the starts and stops.

Michael Elgin comes in to see the North and fires them up for the title defense.

Tenille Dashwood is ready to beat Taya Valkyrie next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rebellion rundown, with Kiera Hogan vs. Kylie Rae added to the card.

Tag Team Titles: Eddie Edwards/Tessa Blanchard vs. The North

The North is defending. Eddie and Page start things off and with nothing going on there, it’s off to Tessa vs. Alexander. Tessa can’t tornado DDT him and gets thrown down, earning Alexander a clothesline to the floor. A Page distraction lets Alexander get in a cheap shot on Tessa but it’s off to Eddie as the pace picks up. Alexander gets sent outside for a dive from Eddie, followed by the big dive from the top to drop everyone as we take a break.

Back with Eddie fighting out of the corner but Page pushes him off the top to take over again. Alexander whips him into a shoulder as Tessa is getting annoyed on the apron. Eddie flips out of a double belly to back suplex and hurricanranas them both at once, allowing the hot tag to Tessa. House is cleaned with back to back suicide dives onto the champs and a cutter gets two on Page.

That earns her a cutter into a wheelbarrow suplex but Eddie saves her from a double suplex. Everything breaks down and Tessa hits another cutter on Alexander to put everyone down. Eddie suplexes Alexander and Tessa low bridges Page to the floor. Magnum is blocked though and a double spinebuster gets two on Tessa with Eddie making the save. The double Neutralizer is broken up and Tessa hits a tornado DDT on Page. Tessa goes over to the corner but won’t make the hot tag to Eddie. Instead the North sends her into Eddie and Northern Assault finishes Tessa at 17:35.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match and the ending made sense. Tessa isn’t going to trust anyone in the company at the moment and that fits her personality to the letter. It helps move forward with Eddie vs. Tessa at the pay per view, though the North needs some challengers in the near future if they’re going to do something at Rebellion.

Post match the argument is on and Eddie walks away. Cue Michael Elgin to lay out Tessa as Eddie watches from the ramp. Elgin holds up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Two good matches and a nice build towards the pay per view is enough to give this one a solid grade. I’m not sure what they’re going to do with the pay per view changed around but an empty arena version could be something to see. I want to see the show though and that’s a good sign of what they’re doing at the moment. The card still has some holes but maybe we get those figured out next week, along with where the show is actually taking place.

Results

Willie Mack b. Reno Scum – Six Star Frog Splash to Luster the Legend

Chris Bey b. Daga – Rollup with a grab of the rope

Havok b. Madison Rayne – Tombstone

Tommy Dreamer/Rhino b. OVE – Gore to Jake

Kiera Hogan b. Susie – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

The North b. Eddie Edwards/Tessa Blanchard – Northern Aggression to Blanchard

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

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

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 17, 2020
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re almost to the last taping cycle from this company for a good while. Last week’s show ended with the announcement that Tessa Blanchard would defend the World Title against both Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards at Rebellion. That’s kind of a problem now as there is likely no Rebellion, meaning this could be a rather interesting show if they didn’t edit things. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the end of last week’s show, with Blanchard agreeing to the triple threat match.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. TJP/Fallah Bahh

TJP and Bahh are challenging after winning some singles matches and a non-title match to set this up. The brawl is on before the referee can lower the titles, meaning the champions try to hit Bahh in the head for some reason. Alexander gets hit with Poetry In Motion and a belly to belly from Bahh. TJP gets caught in the wrong corner though and a knee drop sets up the chinlock.

The North go with the delayed vertical suplex and pass TJP back and forth, making me wonder if it was either them or Santana/Ortiz who did that first. TJP reverses into a rollup anyway though and sends the champs together. The double chickenwing gutbuster allows Bahh to get the tag and house is quickly cleaned. Everyone crashes out to the floor and we take a break. Back with TJP diving over for another hot tag to Bahh so everyone can be knocked down again.

Bahh no sells Alexander’s German suplex and hits a clothesline before going down as well. The double Neutralizer gives Alexander two but Bahh is back up with a double clothesline. TJP comes back in with the kneebar to Page and switches into the STF. The referee is with Alexander as Page taps so Bahh knocks Alexander to the floor and hits a suicide dive. Back in and TJP sends the champs into each other but the Detonation kick is countered into the toss spinebuster (dubbed the Northern Assault) to retain the titles at 19:04.

Rating: B. The North are as good of a team as this company has had since LAX and that’s some high praise. They’re going to set the record for the longest Tag Team Title reign in company history and that’s something they’ve earned. I could go for a rematch here and odds are we’re going to see one, though I’m not sure we’ll see a title change.

Video Team Edwards vs. Team Elgin at Lockdown, with a “Lockdown is Postponed” graphic. Shame as that could have been interesting. Eddie’s team included himself, Tommy Dreamer, Daga and Tessa Blanchard.

And now, Real Housewives of Slam Town. Taya Valkyrie and her dog are having drinks with her friends when Rosemary comes in. She is ordered to change out of her regular shirt and switches into more normal (for this crowd) looking attire. Drinking ensues and they go to the Alabama Slamtown club, where Rosemary sucks out one of Taya’s friend’s (Holly) soul. Holly is a little loopy after. This was rather fun in a wacky opposite way.

Josh and Callis talk about the recent Realityislost hacks and have guards at the production truck. They also hype up Lockdown, which is looking like a good show.

Chris Bey vs. Damian Drake

This is Bey’s debut. Bey shoulders him down to start and runs the ropes a bit before taking out the leg. A running kick to the head sets up the running flip dive to the floor as it’s all Bey so far. Back in and Bey kicks him in the head, setting up a rolling neckbreaker. Drake hits a right hand, only to get sent into the middle buckle. A jumping knee to the head sets up the Beymasser (springboard Fameasser) finishes Drake at 3:51.

Rating: C. Bey looked good here as this was a pure showcase match for him. He’s fast and smooth and that’s something that could get him rather far around here. I was excited to see him signed as he’s impressed me every time I’ve seen him so far and this was no exception as he looked polished.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Ken Shamrock wins the World Title on the first show.

Alisha Edwards gets a spot on Jordynne Grace’s Lethal Lockdown team and sings a song about it.

Tenille Dashwood video.

Chase Stevens is proud to be back for One Night Only when Moose interrupts and calls him Brett Michaels. Moose mocks him for never being a star so Chase calls him out for never winning a title here. A fight breaks out and Moose gets knocked down.

It’s time for the Gut Check finals and Shogun Jackson Stone wins. Good for him.

Tessa Blanchard is ready to face anyone because she’s a different woman. She’ll face Elgin and Edwards at Rebellion because she’s a fighting champion.

Cancel Culture vs. Deaners

That would be Rob Van Dam and Joey Ryan in glasses and a turtleneck. Ryan introduces the team as three people with extraordinary gifts: Rob’s athleticism, Katie’s curves and Ryan’s…..it. Rob makes fun of the Deaners for drinking before the match because perish the thought of someone wrestling under the influence. Katie is in a big coat and Ryan’s turtleneck comes off to reveal a regular collared shirt.

Cody stomps Joey down in the corner to start until a jawbreaker gets him out of trouble. Van Dam comes in to kick Cody to the floor but won’t let the fans see Rolling Thunder. It’s back to Ryan to tease making Cody touch it but instead lets Cody go, meaning it’s off to Jake. Everything breaks down and Joey superkicks Jake down, setting up the Five Star for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: D. I’m not sure on this. Cancel Culture might have some potential as they’re mocking….something, but I wasn’t big on the story in the first place. That being said, anything that gets us away from the usual Ryan shtick is a good thing so I’ll certainly take what I can get out of this.

Ken Shamrock has an announcement for tonight but won’t say what it is.

Willie Mack runs into Ace Austin, who talks about how much Mack has impressed him. Ace wants them to win the Tag Team Titles together but Mack says no because Rich Swann is his partner. He’ll go for some gold though because he’s in a #1 contenders match for the X-Division Title next week.

Kiera Hogan vs. Lacey Ryan

Ryan impressed last week so hopefully it wasn’t a one off. Kiera jumps her from behind to start and grabs a hurricanrana, only to get muscled over with a German suplex. A few shots to the back put Lacey down in the corner and a running basement dropkick gets two. The bodyscissors goes on until Lacey muscles her up and hits some clotheslines. A slingshot elbow sets up something like a belly to back GTS for no cover. Instead Kiera is back with a kick to the head and the fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Ryan at 5:29.

Rating: C-. It was nice while it lasted but they didn’t get a ton of time. Ryan did look good again but there is only so much that she can do when she is losing in less than six minutes. If they’re not going to keep her around or push her, there is no reason for her to beat Hogan so the booking makes sense. Not bad though, and Ryan could be a player in the future.

James Mitchell sends Su Yung a letter, ordering her to face Havok in the Undead Realm next week.

Michael Elgin picks Taya Valkyrie and the North for his Lethal Lockdown team.

Jake Crist vs. Daga

Jake shouts OVE a lot to start before they go into the battle over arm control. That’s broken up as Josh makes mention of Rebellion, which is not listed as canceled. I’m not sure how likely that one is but points for false hope. Daga’s crucifix gets two and he kicks away, only to have Jake’s kicks miss. Jake heads outside and sweeps Daga’s leg to send him onto the apron. That means a suicide dive into a DDT to plant Daga and we take a break.

Back with Jake grabbing the reverse Rings of Saturn, sending Daga over to the ropes. A double clothesline puts both of them down and it’s Daga up first with the quick kicks. Daga suplexes him into a powerbomb for two but Jake kicks him in the face for the same. Jake catches a diving Daga in a cutter for two, only to have Daga kick him back. The double underhook gutbuster finishes Jake at 12:23.

Rating: C+. Daga has grown on me quite a bit lately as he’s rather smooth in the ring and can do a lot of different things. I can see why people seem so high on him and why they would want to push him. Nice match here too as Jake gets to show off the talent that he absolutely has.

Security may have caught the Realityislost hacker but it’s really ordained minister Ryan Cage. He’s just looking for his brother. Ok then.

TNA show video.

Here’s Ken Shamrock for his big announcement. Ken loves being here with all of the talented wrestlers and soaks in some WELCOME BACK chants. He doesn’t actually know what the announcement is, but Josh Matthews does: he’s going into the Hall of Fame. We get his career highlight video, complete with WWF footage…..and then the Realityislost video hits.

A man in black shows up in the ring and fireballs Shamrock before taking off his hood to reveal himself as Sami Callihan. Nice callback to what could have been an awesome NXT gimmick there and I could go for more of that as it’s an untapped idea. Medics help Shamrock to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener and closing angle were both good and the middle part was fine enough so we’ll call this a pretty good show. It’s a shame that Lockdown isn’t happening as they made me want to see that show in only a handful of vignettes. They head to Atlanta next week and I’m not sure what they have after that, but this was a good show in the meantime.

Results

The North b. TJP/Fallah Bahh – Northern Assault to TJP

Chris Bey b. Damian Drake – Beymesser

Cancel Culture b. Deaners – Five Star Frog Splash to Jake

Kiera Hogan b. Lacey Ryan – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Daga b. Jake Crist – Double underhook gutbuster

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

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

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 4, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel And Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

Suddenly this is a follow up show to Smackdown, which is the bad spot the show is going to be in for the next few weeks. Tonight is a big follow up show though as we need to deal with what happened last week when Sami Callihan hit Melissa Santos with a bottle. Odds are this is going to lead to some dismemberment at the hands of Brian Cage, which should be rather entertaining. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the wedding and reception, where Callihan hit Santos by mistake.

Flanked by security, Jake Crist says Sami will talk about what happened later tonight.

Opening sequence.

Madison Rayne vs. Kiera Hogan vs. Tenille Dashwood

It’s a brawl to start with Hogan and Rayne teaming up on Dashwood early on. Madison gets thrown outside though and Dashwood grabs a butterfly suplex to take over on Hogan. Back in and the double teaming continues and Dashwood is in trouble again. This time it’s Kiera being sent outside and Dashwood stands on Rayne’s hair while pulling on the arms.

Kiera comes back in and starts talking trash to the fans but switches back to double teaming Dashwood again (you may be noticing a theme emerging here). Dashwood fights back and sends both of them outside before throwing Dashwood back inside for two. They all get back in again and Dashwood fights out of a double superplex attempt before sunset bombing Madison onto Hogan for a double near fall.

A double Taste of Tenille gets two on Rayne but Kiera comes back with an enziguri and swinging neckbreaker. We get the required argument over who gets the cover though, allowing Dashwood to send them into each other. Hogan is knocked outside and the Spotlight Kick finishes Madison at 8:52.

Rating: C-. I don’t know what it is but Dashwood isn’t showing any of the fire that made her look awesome in Ring of Honor/elsewhere. Maybe it was her shoulder injury or something but she isn’t the same performer she was not very long ago. Hopefully it’s more of a motivation thing or something, because the talent is there and I’d love to see it back again. The match itself was a formula based triple threat with Dashwood being the obvious winner as she is coming up on the Knockouts Title match at Bound For Glory.

Impact is coming to AXS TV.

Eddie Edwards talks to Tommy Dreamer and says Reno Scum drugged him at the wedding last week (which they did). He picks Kenny the Kendo Stick as his partner to face them tonight. Smart man.

Johnny Swinger vs. Owen Travers

Swinger is a late 90s tribute guy, which is fine for an idea but there was NO ONE else on the roster to play the character? As Callis swoons over Swinger’s Zubaz, Swinger takes over and hits a falling headbutt to the rather lower abdomen. Choking and strutting ensue, followed by more choking for bad measure. Travers fights back but misses a charge in the corner and gets caught in a swinging neckbreaker to give Swinger the pin at 3:10.

Rating: D. I get the idea here and as mentioned, a 90s character is hardly a bad idea. What I still don’t get is how this can be anything anything more than Callis giving a friend a favor. Does anyone think Swinger has any kind of a future around here? This isn’t a character that is going to go anywhere and while it’s fine for a lower card idea, bringing in another ECW name (not legend, but name), isn’t something that is going to make Impact look great at the moment.

The North is ready for Willie Mack and Rich Swann at Bound For Glory. They are not however ready for the match becoming a three way, also including Rob Van Dam/Rhino.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t surprised by what Callihan did last week. She’s coming for OVE.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode at Bound For Glory 2011. That was really stupid.

Ace Austin comes up to Alisha Edwards in the back and tries to apologize for what happened last week as the wedding. He thinks Eddie has some kind of a substance abuse problem and offers an ear if needed. Alisha looks confused.

Eddie Edwards/Kenny vs. Reno Scum

Eddie puts Kenny on the apron in the corner, which takes longer than you might think. Thornstowe starts for the team and runs into an atomic drop, followed by an overhead belly to belly. Luster comes in and wants to face Kenny, which is enough of a distraction that Luster can take over in the corner. The double teaming begins as the announcers talk about Alisha’s issues with Ace.

Eddie finally grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb for a breather and even reaches for the tag (he’s a rather confused man). A dive allows the hot tag to Kenny and everything breaks down with Eddie swinging Kenny around to take over. After a pair of dives to the floor (just go with it), Eddie gets slammed onto Kenny back inside. That doesn’t seem to matter though as it’s the Boston Knee Party to finish Thornstowe at 8:27.

Rating: D+. I mean….why not. Eddie continues to be one of the more fascinating wrestlers in the company and I want to see what happens to him. That’s the sign that they’re doing something right and I wouldn’t have bet on it lasting this long. There is a lot more to the story as well, and I’m not sure where they’re going between Eddie and Austin at Bound For Glory, but it could be rather interesting.

The North come up to Konnan and shut the door behind him.

Post break, Konnan is out. Josh: “WHAT HAPPENED TO KONNAN?” Josh….you dolt.

Here is OVE for a chat. Sami says last week was a tragedy but he is here to issue an apology. He means everything he says as he reads an apology off of a piece of paper. What happened last week was an accident and he isn’t happy with anything. He has no reason to destroy a marriage….and here’s Cage to run through security. The Crists and Fulton get taken out so Sami bails. Cage goes after him and throws a fan, which draws out referees to break things up. The cops are there as well and Cage gets arrested. This could work well.

X-Division Title Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Daga vs. Chris Bey

X-Division Champion Jake Crist is on commentary. They start with the flipping and rolling as neither can get much beyond an armdrag here or there. A kick to Bey’s head puts him on the floor but it’s Daga switching places and hitting his own dive. Back in and Daga hits a running forearm in the corner, followed by a dropkick for one. Bey knees his way out of a suplex attempt and dropkicks him outside for a change.

The running flip dive connects and it’s a slingshot DDT for two back inside. Back in and Bey hits a spinning kick to the head and rains down left hands in the corner. A crucifix gives Bey two but Daga is right back with a super Spanish Fly for the same. Daga has had it and double underhooks Bey into double knees to the chest for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: C+. I liked this one with Daga getting to showcase himself in a more impressive performance than I remember seeing from him. I know he’s a respected guy but I haven’t seen much from him so far. This was a good step forward for him though and hopefully that continues to move forward.

Post match the Crists come in to double team Daga but Tessa makes the save.

TJP says he and Fallah Bahh make a great team.

OVE leaves and Sami yells at the Crists.

Some NFL alumni talk about how much they’re looking forward to Moose vs. Ken Shamrock. Scott D’Amore offers his thoughts as well but here’s Moose himself to say MMA is for amateurs. However, he has Frank Trigg to help him train but here’s Shamrock to say he’ll beat Moose up. Ken promises to win but Moose walks out of the press conference, only to come back and start the shoving match. Shamrock looks….old.

James Mitchell yells at Havok for messing with Su Yung. Now YOU KNOW WHO is going to deal with her for messing with his favorite bride. Taya Valkyrie comes in and offers to take care of Su if they’ll take care of Dashwood. Mitchell doesn’t seem impressed and says Havok should just take the title for herself.

Michael Elgin vs. TJP

This could be interesting. TJP hammers away to start but gets picked up with straight power. The kneebar is blocked as well as TJP isn’t sure what to do against this kind of strength. Elgin runs him over and blocks a crossbody with ease. TJP is sent to the apron but slingshots in for a headscissor faceplant and we take a break. Back with Elgin being low bridged to the floor but countering a dive into an apron bomb. Elgin chops him so hard that he hurts his own hand but charges into raised boots in the corner.

The delayed apron superplex is broken up with a knee to the head and a hurricanrana takes Elgin down. TJP goes for the Fujiwara armbar but Elgin powers over to the rope without much effort. Another armbreaker is powered up with a powerbomb for the break and a discus lariat gives Elgin two. TJP sends him outside for the suicide dive but Elgin reverses it into a powerslam for a sweet counter. Back in and a Falcon Arrow gives Elgin two more, followed by a heck of a buckle bomb. A spinning backfist sets up a spinning Elgin Bomb to finish TJP at 13:50.

Rating: B. I liked this one quite a bit with both guys doing what they could and Elgin cutting him off every chance he could. The powerslam counter to the suicide dive was awesome and Elgin’s offense has the kind of power that makes him look dangerous (in a good way) every time he’s out there. Good stuff here, as they took two talented people and had them do their stuff at a high level.

Post match Bahh checks on TJP and glares at Elgin, likely meaning we’ll be getting a future match.

Santos talks to Cage on the phone but Sami cuts them off. What happened last week was a mistake, but he really enjoyed it.

Overall Rating: C+. Impact is up and down at times but this was a solid show for the most part and you can see the stories coming together as we move towards Bound For Glory. They’re starting to peak at the right time and that is what matters more than anything else. The action was mostly good here and while I could go for some adjustments in their personnel choices, we had a mostly good show here and a solid main event. Not bad at all and I liked it well enough. Check out TJP vs. Elgin if you have time.

Results

Tenille Dashwood b. Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne – Spotlight Kick to Rayne

Johnny Swinger b. Owen Travers – Swinging neckbreaker

Eddie Edwards/Kenny b. Reno Scum – Boston Knee Party to Thornstowe

Daga b. Chris Bey – Double underhook double knees to the chest

Michael Elgin b. TJP – Spinning Elgin Bomb

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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

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

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