Impact Wrestling
Date: August 25, 2022
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Bound For Glory is starting to take shape and we now have a main event set for the show. Eddie Edwards won an elimination match last week to earn the spot and now we can begin the build towards the biggest night of the year. There is a lot more to get set up for the show though and maybe we can work on that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Eddie Edwards winning the elimination match last week to earn the title shot.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Jordynne Grace/Mia Yim vs. VXT

VXT is defending. Grace and Green start things off with the former grabbing a headlock takeover. With that not working, Purrazzo comes in for a few shots before it’s right back to Green. Grace runs her over again and hands it off to Yim for a dropkick into the corner. The Cannonball gets two but Purrazzo’s cheap shot lets the champs take over for a change. Some clotheslines get two on Yim, followed by a clothesline for two on Yim. Purrazzo misses a charge into the post though and the tag brings in Grace.

Everything breaks down and Yim suplexes Green for two before missile dropkicking Purrazzo. Green is back up with a top rope Blockbuster on Yim, only to get gutwrench powerbombed by Grace. The champs are sent outside for stereo dives but Grace cuts Yim off. The distracted referee misses a neck snap across the top rope to Grace, setting up the Due Collector (that double suplex) to retain the titles at 7:28.

Rating: C. This was a good way to give VXT another title win while also having Purrazzo get built up for a possible title shot. Granted I would be shocked if we weren’t gearing up for Masha Slamovich challenging Grace at Bound For Glory, but at least they are trying something. VXT is starting to turn into a nice team and that is something the division really needs.

Violent By Design says they’re back and ready for Time Machine.

Vincent comes up to Josh Alexander, who he is facing tonight. Alexander isn’t dealing with the mind games and plans to drop him on his head.

Here’s what’s coming at various shows.

Mike Bennett vs. Karl Anderson

If Anderson wins, Maria, here too, is banned from ringside whenever Bennett and Matt Taven get their Tag Team Title shot. Anderson chops him down to start and stomps away before a clothesline puts Bennett on the floor. We take a break and come back with Bennett working on a chinlock before whipping Anderson hard into the corner.

The big running start sets up the poke to the eye and we’re back to the chinlock. Anderson fights up and hits the Rocket kick, only to get superkicked for two (Maria screams a lot). Maria offers a distraction so Taven can come in with a cheap shot, only to be cut off by Doc Gallows. That’s enough for the Gun Stun to finish Bennett at 10:16.

Rating: C. They kept this one moving well enough and I was a bit surprised by the ending. What matters here is setting up the title match, where Honor No More can win the titles in a more dominant fashion without having their backup in the corner. I can’t imagine the Good Brothers retaining and the better Honor No More can look in the process, the better for the future of the division.

Post match the Good Brothers go to the back where Scott D’Amore makes the Tag Team Title match for next week.

Savannah Evans is banged up after Killer Kelly beat her last week. Tasha Steelz is ready for revenge but Kelly chokes her from behind.

Jason Hotch vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Brian Myers is on commentary. Gujjar runs him over to start and hits a shoulder in the corner for two. Hotch is back with a rake to the eyes and a kick to the head in the corner, only to roll into a spinebuster. The Gargoyle spear finishes for Gujjar at 2:18.

Post match Myers lays out Gujjar but he comes back with a Gargoyle spear. Gujjar steals the Digital Media Title.

VXT brags about their win to Gail Kim and Deonna Purrazzo thinks she should get a Knockouts Title shot. Gail gives her a #1 contenders match with Masha Slamovich instead.

Gujjar won’t give the title back, saying Myers can come get it.

Vincent vs. Josh Alexander

Non-title. Vincent drives him into the corner to start but gets belly to belly suplexed for his efforts. A Russian legsweep drops Alexander though and Redrum connects for a fast two. The running knee misses Alexander in the corner and he’s right back with a German suplex to send Vincent flying again. It’s too early for the C4 Spike so Alexander grabs the ankle lock instead, sending Vincent straight to the ropes. Alexander is right back with a Falcon Arrow into a C4 Spike for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C+. Not much more than a squash here and it isn’t like Vincent is going to be hurt by losing to the World Champion. Alexander going through some of Honor No More on the way to Eddie Edwards should work well enough as a road to Bound For Glory and it isn’t like he’ll run out of opponents anytime soon. Vincent is fine in a spot like this, but he’s much better with those out there promos that he sells so well.

Post match here is Eddie Edwards to say he is going to be challenging Alexander at Bound For Glory, but they don’t have to be enemies. There is a war going on in wrestling and it has nothing to do with what is going on in the ring. These people in the arena support the machine instead of the wrestlers and Alexander needs to pick a side. Before Edwards can get very far, Heath runs in with the Wake Up Call. They got me with that one.

Raj Singh and Shera are complaining about things when they hear Moose and Steve Maclin arguing. Sami Callihan jumps Maclin and Moore, with Maclin being busted open. The villains manages to tie Callihan up in barbed wire and leave him laying.

Video on Masha Slamovich.

Alisha vs. Jessika

Rosemary is here with Jessika, who is billed from the Bright Light District. Rosemary gives Jessika some eye black to fire her up and Alisha gets crushed early. A running basement crossbody drops Alisha again and a fire thunder driver finishes her off at 1:56.

Video on Mickie James walking out of Impact.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Sami Callihan, still wrapped in barbed wire. He wants Barbed Wire Massacre at Victory Road.

Time Machine vs. Violent By Design

That would be the Motor City Machine Guns/Kushida vs. Eric Young/Joe Doering/Deaner. Kushida charges at Doering to start but the shoulders bounce off of him. Young comes in so Shelley joins in to double team him down. It’s off to Deaner, who gets kneed in the back as everything breaks down. Deaner gets in a cheap shot on Sabin in the corner though and it’s Doering plants him to send us to a break.

Back with Young’s neckbreaker getting two, setting up Doering’s elbow drop for two. The alternating stomps and choking in the corner ensues but Sabin avoids a charge. That’s enough for the tag off to Kushida so the pace can pick way up. A basement dropkick hits Deaner and it’s right back to Shelley for some kicks to the face. Everything breaks down again and the villains are sent outside, with Sabin hitting a dive onto Doering.

Back in and Deaner rolls through Sabin’s high crossbody for two, setting up Young’s Death Valley Driver for the same. Deaner hits a top rope headbutt to set up Young’s top rope elbow for two but Young can’t hit the piledriver. Sabin gets over to the corner and everything breaks down again, with the villains being kicked out to the floor. Deaner gets kicked in the head by Kushida, sending him into Cradle Shock to give Sabin the pin at 18:42.

Rating: B. Maybe it’s enjoying seeing Violent By Design get hit and kicked a lot but this was a rather enjoyable main event. Kushida and the Guns work well together (shouldn’t be a surprise) and they picked up a win here to put Violent By Design back in trouble. I’m sure Young will monologue about this again next week, but for now, the team loses and gets shut up for another week so we’ll call that a win.

Overall Rating: C+. This was Impact doing what it does best: giving you a completely acceptable two hours of wrestling with its unique cast of stars. Some of the action was more ok than great or even good, but they aren’t doing anything too bad and you can follow the stories with no particular difficulty. That is a lot more than several promotions can claim, making Impact an enjoyable enough show. Good show this week, and I could go for more of this kind of show as the norm if that is what Impact can do.

Results
VXT b. Jordynne Grace/Mia Yim – Due Collector to Grace
Karl Anderson b. Mike Bennett – Gun Stun
Bhupinder Gujjar b. Jason Hotch – Gargoyle spear
Josh Alexander b. Vincent – C4 Spike
Jessika b. Alisha – Fire Thunder Driver
Time Machine b. Violent By Design – Cradle Shock to Deaner

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: August 4, 2022
Location: Old Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re just over a week away from Emergence and most of the show has already been set. The World and Knockouts Title matches are ready to go but now we need to build up a little more of the card. That is what we can take care of over the next two weeks, as Emergence is already starting to look strong. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Honor No More’s issues, setting up a ten man tag at Emergence. If Honor No More wins, they get a Tag Team Title shot, but if they lose, they’re done.

Opening sequence.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rosemary

Taya Valkyrie and Jessika are here with Rosemary but there is no Chelsea Green for some reason. They glare at each other to start before Rosemary wins a test of strength. A bite to the face in the corner sets up a bulldog to drop Purrazzo again but she’s back up to wrap Rosemary’s arm around the rope. That doesn’t do much to the legs, meaning Rosemary is able to come back with the Upside Down.

Since that can’t last long, Rosemary goes up top but gets slammed down for a crash. Back up and stereo pump kicks leaves them both down but it’s Rosemary up first with a Sling Blade. The arm is bothering her though and Purrazzo pulls her into the Fujiwara armbar, sending Rosemary right back to the ropes. Rosemary hits a spear but for some reason Jessika gets on the apron, meaning there is no count. A rollup gives Purrazzo the pin at 7:11.

Rating: C+. These two work well together and it’s nice to see Purrazzo getting reheated just a bit. I’m not wild on the idea of the singles matches between the tag partners but that is about all you can get to set up a title match these days. The absence of Green is a bit weird here, though now Rosemary and Taya have to deal with Jessika so things might be a little more complicated anyway.

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

Honor No More fires itself up before Emergence and wants to make sure that they have each others’ backs. Eddie Edwards doesn’t think much of PCO at the moment but Vincent tells PCO to go take out Doc Gallows tonight.

Gisele Shaw isn’t scared of Masha Slamovich and doesn’t like how her eyebrows look in the photo Slamovich gave her.

Digital Media Title: Brian Myers vs. Black Taurus

Myers is defending and Crazzy Steve is here with Taurus. The power game has Myers in trouble to start as he gets shoved outside, resulting in some yelling at Steve. Back in and Myers clotheslines Taurus down but gets elbowed in the face for his efforts. Taurus knocks him outside for a big running flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Myers grabbing a chinlock, followed by an elbow for two. Taurus fights up without much trouble and hits a missile dropkick for two of his own. Myers’ implant DDT gets two more but the Roster Cut is cut down with a spear. With nothing else working, Myers pokes him in the eyes and rolls him up (with trunks) to retain at 10;16.

Rating: C. Not a terrible match, but that’s the second match in a row that ended with a spear, shenanigans and a rollup. That’s the kind of thing that needed to be looked at in advance, as there are other ways to end a match than doing something so similar. Myers is a good weaselly champion and someone taking the title from him is going to be a good moment, whenever it happens.

Post match Myers tries to get away but gets sent back inside by Bhupinder Gujjar, who hits the Gargoyle Spear.

Jordynne Grace is going to treat Mia Yim as an obstacle at Emergence and you know what she does to obstacles.

We look at the Impact Wrestling World Title match at Ric Flair’s Last Match, with Josh Alexander retaining via DQ and Diamond Dallas Page making a surprise post match save.

Gisele Shaw vs. Masha Slamovich

Shaw bails to the ropes to start but gets taken to the mat. A spinning backfist connects but Shaw is back with a running knee to the face for two. Shaw misses a crossbody though and it’s a bridging German suplex to give Slamovich two more. The Snowplow finishes for Slamovich at 2:42. Slamovich has to be in the title match at Bound For Glory right?

Flashback Moment of the Week: Mia Yim wins the Knockouts Title on Impact in April 2016 with Maria’s help.

Madison Rayne interrupts Mia Yim to complain about Mia taking advantage of her back in 2016. Gail Kim, who lost the title to Yim, comes in to make Rayne vs. Yim next week.

Jessika and Taya Valkyrie come up to an upset Rosemary with Jessika apologizing and guaranteeing that they will retain the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Emergence. Rosemary is pleased.

Violent By Design vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Shelley and Deaner get things going but Joe Doering gets in a cheap shot from behind. That’s fine with Sabin, who comes in with a dropkick and cutter to get things right back to even. The missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Deaner but Doering interferes again, allowing Deaner to hit a clothesline for two of his own. Doering comes in legally for once and hits a slam into an elbow for two more.

Shelley manages to kick Doering away and it’s Sabin coming back in with a kick to Deaner’s face. Something pretty close to a Magic Killer plants Deaner but Doering makes the save. Everything breaks down and Doering clotheslines both Guns. The Revolution Bomb is broken up with Sabin’s enziguri and he dives outside onto Doering. Back in and Shelley crucifies Doering, setting up Sabin’s diving rollup for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C+. Gee, I wonder if they are going to have Eric Young get annoyed at the rest of Violent By Design and accuse them of doing something about the sickness before they keep doing the same things. The Guns were their usual very good selves, but there is only so much they can do with a lumbering monster like Doering. Just get rid of Violent By Design already because it is getting worse by the week.

Post match Violent By Design takes out the Guns because this must continues. Kushida runs in for the save but Eric Young runs in as well and takes him out.

Post break the Guns and Kushida challenge Violent By Design for Emergence. Josh Alexander comes in to say take these guys out. Alexander leaves and runs into Eddie Edwards, who suggests he’s coming for the title.

Raj Singh vs. Sami Callihan

Sami tells him to swing away and Singh’s one right hand seems to make him mad. Singh’s dropkick works a bit better but it’s a few right hands to put him into the corner. A clothesline sets up the Cactus Driver 97 and a crossface chickenwing finishes Singh at 2:01.

Post match Sami calls out Moose and Steve Maclin so Moose’s entrance starts. Cue Moose from behind so Sami jumps him, only to get taken down by Maclin from behind. Moose hits a spear (because we needed a fourth tonight) and Maclin plants Callihan to leave him laying.

Video on Killer Kelly’s debut last week. They’re doing a good job out of making her seem like a threat.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Bullet Club is ready to take out Honor No More.

Doc Gallows vs. PCO

Street fight and Vincent is here with PCO, while Karl Anderson only comes out to the stage with Gallows. PCO gets knocked to the floor to start but he’s fine enough to post Gallows. Some chairs are set up at ringside but PCO sends him back inside, only to be knocked backwards through said chairs in a crash you had to know was coming.

We take a break and come back with chairs being thrown in and one hitting PCO in the back. PCO hits him in the head with a chair (erg) and sets up some chairs back to back, which can’t end well. Gallows is laid over the backs of the chairs so PCO can chair him in the back (a popular word here). PCO takes too long going up top though and gets slammed onto the open chairs, which is such a stupidly dangerous spot.

They head outside again with PCO hitting a chokeslam through a table to take over again. A bunch of trashcan shots to the head put Gallows down and the mat is pulled up. Since that takes some time, Gallows hits the Gas Mask on the exposed wood for two but PCO hits him with a marching band drum (which they just happen to have sitting around).

The Deanimator takes too long to load up so Gallows chokeslams him off the top and through the ring (geez). Somehow PCO beats a ten count and wins a slugout, setting up a reverse DDT onto the wood. PCO whips out a glove, fills it with thumbtacks, and hits a middle rope fist drop. Gallows rolls into the hole and PCO steps on his chest for the pin at 15:30.

Rating: B-. This is one of those wacky matches where it was all about the violence and carnage, which was at least a bit different than they usually do. The ring breaking was a huge spot, but having that not end the match is a bit of a stretch. At the same time, some of these spots were more than a bit absurd and uncomfortable on occasion. PCO winning is a good thing, but egads this was rough in parts.

Overall Rating: B-. The show is still good, but this week’s show focused on just about everything but the World Title match. Since that is pretty much set, there was other stuff to work on but a lot of that stuff isn’t so interesting. Emergence is still looking good though and that is what matters most here. Pretty good show, though I’m not sure what they are going to do for Bound For Glory when the Emergence build is over.

Results
Deonna Purrazzo b. Jessika – Rollup
Brian Myers b. Black Taurus – Rollup with trunks
Masha Slamovich b. Gisele Shaw – Snowplow
Motor City Machine Guns b. Violent By Design – Rollup to Doering
Sami Callihan b. Raj Singh – Crossface chickenwing
PCO b. Doc Gallows – Middle rope fist drop

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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Sacrifice 2022
Date: March 5, 2022
Location: Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

This is the month’s Impact Plus special and the card is looking decent. There are a ton of title matches, capped off by Heath of all people getting the World Title shot. If that isn’t your thing, there are three Women’s Title matches, plus a hoss fight between Jonah and PCO. Let’s get to it.

Note that I was in attendance for the show, sitting in the balcony. That being said, I barely saw most of the show, as the balcony consists of a bunch of couches around the barricade and then some a handful of chairs behind it. I spent most of the show either in a chair or on my feet, trying to see a glimpse of the ring over the people around the barricade. It was probably the worst in-house experience I have ever had and I would absolutely not go back again. This will likely include the July return date that was announced during this show.

Pre-Show: Gisele Shaw vs. Lady Frost

Rematch from Shaw defeating Frost a few weeks back. Shaw goes for the arm to start but gets snapmared over for her efforts. A headscissors puts Shaw on the floor and Frost rolls along the apron to hurricanrana her down again. Back in and Shaw kicks her in the ribs, setting up a running elbow to the face.

Some forearms to the back of the head set up the corkscrew Vader Bomb to give Shaw two as the fans are behind Frost. Shaw gets knocked down in the corner, setting up a running Cannonball. Back up and Shaw grabs a hanging DDT for two, followed by a twisting suplex for the same. Frost gets in a knockdown of his own and goes up for a corkscrew moonsault and the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C. Frost is starting to grow on me but I’m surprised to see her pin Shaw. It seemed that Shaw was going to become a bigger deal around here but instead she lost on the pre-show to a non-pay per view. That being said, the division needs some fresh blood so maybe that is where Frost can come into play. Not a great match or anything, but you have to start somewhere.

Pre-Show: Matt Taven/Mike Bennett vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Maria sits in on commentary. Swann starts fast with Bennett and dropkicks him into the corner, only to get caught in the wrong corner. That means some alternating shots from Taven and Bennett but Swann gets knocked over for the tag to Mack. Everything breaks down fast and it’s a Rock Bottom to drive Mack onto the apron. Swann is right there with a dive to take them out, followed by Mack being fine enough to hit a running flip dive of his own.

Back in and Taven catches Mack with a hanging DDT and the villains take over. A catapult sends Mack into Taven’s enziguri but he strikes his way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Swann to clean house, including the rolling splash for two on Taven. A flapjack into a bulldog gets the same with Bennett making the save but Taven runs Swann over. An exchange of kicks to the face lands Swann in the Proto Pack but Mack spears Taven. Swann sunset flips Bennett for the pin at 7:44.

Rating: C+. This picked things up a bit as Mack and Swann are always worth a look. At the same time, Bennett and Taven were one of the better Ring of Honor teams so there was some chemistry to be seen here. I’m still not sure where Honor No More is going, but losing here isn’t a bright sign for them tonight.

The opening video talks about what it means to sacrifice something. It often means to honor something, but in this world, nothing comes easy. The wrestlers will sacrifice their all for you, which shifts us to a focus on some of the matches.

X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs. Jake Something

Something is challenging and easily wins a lockup to start. Miguel gets smart by striking away as fast as he can but the very springboardy wristdrag is blocked. Something’s clothesline takes Miguel down but he’s right back up with a dropkick. That doesn’t work for Something, who hits a heck of a sitout powerbomb (Miguel’s face on impact was great) for two before knocking a handspringing Miguel out of the air.

Miguel is back with some shots to the face but Something BLASTS HIM with a forearm. The running shoulder in the corner gets two on the champ, who is back with something like a snap Russian legsweep. A springboard spinning forearm puts Something down and Miguel nips back up. Some chops fire Something up though and a torture rack dropped down into a backbreaker gives him two. Miguel enziguris him to the floor though and a diving Canadian Destroyer gives us a pair of nasty thuds.

Thankfully they’re both fine and Something sends him hard into the corner, setting up a powerbomb. Something tries it again but this time Miguel reverses into a Meteora for two of his own. Miguel goes up but has to fight off Something, setting up the Cheeky Nandos kick. The 619 in the corner sets up a top rope Alberto Meteora to retain the title at 11:02.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of win that is going to help a champion like Miguel: being up against a bigger and stronger star and fighting from behind to eventually win. Miguel hung in there until he could get catch the big guy in something and it worked well. Good match here and the kind of match that is always going to work.

Here is what is coming on the rest of the show.

Tasha Steelz, with Savannah Evans, is ready to win the Knockouts Title from Mickie James and isn’t worried about Chelsea Green.

We recap Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino. Edwards turned on Team Impact at No Surrender to join Honor No More, which doesn’t have Rhino happy. Therefore, it is time for revenge.

Rhino vs. Eddie Edwards

The rest of Team Impact and Honor No More are all here too. Edwards misses a charge to start and gets knocked outside, where it’s time for a meeting with Honor No More. Back in and Eddie’s chops in the corner just annoy Rhino, who sends Eddie outside in front of Team Impact. Edwards dives back in, where Maria hands him Kenny the Kendo Stick.

That earns her an ejection so Rhino can punch away at Eddie’s head. Matt Taven trips him down from the floor though, which the referee somehow doesn’t notice. He also doesn’t notice Taven choking on the rope, allowing Eddie to take over in the corner. We hit the chinlock but Rhino is up before he even bothers getting down.

Rhino hits a running clothesline and a running shoulder in the corner but the fight breaks out on the floor. Vincent goes inside to hit a dive, followed by Rich Swann doing the same. Not to be outdone, Willie Mack goes up top for his own big dive, allowing Steve Maclin to run in and double arm DDT Edwards. He isn’t done though and kendo sticks Rhino down. That is enough to set up Edwards’ Boston Knee Party for the pin at 8:47.

Rating: C. There are a lot of things in wrestling you have to just get over, but there also comes a point where you can’t suspend your disbelief that far. That was the case here, as there was no reason to believe that the referee didn’t notice or care about something going on here. He didn’t notice the interference from either Honor No More or Maclin? Then fire him for being incompetent. The match itself was fine, but come on already.

We recap the IInfluence vs. the IInspiration for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, which is really a battle over a personal photographer. That would be Kaleb With A K, who might be cheating on the IInfluence with the IInspiration.

The IInfluence tells Kaleb With A K to stay in the back and come out for pictures after they win the titles.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: IInfluence vs. IInspiration

The IInspiration (Cassie Lee/Jessie McKay) are defending against Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne. The referee holds up the titles and looks ANGRY for some reason. Well that was different. McKay shoulders Dashwood down to start so it’s quickly off to Rayne, who gets taken into the wrong corner. Lee armdrags her down for one and they go to an exchange of ones before Lee grabs an armbar.

Everything breaks down and the champs are sent head to head, only to clear the ring without much trouble. Dashwood takes out Lee on the floor and McKay kicks Dashwood in the face but gets posted. Back in and Madison chokes McKay in the corner before tying her in the Tree of Woe. That means Dashwood can get a running start to pull her by the hair, setting up the Taste of Tenille for two.

Lee starts getting up as McKay kicks Dashwood away and the hot tag brings her in. A quick suplex gives Lee two as the fans are way behind the IInspiration. Dashwood fights out of a double suplex and the Spotlight Kick gets two on Lee. Cue Kaleb With A K as Lee kicks Dashwood down for two as the referee finally starts clearing the ring. That’s enough for Kaleb With A K to send Dashwood one of the belts to knock Lee out and win the titles at 10:23.

Rating: C. You knew Kaleb With A K would be getting involved somehow and the question was whose side he would take. Changing the titles makes sense as it lets them build towards the IInspiration taking them back later. It isn’t like there is any kind of a division for the titles, so changing them here at least lets things be freshened up a bit.

Rhino is mad but tells Heath to stay in the back because he has a World Title match tonight. Anthony Carelli (Santino Marella) comes in to give Heath a pep talk, because if there is someone you want advice from, it’s Santino freaking Marella.

Brian Myers is here for his special commentary table but here is W. Morrissey to interrupt. Security comes in so Myers tries a cheap shot, which doesn’t go well. Morrissey goes for Myers, who runs off, leaving a security guard to get powerbombed through the table.

Jonah vs. PCO

Monster fight and there are no seconds for a change. They slug it out to start with Jonah knocking him into the corner. PCO comes right back with a neckbreaker and they’re out on the floor and it’s time to slug it out again. Jonah hits a Russian legsweep on the ramp before heading back inside for the chops.

In this case they just wake PCO up though and he unloads with chop after chop of his own in the corner. With Jonah knocked to the floor, PCO hits his own bit flip dive, setting up the top rope flip dive onto the apron. PCO heads up top but Jonah is right there for a heck of a top rope superplex, with the mat not rally bumping that much. Back up and they slug it out with an exchange of German suplexes before PCO no sells a DDT.

A suplex makes PCO vibrate and sit up so Jonah goes up top, earning himself a super hurricanrana back down. The PCOsault gets two but Jonah is ticked off this time. They head back outside with Jonah sending him into the steps and then hitting a TERRIFYING Tombstone onto the steps. Fans: “CHECK HIS PULSE!” Jonah isn’t done though and powerbombs him off the steps and onto the floor. Back in and a Tsunami to the back of the head finishes PCO at 11:30.

Rating: B-. This style might not be for everyone, but my goodness they were beating the fire out of each other here with some big man offense. Jonah hung with PCO and then beat him with three huge moves in the end. Good hoss style fight, though I did cringe hard on the Tombstone and powerbomb at the end. They look very cool, but dang they’re hard to see at times.

Jay White is ready to show Alex Shelley what he has learned around the world.

Jay White vs. Alex Shelley

Former student vs. former teacher and it is nice to hear that Motor City Machine Guns theme again. They stare each other down to start and circle each other as the fans start the dueling chants. The lockup takes over a minute to start and they trade standing switches until White bails to the ropes. Shelley grabs the arm and cranks away, setting up a middle rope knee to the arm.

An apron knee to the head rocks White again but he gets his knees up to block a slingshot splash. White hits a backbreaker and drops Shelley throat first across the top rope to send him outside. A drop on the barricade sets up a running elbow to the face back inside as Shelley keeps getting rocked. The waistlock keeps Shelley down but he fights up and hits a running forearm to the face.

Back up and White grabs a DDT, setting up a twisting suplex for two. Shelley manages a quick Downward Spiral into the middle buckle for a needed breather but White goes to the eye to cut that off. Some hard chops put Shelley down again but he’s right back up with his own series of chops. A quick Sliced Bread gives Shelley two and a superkick keeps up the comeback.

The Motor City Stretch is countered and so is the Bladerunner, meaning Shelley can get the Motor City Stretch. White makes the rope though and they crash out to the floor, where Shelley is driven into the apron. Back in and Shelley grabs a Bladerunner to set up the Motor City Stretch but White is right back out with the Bladerunner for the pin at 18:48.

Rating: B. This is kind of a match that you can always use on a wrestling show as they didn’t have any kind of a gimmick. Instead it was two talented people getting in the ring and showcasing what they can do, which is a lot more than some wrestlers are capable of doing. It’s the best thing on the show by a wide margin, as White gets a nice win to further establish him around here.

White mocks Shelly after the match.

Violent By Design says their business arrangement with the Good Brothers is over and it’s time to get their Tag Team Titles back, which is all by design. It’s still an Eric Young stable so I can’t bring myself to care.

Ring of Honor Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Chelsea Green

Green is challenging in the Champ Champ Challenge. Feeling out process to start with Green’s headlock being countered into a headscissors. Back up and Green sends her outside for a suicide dive, only to get clotheslined down back inside. Purrazzo starts cranking on the arm but Green is back with a sunset flip to set off a pinfall reversal sequence. They hit stereo pump kicks to the face and that’s a double knockdown. Green is up first with a running dropkick but I’m Prettier is broken up.

Instead Green hits her lifting Downward Spiral for two, only to have Purrazzo pull her into the Fujiwara armbar. Green reverses into one of her own though, sending Purrazzo straight to the ropes. Purrazzo has had it and uses her legs to snap Green’s arm but then panics at Green screaming in pain. That doesn’t last long though as Green forearms her down, causing Purrazzo to grab the Fujiwara armbar for the tap to retain at 8:18.

Rating: C. Green continues to be someone who seems to have all kinds of potential but never really wins the big one. Losing to Purrazzo is hardly a crushing defeat, but at some point Green needs to win something. That being said, the sound of that wrist snapping is chilling live and it came across almost as bad on TV. That might be because it seemed to be a legitimate injury, at least according to Green after the show. Just in case you thought she couldn’t have more bad luck I guess.

Post match Purrazzo keeps the hold on but here is Mickie James to chase her off. Since this show is running a bit long, that sounds like a good enough way to start the next match.

Knockouts Title Match: Tasha Steelz vs. Mickie James

Steelz, with Savannah Evans, is challenging as Green is still being tended to on the floor. The distracted James gets jumped from behind to start but stomps Steelz down in the corner to take over. Steelz misses a boot and gets pulled into a Boston crab but Evans goes after the injured Green as she is being taken out.

James goes after Evans for the save, allowing Steelz to sent her into the steps to take over again. Back in and Steelz kicks her into the corner before kicking her in the corner again. A basement kick to the face gives Steelz two and we hit the camel clutch. Mickie fights up with a backpack Stunner to escape but Steelz catches her on top. That means a big crash out to the floor and they slap it out back inside.

Mickie’s Thesz press lets her hammer away and a neckbreaker gets two. The MickDT connects but Evans comes in for the distraction. Steelz grabs the Black Out for two more so Mickie comes out of the corner with a hurricanrana. Back up and Steelz tries Stratusfaction but gets shoved off, allowing Mickie to grab a flapjack. Evans has to be kicked away again though, allowing Steelz to counter a dive into a cutter for the pin and the title at 14:09.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what Impact sees in Steelz but this was the veteran putting someone young/new over and that is exactly what needed to happen. Impact picked someone and is running with them so well done on making the right move. The match was good enough too and the cutter for the finish looked nice.

We recap the Good Brothers vs. Violent By Design. The two had worked together to fight the Bullet Club but then the Brothers joined the Club, meaning it’s time for the title match.

Tag Team Titles: Violent By Design vs. Good Brothers

The Brothers are defending and have Chris Bey with them, while Deaner is with Violent By Design. Anderson and Young start things off with Young getting armdragged down. It works so well that Anderson does it again but Young gets over for the tag to Doering. Naturally that means Gallows comes in because this company loves itself some monster showdowns.

Gallows wins a battle of shoulders and drives in elbows to Doering’s chest. The chinlock doesn’t last long for Gallows, as Doering is back up with a running shoulder. It’s back to Anderson to run Young over and a big running backsplash connects for Anderson. Doering comes in to clean house and Young’s top rope else gets two. Anderson fights up and hands it back to Gallows for a reverse full nelson slam (Pete Gas’ old Gas Mask, and I’m scared that I remember that).

Doering comes back in for an AA to Anderson, setting up Young’s Death Valley Driver for two. Everyone heads to the corner for a not great Tower of Doom, leaving Doering on his feet. Anderson is back up with a spinebuster to Doering, who pops up and hits a running clothesline. Young takes Gallows up the ramp for a piledriver on the stage, leaving Anderson to get caught in a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for the pin and the titles at 11:32.

Rating: C. At least they finally took the titles off of the Good Brothers, but putting them back onto Violent By Design isn’t much better. This is one of those stories that isn’t exactly doing much for me and I’m almost worried about where it is going. Maybe this will be a bit of fresh air, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up given who is involved.

We recap Moose vs. Heath for the World Title. Moose is champion, Heath wants a title shot, somehow this is the best they can do for a main event.

Anthony Carelli joins commentary because we’re just that lucky.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Heath

Moose is defending and throws Heath into the corner to start but Heath slips out and hammers away. A toss sends Heath flying across the ring though and Moose runs him over again. There’s a boot choke in the corner and a kick to the face cuts off Heath’s comeback attempt. Heath’s shirt is ripped open for some chops but he scores with a sidekick to put Moose on the floor.

That’s fine with Moose, who kicks him in the face and gets in a posting as this continues to be one sided. Heath gets pulled against the post and a whip into the barricade makes it worse. Back in and Moose stomps on the hand before switching over to the foot. A bite of Moose’s hand just makes Moose angrier and he sends Heath into the apron over and over. Heath fights up and manages to knock Moose outside for a slingshot dive but the Wake Up Call only gets two. Moose plants him with a release Rock Bottom and the spear retains the title at 12:12.

Rating: D+. This was a squash, with Heath’s limited offense not feeling like any kind of a threat. The match felt like a joke coming in and then that’s exactly what we saw throughout. I’m not sure why this was supposed to be anything else and the match was just a matter of killing time before the only conceivable ending.

Post match Josh Alexander returns to take Moose out. Alexander grabs the mic and says the last time he was here, Scott D’Amore sent him home. Well now he’s back, with a long term contract, which includes the title shot against Moose at Rebellion. Alexander celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It turns out that the show is better when you can actually see the thing. This was a rather busy show with three title changes and some good matches. The ending helped a lot as Moose had no real contenders for the title, making Alexander the perfect person to bring back. Overall, the show was a good one, but not something that felt like it was a must see event. Kind of how it felt like it would be coming in.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 20, 2022
Location: Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan

The march to No Surrender is on and that means it is time to start setting up a card. Impact continues to be doing fairly well, and the question now is what is next for Moose and the World Title. By that, I mean getting to defend against W. Morrissey. For once I’m actually curious to see how things are going here and that is nice to be able to say, at least partially because of the Ring of Honor invasion. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tasha Steelz vs. Chelsea Green

Mickie James is on commentary and Savannah Evans is here with Steelz. Green sends her into the corner to start but gets run over, allowing Steelz to hammer away. Some shouting at Mickie doesn’t seem to cause Steelz too many problems but Green blocks the crucifix bomb. A jumping cutter drops Green for two but she’s right back up with a lifting Downward Spiral for her own near fall. Back up and Steelz hits a crucifix bomb for the fast pin at 4:29.

Rating: C-. This was ok enough but it’s a little hard to buy Steelz as some big threat to James and the title. Having her beat Green, and probably some more women going forward, would be a good idea, but you’re only going to get so far with half of a long term tag wrestler. Also, I wouldn’t have bet on Green losing clean in less than five minutes though either, as she is usually presented as a pretty big deal.

Post match Steelz says it was nice for Mickie to retain the title at Hard To Kill but now it’s time to get savage. Spoiler alert: she’s going to make Mickie a failure. She’s going to send Mickie back to Empower a failure (Mickie: “Someone is mad she wasn’t booked.”) and she is going to send Mickie back to her son as a failure. That gets Mickie up but Evans gets in her way. Mickie gets in her face and the fight is on until Evans breaks it up. Green makes a save though and house is cleaned, likely setting up a tag match next week.

We look at Jordynne Grace retaining the Digital Media Title on BTI but Matt Cardona interrupted and seemed to be the next challenger.

Cardona says he didn’t win the World Title but there are other titles he can win. He invented the Internet Title so now he wants the World Wide Web Title. That’s a challenge.

Video on Charlie Haas, mainly featuring clips from his time in Ring of Honor.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Influence vs. Decay

Kaleb With A K is here with Influence, who jump Decay before the bell. Rosemary is down and holding her shoulder as Kaleb With A K takes the Influence’s pictures. Rosemary tells Havok to go it alone though and that seems to be the case.

Influence vs. Havok

Kaleb With A K joins commentary as the Influence double teams Havok down in the corner. The stomping ensues but Havok flips Rayne off her shoulders. A slam is broken up as Rayne crossbodies both of them at once for a big crash. The double Stroke finishes Havok at 3:34.

Rating: C-. This seems to be fallout from Rosemary getting hurt at Hard To Kill, as there wasn’t much else that could be done for her here. I’m not sure how long she is going to be out, but hopefully it isn’t that serious of an injury. At the same time, the Influence is on their way to a Knockouts Tag Team Title match against the IInspiration so they should be going over Havok, or even a full strength Decay.

The IInspiration pops up to say their star power will outshine Tenille Dashwood, who has a partner who retires every year. The shoes the Influence are trying to feel are three times too big.

We look at the King’s Daughter, the movie that is sponsoring the show.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton come in to see Speedball Mike Bailey and suggest that he makes the right kind of friends. Johnny Bravo makes a random cameo and Ace leaves Bailey with a playing card.

Learning Tree vs. W. Morrissey

Brian Myers is on commentary. They charge at Morrissey and get hit in the face for their efforts. A chokeslam to Dice and a powerbomb to VSK finish for Morrissey at 1:11.

Post match Morrissey says he’s coming for Moose and the World Title.

In the back, Scott D’Amore gives Morrissey a match with Moose at No Surrender.

The Ring of Honor guys are trying to come in and have tickets. D’Amore comes in and says they can be here to support Jonathan Gresham….in a luxury box, away from the ring. Then get out.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Steve Maclin

Gresham is defending and this is Pure Rules. Maclin isn’t interested in the Code of Honor before the bell so Gresham takes him up against the ropes for the first rope break. The Ring of Honor people are watching from the balcony as Maclin drives him up against the ropes for another rope break. Then Gresham makes Maclin use the ropes again, earning himself a right hand for the official warning.

Maclin gets two off a butterfly backbreaker and the threat of a hold makes Gresham burn through another rope break, leaving them with a break apiece. The Boston crab stays on Gresham’s back and he makes the rope for the last time. Maclin grabs a camel clutch and this time the rope has no impact. Gresham pulls his way to his feet so Maclin hits a pair of slams for two.

Back up and Gresham kicks him down, setting up a dropkick. Maclin ties him in the Tree of Woe though and it’s a running shoulder to the ribs for two. With that broken up, Gresham goes for the ribs, sending Maclin to the ropes for his final break. An exchange of forearms and clotheslines gives them an exchange of near falls. Mayhem For All is broken up though and Gresham grabs a Figure Four. They slap it out until Maclin rolls over….which means nothing, so Gresham stands up in the ropes to crank on the leg enough for the tap at 10:19.

Rating: C+. The rope breaks were a bit odd at the time but they were designed to set up the ending. Gresham is awesome in this role, as he digs himself into a hole and then finds a way out of it, often by means of some kind of a hold. Maclin was good for a foil here, but the Gresham/Ring of Honor stuff feels like it has a much longer way to go with bigger names being involved.

Post match, Maclin still won’t show respect.

Flashback Moment of the Week (They still do those?): Sarita/Taylor Wilde b. the Beautiful People for the inaugural Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

The Ring of Honor wrestlers leave. Right.

Doc Gallows/Joe Doering vs. Heath/Rhino

Karl Anderson is on commentary and Violent By Design is here too. Rhino takes Gallows into the corner to start and fires off right hands before the villains are knocked outside. We take a break and come back with Gallows getting the better of a slugout with Rhino. Doering comes in for some choking as Eric Young yells at the fans. Gallows headbutts Rhino down to set up a chinlock, which is broken up without much effort. The hot tag brings in Heath as everything breaks down. Young gets in a flag shot to Heath though and it’s a double chokeslam for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: C. This tag team stuff has been going on for what feels like ever now and it doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. Odds are we are going to be seeing some big multi team match for the titles, though other than Heath and Rhino winning the titles, there is very little here that gets my attention. The Good Brothers have held the titles far too long over their two reigns and I had almost forgotten they were even the champions.

King’s Daughter trailer.

Charlie Haas vs. Josh Alexander

Chris Sabin is on commentary and thankfully Haas has some hair, as the bald look wasn’t working in the slightest. Believe it or not, they go technical to start with Alexander grabbing a hammerlock. With that broken up, Haas runs him over with a shoulder but Alexander boots him out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Alexander jumping over him out of the corner but banging up his knee in the process. Haas is smart enough to go after the knee, which is wrapped around the post. The leg is tied up in the ropes for a running knee to the knee, setting up something like an Indian Deathlock. Alexander grabs a backslide for two but they trade rolling German suplexes. Back up and Haas mixes it up a bit with some running shoulders to the ribs in the corner (apparently knocking himself silly in the process). Haas goes back to the leg but gets reversed into an ankle lock 11:23.

Rating: B-. This was the grappling/submission clinic that you were expecting from the two of them, even though Haas’ injury might have screwed things up a bit. What mattered here was giving Alexander another win over a name and that’s what they did. I’m not sure when Alexander is going to get his World Title shot, but having him run through stars is a good way to fill in the time.

Post match, respect is shown…and here are the Ring of Honor guys to jump both of them. Sabin gets off commentary and gets beaten down as well. Some other wrestlers come in for a failed save attempt until Eddie Edwards, with Kenny, makes the real save. The Ring of Honor wrestlers bail back to the balcony, where Maria Kanellis-Bennett dubs them Honor No More to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a great show but what worked well was good enough. That’s all you need in a situation like this, as you have some big stories coming together. The problem is that the lower level stuff is bringing the good down and that is a bit of an issue. Improve on some of the weaker stuff and the show will be that much better as a whole.

Results
Tasha Steelz b. Chelsea Green – Crucifix bomb
Influence b. Havok – Double Stroke
W. Morrissey b. Learning Tree – Double pin
Jonathan Gresham b. Steve Maclin – Figure Four
Doc Gallows/Joe Doering b. Heath/Rhino – Double chokeslam to Heath
Josh Alexander b. Charlie Haas – Ankle lock

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Impact Wrestling
Date: December 16, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re on the way to Hard To Kill and the card is starting to take shape. That means we should have some good stuff coming up in the next few weeks, as Impact can give us some nice final pushes into major shows. Matt Cardona is still building momentum on the way to the biggest match of his career and that could continue this week. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Jimmy Rave.

Opening recap looks at last week’s main event, with W. Morrissey’s temper costing him a chance to get Matt Cardona out of the Hard To Kill main event.

Opening sequence.

Rohit Raju vs. Josh Alexander

Raj Singh is here with Raju. A single right hand annoys Alexander so Raju is already hiding in the ropes. That earns him a hiptoss out of the corner as Alexander’s bad ribs don’t seem to be bothering him to start. They head outside with Alexander taking out Singh but getting said ribs driven into the barricade. Back in and Raju sweeps the leg out, setting up a Russian legsweep for two.

The ribs are draped over the top rope but Alexander snaps off an overhead belly to belly. Alexander tries to bridge into a backslide but the ribs give out, meaning Raju tries…some kind of unclear ribs hold. With that not working, Alexander hits him in the face, only to get sent into the corner for a Cannonball. Raju’s double stomp to the bad ribs gets two and a jumping knee to the face rocks Alexander again. It doesn’t seem to matter though as Alexander is back with a shot to the knee, setting up the C4 Spike for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird match as Raju got in a bunch of offense but Alexander shrugged it off and won in the end. The good thing is that Alexander survived and fought through an injury to win, as he continues his path back to the title. I’m just not sure he’s getting back there anytime soon, as it already feels like his entire run over the summer has been forgotten.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The Good Brothers and Violent By Design seem to have mutual enemies but they don’t trust each other.

Ad for Throwback Throwdown 2, which seems like a fun show.

Chelsea Green is ready for the first ever Knockouts Ultimate X match. The same night, Matt Cardona is going to win the World Title…and here is Moose behind her. He wishes her good luck because she is nice enough to stay with someone who is always midcard. Green says Moose is here because he’s scared to talk trash to Cardona. Violence is promised at Hard To Kill.

Joe Doering/Doc Gallows vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

So it’s two halves of a tag team vs. a regular tag team? Everyone else, including Rhino and Heath, are at ringside so this is an odd choice. Swann rolls away from Gallows to start and hands it off to Mack to work on the arm. Mack and Swann take turns on said arm until Gallows is sent outside. Stereo dives take out the big men and we take a break.

Back with Swann getting distracted by Doering so Gallows can kick him to the floor. Doering throws him back in for a Boston crab before Gallows strikes away at the ribs. Swann enziguris Doering to make the tag off to Mack though and everything breaks down. A high crossbody hits Gallows but Doering shoves Swann off the top, leaving Mack to get double chokeslammed for the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C. It was a fine formula match but egads the idea of Violent By Design and the Good Brothers as a team makes my head hurt. Odds are this is setting up a four way at Hard To Kill, but that doesn’t make the next few weeks any easier. Swann and Mack continue to be a fun team, but it’s not exactly an easy way to get to the pay per view.

Post match the big beatdown is on but Eddie Edwards of all people makes the save. Ten man tag/hardcore war?

The Learning Tree is worried that Brian Myers won’t be pleased with them but they can make up for it by beating Decay.

Jonah talks about what it means to be the Top Dog. His dad was in prison and gained respect by not telling the guards when someone hit him. Jonah hit Josh Alexander at Hard To Kill, so now it’s time for Alexander to respect him too.

John Skyler vs. Trey Miguel

Non-title. Miguel spins out of a wristlock to start and snaps off a dropkick to send Skyler outside. That means a suicide dive to knock him into the barricade but Skyler is right back with a slingshot spear. Miguel’s comeback is cut off with an overhead belly to belly into the corner but he’s fine enough to tie Skyler up in said corner. The Cheeky Nandos Kick sets up the 619 into the top rope Meteora to finish Skyler at 3:43.

Rating: C. Another simple yet effective match as Skyler got in a bit of offense but ultimately lost to the much better star. Miguel is probably set up for a showdown with Steve Maclin at Hard To Kill so it makes sense to build him up a bit here. Skyler is fine as one of the jobbers to the stars around here and that is a nice role for him.

Post match, Steve Maclin comes out to blast Miguel with the X-Division Title. Maclin takes him backstage and post break, Miguel is tied up with a gag in his mouth.

Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid

Striker says this could be the match of the year and could “define a generation”. Hikuleo is here with Bey to keep things uneven. Kid spins out of a wristdrag and Bey isn’t sure what to do early on. Bey whips him hard into the corner but gets taken down by a springboard clothesline. A hurricanrana puts Bey on the floor but Kid misses the required dive. That earns him a big point in the face from Hikuleo and Bey posts Kid to take over.

Back in and Bey kicks the leg out, setting up a dropkick for two. A Hikuleo cheap shot gets two and we hit the chinlock but Kid is up in a hurry. Bey gets sent outside where Kid hits a big dive, but Hikuleo shoves him off the top. We take a break and come back with Kid hitting a Falcon Arrow to set up the series of moonsaults for two.

Kid goes up top but gets caught, only to come out with a super Michinoku Driver the another near fall. Bey catches him on top again for a double stomp and two of his own. That doesn’t slow Kid down as he scores with a running flip DDT before diving onto Hikuleo. The distraction is enough for Bey to get up and catch a diving Kid in a cutter for the pin at 13:36.

Rating: B. This was rather good and one of the better TV matches in a good while. These two flew around and were hitting some crazy spots, with some of Kid’s dives looking awesome. Bey getting the win was a nice surprise, but it’s kind of hard to get invested as he hasn’t really had much to do lately. I’m not sure if it was some generation defining match like Striker said, but that’s partially because there is no reason to listen to Striker on just about anything.

We recap Deonna Purrazzo showing up at Ring of Honor Final Battle to challenge Rok-C to a winner take all title match. Since that would require Purrazzo winning the Knockouts Title from Mickie James, we see Purrazzo jumping James at an autograph signing.

Gail Kim makes a Texas Death Match between Purrazzo and James for Hard To Kill. Until then, they can’t touch each other.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Jessie McKay

Everyone associated with the two of them are here and the IInspiration are in Harlem Heat inspired gear. They shout at each other to start and then catch stereo boots to the ribs. Dashwood grabs a headlock but gets shouldered down as we take a break. Back with Dashwood bending McKay’s neck around the ropes and hitting the running crossbody in the corner. We hit the seated full nelson for a bit, followed by a big boot for two on Dashwood. Everyone else gets in a fight at ringside though and it’s the Spotlight Kick to finish McKay at 9:19.

Rating: C. The wrestling was average, but there is something nice about Dashwood finally getting something together around here. It seems like she has been floating around since she debuted and now she is finding her footing with the Influence deal. Odds are this sets up the title match at Hard To Kill, assuming you remember that the Knockouts Tag Team Titles actually exist.

It’s time for a contract signing between W. Morrissey, Matt Cardona (with Chelsea Green) and Moose. Cardona is about to sign but Morrissey takes the contract away and says he’s ready for Hard To Kill right now. Morrissey signs and leaves so Cardona promises that he has never been more ready. Cardona signs as well, leaving Moose to ask if Cardona really wants to do this. That makes Cardona think Moose is scared but Moose asks again. Cardona says sign it, which Moose does, though he still can’t believe that Green stays with someone so average.

Moose asks if she’ll stay with Midcardona after he leaves, or if she leaves like the w**** that she is. That’s enough for Cardona to jump the table, which he is promptly put through. Moose goes to leave but comes back and shoves Green down to get to Cardona again. The chair is wrapped around Cardona’s head but Green grabs another chair away. That’s enough for Cardona to get up….and accidentally chair her straight in the head. Panic ensues to end the show. The angle was fine on paper, but there’s no need for a chair shot to the head like that. It didn’t feel like a big moment as much as “we’re really doing that?” and that’s not good.

Overall Rating: C+. It felt like they took a bit of the show off until the ending and that’s ok for a show coming up on the holiday break. The main event angle worked and made Cardona feel like a bigger threat to win the title, but the rest of the show worked well enough too. The wrestling was certainly adequate and Bey vs. Kid was very good. I’m looking forward to Hard To Kill, and I wouldn’t have bet on that with a show involving Zack Ryder and Big Cass in a pay per view main event. Nice job with making that work.

Results
Josh Alexander b. Rohit Raju – C4 Spike
Doc Gallows/Joe Doering b. Rich Swann/Willie Mack – Double chokeslam to Mack
Trey Miguel b. John Skyler – Top rope Meteora
Chris Bey b. Laredo Kid – Cutter
Tenille Dashwood b. Jessie McKay – Spotlight Kick

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Impact Wrestling
Date: November 18, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

It’s the go home show for Turning Point and that means we are likely getting the final push towards the show. There are a lot of things that still need to be fixed up but what matters now is making me want to watch. Impact has gotten a lot better at this sort of thing as of late and one last push could help a lot. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Eddie Edwards becoming #1 contender to Moose’s World Title.

Opening sequence.

Steve Maclin vs. Laredo Kid

If Maclin wins, he’s added to the X-Division Title match at Turning Point. Kid starts fast but gets rolled up for an early two. That means a standoff and the fans are rather pleased with what they are seeing. Maclin is sent outside but switches places in a hurry, meaning Kid is crushed by a big suicide dive. Back in and Kid flips out of a release German suplex but gets tied in the Tree of Woe.

A missed charge sends Maclin outside and that means a BIG dive from Kid for the knockdown. Back in and Kid hits a Michinoku Driver, setting up the multiple moonsaults for two. The top rope moonsault misses though and a running knee gives Maclin two. Kid’s cartwheel DDT doesn’t do much good as Maclin is right back with a running clothesline to put both of them down. Back up and Kid gets caught on top, setting up the spear in the Tree of Woe. Mayhem For All finishes Kid at 6:14.

Rating: C. This was the only way to go with the match as Maclin isn’t going to say that he wants into the title match, get a chance to get into the title match, and then lose. I’m not sure if Maclin is going to win the title, but it would certainly be a career making moment. That being said, Trey Miguel losing so soon after becoming champion isn’t a great idea so I’m not sure where to go. That’s a nice feeling to have so well done on putting something together.

Here’s what’s coming at Turning Point and tonight.

Brian Myers injured Sam Beale’s throat earlier tonight on BTI. Then a Conchairto made it worse.

Rich Swann isn’t happy with what Myers did and swears revenge at Turning Point.

Trey Miguel isn’t happy with the X-Division Title match being a triple threat but he’s ready for anything. He’s going to go out of his way to beat Maclin to retain the title.

Ace Austin isn’t interested in beating Chris Sabin again at Turning Point because, as the shirt says, he already beat Chris Sabin. Cue Chris Sabin to talk him into taking the challenge, but the brawl is on right now. Sabin manages to lock Austin and Madman Fulton in what looks to be a closet.

IInspiration vs. Undead Bridesmaids

Non-title. McKay can’t get very far with Lauren so it’s off to Kimber to take Cassie down by the leg. Back up and Cassie scores with a spinning kick to the head as we take a break. We come back with Kimber jawbreaking her way to freedom and handing it back to Lauren to clean house. A basement dropkick knocks Cassie out to the floor but she faceplants Lauren down. Kimber is knocked to the floor and it’s a belly to back suplex/powerbomb combination to finish Lauren at 9:11.

Rating: C-. Just a match here to give the IInspiration a TV win, which is a good idea. The team has a reputation from WWE but that is mainly for their talking. Let them get in the ring and show what they can do there as well, as it is kind of an important bonus. Now we can get on to the real showdown with Decay, which should be another nice boost for the champs.

Post match here is Decay for the big staredown, which has the IInspiration cowering in fear. Granted Decay surrounding them and screaming doesn’t help.

Flashback Moment of the Week (They still do those?): Rhino/Heath b. Reno Scum at Victory Road 2020.

Earlier this week, Chelsea Green became #1 contender to the Digital Media Title.

Chelsea Green is ready to win the title at Countdown To Turning Point. Matt Cardona is here too and wants the winner of Moose and Eddie Edwards at Turning Point. W. Morrissey comes in to say he’s in Cardona’s way. A Turning Point match is made between the two of them.

Eddie Edwards talks about his history with Moose….who jumps him from behind. They brawl into the arena, with Moose dropping him hard onto the apron twice in a row. Moose loads up a table but takes too long, allowing Eddie to grab a chair for some shots to the back. A running knee puts Moose on the table and it’s time for a ladder. That takes too long as well and Moose bails, with Eddie looking down at him from atop the ladder.

In the back, Moose says Eddie will see what he is capable of at Turning Point. Scott D’Amore comes in to make it Full Metal Mayhem (basically TLC).

Mercedes Martinez says she’s here to dominate the division and at Turning Point, she’s taking out Mickie James to win the Knockouts Title.

Hikuleo vs. Doc Gallows

The rest of Bullet Club and Karl Anderson are here too. Gallows goes right after him at the bell and the fight heads out to the floor. Hikuleo is sent face first into the apron but kicks away as they go back inside. An exchange of clotheslines don’t go anywhere so it’s a Bullet Club distraction, which allows Hikuleo to get in a low blow. That’s good for some near falls but Gallows isn’t having this being chopped thing.

The vest comes down though and now the chops have some more effect, setting up a splash for two more. We hit the chinlock, which is switched into a neck crank in a hurry. Back up and the double clothesline gives us a double knockdown for a double breather. Gallows is up first with a flying shoulder but Hikuleo runs him over as well. Anderson pops up onto the apron for a distraction, allowing Gallows to take the eyes. The chokebomb finishes Hikuleo at 6:35.

Rating: C. Pretty standard power brawl here so they followed an easy formula. That’s all they needed to do and it keeps the champs looking strong going into the title match. Add in some cheating to keep Hikuleo strong and this was pretty by the book stuff. The titles still need to change, though I’m not completely sure that they will.

We get a sitdown interview with Deonna Purrazzo, who is in all black, including large sunglasses, and has very little to say. She is contractually obligated to be here and owes no one an explanation about where she has been. Purrazzo finally goes into a bit of a rant as she says everyone is going to have to see what her next move is.

FinJuice isn’t happy with being knocked all the way back down to the bottom of the ladder. Scott D’Amore pops up to give them a match against Decay at Turning Point.

Eric Young asks what it is like to be truly free. Rhino knew real freedom but then he made a choice. That choice brings consequences and at Turning Point, Young promises to build a monument to violence over Rhino and Heath’s bodies.

Johnny Swinger/Hernandez/Fallah Bahh vs. Decay/Demon

Swinger starts with Black Taurus and yes, he busts out a red handkerchief for the bull charge. Somehow this works twice, but the third time sees Taurus hit Swinger in the face (as bulls tend to do). Crazzy Steve comes in and gets caught in Hernandez’s rocking slam. Bahh drops a big elbow but Steve bites Swinger’s arm, allowing the tag off to the Demon. With the rest of the ring cleared out, the Demon chokes Swinger for the tap at 3:10.

Rating: D+. This was your comic relief of the week and that is exactly why Swinger is in a match. They kept it short and to the point here so it’s hard to get annoyed in any way. Nothing to the match of course and I’m still not sure why the Demon of all people is here, but Swinger is such a charming goof that it’s hard not to smile.

Post break, Swinger passes John E. Bravo in the back, saying this must be rock bottom. Swinger leaves and Havok/Rosemary pop in. They’re willing to help Bravo help Swinger…for his virgin blood.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Chelsea Green. Rachael Ellering lists off all of Grace’s accomplishments.

Mickie James respected Mercedes Martinez but apparently they aren’t friends.

Turning Point rundown.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander goes for the arm to start as this is already being declared awesome. That’s switched into an ankle lock and Suzuki is out in a hurry for a standoff. Alexander takes him up against the ropes and offers a clean break, which just feels stupid against Suzuki. Thankfully it’s a kick to Alexander’s ribs but he sends Suzuki outside for a breather. Back in and Suzuki chokes him over the ropes but a security guard takes away Suzuki’s chair. That means a right hand to said guard and we take a break.

Back with Suzuki hitting a running boot on the ramp as the fans continue to be split. They get back inside with Alexander hitting a running boot to the face but Suzuki runs him over again. Some taunting kicks to the head just wake Alexander up but it’s time for Suzuki to chop him in the chest. A big one sends Alexander to his knee, where Suzuki hits him in the face.

The fired up Alexander is chopped right back down and he gets caught in the sleeper. Suzuki lets him go and tries the Gotch style piledriver, which is countered with a backdrop. Alexander hits a top rope knee to the back of the head for two, with the kickout going straight into the ankle lock. Suzuki forearms his way out before going to the sleeper. They trade some very fast counters (that was sweet) until Alexander hits him in the face. The C4 Spike gives Alexander the pin at 13:48.

Rating: B. This started off pretty slowly and then got better near the end, once Suzuki actually started working a bit harder. The first half felt like he was just there and getting by on reputation only, but after that things improved a good bit. Alexander winning a wrestle off and then winning clean makes him look strong, as he should be getting the Hard To Kill title shot in January.

Alexander gets to celebrate with his family in a nice moment.

We go to the back where Johnny Swinger and John E. Bravo run into everyone from Swinger’s Palace. They’re not sure why they’re here, but Decay pops up to say they brought everyone together. Next week, they’re coming together again….in WRESTLE HOUSE 2! Sure why not.

Overall Rating: C+. It was an up and down week, though I can go for the idea of more Wrestle House to go with a good main event. Turning Point got a lot of focus this week and the show should be a pretty eventful one. These monthly shows have done a lot of good for Impact, just for the sake of giving them something to focus on. Another solid week here, and Hard To Kill could start getting some focus next week.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Laredo Kid – Mayhem For All
IInspiration b. Undead Bridesmaids – Powerbomb/belly to back suplex combination to Lauren
Doc Gallows b. Hikuleo – Chokebomb
Decay/Demon b. Johnny Swinger/Fallah Bahh/Hernandez – Choke to Swinger
Josh Alexander b. Minoru Suzuki – C4 Spike

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 19, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We have a new World Champion around here and it happens to be someone who doesn’t actually work here (again). Christian Cage wont he World Title from Kenny Omega during the first edition of AEW Rampage. I’m not sure what that is going to mean for the future, but Brian Myers is the #1 contender so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Christian Cage defeating Kenny Omega to win the World Title last Friday. Cage is pleased with his win.

Josh Matthews and Gia Miller are in the ring to talk about Cage’s win but here are Eddie Edwards and W. Morrissey to brawl around ringside. Eddie hits the suicide dive but Morrissey is right back up take him down. Cue Sami Callihan to go after Morrissey, which is finally enough for security to get Morrissey out of there. Sami grabs the mic and says Eddie can thank him later. He has a match tonight and he doesn’t feel like waiting so get them out here RIGHT NOW.

Opening sequence. I thought they had forgotten.

Sami Callihan/Chris Sabin vs. Ace Austin/Moose

Madman Fulton is here with Austin/Moose and these four are in a four way at Emergence to crown a new #1 contender. The fans are behind Sami (“DEATH MACHINE!”) but Austin armdrags him down for some early annoyance. A running shoulder drops Austin though and Sami catches him in a running Death Valley Driver. The good (ish) guys start working on Austin’s arm, including Sabin snapping it over his shoulder. Austin’s springboard spinning kick to the face misses and Sabin knocks Moose off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Moose chopping Sabin so hard that his eyes bug out. A rake of said eyes draws Sami over but Sabin gets caught in the wrong corner again. Sabin manages a sunset flip out of the corner for two though and the hot tag brings in Sami to start cleaning house. Everything breaks down and Sabin hits a top rope tornado DDT to plant Moose. Sami takes too long with the THUMBS UP thing though, allowing Sabin to tag himself back in. The Cradle Shock finishes for Sabin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. This was a nice little preview of their match at Emergence and that’s all you needed out of a match like this one. What interests me the most here is how Sabin has revitalized his career. He has always been talented and treated like a big deal but now he is having the matches to back it up at this level. That’s a great thing to see and Sabin has been making it work every week.

Post match, Sami takes out Sabin, as he should.

Here’s what is coming tonight.

We look at the Good Brothers beating Jon Moxley/Yuji Nagata at New Japan Resurgence.

The Good Brothers are happy with what they did and tonight, Doc Gallows is going to take out Joe Doering.

Sami Callihan says Chris Sabin was fair game as soon as the match ended and he wants the World Title. Eddie Edwards comes up by Sami says they aren’t friends.

Shera vs. Matt Cardona

Rohit Raju and Chelsea Green are here too. I don’t hear a bell but Shera shoves him around to start anyway. Shera gets tossed outside though and Cardona hits a running dropkick through the ropes to rock him again. Raju grabs the foot though and Cardona gets kicked in the face as we take a break. Back with Shera dropping a big elbow for two and slapping on the chinlock. Cardona makes the comeback but charges into a backbreaker for two. A missed charge sends Shera into the corner but Green has to deal with Raju. Another missed charge lets Cardona hit the middle rope Radio Silence for the pin at 9:38.

Rating: C. It’s almost surprising to see how far Shera has fallen from the dancer into the monster into the jobber to the stars. I wouldn’t exactly call it a bad thing, but it’s kind of hard to fathom. What matters most here though is Cardona continues to find his place around here, which didn’t seem likely when he first debuted.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christian Cage wins the World Title from Jeff Jarrett in February 2006.

It’s time for the return of Locker Room Talk with Madison Rayne, who has to wake up Johnny Swinger. Anyway, the guests are Tenille Dashwood (Swinger approves) and Kaleb With A K, who are on the set of It’s All About Me. Since Rayne is supposed to ask her questions, she would like to know why they got together last week. Dashwood says they always wanted to but this was the perfect time, so it is time to take over the division. To be fair, it has been a few months since we had a new dynamic duo. Swinger and Kaleb With A K argue though (Kaleb With A K: “Go back to AOL!”) and a match seems likely to wrap it up.

Josh Alexander isn’t scared of Jake Something. Cue Jake to say he’ll give Josh a reason to be scared.

Post break, Jake Something and Kaleb With A K come up to Scott D’Amore to complain about things so they can face each other in a No DQ match tonight.

Here is Christian Cage to the big hero’s welcome. Christian says they’re going to make him blush and the nostalgia is strong around here. Yes he wrestles for AEW, but it was an honor to bring these titles back here where they belong. Impact gambled on him in 2005 and he was able to win World Titles, which was all he ever wanted. The YOU DESERVE IT chants come and go before Christian thinks it is time to retire the TNA Championship. That’s about the past, because the Impact Wrestling World Title is what matters right now. He hands the title off….and here are Brian Myers and Sam Beale to interrupt.

Myers talks about how this is really nostalgic and thinks we need Shark Boy or a Brown Bag Special. He has been killing it for a year around here and tomorrow night, he is taking the World Title. Christian says it’s nice to see Myers finally get out of Matt Cardona’s shadow and he even has his own guy to check his spelling. Myers has to learn how to lose because he knows how to win. He might be the most professional wrestler, but Christian is the BEST professional wrestler. The fight is on and Christian cleans house in a hurry. Nice segment to build a not that interesting title match.

Trey Miguel meets Melina and seems impressed. Melina….not so much.

We look at Deonna Purrazzo becoming the AAA Reina de Reinas Champion.

Melina vs. Brandi Lauren

Lauren is sent into the corner to start but gets up an elbow to the jaw. Melina hits an elbow of her own, followed by a quick middle rope crossbody. There’s a running knee to the back into a DDT and the Muta Lock goes on. Melina turns it over into the California Dream (Muta Lock with Melina on her stomach and pulling down) for the tap at 2:07. Just a squash.

Post match, Deonna Purrazzo runs in for the fight, with Matthew Rehwoldt and Trey Miguel running in as well. The good ones clear the ring.

We look at John Skyler beating Matt Cardona with a bit of an assist from Rohit Raju.

Skyler says of course that isn’t a surprise that he won and no, he didn’t need Rohit Raju’s help. Speaking of help, someone seems to need it and we go over to see a downed Juice Robinson.

We look at Jordynne Grace dominating a powerlifting competition, with Rachael Ellering in the crowd. She’s going for a national championship soon.

Jake Something vs. Kaleb With A K

No DQ and Kaleb With A K has a neck brace on (complete with a bowtie). Jake powers him into the corner to start and snaps off a belly to belly. There’s a Batista Bomb to plant Kaleb With A K again and it’s table time. A spear through said table finishes for Jake at 2:04.

Post match Josh Alexander comes out for the staredown.

Su Yung and Kimber Lee are still evil.

Emergence rundown.

Doc Gallows vs. Joe Doering

Karl Anderson and the rest of Violent By Design are here too. They waste no time in going to the slugout, which sends them outside. Doering is sent into the steps and we take a break. Back with Doering managing a German suplex as we hear about Doering’s time in All Japan. A slightly delayed vertical suplex drops Gallows again and they head outside to keep up the brawling. Gallows throws a char at Doering’s face, which isn’t a DQ because….I guess this is no DQ?

Back in and a double shoulder puts them back on the floor. Gallows wins the next brawl and they fight up the ramp, where Gallows hits a sitout chokebomb through the stage for the big crash. A few minutes later, they pull themselves out and go into the ring (with Striker doing his usual annoying over hype). Gallows goes up but dives into the lariat for the fast pin at 15:03.

Rating: D. It was slow, it wasn’t very interesting, and the rules weren’t exactly clear. The big spot in the middle was good, but if there was ever a spot to go to a no content, they went sailing past it by going back inside. Gallows just isn’t very good in the ring and Doering isn’t much better, leaving us with a way, way, WAY too long match here.

Violent By Design poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I really wasn’t feeling this one, but it did a decent enough job of setting up Emergence. The opening match was pretty good but the long main event and a few short matches didn’t help things. I’ve seen far worse shows, but this was a bit of a downgrade off of what we have been seeing from Impact lately. They can start setting up Bound For Glory next week though, and that’s what matters in the near future.

Results
Chris Sabin/Sami Callihan b. Moose/Ace Austin – Cradle Shock to Austin
Matt Cardona b. Shera – Middle rope Radio Silence
Melina b. Brandi Lauren – California Dream
Jake Something b. Kaleb With A K – Spear through a table
Joe Doering b. Doc Gallows – Lariat

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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Dynamite
Date: July 21, 2021
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s another special show this week with Fyter Fest Night Two, headlined by the IWGP United States Title Texas Deathmatch between Jon Moxley and Lance Archer. The recent shows have been pretty good as of late and I’m curious to see how well they can keep it up. Odds are they will, as they tend to do. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Spears

Tully Blanchard is at ringside, MJF is on commentary, Spears can use a chair but Jericho can’t. Jericho knocks him down to start but gets the chair taken away from him. That means Spears can chop him into the corner, only to be sent outside. A whip sends Spears into the barricade and Jericho heads back inside, leaving Spears to grab another chair. The triangle dropkick is cut off with a chair being pelted at the head.

Jericho scores with an enziguri but gets belly to belly superplexed back down. Spears crushes the arm with the chair but Jericho is back with some running shoulders. A top rope ax handle hits Spears again and Jericho adds in some pretty bad looking top rope right hands. Jericho hurricanranas him down but runs into a superkick for two.

Spears goes for the chair but Jericho pulls him into the Walls. Blanchard grabs the referee as Spears taps, so here is Sammy Guevara to pull Blanchard down. Sammy ducks a right hand and takes Blanchard to the back as Spears slips out of the Walls. A chair to the head into the C4 gets two so Spears tries another onto the chair, only to have Jericho slip out. Spears is sent into the chair in the corner and the Judas Effect finishes for Jericho at 10:59.

Rating: C+. I can get behind the idea of the Five Labors as it’s a cool idea and a story that makes enough sense. The chair stipulation was a little weird but at least they’re doing something that MJF would find a good idea. Throw in Guevara needing to redeem himself (and likely becoming a Labor later on) and it’s a story that should work well.

Post match MJF praises Jericho for his win but it gets a little harder next week. The second Labor of Jericho is going to be a No DQ match against…..sweet goodness it’s against Nick Gage. Well, so much for having fun on this show.

Miro is ready for his title defense at Homecoming in two weeks.

Doc Gallows vs. Frankie Kazarian

Karl Anderson is here too. Kazarian slugs away to start but gets knocked outside, where Anderson gets in a clothesline. We take a break and come back with Gallows holding a chinlock until Kazarian fights up with right hands. A running clothesline drops Gallows and the springboard legdrop gets two. Anderson offers a distraction by grabbing Kazarian around the waist, with JR accurately asking how the referee can’t see that. Kazarian gets rid of him but it’s a kick to the head into a chokebomb to give Gallows the pin at 6:36.

Rating: D+. This was a pretty short match as a good bit of it was during the break. Kazarian losing to Gallows is a little weird but odds are it leads to someone else coming to his aid for a tag match. I could go for a lot less (as in none at all) of the Good Brothers but at least they kept it short.

Post match the Good Brothers beat down Kazarian, including the Magic Killer. Cue Kenny Omega and Don Callis to say the Elite Hunter has become the Elite Hunted (which Callis had to whisper to Omega). They’re ready to show what is going to happen to Hangman Page, who comes out to interrupt. Callis thinks Page is just drunk so the fight is on, with the Dark Order running in for the save.

Team Taz is ready for Ricky Starks’ celebration next week.

Brian Cage says he loves celebrations.

Darby Allin vs. Wheeler Yuta

Sting and Orange Cassidy are here too. Allin takes him down by the arm to start but Yuta gets smart by sending him into the corner to bang up the ribs. We hit the Octopus but Allin bites the rope for the escape. Allin knocks him down and we get the Sting vs. Cassidy showdown on the floor, with an exchange of lazy kicks. Sting even does some lazy pounding on the chest, only to be cut off by Yuta grabbing some rollups for two. The flipping Stunner drops Yuta though and the Coffin Drop finishes for Allin at 4:21.

Rating: C. This was fun while it lasted but it didn’t last long. Yuta is someone who has looked good every time I’ve seen him and he was doing fine here as well. The Sting vs. Cassidy stuff was perfectly fine, with Sting’s chest pounding making me chuckle. Allin keeps building himself up, though I’m not sure what he is going to do later.

Post match (because there is always a post match), Blade comes in to knock Cassidy out with brass knuckles.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer in a Texas Deathmatch.

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose vs. Britt Baker

Baker is defending and Vickie Guerrero/Rebel are the seconds. Rose gets taken down by the arm to start but gets out in a hurry. A running armdrag doesn’t work for Baker so Rose gives her a gorilla press into a backsplash. Rose goes up top but Rebel gets Baker out of harm’s way. Instead it’s Baker sending Rose into the corner as we take a break. Back with Rose hitting a fall away slam but missing a charge into the corner. A backslide gets two on Rose and a DDT is good for the same.

Lockjaw is broken up in a hurry and Rose puts her over the top rope for the knee to the back of the head for two. Baker kicks her in the head for two of her own but walks into a chokeslam for the same. Back up and Baker kicks her down, setting up a few Curb Stomps for two. With nothing else working, the title is thrown in to Baker, who throws it to Rose and drops down. Vickie isn’t having that and throws the title back to Rebel, who isn’t DQ’d. Instead Rose hits a Beast Bomb for two, but another is escaped. Baker pulls her into Lockjaw to retain at 12:08.

Rating: B-. They were hitting each other rather hard here and it worked well, though it might have gone on one big near fall too many. There was no doubt over the winner here and that is not the worst thing in a first title defense. Baker is one of the biggest stars the promotion has and she isn’t (or shouldn’t) be losing anytime soon.

We get a press conference between Santana/Ortiz and FTR before they face off next week. FTR doesn’t think much of them but Santana goes on a rant (with photos) about how his family had to fight for everything. Dax Harwood says he only cares about God, his family and wrestling. The fight is on next week but security has to break it up this week.

Here is Andrade El Idolo, with translator, for a chat. Andrade gets right to the point and brings out his new executive consultant: Chavo Guerrero. After a nice reaction, Chavo puts over Andrade as a great star but here is Death Triangle to interrupt. Pac doesn’t like hearing Andrade talk about how Death Triangle is afraid of him, so Andrade talks about how he knows they’re great.

Chavo talks about how Pac’s waist isn’t shiny enough so Andrade suggests that the Lucha Bros jump ship. Pac says neither of them work for anyone because they’re a family. Andrade’s translator says they aren’t on Andrade’s level and those are fighting words. Referees prevent violence.

Earlier tonight, the Hardy Family Office beat up Jurassic Express until Christian Cage made the save.

Christian Cage thought it was over with Matt Hardy but we aren’t done yet. Next week, we can have a six man and get rid of the Hardy Family Office for good.

QT Marshall is going to apologize to Tony Schiavone.

Blade vs. Orange Cassidy

Bunny is here with Blade and Cassidy is banged up coming in. Cassidy starts fast anyway but gets knocked into the corner. That doesn’t last long as Blade is claiming a knee injury and we have to pause. Somehow that actually works on Cassidy, who gets jumped by a fine Blade. Stundog Millionaire cuts Blade off though and Cassidy goes up, only to get gutwrench dropped onto the top.

Back with Cassidy hitting a high crossbody and grabbing a DDT for two. Bunny gets on the apron but Kris Statlander cuts her off. The guys go outside where Blade is sent into Bunny (Tony: “SHE DROPPED HER EARS!!!”). Back in and another DDT is cut off, with Cassidy being dropped onto the top. A heck of a lariat sets up a spinning Tombstone for two on Cassidy and Blade is stunned. The Beach Break is broken up but the second attempt gives Cassidy two. Statlander has to deal with Bunny again but this time Bunny gets the knuckles. The Orange Punch breaks that up and gives Cassidy the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C. Not too bad here with the knuckles making for a fine story. It’s amazing how much more I can take Cassidy now that he is in a place he belongs on the card. They don’t feel like he is being forced here whatsoever, which is a welcome change. I can see the appeal of him like this and it is working out pretty well.

Post match Cassidy hits another Orange Punch with the brass knuckles, which he keeps for a bonus.

Chris Jericho, with his back to the camera, is fine with facing Nick Gage next week…..because the Painmaker is back.

Video on Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes, who meet in two weeks.

IWGP United States Title: Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer

Hometown boy Archer is challenging in a Texas Deathmatch. They go with the kendo sticks to start with Archer knocking him to the floor. A stick shot to the back rocks Moxley some more and they fight into the crowd. Archer throws a fan at Moxley and they head back into the ring. The floor mats are peeled back but Moxley grabs a quick Paradigm Shift onto the concrete for eight. The bloody Archer gets back up so Moxley busts out a fork to gash him open even more.

We take a break and come back with Archer punching a trashcan lid into Moxley’s face so Moxley bites his cut. Archer is back up with a kick to the face into a swinging Rock Bottom but remembers he can’t cover. Back up and Moxley hits a low blow before setting up a pair of chairs back to back, which will not end well.

Archer chokeslams him HARD onto the edges but Moxley is right back up. A big lariat into another Paradigm Shift….has Archer popping up, so Moxley forks him down again. With nothing else working, Moxley busts out a barbed wire board, which he puts onto a pair of tables. Archer forks Moxley for a change this time though and the chokeslam through the tables for the ten count and the title at 16:34.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a brawl which is totally not my style. I can go for the hardcore stuff in the right circumstances but stuff like the forks and the barbed wire are too much for me. That turns it into more of a freak show than a match or even a fight and I’m not wild on that almost all of the time. I was surprised by the title change, which is a good idea as it establishes that a New Japan title can change hands here rather than being little more than a photo op. Not my style, but I know there are people who are going to be all over this.

Post match Hikuleo (Haku’s son from New Japan) comes in for a staredown with Archer (who is shorter) before their title match next week.

Overall Rating: B-. Well it certainly wasn’t boring. This show was packed with stuff, some of which will be better received than the rest. I liked most of the matches and the angle advancement made sense, but the debuts didn’t do much for me. Chavo Guerrero is the definition of “really?” and Gage…we’ll move on from that garbage. The big thing here was the energy though and that alone made this show a lot of fun to watch. Good show, with some weak parts.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Shawn Spears – Judas Effect
Doc Gallows b. Frankie Kazarian – Chokebomb
Darby Allin b. Wheeler Yuta – Coffin Drop
Britt Baker b. Nyla Rose – Lockjaw
Orange Cassidy b. Blade – Orange Punch
Lance Archer b. Jon Moxley – Moxley could not answer the ten count

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 15, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown 

It’s the go home show for Slammiversary and that should make for a different kind of night. The card is set, but there are still a few things that could use a bit more of a boost. Impact has a tendency to do well around this time of year and we might be in for some more teasing of some new arrivals. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

We get a video from Sami Callihan, who wants his Slammiversary World Title match against Kenny Omega to be a No DQ match.

Tenille Dashwood/Kaleb With A K vs. Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace

Grace cranks on Kaleb With A K’s hand to start and plants him with a release side slam. There isn’t much of a challenge here so Grace throws him into the corner for a tag to Dashwood. Ellering comes in with a World’s Strongest Slam and everything breaks down in a hurry. Stereo spinebusters plant Dashwood and Kaleb With A K as Josh gives us some “great” news: Matt Striker is back at Slammiversary. Dang it I was just starting to tolerate commentary again.

Ellering gets her face slammed into the mat (sounds like how I felt when I heard about Striker) but she tosses Dashwood outside. A sunset flip pulls Kaleb With A K’s pants down, meaning it’s time for some gyrations. Dashwood pulls Grace off the apron to prevent a tag, leaving Kaleb With A K to drop a knee. A missed charge allows the hot tag off to Grace though and it is time to clean house in a hurry. The Liger Bomb gets two on Kaleb With A K with Dashwood having to make the save.

Grace hits a quick Vader Bomb and Ellering adds a springboard spinning legdrop for two more. Kaleb With A K is back with a superkick to Grace but gets taken down by the Sling Blade. Dashwood Spotlight Kicks Ellering but walks into a spinebuster from Grace. The villains head to the floor so Grace runs through Dashwood with the suicide dive. Back in and Grace charges into a powerslam (with her head hitting the mat) for two but Ellering comes in for an assisted swinging Rock Bottom to give Grace the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C. I liked this one more than I expected as Grace and Ellering match up with Kaleb With A K size wise. It might not have been a classic or anything but Grace and Ellering seem to be on the same page (for now). They could be back in a title feud soon, as it isn’t like there is anyone else who could chase them at the moment.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan, who DOES NOT care how many stars Dave Meltzer gives Omega’s matches. We do get a quick look at Callihan’s history with Don Callis, which has not been touched on very much during this feud but does tie in.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo’s Knockouts Title reign. She has beaten everyone, but this time she is fighting the unknown.

Purrazzo is not happy with not knowing who she is facing and doesn’t want to sign the contract. She goes on a rant about how annoyed she is and then signs the contract anyway, with Scott D’Amore saying it can be a hot mess and hardcore country around here. Purrazzo: “You’re not telling me who my opponent is?” D’Amore: “No way Jose.”

Here’s what is coming tonight plus at Slammiversary. Callihan vs. Omega is officially No DQ.

Tasha Steelz vs. Havok

Kiera Hogan and Rosemary are here too. Havok shoves her around to start without too much trouble and we take an early break. Back with Steelz hitting a middle rope neckbreaker to take over. The stomping is on in the corner as Rosemary is looking concerned. A superkick in the corner lets Steelz dance a bit but she is stunned by the kickout. Well then don’t dance so much. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Havok powers up and shakes her off in a hurry. Havok hits the running knee in the corner but Steelz strikes away to stagger her. A belly to belly gives Havok two but Steelz hits a pump kick. Not that it matters though as the Tombstone finishes for Havok at 9:49.

Rating: C-. Steelz is the less impressive half of the team but she did well enough here. This was your standard preview of the tag match and while it is effective, it isn’t the most inspired idea. The titles probably need to change hands at the pay per view as Fire N Flava have held them for a good while, but that has been the case for a pretty long time now.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin wins the X-Division Title at Slammiversary 2013.

Video on W. Morrissey.

Susan comes out of a dressing room and tells Kimber Lee that James Mitchell had trouble summoning Su Yung. Lee: “You know?” Susan: “I’VE KNOWN ALL ALONG!” Susan drags her into the room and I’m scared of where this is going.

Steve Maclin vs. Kal Herro

Maclin takes sends Herro into the ropes to start and drops him with an elbow to the face. Herro gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some trash talk (a rarity from Maclin) and a spear for a bonus. Maclin promises to make him quit, just like everyone did on him but Herro jawbreaks his way to freedom. That’s a bad idea as Maclin hits a hard clothesline into some elbows to the face. The reverse sitout implant DDT finishes Herro at 2:28. Maclin is starting to grow on me.

Post match Maclin says the worst thing you can do is give him time, because it lets him prepare and wait. He is done waiting.

Decay is happy with Havok but Rosemary wants to know if Havok is in or out. James Mitchell shows up and Havok says she is ready. Everyone leaves together.

Video on Ultimate X.

Ace Austin/Madman Fulton/Rohit Raju/Shera vs. Petey Williams/Trey Miguel/Josh Alexander/Chris Bey

Williams and Raju run the ropes to start until Raju hits a knee to the ribs. A crucifix gives Williams two and it’s off to Alexander vs. Austin. An early ankle lock attempt doesn’t work so Alexander pulls him to the corner by the arm for the tag to Miguel. Austin misses a springboard kick to the face but rolls straight over for the tag off to Fulton. Snake Eyes into a big boot lets Fulton do his best Undertaker impression as commentary talks about Busted Open Radio.

Austin comes back in for two off a northern lights suplex but Trey manages to flip out of a German suplex. An enziguri rocks Fulton and the hot tag brings in Bey to clean house. Everything breaks down and Alexander snaps off a German suplex. Raju blocks one of his own and neckbreakers Alexander, only to get caught in Williams’ Canadian Destroyer. The parade of secondary finishers is on until Bey rolls Fulton up for the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C+. This was a fun one and they didn’t bother going ridiculous with things. If nothing else, having one of the people not involved in the title match take the fall made sense. On top of that, it was nice to not hear about gaining momentum for a match that has nothing to do with pinfalls, because that still doesn’t make sense.

Post match, Bey cleans house with a chair and then turns on his partners. Makes sense given what he’s been saying lately.

Brian Myers offers to pay Hernandez for his services but Hernandez wants full time pay. With that not working, Myers talks to someone we don’t see.

Here are Brian Myers and Sam Beale, with the former having to admit that Jake Something is professional. Cue Something, with Matt Cardona. Myers admits that Jake is a professional, but he is never going to become a star. The brawl is on with Cardona getting the better of things but Tenille Dashwood (Cardona’s ex), the mystery person from earlier, is here to hit Cardona low.

Post break, Cardona rants about Brian Myers but Scott D’Amore comes in to suggest a mixed tag. Cardona thinks he can find a partner.

Video on Moose vs. Chris Sabin.

Moose vs. Hernandez

Fallout from Moose wrecking Swinger’s Palace. They brawl out to the floor with Moose being sent into the barricade. Back in and a release Rock Bottom plants Hernandez and Lights Out is good for the pin at 1:08.

Post match Moose grabs a chair but Chris Sabin runs in for the save and takes out Moose’s legs.

We get a video on Sami Callihan’s insanity, with Don Callis and Kenny Omega adding their thoughts on how horrible Callihan is.

Slammiversary rundown.

Doc Gallows vs. Joe Doering vs. Fallah Bahh vs. Willie Mack

There are a bunch of people at ringside. Gallows and Doering stare each other down to start but Mack and Bahh break that up to start the fight. With the tall guys cleared out, Mack and Bahh chop it out but neither can hit anything else. That means a stalemate until the other two come back in to pair off. They all fight out to the floor until Mack takes Gallows back inside for an exchange of choking in the corner. Bahh hits the running hip attack but Doering comes back in to kick him to the floor.

Gallows and Mack take their places inside with Gallows booting him in the face. The chinlock goes on but Gallows misses an elbow, allowing Doering to come back in. That doesn’t last long either though as everyone goes outside for another slugout. Gallows hurts himself headbutting Bahh but is fine enough to go back in for a slugout with Doering. That winds up on the floor as well, with Gallows hitting the post by mistake. Back in and Doering crossbodies Bahh, setting up a short arm clothesline for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: C. Take four guys and have them beat on each other for about eight and a half minutes until one of them gets the pin. This is a formula that is going to work every time and it worked fine here. You don’t need to do anything more than that, though it is a little odd to have the champion actually win one of these on the way to the pay per view.

One last Omega vs. Callihan video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about setting up the pay per view and it did that well enough. It was kind of nice to focus on just about everything other than the World Title match, which was already been built up but did get some attention with a few videos. Impact knows how to do pay per views fairly well and making me want to see it is a good start, so well done here.

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 8, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We’re almost up to Slammiversary and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. The Elite got to stand tall at the end of last week’s show but they are going to have to get what is coming to them sooner rather than later. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them lose a bit of ground here, but you never can tell with them. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis are here for the contract signing between Omega and Sami Callihan, who doesn’t have them worried.

Opening sequence.

Brian Myers vs. Jake Something

The loser has to admit the other is a professional and Sam Beale is here with Myers. Something slugs away to start and they’re on the floor in a hurry with Myers being sent face first into the steps. They head back inside where Myers is clotheslined straight back to the floor in a hurry.

This time Myers gets in a shot of his own, setting up a suplex onto the ramp. Josh: “Jake Something experiencing what it is like to get suplexed onto the ramp. You fans can experience what it is like to see Impact Wrestling live!” Points for a good transition. Beale gets in a cheap shot from the floor but Something is back with a powerbomb. Myers grabs a DDT for two and goes up top for the elbow and a rather near fall. The Roster Cut is countered into the swinging Black Hole Slam to give Something the fast win at 5:19.

Rating: C. Ignoring the stupid Something name, this could have been worse and the ending was clean. It had a personal story behind it and that is about all you can ask for in something like this. They only had about five minutes so they did what they could, which is a little bit more than I was expecting.

Post match Something tells Myers to say it but Myers stalls until Beale can get in a cheap shot. Matt Cardona comes in for the save, likely setting up the tag match.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to keep the Knockouts Title without Kimber Lee and Susan. She is so confident that it’s open challenge time. I still need a moratorium on those things already.

Sami Callihan is ready for the contract signing when he is arrested for assaulting Don Callis. Sami: “I DID NOTHING THIS TIME!!!”

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. ???

Purrazzo is defending against….the debuting Lady Frost (Dave Penzer: “From somewhere cold!”). Purrazzo doesn’t seem overly intimidated and takes Frost into the corner to stomp away. A roundhouse kick takes Purrazzo down but Frost misses a moonsault, injuring her ankle in the process. With Frost down, the Fujiwara armbar makes her tap at 2:35.

Post match Purrazzo calls Frost another brick in the age of the Virtuosa. She is the greatest Knockouts Champion of all time but here is Gail Kim to interrupt. Kim is here to talk about Slammiversary but she is NOT challenging for the title. Instead, Kim and Scott D’Amore have found a challenger for the title at Slammiversary and Purrazzo isn’t finding out until the show. Be ready for the fight of your life.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Mickie James retains the Knockouts Title over Angelina Love at Slammiversary 2011.

Chris Sabin comes in to the empty Swinger’s Palace but Johnny Swinger isn’t there. Sabin asks one of the Swingerellas about her cat’s surgery but here’s Moose to jump both Sabin and Hernandez.

Chris Bey has made his decision about his side in the X-Division war, but he isn’t friends with anyone on his side.

W. Morrissey vs. Jason Page/Manny Smith/Deontay Evans

Before the match, Morrissey accepts Eddie Edwards’ challenge for Slammiversary and promises to demonstrate what is coming for him. Clotheslines and splashes set up a chokeslam and a powerbomb to put all three down at once. The release F5 lets Morrissey stack them up for the pin at 1:54. Well that was effective.

Video on the Knockouts division and how awesome the whole group is.

Don Callis is rather serious about the assault and isn’t taking this lightly. He even has footage of what happened and we see “Callihan” (mostly from behind and with his face covered) hitting him. Scott D’Amore says the contract signing is taking place tonight anyway.

Susan/Kimber Lee vs. Rosemary/Havok

Susan panics at having to start with Rosemary and it’s off to Havok for a double clothesline. Lee comes in and hammers away to no avail before being screamed down. Havok tosses Lee around with ease so Rosemary comes back in. This time Lee actually manages to do something of her own, with a series of kicks to the head. Susan and Lee start taking turns on Rosemary in the corner, which lasts all of ten seconds before she gets away for the tag off to Havok. Everything breaks down and Havok knocks Lee off the top to the floor. Rosemary spears Susan for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: D+. Remember when Susan was Su Yung, the indestructible monster of the division? Well now she’s losing in a mostly one sided tag match in about four minutes. At least they turned her into some kind of a joke with the pants suit, because that’s what you should do with someone as unique and talented as Yung. As usual, this company makes some really strange choices from time to time.

We go to the locker room for It’s All About Me, with Jazz (in a Shad Gaspard shirt) as this week’s guest. She gets to ask Tenille Dashwood a question, but Dashwood asks her about Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace’s instead. With that not working, Kaleb With A K asks what it means for Dashwood, who blames Jazz for everything falling apart. Dashwood thinks that sounds like Jazz’s career before backing away. Jazz gets shoved into the camera to wrap it up.

Post break, Grace and Ellering come in to check on Jazz. Revenge is sworn, with Ellering not being happy with Jazz being treated like this. Seems like a mixed tag is set for next week.

Here are Rich Swann and Willie Mack for a chat. Swann talks about how they like to fight straight up but Violent By Design jumped them last week. The challenge is sent out for the Tag Team Title shot but TJP and Fallah Bahh interrupt instead. The line starts behind them in the same promo you’ve heard a hundred times. Cue Violent By Design for the showdown but the Good Brothers come in as well, with both guys talking about how great they are in a southern preacher style. Cue Tommy Dreamer to announce a four way tag at Slammiversary. Great. Speaking of great, it’s time for a four way.

Deaner vs. Rich Swann vs. TJP vs. Karl Anderson

We start fast after with the partners on the floor and everyone else brawling inside. Swann and TJP are left alone in the ring and it’s time to start running the ropes in a hurry. TJP gets sent outside but Deaner is right there to jump Swann from behind. The chinlock goes on but here is TJP to kick Deaner down in the corner. Deaner reverses and hits a running dropkick to drive TJP’s neck into the corner for two. Back up and TJP sends Deaner and Anderson to the floor, only to be sent outside by Swann. That means a huge flip dive from Swann and we take a break.

Back with Swann running into Deaner’s knee to the ribs as Anderson gets back in. Deaner jumps him rather than agreeing to an alliance before Swann is back in. Everyone knocks each other down until TJP kicks Anderson into the corner for the boot wash. The Detonation Kick is blocked but so is the Gun Stun, leaving TJP to hit the Detonation Kick on Anderson. The Mamba Splash misses though and a Deaner DDT gets two on Swann. TJP is sent outside, leaving Anderson to Gun Stun Deaner for the pin at 13:21.

Rating: C+. The match was as energetic as you would have expected, despite one of the Good Brothers winning to make me roll my eyes. I’m not expecting them to get a title shot but there is always that chance. That alone should be a scary thought and I’m not sure what to expect at Slammiversary.

Post match the Good Brothers have their big staredown with Violent By Design, with everyone else getting involved.

Kimber Lee has a backup plan for Susan, revealing James Mitchell (yeah he’s great but HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS THING), who is going to help things out.

Slammiversary rundown.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan.

Scott D’Amore is in the ring for the Omega vs. Callihan contract signing. Since there is no Callihan, here are Omega and Don Callis, with the latter bragging about Callihan not being around. D’Amore says they have nine days to get Callihan to sign so Omega signs. The lights go out though and we see footage of Callis being slapped by the fake Callihan and praising him for doing it well.

Cue the real Callihan with the baseball bat to Omega, who is back up nine seconds later for the brawl. Callihan plants him with the package piledriver and then signs the deal. Omega is put through the table to end the show. This was contract signing 101, but if Callihan can’t keep him down for ten seconds with a baseball bat, why bother with the match?

Overall Rating: C-. They did a few things that make me want to see Slammiversary more and that is what matters the most. The wrestling here wasn’t great but it also wasn’t the point of the show. What mattered here was making me want to see the pay per view and job well done enough. The show still isn’t great, but they have found their rhythm and seem to be sticking with it and that’s a good thing.

Results
Jake Something b. Brian Myers – Swinging Black Hole Slam
Deonna Purrazzo b. Lady Frost – Fujiwara armbar
W. Morrissey b. Jason Page/Manny Smith/Deontay Wilder – Triple pin
Rosemary/Havok b. Susan/Kimber Lee – Spear to Susan
Karl Anderson b. Rich Swann, Deaner and TJP – Gun Stun to Deaner

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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