Rebellion 2024
Date: April 20, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re back to the main pay per views and that should make for an interesting night. The big main event is Moose defending the World Title against Nic Nemeth, but we also have Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone in a Last Man Standing rubber match. Other than that we have the usual array of title matches so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Rascalz vs. Leon Slater/ABC

Slater takes Miguel down to start and runs him over without much trouble. It’s quickly off to Wentz vs. Austin with the former dragging Austin into the Rascalz corner. Austin fights out of trouble and brings Slater back in but Wentz drops him in a hurry. The standing moonsault gives Slater two but Austin fights up without much effort. It’s off to Bey (hometown boy) to clean house, including a springboard spinning kick to the head.

Everything breaks down and Reed hits a double cutter on ABC, setting up the big flip dive over the post. Slater hits his own big dive, only to miss a 450 back inside. All six get inside to slug it out with the Rascalz getting the better of things. Reed hits his running diving cutter to the floor and we hit the parade of strikes to the head. Bey cutters Reed and Slater’s Swanton 450 is good for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: B. Take six talented stars and let them go insane with one spot after another for the sake of warming the crowd up. It was good stuff for what it was supposed to be and the ABC gets back on track. I had a good time with this and that’s not bad for a makeshift team of heroes against the established villains.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. Laredo Kid

Kid is challenging in a rematch after getting disqualified in his first shot. Kid starts fast and takes him into the corner for an early two. Steve gets smart by going for the mask (how he got under Kid’s skin last time) and the Upside Down makes it worse for Kid. That’s broken up and Kid sends him outside for the middle rope moonsault to stagger Steve.

Back in and Steve hammers away but misses a charge into the corner. Kid strikes away and hits a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. Steve catches him up top for a superplex but goes up top, only to get caught with a bite to the head. A super Spanish Fly gives Kid the pin and the title at 6:45.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here but the important part is that Kid FINALLY won something. Kid has been treated as the guy who might be able to do something around here for a very long time though he had never actually won anything of note. This isn’t the most important title in the world, but it’s him accomplishing something and that will help going forward.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Decay vs. Spitfire

Spitfire is defending and has Lars Frederiksen with them. Rosemary and Luna start things off with Rosemary taking her into the corner for some biting. The Upside Down has Luna in more trouble but it’s off to Threat for a front facelock. With that broken up, Havok comes in for an exchange of shoulders with Luna. Some kicks to the leg put Havok down and a basement clothesline drops her again.

Havok pops back up and hits Luna in the face, allowing the tag back to Rosemary. That doesn’t last long either as the tag brings Threat back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Threat hits a big flip dive onto Decay at ringside. Lars tells Threat to do it again but Havok cuts her off. A double powerbomb brings Havok down and it’s an assisted sitout spinebuster to finish Rosemary and retain at 10:34.

Rating: C+. These teams have traded the titles so it’s nice to see the champs retain for a change. They got a bit of time to work with here and Spitfire continues to work well together despite not being a team for very long. I’m not sure what is next for Decay, but given the lack of depth in the division, they probably won’t be away from the titles for very long.

Lars poses with the champs.

DJ Ashba plays a rock version of the national anthem.

The opening video shows the people on the card walking through the streets of Las Vegas before shifting to looks at the people in the arena. Nic Nemeth: “F*** the System.”

X-Division Title: Jake Something vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with his secret service is defending and gets shoved down by the much larger Something to start. Something cranks on the hand and tells Ali to bring it before running Ali over. They go to the corner, with Ali being laid on top and kicked in the ribs and Something catching him on the shoulder in an impressive feat. A hard clothesline gives Something two and they head outside, where his big chop only hits steps.

Back in and a rolling neckbreaker hits Something, followed by another on the ramp. Something crawls back in and gets caught with another neckbreaker for two. A DDT sets up the standing moonsault but Something wakes up and counters a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb.

Something gets two off a Rack Attack so he loads up a superbomb. That’s broken up with a hard shot and Ali German suplexes him onto the apron. The secret service’s distraction lets Ali hit the 450 for two. Something dives onto Ali and the goons and grabs Into The Void for two, with Ali putting his foot on the rope. The desperate Ali goes to the eyes to escape a powerbomb and grabs a rollup, and the rope, to retain at 11:37.

Rating: B-. Ali continues to be a nice mixture of talent and cheating and it’s making for a good title run. TNA has turned him into quite the featured attraction and he feels like a heck of a star. There is a good chance that Ali is going to hold onto the title for a good while and that is not a bad thing. On the other hand you have Something, who is another name who really needs to win something at some point. He shouldn’t have won here, but it needs to happen sooner or later.

We recap First Class coming together and Joe Hendry not being thrilled with them. Therefore, it’s time for Hendry vs. Rich Swann.

Joe Hendry vs. Rich Swann

AJ Francis is here with Swann. Hendry’s video features First Class doing his arm wave, which is proof that the team are fans of his. Swann tries to start fast but gets caught in a fireman’s carry drop for a big crash. They head outside where a Francis distraction lets Swann send Hendry into the steps to take over.

We get violent with Hendry’s eye being sent into the corner of the steps and Swann tears away at it back inside. Swann grabs the double arm crank until Hendry fights up for the comeback. Hold on though as Francis low bridges him and is handed a chain by a “Tik Tok legend”. Former NFL star Shawne Merriman cuts that off and gets in the ring for a staredown with Francis…before decking Hendry. Swann’s frog splash is enough to finish Hendry at 7:26.

Rating: C. Other than the Merriman stuff, this could have been on any given episode of Impact. What matters here is getting First Class a win as the team hasn’t been around very long and needs to do something to establish themselves. If nothing else, major points to Francis for turning his career from a joke into something resembling decent. That’s more than I would have expected and he deserves the credit. Throw in Swann to do the wrestling and it’s a nice combination.

We recap Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian. They were partners for a bit before breaking up and getting in a feud. Young got a World Title shot but Kazarian cost him the match and gave him a beating. Now it’s time for Full Metal Mayhem for some violence.

Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian

Full Metal Mayhem, meaning TLC but with pins/submissions. They start fast and head outside, with Young taking over and dropping a ladder onto him. Kazarian catches Young setting up a table but can’t hit Fade To Black. They get up onto the apron, where Young bites the hand but gets caught with a Fameasser over the middle rope. A slingshot DDT gives Kazarian two so he throws a ladder at Young for a nasty knockdown.

Young is back up with a hard whip into the ladder in the corner and various metal objects to the head have Kazarian in more trouble. Janice (the board with nails) is whipped out but the big swing misses, as does Kazarian trying to drive him face first into the nails. A spear off the apron and through the table at ringside doesn’t miss for Kazarian though and they’re both down on the floor.

They pull themselves up so Kazarian can get two back inside and it’s time for a slugout. We get a nasty exchange of cookie sheets to the head (those things are dented) until Young grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. Kazarian is back up with a chain to choke away in the corner before tying Young up for the chickenwing.

That’s broken up and Young puts him in a trashcan for the top rope elbow and a near fall. Kazarian’s Unprettier onto a bridged ladder gets the same and it’s time for a table. That takes WAY too long and Young fights off of it and catches him on top but Kazarian grabs a Flux Capacitor. They land in the general area of the table, with Young’s head slamming into the edge (and busting him open) for the pin at 15:17.

Rating: B. They beat the living daylights out of each other here and it was a violent brawl, though that ending was absolutely cringe inducing. Hopefully Young is ok, as you could see the blood flowing immediately. Other than that, it felt like two people wanting to hut each other and Kazarian gets a big win to hopefully end the feud once and for all.

Nic Nemeth is ready to be World Champion.

Here is Steve Maclin for a chat. He has a new contract and got everything he wanted, except for a match tonight. Cue Santino Marella to say we have a new star who just signed in the back. It’s time for his debut match.

Steve Maclin vs. Mike Santana

As in Santana of AEW/LAX fame. Santana strikes away to start and knocks Maclin outside rather quickly. The big flip dive takes Maclin down again but he sends Santana face first into the apron. We hit the chinlock back inside, followed by a running clothesline for two on Santana. The chinlock goes on again before Santana gets tied in the Tree of Woe.

The running shoulder misses and Santana grabs a rolling cutter. A Death Valley Driver gives Santana two but Maclin runs him over. The Jar Headbutt gives Maclin two and a Falcon Arrow gets the same. Now the running shoulder in the corner gets two but Santana is back with Spin The Block (discus lariat) for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C+. Nice return for Santana here as he looked in good shape and was hitting some nice stuff. That being said, he felt like he was doing the same moves you see in almost every match and that isn’t likely to make him feel like a major star. Maybe he has something else, but at least he won and looked strong in his debut.

We look back at Spitfire retaining the Knockouts Tag Team Titles on the pre-show. Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich came out for the staredown.

The System is ready to retain their titles, with Moose bringing in NFL star John Abraham to have his back.

Tag Team Titles: The System vs. Speedball Mountain

The System, with Alisha Edwards, is defending. Myers and Bailey start things off with Bailey firing off the kicks so Myers brings in Edwards. That’s fine with Bailey, who kicks him down as well and hands it off to Seven. They head outside where Seven is sent knee first into the steps as the champs take over for the first time. Myers works on the bad knee back inside but Seven gets in a shot of his own, allowing the tag to Bailey. House is cleaned but Myers shoves Bailey off the top.

Seven hobbles over to chop Myers on top and a superplex sets up Bailey’s shooting star press for two. The tornado kick is broken up by Edwards, who sends Bailey into a table at ringside to cut him off. Edwards takes out Seven’s knee again and hits a tiger driver into a half crab. Bailey superkicks Myers down but his kicks to the chest can’t break the hold.

The bouncing kicks finally break it up, allowing Bailey to hit the springboard moonsault to Myers on the floor. Back in and a spinning kick to the face knocks Edwards into a dragon suplex for two. Seven’s knee gives out on the Birminghammer attempt though and Seven is sent into Bailey.

The Backpack Stunner/top rope elbow gives Edwards two on Seven and everyone needs a breather. Seven is back up with the Seven Star lariat to put Myers on the floor, leaving Eddie to get caught in the Birminghammer/top rope knee combination. Myers makes another save and spears Bailey out of the air on the floor. Back in and the Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party to Seven retains the titles at 12:57.

Rating: B. This got some time and the champs get a win to keep establishing their reign. Edwards and Myers are a good example of a combination that was throwhen together and happened to win. It wasn’t a great match but it did well enough and had some strong action while it lasted.

We recap Hammerstone vs. Josh Alexander. While Alexander beat him the first time, Hammerstone came back and cheated to win while stealing Alexander’s headgear. Now it’s about revenge and violence in a Last Man Standing match.

Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone

Last Man Standing. Alexander starts fast and drives him into the corner but Hammerstone uses the power to take over. A German suplex drops Hammerstone though and Alexander plants him on the apron. Hammerstone isn’t having that and does the same thing to Alexander, leaving him down for a change.

They slug it out on the floor with Hammerstone getting the better of things but it’s way too early for a ten count. Hammerstone picks him back up on the apron, where Alexander grabs a half and half suplex to put them both down again. Alexander gets smart by going after the leg and even grabs a Hartbreaker around the post.

With that broken up, Hammerstone grabs the headgear and blasts Hammerstone in the face for a rather near ten. Back up and Hammerstone grabs the torture rack to slow him down, only to reverse into the ankle lock to put Hammerstone down for a change. That’s broken up so Alexander hammers away but can’t hit the C4 Spike.

With nothing else working, it’s time for the thumbtacks and they go up top. Hammerstone Nightmare Pendulums Alexander into the tacks for nine and let’s grab the headgear. They fight to the ramp where Alexander hits another half and half, followed by the C4 Spike for the win at 20:07.

Rating: B. Another match where two guys beat the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up. That is something that works rather well most of the time and I wanted to see Alexander get his revenge. At the same time, Hammerstone feels like someone who could be a big deal around here and losing a series to Alexander is only so much of a good start. That being said, all he has to do is wreck some people and he should be fine sooner than later. Solid fight here.

Jonathan Gresham is still in therapy but seems to accept the octopus mask as his other side.

We recap Jordynne Grace defending the Knockouts Title against Steph de Lander. Grace needed a new challenger and de Lander, as a replacement, won the 8-4-1 match to get the title shot. De Lander’s friend Matt Cardona helped put Grace through a table but now Cardona is out with a torn pectoral muscle, so it’s one on one.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Steph de Lander

Grace is defending and Ash By Elegance is watching in a box. De Lander has the Good Hands to uneven things a bit more. Grace charges at her to start but the much taller de Lander drives the champ into the corner. Some shots to the ribs don’t do much to Grace so they head outside, with de Lander staggering away. Back in and a TKO onto the top rope cuts Grace off and de Lander hammers away to keep Grace down. De Lander picks her up but Grace slips into a sleeper.

That’s broken up as well so de Lander sits her on top for a running big boot. Another whip into the corner has Grace in trouble but she comes back with another sleeper. This time de Lander can’t break it up and they go to the mat but the Good Hands offer a distraction. Grace lets go and accidentally hits the referee, allowing de Lander to get in a hard shot for…no cover as the referee is still down. Jon Skyler takes the referee’s shirt and puts it on for two…and the lights go out.

PCO is here to block the three count (ignore that Grace and de Lander have both moved away so there’s no cover, and apparently Skyler just laid there with his arm up until PCO appeared) and take out the Good Hands without much trouble. De Lander hits on PCO but gets grabbed by the throat, only to have Kon run in for the save (because this feud is still going).

Grace kicks Kon low and lifts him up but the Good Hands make the save this time. Kon goes after Grace’s neck but the lights go out again (come on already) and Sami Callihan is back. The Good Hands are cleared out and the Juggernaut Driver connects, with another referee coming in to count the pin at 12:40.

Rating: C. I have no idea what to think of this but when my first reaction is “WOW” because everything was so nuts, it’s probably not a great sign. They had that much interference and screwiness and not only did the referee just stay out for all of it, but then another referee just runs out there for the count? Total insanity and the match stopped about halfway through. De Lander overpowering Grace was a different way to go as I could go for getting the title off of Grace for a bit. I know she hasn’t been champion long, but she feels like she has been champion so often that it is hard to care about what she is doing again.

Slammiversary is in Montreal on July 20.

We recap Moose vs. Nic Nemeth for the World Title. Nemeth debuted back in January and wants to shake things up. Moose doesn’t care for that and is ready to keep his title.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Moose

Moose, with the System and John Abraham, is defending. Nemeth takes him down without much trouble but Moose powers up. They go outside with Nemeth being sent into the post, followed by a pump kick back inside. Moose gets backdropped onto the ramp though and Nemeth fires back, including the running DDT for two. Alisha Edwards breaks up the superkick, which is enough for the System to be ejected and even things way up.

Nemeth grabs a sleeper but gets driven into the corner a few times. That doesn’t break things up, so Moose goes up and crashes back down to finally get out. They head back outside with Moose loading up the steps but Nemeth manages a Fameasser for a much needed breather. A neckbreaker puts Moose down back inside and Nemeth drops the series of elbows.

The top rope elbow gets two but Moore is back with a Sky High for the same. Nemeth rolls him up for some near falls until Moose plants him with a powerbomb for two more. They go to the ramp, where Moose hits a heck of a powerbomb for a nine count. Back in and Moose tries a moonsault so Nemeth loads up a superkick…but Moose leaves it WAY too short so Nemeth doesn’t even throw the kick.

A Rough Ryder (not a Fameasser Tom) gets two and Moose tries to flip out of a clothesline but can’t quite stick the landing. An actual Fameasser gives Nemeth two and a spear hits Moose for the same. Nemeth misses a superkick so Moose hits a spear (and flips forward, despite Nemeth standing still, giving us another weird visual) for the pin (while picking Nemeth’s shoulder up during the cover) to retain at 17:25.

Rating: C-. I don’t know what was going on here but they were on different planets at times, with some of those spots feeling like they were designed to be jokes rather than attempts at getting them right. Maybe it was bad chemistry or something but this really did not work. Not a good main event, though at least it wasn’t crazy long like Moose vs. Eric Young.

Post match the System comes out to celebrate but a weird video starts playing. It keeps saying LIGHTS OUT and the lights go out (might be a bit more effective if it didn’t happen three or four times tonight)….and it’s Broken Matt Hardy. He takes out Moose and poses with the title to end the show. Oh sweet goodness that’s not a good way to end the show. Bringing back the TNA name was one thing, but bringing back this stuff, which was known for being so campy and ridiculous, just makes my head hurt. It’s ok to move on and do something else, and Matt Hardy is the definition of NOT moving forward.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was going along pretty well but those last two matches did not do this any favors. The Knockouts Title match was a circus and the main event didn’t click at all, but the real story here will be the returns. You had three returns, with Santana doing just fine, Callihan being back and doing the same hardcore stuff he always does, but the focus here is on Hardy.

There is a really good chance that he is going to be a big time player in TNA going forward and…egads can we not? The Broken stuff was fun for about five minutes but then it took over TNA and became the Hardys’ playground. I know it has its audience, but after seeing TNA come a VERY long way, it’s really disappointing to see the chance of Hardy getting even more attention and doing his wacky stuff as he approaches 50 years old.

Overall, this was a pretty good show with some high points, but it was so up and down that it was hard to really like it. You know the people who are going to give you good action in TNA and that was the case here, but some of the decisions and moves that are made around here are just hard to sit through. That very well may be the case with the Hardy return and I’m almost scared of where this is going.

Results
ABC/Leon Slater b. Rascalz – Swanton 450 to Reed
Laredo Kid b. Crazzy Steve – Super Spanish Fly
Spitfire b. Decay – Assisted sitout spinebuster to Rosemary
Mustafa Ali b. Jake Something – Rollup while holding the rope
Rich Swann b. Joe Hendry – Frog splash
Frankie Kazarian b. Eric Young – Flux Capacitor through a table
Mike Santana b. Steve Maclin – Spin The Block
System b. Speedball Mountain – Boston Knee Party to Seven
Josh Alexander b. Hammerstone when Hammerstone couldn’t answer the ten count
Jordynne Grace b. Steph de Lander – Juggernaut Driver
Moose b. Nic Nemeth – Spear

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 11, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

There have been some rather good wrestling matches around here lately and that has been great to see. This time around isn’t going to have anything to do with that, as the main event is a Monster’s Ball match between PCO and Kon. That should be enough to carry things but we also have just over a week before Rebellion. Let’s get to it.

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

We are joined in the arena with Hammerstone brawling with Josh Alexander. Security tries to break it up but Alexander hits the big flip dive onto everyone. Cue Tommy Dreamer to be the voice of reason and he actually manages to get the bleeding Alexander to leave. Dreamer gets in the ring and talks to Hammerstone about how Alexander is the face of this company.

Dreamer is the reason Hammerstone is here and now Hammerstone is taking a shortcut. Hammerstone doesn’t need to go down that path because his legacy is not set yet. The fans chant ECW at Dreamer because it’s his legacy, so go have the best match at Rebellion and tell everyone to top that. Dreamer tells the fans that this will be a great show and goes to leave, only to be jumped by Hammerstone. Alexander runs back in for the save before saying the match at Rebellion will be Last Man Standing. Good way to go, as seeing Dreamer in pain is always fun.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Digital Media Title: Laredo Kid vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve is defending and goes right for the mask. Kid lunges at him and Steve knocks him into the corner to take over. A springboard something is broken up, with Steve nailing a clothesline to the back of the head. The neck crank goes on, with Steve switching it into something like an Octopus hold on the mat. Kid fights up and knocks him into the corner to start the comeback, setting up a pair of moonsaults. The top rope version is broken up and Steve pulls him down to start with the stomping. Steve goes for the mask again so Kid jumps him. The referee tries to break it up and gets shoved down, with Kid getting DQ’d at 8:34.

Rating: C. I continue to be confused by Laredo Kid, who feels like he should be a big star but he never actually wins anything. That was the case again here, but odds are we are going to be seeing this match again. At some point Kid needs to win a title of some kind and he seems to be potentially having another chance soon.

Alex Shelley apologizes to Chris Sabin and Kushida, who seem cool with things.

ABC vs. First Class

Austin grabs a headlock on Francis to start and is powered into the corner for his efforts. Swann comes in but Austin trips him down for a kick to the back. It’s off to Bey for a double dropkick but Francis gets in a cheap shot as we take a break. Back with Austin still in trouble as everything breaks down. Francis hits his world’s strongest slam/fireman’s carry drop on both of the ABC (that’s nuts) to take over. We settle down to a double kick to Swann, followed by a big flip dive to Francis on the floor. The 1-2-Sweet is broken up though and Swann grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 11:02.

Rating: C+. ABC is a team who can work well with anyone but it was cool to see Swann and Francis working well together. Francis might not be the biggest star in the world but he is getting somewhere with this new stuff. The power/speed team works for First Class and they can be annoying enough to back it up. Not bad, assuming they can keep it going.

Post match here is Joe Hendry to explain the problem with First Class. This results in a slightly changed version of the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air theme, including Francis being called a fat Uncle Phil. At Rebellion, it’s Hendry vs. Swann.

Ash By Elegance and her handler think Ash should get the Knockouts Title shot at Rebellion because Steph de Lander was filling in for her. No.

Mustafa Ali complains to the Grizzled Young Veterans about Jake Something getting an X-Division Title shot. Something comes in to say the match is happening.

It’s time for the contract signing between Jordynne Grace and Steph de Lander, with Santino Marella running things. Cue de Lander, with Matt “Qdoba” and Grace, with Cardona hyping de Lander up. De Lander signs but Grace says she’s not laying down that easily. Grace lists off her resume, with Cardona bringing up that he beat her for the Digital Media Title. Grace asks if de Lander is going to say anything or just let Cardona talk for her.

De Lander says her resume is too long to list and thinks Grace is too focused on other things. Like the Royal Rumble! With that odd reference to a one off match two and a half months ago, Grace talks about how she’s beaten Cardona, de Lander and Cardona’s wife. Grace: “I’m the juggernaut b****.” Cardona: “DON’T YOU TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!” Grace: “I wasn’t talking to her, b****.” With that, Grace signs and the brawl is on, with Cardona getting in a cheap shot. De Lander chokeslams Grace through the table. Of all the contract signings I’ve seen in wrestling, this was the most recent.

The System interrupts Masha Slamovich and ask her about teaming with Alicia Edwards again. Masha answers in Russian and no one knows what that means.

Jonathan Gresham is still in group therapy and talks about wearing three different masks. One of them is never seen, with the group leader saying that’s the truest reflection of who he is. We see the octopus mask, with a voice talking about seeing a tree and being told to cut it down.

Moose vs. Trent Seven

Non-title and the System is here with Moose, while Mike bailey is here to counter them. Seven fires off chops in the corner to start and is promptly release Rock Bottomed down. Some hard whips into the corner have Seven in more trouble but he chops his way to freedom. A DDT plants Moose again and Bailey cuts off Eddie Edwards’ interference. Bop and Bang puts Moose down but he escapes the Birminghammer. The spear finishes Seven at 3:55.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and that’s what it should have been. Moose is on his way to a huge title match next week and there is no reason to have him get into a long match here against Seven. It was far from a squash and they did a nice job of making Seven look good in short order.

Post match the beatdown is on but Time Machine makes the save.

Post break the System yells at Santino Marella, who makes the System vs. the Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Titles next week. The winners of that face Speedball Mountain at Rebellion. With all of those people gone, Decay comes in to say they want their rematch for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Rebellion. Works as well.

Jake Something vs. James Drake

Zack Gibson is here too. Something powers Drake into the corner to start but Gibson gets in a cheap shot to take over. The chinlock goes on but Something fights up with a hard forearm. Gibson offers another distraction though, allowing Drake to hit a running dropkick in the corner. Cue Deaner to cut off Gibson so Something can hit Into The Void for the pin at 3:52.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but Something setting the win on the way to the title match is what matters most. At the same time they kept Deaner vs. the Grizzled Young Veterans going, though I’m not sure where they’re heading with that. Not a great match here, but an efficient one.

Post match Mustafa Ali comes out to rant about how the X-Division need limits and Something defies those limits. Something goes after him but the Grizzled Young Veterans make the save. Deaner’s save attempt is broken up as well and the villains stand tall.

Kon vs. PCO

Monster’s Ball, meaning street fight/anything goes. PCO grabs the kendo stick so Kon uses a chair as a shield in a smart move. With Kon sent outside, PCO loads up a dive but gets knocked out of the air with a trashcan. We take a break and come back with PCO in a trashcan so Kon can beat on him with a chain. A table is set up at ringside but PCO fights back and puts Kon on it, setting up the big flip dive from the top.

Back in and Kon gets in some more shots but goes up top, allowing PCO to knock him through another table at ringside. That’s not enough to keep Kon down either, as he gets up and sends PCO face first into a bridged ladder. An Iconoclasm sends PCO through the ladder and now it’s time for thumbtacks. Kon puts the tacks into PCO’s mouth, which just wakes him up for a chokeslam onto the tacks. The PCOsault onto Kon onto the tacks finishes for PCO at 14:15.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need to have two people beat the fire out of each other to blow off a feud and that is what they did here. It was a good way to wreck Kon for good, though he’ll be fine in a bodyguard role sooner than later. Good main event here as it felt like a clash of the titans, though PCO needs to do something fresh rather soon.

Overall Rating: C+. Good enough show here with the main event being the highlight. It was a show that added a few things to Rebellion while also cranking up some of the matches that were already made for the pay per view. In other words it was another efficient Impact, which is where they tend to shine.

Results
Crazzy Steve b. Laredo Kid via DQ when Kid shoved the referee
First Class b. ABC – Rollup with tights to Bey
Moose b. Trent Seven – Spear
PCO b. Kon – PCOsault

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 21, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are getting closer to Rebellion and last week saw what will likely be the setup for two title matches on the show. The good thing about recent weeks around here is that there is a lot more going on than just the main event. That should help get us ready for the pay per view next month so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Leon Slater vs. Chris Bey vs. Alan Angels vs. Jason Hotch vs. Kevin Knight vs. Jake Something

The winner gets an X-Division Title shot at Rebellion so Mustafa Ali is on commentary. Knight sends Hotch outside for the big flip dive before everyone else goes after Something. The other three go at it inside until Hotch comes in to jump them from behind as we take a break. Back with Hotch and Angels double teaming Knight, much to Ali’s happiness. Bey is back in to pick up the pace but Something comes in to take over.

Knight, Hotch and Angels get together to take Something out, leaving Slater to come in with a powerbomb. Bey fights up and grabs a spinning tornado DDT on Something but Slater is back in for the dive. A high flip dive to the floor takes out some people on the floor (Ali takes credit for bringing this version of action to you), leaving Something to powerbomb Knight. Into The Void gives Something the pin on Hotch at 10:03.

Rating: B-. Good, fast paced match here, though as usual there is only so much you can get out of having this many people out there at once. Something continues to be a dominant monster when he is given the chance, though it is hard to imagine Ali losing the title so soon. Something needs to win something but for now he might just have to win a title shot in a scramble match.

Dirty Dango, with company, complains about how people only care about match ratings instead of promos. He has two anchors weighing him down so Oleg Prudius walks off.

AJ Francis says Rich Swann will give his explanation next week. Now go away.

Here is Deaner to say he has had a lot of failures in recent years and those failures are because of him. When he was a kid, he decided he loved wrestling and now he wants to get his passion back. Therefore, every decision he will make will belong to the fans. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans to say Deaner needs to listen to them because he is nothing. Now jog on! Deaner puts it up to the fans, who think he should stay. The people have spoken and the fight is on, with the Timesplitters (scheduled to fight the Veterans) to clear the ring. It’s a new thing for Deaner, but it’s still Deaner and that’s hard to overcome.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Timesplitters

Shelley runs Drake over to start and it’s off to Kushida, who gets taken down rather quickly. That doesn’t last long so it’s back to Shelley, who takes Drake down by the arm. Drake is sent cashing out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Shelley fighting his way out of the corner and taking out Gibson’s arm, including what might be seen as a cheap shot.

Gibson goes after Shelley’s knee though and they head outside, with the knee being dropped onto the apron. Back in and Shelley reverses into some kind of a leglock, only to have Drake make a save of his own. Shelley fights up and grabs a hiptoss of all things, allowing the tag back to Kushida. House is cleaned but the Veterans cut him off with an assisted Sliced Bread #2. Everything breaks down and Shelley comes back in with the Shell Shock. Kushida grabs the Hoverboard Lock to make Drake tap at 12:15.

Rating: B-. This is another example of a match where the talent involved was enough to carry them to a good result. Shelley continues to have an edge in there and the heel turn seems rather imminent. For now though we’re getting to see him do well with his other partner, which isn’t the kind of result you often see. At the same time, it would be nice for the Veterans to win something bigger than one fall in a series against the ABC.

We get a sitdown interview with Hammerstone, who talks about how he had a match here on Xplosion several years ago. He was told he wasn’t ready, and that gave him a big chip on his shoulder. Then he came back and attacked Josh Alexander, though Hannifan points out that Hammerstone lost. Hammerstone: “Are you an interviewer or commentary?”

Hammerstone says he showed he was smarter and holds up Alexander’s headgear as his trophy. If Alexander wants another shot, he can get beaten up. Hammerstone was quite the villain here, with little things like asking if Hannifan preferred Tom or Thomas and then calling him the opposite making it better.

Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. PCO

PCO is challenging and they go to the floor to start with PCO sending him into the apron. Steve sends him into the post though and hammers away back inside. Some more shots just wake PCO up though and he hits a Codebreaker out of the corner. A middle rope legdrop to the back of the head sets up the DeAnimator but cue Kon with a bunch of weapons.

Some of those weapons are thrown inside so PCO goes outside for the brawl. As Steve has the referee, the chairs are set up (the fans prefer tables) but PCO takes too long, allowing Kon to drop him onto the chairs. That’s enough for Steve to grab the pin and retain the title at 8:24.

Rating: C+. This was a two part match, with things being split between the match itself and everything between PCO and Kon. They needed a way to keep PCO strong and avoid him winning the title, which they managed to do (albeit with the referee looking rather incompetent). Steve’s nice run continues and that’s another name he can add to his wins list.

Decay wants their rematch with Spitfire but MK Ultra interrupt. They should get the first title match so a #1 contenders match is set up.

Here is Eric Young for a chat. Young says Frankie Kazarian should watch what he wishes for, because he has Young’s attention. The challenge is on for Full Metal Mayhem at Rebellion.

Ashe By Elegance vs. Seleziya Sparx

Sparx talks trash to start but gets punched/kneed in the face for her efforts. We pause for Ashe to have her hand checked on by her handler, setting up a handspring elbow in the corner. A rather long Rarefied Air finishes for Ashe at 2:35.

Post match Ashe stays on Sparx but Xia Brookside runs in for the save.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. He wants the World Title but he respects everyone in that locker room far too much to be handed a title shot. He proved that to Steve Maclin but Moose couldn’t wait, which has gotten Nemeth a title shot. Cue the System to interrupt, with Moose saying that if anyone knows Nemeth’s career, they know he can’t beat the system. And that’s it. Rather short here and it almost felt like they were rushed for time.

Knockouts Title: Tasha Steelz vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace is defending and knocks back a charging Steelz as we take a break less than thirty seconds in. Back with Steelz being dropped again, setting up a spinebuster to give Grace two. The Juggernaut Driver is blocked and Steelz grabs a triangle choke, which is broken up with a powerbomb for two.

The MuscleBuster is countered as well and Steelz hits Sliced Bread #2 for two of her own. Steelz sends her out to the apron so Grace goes up top, where she is kicked in the head. A hurricanrana brings her down but Grace is back with a discus lariat. The Juggernaut Driver is enough to retain the title at 11:15.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as Grace kept fighting back and never felt like she was in serious danger. Then again there was little reason to believe that Steelz was going to be a threat, as Grace is pretty far ahead of everyone else in the division. There is a good chance that Ashe By Elegance will be the next challenger, but Grace looked dominant here, with Steelz’s best stuff not getting her very far.

Overall Rating: C+. They covered a lot of things here and it made for a good enough show, though there was nothing worth going out of your way to see. At the same time, a lot of the big stuff at Rebellion is set and they enhanced some of it here. With so many weeks before the show, they have time to use a show like this, though the rest of the card needs to start being set up soon.

Results
Jake Something b. Leon Slater, Chris Bey, Alan Angels, Jon Skyler and Kevin Knight – Into The Void to Skyler
Timesplitters b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Hoverboard Lock to Drake
Crazzy Steve b. PCO – Rollup
Ashe By Elegance b. Seleziya Sparx – Rarefied Air
Jordynne Grace b. Tasha Steelz – Juggernaut Driver

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 14, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Sacrifice and the big stories coming out of the rather good show are both Tag Team Titles changing hands. The System and Spitfire picked up some gold and that could make things more interesting going forward. Other than that, it is time to get ready for Rebellion and we should be in for the start of the build this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Sacrifice if you need a recap.

Sacrifice recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Chris Sabin vs. Mustafa Ali

Sabin is challenging in his rematch from No Surrender, where he lost the title to Ali. Sabin jumps the security to start and atomic drops Ali into the corner. Ali gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some strategically placed standing, followed by a sliding dropkick to the face. Back up and Ali takes over on Sabin, setting up a quickly broken chinlock.

Ali pulls him back down into the chinlock before planting the countering Sabin with a DDT. It’s too early for the 450 and Sabin kicks him down for a breather. Neither can hit a powerbomb so they trade superkicks for a double knockdown. Ali avoids a charge in the corner and grabs the title but charges into a clothesline. Sabin picks up the title instead but the distraction lets Ali roll him up with feet on the ropes to retain at 10:00.

Rating: B-. This was a match that needed to be covered before they could both move on and it’s nice that they didn’t do anything ridiculous. Ali gets to cheat to retain and can move on to another challenger, while Sabin might be on the way to a showdown with Alex Shelley. The latter could be a long time in the making though and I’m not sure who would be coming for Ali next. Kushida maybe?

Nic Nemeth, Mike Bailey and Trent Seven are ready for the Rascalz and Steve Maclin. They might just want some gold as well.

Here is the headgear-less Josh Alexander for a chat. Alexander says he’s called the Walking Weapon because he knows no one is better than he is when he can be focused. He proved that when he beat Will Ospreay and when he set the record for longest World Title reign in history. Now he wants the title back, but he knows there are rungs on the ladder to get there.

This includes Hammerstone, who had to cheat and then take his headgear. Hammerstone was tapping too and now Alexander is ready for another fight. Instead here are Alpha Bravo and Oleg Prudius, with Alexander saying he wants Dirty Dango. Cue Dango, who is tossed out in a hurry, but Prudius jumps Alexander. Cue Santino Marella to make the match right now.

Josh Alexander vs. Oleg Prudius

Prudius jumps him to start but gets ankle locked for the tap at 50 seconds. Well that worked and Alexander looked like a killer.

Here is Crazzy Steve for a chat. Steve thought people knew who he was and more people, like Tommy Dreamer, Rhino and Joe Hendry have started to learn that. He is the only champion who defends his title every time he’s out there. No man alive can understand that so cue PCO for a staredown.

Ace Austin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Chris Bey is here with Austin and this is fallout from Kazarian talking trash after the ABC lost the Tag Team Titles at Sacrifice. Austin sends him into the corner to start and fires off clotheslines. Kazarian is knocked out to the floor but manages a neck snap across the top for a needed breather.

Back in and Kazarian pulls him off the top as we take a break. We come back with Austin hitting a springboard spinning kick to the head for two. Kazarian blocks the kick’s sequel and grabs an electric chair suplex for his own near fall. Fade To Black is blocked so Austin tries a rollup, only to get pulled into the chickenwing for the tap at 9:05.

Rating: B-. There’s no surprise in this being a good match as Kazarian is Kazarian and Austin has long since shown he can hang with anyone. I’ve always thought Austin could have been a breakout singles star if given the chance but he happened to get into a heck of a team with Bey. Maybe he goes his own way later, as he showed he can do it here.

Post match Kazarian keeps up the beating but Eric Young runs in for the save.

The System brags about their success.

The Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt Time Machine and Alex Shelley offers a match with the Time Splitters.

AJ Francis vs. Joe Hendry

This is fallout from Francis costing Hendry the Digital Media Title at Sacrifice. Before the match, Hendry talks about Francis showing his emotions and starts an AJ SUCKS chant. The opposite of that is WE BELIEVE but Francis jumps him from behind. Of course Hendry wants to go and he hammers away in the corner to put Francis in trouble.

A suplex drops Hendry though and we hit the chinlock. Hendry fights up and hits some clotheslines into a DDT and they’re both down. The big slam gives Hendry two but the referee gets crushed in the corner. Cue Rich Swann to chair Hendry down as we have a heel turn, which allows Francis to hit a chokeslam for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. The action wasn’t the point here as Francis has never been anything important in the ring. What matters here is Francis antagonizing the crowd over and over, which is what they are going to be seeing going forward. Now Francis even has someone to do the wrestling for him and that should make for an interesting setup. Hendry is going to need some help too and that could go in a few ways.

Alan Angels, in a neck brace, is ready to have Ash By Elegance on the Sound Check but her handler isn’t happy with the setup. Angels gushes over how happy he is to meet Ash, who has a big announcement: she’s having her third match next week. And that’s it.

Spitfire vs. Beaa Moss/Vanna Black

Non-title and points for Black for having a creative name. Hold on though as here s MK Ultra to join us before the bell. And we’ll add Decay as well. Luna slams Moss to start and it’s off to Threat for a running shoulder. Luna comes back in and suplexes both of them, setting up an assisted sitout spinebuster to pin Black at 2:05.

Here is Tasha Steelz to say Jordynne Grace didn’t pin her so she wants a Knockouts Title shot next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rascalz/Steve Maclin vs. Nic Nemeth/Speedball Mountain

Nemeth and Wentz start things off with the former easily wrestling his way out of early trouble. Maclin comes in and is quickly Fameassered for two, meaning Speedball Mountain gets to come in for a double chop. Bailey’s running shooting star gets two but Maclin grabs a backbreaker for two of his own. It’s off to Seven for his sitout slam for two on Miguel and we take a break.

Back with Seven kicking his way out of trouble and sending Maclin out to the floor. The diving tag looks to bring in Bailey but Maclin pulls him to the floor in a move that will always work. Seven finally knocks Miguel down and brings Nemeth in to clean house. The Rascalz are sent outside and the running DDT hits Maclin. Everything breaks down and Maclin’s big dive hits Miguel by mistake. The Rascalz walk out, leaving Maclin to get triple teamed into the Danger Zone for the pin at 14:11.

Rating: B. Yeah you knew this was going to go well as they put a bunch of talented people out there and let them do their thing for a good while. Nemeth and Speedball Mountain seems likely to be in for the title shots at Rebellion and giving them a win over a successful enough team was a good way to set those matches up.

Post match the System runs in for the big beatdown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like the style that has been working for Impact in recent months, with nothing really standing head and shoulders above the rest but everything working well. Nothing on the show was bad and it felt like they had put effort into everything they were doing. Rebellion is starting to get a foundation built and that should be enough to get us ready for the show in time. You can probably see the two main title matches from here, with enough other stuff being started. Good, efficient show here as TNA is still doing very well.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Chris Sabin – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Josh Alexander b. Oleg Prudius – Ankle lock
Frankie Kazarian b. Ace Austin – Chickenwing
AJ Francis b. Joe Hendry – Chokeslam
Spitfire b. Beaa Moss/Vanna Black – Assisted sitout spinebuster to Black
Nick Nemeth/Speedball Mountain b. Steve Maclin/Rascalz – Danger Zone to Maclin

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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 29, 2024
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re officially out of the Scott D’Amore era as the show he set up, No Surrender, has come and gone. That means we are on the way to Sacrifice and we should be in for a big showdown with Moose defending the World Title against Eric Young. Other than that, Mustafa Ali is the new X-Division Champion after beating Chris Sabin. The rest of the card will need to be built so let’s get to it.

Here is No Surrender if you need a recap.

In Memory of Ole Anderson and Mike Jones (Virgil).

No Surrender recap.

Opening sequence.

Mike Bailey vs. Steve Maclin

Trent Seven and the Rascalz are here too. Bailey firs off the bouncing kicks to start and they’re already on the floor for a strike off. Both of them have to dive back in to beat the count, where Maclin hits a clothesline to the floor. The Rascalz get in a chop block to put Bailey down and it’s Maclin working on the leg back inside. The spear in the corner only hits post though and Bailey kicks him in the face.

A springboard flip dive drops Maclin on the floor and shows you what Bailey thinks about selling a banged up leg. They strike it out on the apron until Bailey’s moonsault knees only hit said apron. Maclin spears him down to the floor and Mayhem For All gets two on Bailey. Seven offers a distraction of his own, allowing Bailey to fire off some kicks. The tornado kick is blocked though and Maclin hits a buckle bomb. Bailey shrugs that off and hits a poisonrana but misses the Ultimate Weapon. KIA gives Maclin the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. And that is the kind of Bailey match that drives me nuts. He had his leg worked on for a good bit and then started jumping around and doing all of his flips and kicks. It takes me out of the match every single time and that was certainly the case again here. The action was good but I didn’t enjoy it, with the blame being pretty firmly on Bailey.

Post match Maclin calls out Nic Nemeth, who pops up on screen to show off his new IWGP Global Title. The match is made for Sacrifice.

We look at Eric Young becoming #1 contender to the World Title by beating Frankie Kazarian at No Surrender. Then Kazarian beat the fire out of an official.

Earlier today, Frankie Kazarian was told he was suspended and couldn’t come in. This led to a threat to Santino Marella.

Laredo Kid vs. Jake Something

Something gets caught with an early headscissors to put him outside, where Kid’s dive is countered into a sitout powerbomb. Back in and Into The Void is blocked, allowing Kid to hit a missile dropkick. A running flipping DDT gives Kid one and a middle rope moonsault gets two. Back up and Into The Void plants Kid for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match and Something continues to feel like someone who should be a big deal if he was given the chance. For some reason that doesn’t ever actually take place but it’s nice to have another tease. At the same time, Kid is one of the better hands around and he made Something look rather good here.

Alan Angels is late to this week’s Sound Check, with special guest Kon. There is extra security around here but Kon isn’t impressed by Angels trying to be his friend. Kon isn’t scared of PCO, who shows up to wreck Angels and glaring at Kon, who isn’t scared. They both pull back punches and the camera cuts.

AJ Francis/Deaner vs. Joe Hendry/Rich Swann

Before the match, Hendry talks about how this is Francis’ in-ring debut and he won’t want to flop. We want this to be a good start, so Hendry doesn’t want anyone to chant AJ SUCKS. He knows the fans want to chant WE BELIEVE though and we’re ready to go. Francis knocks Hendry off the apron to start and we take a break less than a minute in.

Back with Hendry coming in for a double elbow to Deaner, followed by some rhythmic chops. Deaner knocks him into the corner though and Francis comes in to plant him hard. Hendry manages to get Francis onto his shoulders but can’t hold him up, instead settling for a DDT. Everything breaks down and Swann takes out Francis, leaving Hendry to hit Deaner with the Standing Ovation for the pin at 9:21.

Rating: C. The break didn’t help things here but there is only so much you’re going to get out of a team with Deaner and Francis. The good thing is TNA isn’t treating Francis as anything serious and at least he is losing when he gets in the ring. Hendry still needs something better to do, but I’ll take he and Swann getting on the show.

Decay are in New Orleans to get the Knockouts Tag Team Titles back.

Hammerstone has officially signed with TNA. Cool.

Josh Alexander is ready for his rematch with Hammerstone at Sacrifice. Dirty Dango and company interrupt to plug his wrestling academy, so Alexander says he’ll get the match made.

Here are the Good Hands to introduce Mustafa Ali (while thinking we’re in Mississippi) for his X-Division Championship celebration. Ali says the people have accepted change and made the X-Division great again. Cue Chris Sabin to interrupt, with Ali giving him the floor. Sabin talks about how they are both champions and that’s where the similarities end.

To Sabin, change is about making things better but for Ali, change is about himself. Ali says the Good Hands are here to support change, but at No Surrender, no one supported Sabin. That’s fine with Sabin, who is here to fight. The brawl is on, with Kevin Knight and Kushida running in to even things out and clear the ring.

Here is Ash By Elegance with a huge announcement: next week she is having her SECOND MATCH! You’re welcome.

Mustafa Ali is livid about what happened and promises consequences.

Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside

For a Knockouts Title shot at Sacrifice. Steelz takes her into the corner to start as Jordynne Grace is watching from the back. A headbutt puts Brookside down for two and Steelz stomps down in the corner. The chinlock goes on as they’re not wasting time here. Brookside fights up and makes the clothesline comeback, including Broken Wings in the corner. The Brooksie Bomb is blocked though, with Brookside settling with sending her outside. A running neckbreaker hits Steelz on the floor but they brawl for the double countout at 5:18.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go very far and odds are the ending sets up the triple threat at Sacrifice. The problem here was they billed it as a rubber match which is true, but it’s only so interesting when I don’t think the three matches added up to twenty minutes. That doesn’t make for the most interesting series and we didn’t even have a winner. Not exactly inspiring stuff.

Post match Grace comes out to say she’ll fight them both at Sacrifice.

Rhino promises to Gore Gore Gore Crazzy Steve.

Sacrifice rundown.

ABC/Eric Young vs. The System

Moose bails from Young to start so Young bites Myers’ arm. ABC comes in for a double armdrag for two on Myers, followed by Bey armdragging Edwards into an armbar. Edwards gets stuck in the corner for a series of running elbows to the face and a near fall but he manages to drop Bey. Now Moose is willing to come in and the villains start taking turns on Bey. Back up and Bey flips out of a suplex, allowing Austin to come back in for a dropkick. Moose cuts Austin off on the apron though and we take a break.

We come back with Moose coming in to stomp away before knocking the System off the apron. Austin gets over for the tag to Bey but the referee doesn’t see it (always works) so the beating continues. A front facelock doesn’t last long for Myers so Austin kicks him in the face, allowing the tag off to Young.

Everything breaks down and Bey gets to kick Moose out to the floor. Bey’s big running flip dive is pulled out of the air for a powerbomb but Young is right there with the suicide dive. Back in and ABC kick away at Moose, with the 1-2-Sweet connecting and Edwards making the save. Austin kicks Myers to the floor but Moose cuts him off. The Backpack Stunner hits Bey and Myers’ top rope elbow connects to finish Bey at 17:13.

Rating: B. This was a good example of having two feuds put together at once, assuming Myers/Edwards get the Tag Team Title shot at Sacrifice. That’s the kind of match that makes sense and does a lot of good, especially with such a quick turnaround between the big shows. The action worked well here too and they can still do more to set up Young vs. Moose next week.

Overall Rating: B-. They were walking quite the fine line here as they had this and one more show to set up Sacrifice. The show isn’t quite a sequel to No Surrender but it’s the next step in a lot of things. That didn’t leave them much time to get things ready, but thankfully a lot of the setup was already done. That left us with a pretty good show, with the main event as the highlight, as it often is. If you can get Bailey to sell his injuries a bit more, the show could be that much better, but this did what was needed.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Mike Bailey – KIA
Jake Something b. Laredo Kid – Into The Void
Joe Hendry/Rich Swann b. AJ Francis/Deaner – Standing Ovation to Deaner
Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside went to a double countout
The System b. Eric Young/ABC – Top rope elbow to Young

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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No Surrender 2024
Date: February 23, 2024
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s a special event her and the last which will have been set up under Scott D’Amore’s watch. That means we should be in for a good night, with a main event of Moose defending the World Title against Alex Shelley in a No Surrender match. In addition, Mustafa Ali is making his in-ring debut to challenge Chris Sabin for the X-Division Title. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Trent Seven/Mike Bailey vs. Rascalz

They don’t waste time in getting started as everyone goes out to the floor with Seven and Bailey taking over. The stereo dives take the Rascalz down again as commentary runs down the pay per view card. We settle down to Wentz going after Bailey’s leg inside and it’s Miguel coming in for some alternating kicks to the chest. A double stomp to the back gives Wentz two but Bailey is able to get over to Seven. House is quickly cleaned, with Miguel being suplexed onto Wentz, followed by a spinning slam for two.

Wentz breaks up a superplex attempt but Bailey breaks up the breakup, meaning the superplex can go through. A picture perfect shooting star press gives Bailey two, followed by the Seven Star Lariat for the same. The Rascalz are back up with the top rope stomp into a backbreaker for two but Seven makes the save. Bailey kicks Miguel down but it bangs up his knee, allowing Steve Maclin to come in with a chop block. A kneebar makes Bailey tap at 8:31.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice opener here with Bailey and Seven becoming something more than a makeshift team but not being good enough to take out a longtime established team like the Rascalz. The knee work, including Maclin’s interference, was a story throughout and that’s always nice to see. Throw in that gorgeous shooting star press and this was a good start to the night.

Pre-Show: System vs. Kushida/Kevin Knight

It’s a brawl to start with the villains being cleared out with dropkicks. Myers gets in a shot on Knight though and hands it off to Edwards, who is quickly armbarred for his efforts. Kushida comes in and gets taken out to the floor to start the beating. Back in and we hit the chinlock from Myers, followed by one from Eddie to continue the villains’ balanced offense.

Edwards lets go to drop Knight, meaning there is no one for an escaping Kushida to tag. The tag goes through a few seconds later though and Knight dives in to pick up the pace. A middle rope hurricanrana gets two on Myers as everything breaks down. Myers hits the implant DDT but Knight is back up to clean house. The backpack Stunner into a top rope elbow gets two on Knight but Kushida comes back in. Kushida takes the Roster Cut for Knight, leaving the Boston Knee Party to finish Knight at 8:47.

Rating: C+. This isn’t the best start to the night for the heroes and hopefully it gets better for them. They had another nice match here, with Knight being a crazy high flier who can make those things look so effortless. Kushida can work well with anyone and that makes for a good combination to give the System a boost. The team just kind of showed up one day so they need to do something like this to establish themselves.

The opening video talks about the importance of tonight and how the roster can overcome anything.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Eric Young

For the World Title shot at Sacrifice. The bell rings but we pause because Kazarian wants to be acknowledged as the King Of TNA. They go with the grappling to start, with Kazarian grabbing a front facelock. Back up and Young elbows him in the face before a double clothesline lets them go nose to nose. Kazarian is back with a shot to the face and a running Russian legsweep of all things for two.

A suplex sets up a slam but Kazarian misses the springboard spinning legdrop. Young hits some clotheslines into a Death Valley Driver for two but Kazarian catches him up top. The Flux Capacitor is blocked so Young drops the top rope elbow for two more and they need a breather. Kazarian hits his Fameasser over the ropes but it’s still too early for the chickenwing. A nice cutter gives Kazarian two and a Backstabber into Fade To Black gets two more. Kazarian goes to yell at the referee…and gets crucifixed for the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. I was surprised this was the opener as the #1 contenders match between two long established veterans isn’t what I would have expected to start the show. That being said, Young getting a title match is a fine way to go as he is a former multiple time World Champion, meaning there is always the chance that he could pull off an upset. At the same time though, the match was only so good as it was mainly Kazarian beating Young up until Young got a fluke rollup. That’s not great, but at least the match felt important.

Post match Kazarian yells at the referee and beats the fire out of him, with no one approving.

We run down the card, in case you forgot what you’re watching.

The Grizzled Young Veterans promise to beat ABC to win the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles; Grizzled Young Veterans vs. ABC

ABC is defending in the third match of a best of three series. Gibson and Austin start things off and we get a nice staredown. They go with the grappling until Austin gets him into the corner for some stomping. Everything quickly breaks down and ABC hits their rapid fire double kicks and Click Click Boom gets two. We settle down to Bey getting dropped onto the top, allowing Gibson to catapult him throat first into the rope.

Drake adds a top rope ax handle to the back as the pace stays slow early on. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Gibson comes in for a distraction, allowing Drake to choke away with the scarf. Gibson comes in for some trash talk and his own chinlock but Bey fights up for the hot tag. Austin gets to come in and clean house, including a heck of a big dive to the floor. Everything breaks down and the Veterans get stereo holds until Bey backflips into one of his own.

The Veterans are right back with a diving Doomsday Device to drop Austin. Bey tells the Veterans to bring it and hits a brainbuster on Gibson but the Art of Finesse is broken up. The Veterans quickly take over and it’s a hanging DDT in the corner, with Drake diving in with a missile dropkick to break everything up. Austin shoves Drake off the top though and chokes Gibson with the scarf for a bonus. A double Art Of Finesse sets up the Fold for the 1-2-Sweet to finish Drake and retain at 17:38.

Rating: B. I’ve liked this series since it started and this was another good reason why. These guys had a heck of a match and they continue to work well together. They had a match that could have gone either way and that is always going to make things more interesting. ABC retaining the titles means they are going to need new challengers and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it being the System. Then you have the Veterans, who could go in a few ways from here, which means it should be interesting to see where they go.

We look back at Steve Maclin costing Trent Seven and Mike Bailey a match on the pre-show.

Maclin and the Rascalz are happy with the win and say Nic Nemeth is done. Cue Bailey and Seven to yell at them a lot.

Kon vs. PCO

The fight starts in the aisle with PCO getting the better of things as the bell rings. Kon knocks PCO down but PCO is right back up to knock him to the floor. The big flip dive is knocked away though and PCO is sent into various things. PCO gets in a shot of his own back inside but a Cactus Clothesline leaves them back on the floor. The Deanimator misses though as PCO crashes down onto the apron. Kon grabs a chair and blasts him for the DQ at 4:00.

Rating: C. They didn’t waste time here and that is the right way to go. With a match that is designed to be little more than two monsters hitting each other over and over, there is no need to have it go long. Let them do their thing and set up something for later, as Kon’s unlikely push continues.

Post match Kon stays on him with chair shots before wrenching PCO’s neck on the stage.

We recap MK Ultra challenging Decay for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Decay won the belts at Hart To Kill in an impromptu match and now we have something more scheduled.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Decay vs. MK Ultra

MK Ultra is challenging and the fight starts fast with Havok taking over on Slamovich in the corner. Some splashes set up an exploder suplex to give Rosemary two but some biting gets Slamovich out of trouble. Kelly comes in to hammer on Rosemary before slamming Slamovich onto her. Rosemary clotheslines her way to freedom and crawls onto Kelly, who shoves her back and screams in her face for a change.

They slug it out until Slamovich makes a save and a high/low puts Rosemary down. The kick to the chest gives Slamovich two but the Snow Plow is countered into something close to an Edge-O-Matic. Havok comes in to clean house, including a hip attack on both challengers. A Death Valley Driver gives Havok two and the chokebomb/hair slam connects. Slamovich makes the save and gets the tag though, allowing her to cut off Rosemary’s spear. Now the Snow Plow can connect to get the titles back at 7:21.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have a title change to make an event seem important, even if it’s the least important title on the show. They’re at least setting something up with some more regular teams fighting over the belts though, with Dani Luna and Jody Threat making the save. Not a great match or anything, but the title change was a welcome addition.

Post match MK Ultra goes for the beating but Dani Luna and Jody Threat make the save.

The System gives Moose a pep talk before the main event. Moose seems ready.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Simon Gotch. Alexander was on a roll when Gotch jumped the barricade and took him out. Gotch wanted revenge for Alexander getting a run to the top while Gotch was forgotten.

Simon Gotch vs. Josh Alexander

Gotch takes him to the mat to start before working away on the arm. Alexander reverses into a headlock takeover but Gotch rolls out of a headscissors. That doesn’t last long as Alexander pulls him right back into the chinlock. The threat of an ankle lock sends Gotch straight over to the ropes and it’s time to strike it out. Gotch gets the better of things and takes Alexander outside to drop him again.

Back in and Alexander manages to roll some German suplexes to really rock Gotch. A grab of the ropes gets Gotch a breather though and he kicks Alexander in the head. Gotch drops a backsplash but does not like Alexander rolling him up for two. They trade some rather hard shots until Alexander scores with a middle rope dropkick.

The slugout heads to the apron, where Alexander drops him with a big boot, only to have Gotch kick him in the leg. Gotch misses another backsplash and gets caught with the running crossbody to the back to leave them both on the floor. Both of them have to dive back in to beat the count and the slugout is on again. Alexander gets the better of things with time, including a running big boot.

An exploder suplex gives Alexander two but he can’t get the C4 Spike. Gotch tries to pull him into the bulldog choke and goes creative by using the headgear to get it locked in. That’s reversed into the ankle lock with Gotch needing some time before he rolls through. Alexander hits a backbreaker though and the C4 Spike finishes Gotch at 16:41.

Rating: B. Alexander continues to be one of those dependable hands that feels like a big deal and doesn’t need the title. He held the thing for so long that another reign is pretty unnecessary given his past success. Gotch did well here, even if it is going to be rather difficult to take him seriously given his previous style in WWE.

AJ Francis says even though he and Rich Swann are fighting on Impact, they can work together before then.

We recap Moose defending the World Title against Alex Shelley. Moose won the title at Hard To Kill but hasn’t been done with Shelley. This is the rematch and can only end when your corner man throws in the towel.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Alex Shelley

Shelley (with Kushida/Kevin Knight) is challenging Moose (Eddie Edwards/Brian Myers) and you can only win when one of your seconds throws in the designated towel. It’s also No DQ, but interference from a corner man will end the match. Shelley goes right after him to start and the brawl starts fast with Shelley working on the arm. The Fujiwara armbar goes on but Moose manages to block a cross armbreaker.

They head outside where Moose hits a big boot and an apron powerbomb and Shelley is in trouble. He’s good enough to slip off of Moose’s shoulders though and a chop block takes Moose down. Shelley posts the shoulder for a bonus before tying Moose’s fingers in the turnbuckle. That’s not enough either though as Shelley whips out a wrench and REALLY cranks on the fingers.

Moose slips out and ties Shelley’s hand in the buckle instead, setting up some rather hard chair shots. Back in and Shelley grabs a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes before doing it again for a bonus. It’s time for some kendo stick shots to Moose’s bad leg and we hit the half crab, complete with said stick. Edwards pulls the stick out (doesn’t count as direct contact) and Moose manages a release Rock Bottom.

It’s time for a trashcan to keep Shelley down, but let’s put in a table as well. The System throws in some brass knuckles but Moose throws them away….and misses a spear through the table. Shelley whips out a chain and uses it for the Border City Stretch. Alisha Edwards offers a distraction to break it up though and Moose scores with a spear. Shelley is barely up so Moose wraps the chain around his shoulder and hits another spear. Kushida is ready to throw in the towel to save Shelley, who says don’t do it. Moose teases another spear with the chain and Kushida throws in the towel for Shelley’s protection at 20:01.

Rating: B. Good stuff here with Moose getting his second win over Shelley, who already had a big title reign. The stipulation was a good way to protect Shelley and he might not be happy with Kushida for throwing in the towel. I’m a bit surprised this wasn’t higher on the card but TNA doesn’t always follow the norm with this kind of thing. Hard hitting, violent match here and it was a nice change of pace with a unique stipulation.

Post match Moose spears him instead.

We recap Gisele Shaw challenging Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Title. Shaw is cashing in her Ultimate X win and is fighting without her friends because it’s time for her to win. Grace is on a roll though and Shaw has had trouble winning the big one.

Ash By Elegance, with a full entrance, comes out to watch from ringside.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Gisele Shaw

Shaw is challenging and runs away to start but Grace catches up with her for a hard toss. They get inside, where Shaw pulls the referee into the corner to prevent a splash and then starts in on Grace. Shaw gets caught in the corner though and some slams have her in trouble. Some shots to the face keep Grace staggered and they fight out to the apron. A powerbomb to the floor is countered though and Grace hits a backsplash on the apron for a big crash.

The Juggernaut Driver off the apron is blocked though and Shaw grabs a Spanish Fly onto the floor to leave them both laying. They barely beat the count back inside, where Grace reverses a running knee into a spinebuster for two. Back up and now Shawn’s knee can connect, with Grace having to grab a rope to escape. They trade rollups for two each until Grace slugs away and hits the Juggernaut Driver to retain at 10:34.

Rating: B-. I was thinking they were going to change the title here as Shaw needs to win something at some point. At the same time, Grace has already been such a dominant champion with that Royal Rumble appearance making her that much bigger. Then again that might make TNA want to keep the title on her, which does make sense. The match could have been better with some more time though and that made them rush a big as a result.

Post match Ash storms off.

We recap Mustafa Ali challenging Chris Sabin for the X-Division Title. Ali has been teasing taking the division in a new direction and Sabin is not taking it well.

X-Division Title: Chris Sabin vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with security, is challenging and they take their time to start. A test of strength goes to Ali, who uses his feet to take him down but Sabin rolls into a stalemate. Ali’s running shoulder doesn’t work and stereo dropkicks give us another standoff. Sabin seems frustrated that he can’t figure Ali out so he grabs a headlock takeover.

With that broken up, Sabin pulls him into a surfboard but Ali flips out of that as well, this time kicking some dirt onto Sabin. That’s not cool with the champ, who hammers away at Ali’s jaw and takes him to the apron. There’s the running headscissors to take Ali down again and we hit the chinlock. The fans are behind Ali, who jawbreaks his way to freedom. Ali goes up top and hits a 450 onto the arm to put Sabin in real trouble.

An STF and Border City Stretch stay on the arm and Ali cranks back on both. Sabin back and gets in a kick to the head, only to have Ali hit a similar kick and leave them both down. Sabin goes up top and, after shoving Ali down, hits a middle rope DDT for two and they both need a breather. Ali tries a crucifix but gets pulled into a crossface for his forts. The rope is finally grabbed but Sabin isn’t letting go immediately.

Sabin’s springboard is broken up and he falls outside, where Ali sends him back inside. The 450 misses but Ali takes a NASTY whip into the buckle and they’re both down. Back up and Sabin sends him to the floor, where the high crossbody hits the security instead. Sabin grabs Cradle Shock for two and the kickout has him stunned. A basement superkick lets Sabin take him up top but a super Cradle Shock is blocked. Instead Ali hits a sunset flip bomb into the 450 for the pin and the title at 20:28.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was really good and they nailed the big moment at the end. Ali has been built up as a huge deal and now he has FINALLY won something to make it feel validated. It helps that he beat the best X-Division Champion ever and the fans were behind Ali for most of the match. Rather awesome main event here with a feel good moment to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This started off a little weak and then got way better as it went along, with the main event being a highlight as Ali gets the clean title win. Nothing on here was bad, save for maybe PCO vs. Kon, which felt like it was there to set up something down the line. TNA is doing rather well with these In Your House style shows and this was no exception, though now we have to see what the new regime brings.

Results
Rascalz b. Trent Seven/Mike Bailey – Kneebar to Bailey
System b. Kevin Knight/Kushida – Boston Knee Party to Knight
Eric Young b. Frankie Kazarian – Crucifix
ABC b. Grizzled Young Veterans – 1-2-Sweet to Drake
PCO b. Kon via DQ when Kon used a chair
MK Ultra b. Decay – Snow Plow to Rosemary
Josh Alexander b. Simon Gotch – C4 Spike
Moose b. Alex Shelley when Kushida threw in the towel
Jordynne Grace b. Gisele Shaw – Juggernaut Driver
Mustafa Ali b. Chris Sabin – 450

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: February 15, 2024
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We have just over a week to go before No Surrender and the card seems to be all set up. In this case that means we should be focusing on building towards everything that is already set up. There are still some spots that could be filled on the No Surrender card though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Jake Something

Kazarian strikes away to start but Something hits a jumping body block to send Kazarian outside. Back in and a running clothesline puts Kazarian right back on the floor but he’s able to snap the throat across the top rope. A neckbreaker gets two on Something and Kazarian feels the need to slap him in the face a few times. The chickenwing is blocked with a ram in the corner though and something hits a heck of a running forearm.

Something’s powerbomb is countered with a shot to the face so he grabs a Michinoku Driver for two. Kazarian blocks Into the Void and grabs a slingshot DDT for a rather near fall. Back up and Something’s charge hits post as we see Eric Young watching. Something blocks the super Flux Capacitor but Kazarian pulls him off the ropes with a crash. A rollup while grabbing the rope finishes for Kazarian at 9:16.

Rating: C+. Kazarian is on the rise around here and is becoming one of the bigger heels in the company. The big showdown with Eric Young (based on their team which lasted….maybe a week) is on the horizon and that should make for a good match at Rebellion. As for Something, he still feels like someone who could have a nice breakout run, but he has to win a few big matches to get there.

Post break Young wants Kazarian to meet him in the ring to settle this like men.

Jordynne Grace vs. Savannah Evans

Non-title. Evans drives her straight into the corner to start and snaps off a suplex as Grace can’t get anything going to start. A running shoulder connects for Evans but a second hits Grace’s raised boot. The running Vader Bomb gives Grace one but the MuscleBuster finishes for Grace at 2:38.

Post match Gisele Shaw runs in with the big red X to the face, followed by a running knee to leave Grace laying.

Ash By Elegance’s handler gets rid of Gia Miller and introduces Ash, who says she’ll be making her in-ring debut next week. The handler is pleased but the returning Gia isn’t sure what to think.

It’s time for Alan Angels’ Sound Check with Simon Gotch, who debuted last week to attack Josh Alexander. Gotch talks about Alexander’s path to TNA but now it’s not the same Alexander. Gotch says he helped bring Alexander here but his name is edited out. We see a clip of Alexander beating Gotch (then known as Simon Grimm), though now Gotch is back from the dead. Alexander storms in but they’re kept apart.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. ABC

This is both a title match and a non-title match, as it’s the second match in a best of three series. If the Veterans win, they are the new champions but if ABC wins, we go to a third match. Bey and Gibson get things going with Bey dodging a bit before hitting a Thesz press with right hands. Austin (with his injured shoulder) comes in for some rapid fire stomping in the corner before it’s back to Bey to hammer on Drake.

We go back to Austin, who gets caught in the wrong corner for a running dropkick to the back arm to put the Veterans in control. Back from a break with an assisted shoulder breaker getting two on Austin as the Veterans have a target. Austin manages to duck a clothesline though and the hot tag brings Bey back in.

Bey cleans house, including a dive to Gibson and a double kick to his head. The bad arm gives out before the 1-2-Sweet though and it’s a Doomsday Device for two on Bey, leading to much frustration. Bey manages a kick off the ropes and the one armed Austin comes in to start the comeback. Drake gets smart by going after the bad arm but Bey breaks up grit Your Teeth. That leaves Austin to roll Drake up for the pin to tie the series at 13:44.

Rating: B. Like I said when the series started, there was almost no way that this wasn’t going to work. You have two talented teams and they have shown more than enough chemistry together to put on a heck of a series. The first two matches have been good but the third has the potential to be a classic, especially if the champs are fighting from beneath due to the bad arm.

Dirty Dango mocks the idea of star ratings or PWI rankings being important and says they’re looking for tag teams to beat up.

Mustafa Ali talks about how the X-Division has been going through a bunch of changes. Does it have the right leadership to work though? Ali approves this message.

The Good Hands seem to offer Ali (not here) their services when Chris Sabin comes in and loses it a bit.

Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. Rhino

Steve is defending and Rhino runs him over hard to start. They go outside so Rhino can get an early table but Steve slides it back under the ring. Rhino drops him back first onto the apron and adds a suplex on the ramp as commentary points out the lack of a DQ. Back in and Steve tries to bring in the title but gets it taken away, allowing Rhino to hit a clothesline for two. The Gore is loaded up but Steve knees him in the face. Steve pulls out the fork for a distraction, allowing him to get in a belt shot for the pin to retain at 4:41.

Rating: C-. They got in there, they did some stuff, Steve cheated to win. This isn’t quite the same monster that Steve had been before but I’ll take him adding another win. Steve could do this for a good while and someone getting to take the title from him should be a good moment. That wasn’t going to be Rhino, though beating him means a bit for Steve.

PCO wants Kon.

Deaner vs. Joe Hendry

Hold on though as AJ Francis interrupts with a rap about Hendry and dubs himself TNA J Francis. Hendry says this has him off guard because he usually does this to people. And never mind as he has a new music video for Francis, talking about how Francis can’t dive and set to AJ Styles’ Get Ready To Fly in a brilliant addition. Deaner jumps Hendry and Francis comes in for the chokeslam. Rich Swann makes the save and there’s no match.

We look at Steve Maclin attacking Nick Nemeth in Puerto Rico.

Maclin and the Rascalz are happy with what happened but Mike Bailey and Trent Seven interrupt. Trent vs. Maclin is set for next week.

Killer Kelly vs. Dani Luna

Masha Slamovich and Jody Threat are here too. Kelly takes Luna down to start and hits a running kick to the chest, followed by some trapping headbutts. The Angel’s Wings are blocked though and Luna runs Kelly over. Slamovich tries to cheat but Threat cuts her off, allowing Luna to grab the rollup pin at 2:47.

Post match the brawl is on until Decay comes in to stare at everyone.

No Surrender rundown.

Moose vs. Kushida

Non-title and everyone is banned from ringside. Moose starts fast by powering him into the corner but a low bridge sends Moose outside. The slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and Kushida is dropped onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Moose hitting a dropkick and they head outside, where Kushida gets slammed on the floor.

The apron bomb is broken up and Kushida grabs the cross armbreaker on the apron. With that broken up, Kushida’s moonsault press gets two back inside. The Hoverboard Lock sends Moose bailing to the ropes so Kushida goes with a Code Red for two. Kushida loads up the handspring elbow but walks into a spear to give Moose the pin at 9:51.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have time here but it’s another case where you know these two are going to have a solid match based on the talent alone. That was the case here, as Moose is feeling it as the athletic monster and Kushida is…well Kushida, meaning he is going to work well with anyone. Good main event here and I could go for a longer version.

Post match the System comes in to beat Kushida down until Alex Shelley and Kevin Knight run in for the big brawl. The System is cleared out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. As you might have expected, they didn’t cover a bunch of new stuff here, save for maybe the second match of the series. As you also might have expected, they made the whole thing work with the show being rather efficient throughout. I kind of want to see No Surrender, but I’m almost scared to see what happens with Scott D’Amore gone soon.

Results
Frankie Kazarian b. Jake Something – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Jordynne Grace b. Savannah Evans – MuscleBuster
ABC b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Rollup to Drake
Crazzy Steve b. Rhino – Belt shot
Dani Luna b. Killer Kelly – Rollup
Moose b. Kushida – Spear

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: February 1, 2024
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re out of Nevada and things are starting to pick up around here as we’re on the road to…whatever the next show is going to be. Odds are it’s another of the monthly events rather than the major pay per views and that is far from a bad thing. If nothing else, Nic Nemeth has to worry about Steve Maclin and that should be a focal point around here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Nic Nemeth vs. Trey Miguel

Zachary Wentz is here with Miguel, who jumps Nemeth to start and they trade some dropkicks. Wentz offers a distraction though and Miguel hits a dive to take over. Back in and Nemeth fights out of an armbar before sending a charging Miguel into the post. Miguel’s cheap shot gets two but Nemeth is fine enough to dropkick him out of the air for a double breather.

The comeback is on with Nemeth hitting a Stinger Splash into the ten elbows for two. A Fameasser gives Nemeth two more but Wentz breaks up the superkick. That’s enough to get Wentz ejected, leaving Miguel to hit a top rope Meteora for two. Miguel loads up his own superkick but walks into Nemeth’s for the pin at 7:03.

Rating: C+. Nemeth continues to establish himself in TNA and that shouldn’t take much time. While he is getting some wins like this one, his first big match will likely be with Steve Maclin and that should go well. They’re off to a good start with Nemeth and I’m curious to see where he goes from here, which is a good sign.

Post match Steve Maclin runs in and beats down Nemeth.

Deaner wants to restart the Design but Kon says the team is dead and it’s time to remind people how bad he is.

Steve Maclin seems to have united with the Rascalz but Mike Bailey doesn’t appear to approve.

Decay vs. Mila Moore/Savannah Thorne

Non-title. Rosemary and Moore start things off with the latter dodging away. Moore charges into an elbow in the corner and we hit the Upside Down. Havok comes in for a Death Valley Driver into the chokebomb/hair slam combination to finish Thorne at 2:44.

MK Ultra want their rematch for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at No Surrender but Jody Threat and Dani Luna come in to make a singles match for tonight.

We get the debut edition off Alan Angels’ Sound Check with Josh Alexander. Angels brags about Alexander’s career but thinks Alexander should respect him more. We hear about Alexander’s kid and that makes him walk off. This was a disaster by design.

Brian Myers vs. Kevin Knight

The Edwards’s are here with Myers. Knight shoves him into the corner and avoids an early splash. A springboard armdrag into a springboard cutter drops Myers again but Myers suplexes him onto the floor as we take a break. Back with Myers slowly kicking away and grabbing the chinlock. Knight sends him outside and hits the big dive, followed by a springboard clothesline for two. Knights’ running DDT gets two but Myers gets in a low blow, setting up the impaler DDT for two. The Roster Cut finishes for Myers at 10:42.

Rating: C+. Knight’s high flying offense was worth a look and it was smart to let Myers get in a clean win without the help of the System. It’s not like beating Knight is that big of a deal but at some point you need to let the team look good. Knight is someone who could be something in the future, but we’re a good ways off from that point.

Post match the System goes after Knight but Kushida makes the save.

Chris Sabin is ready if Mustafa Ali is coming for him and the X-Division Title. Ali’s video pops up to talk about how change is needed. The Good Hands come in to say Ali will be the next champion so Sabin will fight one of them next week.

Here is Frankie Kazarian to explain his recent turn on Eric Young. He came back here a year ago and he saved this company. After a year, he has given everything to this business and now it is time to start taking because he has earned the right to do so. He has watched people who have not sacrificed as much as he has take back and that needs to stop.

Now it is his turn and he has no desire to be a hero. It is time for him to become a monster and that is what he will do. That brings him to Eric Young, who is a two time World Champion, while Kazarian has been a soldier in the trenches. Everything he does is for the betterment of this company and you have permission to hate him. That’s a good explanation and Kazarian sold it well.

Alex Shelley says he’s getting his World Title rematch at No Surrender and it’s worried about the System.

We get another Ash By Elegance video, which is more on the glamorous side, featuring evening gowns and champagne.

Here is a distressed Deaner to be upset about the Design being gone. If something is dead, it isn’t coming back to life. You should know what that means.

Deaner vs. PCO

PCO runs him over to start and the PCOsault finishes at 1:02.

Post match Kon comes in to lay them both out, including a neck snap to Deaner. A chokeslam and claw leave PCO laying.

AJ Francis again offers his services to Rich Swann who again shuts him down. Rhino comes in and tells Francis to f*** off.

We look at Jordynne Grace appearing as a surprise appearance in the WWE Royal Rumble. Her mother and step brother drove 22 hours to be there.

Masha Slamovich vs. Jody Threat

Killer Kelly and Dani Luna are here too. Threat starts fast and elbows her in the face but Slamovich comes out of the corner with a kick to the face. Slamovich snaps off a suplex and kicks away at the chest before avoiding running knees. Three straight clotheslines give Slamovich two but Threat is back with the running knees against the ropes. A German suplex connects but Kelly grabs the legs. Luna takes her out, only for Slamovic to grab the Snow Plow for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C. This was a match that didn’t exactly add much as they set up a match after MK Ultra had already said they were coming for the titles. That didn’t leave much here, but it did get Slamovich in the ring before the title shot. Granted it might have been better had she and her partner wrestled together, but it’s better than nothing.

The System has attacked Kushida with Alex Shelley showing up to check on his friend.

No Surrender rundown.

ABC vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Non-title but match #1 in a 2/3 series for ABC’s Tag Team Titles. Gibson works on Bey’s arm to start but can’t get very far. Everything breaks down and the champs clear the ring without much trouble as we take a break. Back with Bey fighting out of the corner but Drake cuts him off before the hot tag.

Drake grabs a chinlock before it’s off to Gibson for one of his own. That’s broken up and Bey gets over for the tag so Austin can come in and clean house. A quick double stomp hits Drake and Bey is back in with a frog splash for two. Drake knocks Austin down again and we hit the forearms, complete with trash talk.

Bey breaks up a Doomsday Device and it’s a torture rack/spinning kick to the head combination for two on Gibson. All four brawl in the ring and it’s ABC kicking them to the floor. Austin hits a big running flip dive to take out Gibson but Drake trips him down with the scarf. Grit Your Teeth finishes Austin at 15:38.

Rating: B. I could go for more from these guys and that is exactly what we are going to get. ABC needs some fresh competition and it’s nice to see the Veterans being themselves rather than whatever they were stuck doing in NXT. The champs had to lose the first match to make the Veterans seem like a real threat and where else are you going to see a scarf used to win a match?

Overall Rating: C+. I’ve said this before and it’s still true: Impact is the easiest show to jump into as there is nothing overly complicated. The stories make sense and there are enough recaps to fill someone in without any real trouble. That is something so few promotions can make work and they do it here every week. As usual, there was no blowaway match (though the main event was good) but it advanced enough stuff to make me want to see how things play out. That’s how a weekly show is supposed to go and this one did its job well.

Results
Nic Nemeth b. Trey Miguel – Superkick
Decay b. Mila Moore/Savannah Thorne – Chokebomb/hair slam combination to Thorne
Brian Myers b. Kevin Knight – Roster Cut
PCO b. Deaner – PCOsault
Masha Slamovich b. Jody Threat – Snow Plow
Grizzled Young Veterans b. ABC – Grit Your Teeth to Austin

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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Hard To Kill 2024
Date: January 13, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Somehow, the big story here is the name of the promotion, as Impact Wrestling is gone and TNA Wrestling is back. Other than that, we have a pretty stacked card with a variety of title matches, plus the promise of a major name debuting. That could be multiple people, which opens up some interesting doors. Let’s get to it.

There is a new set, with the old school tunnel entrances coming diagonally down to the ramp.

Pre-Show: Rich Swann vs. Steve Maclin

Feeling out process to start and Swann, in what looks to be Flash Funk tribute gear, shakes his knees. Swann sends him to the floor for an early dive, followed by a middle rope crossbody for two back inside. Maclin gets in a hard forearm though and a backbreaker makes it worse.

Back up and Swann charges into a release Rock Bottom out of the corner for two more. Swann manages to strike away and kicks him in the head for two. Maclin is able to catch him in the corner though and something close to a Twist of Fate gets two more. That doesn’t slow Swann down as he’s right back with a kick of his own, setting up the 450 for another near fall.

Maclin is right back up to knock him off the top and it’s a top rope headbutt for two. There’s another backbreaker to plant Swann and we hit the Boston crab. The rope is grabbed for the break so Swann comes back with a Lethal Injection into a Trouble In Paradise for a rather near fall. The Phoenix splash misses though and Maclin grabs the KIA for the pin at 10:13.

Rating: B-. I can always go for a match that might not reinvent the wheel but is done well. That’s what we had here with two talented wrestlers who got the chance to do a few things and showcase their abilities. Maclin getting reheated isn’t a bad idea and we might be seeing just that in the new TNA.

Here is DJ Who Kid to bring out AJ Francis (formerly known as Top Dolla in WWE). He insults some fans for being broke and then introduces his new music video…which is interrupted by Joe Hendry. We get some introductions but Hendry has a video for Francis! The video focuses on Francis losing quite a bit, falling over the top rope, and absolutely loving Cheez-Its. Back in the arena and Who hits Hendry with a laptop, meaning the double teaming is on. This show hasn’t been the friendliest to the good guys so far.

Pre-Show: The System vs. Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian

The System would be Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards with Alisha Edwards (their stable mates Moose and DeAngelo Williams (former NFL player) aren’t here). Kazarian and Myers start things off but it’s almost immediately off to Young. They grapple into the corner before we get another Kazarian vs. Edwards slugout. Everything breaks down and the System is sent outside but Myers grabs Young’s boot from the floor so the beating can be on back inside.

Young fights out of the backpack Stunner and a double knockdown allow the double tag. Kazarian gets to clean house, including a Backstabber to Edwards and a slingshot cutter to Myers. Edwards is back up with the backpack Stunner into a running elbow for two as everything breaks down. An Unprettier hits Myers and Young adds a top rope elbow for two. Young gets backdropped to the floor, meaning it’s the Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party for the pin on Young at 8:05.

Rating: C+. The match was ok but having the heel stable just suddenly being a thing is kind of weird. It felt like I missed the team being formed and that makes for kind of a strange situation. At the same time, the people involved are more than talented enough to make this work and what we got went well. Young and Kazarian are more than fine enough to slot in here as a makeshift team to get the System over, but I’m going to need more of an introduction.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer is defending in a No DQ match. Steve punches him in the face but Dreamer is back with a clothesline out of the corner. A running knee sends Steve outside and there’s a suplex on the floor. Dreamer chokes with a towel and it’s time for some chairs inside. Steve gets in a chair shot to the back and then does it again for good measure. Some choking with the chair ensues and we hit the neck crank.

It’s time for the fork but Dreamer blocks the stabbing and slugs away. That doesn’t last long as Steve cutters him into a chair to take over again. Dreamer is back with a non-chair cutter of his own and some kind of a reverse suplex gets two. That’s not going to work for Steve though as he sends Dreamer face first into a trashcan in the corner. With Dreamer down, Steve tapes his hands together and whips out another fork…..and then a bunch of forks, which he puts under Dreamer’s shirt. The Cannonball crushes Dreamer again and Belladonna’s Kiss gives Steve the title at 11:10.

Rating: C+. The only thing that mattered here was getting the title off of Dreamer and onto Steve. He’s been ready to win something for months now and they pulled the trigger here. Dreamer never once felt like a long term champion and they didn’t bother doing anything crazy. Not exactly a great match, but it got the result they needed and that’s what mattered.

The show proper looks at the rebirth of TNA, with Eric Young narrating a walk through Las Vegas. Young comes into the arena and says this means everything to us, which is why they’re risking it all. With the roster gathered on the stage, he says WE ARE TNA WRESTLING and they are HARD TO KILL.

Tasha Steelz vs. Alisha Edwards vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat vs. Xia Brookside

Ultimate X or a future Knockouts Title shot and Brookside is a surprise entrant. Some people go for the corner to start and are quickly cut off by everyone else, as tends to be the case in these matches. Brookside, Threat and Luna are left in the ring but Steelz is back in to take over. Brookside fires off some clotheslines but Shaw kicks her in the face as it’s still way too early for anyone to get much momentum.

Threat beats up Edwards and Luna at the same time until the latter is back with a fall away slam. More suplexes abound and there’s a dive to take out Shaw on the floor. Threat climbs the structure and dives onto a bunch of people before going up again….this time with Alisha on her back. Alisha falls off and Threat does as well, leaving everyone to get a breather.

Back in and Luna and Threat hit some powerbombs to bring people down again. Brookside gets to the wires but gets pulled down in a crash, leaving Alisha to get in a crawl of her own. That’s broken up so Alisha grabs a DDT for a breather. Alisha whips out a kendo stick to start beating on people but Threat plants Brookside and Alisha at the same time. That’s enough for Threat to go up, only to have Shaw jump off of Luna for a spear and the big knockout. Luna Steelz and Shaw all go up at once, with Shaw knocking the other two down and winning at 12:01.

Rating: B-. These matches are basically TNA’s version of the ladder match, meaning there is very little in the way of telling a story or anything more than people going nuts with spots until someone wins. Shaw going over makes sense, as she has been around the title picture for a long time now. At some point she needs to win the thing though, and that might be where we are heading now.

We run down the rest of the card.

We look at the Joe Hendry/AJ Francis/DJ Who Kid segment from the pre-show.

Francis and DJ Who Kid are happy with what they did.

PCO vs. Dirty Dango

Dango has Oleg Prudius and Alpha Bravo with him. After Dango says he hates TNA Wrestling, some orderlies wheel PCO into the arena and electrify him back to life. As you do. Dango hammers away to start but PCO sends him outside for the running flip dive. Back in and the PCOsault is loaded up but Bravo comes in for the DQ at 1:26.

Post match the beatdown is on but Rhino comes in for the save. Cue Santino Marella (because they had to keep HIM) to make it a six man tag with one more addition.

PCO/Rhino/Jake Something vs. Alpha Bravo/Dirty Dango/Oleg Prudius

The brawl is on to start and the ring is quickly cleared, with PCO moonsaulting onto a bunch of people. The DeAnimator hits Dango and we settle down to Something coming in to beat up Dango even further. A hard clothesline puts Dango down again and it’s Rhino coming in to a nice reaction. Prudius gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Bravo gets to come in and choke away.

The villains start taking turns on Rhino in the corner, which doesn’t last long as he gets back up and makes it over to Something. House is quickly cleaned and PCO is back in for the middle rope legdrop. Rhino and Prudius slug it out but Dango breaks up the Gore attempt. Bravo gets Gores anyway and Something powerbombs Dango onto him to make it worse. PCOsault finishes Bravo at 7:25.

Rating: C. This felt like an Impact match and not much more, but in theory this is relaunch for the brand so it’s time to get as many people on the show as possible. On the good hand, one of them is Something but on the other hand, Santino is still there. Not a bad match at all, and I could always go for more PCO insanity.

Earlier today, an unseen woman arrived.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: MK Ultra vs. Decay

This is a bonus match with the returning Decay challenging. Havok sends Slamovich into the corner to start and Rosemary comes in with a clothesline. Rosemary’s German suplex gets two but Slamovich manages a knockdown of her own. Slamovich slams Kelly onto Rosemary for two and a PK gets the same.

A kick to the face lets Kelly crawl onto Rosemary, who snaps and hammers away on her instead. Havok gets to come back in and clean house but gets caught with a kick to the head. The Snow Plow gives Slamovich one and she can’t believe the kickout. Havok hits a double chokeslam and it’s a chokebomb/running hair plant to pin Kelly for the titles at 6:18.

Rating: C. The match was fine enough, but it runs into the same problem that these titles have always had: there is little story here, as the titles are so often just thrown into random matches like this one. Why are Rosemary and Havok back to their old selves? Eh who cares, but they’re the champs again. That’s the problem with these titles most of the time and that was on display again here.

TNA is working with the NFL Alumni Association for a health program.

We look at Steve Maclin beating Rich Swann on the pre-show.

Maclin says that was the first of many.

Here are TNA executive Scott D’Amore and AAA President Dorian Roldan. The two companies are going to be working together and they’re both rather happy. A highlight reel ensues and they sign the deal.

X-Division Title: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Kushida vs. Chris Sabin

Sabin (and only Sabin) is defending. The triple lockup doesn’t go anywhere to start so they snap of armdrags instead, leaving us with a standoff. Kushida sends them both down and then out to the floor, setting up a dive to take out Sabin. Back in and Vikingo hits a springboard hurricanrana, followed by the top rope inverted hurricanrana to take Kushida out of the corner.

Sabin is back up with some German suplexes and we get the triple submission, with Sabin letting go to kick Kushida down. Back up and Kushida ties up Vikingo’s arm and suplexes Sabin at the same time. That’s all broken up and Vikingo gets to clear the ring, setting up a moonsault out to the floor to take both of them down.

Back in and a triple clothesline leaves everyone down, with Vikingo getting up first. He stomps down onto Sabin’s ribs but Kushida is back in with the Hoverboard Lock. That’s broken up but Vikingo has to break up one to Sabin as well. Sabin and Vikingo slug it out until Vikingo is sent to the ramp for a springboard Canadian Destroyer. Back in and Sabin German superplexes Kushida down and grabs Cradle Shock to retain at 13:04.

Rating: B+. This was all action as they went nuts for about thirteen minutes straight. There were some very fun spots in there with people flying all over the place until Sabin retained. Kushida being a regular around here made a title change feel possible and that made things more interesting. Best match of the night by far here and rather good stuff.

Newcomer Alex Hammerstone has issued an open challenge and Josh Alexander has accepted.

Josh Alexander vs. Alex Hammerstone

Alexander goes after the powerhouse Hammerstone’s leg to start but the ankle lock is kicked out to the floor. That means Hammerstone can take Alexander out with a slingshot dive but Alexander is right back with another shot to the leg. A dragon screw legwhip takes Hammerstone down but the ankle lock is broken up again. Some chops in the corner make Hammerstone mad and he sends Alexander flying. He right back with a Regal Roll into a middle rope knee to the back of the head, but the ankle lock is broken up again.

Some boots to the face just annoy Hammerstone and he gorilla presses Alexander into a swinging release Rock Bottom. The tweaked knee is still fine enough to powerslam Alexander but he snaps on the ankle lock again. This time a grapevine goes on as well but Hammerstone gets to the rope. Alexander is back up with a quick Nightmare Pendulum (a suplex dropped forward into a Rock Bottom, his usual finisher) for two.

Alexander is smart enough to get over to the rope to avoid the cover so Hammerstone Death Valley Drivers him on the apron. A missile dropkick gives Hammerstone two as the fans certainly approve. Alexander’s discus forearm is shrugged off and Hammerstone powerbombs him for two. Alexander is back with a small package into the C4 Spike for the quick pin at 14:46.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting fight that you might have expected if you’re familiar with Hammerstone. On the other hand, those who aren’t so familiar with him got a heck of an introduction, as he took one of TNA’s best to a great fight. This was the showcase match for Alexander and it worked very well. Good stuff here and Hammerstone looked like a star.

Video on the four way for the Tag Team Titles, with a new team getting a shot.

Tag Team Titles: ABC vs. Rascalz vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Laredo Kid/Mike Bailey

ABC is defending and Kid is replacing Trent Seven who had travel issues. Austin and Gibson start things off with neither being able to get very far. Drake comes in and gets double armdragged by the champs, with Bailey and Kid coming in to take over on Miguel. Everything breaks down and all our get in for the major staredown.

We settle down to Bailey’s bouncing kicks having Gibson in trouble but Drake’s cheap shot lets the Veterans take over. Bailey gets elbowed in the face for two and we hit the chinlock. The Rascalz and the Veterans get in an argument, allowing Bailey to kick his way to freedom. Kid comes back in and gets to clean house, including a super Michinoku Driver for two on Wentz.

ABC gets to come in and fire off a series of kicks, including a kick to the head/torture rack neckbreaker for two on Wentz. The Veterans are back in with a double kick for two more on Wentz, followed by a Doomsday Device. The cover is broken up as commentary says they can’t remember who is legal. Bailey is back in with a super poisonrana to Drake and the Ultimate Weapon connects, with the Rascalz making the save. A superkick/double stomp combination gives Wentz two and we get the ABC vs. Rascalz slugout. The 1-2-Sweet finishes Miguel to retain the titles at 14:16.

Rating: B-. They had another almost all action match here but this time there were so many people out there that it was hard to keep track of everything. At the end of the day, this was all about the Rascalz vs. ABC and that’s how it wound up, but that didn’t make the other teams seem that important. I’ll take more of the ABC as the champions though, as they really are one of the best teams going today.

We recap the Knockouts Title match, with Trinity defending against Call Your Shot winner Jordynne Grace. That’s pretty much the whole story.

Ash By Excellence (Dana Brooke) is in the front row as the mystery woman from earlier.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Trinity

Trinity is defending and they shake hands to start. Grace easily powers her up against the ropes to start but the threat of a kick Grace backing up. For some reason Trinity tries a test of strength but she does show some intelligence with a mule kick. Grace picks her up and plants her back down for two, followed by a World’s Strongest Slam for the same. It’s too early for the Juggernaut Driver so Trinity is back with a crossbody.

Grace knees her in the face and hits an Alley Oop for two more. Trinity needs a breather but Grace runs her over with a suicide dive into a Jackhammer on the floor for a nasty crash. Trinity manages a shot of her own and they head back inside for a strike off. Grace gets dropped so Trinity hits a split legged moonsault for two more. A full nelson puts Trinity back down but she makes the rope for the break.

With the holds not working, Grace grabs a MuscleBuster for two more. The Rear View puts Grace down for two and they head to the apron for something like a Heatseeker Pedigree from Trinity. A sitout powerbomb into Starstruck has Grace in more trouble…until she muscles Trinity up into a German suplex. The Juggernaut Driver gives Grace the title at 14:34.

Rating: B-. Grace getting the title back is a nice moment and the good thing is she has all kinds of challengers waiting for her. I know Grace has held the title before, but she feels like she has come more than a few feet since her most recent title reign. Trinity has held the title for a good while now and has only been so interesting. There is a good chance that she is back in WWE sooner than later and at least she had a decent one to go out on.

We recap Moose challenging Alex Shelley for the World Title. Much like the previous match, this is a Call Your Show cash in so there is only so much of a story.

TNA World Title: Alex Shelley vs. Moose

Shelley is defending. Moose’s offer of a handshake goes nowhere so Shelley sends him into the corner. A missed charge sends Moose into the post and we hit the logical armbar. Moose isn’t having that and hits a hard dropkick out to the floor to take over. Shelley gets rammed into the barricade and chopped against the ropes but he strikes away anyway. Moose’s arm gets stomped on the apron and the bad arm gets snapped back inside.

The good arm is enough to knock Shelley down though and Moose starts in on Shelley’s arm for a change. Some hard chops connect, with Shelley telling Moose to do it harder. Moose’s powerbomb is countered into a DDT and a dropkick sends him into the corner. A missed charge sends Moose outside and there’s a baseball slide into the barricade. Sliced Bread on the floor doesn’t work but Moose gets rammed into the post. Shelley drops him again with Shell Shock but can’t follow up, meaning we get a nine count.

Back in and Shelley forearms away, setting up a quickly broken Border City Stretch. The arm is good enough for Moose to hit a powerbomb for two and a needed breather. A quick Sliced Bread gives Shelley two and here is the System to interrupt. Chris Sabin and Kushida make the save but DeAngelo Williams stays at ringside.

They fight to the ramp where Shelley plants Moose down by the arm, meaning it’s time to go back inside and stay on the arm even longer. Moose’s headbutt doesn’t get him very far as Shelley blasts him with a clothesline. Shell Shock is loaded up but Moose shoves him off and hits the spear for the pin and the title at 21:29.

Rating: B. There is something classic about power vs. speed and in this case we had the bonus of Shelley wisely picking at the arm throughout. It’s a classic story that worked well again here, with a title change to cap off the show. Moose can be a heck of a juggernaut when he is given the chance and that is more or less what he did here. It might not be a classic, but it felt like a big deal and that is the most important part.

Post match Nic Nemeth sneaks in and superkicks Moose, setting up what used to be called the Zig Zag. Nemeth rips off his shirt to reveal a TNA shirt as the crowd approves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was about the rebirth of TNA and for the most part, it went pretty well. I would assume they were treating this as a jump on point for fans, hence having so many people on the show. That worked in that there was some very good action, but there was a good bit that could have been cut to make the show flow a bit better.

Other than that, you have quite a few title changes to go with the solid wrestling, which made the show an entertaining effort. Things will be interesting on Thursday, but for now at least, TNA is starting well with everything they have going on. The good thing is they aren’t starting from scratch and Impact was doing well, but it’s still pretty new for almost everything going on. That’s a weird setup, though they’re off to a good start.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Rich Swann – KIA
The System b. Eric Young/Frankie Kazarian – Boston Knee Party to Young
Crazzy Steve b. Tommy Dreamer – Belladonna’s Kiss
Gisele Shaw won Ultimate X
PCO b. Dirty Dango via DQ when Alpha Bravo interfered
PCO/Rhino/Jake Something b. Alpha Bravo/Dirty Dango/
Decay b. MK Ultra – Sitout chokebomb/running hair plant combination to Kelly
Chris Sabin b. Kushida and El Hijo del Vikingo – Cradle Shock to Sabin
Josh Alexander b. Alex Hammerstone – C4 Spike
ABC b. Rascalz, Grizzled Young Veterans and Laredo Kid/Mike Bailey – 1-2-Sweet to Miguel
Jordynne Grace b. Trinity – Juggernaut Driver
Moose b. Alex Shelley – Spear

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 1, 2023
Location: Western Fair District Agriplex, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the first show after Under Siege and a lot of things took place at the show. First and foremost, Steve Maclin retained the World Title by defending PCO but Bully Ray attacked Scott D’Amore to end the show, even putting him through a flaming table. Other than that, we have a new #1 contender in the form of Alex Shelley, who will get a World Title shot at Against All Odds. Let’s get to it.

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

Under Siege recap.

Here is Bully Ray to get things going and no one is happy to see him. He has been putting people through tables throughout his career and no one is better at it in wrestling history. We hear about some of the people who he has put through them over the years, but the really bad ones are the people he puts through flaming tables. That’s what he did to Scott D’Amore and there is no one here to stop him.

Now it is on to Against All Odds, where he can become #1 contender and then to Slammiversary to win the World Title. Cue World Champion Steve Maclin to interrupt to say he liked what happened to D’Amore. What Bully needs to understand though is Maclin allowed Ray to hurt D’Amore like that. Ray tells him to shut up and says no one tells him what he can do….but then backtracks and says Maclin is the World Champion and can do what he wants. Maclin proposes a partnership, but he’s also cool with the idea of beating Ray at Slammiversary if he has to.

Cue the Motor City Machine Guns to interrupt, with Alex Shelley saying he’s leaving Against All Odds with the World Title. Ray says that usually he would rip Shelley apart on the might but the reality is that Shelley is one of the best in the world. He has seen wrestlers in the locker room watching Shelley matches, but Shelley must be bothered by never winning the big one.

Chris Sabin brings up beating Ray for the World Title but Maclin cuts him off to yell at Shelley for the lack of respect. Shelley says “yep” when asked if he thinks he can win the title but Maclin asks why it will be different this time. Shelley says it’s because Maclin is no Josh Alexander, which makes Ray laugh. That doesn’t make sense to Shelley, because Alexander beat Ray too. We finally get the challenge for the tag match tonight and Ray likes the idea….but not tonight.

Cue Subculture (Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster/Dani Luna, formerly of NXT UK) as this segment is somehow still going. Subculture wants to face the Guns tonight and that match is on. This was nearly twenty minutes long and felt WAY out of place on an Impact show, especially when the only match made was from people who popped up at the end. I know they don’t have much time before Against All Odds but please don’t let this WWE style segment become normal around here.

Nick Aldis feels dangerous when he is in a nice suit like this but he feels all the more dangerous when he has momentum behind him. He praises Kenny King for a great match at Under Siege and King will be even more ready whenever they face off again. As for Against All Odds, Aldis is ready for the 8-4-1 match (starts off as an eight man tag, with the winning team immediately having a four way to crown a new #1 contender) because he’ll have to adapt, which is what he does best. Then he’s winning the World Title.

Eddie Edwards vs. Yuya Uemura

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Feeling out process to start with Uemura grabbing an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Eddie takes him into the corner for some chops, only to have a forearm knock Eddie outside. The slingshot dive drops Eddie again though and we take a break. Back with Uemura fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken right back down.

This time Uemura fights up with a running clothesline and a belly to back suplex gets two. Edwards tries a double underhook but gets backdropped away, only to have Alisha distract Uemura on the top. That means a superplex can bring Uemura back down but Uemura cuts off the Boston Knee Party with a dropkick. The swinging Rock Bottom sets up a high crossbody, which is kneed out of the air. The tiger driver gives Edwards two and the Boston Knee Party finally finishes Uemura at 13:30.

Rating: B. They had a good match here as Uemura continues to get better and better every week. Commentary is right when they say that he needs a big win, but I’m not sure how much longer he is going to be here on excursion in the first place. If that’s the case, just how far does Impact want to push him? For now, I guess they’ll have to settle for a good hand who can work well with anyone.

Post match Eddie teases respect but pulls away from the handshake. Cue Frankie Kazarian to say that isn’t how we do this around here and the fight is on, with Eddie being dropped. Alisha tries to jump on Frankie and is dropped as well, allowing Kazarian to leave.

Decay vs. Sami Callihan/Jake Crist

Crist bites Steve to start and hands it off to Callihan, only to have Taurus come in and clear the ring. That’s not enough for Taurus, who throws Steve over the top onto both of them. Back in and Crist starts firing off superkicks for a breather, followed by putting Steve on Taurus’ shoulders. Callihan puts Crist on his own shoulders for a cutter to Steve and the pin at 1:35. Cool finisher and dang that went fast.

Post match here is the Design to lay out Crist and Callihan. Rich Swann makes the save.

Post break, Swann, Crist and Callihan are ready for Against All Odds….but Swann already has a spot in the 8-4-1 match. Callihan and Crist understand so they can find someone else. Callihan says the doctor is going to have to call the fox.

Trinity vs. Savannah Evans

Jai Vidal and Gisele Shaw are here with Evans. Trinity grabs a waistlock to start and gets backed into the corner for her efforts. A headlock takeover doesn’t work for Trinity so she forearms away in the corner. Evans plants her with a powerbomb for two and Trinity is in trouble. Back in and Trinity gets smart by hitting a springboard kick to the face to put Evans down. A side slam cuts Trinity off but she pulls Evans into the reverse Rings of Saturn for the tap at 4:33.

Rating: C+. Evans continues to work as a monster but that is only going to have so much impact if she keeps losing all the time. Trinity is someone who is probably going to wind up being near the top of the division sooner rather than later so her winning here makes all of the sense. They went back and forth here for a few minutes but ultimately, Trinity winning was the only option.

Post match Trinity gets the mic and says she wants the Knockouts Title. Cue Deonna Purrazzo to say ask her to her face. Trinity issues the challenge for Slammiversary and Purrazzo is in. Shaw, Evans and Vidal are up for the beatdown though, only to have Jordynne Grace come in for the save. That doesn’t exactly work though as she is beaten down as well, setting up a pair of knees from Shaw.

Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat

Dani Luna is part of Subculture, who are here with her. Threat headlocks her over to start but Luna does the exact same. Luna powers her into the corner but gets sunset flipped for two. Threat knocks her back down and scores with a heck of a Cactus Clothesline. Threat’s running flip dive off the apron, followed by the running knee to the back. Luna has had it with this and hits a powerbomb for two and a hard lariat gets the same. Threat snaps off a German suplex and hits a reverse F5 (the F Bomb) for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: B-. This was a hard hitting fight and it worked well with what they were doing. Impact has done a nice job of turning Threat into…well, a threat, and that’s what they need to do every so often. Threat is someone who feels like she has been built from the ground up and could become something around here. On the other hand you have Luna, who could do well as a powerhouse with a unique look.

Santino Marella and Joe Hendry are talking about Dirty Dango when Sheldon Jean and Kenny King come in. King thinks Jean should get a match with Hendry, so Santino makes it for next week. As for Against All Odds, Hendry can defend his Digital Media Title against Dango. Works for Hendry.

We look at Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich brawling at Under Siege. A chain was involved.

Kelly wants a dog collar match with Slamovich. Her talk about giving in to your natural instinct is designed to make various suggestions.

Here is what’s coming on various shows.

Subculture vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Shelley and Andrews get things going with Shelley’s armdrag not getting him very far. Sabin comes in to headlock Webster to little avail as Webster grabs an armdrag of his own. Everything breaks down and the Guns send Andrews outside to kick Webster down. Back in and Andrews gets kicked down as well, allowing Shelley to grab a cross arm choke on Webster.

Back up and Webster gets Shelley into the corner for a quick dropkick to the leg. Subculture hits back to back flips onto Sabin to send him outside as well, setting up the stereo suicide dives. Back in and the Guns hit some clotheslines to take over and we take a break. We come back with Andrews being caught in a surfboard for a bulldog from Sabin. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Andrews fights up, allowing the tag off to Webster. Everything breaks down again and Webster hits a springboard moonsault to drop both Guns.

Webster hits a big dive onto Sabin and a double Falcon Arrow (that’s a new one) gets two back inside. Shelley comes back in for the save and house is cleaned, including a Death Valley Driver/running neckbreaker combination (that’s a new one too). A Magic Killer (that’s not a new one) gets two on Andrews but he pops up off a Doomsday dropkick.

Shelley is knocked outside, leaving Sabin to clothesline both of them inside out. Cradle Shock is countered into a Stundog Millionaire (sweet) but Webster misses a 450. Sabin grabs a cutter on Webster and the Dream Sequence hits Andrews. The Dirt Bomb finishes Webster off at 16:13.

Rating: B+. There are certain matches that are designed to have talented stars letting it all hang out and hitting one big move after another until someone finally gets pinned. That is what you had here and this was an awesome TV main event. The Guns can still hang with anyone and if Subculture wants a job in Impact, there is a good chance that they got one here. Great stuff here and worth a look if you have time.

Overall Rating: B. I find myself looking forward to Impact more and more each week and that was the case again here. The opener and main event (especially the latter) are both rather awesome TV matches and the rapid fire build to Against All Odds wasn’t bad at all. Cut down on the way too long opening segment and this show is probably the best TV show of the week. Awesome stuff here, as I’m starting to wonder if it’s still fair to say Impact is on a roll, as this has been going on for a long time now.

Results
Eddie Edwards b. Yuya Uemura – Boston Knee Party
Sami Callihan/Jake Crist b. Decay – Elevated cutter to Steve
Trinity b. Savannah Evans – Reverse Rings of Saturn
Jody Threat b. Dani Luna – F Bomb
Motor City Machine Guns b. Subculture – Dirt Bomb to Webster

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