We’re back with another Impact pay per view, even though the point seems to be to make another company’s World Champion look good. This time around the focal point is the invading Kenny Omega, will will team with the Good Brothers against Impact World Champion Rich Swann, Chris Sabin and Moose, after Alex Shelley was forced out of the show for unclear reasons. The rest of the card looks ok so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Brian Myers vs. Josh Alexander

This was thrown in this week on Impact since every pay per view needs a pre-show match these days. Myers beat Alexander via DQ and bragged about it so we’re having this for the sake of shutting him up. I’m not sure what Impact sees in Myers but there are far worse places he could be than in the pre-show match. Alexander is going to need a boost soon so we could have something going here.

I’m going to take Alexander here as there is no reason for this to drag on for another match. As much as he has been featured, Myers isn’t being pushed to the moon so they aren’t likely to give him anything here. The match will likely be on about the same level as a regular TV match and that’s all it needs to be given where they are here. It probably didn’t need to be here, but Alexander can get your attention well enough.

Eric Young/Deaner/Joe Doering vs. Tommy Dreamer/Rhino/Cousin Jake

It isn’t a good sign when my first reaction to a match is “at least they’re keeping it all here” but that’s about as good as I can go with this. We have Dreamer being Dreamer, the epic Deaners split, Doering (he was big in Japan, right up there with Jesse and the Rippers) and Young as some kind of mastermind because this company loves him very much. It’s also Old School rules, because they can’t say Extreme and Dreamer can’t do much else.

I’ll go with Young and company as for some reason this seems to be one of the upcoming big things. Young is tolerable enough in some spots, though the love affair with Doering isn’t exactly doing much for me. Adding in the turned Deaner isn’t going to make things better, but if they can keep all of this stuff crammed into one match, it could be a lot worse than what we’re getting.

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan

This feud MUST continue and this time it’s Barbed Wire Massacre because when you think Edwards, you need something like this thrown in. I know this is viewed as some legendary rivalry but it feels like they are just warming it up because neither has anything to do. Edwards is able to carry almost anything to at least watchable, but as soon as I heard the barbed wire deal, I could hear Josh Matthews with his machine gun delivery taking away any impact it might have.

Give me Callihan to win, likely thanks to Ken Shamrock because we need another evil alliance to triumph. Shamrock and Callihan are somewhat intriguing, but I don’t need a Barbed Wire Massacre to make it work. The match should be good enough and odds are Alisha will get involved, but I’ve been over this feud for a good while now because it ran out of steam years ago.

Ethan Page vs. Karate Man

We continue with the “why is this a thing” section, but in this case Page has so much charisma that he can manage to face himself and make it work. I’m going to assume this is a cinematic match and Page’s way out of the promotion, but you never know with something like this. The Karate Man stuff alone is always worth a look, but I’m almost scared of what to see here.

Since they’re facing each other, I’ll go with Karate Man to win and get rid of Page once and for all, which should make your head spin at least a little bit. There is a chance that we could be in for some good jokes here and under the right circumstances, this could be one of the best things on the entire show. Page is awesome at his goofy stuff, and hopefully he gets to showcase himself well on the way out.

X-Division Title: Manik(c) vs. Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju

This is part of one of those stories that works out well almost every time because it’s a classic. Bey and Raju are convinced that Manik is TJP (because Manik is TJP) but can’t beat him or prove it, meaning their frustration factor has increased about 17 fold. Now it’s a free for all for the title, which opens up a few interesting doors as they could go in a few different directions.

I think they’ll play it safe here and have Manik retain the title because there are more places to go with something like this. Manik is someone who can have a good match with anyone and Bey is one of the better young stars around here. Raju has been rather nice as well lately, so we could be in for something good. This might be the match with the most promise on the whole show and I can’t say I’m surprised.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Nevaeh/Havok vs. Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz

Who would have thought that a tournament for the vacant titles would come down to two of the only regular teams who happened to be feuding for weeks before the tournament started? Hogan and Steelz have done a nice job of being the most annoying heels imaginable, which made Havok and Nevaeh grabbing them by their throats that much better. This was almost a guarantee for the final, so at least they’re doing the logical thing.

I’ll take Havok and Nevaeh to win here as you need some faces to win on this show. It isn’t the most intriguing match on the show but it was the only way to go to get to the tournament finals. I’m not sure how far these titles can go as WWE hasn’t been able to make theirs work for years now. The match will be the same thing that we’ve seen several times between them now but….yay belts?

Rosemary/Crazzy Steve vs. Tenille Dashwood/Kaleb With A K

This seems to have been added near the last minute and I’m still trying to make myself care about Dashwood. The Instagram deal is fine, but it feels like something you would see at a tiny independent promotion because it’s that easy of a story. There is no doubt that the talent is there, but for some reason it isn’t clicking. You can only get so far with something like this though and I think we’ve reached her current limit.

I don’t see a reason for Kaleb With A K and Dashwood to win here, even though they need it a lot more. Rosemary seems to be building up something with Susan, so unless she interferes and costs them the match, I don’t see a reason to have Rosemary and Steve lose here. The match itself should be another TV level match, which is quite the trend for most of this show.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo(c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

The Knockouts singles division has done well enough for itself in recent months and Purrazzo is awesome as the technical wizard champion. Valkyrie is almost the old guard in a way, despite her title reign not even feeling all that long ago. While her big reign is over, Valkyrie can go in the ring with anyone and Purrazzo is one of the best things going in the company today.

Purrazzo being one of the best things going today is more than enough to keep the title on her here. Beating Valkyrie is more along the lines of beating a challenger of the month, but she just happens to be a really successful challenger of the month. It means something to beat her though and Purrazzo can continue her reign with another rather nice win added to her list.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Rich Swann/Chris Sabin/Moose

This whole invasion (if that’s what you call Omega and Omega alone showing up from AEW) is making me think of Lando Calrissian saying “this deal is getting worse all the time”. So far, the highlight of the feud for Impact is their World Champion escaping with a pin over their Tag Team Champion. Omega and Don Callis have been treated as stars who are gracing Impact with their presence. I know it gives Impact exposure, but this is feeling more like New Japan coming to Ring of Honor every day (and that’s not a good thing).

Of course Omega and the Good Brothers win here, because why would they lose here? I know this is probably heading towards Omega taking the Impact World Title, as that is the best way to continue making Impact look like they don’t compare to AEW in any way. Yes AEW is more important and Omega is a bigger star, but sweet goodness could Impact look much worse so far?

Overall Thoughts

This show looks pretty dreadful on paper as there is nothing of note to look forward to. I’m sure some of the matches will work as Impact tends to shine when they just go to the ring and focus on the wrestling, but nothing on here really jumps out. Hopefully the show winds up working, because this feels like they have almost no reason to do this show other than they have to. It will likely be good enough, but they need to work on spicing things up.

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

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AND

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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:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: December 8, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

I’m actually looking at this show live for the first time in a long time as AEW World Champion Kenny Omega is here. Why AEW would want to do something with Impact Wrestling is beyond me but it could be interesting to see where they go with whatever they have planned. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Kenny Omega winning the AEW World Title on Dynamite with Don Callis on commentary. Callis helped cost Moxley the title and then said you would hear more about it Tuesday on Impact. That’s still some pretty tame interference and it’s hardly the big screwjob that commentary was treating it as being.

Josh Alexander vs. Chris Sabin

Ethan Page and Alex Shelley are here too. Feeling out process to start with Sabin taking him down, only to have Alexander pull Sabin to the mat by the arm. A stomp and some knees to the ribs have Sabin in trouble and there’s a backbreaker to make it worse. We hit the seated abdominal stretch and then a chinlock as commentary ignores everything going on here to talk about Omega and AEW.

Sabin manages to slip out and kick him in the head to send Alexander outside. The suicide dive connects but Sabin’s hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb onto the knee for two. A ripcord forearm drops Sabin again but he grabs a jackknife cover for the surprise pin at 9:45.

Rating: C. The Tag division, or at least the top of it, is quite good around here and Alexander is someone who can do a lot of good things during the show. Sabin is way past his prime but he can still go in the ring. If this sets up another big showdown somewhere down the road, I certainly wouldn’t be complaining.

Commentary talks about Omega and Callis like it’s the most important story in the world, even though it has almost nothing to do with anyone involved with this show.

Chris Bey comes up to a rather intense Moose and asks about their tag match tonight. Moose says they’ll talk after Bey’s World Title shot on Saturday. Bey isn’t sure what to think about him.

Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone have a paid advertisement telling us to watch AEW tomorrow. Khan doesn’t like how Omega won the belt and thinks Don Callis can be on the show tomorrow night. There are some great tag teams around here and maybe Khan will just buy the whole promotion. Khan: “You worked for Impact Wrestling back in the day right?” Schiavone: “Yeah for one night. Then I quit the business for 18 years.”

Brian Myers vs. TJP

They start fast with TJP taking him down and then grabbing a headlock for some spot calling. Myers puts him on top but TJP is right back down. They head outside with Myers sending him into the barricade as we take a break. Back with TJP hitting a tornado DDT but having to bail out of the Mamba splash.

Myers hits a Downward Spiral but misses a clothesline (his signature move according to Matthews, as he promises that this is what you will see every week) and gets pulled into the kneebar. A rope is grabbed so TJP snaps off a belly to back suplex. Myers avoids a charge though and hits a running clothesline for the pin at 11:47.

Rating: D+. Yeah it’s the former Curt Hawkins getting a nearly twelve minute match on the biggest show Impact could have had in years. Why does this surprise any of you? I’m still not sure what the point is in having Myers featured so prominently unless he’s helping out backstage, but with the reputation that he received in WWE, this isn’t doing him much good.

The Deaners are ready to face Eric Young and Joe Doering, but Cody says he has to do this on his own. Eventually he relents and lets Jake come to the ring with him, but it’s all serious tonight.

Rohit Raju laughs at TJP for losing and brags about how great of a year he has had. The final Defeat Rohit Challenge of 2020 at Final Resolution is open to anyone (except TJP of course) and TJP wishes him luck.

Eric Young vs. Cody Deaner

Young pounds away to start and yells at Cody a bit. Cody’s shots to the ribs don’t work as Young chokes on the ropes and sends him outside. Back in and Cody gets in a few more right hands, only to miss the top rope headbutt. The piledriver finishes Cody at 3:44.

Rating: D+. Yeah what were you expecting here? Young and Doering are being treated as the new monsters around here and it was Young against a Deaner. How else was this going to be anything but a complete squash? It’s still one of the least interesting teams in the company but they make sense in this spot.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Rhino runs in with a pipe for the save.

John E. Bravo wants Tommy Dreamer to arrest Larry D. for attempted murder. Dreamer goes over to Larry and tells him what’s going on, but Larry has an idea: a match with Dreamer at Final Resolution. If Larry wins, he goes free, but if he loses, he’ll go to jail peacefully. Dreamer says it’s on, as Larry asks how he can win his freedom from attempted murder in a wrestling match. Dreamer: “I can do anything I want.”

Post break Tommy Dreamer comes in to see Scott D’Amore, who isn’t happy with Dreamer making matches but he can’t be too upset now. Dreamer is worried about Kenny Omega and Don Callis because he’s been there before. He’s worried about what happens to the locker room but D’Amore isn’t worried.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles Tournament First Round: Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary vs. Deonna Purrazzo/Kimber Lee

Purrazzo and Rosemary fight over the arm to start with Rosemary scaring her into the corner so it’s off to Taya. Lee knocks her into the corner as well and it’s a double suplex to give Purrazzo two. Taya fights up and brings in Rosemary to clean house, only to have Purrazzo catch her in a Downward Spiral.

Lee’s flipping neckbreaker sends Rosemary’s back into the knee for two. Purrazzo kicks Rosemary in the face as everything breaks down. Taya and Lee do the splits and slug it out on the mat until Purrazzo kicks Lee by mistake. Purrazzo and Taya fight to the floor, leaving Rosemary to hit the Wing Clipper on Lee to advance at 6:59.

Rating: D. Not much to see here and given how the other first round matches have gone, I can’t say I’m surprised by how the ending went. Taya and Rosemary are a better team and it’s not like Purrazzo needs to be in the Tag Team Title scene when she’s already Knockouts Champion. Boring match, as the show continues to drag.

Here are your updated brackets:

Havok/Nevaeh

Jordynne Grace/Jazz

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz

Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary

Alisha doesn’t have time for Tenille and Kaleb With A K because she’s worried about Sami Callihan hurting Eddie Edwards. Tenille isn’t happy that they have to do this later.

Purrazzo and Lee come up to yell at Scott D’Amore over everything Purrazzo has to do. D’Amore mocks them a bit and makes Purrazzo vs. Rosemary for the Knockouts Title at Final Resolution.

Here’s Sami Callihan for a chat. He says he’s the highest rated name in Impact Wrestling because of everything he does around here and has carried this place on his back. The company needs him more than he needs it and that’s why he gets away with everything. He’s the one who put this company on the map when he crushed Eddie Edwards’ face with a baseball bat so let’s look at that footage.

Now he’s here holding things down while Ken Shamrock takes a needed vacation. While he’s doing that, he wanted to hurt Eddie again to pop the ratings, so let’s see that as well. Instead here’s Alisha, with Sami threatening to break her neck. Cue Eddie from behind to jump Sami, who takes a beating and runs away.

Post break Alisha tells Eddie that he needs to help her with her problem but he’s too fired up.

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Moose/Chris Bey

Swann and Bey trade flips to start with Swann rolling over into a dropkick. We take a very early break and come back with Moose throwing Mack down and then throwing Bey onto him for two. Moose continues the pounding with raw power and hands it off to Bey for two more. It’s back to Moose, who yells at Bey on the way out.

Mack manages a pair of Stunners and makes the hot tag off to Swann, who is quickly powerbombed by Moose. Instead of covering, Moose heads outside with Mack, leaving Swann to beat on Bey. Moose comes back in and gets superkicked down, with Swann hurricanranaing Bey onto him for two. Mack misses the Six Star Frog Splash though, allowing Moose to spear him down. Moose elbows him in the head over and over until Swann breaks it up but Bey pins Mack at 11:48.

Rating: C. Moose continues to look like a monster and I can’t imagine anything else headlining Hard To Kill but Moose getting his World Title shot against Swann. Bey needed a win after last week’s loss to Mack so this went as well as it could have. I’m a bit surprised that Bey didn’t pin Swann, but it’s nice to avoid the cliché like that.

Josh and Madison hype up the interview with Omega and Callis one more time.

Post break Swann, who took the fastest shower in recorded history, isn’t allowed to go to the parking lot because Kenny Omega has the parking lot blocked off. Josh gets to go by for the interview though and Swann is ticked.

Josh goes onto the bus with Omega and Callis, who cuts things off for a special moment: the ceremonial changing of the name plate on the title. Josh asks Callis about the interference last week, including wanting to know how long this has been in the works. Omega offers Josh the Moxley name plate because they were close before (Callis: “He’s a Stamford Stooge.”).

Callis talks about Omega’s uncle, the Golden Sheik, training him in Canada 27 years ago. The Sheik became Callis’ manager and then introduced him to his ten year old nephew Kenny. Since then, Callis has helped Omega throughout the years. Why else would Callis get back into the wrestling industry five years ago? Was it just to do a podcast? Was it just to do commentary in New Japan? It was all part of a plan to make Omega the biggest star in the world, down to the point where Tony Khan invited Callis into his home to set up Callis’ spot on commentary.

Callis is the one who booked Omega vs. Chris Jericho in the Tokyo Dome in the match which gave birth to All Elite Wrestling. Now you have a Hall of Famer in his mid 30s as the World Champion because they make history. Josh tries to ask if the title win was tainted but Omega says he’ll be taking over the interviewer role.

What would happen if someone who Josh couldn’t stand put their hands on Josh’s father? Would that make you pick up whatever you could to attack that person? What did Moxley expect would happen when he laid his hand on the invisible hand behind Omega’s push? Omega didn’t taint anything because he has dominated the wrestling world for years. Look at the top 20 AEW matches in history. He’s in about 17 of them. Mexico, England, Zimbabwe. No matter where you look, Omega is the king.

Look at this bus, where they like to live in style. So why impact Wrestling? As a child, Omega collected comic books but he had to quit because no matter how many comics he got, he could never get the rarest of them all. Now he has a new hobby: having the Action Comics #1 of wrestling with the title. Sure he had the X-Men and Spider-Man #1 in his collection, but maybe he can add some Impact Titles to his collection. There is going to be a big announcement on Dynamite and they need to get the Lex Express ready to go. Omega does his goodbye and good night to end the show.

So that’s the big interview and the reveal is that….Callis, who is the biggest Omega fan not named Meltzer in the world, has helped him get where he is today because Omega’s uncle trained Callis and he wanted to repay the favor? I’ve heard far worse explanations and while I’ve never cared about Callis in the slightest, this could be interesting. It seems that we are going to be getting something with Omega going after other titles and I’m assuming he’ll do that better than Austin Aries a few years ago. It’s too early to know where this is going yet, but this is enough to keep me intrigued for now.

Overall Rating: D+. I can’t get on them too much for having a lame show with this much hype as it’s all taped in advance, but they did not exactly put their best foot forward. This show was mainly focused on Omega being the most important thing in the world, which didn’t exactly make the Impact regulars look like they mattered in the slightest. Granted when you have Brian Myers, Eric Young, Tommy Dreamer and Rhino in featured roles, how good can things be? Bad show, but the Omega deal is all that matters.

Results

Chris Sabin b. Josh Alexander – Jackknife rollup

Brian Myers b. TJP – Running clothesline

Eric Young b. Cody Deaner – Piledriver

Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie b. Kimber Lee/Deonna Purrazzo – Wing Clipper to Lee

Chris Bey/Moose b. Willie Mack/Rich Swann – Elbows to Moose’s head

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: December 1, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

So now that we know who shot the manager (yes the manager), it is now time to move towards Hard To Kill, meaning there are some stories that need to be set up. Last week’s show ended with Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock being move evil than usual and we also have the Knockouts Tag Team Titles tournament. We could use something a little better than that so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Bob Ryder.

Opening recap.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. XXXL

XXL jumps them to start but get low bridged to the floor for a dive from Sabin. Granted the two of them don’t go down but Sabin did hit the dive. Back in and we settle down to Sabin hammering on Larry, as Madison brings up a good point: why isn’t Lawrence D in jail after he SHOT JOHN E. BRAVO? My guess would be something about this match being shot before that segment but there is a good chance they won’t follow up on it anyway.

Acey comes in to slam Sabin but everything breaks down with the Guns kicking both of them down. A double shoulder drops Shelley though and it’s time to stomp away again. Larry gets two off a low superkick but Sabin comes in for the save sans tag. The standing Sliced Bread allows the tag to Sabin so house can be cleaned in a hurry.

Sabin gets driven into the corner though and it’s a backbreaker/running elbow combination for two. Everything breaks down and Larry misses a top rope splash, meaning it’s time for the superkicks. Acey gets knocked to the floor and some running kicks in the corner rock Larry. Skull And Bones (though I’m not sure they still call it that) finishes Larry at 9:23.

Rating: C+. I wouldn’t have bet on this one being so good but the Guns know how to put something like this together rather well and got the best out of the big guys. The Guns might not be the next top stars of the division but if their job is to have make other teams look better than they can otherwise, they’ll have a job around here for a long time to come. Now just figure out something with the Larry/Lawrence deal, please.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We look back at Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock attacking Eddie Edwards last week.

Scott D’Amore, with a bunch of security, suspends Ken Shamrock, who really doesn’t seem happy. Revenge is sworn.

John E. Bravo yells at XXXL, screaming that Larry D. should be in jail. Tommy Dreamer, now in a police shirt, comes in to say he’s going to arrest Larry. Since this is ridiculous, Larry asks about Dreamer’s authority. Dreamer pulls out….nothing actually, with Larry pointing out that he isn’t holding a badge. That doesn’t matter, because Dreamer wasn’t a real judge or lawyer but he knows Larry shot Bravo. Larry says he was set up so Dreamer wants to go downtown to straighten things out. A right hand drops Dreamer and XXXL leaves, with Bravo coming in to scream over Dreamer’s unconscious body. Oh the humanity.

Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament First Round: Killer Kelly/Renee Michelle vs. Jazz/Jordynne Grace

Jazz, now bald, and Renee (Drake Maverick’s wife) are making their debuts. Grace headlocks Kelly down to start so Kelly does the same for a standoff. It’s off to Michelle vs. Jazz, with the latter taking her down without much effort. Grace comes back in for a double shoulder to Michelle, who manages to send Grace to the apron. We take a break and come back with Michelle chinlocking Grace.

Kelly comes in to kick Grace in the chest but Grace powers her way out of another choke. The hot tag brings in Jazz to take over on Kelly before handing it right back to Grace. Kelly hits a running dropkick in the corner but can’t get Grace in a fireman’s carry. The Grace Driver connects with Michelle having to make a save. Everything breaks down and the Jazz Stinger finishes Michelle at 12:23.

Rating: C-. It was as exciting as a match featuring Jazz as some legendary partner was going to be. This wasn’t designed to be anything competitive and while Grace and Jazz are kind of a random team, it makes more sense to have them go forward. Michelle and Kelly were just kind of there for the most part and I’m not sure if they are going to be sticking around.

Flashback Moment of the Week: the Motor City Machine Guns retain the Tag Team Titles over Generation Me (Young Bucks) at Final Resolution 2010.

Ethan Page knows everyone saw him lose to Swoggle last week but he has a plan to fix it all. As for Karl Anderson, why does he think it was Page who took out Doc Gallows? Well he did, so Anderson can face Page at Final Resolution. If Page wins, the North can have a title shot. Josh Alexander spends the entire time looking at Page like he has lost his mind.

A nervous Alisha doesn’t seem to care about Tenille Dashwood’s plans for them…because she needs to jump onto Sami Callihan’s back and choke him as hard as she can. Security breaks it up but Sami blows her a kiss.

Johnny Swinger vs. Cody Deaner

Cody clotheslines him out of the corner as commentary goes over everything Tommy Dreamer does around here. Cue Eric Young and Joe Doering to jump Cousin Jake and then Cody for the DQ at 47 seconds.

Post match we get the same beatdown and the same beatdown. We also get the same lack of an explanation of WHO THE HECK JOE DOERING IS (on this show that is, as they only explained it at Turning Point). I’m already not a fan of Young and this is making it even worse.

Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee come up to James Mitchell to ask if he has turned Su Yung into Susie yet. It isn’t that easy so the women offer to get Yung in the ring.

The Deaners rant about Young and Doering because Cody was there to drive Young around when he started wrestling. Next week, Cody is proving he isn’t a nobody. Good luck with that kind of acting performance.

Here are Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee for a chat. Purrazzo says Su Yung can get her rematch right now so here’s Yung….and here’s James Mitchell as Lee and Purrazzo bail. Mitchell talks about how Yung has been a thorn in his side for too long so it’s time to pay. Cue the Bridesmaids so Purrazzo and Lee jump Yung from behind. Yung loads up the mist but Purrazzo hits her in the throat in a smart move. Cosa Nostra knocks Yung out and the Bridesmaids take her away. I liked it.

Moose comes up to Chris Bey in the back and wishes him luck against Swann. Bey says he knows what’s going on here: Moose is nice to him now and gets the first World Title shot. Moose says not quite, because he just hurts people. You take power instead of giving it and when Moose wants the title, he’s taking it too.

Karl Anderson says Ethan Page is on for Final Resolution.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve is challenging and needs to put his stuffed monkey on the post to start. Raju jumps him from behind and gets punched out to the floor for his efforts. Back in and Steve tries a full nelson before twisting Raju’s neck around. A figure four necklock over the ropes has Raju in trouble but he’s right back with a jumping Downward Spiral.

We take a break and come back with Raju biting Steve’s head in the corner, followed by a fisherman’s suplex for two. Raju hammers away and gets two more off a snap suplex. The armbar doesn’t last long so Raju kicks him down instead. Steve gets in a shot to the face though and a high crossbody gets two. Raju is back with a jumping knee to the face but Steve pulls him down into an Octopus on the mat. The feet in the ropes are good for the break so Steve tries a sunset flip. Raju sits down on it though and grabs the rope to retain at 11:41.

Rating: C. I still can’t get over how much Raju has improved this year. He has gone from someone who has absolutely nothing to offer around here to someone who gives you a perfectly acceptable match more often than not. Throw in some good promos and they have a little something with him. That’s not much, but the improvement is near remarkable.

Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan are looking forward to winning the Tag Team Titles and having all the money. Fallah Bahh comes in to say they stole the money and he has seen the video from last week. The women say they don’t have the money and hide it behind their backs, while saying they’ll have it next week. Bahh leaves and Johnny Swinger comes up to proposition them. It doesn’t go well.

Brian Myers comes up to mock Crazzy Steve and TJP for their plan not working. TJP challenges Myers and it’s accepted for some point in the future.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Willie Mack vs. Chris Bey

We even get a Lucha Underground reference during Mack’s entrance. Bey slaps him in the face so Mack does the same, setting up a nipple twist in the corner. The Thesz press into the right hands keep Bey in trouble but Mack gets sent outside. That’s fine with Mack, who drops him back first onto the apron. Bey knocks him off the apron to tweak the knee though and we take a break.

Back with Bey cranking on said knee and chop blocking him down to cut off the comeback attempt. The half crab doesn’t last long as Mack gets up and blasts him with a clothesline. The swinging slam connects but Mack’s knee is barely holding up. A knee drop gets two on Bey, even though it bangs up Mack’s knee even more. Bey takes out the knee again though and slaps Mack in the face. That just earns him the Stunner to give Mack the pin at 12:57.

Rating: C+. Other than a pretty odd choice for an ending, this worked out well. Granted that shouldn’t be much of a surprise given that the two guys are both rather talented and good at this wrestling thing. Bey shouldn’t be losing on the way to a title shot, but it’s not like he’s the really big threat to the World Title anyway. He shouldn’t be losing, but you’re almost never going to get logical booking.

Post match Moose comes in to jump Mack but Rich Swann makes the save. Bey uses the distraction to take Swann down though and poses to end the show. So….yeah Bey is the #1 contender for Final Resolution and Moose is the big final boss so Mack won here because….Impact?

Overall Rating: C. Well it was better than last week, though that isn’t exactly saying much. Above all else, the biggest improvement was focusing on the stories that aren’t built around….well everything that the Bravo story is built around. The Dreamer stuff is becoming an internal joke and that kind of sort of makes things better, though it still is a low level tag wrestler shooting a manager while an alleged legend investigates, so how much good can come from it? The rest of the show was better, but it’s still not exactly a thrilling show.

Results

Motor City Machine Guns b. XXXL – Skull And Bones to Larry D.

Jazz/Jordynne Grace b. Killer Kelly/Renee Michelle – Jazz Stinger to Michelle

Cody Deaner b. Johnny Swinger via DQ when Eric Young interfered

Rohit Raju b. Crazzy Steve – Rollup while grabbing the rope

Willie Mack b. Chris Bey – Stunner

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 24, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, Josh Matthews

The show has taken a bit of a weird turn in recent weeks and that’s not exactly the best news. The big story this week seems to be Wrestler’s Court as Detective Dreamer continues to try and find who shot John E. Bravo. Other than that, we have the continuing issues of Eric Young and Joe Doering, because the world was waiting for more Doering. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Scott D’Amore tries to get John E. Bravo’s doctor to pull the plug but is relieved (I think?) to hear that he’s in stable condition. The doctor says it might not be the same Bravo when he wakes up. D’Amore doesn’t seem crushed but promises justice.

Knockouts Tag Team Tournament First Round: Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz vs. Sea Stars

The Stars are sisters Delmi Exo and Ashley Vox. Exo and Hogan start things off with the much bigger Exo taking her to the mat for a Gator Roll. A sunset flip gets two on Hogan, which certainly does not seem to please her. Vox comes in for a running neckbreaker and it’s off to Steelz, who suckers Vox in without much trouble. Vox’s dropkick gets two but it’s a spinebuster to give Steelz two.

The running forearm in the corner allows the tag back to Hogan for a running kick to the face. Vox slugs away and hits a running headbutt, allowing the hot tag to Exo. House is cleaned, including a northern lights suplex and some running elbows in the corner. It’s back to Vox for an Air Raid Crash for two on Hogan but Steelz cuts Vox off. A fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Exo at 7:11.

Rating: C-. The Stars were fine for a one off opponent and they seem to have teamed together somewhat extensively before. They weren’t about to win here over one of the tournament favorites though, making this more of a showcase than a competitive match. Not great, but the Stars sticking around wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Jordynne Grace is with her new mystery partner…..Jazz, who doesn’t think winning the tournament is going to be that hard. Jazz isn’t quite the major announcement but she does have a resume.

Here is what is coming tonight.

The North is rather pleased that Doc Gallows is going to be out of action for 4-6 weeks. Josh Alexander isn’t sure what this means for the Tag Team Titles but Ethan Page says he has this.

And now, Wrestler’s Court with Johnny Swinger being accused of shooting John E. Bravo. Madison Rayne is his attorney as this is being presented like People’s Court, complete with voice over. Swinger: “Best house I ever drew.” Madison tells him to be quiet as we meet the prosecutor: D’Lo Brown from the Nation Of Litigation. Tommy Dreamer is judge of course (the Innovator of Jurisprudence) and he does his old pose on the way to the bench, which is an anvil case.

Madison says this isn’t fair because Dreamer was the investigator so Dreamer and Brown switch places. That means Brown gets a powdered wig and Dreamer wants the chest protector. Brown suggests that Dreamer better recognize, so Dreamer thanks the honorable Uncle Phil and starts in on his opening statement. Dreamer says this is an easy case if you look at all of the facts. Madison’s opening statement: Swinger is too stupid to have pulled this off.

We go to the first witness with Fallah Bahh, who says Swinger did it out of jealousy for not being the best man. Then Cody Deaner talks about finding the gun in Swinger’s fanny pack. Acey Romero, in a Nasty Boys shirt, says he found Swinger’s fingerprints on the gun….along with the Deaners’, Dreamer’s, just about everyone else here, Greg Valentine’s and Ron Simmons’ (Brown: “D***! Always wanted to do that.”) Swinger tries to offer Brown beer and Rayne looks ready to jump out of a window. More on this later, as I want to jump out of a higher window.

Here’s Rohit Raju to complain about everyone who has been complaining about his title reign. They hide behind their keyboards like a bunch of losers, but for now it’s time for the Defeat Rohit Challenge.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju vs. Suicide

Raju is defending. Hold on though as Raju doesn’t believe that it’s really Suicide because he’s smarter than that. Therefore, this one is non-title.

Rohit Raju vs. Suicide

Non-title. Suicide starts fast with the armdrag into a dropkick but gets knocked to the floor for his efforts. Back from a break with Raju working on the mask and then elbowing Suicide down for two. Some quick choking lets Raju go for the mask again, followed by some chops against the rope. Suicide can’t get the Black Widow as Raju belly to back suplexes his way to freedom. A neckbreaker puts Suicide down and Raju gets the mask off. For some reason we don’t look at his face but here’s TJP to make the idea clear for us. The guy, whose face we still don’t see, grabs a sunset flip for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C-. It’s an angle that has been done time after time and that is the case because it has worked every time. You can see why Raju would go for the trap and then fall for it, possibly to the point where he is willing to give TJP another shot for the sake of some revenge. That makes sense and it worked fine here.

It’s Crazzy Steve.

Sami Callihan fires Ken Shamrock up but here’s Moose to say Shamrock is going after the secondary World Title. Moose respects Shamrock, but if he wins the title, Moose is coming to beat him again. Sami has to hold Shamrock back.

Kaleb With A K and Tenille Dashwood are seeing which glasses work best for her but here’s Alisha to come in and say they need to tag again. Dashwood doesn’t quite say no but she certainly doesn’t seem thrilled. I’d hope Alisha is smarter than this.

Kimber Lee vs. Killer Kelly

Deonna Purrazzo and Renee Michelle are the seconds here. Lee stomps away in the corner and throws Kelly down. A figure four with the legs has Kelly down again but she gets back up with a headbutt. Kelly hits a running basement dropkick in the corner but Lee is back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The Swanton finishes Kelly at 3:08.

Rating: D+. Kelly has never quite impressed me in the few times I’ve seen her but she did well enough here. You can only get so far with this kind of a match in the first place but it was more about getting her feet wet than anything else. Lee needed a win too as she has been little more than Purrazzo’s lackey for a long time.

Post match here’s Susie to say that Lee and Purrazzo hurt her friend and that’s bad. Now her friend is here to hurt them. Cue Su Yung to wreck the two of them (as Susie, albeit with her back to the ring, stands on the stage), with Purrazzo and Lee bailing.

Alex Shelley is back and the Motor City Machine Guns have a three step process: 1. XXXL, 2. The North, 3. The Good Brothers and the Tag Team Titles. Simple enough.

Rich Swann is sorry for what Willie Mack had to go through last week but Mack says he’s always been fighting. Chris Bey comes in to say he wants a title shot and calls Mack a loser. The threat of violence has Bey out the door.

Here’s Ethan Page to face an opponent of Karl Anderson’s choosing, but here’s Anderson for a chat first. Anderson says we’ve been having a Good Brothers Party as of late. Doc Gallows is hurt right now though because of Page so now if Page wins, the North gets a Tag Team Title shot. Anderson never rolls alone and has an opponent, who is Phenomenal. And this is what we get.

Ethan Page vs. AJ Swoggle

That would be the Wee-nomenal AJ Swoggle. He comes out to AJ’s old music (nice to hear that again) and does look a good bit like Styles. Page gets on his knees to start so Swoggle hits AJ’s Phenomenal Blitz for a nice touch. A Josh Alexander distraction lets Page kick him down though and Page gets in a running shoulder as well. Page seems to load up his own Styles Clash but Swoggle bites the leg to escape. Swoggle kicks him down and after Anderson gets rid of Alexander, a rollup finishes Page at 2:28. It was fine for a one off joke, but on the same show as Wrestlers’ Court, this might not have been the best place.

Post match Page looks ready to break down.

It’s back to Wrestlers’ Court where Rayne looks frustrated at having to question Swinger, so Dreamer gets his chance. Dreamer asks if Swinger thought he could get away with this, so Swinger brags about how awesome he is. Swinger: “I’m the OJ Simpson of professional wrestling daddy!” Dreamer asks when he last read a newspaper. Swinger: “1991 daddy. Something happen since then?” A dejected Madison says the defense rests and, after a break, Dreamer calls James Mitchell.

Dreamer asks about virgin blood, which is highly prized for its powers. That gets Dreamer’s attention, but we cut to Rosemary as the next witness (being sworn in on the Necronomicon). She won’t answer about when she was first attracted to Bravo because that’s a bit personal. Dreamer asks if she ever loved Bravo, which is a no. Of course she didn’t love him but she couldn’t resist the power of the virgin blood which would have made her the most powerful creature in the realm.

Cue Bravo, still in his hospital gown, to say Rosemary is the worst thing that ever happened to him. Bravo knows who shot him though because he could smell it. Post break, Larry D. is on the stand and Dreamer has him hooked up to a lie detector. Larry says he didn’t shoot Bravo, but Dreamer uses cologne to turn him into Lawrence D., who did in fact shoot him. Brown declares Johnny Swinger not guilty. Counting the break, this got over fifteen minutes. I think that speaks for itself.

Fallah Bahh vs. Daivari

Wait, so Bahh can be in Wrestlers’ Court and wrestle later but I have to listen to Matt Striker instead of Madison Rayne on commentary? Joe Doering and Eric Young come in to jump Bahh for the DQ at 32 seconds.

Post match Young says this world is sick and they are the cure. Cue Rhino to go after Doering but he gets beaten down as well.

TJP comes up to Crazzy Steve and Swoggle but Brian Myers comes in to mock all three of them. To recap: the last few segments have been an AJ Styles parody, Wrestlers’ Court, Eric Young and his monster that maybe .4% of the fans will know anything about and Curt Hawkins. This show has fallen WAY downhill and it’s just getting worse.

Kimber Lee and Deonna Purrazzo ask James Mitchell to turn their Su Yung problem into a Susie problem. He’ll do it, for a price.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Swann

Shamrock is challenging and has Sami Callihan in his corner. Swann rolls away to start but Sami grabs his leg so Shamrock can get in a cheap shot. That’s good for an early ejection and Swann uses the distraction to hit a dropkick. Shamrock knocks him down with a hard shot though and it’s time to work on Swann’s leg. Back up and Shamrock hits Swann in the face, because Shamrock doesn’t make things more complicated than he needs to. Some stomps to the hand keep Swann in trouble and it’s a front facelock to make it worse.

We take a break and come back with Swann hitting some clotheslines. Shamrock kicks him down though and we hit the chinlock. Swann fights up and hits a few kicks to the head with a big one putting Shamrock down. Rolling Thunder gets two and a sunset flip is good for the same, only to have Shamrock reverse into a triangle. That’s switched into a cross armbreaker but Swann’s foot is under the rope. Swann kicks away some more, only to get pulled into the ankle lock. That’s reversed into a quick victory roll to retain the title at 13:41.

Rating: B-. Swann was doing what he could here and the strikes managed to slow Shamrock down just enough. Shamrock was still coming off like a monster though, which says a lot about someone at his age. He’s rather effective at this kind of thing and believe it or not I could go for more of him doing this kind of thing.

Post match Sami comes back out for a package piledriver on Swann. Callihan grabs the baseball bat but here’s Eddie Edwards for the failed save attempt. The beatdown is on with Sami hitting Eddie in the face with the bat to bust him open. D’Lo Brown comes out to yell at Sami and gets taken out with the bat as well. More officials come out to yell to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Remember a few months ago when Impact was on a roll and putting on good shows? Well forget all of that because this was really bad stuff with the good main event not being able to come close to saving it. This show felt like it was two shows pasted together with WAY too much time being spent on Tommy Dreamer and the Wacky Shooting Mystery. Just like last time with Wrestlers’ Court, I’m sure they had a lot of fun shooting it but that thing got more time than the World Title match.

You can do comedy in spurts (like the Swoggle thing, which was in and out in about five minutes, including pre-match promo) but when it’s the biggest part of the show like this, it loses its, pardon the intentional pun, impact. A lot of this show felt like it was for the wrestlers instead of the audience and that isn’t how something like this is supposed to work.

Results

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz b. Sea Stars – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Exo

Suicide b. Rohit Raju – Sunset flip

Kimber Lee b. Killer Kelly – Swanton

AJ Swoggle b. Ethan Page – Rollup

Fallah Bahh b. Daivari via DQ when Joe Doering interfered

Rich Swann b. Ken Shamrock – Victory roll

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: WWE

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 22, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We’re done with Turning Point and now things are starting to get a little more interesting. There were two title changes on the show as the Good Brothers and Deonna Purrazzo won the Tag Team and Knockouts Titles (you can figure out which did which). Other than that, the hunt is still on for John E. Bravo’s shooter. Let’s get to it.

Here is Turning Point if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at Turning Point, which did feel like an important show.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Willie Mack

Non-title, No DQ and a rematch from Turning Point where Moose won but had the decision overturned for attacking after the bell. They charge at each other to start with Mack hammering away and hitting a dropkick into the corner. There’s the Cannonball to send Moose outside but he tosses Mack over the barricade. Moose whips him into the barricade for a bonus and says this is for Rich Swann. Back in and Moose misses a dropkick but nips right back up.

The second dropkick works and it’s time to stomp away on Mack. There’s a hard whip into the corner but Moose misses a charge into the buckle. The slugout is on with Mack hitting the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault. The Stunner doesn’t work so Mack goes with the swinging slam. Mack misses the Six Star frog splash and Moose nails the spear (now called Lights Out, which is as generic of a name as you can get, as opposed to the good No Jackhammer Needed). Moose hammers away with right hands on the mat until the referee stops it at 10:09.

Rating: C. These two work well together with Moose handing out quite the beating to him in both matches. Mack as the buddy of Swann and taking the beating to set up the title match is a good way to go, though you would expect the bigger guy to be the one waiting after the little buddy was beaten down. Either way, Moose looked great and that’s the point of something like this.

Post match beats on him again. Remember when Eric Young did something like this a few weeks ago and it was nowhere near as effective? Just an observation.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We go to the Tree House where the Rascalz are sad about being evicted. They remember when Wentz and Gail Kim went to see the Jonas Brothers. Gail pops in….but it’s just a story apparently as Wentz doesn’t remember that. Then there was the time when Moose popped in and beat all of them up. Then the lights go out because they haven’t paid the light bill. See? It must have been Moose.

The Deaners come in to see Detective Dreamer, who is narrowing down his suspects. Cody suggests that Tommy search Johnny Swinger’s fanny pack (where they found a gun at Turning Point).

Suicide vs. Gio

And never mind as here are Eric Young and Joe Doering (who debuted at Turning Point) to jump Gio for the DQ at 41 seconds.

Post match, Young says this is what he promised and the world belongs to them.

Deonna Purrazzo says her and Kimber Lee’s plan has come together perfectly. Now it’s time to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. The lights go out and Su Yung has left a message saying bad things happen next week.

Heath and Rhino are in the back with Heath talking about his contract. Rhino tells him to go make it work and walks out of the room to run into Eric Young and Joe Doering. Rhino says it’s not happening with them here so they beat him down. Heath comes out and Eric points Doering at him, with the two of them going into the room. Pain seems imminent.

Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve

Fallout from Steve saving Swoggle at Turning Point. Steve drives him outside to start and then snaps off a headscissors back inside. An upside down Figure Four necklock over the ropes has Myers in more trouble and they fight to the apron as the announcers talk about the Knockouts Tag Team Titles tournament. We take a break and come back with Myers slapping on a chinlock to keep Steve in trouble.

A suplex gets two on Steve and Myers isn’t happy with the kickout. That means we hit another chinlock, followed by a sleeper to mix it up a bit. Steve breaks it up and sends him into the corner for some clotheslines, followed by the running senton for two. A Russian legsweep into something like an Octopus Hold on the mat sends Myers straight to the ropes, as he should be doing. Myers pokes him in the eye to get out of a belly to back suplex though and it’s a running clothesline for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: D+. Myers continues to be just kind of there for the most part but at least he’s doing something other than whining about how he should have been used better in WWE. Granted I’m not entirely sure what that new character is, but he’s getting a chance and that’s better than some others do. Steve is just kind of there, but I’ve seen a lot worse.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Madison Rayne/Gail Kim b. Brooke Tessmacher/Tara to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles on the November 3, 2011 Impact.

Here are the brackets for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles Tournament:

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

Johnny Swinger comes in to see Tommy Dreamer and asks to see what’s in the fanny pack. Swinger: “You mean the pharmacy pack daddy?” It’s a gun, so Dreamer declares him guilty before saying we’re bringing back WRESTLERS’ COURT next week. If he’s guilty, why are they going to court?

Knockouts Tag Team Titles Tournament First Round: Alisha/Tenille Dashwood vs. Nevaeh/Havok

Kaleb With A K is here with Dashwood/Alisha. Nevaeh gets sent into the corner and caught with a running clothesline from Alisha. A double suplex takes Nevaeh down again and it’s Dashwood staying in to kick away at the ribs. Dashwood hits a clothesline into a chinlock, though she does make sure to hit a smile for the photos. Nevaeh fights up and the double tag brings in Alisha, who walks into a spinning release Rock Bottom from Havok.

Alisha gets whipped hard into the corner, though Dashwood is distracted by another photo shoot. Back up and Alisha gets in her own whip into the corner, setting up a sliding clothesline. Everything breaks down and Dashwood is sent outside. Alisha is back up with a middle rope X Factor on Nevaeh but Havok catches her in a wheelbarrow, with Nevaeh adding a cutter for the pin at 6:37.

Rating: C-. The tournament could be a bit of a slog as there are only so many teams, but Nevaeh/Havok should be one of the better options available. You can probably guess the finals from here but there are enough possibilities out there to make it interesting and that’s always a good sign. Dashwood and Alisha shouldn’t have been a threat and they didn’t waste time with anything else, so at least it’s off to a good start.

Jordynne Grace is on the phone with her mystery partner, who was retired but agreed to team with her anyway. That could be interesting.

Hernandez vs. Fallah Bahh

They charge at each other to start until Bahh takes him down with a crossbody. Hernandez gets to the apron and scores with a slingshot shoulder though, sending Bahh outside. That means a big dive to crush Bahh as they’re going with the power stuff so far. Back in and Hernandez hits a big clothesline and we’re off to the neck crank.

That lasts as long as the common neck crank with Bahh fighting up and sending him into the corner for the splash. The running hip attack makes it worse but Hernandez is up at two. The Samoan drop is broken up though and Hernandez knocks him down, setting up the top rope splash for the pin at 3:35.

Rating: D+. Now this really needs to be the end of the feud as it wasn’t interesting in the first place and has dragged on FAR too long. I’m not sure why they went with Hernandez winning here as he isn’t exactly presented as anything important, but he does have a bigger history. Then again Bahh hasn’t had a chance, and this wasn’t much better.

Rohit Raju brags to Scott D’Amore about retaining at Turning Point, making D’Amore long for Austin Aries. Raju leaves and TJP comes up, with D’Amore saying it’s so frustrating that TJP can’t ever have another title shot. All D’Amore can think of is what would Dusty Rhodes do. How would he find a way for ANYONE BUT TJP to get a title shot? TJP gets the hint as D’Amore rides away, like a day as midnight approaches.

Video on the Good Brothers winning the Tag Team Titles.

Ethan Page comes up to Scott D’Amore, with the Good Brothers, demanding a title shot. Karl Anderson suggests that Page face a PHENOMENAL opponent, which is cool with Page, as long as it means a title shot when he wins. D’Amore makes the match and insider lingo abounds.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Trey Miguel/Rich Swann vs. Dez/Wentz

It’s the Rascalz’ farewell match. The dancing is on before the match as they’re all friends, though Wentz winces a bit when trying to match everyone else in the splits. We take a break and come back with the opening bell, as Wentz drives Trey into the corner. Wentz reverses a wristlock into a headlock and they fight over wrist control again. They both miss some shots to the face and try dropkicks at the same time, setting up stereo nipups into a standoff.

Dez and Swann come in to shove each other away off an exchange of lockups. Both guys stick a few landings, with Trey saying he can’t do that. Swann catches him with a shot to the face and it’s Trey coming in, only to be sent into the corner for some rapid fire double teaming. We take a break and come back with Wentz kicking Trey in the face, followed by a DDT. Trey is fine enough to get over for a hot tag to Swann though and it’s time to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Swann’s standing shooting star press gets two. All four wind up on their knees in the middle of the ring for a circle slugout. Everyone hits a kick to the face and they’re all down again. Dez and Wentz finally take over on Swann with the rapid fire kicks and the Hot Fire Flame connects.

Trey superkicks Dez into the corner for the save though and everyone is down again. Wentz gets caught in the corner for a Cheeky Nandos kick from Trey and Swann adds the frog splash to Dez. That’s broken up by Wentz, who shouts at Swann a lot. Another Hot Fire Flame misses and Trey hits Dez with the top rope Meteora. Swann kicks Wentz in the back of the head for the pin at 15:48.

Rating: B. It was a good and fast paced match and I’m sad to see the team go. I’ve been a fan of them since the day they debuted but at the same time, they have never won a title around here and you can only get so far without picking up some gold. The company is going to need some help to make up for them being gone, but you kind of have to move on at some point and the Rascalz need to do that at the moment.

Post match everyone hugs and cries, with the Rascalz leaving their jackets on the top rope.

The Rascalz and Swann go backstage and hug….but Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock jump them for the big beatdown. It’s better than the New Day split, though not quite as emotional.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event and post match beatdown worked well but the rest of the show was pretty hit or miss. This week’s show was far from bad and the focus on the Rascalz worked, but other than that it’s a show meant to build towards things later. That doesn’t make for the best show, though at least it feels like a one off rather than a trend. It helps that they have a good angle to go out on so hopefully it picks up next week.

Results

Moose b. Willie Mack via referee stoppage

Gio b. Suicide via DQ when Joe Doering interfered

Brian Myers b. Crazzy Steve – Running clothesline

Nevaeh/Havok b. Alisha/Tenille Dashwood – Wheelbarrow cutter to Alisha

Hernandez b. Fallah Bahh – Top rope splash

Rich Swann/Trey Miguel b. Dez/Wentz – Kick to the back of Wentz’s head

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 27, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

Bound For Glory has come and gone and a good bit happened at the show. The Knockouts, Tag Team and World Titles have all changed hands, but the big story tonight is the wedding between John E. Bravo and Rosemary. The wacky shenanigans should be strong with this one so let’s get to it.

Here is Bound For Glory if you need a recap.

As expected, we open with a Bound For Glory recap.

Eric Young is attacking new World Champion Rich Swann in the back. They fight into the arena with Swann getting in a few shots of his own before being whipped into the steps. Young chokes with the shirt and throws him inside but Swann gets in a kick to the face. Young pounds him down though and here are the referees and Scott D’Amore to break it up. We’re not done yet though as Young wants his rematch RIGHT NOW. Swann says make the match.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Rich Swann vs. Eric Young

Swann, in slacks and barefoot, is defending and elbows Young down for a quick two. The rolling splash gets the same but Young hits a toss powerbomb for two of his own. Swann is right back with a spinning kick to the face and a Lethal Injection. The Phoenix splash retains the title at 3:25.

Rating: C-. Now, Young is done in the World Title scene right? There is no real reason for him to keep going, though then again there was little reason for him to be there when he came back anyway. The match didn’t have the time to go anywhere, but Swann getting his first title defense out of the way is a good thing. Not as good as getting rid of Young, but a good thing nonetheless.

Havok has brought him back, meaning James Mitchell, so the wedding is on. Nevaeh is nervous.

Kaleb With A K tells the Knockouts that the Knockouts Tag Team Tournament is on in eight weeks with three teams. Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan leave together and Alisha Edwards is left alone. Steelz and Hogan come back up to talk trash but here’s Jordynne Grace to come up and say they’ll beat them up later.

Brian Myers vs. Tommy Dreamer

Hardcore Halloween match and Dreamer is Road Warrior Animal. They fight to the floor in a hurry with Dreamer suplexing him on the ramp. Dreamer chokes with a shirt but gets sent face first into the steps. A well placed walker to the back has Myers down again and there’s a low blow with the bell. Myers crotches him on the barricade though and it’s a trashcan to the head. Dreamer gets knocked out of the air with a sign though and we take a break.

Back with Myers suplexing him for two and getting in a candy bag to the face. A chair shot to the back sets up a chinlock but Dreamer fights up for a cutter. It’s time for the thumb tacks and candy corn but Myers catches him on top. That’s fine with Dreamer, who shoves him down onto the pile. Dreamer pulls out a chair but gets planted after taking too long to set it up. Cue Swoggle out of a trashcan to grab Myers low with a pair of tongs. The Death Valley Driver through the table finishes Myers at 11:43.

Rating: D+. I’m not going to get mad about this as it’s just goofy stuff with Myers not meaning much in the first place. The Swoggle deal with Dreamer is straight out of a good many indy shows you would find and that’s fine enough. It’s not good, but it’s completely harmless. Not the best use of time, but it could have been worse.

Heath and Rhino are happy with Rhino winning the Call Your Shot gauntlet and they’re going after the Tag Team Titles once Heath is healthy. Actually never mind because Heath wasn’t injured. Ok then?

Reno Scum and Hernandez pin Fallah Bahh (Bahh: “SOCIAL DISTANCING!”) to the wall to get Hernandez’s money back. Bahh doesn’t have it so they punch him in the ribs and leave. The money is down his pants, as this feud continues.

XXXL vs. Rascalz

The Rascalz start fast with stereo middle rope moonsaults to take the big guys down before the bell. Romero counters a springboard into a Samoan drop though and Wentz is in trouble in the corner. The neck crank goes on with Larry D. even mocking their pose. Wentz fights up with some strikes but gets pulled away from the hot tag attempt. Larry gets two off a World’s Strongest Slam but Wentz is back up with a springboard kick to the face.

That’s enough for the hot tag to Dez and it’s time to pick up the pace, including a running Cannonball to Larry’s back in the corner. Everything breaks down and Dez gets crushed for a quick two. Larry goes up (Josh: “Did someone put a snack up on the top rope?”) but gets crotched, only to have Acey pull Wentz down. The top rope splash gives Larry the pin at 5:52.

Rating: D+. The tag division has gotten a little weird around here as there are two tiers to the whole thing. The top half has the titles and the big stars but the North winning the titles threw things a bit out of whack. Then you have the lower tier, which is where these two and the Deaners are, is a bunch of teams trading wins without anyone going anywhere. That could change in a heartbeat, but for now, it’s a pretty strange way to go.

D’Amore is sitting down with Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee and what seems to be Purrazzo’s lawyer (who happens to be RD Evans/Archibald Peck). The lawyer says Su Yung needs to be stripped of the Knockouts Title so Purrazzo can be champion again. D’Amore has until the end of the night but he’ll go fix it right now.

The Motor City Machine Guns say Alex Shelley is going to be out about two months and they’re coming for the titles. XXXL come in and say they want the title shot so Shelley tells them to go away. That earns Shelley a double standing splash to leave him laying.

Here’s D’Amore to deal with the Knockouts Title situation as brought on by Purrazzo’s barrister (yes barrister). He gets straight to the point by saying that Su Yung is the Knockouts Champion so here are Purrazzo/Lee/Evans (as he is named here), the latter of whom says this is the biggest mistake D’Amore has ever made. Something has happened to Kylie Rae and it was likely at Su Yung’s hands. Is that the kind of behavior that should be rewarded?

Purrazzo should be champion again and D’Amore really doesn’t want to spend time and money defending it. D’Amore talks about how big of a mess it can be and offers her a rematch instead. The barrister agrees so here’s Su Yung to Claw Evans and Lee. The mist takes D’Amore down and there’s a Claw to Purrazzo as well. I’m not sure how necessary a lot of this was but anything involving Archibald Peck is a good thing.

Rich Swann and the Rascalz take pictures with Swann’s title but Moose comes in to ask why they’re celebrating Swann being second best. Swann is just holding the title so the Rascalz have to hold him back. Mack gets in Moose’s face and is called a sidekick. Moose says he’ll say when. Swann leaves and runs into Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock, with Callihan saying he’s waiting. Shamrock stares too. Good segment here as it got the point across in a hurry.

We get part of Ken Shamrock’s Hall of Fame package. At least they’re including Bret Hart and Mick Foley’s videos here, which was nowhere else to be seen anywhere outside of watching the live broadcast. Rock is included as well and I still have no idea how this wasn’t the company’s headline over the weekend.

The Good Brothers interrupt the North talking to security so the North mocks them for not being able to win the titles. Punches are thrown.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Rohit Raju b. Willie Mack at Victory Road 2020.

Jimmy Jacobs comes in to see Rohit Raju, who is waiting for people to join his party. Raju recaps retaining the X-Division Title at Bound For Glory

John E. Bravo yells at Fallah Bahh for being dressed as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and asks where Hernandez is. Bravo is going to tell Hernandez that Bahh has his money. Johnny Swinger comes in to gloat.

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz vs. Jordynne Grace/Alisha

Grace walks past Elisha during their entrances and they don’t seem to be having the best chemistry. Steelz wants a test of strength with Grace to start and then finds out that’s a very bad idea. Grace runs her over with a shoulder and Alisha throws Steelz back in. A quick crawl over to the corner allows the hot tag to Hogan, whose kick to Alisha’s ribs is easily cut off.

Alisha hits a running clothesline and brings Grace back in for a splash off the shoulders. The referee didn’t see the tag though and it’s Hogan superkicking the still legal Alisha as we take a break. Back with Steelz hitting some running kicks in the corner, followed by a sliding kick to give Hogan two. The chinlock goes on but Alisha breaks it up, only to get pulled right back into it all over again.

The comeback is on again though and this time Alisha bulldogs Steelz down. Grace comes in off the hot tag and starts cleaning house. Some running knees to the back set up a running hip attack to crush Hogan. Everything breaks down and Alisha charges into Grace by mistake, allowing Steelz to grab the rollup for the pin at 8:29.

Rating: C-. They set up Hogan and Steelz as some of the favorites for the tournament, which will be fine until they run into the wacky team who happen to have chemistry. Other than that, this was just a regular match which didn’t have anything noteworthy. I’m not sure on the tournament, but maybe they can come up with some good enough teams to make it work.

Post match Alisha and Grace yell at each other.

Willie Mack takes a photo with a fan in the parking lot but it’s a distraction so Moose can jump him. Moose vs. Mack could be interesting.

Taya Valkyrie wants to talk to Rosemary before the wedding. Bravo has changed into a groomzilla as of late but Rosemary has an idea. Taya has a bad feeling about this.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

It’s time for the wedding with most of the Wrestle House cast and a few others, including Swoggle. Everything goes red and it’s James Mitchell making his return. Crazzy Steve walks Rosemary to the ring and Mitchell handles the introductions. After making it clear that Bravo is a virgin, he asks if anyone has any reason to stop the wedding. No one says anything, so Mitchell is relieved that they made it past that trope.

Bravo is going to recite his own vows, so he quotes the Addams Family and calls Rosemary his little gargoyle. Rosemary sounds all strange and suggests that she’s here to take Bravo’s soul. Swoggle, the ring imp, hands them the rings and they both say they do. Mitchell says you can now kiss the demon….and the lights go out. A gun goes off and the lights come back up with Bravo bleeding from the chest. Tommy Dreamer (of course): “WHO SHOT BRAVO??? NOOOOOOOOOO!” Well that’s certainly different and….I think I like it. Maybe?

Overall Rating: D+. If you didn’t know better, you would have no idea that this was coming off of Bound For Glory. The matches were all ok at best and not very good other than that, which made for a rather lame show. I can go for more of Swann facing the odds instead of waiting around for something to happen and the two Tag Team Titles could be interesting. They need to find a way to make that happen though, because this wasn’t much worth seeing.

Results

Rich Swann b. Eric Young – Phoenix splash

Tommy Dreamer b. Brian Myers – Death Valley Driver through a table

XXXL b. Rascalz – Top rope splash to Wentz

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz b. Jordynne Grace/Alisha – Rollup to Alisha

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