Impact Wrestling
Date: December 29, 2020
Hosts: Scott D’Amore, Josh Matthews

It’s the second half of the Best Of 2020 and that means we get to find out the Match Of The Year. That could go to a few different things but there is one main option that should get the honor. I’m not sure what else to expect from this one, as last week was the best of everything else. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I’ll be posting the full version of any matches shown on the broadcast.

In Memory of Jon “Brodie Lee” Huber. As it should be.

Opening sequence.

The announcers hype up Hard To Kill to get things going.

We start fast with the Moment of the Year: Slammiversary. The whole thing.

Willie Mack’s New Year’s Resolution: just keep going.

From Impact, April 21:

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin

Mack is challenging and Austin takes his time adjusting his gear to start. The stall continues with Austin bailing to the floor a few times, followed by a right hand to send him outside again. We get started properly with Austin grabbing a rollup and bailing again, only to have Mack follow him this time. Austin gets sent into the barricade but avoids the reverse Cannonball back inside.

That means Mack gets tied up in the Tree of Woe for some stomping to the ribs but Mack reverses a high crossbody into a Samoan drop. The standing moonsault connects and Mack pounds away even more as the aggression is starting to come out. Austin knees him in the face for two as things slow down a bit. Trouble in Paradise sends Mack into the corner but a springboard hurricanrana is countered with a sitout powerbomb.

One heck of a forearm puts Austin down as Josh and Madison bicker again, as only a married couple can. Now the reverse Cannonball connects but the Stunner is countered. The Fold gives Austin two and it’s his turn to be ticked off. Another Fold is countered into a pop up cutter for another near fall and Josh can’t believe it.

Mack goes up for the Six Star but Austin goes to the corner….so it’s a Coast to Coast to show off even more. Now the Six Star misses so Ace goes up and crotches Mack for trying to pull him down. Mack hits something like a Stunner on the top (that didn’t really work) to send Austin flying, setting up the Six Star for the pin and the title at 13:30.

Rating: B-. I like both of these guys so this was a fun one. They needed to switch the title as Mack has been built up for so long now that he had to win something eventually. Austin is going to be fine and it wouldn’t shock me to see him move towards the World Title scene. He was a great X Division Champion and it should be a bright future for him.

Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan want the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

Deonna Purrazzo accepts Taya Valkyrie’s challenge for a Knockouts Title shot at Hard To Kill. She will reveal her new masterpiece and seal Taya’s fate.

Rich Swann, with a guitar, wants to bring Impact to the highest level.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Video on the year that was for Rich Swann, mainly focusing on his injury at Slammiversary and rise to the World Title.

Jordynne Grace is going to stop replying to people on Twitter so often.

From Impact, July 21.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are challenging. Page and Shelley start thinks off with Shelley cranking on the arm. That’s reversed into a headlock and it’s an early standoff. Sabin comes in but his shoulders bounce off of Alexander. An Octopus hold doesn’t work much better so Sabin goes with the armdrags to take over. It’s already back to Page to pound Shelley but everything breaks down and the champs are sent outside as we take a break.

Back with Shelley striking away at Page in the corner but an Alexander distraction lets Page get in a shot to the face. Alexander holds Shelley so Page can stomp away as the champs take over. Shelley’s elbow to the head just earn him a half nelson backbreaker with Sabin coming in for a save. The handoff suplex puts Shelley down again but Alexander misses a moonsault. There’s the hot tag to Sabin and the pace picks up in a hurry.

The champs are sent into each other and Sabin’s tornado DDT gets two on Page. Sabin dives onto Alexander on the floor and Shelley’s standing Sliced Bread gets another two. Shelley’s spinning Downward Spiral sets up a Gargano Escape on Page, with Sabin grabbing a Texas Cloverleaf on Alexander at the same time.

They’re both broken up at the same time and it’s Sabin slugging it out with Alexander. Everything breaks down again and it’s a cutter into a wheelbarrow suplex to plant Sabin for two more. Shelley is sent outside and Sabin gets kicked in the head, but the Northern Assault is countered into a small package to give the Guns the titles back at 14:14.

Rating: B. This really was the kind of a main event that would have been better off with a crowd there to spice it up. They had a good match, though it didn’t quite hit the level that they were shooting for. The North losing after such a long reign is fine, but having the title match so soon after the Guns’ return didn’t exactly let the title change get the build that it needed.

We look at everyone being amazed that Kenny Omega is here.

Johnny Swinger wishes Bill Watts in Tulsa a Happy New Year.

Acey Romero comes up to Crazzy Steve, who might have heard or smelled something at the wedding because he can’t see. He heard something, but it was on the groom’s side. Go ask Johnny Swinger.

We look back at Wrestle House.

We look at Manik winning the X-Division Title at Final Resolution.

Brian Myers doesn’t make New Year’s Resolution. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he’s right.

We look at Ken Shamrock being inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame, featuring a speech from the Rock, as well as Shamrock’s speech.

Here’s your Match of the Year.

From Slammiversary.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey vs. ???

The title is vacant coming in, there are elimination rules, Madman Fulton is here with Ace and the mystery challenger is…..Rich Swann. That’s quite the surprise. Hold on though as we have another person here as a fifth entrant.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey vs. Rich Swann vs. Eric Young

Young says he won the World Title at Slammiversary (no he didn’t) so he’s going to do it again here. It’s a brawl to start with Swann flipping over Young and hitting a dropkick. Young is knocked outside so Swann and Trey trade flips, leaving Eddie to take them both down. Fulton chokeslams Eddie onto the apron to put him down….and that’s an ejection. Fulton won’t leave so it’s a threat of Ace being eliminated, which is enough to make him go.

Trey spears Ace down and hammers away before sending Ace inside for a super hurricanrana from Swann. Eddie chops at Young and Swann in the corner but Ace slips out of a backpack Stunner out of the corner. Ace kicks people in the head but gets knocked down. It’s Eddie with a Blue Thunder Bomb to Swann, followed by Young knocking Eddie down as well. Trey kicks Young (now bleeding) down and calls out Austin.

The fight is on with Trey slugging away and kicking Young down as well. Swann is sent outside, leaving Eddie to chop Trey, whose dive at Swann is countered with a planting on the floor. Back in and Austin gutwrench suplexes Young but loses a slugout to Eddie. There’s a tiger driver to Austin but Trey comes off the top with a Meteora to Edwards because only Trey gets to eliminate Austin. Young is back up with a quick piledriver to get rid of Trey at 9:36 but can’t pin anyone else.

A lot of shouting makes me remember why Young gets on my nerves in a hurry and his wheelbarrow neckb….well more like a belly to back suplex gets two on Swann. Young takes Swann up but Swann reverses into a super bulldog to put them both down, with Swann breathing very, very loudly. Everyone winds up on the corner and it’s Eddie and Austin falling off the top and through the timekeeper’s table in a huge crash. That leaves Young to call Swann the letdown of the two surprises, allowing Swann to get a rollup to eliminate Young at 15:36, thank goodness.

Young isn’t done and goes after Swann’s bad knee with a chop block and several Pillmanizing stomps, plus a bunch of chair shots. Swann continues and rolls Austin up a few times before slugging away on one leg. Austin kicks the leg out though and hits the Fold to get rid of Swann at 18:55.

So we’re down to Austin vs. Edwards with Eddie pulling himself back in for a slugout. Eddie gets the better of things and even counters the Fold attempt with an overhead belly to belly. Ace misses a kick in the corner and the Boston Knee Party gives Eddie two. Austin hits the Fold for the same but Eddie hits another Boston Knee Party. The Diehard Flosion (Eddie’s old move) gives Edwards the pin and the title at 24:16.

Rating: C+. It was a good, long match (as it should have been), though seeing Young back is hardly the most thrilling thing. Eddie winning the title feels like a safe pick and there’s nothing wrong with that after everything that has been going on around here as of late. Swann was a nice surprise and Austin came close, but it was probably the right call to end with the most established name who was on the roster coming into the match. Good enough, but nothing great, mainly due to so many people being involved.

Eddie thanks everyone for voting for the match and thanks the wrestlers for everything they do. Let’s keep it rolling into 2021.

The announcers wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B-. You can only get so much out of a show like this and Impact didn’t have the best year. The build to Slammiversary was rather good but the rest of the year left a lot to be desired. I’m sure the Kenny Omega/AEW stuff is going to help in 2021, but they have some more issues to get over besides having a big guest star in the main event scene. This show worked out well though, as there is enough to get through a two hour Best Of episode.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Turning Point 2020
Date: November 14, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

So this is one of Impact Wrestling’s Impact Plus specials and for once, the card actually looks pretty good. In addition to that, it seems like some things actually took place on the show and that makes it worth a watch. I won’t be doing these regularly but once in awhile can’t hurt. The company putting the whole thing up for free on YouTube helps too. Let’s get to it.

The opening video sets up the major matches, many of which are fallout from Bound For Glory. There is some stuff that has been built up since then though and the card has potential.

Eddie Edwards vs. Daivari

Daivari popped up at Bound For Glory. Edwards works on the wrist to start and then armdrags him into an armbar, so as to continue modern wrestling tradition. That works so well that he does it again before sending Daivari into the corner without much effort. A missed charge goes into the post though and Daivari bends the arm around the barricade.

Back in and Daivari works on his own armbar before sending the shoulder into the corner a few times. At least he’s mixing it up a bit. Edwards’ arm is fine enough to hit a suplex but Daivari sends him outside without much effort. That means another ram into various objects to keep Eddie in trouble again.

Daivari cranks on the arm back inside but goes up, allowing Eddie to hit the Backpack Stunner. Eddie goes up this time but gets crotched (Josh: “Eddie just looks like he’s in pain a lot of the time.”), giving us a double knockdown. Back up and the tiger driver gives Edwards two, as does Daivari’s rollup with feet on the ropes. The Boston Knee Party finishes Daivari at 11:26.

Rating: C. Eddie is good for a nice performance against anyone and Daivari has never been in better shape. This worked fine for an opening match and it’s often a good idea to have Eddie go over to start things off. There was no story coming in but it wound up working out just fine.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie vs. Tenille Dashwood/Jordynne Grace

Kaleb With A K handles Dashwood’s entrance as tends to be his custom. Dashwood is ready to start things off but hold on as she needs another picture. That earns her some choking in the ropes so it’s quickly off to Taya vs. Grace. They fight over wrist control until Grace runs her over for two. Taya gets her into the corner for some running hip attacks from both herself and Rosemary, the latter of whom slaps on a Muta Lock. A boot to the chest into a German suplex gets two on Grace but Dashwood tags herself in.

That means Grace’s spinebuster doesn’t give her anything but it does give Dashwood two. The low crossbody gets two more on Taya but she’s right back with a clothesline. Taya spears Grace down and there’s the….well it would have been a double tag if Dashwood hadn’t dropped to the floor for photos. Rosemary cleans house and gets the Upside Down on Grace. The Wing Clipper finishes Grace at 8:14.

Rating: C-. Not as good as the opener but completely watchable as the build towards the Knockouts Tag Team Title tournament continues. Rosemary and Taya could be a good choice to make a run in the thing while Dashwood continues to be just kind of there. The “It’s All About Me” deal is only going to get her so far, but at least it’s better than having her disappear for long stretches at a time.

Cody Deaner freaks out on Cousin Jake for not being there for him, costing him a match to JOHNNY SWINGER. It’s time to redeem the Deaner name. Do we have to?

Brian Myers vs. Swoggle

Swoggle says this is his home to start but Myers wants him to lay down. That just means a running headscissors from Swoggle and Myers heads to the floor, setting up a suicide dive. Swoggle gets tripped into the steps though and has to beat the count back in. We hit the reverse chinlock and the cocky stomping is on. Myers asks if Swoggle wants some water so Swoggle comes back with some chops.

More trash talk ensues so Swoggle hits him in the face and grabs a German suplex. A cutter looks to set up the tadpole splash but Myers kicks him in the head. That earns Myers a bite to the leg and now the tadpole splash can connect for two. Myers gets in a shot to the face though and a clothesline finishes Swoggle at 8:21.

Rating: D+. This is one of those matches that is only going to go so far and they hit that limit. Swoggle is a heck of a lot more than just some comedy joke but at the same time you can only get so much out of him. Myers is better than he was before, but he still isn’t exactly someone I look forward to seeing.

Post match Myers goes after Swoggle again but Crazzy Steve chases him off.

XXXL isn’t worried about the dream team of Chris Sabin/James Storm because reality is going to look the two of them in the face. Size matters.

Chris Sabin/James Storm vs. XXXL

Fallout from XXXL attacking Sabin’s regular partner Alex Shelley. Larry isn’t having anything of Sabin’s running shoulders so Sabin kicks the knee out. A running dropkick to the back of the head allows the tag to Storm for a double clothesline. Larry gets sent sent outside for a kick to the face and a whip into the steps but it’s off to Acey anyway.

Some double teaming in the corner rocks Romero but he runs Sabin over and hits a running dropkick. It’s back to Larry for two off a Falcon Arrow with Storm having to save. Romero’s sitdown splash misses so he sits on Sabin’s back to cut off the tag attempt instead. The neck crank goes on for all of five seconds before it’s back to Larry to punch Sabin in the chest. Sabin fights out of another neck crank and gets his knees up to stop another sitdown splash, meaning the hot tag brings in Storm.

Everything breaks down and Larry is sent outside, leaving Sabin to backdrop Storm onto Romero. More dives take out XXXL again and there’s a double suplex to Larry. They try the double catchphrase and get…..Beer Guns. Eh it’s a work in progress. Larry is back up with a clothesline to Storm but Sabin enziguris him into the corner. XXXL collides though and it’s Storm’s Codebreaker, Sabin’s enziguri and the Last Call to finish Romero at 11:25.

Rating: C+. This was pure formula stuff but Sabin and Storm working so well together does make a lot of sense. They fought each other so many times during their time with their regular partners that it makes sense that they know each other this well. Not a great match or anything, but a formula tag match from two teams who worked it rather well.

The Deaners go looking for Johnny Swinger and find the loaded fanny pack…..which contains a GUN. Holy John E. Bravo connection.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju vs. Cousin Jake

Raju is defending and this is an open challenge. Jake doesn’t take kindly to Raju mocking his size and runs him over without much trouble. A big clothesline gives Jake two but he misses a charge into the corner. What looked to be a Boss Man Slam doesn’t work and Raju hits a jumping double stomp to the back.

The Crossface attempt is blocked with raw power so Raju tries a standing armbar instead. More power gets Jake out of trouble again and there’s a running shoulder in the corner. Jake counters a tornado DDT into an over the shoulder piledriver for two but Raju is right back up with running strikes in the corner. A Cannonball is countered into a Batista Bomb for two but Raju hits back to back jumping knees for the pin to retain at 7:09.

Rating: C. I know it doesn’t matter because it’s just Impact, but Raju deserves some mention for Most Improves Wrestler of the Year. The Desi Hit Squad was an absolute joke and there to get Mahabali Shera over. Now Raju is on his own and is doing rather well, which is about 495% more than you could have ever expected. Nicely done and a heck of a success story for Impact.

Post match here are Eric Young and Joe Doering (former FCW wrestler and All Japan Triple Crown Champion) to wreck the Deaners. Well they need someone new in there so it’s fine to give him a shot.

The Good Brothers want the Tag Team Titles because they’re the only titles they haven’t won. They’ve even reinforced their mantles to hold the new belts.

TNA World Title: Willie Mack vs. Moose

Moose is defending. They waste no time in slugging it out and Moose gets low bridged to the floor. Mack follows to the apron and gets tripped down in a hurry, with Moose shouting to Rich Swann that this is what pain feels like. A whip sends Mack into the steps and Moose shouts down at him even more. Back in and Moose chokes on the rope before grabbing the chinlock.

Mack fights up so Moose hits a dropkick as Josh compares Moose’s attitude/athleticism to Brock Lesnar. That sounds extreme but….eh maybe if he continues to develop. Now it’s time to start in on the ankle and then a hard whip into the corner has Mack down again. The destruction continues until Mack avoids a charge and hits a running pump kick. The Cannonball connects in the corner but Moose pops back out with a release Rock Bottom.

One heck of a slap wakes Mack up and he hits some running clotheslines but can’t put Moose down. They trade kicks to the face but Mack is back with the swinging slam. The legdrop gets two on Moose so Mack goes up, only to get caught with a top rope superplex. Mack avoids the spear and hits the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault for two more. That doesn’t matter though as Moose hits No Jackhammer Needed and then hammers away until the referee stops it at 12:19.

Rating: C+. This was about two big guys beating the heck out of each other as Moose tries to get ready to move up to the main event scene. They had a pretty good big man power match and it’s weird to see Mack taking this kind of a beating. Moose looked like a monster here and that’s the right idea.

Post match Moose stays on Mack until the referee reverses the decision.

Eddie Edwards says he has Rich Swann’s back tonight and everything is cool.

Tag Team Titles; Good Brothers vs. The North

The North is defending. Alexander and Anderson trade wrist control to start but it’s quickly off to Gallows to take Alexander into the corner for the chops. Anderson is already back in but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Page to come in. Gallows hammers away on him as well and a slam gets two. The armbar goes on to put Page in trouble but Alexander gets in a cheap shot from the floor.

Page takes over on Anderson and stomps away so the champs can take over. Back in and Page runs Anderson over and it’s time for the alternating stomps in the corner. An assisted spinning powerbomb gets two on Anderson and he gets choked on the ropes so the North can pose. The chinlock goes on (took them long enough) as commentary goes over how many teams there are around here. Granted one of them is Reno Scum so you have to cut yourself off somewhere.

Anderson fights up without much effort and brings in Gallows to clean house. The North rapid fires strikes to Gallows’ face and the double Neutralizer gets two. Anderson is back in for the belly to back neckbreaker for two but the Magic Killer is broken up. A running kick to the face gets two on Alexander and there’s the spinebuster to Page. The Gun Stun hits Alexander and it’s the Magic Killer to Page for the pin and the titles at 12:52.

Rating: C+. You had to give the Good Brothers the titles at some point as they are treated like the biggest stars on the roster most of the time so why have them not holding the titles? I can get not wanting to wait until Hard To Kill either and this is a good way to get you more interested in seeing these specials. The North winning the titles at Bound For Glory was a surprise but they lost them here less than a month later so it was hardly a bad thing. The titles wound up where they should be so this is the right call.

Jordynne Grace freaks out on Tenille Dashwood, who laughs off the loss. Alisha comes in to yell at her as well…and Dashwood seems to think they’re partners now.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Su Yung

Purrazzo is challenging and this is No DQ. This is a rematch from Bound For Glory when Yung was a replacement for Kylie Rae and won the title. Yung brings the weapons with her and low bridges a charging Purrazzo to the floor. The brawl starts outside with Purrazzo hammering away but charging into an elbow to the face. A Figure Four necklock goes on and Yung rolls them inside until Purrazzo slips out and grabs the ankle.

The threat of a Mandible Claw gets Purrazzo out of trouble so it’s time to bring in a bunch of weapons. The chair is wedged in the corner and Purrazzo snaps off a German suplex. Purrazzo chokes in the corner and rubs Yung’s face into….a piece of canvas, as in the kind used for a painting. They head outside with Yung’s arm being sent into the post and then wrapped around the barricade.

Yung finds a rope from somewhere but Purrazzo cuts her down with some kendo stick shots. A running boot misses though and Purrazzo goes face first into the chair in the corner. The slugout goes to Yung and it’s a bunch of cookie sheet shots to Purrazzo. They head outside again with the Pedigree onto the ramp knocking Purrazzo silly again. The Panic Switch is countered so Yung loads up the mist….but Purrazzo pulls up the canvas for the block in a smart move.

The canvas goes around Yung’s head and Purrazzo ties a chair around it as well, setting up the Venus de Milo. A lot of flailing has the referee thinking about calling it until Yung collapses. That’s good for two arm drops but Yung is right back up with the Mandible Claw. Purrazzo uses the rope to choke her way to freedom and grabs Cosa Nostra (a piledriver) to get the title back at 14:48.

Rating: B. They beat the heck out of each other here and that’s a good way to get Purrazzo back to where she should be. Yung was just a quick title change for the sake of replacing Rae and, much like the North winning the Tag Team Titles, it’s a quick reign that gets us back where we should be (given the circumstances at least). Good match too as they beat each other up until Purrazzo got the win. Yung does lose a lot, but again it wasn’t supposed to be her title in the first place.

We look at the Knockouts Tag Team Title tournament brackets:

Tenille Dashwood/Alisha

Havok/Nevaeh

Killer Kelly/Renee Michelle

Jordynne Grace/TBA

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz

Sea Stars

Deonna Purrazzo/Kimber Lee

Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary

I’ve seen worse lineups.

Here’s what’s coming on Impact.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Rich Swann for the World Title. They were friends a long time ago, with Callihan’s family taking Swann in when he lost his parents. Now Swann doesn’t want anything to do with Callihan and that’s not cool with Sami.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Rich Swann vs. Sami Callihan

Callihan is challenging. They shove each other in the face to start and Rich hammers away to put Sami down in the corner. Callihan pulls him into a Brock Lock though but Swann sends him outside without much trouble. Swann follows to the floor and knocks Sami around a bit, setting up the big running flip dive off the apron. Back in and Swann kicks him between the shoulders (Sami: “THANK YOU!”) but Sami gets in a shot to knock the champ off the ropes.

They head outside again with Swann tweaking his knee, meaning we hit the leglock back inside. Sami offers Swann his chin for some kicks to the face, which don’t have much effect. Swann’s headbutt doesn’t work either as Sami hits a quick Wasteland for two. Sami puts on an abdominal claw, followed by something like a standing Crossface. More shots to the face wake Swann up and he starts slugging away, setting off stereo kicks to the face.

They’re both down for a bit until they’re up at the same time, with Swann hammering away even more. A rolling splash gives Swann two but a cartwheel moonsault hits raised knees. Callihan gets two off a brainbuster and he rips out one of Swann’s dreadlocks. Swann doesn’t seem to mind and comes back with a neckbreaker. Now the cartwheel moonsault gets two but Sami catches him out of the corner, setting up a kneeling Tombstone for two more.

A piledriver onto the apron plants Swann again but he’s right back up with a handspring cutter onto the ramp. They both get back in but Sami is a bit dead. He’s also a bit faking and comes up with a clothesline, only to get kicked in the face. Swann heads up for the phoenix splash but here’s Ken Shamrock for a distraction. Cue Eddie Edwards to cut him off though and Swann hits a pair of kicks to the head. A low superkick retains the title at 20:33.

Rating: B-. I like the story they had coming into this and it made for a better story, though the drama was only so strong. They had a good enough match though and Swann gets another win under his belt. Callihan isn’t a major villain (at least on his own) around here anymore and the match was fine for a main event on a show like this.

Overall Rating: B. Yeah this worked out rather well and there wasn’t anything that was really close to bad. What we got was around a two hour and forty minute show with some good stuff and matches that actually mattered. This felt like something between a pay per view and a big time edition of Dynamite so for a free show, I’m certainly pleased. As usual, Impact does its best when it doesn’t focus as much on storytelling and that was the case again here.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 10, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

We’re on the way to Turning Point, which is actually looking like a pretty stacked card for an Impact Plus special. That means we still have a long way to Hard To Kill though and they are going to need something big to get us there. Tommy Dreamer in a deerstalker hat and Rich Swann vs. a new evil alliance will have to do. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne vs. Havok/Nevaeh

Kaleb With A K handles Dashwood’s intro and Josh is alone on commentary this time. Madison and Nevaeh go with some grappling to start with Madison grabbing some armdrags to little avail. A clothesline gives Nevaeh two so it’s already off to Dashwood for a change. Some standing switches don’t go anywhere so Dashwood sweeps the leg to take over, meaning it’s off to Havok for a change.

Dashwood starts panicking so she goes with the “jump on the giant’s back” strategy, which works as well as usual. It’s back to Madison, who gets caught in a backbreaker/running clothesline combination for two. Madison’s choking fails and the CrossRayne is countered into a Tombstone to give Havok the pin at 5:04.

Rating: D+. You would initially think that Madison and Tenille would have been a heck of a team but this was more designed to make Havok and Nevaeh look dominant. That’s how it should have gone too, as they have history as a team and Dashwood is not likely to be the most caring and selfless person. It makes sense when you think about it and that’s nice to see.

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

The Good Brothers are ready to win the Tag Team Titles at Turning Point but tonight, Karl Anderson is ready to beat up Josh Alexander. Ethan Page comes in for some northern glaring.

Tommy Dreamer interrogates Larry D. about shooting John E. Bravo but can’t get anywhere, even with his lie detector. Cody Deaner takes Larry’s place and insists that he didn’t shoot Bravo either, despite being rather mad at him. This could take awhile.

X-Division Title: TJP vs. Rohit Raju

TJP is challenging and this is his last shot. They start before the bell with TJP hitting a baseball slide and snapping off a suplex on the ramp. Back in and the bell rings with TJP stomping on the champ’s legs. Raju is back up with some choking in the corner before pulling the referee in front of him for a shield.

That’s enough to take us to a break and we come back with Raju hitting a pair of kicks for two. Raju starts in on the arm before hitting his own suplex for two more. It’s back to the arm as Madison lists off her accomplishments to show she knows what it’s like to be a target. The armbar goes on until TJP blocks a front suplex and grabs a tornado DDT. TJP grabs a surfboard for a bit but Raju catches him on top.

That means it’s time for the Tree of Woe but TJP pulls himself up to throw him back down. Raju can’t get a Crossface so TJP grabs a double chickenwing into a pair of knees to the chest. The Mamba Splash misses though and now the Crossface goes on, only to have TJP quickly reverse into the kneebar. Raju crawls for the corner but settles for the title, which has to be taken away. That’s enough for Raju to hit a low blow and a running knee to the head retains the title at 12:57.

Rating: C. Raju is starting to be a rather pesky champion and that’s a good thing. He came off well here as the champion in way over his head against someone as talented as TJP but then stole the win anyway. Raju is better on the mic and in character stuff, but he’s hanging in there well enough in the ring to make it work.

Fallah Bahh hides Hernandez’s money again when Hernandez comes in to yell at him. Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan of all people come in to defend Bahh and Hernandez leaves. Hogan distracts Bahh and Steelz takes the money, replacing it with a roll of tape. The girls leave and Bahh thinks the tape is the money, because he’s not that bright.

We go to the Tree House where the Rascalz have received…..an eviction notice! They haven’t paid rent in two years. Wentz: “IT’S A TREE!” They have to leave in a week, which commentary says means they’re out of Impact Wrestling.

Chris Sabin vs. Acey Romero

Acey jumps him to start and sends Sabin outside for a beating from Larry D. Back in and a hard whip into the corner makes things worse for Sabin and the dropkicks to Acey’s legs don’t do much good. The neck crank doesn’t last long so Acey drives him into the corner again without much trouble. The big elbow misses though and Sabin gets a boot up in the corner for a breather. Sabin hits a dive to the floor to take both of them down, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside. A running enziguri rocks Acey and a second one is good for the pin at 6:21.

Rating: C-. That could have been a lot worse as Sabin is the kind of old pro you need to get something out of a monster like Romero. It was nothing out of the ordinary and points for having the Guns (or at least half of them) trying to make something out of XXXL. The big guys aren’t exactly the kind of team who are going to reinvent the wheel so whatever you can get out of them is a bonus.

Post match Larry comes in for the double team and Sabin is left laying.

Sami Callihan sits next to Chris Bey (Sami: “Can I call you Christopher?” Bey: “Nah.”) and praises all of his talents. Bey is willing to listen.

James Mitchell says he gets that it makes perfect sense for him to attack Bravo, but he wouldn’t waste that pure virgin blood. Dreamer’s lie detector detects lies, but Mitchell says it runs through his veins. Mitchell knows who does it and is willing to tell Dreamer. Couldn’t he have saved himself a lot of trouble by saying this earlier?

Chris Bey vs. Eddie Edwards

Eddie starts with a heck of a chop but Bey flips out of a few things and snaps off a headscissors into a standoff. An atomic drop into a belly to belly has Bey in trouble but Bey kicks the leg out. A running backsplash hits Eddie and there’s a spinwheel kick to give Bey two. Eddie fights back up with the rapid fire chops in the corner but the tiger driver is countered into a hurricanrana. Bey tries a springboard cutter but gets pulled into a rollup for the surprise pin at 4:57.

Rating: C. What we got was good but I was hoping for/expecting a bit more from these two. They seem like they could have a heck of a match if they were given a chance with some more time but maybe this is just a tease. If nothing else, I’d rather see these two again instead of another Eddie vs. Sami Callihan match.

Post match Bey grabs a chair but the lights go out and it’s Sami Callihan jumping Eddie from behind with a baseball bat. Rich Swann runs in for the save. Cue Ken Shamrock to jump Swann though, with Bey chairing Eddie down as well. Sami loads up the chair over Swann’s face but the Rascalz make the save.

Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K ask Jordynne Grace about being partners. Well Kaleb With A K does but Grace wants to hear it from Dashwood herself. She mumbles the offer before finally asking, with the match being set for Turning Point but not for the tournament.

Rich Swann thanks the Rascalz and a match is set for next week with Trey/Swann vs. Dezmond/Wentz in the Rascalz’ farewell.

Flashback Moment of the Week: The British Invasion b. Beer Money and Motor City Machine Guns to retain the Tag Team Titles.

Deonna Purrazzo, in some big sunglasses, is ready for a No DQ match against Su Yung at Turning Point because she’s a virtuosa. That means she will win the Knockouts Title back….and then Kimber Lee disappears. She appears behind a door, with the message “I THINK UR ALONE NOW” written on the window. I’m not entirely sure who said it because there doesn’t seem to be anyone around but I think you get the hint.

James Mitchell tells Dreamer to trust him but Dreamer has to investigate this himself. Havok comes in to take Mitchell’s place, who admits that she didn’t want to bring Mitchell back. That must have made her mad. Maybe mad enough to shoot John E. Bravo. She says Dreamer should be asking Rosemary about this but he asks her instead. And it’s to be continued.

Reno Scum vs. Fallah Bahh/Crazzy Steve

Luster and Bahh grab a headlock to start with Bahh running him over with a crossbody. Thornstowe comes in to dropkick Steve and a standing moonsault gets two. There’s the Pit Stop and even Madison thinks that’s too far. Steve gets over for the hot tag to Bahh without any further issues and it’s time to clean house. A Samoan drop gets two on Thornstowe but Bahh misses the Banzai Drop. Luster comes in for a low superkick and the top rope curb stomp is good for the pin at 3:47.

Rating: D. Insert all of my usual complaints about Reno Scum being boring and that is about all there is to say about them. Bahh and Steve are kind of a random team but it is better than watching the same Bahh Steals Hernandez’s Money stuff deal. The match came and went, which is about as high praise as I’m giving Reno Scum.

Chris Sabin asks someone to be his partner against XXXL. He’ll even throw in a beer. The guy says yes and….it’s James Storm. Well that’s an upgrade. Sabin isn’t sure on the beer though.

Willie Mack has a bruised larynx but he’s cleared to wrestle. Moose runs in for a beatdown but Mack hits him in the throat and says he’ll see him at Turning Point.

Turning Point rundown. I might have to try that one.

Karl Anderson vs. Josh Alexander

Doc Gallows and Ethan Page are the seconds. Alexander takes him down by the leg to start before taking him into the corner. A clothesline puts Alexander on the floor though and we take a break. Back with Alexander being sent to the apron but he sweeps the leg to pull Anderson outside. They head inside again with Alexander slowly stomping and striking away, including some knees to the back.

The chinlock goes on, followed by a belly to back suplex to give Alexander two. We hit the seated abdominal stretch but Anderson is right back up with a neckbreaker. The slugout is on with Anderson getting the better of things, setting up a running backsplash. A spinebuster gets two on Alexander but he’s back with a running boot for his own two. The lifting Pedigree is countered and it’s a harder slugout. Anderson’s clothesline gets two more. Alexander blocks the Gun Stun but Page comes in for the DQ at 14:11.

Rating: C-. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve seen the Good Brothers in the main event slot and they’re about as fine as you can imagine. I know their big deal is the character stuff but egads man. How many times can we see something like this and still be expected to get overly excited? Anderson can wrestle a singles match well enough and it wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t overly invested at all.

Post match the big brawl is on with referees breaking it up to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This really didn’t work as I was struggling to find a reason to keep watching. The action was just ok at best and the stories aren’t great. Above all else, the Who Shot Bravo thing has turned into a Tommy Dreamer story and that’s one of the last things I was hoping to see. It isn’t a disaster, but this was a really dull show and hopefully that gets better next time around because this was a tough sit.

Results

Havok/Nevaeh b. Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne – Tombstone to Rayne

Rohit Raju b. TJP – Running knee

Chris Sabin b. Acey Romero – Running enziguri

Eddie Edwards b. Chris Bey – Rollup

Reno Scum b. Fallah Bahh/Crazzy Steve – Top rope curb stomp to Bahh

Karl Anderson b. Josh Alexander via DQ when Ethan Page interfered

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 3, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

You don’t get to say this very often but it’s time to find out who shot John E. Bravo last week. Wrestlers are rarely shot or possibly even killed off, but now it is time to play detective, and I have a bad feeling that is going to mean a lot of Tommy Dreamer. But hey, maybe we can get some Eric Young thrown in there too. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a sepia tone recap of the build to the wedding and Bravo being awful to his wedding party. That’s a really good idea as I hadn’t been thinking of all those details and it gives it more of an “anyone could have done it” vibe.

Scott D’Amore gets an update on Bravo, who is in critical but stable condition. Tommy Dreamer comes up, dressed as an old school detective, and it’s time to find out whodunit. D’Amore thinks being shot doesn’t sound too bad.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Su Yung

Purrazzo is challenging in her Bound For Glory rematch and Kimber Lee is with her. It’s a brawl to start and neither can hit their finisher in the very early going. Yung sends her flying and it’s already time for the bloody glove. That takes too long though as it’s time for Purrazzo to start in on the arm.

The arm is wrapped around the bottom rope but Yung is back up with an anklescissors into the corner. They trade running shots to the face with Purrazzo getting the better of things but a double clothesline puts both of them down. Back up and Purrazzo’s cradle piledriver is blocked, setting up the Mandible Claw. Lee slides in a chair, which Yung picks up and uses on Purrazzo for the DQ at 4:30.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but unlike Rich Swann vs. Eric Young’s quick rematch last week, I could go for a rematch here. The creepy monster vs. the technical master is an interesting way to go and their match at Bound For Glory was pretty good. They were smart not to waste anything here and keeping it quick was simple. This could be a big showdown/main event later, so save the real match for that.

Post match Yung uses the chair to drop both of them and clear the ring.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

It’s time for Rhino and Heath to sign Heath’s contract with Scott D’Amore. One thing though: Heath is still hurt, so until that’s cleared up, he isn’t getting to sign. The two of them leave so here’s Barrister RD Reynolds to say that shouldn’t be Deonna Purrazzo’s rematch. D’Amore says she can have another rematch at Turning Point, where anything goes. Wrestling has an interesting understanding of how negotiations work.

Rich Swann comes in to see Eddie Edwards and even sings Eddie’s theme song. They have Sami Callihan and Eric Young tonight.

Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel

They fight over arm control to start with Trey taking him down into an armbar. Bey flips out of a springboard wristdrag though and they trade armdrags. Both of them try one at the same time and go down to the mat for a….I guess it’s a layoff actually. Back up and a dropkick puts Bey on the floor but he trips Miguel down to take over.

A rake to the eyes and a running forearm to the back have Miguel in more trouble and it’s time to stand on his back for some posing. Back up and Trey dropkicks the leg out and hits a reverse 619. Bey crotches him on top but gets tied in the ropes for the Cheeky Nandos kick (which may have been blocked). Trey tries a charge but gets kicked away, setting up a diving cutter to give Bey the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. I like both guys and it was nice to see them getting a little time to showcase themselves. They’re both young and talented and it’s great to see them in the ring. This is the kind of thing that can do something positive for their future and they had a nice enough match here when they got the chance.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk with Madison Rayne and Johnny Swinger talking about John E. Bravo being shot (you might think ATTEMPTED MURDER would get more attention on this show). Anyway it’s time to talk about the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament, with Madison having to tell Swinger to cool it with the tag team jokes.

Jordynne Grace and Tenille Dashwood (with Kaleb With A K) are the guests this week and Madison gets right to the point: they should be partners in the tournament. Grace is interested but Dashwood wants the titles for herself….so she asks Madison. That’s a deal, but Grace tosses away Kaleb With A K’s camera and leaves. Not that it matters as Swinger won’t get out of the shot.

Dreamer, in a deerstalker hat, accuses one of the referees of being the shooter. Johnny Swinger and Cody Deaner argue over who should be the next witness because they have a match tonight. Dreamer: “MATCH TI….” Cody: “Wrong show.” They’re both still suspects though so go have their match and then come back.

Here’s Rohit Raju with another Defeat Rohit challenge but he wants fresh meat. Cue TJP in street clothes but Rohit says no because TJP already had his shot. He does have an opportunity tonight though: an opportunity to get out of the ring. Rohit rants at TJP for taking up his time after he spent so much time scratching and clawing. TJP doesn’t think much of that and lists off all of his accomplishments so far. Now why should he be worried about Rohit? Well that’s because Rohit is the current X-Division Champion and TJP is a has been. TJP gets in his face and throws his tea in his face as the brawl is on. Sounds Turning Pointish.

Chris Sabin says Alex Shelley is fine but he finds it interesting that teams are having to divide and conquer the Motor City Machine Guns. He wants either member of XXXL one on one.

Rohit Raju and TJP rant to Scott D’Amore, who makes another match between them, but it’s TJP’s last shot as long as Rohit is champion.

Doc Gallows vs. Ethan Page

Karl Anderson and Josh Alexander are here too. Gallows shoves him down without much trouble to start and a shoulder puts Page on the floor. Back in and Gallows unloads on him in the corner, sending Page outside again. Page gets in again so Gallows mocks Page’s martial arts and knocks him outside a third time.

That’s not cool with Page, who comes back in and takes Gallows down to hammer away. A DDT gives Page two and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long so Page goes with a dropkick for two and it’s back to the chinlockery. That’s broken up in a hurry with Gallows fighting up and hitting a charge in the corner. Alexander posts Anderson for a distraction though and then comes in for the DQ at 6:22.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it’s better than the wrestlers getting to trade one win after another back and forth. The North vs. the Good Brothers could be a heck of a showdown on a major stage and that might wind up being Hard To Kill. I’m not sure if it can be dragged out that long, but hopefully things get a little bit better if they are going that long.

Post match the Good Brothers clean house.

Swoggle says it’s time to be a star in wrestling but here’s Brian Myers to say this place is serious. That sends Swoggle into a rant about how Myers has been disrespecting Tommy Dreamer, because insert your own Dreamer is around too often joke. Myers throws down Swoggle’s book and shoves him over for a bonus.

Cody Deaner vs. Johnny Swinger

Cody runs him over to start and hits a hard clothesline for a bonus. Hold on though as Cody needs beer, allowing Swinger to choke him o the ropes. Some atomic drops have Swinger in trouble but a rake of the eyes breaks up the Dreamer DDT. Swinger goes outside and grabs his fanny pack to knock Deaner out at 3:01.

Rating: D. Nothing to this one of course, though Swinger selling the atomic drops was good stuff. Swinger continues to be someone who has no business being this entertaining and yet he keeps pulling it off. I could go for more of him like this and if it means loaded fanny packs, even more than that.

Here’s Moose to say that no one has taken the TNA World Title serious in six months. Some people say he took the title out of a trashcan but Moose lists off his resume, including his recent(ish) big wins. Granted they’re mainly ECW guys so I’m not sure how seriously I should be taking this. Now he has Rich Swann running around with the second most important title in this company. Come find him though and Moose will teach Swann what pain is. We see a clip of Moose attacking Willie Mack last week so Swann has been warned. Cue Mack for the brawl with Moose easily getting the better of things. Mack vs. Moose works.

In the back, Chris Bey comes up to Rich Swann and asks for a title shot. Swann seems interested but here’s Eddie Edwards to say it’s main event time.

Tommy Dreamer has narrowed his list down to ten suspects, most of whom were on Wrestle House. James Mitchell tries to say he couldn’t do it because he’s an angel but cracks up laughing. Taya says she is an angel, which is what Dreamer thinks makes her a perfect suspect. A bunch of mug shots take us out, making me think we’re in for another reality/competition show.

Here’s what’s coming next week and at Turning Point.

Rich Swann/Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan/Eric Young

Swann and Callihan start things off with Sami knocking him into the corner. Everything breaks down in a hurry with Eddie and Swann hitting some dives to send us to an early break. Back with Eddie putting Callihan in a Boston crab for a flipping legdrop from Swann. Sami pops right back up and decks Sami, allowing the fast tag off to Young. Stomping and a neckbreaker give Young two and it’s back to Sami for a chinlock.

Young elbows Eddie in the face for two but Eddie gets in a Blue Thunder Bomb on Callihan. The partners are knocked off the apron, leaving Eddie to catch Swann with a running boot in the corner. The hot tag brings in Swann as everything breaks down. Swann gets to clean house and he hurricanranas Young off the ropes onto Callihan for two. A double Lethal Injection drops the villains and the real hot tag brings in Eddie to take over.

Eddie grabs a half crab on Young and Swann gets the Sharpshooter on Callihan. They tease tapping out but grab the arms to break it up. Young gets out and breaks it up so Eddie catapults him out to the floor. There’s the Backpack Stunner for two on Sami and the half crab goes back on. Cue Ken Shamrock to jump Swann (and possibly Young) for a distraction though, allowing Sami to hit the Cactus Special and pin Eddie at 10:57.

Rating: C+. Totally fine big name main event which is likely going to set up a bunch of stuff in the future. The main event scene is doing well at the moment and while Swann is still growing into a main event, points for trying someone new in the role, which has been a problem for a long time now. The evil trio will be fine enough for the short term, but they need a top villain.

Overall Rating: C-. It wasn’t their best show but there is enough going on to make me want to see where some of these things go. They seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern with some of the bigger stuff though and the Who Shot Bravo feels more like a vehicle for Dreamer than anything else. It should be fun though and if that’s the case, we should be in for a nice enough winter. Not a show you need to see here, but it was an acceptable two hours.

Results

Deonna Purrazzo b. Su Yung via DQ when Yung used a chair

Chris Bey b. Trey Miguel – Middle rope cutter

Doc Gallows b. Ethan Page via DQ when Josh Alexander interfered

Johnny Swinger b. Cody Deaner – Fanny pack to the head

Sami Callihan/Eric Young b. Eddie Edwards/Rich Swann – Cactus Special to Edwards

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Bound For Glory 2020
Date: October 24, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s the biggest night of the year, or at least it is on paper. Bound For Glory has long since been the top show in the company, though Slammiversary tends to be more fun. Maybe they can change things around a bit this year, though the card isn’t giving me the best vibes. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Deaners vs. Rascalz

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz. The Deaners start with the double teaming but Wentz fights out and hits a handspring knee to Cody’s face. Jake throws Dez at Wentz to cut that off but Jake’s dive is cut off with a kick to the head. Back in and Dez catches Cody on top but Jake powerbombs both Rascalz down. A Swan dive gives Cody two with Wentz making the save so it’s time for the rapid fire kicks to Jake. The toss moonsault hits knees though and it’s T2G (whatever that means) to finish Dez at 3:36.

Rating: C-. Just a quick opener here to get some people in the ring and that’s perfectly fine. The match didn’t go anywhere because it wasn’t even four minutes long, but at the same time, I don’t get the Deaners. They’re fine for a gimmick comedy (work with me here) team but over the Rascalz? Really?

The opening video is an extended version of the same Eric Young vignette that has played for months. He promises to end Rich Swann.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. TJP vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel vs. Rohit Raju

Raju is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. The champ tries to walk at the bell but gets thrown back in, only to have Mack clothesline TJP by mistake. Grace and Mack are sent into each other, meaning TJP and Bey can argue over who gets to beat up Raju. Bey and TJP slug it out and trade takedowns as Callis brags about how many languages he can (allegedly) speak. Trey is back in with a dropkick to Bey’s back, followed by a low superkick for two.

Mack takes Bey’s place for some flipping before sending Trey outside with a flying shoulder. Grace shoulders Mack down for two but he slams her without much hesitation. It’s TJP coming back in to tie up Mack’s legs, plus Trey’s at the same time. For a bonus, it’s a chancery on Raju and a headlock on Grace. See, it was cool when he did this once on Impact, but when he does it over and over, it stops being cool or clever and becomes obviously staged, which isn’t usually a good idea.

Grace breaks it up and chokes TJP until Raju comes back in to take over on everyone. Raju takes Grace down and shouts EQUALITY before knocking Miguel off the apron. A suplex gets two on Grace (Raju: “She’s got some spunk doesn’t she?”) but Mack is back in to run Raju over. Now it’s Mack getting to clean house until he and Raju are left in the ring. Everyone else gets on the apron and starts beating up Raju until Mack hits the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault.

That’s broken up by everyone else and it’s Grace diving onto Raju and TJP. Mack dives onto all three of them and Bey dropkicks Trey off of TJP’s shoulders….well into the general vicinity of the pile. Bey hits a good looking no hands dive onto a bunch of people but it’s Raju rolling up TJP for two. TJP’s crucifix bomb gets the same with Grace making another save, only to get tied in the Tree of Woe.

Everyone goes to the corner so Grace pulls herself up for the Tower of Doom. She’s still tied up though so Raju hits an Alberto double stomp for two as Mack makes his own save. It’s time for the parade of finishers until Grace has to break up the kneebar on Raju, setting up the Grace Driver for two on TJP. Grace is sent onto Mack and Bey, leaving Trey to splash TJP. That means Raju can come back in with a running knee though and steal the pin on TJP to retain at 13:20.

Rating: B-. It’s the kind of insanity that you expect from the X-Division and therefore it was entertaining, but at the same time, it’s still the junk food match that you have grown to know from these people. I’d still like to see a one on one match for the title, but Raju being the kind of champion who escapes with the title makes this fit more. This is like checking off a box at Bound For Glory, so at least they covered it.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The wedding party is still having issues and the wedding is going to have to be in the ring. Most of them are off for the Call Your Shot gauntlet though.

Heath and Rhino are ready for the Call Your Shot. The previous segment heard Josh asking for help with audio issues and this one had a director counting them in. Tighten that stuff up already people. It’s only been ten plus years of issues.

We run down the Call Your Shot gauntlet. It’s a Royal Rumble with twenty entrants and then we have a singles match at the end. If Rhino or Heath win, Heath has a contract but if neither of them win, Rhino loses his contract.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

Rhino is in at #1 and Daivari (who is RIPPED), making a return to the company, is in at #2 with one minute intervals. The threat of an early Gore sends Daivari bailing to the floor with Rhino following him to start the brawling. Daivari sends Rhino head first into the announcers’ table and it’s Larry D. in at #3 (after two minutes). A splash crushes Rhino and they both try to get him out as it’s back to the regular one minute interval so Crazzy Steve can come in at #4.

Steve goes after Larry with some right hands and biting to the head until Daivari makes a save. It’s Acey Romero in at #5 and a double standing splash crushes Steve but he isn’t eliminated yet. Tenille Dashwood (with Kaleb With A K) is in at #6 and her entrance takes so long that Havok (also with a K) is in at #7 before Dashwood can do anything. Havok headscissors Romero down and Kaleb With A K gets powerbombed. Brian Myers is in at #8 as the entrances are going really fast. Myers gets rid of Steve and it’s Swoggle in at #9 for his required appearance.

Myers and Swoggle team up to get rid of Daivari before Myers tosses Swoggle for a bonus. Tommy Dreamer is in at #10 and this week’s tribute is Road Warrior Animal (to be fair, the shirt is for sale for charity). Therefore, Dreamer sits down and puts Myers on his shoulders so Swoggle can come back in and play Hawk (off the middle rope that is) on a mini Doomsday Device. Alisha Edwards is in at #11 and Dreamer is thrown out. Myers gets rid of Edwards as well and Kiera Hogan, with Tasha Steelz is in at #12.

Dashwood stops for a picture with Myers and is thrown out as well. At least they’re keeping the ring clear, as they should. Hogan stomps Havok down in the corner and it’s Taya Valkyrie, with Rosemary and John E. Bravo, in at #13. Taya chops at XXXL, who crash into each other (because they’re not that bright), setting up the double hip attack in the corner. Fallah Bahh, with Hernandez’s money because banks aren’t a thing, is in at #14 and Havok shoves Hogan out, only to get tossed by Taya.

XXXL gets rid of Taya and it’s James Storm in at #15. House is cleaned and it’s a Last Call to get rid of Larry D. Storm can’t slam Romero and it’s Adam Thornstowe in at #16. That goes nowhere so it’s Luster the Legend in at #17. Reno Scum double teams Storm and it’s Heath in at #18. A neckbreaker drops Myers and there’s a jumping knee to Luster, with Heath tearing either his groin or abdomen in the process. Heath is clearly in pain as he slugs it out with Acey and clotheslines him out. Myers is tossed as well and it’s Sami Callihan in at #19.

With no one else being eliminated, it’s Hernandez in at #20 to complete the field. That gives us a final grouping of Rhino, Bahh, Storm, Thornstowe, Luster, Heath, Sami and Hernandez. Bahh gets caught in the corner with Hernandez going for the money and throwing it to the floor, with Bahh being eliminated as he gets it back. Hernandez goes after Bahh, followed by Thornstowe and Luster going out to get us down to four.

Sami superkicks Storm out as he tries to skin the cat and gets rid of Heath (Sami: “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR KIDS!”). We’re down to Rhino vs. Sami, which is now a regular match. Sami rakes his eyes and the Cactus Special gets a quick two. A chair is brought in but the referee tells Sami to put it down. Sami actually does, allowing Rhino to hit the Gore for the pin at 26:24.

Rating: C+. Not a great match or anything, but they had the logical ending (Heath winning had he stayed healthy wouldn’t have shocked me) and a few nice surprises. I could go for more of Storm being around as he’s a legend around here, though I’m almost scared to imagine what they would do with him. They kept this moving too, which is always a major plus for something like this. Good enough stuff here and they didn’t do anything stupid, so well done.

Rhino gets a trophy for the win.

The North say their backs are against the wall but that’s where champions shine. They’re ready for all of the teams they’re facing tonight because they’re that good. It has been 94 days since they have had the gold and tonight they are going back onto their throne.

We recap Moose vs. EC3 for the TNA World Title. EC3 returned and took the title with the intention of destroying it to control his narrative. I’m still not sure what that means, but the promos have been intense enough to make up for it. Moose got the belt back but has to defeat EC3 at an undisclosed location.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. EC3

Moose is defending (I think?) and they’re in a warehouse. There’s no EC3 to start but he pops up with his hood over his head for dramatic effect. We’re in cinematic mode as they slug it out with Moose hitting a Rock Bottom. EC3 is right back with an exploder suplex and some stomping in the corner but Moose kicks him low. Moose asks if he can see the picture and sends him into the corner as the music changes. More right hands have EC3 busted open and Moose grabs a chair from the floor.

Back in and EC3 sweeps the legs to hammer away as the music changes again. They head outside with EC3 talking about meaning and purpose before throwing him into the barricade. Back in and EC3 talks about how Moose has let people take things from him. The title means everything and Moose needs to become who he is supposed to be. EC3 loads up the One Percenter on the title (with a quick highlight reel of the move playing) but Moose shoves him off and hits No Jackhammer Needed.

Moose hits him with the title, asks if this is what EC3 wants, hits him with it again, hits him with it a third time, waits for the package on their feud to play, and hammers away even more. EC3 is done so Moose picks him up and asks if this is what he wants. EC3: “YES!” The people around the ring start the MOOSE chant and EC3 tells him to control his narrative. Moose says thank you and hits one more belt shot. That’s enough for Moose to leave and EC3’s followers carry him out at we’ll say 9:50.

Rating: C-. I’m sure there’s some kind of a deeper meaning here and that’s all well and good, but the Control Your Narrative thing seems to be the kind of thing that makes sense to EC3 and not much else. The action was fine but I really don’t need to see a cinematic match again, especially when it isn’t quite the most thrilling feud in the first place. It was fine, but hopefully this is it between them, assuming EC3 is even sticking around.

We look back at the Rock inducting Ken Shamrock into the Hall of Fame. One might think they would advertise this a little more in advance but that’s not what we do around here. There is also no mention of Bret Hart or Mick Foley sending in comments, which aren’t on the company’s YouTube page yet either unless I’ve missed them.

We recap Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards. Shamrock and Sami Callihan are a thing now and Sami has made Shamrock into his old self again, meaning a violent heel turn.

Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards

Sami Callihan is here with Shamrock. They circle each other to start and it’s Shamrock hammering away in the corner. A knee to the face drops Eddie again and Shamrock takes his back on the mat. Shamrock traps the arm and gets in some shots to the back of the head. Eddie can’t roll out so it’s a chinlock to keep him in trouble. A rope is grabbed so Shamrock takes him down by the leg again, sending Eddie straight back to the rope.

Back up and Shamrock punches him out to the floor, meaning it’s time for the hard kicks. Eddie gets back in and it’s a running knee in the corner as this has been all Shamrock so far. Eddie finally hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for a breather but can’t even cover. It’s time to start cranking on Shamrock’s leg and Eddie sends him throat first into the bottom rope. Eddie’s dive hits Shamrock and Callihan, followed by a missile dropkick for two back inside.

The tiger bomb gets two but Shamrock grabs the arm, with Eddie having to stack him up for the break. The Backpack Stunner connects but Eddie has to headbutt his way out of a rear naked choke. Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party but goes with a half crab instead of covering. Sami makes the lights go out though and they come back up with Sami, with the bat, in the ring. Eddie gets rid of him with the kendo stick but walks into a belly to belly from Shamrock. The ankle lock makes Eddie tap at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This took its time to start but grew on me, even if it was very similar to a Brock Lesnar style WWE match, albeit with smaller people. Shamrock plays the monster well, especially with the MMA style offense. This was a good match and I can live with Shamrock winning on his Hall of Fame weekend, though I’m not sure where these two go from here.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The North held the titles for over a year but then the Motor City Machine Guns returned and won the titles. The Good Brothers showed up and got their title shot with pure star power, while Ace Austin and Madman Fulton are just kind of here too to make it a four way.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. The North vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. Good Brothers

The Guns are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Hold on though as the North jumps Alex Shelley on the way to the ring and Alexander gives him a Jay Driller on the stage. That means something around here so Sabin is fighting on his own here (though they don’t even bother getting Shelley a stretcher). Sabin tries to fight the North on his own but walks into a dropkick from Page to cut him down in a hurry. A dropkick to Page’s knee slows him down and Austin tags himself in to start taking over on Sabin.

Fulton hammers away as well but Alexander tags himself in and hits a running clothesline as it’s back to Page, with Sabin taking quite the early beating. A knee to the face lets Page get in an arrogant two but Alexander misses a moonsault. Fulton brings himself back in and sends Sabin hard into the corner again. A middle rope legdrop into a splash gets two on Sabin and there’s a delayed suplex slam. Sabin finally takes Austin down though and there’s a rolling DDT to Fulton.

Austin spends too much time checking on Fulton, allowing Sabin to bring in Anderson to clean house. The spinebuster plants Austin and Gallows comes in for the belly to back neckbreaker for two. We get the big showdown between Gallows and Fulton and they fight out to the floor. Sabin comes back in for some forearms to Anderson, but Austin gets the tag again.

Everything stays broken down and Sabin hits a running flip dive from the apron to take Alexander down. The Cradle Shock gets two on Austin with Page making the save. The North slam Sabin off the top, setting up the double spinebuster for two more. Sabin breaks up the Northern Assault and brings in Anderson as everything breaks down again. Austin hits a springboard spinning kick to Gallows’ head and a running dropkick puts him on the floor.

Austin winds up on Fulton’s shoulders but the North hammer on Fulton to bring him down to his knees. More strikes to the face drop Austin as well but Alexander has to escape the Magic Killer. The Gun Stun is blocked as well and Page hits Anderson with the belt for the pin and the titles at 14:28.

Rating: C+. Another good enough match and I can’t say I’m stunned at the Canadians getting the titles back on the show where Don Callis runs things (no I’m not serious). The North winning is a little surprising but you can almost guarantee that the Good Brothers are getting the titles sooner rather than later. Shelley being out isn’t good, but it is kind of nice to see one less person out there. Mostly insane here and there are only so many stories that can be told in something like this, but the action was good enough and that’s all it needed to be.

Rosemary and John E. Bravo apologize for not helping Taya win earlier but it’s cool because it’s wedding time. Havok comes in and it’s time to bring James Mitchell back. Taya doesn’t think much of Bravo but he said he wears the pants in the relationship and can do this himself.

We recap Kylie Rae vs. Deonna Purrazzo. Rae thinks Purrazzo is out to get her for some reason and Purrazzo thinks Rae isn’t serious enough. Rae has been #1 contender for months and it’s finally time for her title shot.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kylie Rae

Rae is challenging…or at least she would be if she was here. Purrazzo, with Kimber Lee, laughs off Rae not being here and issues the open challenge. This is a little disturbing as Rae legitimately no showed the event and it isn’t clear why or where she is. She was in Nashville the day before, but never came to the show. Hopefully everything winds up being ok, but that’s a scary situation. Anyway, we now have a replacement.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Su Yung

Su is challenging, Kimber Lee is here with Purrazzo, and Madison Rayne joins commentary. Yung crawls around to start and then hammers away in the corner. Some stomping puts Purrazzo on the apron for a slugout, capped off by a side slam onto the apron. Back in and they roll around for some near falls, followed by a hurricanrana out of the corner for two. Purrazzo finally gets in a shot to the face and starts in on the arm, as is her custom.

The arm is wrapped around the rope as Madison teases getting back in the ring to face Purrazzo. Something like a Koji Clutch has Yung in trouble and Purrazzo stomps on the arm to keep her down. The running knee drop misses but Purrazzo ties her up in the ropes for a baseball slide (that’s a new one) to the floor. Back in and a release German suplex sends Yung flying but she’s right back with a DDT for the double knockdown.

They get back up to slug it out with Yung getting the better of things without much effort. A running splash in the corner puts Purrazzo on the floor for a breather so Yung sends her shoulder first into the post. Yung puts her in a chair for a dive off the apron, followed by a Pedigree for two back inside. It’s time for the bloody glove but the referee gets bumped. Yung plants Purrazzo for no cover, as Lee comes in with a quick chair shot to Yung’s back.

Instead of covering, Purrazzo loads up the Pillmanizing on the arm, only to get caught in the Mandible Claw. The red mist gets rid of Lee but Purrazzo gets her down into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s countered into the Claw again but Purrazzo breaks that up as well. A Stunner into the Panic gives Yung the title back at 15:05.

Rating: B-. They almost had to switch the title with the surprise change of pace and they got the ending right enough. The last few minutes had a few too many shenanigans though and it hurt things a bit. What we got worked well enough though and Yung getting the title back is fine, even if Purrazzo gets it back pretty soon. Hopefully Rae is ok though, because that’s more important than anything else.

The Knockouts Tag Team Titles are coming back and the next champions will be crowned at Hard To Kill on January 16.

We recap Eric Young vs. Rich Swann for the World Title. Swann eliminated him from the World Title match at Slammiversary, then Young injured Swann’s knee. Then he injured Swann’s knee again and injured Swann’s knee again. Now it’s title time.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eric Young vs. Rich Swann

Swann is challenging and has to dive over Young’s lunge for his legs. The second attempt works but Swann kicks him away and snaps off a headscissors. A dropkick puts Young on the floor and we take a bit of a breather. Swann sends him chest first into the post and Young takes another breather on the ramp. Back in and Swann knocks him outside again, setting up a flip dive off the apron. Young finally drops him onto the apron though and pulls on the neck a bit outside.

Back in and Swann hits what looks like a super Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog….and Young covers him for two instead. Ok then. There’s a twist of the neck and a running clothesline gives Young two. We hit the neck crank, followed by another clothesline with Young telling Swann to GO AWAY. A neckbreaker gets two and the neck gets bent around the top rope. Young gets two off a Death Valley Driver as he’s certainly mixing up the neck work.

There’s a right hand in the corner and Young tells him to stay down (again). Some more forearms to the face fire Swann up and he unloads on Young for a change. Young goes up top but gets tossed back down and they’re both on the mat for a bit. A super hurricanrana sets up a frog splash for two on Young but he bites his way out of something else on top. Young’s top rope elbow to the back sets up a Crossface to pull on the neck even more but Swann makes the rope.

Another slugout goes to Swann until Young catches him with a torture rack neckbreaker for two. Something close to a Figure Four sends Swann to the ropes again and he kicks Young in the head. The running Phoenix splash gets two on Young but he catches Swann in the Tree of Woe. Swann manages to pull himself up for a cutter out of the corner into a Lethal Injection. The phoenix splash gives Swann the pin and the title at 21:33.

Rating: B. It’s a good match and the neck work went well, plus Swann wining the title is a plus, but this felt like it should have been for the TV Title. Josh going on and on about how the dark cloud was now gone from over Impact Wrestling just came off as stupid as Young had only been champion for about a month and a half. This never felt like a Bound For Glory main event coming in and that was the case here as well. Certainly a good one, but the main event of the biggest show of the year is way too much.

The roster comes out to celebrate with Swann, which is still quite the overreaction.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is kind of a perfect microcosm for the whole show: it’s quality stuff for the most part and nothing is overly bad, but there was nothing on here that felt important. I kept thinking the main event should have been something else, but what in the world on here is supposed to be some big match or moment? Impact really needs to work on building up their big match feeling, but that has been the case for years. Good show and worth a look if you have time. Just don’t expect to be blown away by…well anything actually.

Results

Rohit Raju b. TJP, Jordynne Grace, Trey Miguel, Willie Mack and Chris Bey – Running knee to TJP

Rhino won a Call Your Shot gauntlet match last eliminating Sami Callihan

Moose b. EC3 – Belt shot to the head

Ken Shamrock b. Eddie Edwards – Ankle lock

The North b. Good Brothers, Motor City Machine Guns and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Belt shot to Alexander

Su Yung b. Deonna Purrazzo – Panic Switch

Rich Swann b. Eric Young – Phoenix splash

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Yeah you might have forgotten about the company but Impact Wrestling is back on pay per view with their biggest show of the year. The card has been built up as well as it can be, but that is kind of a firm limit. The show isn’t exactly jumping off the page at me, though Impact Wrestling has managed to surprise me before. Hopefully that is the case again so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Rascalz vs. Deaners

There is something so fun about the Rascalz. I have a good time watching them but their win/loss record could be a lot better. There is only so much you can do when you can’t consistently win and that has been a problem for them for a very long time now. Hopefully they can get a lot better, and there are only a few ways to do that. We might be seeing it here.

I’ll take the Rascalz, for the double reason of I like them and I can remember which one is which. The Deaners got a lot out of Wrestle House but they are still more of a gimmick tag team than anything else. Maybe they can become a bigger deal one day, because while they’re not terrible, they leave a lot to be desired. Give me the Rascalz in a fast paced match.

Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards

This is a tricky one as Shamrock is entering the Hall of Fame this weekend but probably shouldn’t be beating someone like Edwards, who was World Champion just a few months ago. Then again, Shamrock wins a good amount of matches that he probably shouldn’t be winning, meaning that this could be in play. Shamrock has been impressive enough in his return, but that might not be enough to beat Edwards.

That being said, I’ll take Shamrock here, as Impact Wrestling REALLY likes honoring its legends, even though Edwards has been far more successful in the company than Shamrock. Edwards can absorb a loss far more easily than Shamrock, and if the idea is to make Shamrock a machine again, he shouldn’t be losing his first big match after the heel turn.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

It’s your usual casserole of wrestlers who have nothing else going on (yes Tommy Dreamer is in there too) and the winner gets a title shot of their choice. The catch is that if Rhino or Heath win, Heath gets a contract and Rhino gets to keep his job. You can probably knock out a few of the options in a hurry, so at least it’s a little bit more limited of a field to pick through.

I’ll take Heath to win and go with the layup of the two of them going for the Tag Team Titles in the more feel good moment. It isn’t like most of the people involved have much of a story anyway and winning a ten person gauntlet match is only so difficult in the first place. Hopefully they don’t stay out there too long though, which is always a big danger in something like this. And go with the right winner of course, as in the person that I picked.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju(c) vs. Chris Bey vs. Jordynne Grace vs. TJP vs. Trey Miguel vs. Willie Mack

Blast it with these messy matches. The X-Division has actually been a division as of late and now we are getting another one of these big car crash matches for the sake of getting everyone involved rather than having one challenger for a change. Raju is a fine choice as the heel champion who escapes with the title that he doesn’t really deserve and that is a good role to have in a match like this. There are a lot of ways this could go and that could make for something interesting.

I’ll take….eh give me Bey to get the title back here, if nothing else because I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve seen from him. Odds are Raju winds up retaining the title and escaping again, but that’s a bit of a traditional pick and Impact Wrestling likes to mix things up a bit. I’m not sure if that is what they are going to do here, but it really could go a lot of ways and that is a good thing.

TNA World Title: Moose(c) vs. EC3

So EC3 was the big surprise at the end of Slammiversary and he has set his sights on Moose. Now why did he do that? Honestly I’m not sure that I know as he has been going on and on about controlling your narrative…and I don’t know if I quite understand what the heck he is talking about. I know he wants to get rid of the TNA World Title to change his legacy or something, but that’s about as far as I can go.

The only other place I can go is to the place where EC3 wins the title, as he should here. There is no reason to have Moose retain here, though I’m not sure what else to expect from the match. It is going to take place in an undisclosed location and I wouldn’t be shocked to see this as a cinematic match, because we haven’t had one around here in awhile. Just have it regular please. Is that so much to ask?

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns(c) vs. Good Brothers vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. The North

The Good Brothers have become the biggest stars in the company almost by default and now all they need is the gold. They showed up announced at Slammiversary and were instantly treated as some of the most important people in the company, overshadowing the entire tag team division in a hurry. They don’t need the titles, but it doesn’t exactly do the titles much good for the Good Brothers to not have them.

Actually I’ll go with the instinct and pick Austin and Fulton to win, with the Good Brothers hunting them down for the regular title match later on rather than winning the four way here. This has gotten most of the recent main event slots and while it isn’t (or at least shouldn’t) main event the show, it is going to be one of the more important matches on the card. Odds are the Good Brothers win, but I feel like a gamble.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo(c) vs. Kylie Rae

This feels like it was supposed to take place months ago but then the Wrestle house deal slowed everything down. Rae has become one of the perkiest stars the company has seen in years while Purrazzo is more of an assassin who can rip anyone apart whenever she feels like it. That being said, when your opponent has a move called Smile To The Finish, it’s hard to cheer against them. Throw in the fact that Rae is more innocent than the Easter Bunny and it’s hard to argue against her.

I’ll take Purrazzo to win here and crush everyone’s dreams, as she just hasn’t held the title long enough to lose it yet. Rae is someone who could smile her way through anything and it seems like she could be back in the title scene down the line without much effort. Maybe she takes it from Purrazzo one day, but I really don’t think it is going to happen on Saturday night.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eric Young(c) vs. Rich Swann

And then there’s this, which does not feel like a main event of the biggest show of the year no matter how revered the company wants to make it sound. This feels like it should be for the X-Division Title halfway through the show rather than (probably) headlining everything. Swann came back from a long injury at Slammiversary and eliminated Young from the World Title match, only to have Young take out the knee. Now Swann is back for revenge and the title.

Swann has to win here right? I can’t imagine that Impact Wrestling would go with Young as a long term champion, but then again I can’t believe that we’re seeing him as the champion again in the second place. I’ve liked Swann for a long time now and hopefully he is back to his old self. He should win the title here, though I’m not sure if he is ready for that point. Then again, it’s not like the title feels all that important most of the time anyway.

Overall Thoughts

I’ve thought this for a good while now but this show has been surpassed by Slammiversary as the most important of the year. I know Bound For Glory gets all of the attention and that’s perfectly fine, but this really doesn’t feel like the big showcase event. I’m sure the matches and action will be good as Impact Wrestling almost always delivers when they focus on their in-ring product, but I can’t really bring myself to get overly interested in the show.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 20, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the go home show for Bound For Glory and that probably can’t come soon enough. The company has been limping into the show and they could use a nice boost before we get to Saturday. Tonight is probably going to be a lot of building up what is already there and that could go either way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Heath vs. Rhino vs. Hernandez vs. Cousin Jake vs. Alisha

Whoever wins is the last entrant in the Call Your Shot gauntlet but whoever takes the fall is the first entrant. Alisha yells a lot and shoves some people so Hernandez puts her on the top rope and tussles her hair. She jumps onto Heath’s back but gets driven into the corner, leaving Rhino and Hernandez to slug it out for all of five seconds.

The guys head outside and Alisha dives onto three of the four. Back in and Rhino hammers on Hernandez in the corner but Jake comes in to choke Rhino in another corner. Alisha comes in to break up the dive but Jake breaks up the Border Toss. Rhino Gores Alisha by mistake and in his shock, Hernandez grabs a rollup for the pin on Rhino at 4:45.

Rating: C-. This didn’t last long but it was fast paced while it lasted. Rhino going in first is something that makes a lot of sense given what they are doing with he and Heath so hopefully it works out in execution. Alisha got to shine a bit here as well, which isn’t often the case for her and came off well enough.

Announcers preview tonight and Saturday.

Video on Moose vs. EC3, which is still about someone fighting for a title that doesn’t exactly count. It sounds like their match will be cinematic as well and….yeah I’m having trouble caring.

Jimmy Jacobs sits down with Moose, who doesn’t seem interested in talking about anything but EC3, who won’t be happy after Bound For Glory. Moose leaves, so three guys in EC3 gear come in and kidnap Jacobs, throwing him into a van. Make your own Samoa Joe/ninja jokes.

John E. Bravo yells at the wedding party about the wedding for being so terrible at their jobs. Apparently Kaleb With A K will be the photographer but here’s Taya Valkyrie to complain about everything, but Bravo storms off.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about how important the Knockouts Title is in this company’s history. Do you want someone like her as champion or Kylie Rae? Being smiley and happy isn’t a game plan! All it took was Purrazzo breaking Susie’s arm to send Rae over the edge and on Saturday, she isn’t winning the title.

Havok vs. Rosemary

If Rosemary wins, Father James Mitchell can be brought back to officiate the wedding. Havok squeezes her down by the hand to start but misses a legdrop to give Rosemary two. Havok’s reverse DDT is blocked so Rosemary hits one of her own for two more. A guillotine is broken up with a suplex and Havok is getting serious. Rosemary gets a boot up in the corner though and a high crossbody gives her two. Back to back spears finish Havok at 3:27.

Rating: C-. Like Mitchell wasn’t going to be back for the wedding. There was no reason to bring him up if he wasn’t going to be here and he ties into the story so well that it would be insane to not have him here. I’ve been digging the wedding story so far and hopefully the payoff works as well.

Video on the Tag Team Title match. The Motor City Machine Guns have the titles, the Good Brothers want them, and the North and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton do in fact exist as well.

Here’s a sneak peak at Talk N Shop: Full Gear.

Kylie Rae says Deonna Purrazzo is more interested in making people think she is better rather than actually being better. Rae wants to be a role model to young girls and she is going to be ready for everything Deonna has for her at Bound For Glory.

The EC3 guys bring Jacobs into a building and put him into a chair, with EC3 sitting next to him. EC3 says it’s just the two of them so ask him a question. Right now they’re in a narrative, and now Moose is the adversary that EC3 wants to face. EC3 met the Moose he has been waiting to fight on that bridge last week but Moose is a FALSE IDOL.

Last week, EC3 saw it in his eyes and Moose was starting to control his narrative. Moose has to learn, but it has to be at EC3’s hands. EC3 fights for control and purpose but also for himself. The whole point of this is to take the TNA World Title and burn it, just like Moose’s legacy. I’m still not sure I get what the heck EC3 is talking about, but he’s selling it well.

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards

Sami walks into an atomic drop to start but blocks a belly to belly suplex with a rake to the eyes. They fight to the floor with Sami getting his own eyes raked this time. Sami hits his own belly to belly onto the ramp though and Eddie is in trouble. Back in and Sami grabs a brainbuster for two and we hit the chinlock. Eddie fights back up so Callihan whips him into a corner to stop the comeback cold.

The real comeback starts with a clothesline and a super hurricanrana sets up the Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Sami. They slug it out from their knees and then chop it out from their feet until Sami goes for the eyes again. Some running forearms set up the tiger driver for two more on Sami and Eddie is stunned. The Boston Knee Party is loaded up so Sami grabs his phone and…makes Ken Shamrock appear. The distraction, and a handful of tights, is enough to finish Eddie at 8:35.

Rating: C+. They were having a good match here until the annoying ending, though at least the hacking deal was a little more funny than what you get most of the time. Eddie vs. Shamrock doesn’t exactly get my interest up, but then again it is a match between two big names. Sami is just kind of there at the moment, and I’m not feeling the Shamrock partnership, but it’s certainly a fresh match.

Post match Shamrock locks Eddie’s ankle again.

We recap the X-Division Title match, which is Rohit Raju running from everyone but getting caught against them all at once. Raju is doing really well now that he is getting a chance, but I could go for a smaller field in the match. Like two people for instance.

Willie Mack/Trey Miguel/TJP vs. Rohit Raju/Chris Bey/Jordynne Grace

Raju starts with Mack but taunts TJP into a chase, allowing Bey to take TJP down. Mack comes in for the spinning slam into a legdrop for two on Bey but Raju breaks up TJP’s headscissors out of the corner. Grace comes in to hammer away on TJP for two before reluctantly tagging Raju in.

TJP avoids Grace’s Vader Bomb though and it’s the hot tag bringing in Miguel as everything breaks down. We get the parade of knockdowns so Raju knees Miguel down for two, with TJP stealing the cover. Bey hits a springboard cutter so Raju steals his own near fall, meaning the argument is on. Raju takes Bey down so Bey is back with the springboard cutter to Raju, giving Miguel the pin at 5:25.

Rating: C. It was a big mess and having Raju get on someone’s nerves to take the fall fit him perfectly. That being said, it was another X-Division match with all of the insanity that you always get in a match like this. Good action, but it’s going to be even zanier on Saturday and I’m a bit over that kind of a match in this division.

Video on Eric Young vs. Rich Swann, with Eric destroying Swann’s knee over and over but not being able to keep him out of the title match. In other words, it’s something else where Young isn’t as good as people think he is. You would think he’s used to it by now.

We get a sitdown interview with Young, who blames Swann and Scott D’Amore for what has happened to them. He hasn’t caused any of this because he said what he would do. Everyone should know what happens if you get in his way and now he has a purpose to stop Swann. Cue Swann for the fight with the camera being knocked down. Dang they’re trying with this thing but it’s only going so far.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Good Brothers vs. The North

Anderson and Page start things off with Page being sent outside. Everything breaks down in a hurry and we take a break in a hurry. Back with Gallows hammering away on Alexander in the corner before Anderson comes in to slug away as well. Now it’s some stomping in the corner for a change of pace as we hear about how awesome the North was when they held the titles.

Alexander gets in a shot to the face and it’s time to put Anderson in the corner for a change. A full nelson backbreaker from Alexander sets up a backbreaker from Page for two and the chinlock is on again. It’s back to Alexander for another chinlock but he charges into a big boot in the corner. The hot tag brings in Gallows to clean house but Alexander breaks up the Magic Killer. The slugout it on and it’s a no contest (double DQ, whatever) at 11:12.

Rating: C. They worked a pretty simple formula here until the ending which (wisely) protected both of them until the ending. It’s nothing that we haven’t seen done better over and over but at least they didn’t have someone take a fall and then come back to win the titles on Saturday. The North is still great, but the Good Brothers feel like stars and that’s what matters.

Post match the Machine Guns and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton run in for the big brawl. The Guns and the Brothers clear the ring and get in the fight with the Brothers easily taking them down and standing tall to end the show. It’s kind of amazing to see this close the show again, as it feels like it has happened a lot more often than not as of late.

Overall Rating: C. This was right down the middle and playing everything safe, which is exactly what it should have been. There was no need in trying to do something ridiculous here or throwing something else into a card that was already made. They did a little bit with the wedding for a slight bit of variety, but this was nice and safe, as it should be in a situation like this. After some weaker shows, something this simple is the right call so they made the right decision.

Results

Hernandez b. Heath, Rhino, Cousin Jake and Alisha – Rollup to Rhino

Rosemary b. Havok – Spear

Sami Callihan b. Eddie Edwards – Rollup

Trey Miguel/TJP/Willie Mack b. Rohit Raju/Jordynne Grace/Chris Bey – Springboard cutter to Raju

Good Brothers vs. The North went to a no contest when all four brawled

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 29, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

We’re on the way to Bound For Glory and that means we are starting to see the card coming together. This time around we are building towards the Tag Team Title match, as the Good Brothers and the Rascalz, who are likely heading towards a multi team title match, have their own match going on tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary vs. Havok/Nevaeh

Rosemary and Havok have to be held back to start so it’s Nevaeh running Taya over with a shoulder to start. The other two come in with Rosemary taking Havok down and hammering away to quite a bit of avail. Taya comes in but can’t whip Havok in, instead being clotheslined down.

Nevaeh grabs a front facelock and then hits a basement dropkick for two. Havok comes in and gets two off Nevaeh’s clothesline. A quick crawl between Havok’s legs allows the hot tag to Rosemary and it’s time to clean house. The Upside Down has Havok in trouble and a high crossbody puts her down again. Nevaeh comes back in for a German suplex to Rosemary but can’t hit one on Taya. The Road To Valhalla finishes Nevaeh at 6:53.

Rating: C-. That’s a pretty by the book tag match but it’s nice to see Rosemary getting to do something in the ring. She’s very talented and finally seems to be getting closer to her pre-knee injury status. The wacky best friends combination with Taya works out rather well and I could go for more of them for a good while.

Post match Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan run in for the beatdown until Havok and Nevaeh make the save.

The Good Brothers are telling a story about being in a Japanese karaoke bar when the Motor City Machine Guns come in to ask if they do anything but tell stories all day. Alex Shelley talks about being near the top of the dojo while Karl Anderson was still making Riki Choshu’s meals. The Good Brothers aren’t impressed and can’t wait to kick out of the Guns’ finisher (as Scott Hall said to the Dudleys when the NWO came back to the WWF).

Deonna Purrazzo doesn’t think much of Kylie Rae, because the smiles won’t help her at Bound For Glory. Purrazzo doesn’t think much of having to defend the Knockouts Title at Victory Road this Saturday.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Jordynne Grace

Rematch from last week and Kaleb With A K handles Dashwood’s entrance. Dashwood tries a kick to the ribs but gets driven into the corner in a hurry. A slam sets up a running backsplash for two and there are the shoulders to Dashwood’s ribs in the corner. Dashwood gets in a knee though and a neckbreaker over the middle rope sends us to a break.

Back with Grace’s neck being wrapped around the rope and having her throat pulled into a different rope. Grace sends her into the corner though and some running knees to the back into a running hip attack crush Dashwood. The Vader Bomb gets two and a hard clothesline gives Grace the same. Dashwood manages to tie her in the Tree of Woe for the Taste of Tenille but the Spotlight Kick is blocked. Kaleb’s distraction doesn’t work and Grace grabs the rear naked choke for the tap at 11:52.

Rating: C. The more I see of Grace the more I like her and this worked out rather well for both of them. Grace could very well be back in the title picture one day and you know Impact wants Dashwood there as well. The Knockouts division has gotten a lot better in a hurry, and a non-title feud like this is a good hope for its future.

Moose still can’t find EC3 but does attack an employee, earning a threat of an HR intervention. EC3 pops up to say the title’s funeral is next week. You have been warned.

Video on Rich Swann training to get back into the ring for Bound For Glory.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Gail Kim b. Madison Rayne to retain the Knockouts Title.

Rhino comes outside to see Heath, who might have some interest from Impact management. Heath paid for the infomercial with his credit cards so he still has the cash. Cue Hernandez and Reno Scum to jump them and take it back.

Post break, Rhino yells at Scott D’Amore for what just happened. D’Amore doesn’t like it but it’s Heath/Rhino vs. Reno Scum at Victory Road.

Rascalz vs. Good Brothers

It’s Wentz and Dez for the team here and Dez starts with Anderson. Dez is sent into the corner for an elbow to the head but he comes out kicking. Wentz comes in and gets taken into the corner so the beating can be on. That doesn’t last long though as it’s quickly back to Dez for the double kicks to Anderson. Gallows doesn’t seem to mind and runs over Dez with a clothesline.

That means it’s Dez getting beaten down in the corner and the chinlock is on in a hurry. Gallows drives some elbows into the face and chest before grabbing his own chinlock. Dez fights up with a Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog and the hot tag brings in Wentz. The Rascalz pick up the pace with the backbreaker/top rope Meteora combination. The shove moonsault is broken up and it’s the spinebuster to Wentz into the Magic Killer for the pin at 7:09.

Rating: C. I know it’s not the point of the team but the Good Brothers only do so much for me in the ring. They aren’t the worst by any means and are perfectly serviceable, but they aren’t a team I look forward to seeing. That being said, that is completely not the point of the team and it’s not like being masters in the ring is what makes you a star. This was fine enough, and I think you know what is coming at Bound For Glory.

Post match Anderson says they’re here for the money and the titles.

Brian Myers and Tommy Dreamer have an old west staredown in the back and a challenge is made for Victory Road.

Kaleb and the banged up Tenille Dashwood are leaving when they run into Jordynne Grace. A third match is made for Victory Road, though Dashwood isn’t thrilled.

Johnny Swinger vs. Fallah Bahh

Some of the Wrestle House cast is around ringside and the winner gets to be John E. Bravo’s best man. Swinger jumps him to start with little success. Bahh sends him flying and isn’t about to be slammed. A rake to the eyes slows Bahh down a bit and Swinger stomps on Cousin Jake’s fingers. The distraction lets Swinger use Crazzy Steve’s monkey to knock Bahh silly for the pin at 1:44.

Post match Bravo says not so fast and wants the match restarted. Bahh runs him over and hits the Banzai Drop for the pin at 2:35 total.

Rohit Raju says everything should revolve around him, including Victory Road. That’s why he is debuting the Defeat Rohit Challenge. Cue TJP, but Raju says it can’t be him, Chris Bey or Trey challenging. TJP is off to get some Ben And Jerry’s.

Bravo is annoyed at the bad refereeing and doesn’t care if Bahh or TJP is the best man.

Here’s Eddie Edwards for a chat. He knows Eric Young attacked him last week so get out here right now. Cue Sami Callihan on the stage instead so Eddie is glad to beat him up again. Sami says he didn’t do it but Eddie wants to beat him up anyway. Hold on though, as Sami is willing to show Eddie who did attack him. The lights go out again and here’s Ken Shamrock to kick Eddie in the head. Shamrock shouts that Eddie needs to get out of his way and the ankle lock goes on.

In the back, Eric Young finds this hilarious and promises to destroy Young at Victory Road. As for Bound For Glory, whatever he does to Rich Swann is no longer his responsibility.

Kylie Rae comes up to see Susie in the back. Susie is worried at Kylie getting upset if she wins the title from Purrazzo. Of course Kylie isn’t because she would love to face Susie at Bound For Glory. She even got Susie some kickpads! Kylie says Susie’s time has come and leaves, with Susie looking into the mirror and Su Yung being teased again.

Victory Road rundown. Doesn’t look half bad actually.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The North vs. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin

Fulton scares Ethan Page against the ropes to start but a quick shot to the back of the head staggers the big man. That earns Page a Snake Eyes so Josh Alexander hits Fulton in the back from the apron. Fulton pulls him outside and no sells a big boot from Page. Some double teaming has Fulton in trouble but he’s right back with a tilt-a-whirl slam to Alexander.

Now Austin is willing to come in with a slingshot legdrop for the first two. Fulton sends Alexander into the corner and the referee even has to check on things. Austin comes in and misses a charge though, allowing Page to get the tag to assist Alexander on a Blue Thunder Bomb. It’s Austin in trouble now with Page kneeing him in the face and grabbing a chinlock. Austin fights up with a dropkick and brings in Fulton, who no sells a discus forearm from Alexander.

Page and Austin come back in for a slugout until Austin hits a spinning top rope Fameasser. Everything breaks down and Austin climbs onto Fulton’s shoulders for a splash onto Alexander. Page is back up with a running big boot to Austin, who is tossed into Fulton. After a double clothesline puts Austin on the floor, Fulton is back up, only to be sent outside as well. The spinebuster finishes Austin at 10:15.

Rating: C+. It’s good to see the North getting back to winning as the team was so dominant for so long that you can’t just cut them out after they lose the titles. Another win over them still means something so keeping them in the title picture makes sense. Throw in keeping Fulton looking like a monster and this was a rather easily done match which worked out well.

Post match here are the Good Brothers to yell at the North but Fulton and Austin jump the Good Brothers from behind. The fight is on until the Motor City Machine Guns run out for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did a lot of things right here and built up Victory Road very well, while also looking forward to Bound For Glory. Impact Wrestling continues to be at its best when they don’t try to get too fancy and that is what they did here. It’s an easy show to watch and we got the Wrestle House theme again, which pretty much seals this as a good week.

Results

Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie b. Havok/Nevaeh – Road To Valhalla to Nevaeh

Jordynne Grace b. Tenille Dashwood – Rear naked choke

Good Brothers b. Rascalz – Magic Killer to Wentz

Fallah Bahh b. Johnny Swinger – Banzai Drop

The North b. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Spinebuster to Austin

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 1, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s a big show this week after the two weeks of big shows as the World Title is on the line again. This time it’s Eric Young challenging Eddie Edwards because this company sees something in Young as a major star. I’m not sure what that something is but I’ve yet to actually see it. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Sami Callihan vs. Rob Van Dam

Katie Forbes is here with Van Dam but her gyrating distracts Rob, allowing Sami to knock him off the apron. Rob gets sent into the barricade as Josh asks if Father Time has finally caught up with Van Dam. Josh can be a little slow on the uptake at times. They get back in and Katie’s need for attention lets Sami kick him in the face again. Katie finally does something right by grabbing Sami’s foot but the slingshot legdrop only hits apron. Another trip puts Sami down as Madison thinks Katie might cause Van Dam a lot of trouble.

Now the spinning kick to the back over the barricade connects and it’s a faceplant back inside. Rolling Thunder hits knees though and a low cutter drops Van Dam again. Katie gets on the apron AGAIN but this time it actually works as Rob hits a running kick to the back of the head. The split legged moonsault connects but the Five Star takes way too long. A hanging cutter out of the corner plants Van Dam for two so Katie just comes in this time. Even commentary is begging for the referee to eject her as Rob gets a rollup, which Sami reverses for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C-. Katie got annoying here and that’s what they were going for. I could see them doing something where Katie is the reason Van Dam is losing and he refuses to admit that he’s gotten old. It could go a few ways and if it means Katie is off TV for a little bit, I guess I can just suffer through the horrible, tragic loss.

Post match Katie yells at Sami so Rob jumps him from behind. Katie adds a running hip attack in the corner and holds the chair over the face for a running dropkick from Rob.

The announcers preview the show.

Hernandez beats Fallah Bahh at arm wrestling and gets paid. Reno Scum comes in and wants the money for looking for Heath. There’s no sign of him but Hernandez says no pay until they beat Rhino.

Rosemary, Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo rant about everything going on with the three of them as of late.

And now, Wrestle House.

Everyone is trying to get Johnny Swinger out of a room because Crazzy Steve got to dress him (thanks to winning last week). Susie promises not to make fun of him so he finally comes out, dressed like a clown. Swinger: “Matt Borne is laughing at me.” Tommy Dreamer comes in and makes Bravo the referee between Rosemary and Taya.

Reno Scum vs. Rhino

The brawl starts in the aisle with Rhino fighting away but getting caught in the corner. Some right hands to the face have Rhino in trouble as we take a break. Back with Rhino being sent into the corner so Luster can punch him down. A falling headbutt gets two and we hit the chinlock. Thornstowe’s cheap shot from the floor cuts off the comeback so Rhino goes outside and Gores Thornstowe down. The referee gets distracted….and the cameraman (ahuh) comes in with the Wake Up Call to Luster, giving Rhino the pin at 7:14.

Rating: D+. It’s not like there is anything else of note for Heath to do so letting him team with Rhino again is fine enough. Rhino has been doing nothing but playing the hits for years around here so it’s not like it’s taking apart some other big story. That and the Heath4Impact stuff is a lot better than VINCE DIDN’T USE ME RIGHT.

Post match Scott D’Amore sends security out to get rid of Heath.

An EC3 promo interrupts Moose. EC3 says Moose can come find him, or the TNA World Title will be sent back to him piece by piece. Moose freaks out and tells a production worker to call the cops. After Moose leaves, the guy reveals a Control The Narrative shirt so that isn’t likely working.

Karl Anderson tells some guys a story about Doc Gallows falling asleep in a bar when the Rascalz are told to come over. They can’t because they have Ace Austin and Madman Fulton tonight. The Good Brothers don’t seem to mind and plug their future beer.

Back at Wrestle House, Swinger tries to tell Bravo that if he plays his cards right, he could get Taya and Rosemary. Bravo doesn’t listen to Swinger, who leaves.

The Deaners and XXXL get in a fight over the beer and we go cinematic as they fight around the house. Dreamer gets in a plug for Impact and a ping pong match breaks out breaks out between Cody and Acey. Larry punches the wall by mistake, followed by the ping pong ball going into Cody’s mouth. Cody is thrown into a trashcan but comes back to slug away at Acey…who is knocked into an elevator. Cody takes the stairs and then steals a bicycle, allowing him to miss a clothesline on Acey.

Back upstairs, Cody gets a long running start (as in long enough for Acey to get back upstairs and talk to Larry) but the charge misses, allowing Acey to pull Larry out of the way. Cody is back and they fight into XXXl’s room, where they find the beer bottles. A DDT plants Larry, which turns him into Lawrence. Jake knocks him out but Susie pops in. The violence brings out a flash of Su Yung, allowing Susie to walk out…with very bloody hands. Dreamer names her the winner and runs off. This stuff is such goofy fun.

Rascalz vs. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz. Dez rolls away from Fulton to start and gets on the monster’s nerves with a slap to the face. More escapism allows the tag off to Wentz for some double team striking to put Fulton down for two. Fulton finally gets back up and stomps away at Wentz’ back, allowing Austin to slingshot in with a legdrop.

The playing card cuts the finger and it’s back to Fulton for some corner choking. The referee yells at him, allowing the tag to Dez who gets to kick away at everyone. That ticks Fulton off and he misses a charge out to the floor. Wentz hits a dive over the top onto Fulton and Dez hits the Final Flash to finish Austin at 4:51.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have much time, which is a shame as I like everyone involved in the match. It’s nice to see the Rascalz get a pin, though it is kind of amazing to see how far down Ace has fallen since Slammiversary. They didn’t have a lot of time here but we got some good stuff out of what they had.

Post match the Motor City Machine Guns come out and praise the Rascalz for a bit. This turns into a challenge for a title match to next week but Ace and Fulton jump the Rascalz from behind. The Guns make the save.

Deonna Purrazzo is annoyed at how under dressed people are for her black tie celebration. No Willie Mack, shoelaces do not count. Purrazzo is annoyed but asks Kimber Lee to be her security for the match.

Rohit Raju is admiring the X-Division Title. TJP comes up to ask about a title shot but Raju says he has to beat Chris Bey. That sets off some rhyming and TJP leaves.

Rosemary vs. Taya Valkyrie

John E. Bravo is referee. Taya starts the trash talk by calling Rosemary an emo kid who shops at Hot Topic. Rosemary comes back by mocking Slam Town and the slapping begins. Bravo breaks up the brawl so Taya kicks her in the chest to set up the running hip attack. More yelling at Bravo lets Rosemary drive her into the corner and then hit a spear. A lot of yelling ensues but a double kick to the head sets up a double knockdown. Both of them miss charges into the corner but Taya grabs the Road To Valhalla for the pin at 3:35.

Rating: C-. It was weird to see a Wrestle House match go this long but it helps that you had two of the better options in the ring. This worked out well enough, though I’m surprised that it actually had a clean finish. They needed to have something definitive like this so this was not only surprising, but kind of necessary.

Post match Bravo tries to check on Rosemary but she shoves him away. Bravo whips out a ring and says he can manage Taya and marry Rosemary too. Everyone is stunned and Taya gives her blessing. Rosemary: “You do know we’re a demon right?” Rosemary accepts. Kylie Rae says that’s sweet but can we get back to the Impact Zone now? Taya says sure and they get in the ring.

The Deaners are very banged up and want beer, but they realize there was only one bottle under Larry’s bed. We cut to Crazzy Steve who admits he took the beer because he couldn’t read the labels. Back in the ring, Taya is congratulated for finding an activity they all liked. They all touch hands and warp away. I guess they ran out of taping.

The ring is surrounded and Kimber Lee introduces Deonna Purrazzo for her celebration. We start with a toast and Purrazzo talks about how she has painted a masterpiece since she debuted. No one is ruining her night but here is Jordynne Grace to congratulate her on her wins. Enjoy the title reign, because it isn’t going to last. Cue Tenille Dashwood, who says it’s great that everyone is here for her return. Tenille is coming for the title but Grace goes to get in her face. The Wrestle House Crew appears in the ring and Susie and Kylie Rae clear the ring with ease. Rae winds up with the Knockouts Title.

Brian Myers is ready to offer Willie Mack a handshake next week. Moose comes in to ask if Myers has seen EC3 so Myers sends him down the hall.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Eric Young

Eric is challenging and wears a mask to the ring because…well it isn’t like anything else makes him stand out. Eddie isn’t waiting but charges into an elbow to start. He’s fine enough to snap off an overhead belly to belly for two and there’s a chop in the corner. Eddie snaps the throat across the top to send Young outside and we take a break. Back in and Eddie punches him to the apron and they both go outside.

That goes fine for Eddie as they go back up to the apron, where Young snaps off a neckbreaker to take over. Back in again and another neckbreaker gives Young two and it’s time to stomp away. Another neckbreaker gets another two and we hit the neck crank. A heck of a forearm rocks Eddie but he snaps off the Blue Thunder Bomb to put both guys down. Eddie strikes him into the corner but Young gets up and chokes him from the middle rope. The Backpack Stunner gets Eddie out of trouble and an enziguri in the corner rocks Eric again.

Young knocks him off the top though and the top rope elbow gets two. They strike it out and Eddie kicks him off the apron to the floor. Eddie dives onto hit but hurts his knee on the landing. Back in and Eddie gets two off the tiger driver with a grab of the knee messing up the cover. Eric rolls to the floor from the threat of the Boston Knee Party so Eddie hits a dive, messing up the knee even more. Back in and Young grabs the title, which is quickly taken away. That lets Young hit Eddie with the hockey mask, setting up the piledriver for the pin and the title at 15:41.

Rating: C. I think my thoughts on Eric Young are well known enough at this point so allow me to say GAH! Of all the people they have available on this roster, they pick ERIC YOUNG to win the World Title? Are people really that fascinated by his big bugged out eyes and calling himself a maniac that he should be the top man in the promotion? This is rather frustrating as Eddie hadn’t even been champion long, but I guess Young is more interesting because….I really have no idea actually. Uh, Canada? I guess? Maybe?

Post match Young stays on Eddie by cranking on the knee until security breaks it up.

Post copyright notice, Moose finds a stalker style collection of photos of himself, including some from yesterday and at his hotel. A bunch of threads come together over a map, where Moose says he needs to go. He pulls down the board and finds a message behind it saying YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show overall as they were jumping all over the place. I kind of liked that though, as you had a nice mixture of stuff as they seem to be on a fresh taping cycle. The show was rather energetic and I liked some of it, aside from the result of the main event. That being said, more Kylie, Rosemary, Rascalz and Dashwood are certainly good things so hopefully they keep this up next time.

Results

Sami Callihan b. Rob Van Dam – Rollup

Rhino b. Reno Scum – Wake Up Call to Luster the Legend

Rascalz b. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin – Final Flash to Austin

Taya Valkyrie b. Rosemary – Road To Valhalla

Eric Young b. Eddie Edwards – Piledriver

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: August 25, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the second and final night of Emergence and that means we’re in for a big match. This time around it’s going to be a thirty minute Iron Man match for the Knockouts Title as Deonna Purrazzo defends against Jordynne Grace. The World Title is on the line as well, plus the usual Wrestle House shenanigans. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. ???

Eddie is defending against….Rob Van Dam with Katie Forbes. Yeah that’s a little better than Brian Myers. Eddie goes to the arm to start and snaps off an overhead belly to belly. They head outside in a hurry with Rob sending him into the barricade but a kiss from Katie slows things down. Eddie hits a suicide dive but another distraction lets Rob get in a posting. That means the spinning kick to the back as Eddie is on the barricade, meaning Katie needs to dance.

They bother heading back in for a change with Rob sending him throat first into the middle rope. The split legged moonsault gives Rob two but the Blue Thunder Bomb plants Van Dam again. Eddie grabs the tiger driver for two more as Madison insists that Rob and Katie owe her a couch. Rob shoves him off the top for a crotching and Rolling Thunder connects. The Five Star misses though and the Boston Knee Party retains the title at 7:51.

Rating: C. Not as good as you would expect, but then again why would you have any kind of expectations for Van Dam in 2020? Watching him wrestle is better than watching Katie do anything though so at least there was a minor positive. Unfortunately for Eddie this seems to be leading to an Eric Young match and….I’m really not sure why.

Post match Eric Young runs in and jumps Eddie from behind. Eric shouts NEXT WEEK because the World Title goes through him.

Here’s what else is coming tonight.

And now, Wrestle House.

The Deaners are throwing a toga party and insult Johnny Swinger.

We cut to Swinger, who is in his leopard print toga. Crazzy Steve isn’t sure about this, but Swinger says follow his lead and they’ll have every woman in the house.

The party is on with a lot of dancing and drunkenness. Kylie Rae is rather happy and sober but Taya isn’t happy with her for still being #1 contender. The Deaners and XXXL bury the hatchet over the beer, followed by Steve getting powder thrown in his eyes. Steve says he’s blind and it’s Swinger’s fault. Match time and we’ll even make it a blindfold match with the loser having to dress like the winner next week. Tommy Dreamer: “Let’s get to it.”

Crazzy Steve vs. Johnny Swinger

Cousin Jake is referee. Steve honks his horn a bunch and Swinger falls for it, allowing Steve to beat him up. Swinger does the point for the crowd noise thing but they send him into an empty corner, allowing Steve to get the pin at 1:23.

Eddie Edwards goes Eric Young hunting and quotes Batman, saying we can get nuts.

Rhino thinks you should vote Heath4Impact. And then he’ll get to Reno Scum.

Here’s Eddie in the ring to say Eric is trying to send a message. He can have the title shot next week but let’s get nuts right now. Cue Eric to say everything is by design, but maybe it wasn’t a single, solitary act of violence. We’ll do everything next week. That’s fine with Eddie, but he isn’t waiting until next week to give Eric his beating. Referees and Scott D’Amore come out for the save and D’Amore gets shoved down. Eric says he has Eddie right where he wants him.

Rohit Raju talks about how it took him a long way to get to this title but he made it work despite not being the popular guy or knowing the right people. Now he is giving people opportunities, but it is his time.

It’s off to Locker Room Talk, with the Rascalz now serving as Madison Rayne’s co-hosts. After some references to smoking, Madman Fulton and Ace Austin come in as this week’s guests. They don’t like being asked about the losses to the Good Brothers and violence seems imminent. They wind up walking out instead, leaving Madison to turn down an invitation to the Tree House.

Sami Callihan says last week was 2020 in a nutshell. He would have won the World Title last week if Rob Van Dam hadn’t jumped him. Then Van Dam lost tonight because Sami is in his head. Next week, Sami is going to be waiting in the ring so Van Dam can come see him.

We get a long video on EC3’s successes in Impact Wrestling and winning the World Title over and over. As long as the TNA World Title exists, he can never be free. Moose is hiding behind words and is a false idol. Now he is coming for Moose and to change everything. You have been warned.

Brian Myers vs. Willie Mack

They go with the grappling to start as Josh suggests that Madison Rayne hasn’t wrestled more than thirty minutes combined in her life. Thankfully Madison calls him out for not really having a career as Mack shoulders Myers down hard. Myers comes back with a chop and choking on the ropes, followed by a kick to the back for two.

Mack’s running hurricanrana into a dropkick sends Myers into the corner and it’s time to shove it out. A double leg takedown has Mack in trouble and Myers sends him throat first into the top rope. We hit the chinlock and then a reverse chinlock to take things in another direction. Mack fights up but is elbowed straight back down as Myers is getting frustrated.

The third chinlock goes on but Mack is back up with a heck of a Pounce for the double knockdown. Mack’s spinning slam into a jumping legdrop gets two. The Samoan drop into the standing moonsault gets the same but Myers breaks up a superplex attempt. That means a top rope elbow can give Myers two, followed by an enziguri for the same. Back up and Myers slips out of a Rock Bottom and grabs an O’Connor roll with trunks for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and Myers needs a win to give him some credibility around here. You can’t get very far coasting off a tag team with Zack Ryder from last year so the win could give Myers some much needed capital. Mack will be fine as it was a cheating win, though he has been in a bad way as of late and needs a win of his own.

Heath says we have one week to get Heath4Impact trending so he can team with Rhino against Reno Scum next week.

It’s back to Wrestle House with the Deaners thinking that Lawrence D. is the Stefan to Larry D.’s Steve Urkel. Allie gets in Rosemary’s face and accuses her of using Lawrence to hurt John E. Bravo. Dreamer asks Bravo about it but he says Rosemary isn’t his girl.

Lawrence is laying on a table for Rosemary, who gets a bit sick at the sight of him. Rosemary, after taking his hand away from her face, says it wasn’t supposed to go this far but here’s an angry Bravo to interrupt. Bravo slaps him and that turns Lawrence back into Larry. Match time.

Larry D. vs. John E. Bravo

Acey Romero is defending and a shot to the face drops Bravo. The Best Hand In The House finishes him at 34 seconds.

Rosemary tries to console Bravo, who admits he has feelings for her. Taya comes up and is stunned and blames Rosemary for everything. Next week, they fight for everything, including Bravo.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending in a thirty minute Iron Man match. They lock up to start and Purrazzo even goes to the mat without it being broken. Grace goes to the wristlock and powers Purrazzo down by the arm. Purrazzo reverses into one of her own and is taken down in a hurry. A headlock takeover works a bit better for the champ but it’s reverses into a headscissors. Purrazzo nips up and gives graceful bow before getting shouldered down. A faceplant sets up a half crab on the champ, sending her over to the rope as we take a break.

Back with no falls and Grace sending her hard into the corner. There’s no clock but Josh says we have a little over twenty minutes left. Some hard whips to the corner have Purrazzo in trouble but they head outside where she gets in a pump kick for a breather. The clock shows eighteen minutes left as Purrazzo finally starts in on the arm. The arm gets draped over the top rope and it’s off to a standing armbar. Grace gets her foot in the ropes for the break and we hit fifteen minutes to go. Purrazzo hits a short arm clothesline and we take a break.

Back with Purrazzo cranking on the arm even more, which is so interesting that we got to a full screen replay of Grace’s arm being stomped on the steps during the commercial. Purrazzo takes her down by the arm with nine minutes left and the cranking continues with eight minutes left. Grace comes back with some forearms and puts her on top for a running palm strike into a superplex. They pull themselves up so Grace can win the slugout, setting up back to back backsplashes or two.

The rear naked choke goes on and Purrazzo is out for the first fall with….a need for a clock but Josh says about 4:30 to go. Back up and Purrazzo gets a Downward Spiral into a Koji Clutch but Grace makes the rope again. We have two minutes left and they strike it out until Purrazzo has to elbow out of the Grace Driver.

Grace runs over the referee and now the Grace Driver connects for no count. That means a check on the ref so Purrazzo gets in a belt shot to tie it up at about a minute left. Purrazzo covers for two and grabs the armbar, which is broken up with a rollup. A bridging German suplex gives Purrazzo two and the Fujiwara armbar makes Grace tap with two seconds left.

Rating: B-. It was good enough but this felt like they were going off of a textbook of how to have an Iron Man match instead of doing anything interesting or unique. It isn’t bad by any means (the production value was, with the clock being up for about five seconds at a time and not even a scoreboard) but they were treating this like some kind of an epic and it was just a match that got more time than most.

Overall Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this one as the show probably didn’t need to go two weeks. The Wrestle House stuff took away from the special feeling as well as that is as goofy as you can get (in a rather entertaining way). The main event was nice but it’s nothing worth going out of your way to see. Not a bad show, but it definitely didn’t feel like a big night.

Results

Eddie Edwards b. Rob Van Dam – Boston Knee Party

Crazzy Steve b. Johnny Swinger – Rollup

Brian Myers b. Willie Mack – O’Connor roll with trunks

Larry D. b. John E. Bravo – Best Hand In The House

Deonna Purrazzo b. Jordynne Grace 2-1

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

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