Impact Wrestling
Date: July 17, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re at the final show before Slammiversary and that means we should be in for the final push towards the show. That should mean a good deal of talking, but there is always the chance of seeing some quality action on the way there. Odds are NXT’s Trick Williams will be here too so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Sami Callihan

Non-title and Alisha Edwards is here with Moose, who whips Callihan into the corner to start fast. A Stunner gives Callihan a quick near fall but the spear sends him outside. Back in and another spear finishes Callihan at 2:44. That’s quite the squash of a former World Champion.

Post match Moose promises to retain the title on Sunday before telling Callihan that he doesn’t have it anymore. The Death Machine is now just a fat piece of garbage. Callihan needs to take his boots off and get out, so Callihan unlaces a boot…and rolls outside. Cue the rest of the System as Callihan leaves.

The System vs. Order 4

Hold on though as here is NXT’s Darkstate to jump the System (who went after them on NXT). No match.

Dani Luna is ready to face Tessa Blanchard and knows what she (as in Luna) can do.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Dani Luna

Victoria Crawford is here with Blanchard. Luna powers her into the corner to start and hits a basement clothesline before cranking on the arm. A dropkick sends Blanchard into the corner but she knocks Luna down and chokes on the rope. Blanchard’s slingshot elbow gets two and she hammers away.

A DDT to the leg has Luna in more trouble and Blanchard grabs a guillotine choke. That’s reversed into a suplex and Luna kicks her in the face a few times. Luna’s powerbomb gets two but Blanchard is back with a Codebreaker out of the corner for the same. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Luna two more but Crawford offers a quick distraction, allowing Magnum to finish for Blanchard at 9:21.

Rating: C+. Luna is still in a weird spot after the Spitfire split, as she doesn’t really have anything to do. At the end of the day, she was only so interesting in the first place (as was Spitfire) so now she’s just kind of floating. Blanchard at least feels like a star, and there is a good chance that she’ll get a nice win at Slammiversary and then move on to something bigger.

Post match the beatdown is on but Indi Hartwell runs in for the save. Hartwell says she and Blanchard have known each other for years but at Slammiversary, Blanchard will get to know her, b****.

The Elegance Brand messed with the IInspiration at an autograph signing.

The IInspiration is going to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

We look at Masha Slamovich pinning NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne on NXT.

Here is the Elegance Brand for a chat. Ash complains about being fined for her actions against the IInspiration and is being forced to make an apology. Everyone is talking about Masha Slamovich vs. Jacy Jayne but the reality is you should be talking about her. Ash goes on a rant about how she should be the #1 contender but here is NXT’s Fatal Influence to interrupt.

Jacy Jayne doesn’t dislike the Elegance Brand, though that changed when Ash said they were the most dominant faction in women’s wrestling. Cue Masha Slamovich to interrupt as the Elegance Brand leaves. Slamovich talks about growing up in Russia and coming to New York, where she fought for her life. If Jayne wants to take the title from her, Jayne will have to stop her heart from beating. Good stuff here, and it still feels like Jayne is winning.

Killer Kelly and Indi Hartwell check on Dani Luna, who is getting checked by the medics.

We look at the TNA World Title contract signing from NXT’s Great American Bash, with Darkstate attacking Joe Hendry and Mike Santana. This led to a six man on NXT, with the System running in to attack Darkstate.

Video on Mike Santana, with what is I believe a voicemail from his father, talking about how proud is he is of Santana and wishing him the best.

Home Town Man vs. Judas Icarus

Travis Williams is here with Icarus. Man slugs away to start and hammers away in the corner, setting up a very spinning TKO for two. Icarus bites the hand though and hits a running knee for two of his own. Back up and Man hits a spinning slam, followed by a suicide dive to Williams. Sliced Bread gives Man the pin at 3:34. I hate to admit it but Man’s theme song is catchy.

Rating: C. See, now this is far better than what we were watching with Cody Deaner. The Home Town Man at least feels like something fun, and more importantly, he getting on Eric Young’s nerves, which makes him a national treasure. I’ll take that over Deaner looking all sad for months despite meaning pretty much nothing.

Post match Eric Young comes in to go after Man’s mask but Man bails into the crowd.

Real1 says he’s coming to Slammiversary and he’s bringing people with him. Please…..no.

Steve Maclin wants competition for his International Title.

Matt Cardona vs. Jake Paydirt

I think that’s his name at least. Before the match, Cardona (I’m more sure on his name) calls out Darkstate, saying he is always ready. The bell rings and the lights go out so here is Darkstate for the big beatdown. Brian Myers runs in for the save and the rest of the System comes in to clear the ring. Call it a no contest at 15 seconds.

Here are the Hardys for a chat. They thank the fans for allowing them to live their dream for thirty three years. That earns a THANK YOU HARDY chant before Matt talks about how they never wanted to be a shell of what they once were. Fans: “YOU STILL GOT IT!” Jeff reminds Matt that he recently got beat by AJ Francis, with Matt thanking him for the reminder.

They think it might be time to hang it up if they don’t win the titles back at Slammiversary. Cue Leon Slater to interrupt, saying he’s struggled to keep up with the Hardys in the ring for the last six months. They have changed his life in the last few months and wants to thank them. Matt appreciates that but wants Slater to focus on winning the X-Division Title.

Slater wants them to get back to being the Hardys but here is First Class to interrupt. They mock the Hardys, with Matt telling Slater that this is their fight. Cue the Nemeths to interrupt and brag about their success, with Ryan saying they have been in more ladder matches than anyone. Ryan has never actually been in one but here are the Rascalz to interrupt as well. The Hardys clear the ring with a ladder, which they then climb for a pose.

Slammiversary rundown.

Frankie Kazarian/Trick Williams vs. Joe Hendry/Mike Santana

Santana and Hendry aren’t sure about who should start so Williams jumps them from behind. We take a break ten seconds in and come back with Santana hitting the Rolling Buck Fifty to drop Kazarian. The Death Valley Driver is blocked though and Kazarian knocks him down so Williams can come back in.

A Samoan driver plants Santana for two and the front facelock keeps him down. Kazarian comes back in and stomps away a bit, only for Santana to springboard moonsault onto both of them. That’s enough for the tag back to Hendry, who cleans house with back to back fall away slams. Santana tags himself in though and Spin The Block finishes Kazarian at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Totally run of the mill tag match here, with the only question being which of the two good guys would beat Kazarian. Hendry still feels like something of a third wheel here, but that’s mainly because Santana has been presented so well. It feels like his time, and there is almost no way he doesn’t win the title either at Slammiversary or at Bound For Glory.

Everyone glares at each other.

We cut to what looks like a warehouse where a box is opened. Inside: a P1 vest, as in the one worn by AJ Styles. Someone blows dust off of it to end the show. Yeah that would be a big deal for a special show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing I can say about this show is that it made me want to see Slammiversary more than I did coming in. The Styles push at the end is a good idea, but it might have been better to announce it earlier. Other than that, I’m more interested to see the show than I was coming in so they’re doing something right. Slammiversary could be quite good and if they can live up to the hype, it could be their best show in a long time.

Results
Moose b. Sami Callihan – Spear
Tessa Blanchard b. Dani Luna – Magnum
Home Town Man b. Judas Icarus – Sliced Bread #2
Matt Cardona vs. Jake Paydirt went to a no contest at 15 seconds when Darkstate interfered
Joe Hendry/Mike Santana b. Trick Williams/Frankie Kazarian – Spin The Block to Kazarian

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 3, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re less than a month away from Slammiversary and the big story is going to be Joe Hendry and Mike Santana both trying to get the World Title back to TNA from Trick Williams. More of the card needs to be set up, which very well could take place tonight. In addition, we have Killer Kelly vs. Masha Slamovich in a chain match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

IInspiration vs. Victoria Crawford/Tessa Blanchard

Indi Hartwell is on commentary. Crawford backs McKay into the corner to start but McKay is right back with a quick Oklahoma roll for two. Blanchard comes in to choke Lee on the ropes, followed by a chinlock. That’s broken up and Lee gets in a swinging faceplant, allowing the tag back to McKay to clean house. Hold on though as Blanchard argues with Hartwell, leaving the IInspiration to hit the Idolizer for the pin on Crawford at 5:22.

Rating: C. Having the IInspiration back is a good thing as they actually offer a regular team in the Knockouts tag team division. They’re about as perfect of a team for the division as you can get and while I don’t know if they’re here permanently, it’s nice to see them getting some reps. What they’re doing so far is working though and that’s a good start.

Post match Hartwell and Blanchard get in a fight, with Hartwell issuing a challenge for Slammiversary.

Also at Slammiversary: the IInspiration gets a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot.

Here is Order 4, minus Mustafa Ali, for a chat. Tasha Steelz reveals that she called Cedric Alexander, and wants both he and Ali out here. Alexander talks about their history on 205 Live and how they wrestled all the way to Wrestlemania, with John Cena himself watching. Ali says he doesn’t want Alexander’s help, because Alexander took everything from him.

Ali wants a Wrestlemania rematch, but at Slammiversary. That’s not what Alexander wants, but he’ll do it. The fight is on, with Alexander and the Great Hands clearing out the security. I’m not sure on the idea of having this be focused on something from WWE but at least the match should be good.

We recap Killer Kelly vs. Masha Slamovich.

Knockouts Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Killer Kelly

Slamovich is defending in a chain match. They’re tied at the wrist by a chain and they slug it out to start. The fight is quickly outside where Kelly chokes her around the post to take over. Back in and Kelly fires off some knees to the face for two but Slamovich hits some clotheslines with the chain. Slamovich uses the chain to pull her into the post and then chokes away for a bonus.

Kelly is sent face first into the steps over and over and they go up the ramp, where Kelly gets in a suplex. Back in and they slug it out from their knees before a double clothesline leaves them both down. Kelly sends her into the corner and grabs Angel’s Wings for two. A running dropkick gets two in the corner so Slamovich goes simple by just choking her with the chain for the win at 11:16.

Rating: B-. The match was fine enough but I’m not sure how much interest there was in seeing these two fight. Yeah they have a history together, but Kelly was never a big star in the first place. Once MK Ultra broke up, Slamovich has moved way up and while it’s fine to have her face Kelly like this, it’s not the biggest match in the world.

Post match NXT’s Fatal Influence runs in to jump Slamovich. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee make the save.

We look at Eric Young snapping last week and arguing with the Home Town Man in a digital exclusive.

Young yells at the Northern Armory, who promise to do whatever it takes to impress him. If this means we’re done with Young’s latest stable, I’m all for it.

Mike Santana says he has earned the World Title shot at Slammiversary and it is going to be worth everything he has gone through to get here.

Matt Cardona vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Cardona starts fast with a faceplant before hammering away in the corner. A backdrop and flapjack put Eddie down and Cardona hits the Reboot. Back up and Eddie gets in a shot of his own for two so Alisha puts the System ring on the apron. Cue Brian Myers to argue with Eddie though and Cardona gets a rollup for the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. We might be seeing the beginning of the end of the System and after a year and a half, it might be time. Cardona and Myers getting back together isn’t the worst idea, but it’s still strange seeing Cardona as a good guy these days. I’ll take the possible cracks in the stable though, and that’s what we’re seeing so far.

Post match NXT’s Darkstate stable (four guys who attack various wrestlers) run in for the beatdown.

The Home Town Man has been attacked. I fail to see the negatives here.

Video on Leon Slater, who has been a TNA fan for years and is trying to become the youngest X-Division Champion of all time. This is a rather personal look at Slater and it makes him a lot easier to like, as this is obviously something he loves quite a bit.

Mance Warner vs. Jake Something

Steph de Lander is here with Warner and Steve Maclin is on commentary. Warner slugs away to start but Something fights back until de Lander grabs his foot. Warner slugs away again but the running knee is cut off. Something goes outside and yells at Maclin but the brawl is on, with Maclin jumping both of them for the double DQ at 2:57.

Post break Maclin agrees to fight both of them for the International Title.

Nic Nemeth vs. Zachary Wentz

Ryan Nemeth and Myron Reed are here too and Wentz is replacing an injured Trey Miguel. Wentz flips out of a wristlock to start and a middle rope crossbody gets two. Wentz goes after Ryan but gets jumped by Nic and we take a break. We come back with Wentz slugging away and catching Nic in a sitout powerbomb for two. They trade rollups for two each until Wentz hits a spinning knee for two more. Ryan grabs Wentz’s leg for a distraction so Wentz dives on him, only for Nic to grab the Danger Zone for the win at 9:02.

Rating: C+. Having Miguel in there wouldn’t have made much of a difference so this was about as good as we were going to get. The ending wasn’t exactly inspiring but Wentz isn’t going to be beating a star of Nic’s caliber. Then again it’s all about setting up their precious ladder match at Slammiversary so momentum only means so much.

We look at Joe Hendry beating Wes Lee on NXT, with Mike Santana helping him a bit.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for his new segment, the King’s Speech. He gets right to the point and brings out his guests: Joe Hendry, Mike Santana and Trick Williams (he’s a bigger fan of one than of the other two). Kazarian talks to Williams first, with Williams saying that he’s already beaten the two of them. The fans say they believe but Kazarian believes they’re idiots. Santana gets annoyed at Kazarian for cutting him off and says that he’s here to be the best in the world, and that’s what he’ll do at Slammiversary.

Hendry says the people are still believing in him but Williams says he’s still the man around here. Kazarian likes what Williams is saying and the brawl is on with the bad guys leaving Hendry and Santana laying to end the show. This was pretty basic stuff, but despite being a big star, Hendry isn’t feeling right in here. He’s had his moment and while I get the appeal of him doing it again, this feels like it would be better with Santana on his own.

Overall Rating: C+. The in-ring side of things was a bit weaker this time but what matters here is drawing up as much attention as possible for Slammiversary. That’s what they were trying to do here and there are some stories which have my attention. They still have a few weeks to go before the big show though and things can be developed in time. Just spice things up a bit and we should be in for a good event. This wasn’t a great show, but it took some necessary steps.

Results
IInspiration b. Victoria Crawford/Tessa Blanchard – Idolizer to Crawford
Masha Slamovich b. Killer Kelly – Choke
Matt Cardona b. Eddie Edwards – Rollup
Jake Something vs. Mance Warner went to a double DQ when Steve Maclin interfered
Nic Nemeth b. Zachary Wentz – Danger Zone

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 19, 2025
Location: Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Slammiversary is coming up in about a month and the card is at least coming together. The big story continues to be the roster wanting to get its World Title back from that evil outsider, NXT’s Trick Williams, and someone is going to need to step up. That process could start this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Sami Callihan vs. Eric Young

The rest of the Northern Armory is here with Young. Callihan jumps them all to start fast and grabs a chair, which Young takes away. Young’s chair shot only hits the steps though and hurts his own hands, allowing Callihan to hit a clothesline. They gets inside for the opening bell, with Young getting two off a belly to belly suplex. Callihan headbutts away but gets dropped for two more. Young knocks him to the floor where the Armory gets in their cheap shots, meaning Callihan has to beat the count.

Back in and Callihan crotches him on top, where Young gets in a bite to the head. They both go for the eyes until Callihan grabs a Downward Spiral. Callihan charges into a boot in the corner, allowing Young to drop the top rope elbow for two. Back up and Callihan grabs him low, setting up a Stunner for a rather near fall. Somehow the Armory is able to get in with a chair shot without the referee noticing, allowing Young to grab a piledriver for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to set things up for later, as we could be seeing a rematch, likely with some more violence included, down the line. Callihan doesn’t have much to do and neither does Young, so this should be about as good for both of them as anything else. Just don’t go too hardcore with the thing.

The non-champions are ready for the Champions Challenge tonight.

Here is Order 4 for a summit. Mustafa Ali starts by yelling at Tasha Steelz, accusing her of doing a terrible job. Ali also accuses her of calling “him”, even checking her phone and finding out that she did call “him” today. Steelz is thrown out, meaning it’s time for Jason Hotch. He’s not happy with Ali, who thinks Ali is wrong. Ali brings up that Hotch lives with his wife and family in a house that Ali pays for every month. Therefore, Ali wants an apology, which Hotch gives him.

That brings up John Skyler, who brings up every bad thing Ali has been doing lately. Ali is a great leader, but lately it has been up Order 1. Ali isn’t going to have that and orders Skyler to apologize, even from his hands and knees. That isn’t going to happen, with Ali bailing instead of fighting. The cracks continue to show, though I’m not sure who is going to be the one to take out Ali, because Skyler isn’t it.

Killer Kelly talks about the MK Ultra days with Masha Slamovich. Now it’s time for Kelly to take the title.

By Elegance vs. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich

The Personal Concierge handles By Elegance’s entrance and M By Elegance is here too. The dancing Ash backs away from Lee but Heather does the same, leaving By Elegance not being sure what to do. Slamovich comes in instead so Ash grabs her phone…which earns her a beating. Everything breaks down and Slamovich hits a running dive to take the villains out.

We take a break and come back with Ying hammering away in the corner, sending Ash right back to the floor. Ash gets in a cheap shot this time and takes over on Ying back inside, where some forearms in the corner keep her in trouble. Ying fights up and hits a running knee to the face but Ash hits a Meteora for the same. Heather’s stomps don’t do much good as it’s back to Slamovich to clean house. A catapult into a Codebreaker cuts Slamovich off for two but Rarefied Air is broken up. Cue Killer Kelly for a distraction, allowing Ash to hit Rarefied Air for the pin at 11:16.

Rating: C+. This was a way to set up the Knockouts Title match and that’s not a bad way to go. Kelly isn’t someone who is going to go after Slamovich hand to hand but rather trying to get inside her head. That’s an interesting change of pace and I could go with seeing how it goes. If nothing else it’s someone fresh and that’s a good thing to see.

The IInspiration wants the Knockouts Tag Team Titles back.

Here is Santino Marella for a chat. Next week, Mike Santana will be back and facing AJ Francis in a street fight. Marella brings out Tommy Dreamer, who got in a fight with Mance Warner last week. He’s willing to let Dreamer face Warner anytime, but here are Warner and Steph de Lander to interrupt. Steph says that the Innovator Of Violence thing was impressive in 1996, but she wasn’t even born yet. Dreamer agrees that it isn’t his time, though there is something they should know. Cue Jake Something to clear the villains out. Cool. Now do something important with him already. And give him a better name.

Tessa Blanchard and Indi Hartwell argue about last week and Blanchard brings up helping Hartwell when her career was starting. Hartwell says that Blanchard is proving everyone right.

We look at some TNA wrestlers at AAA TripleMania.

The System vs. Matt Cardona/???

Cardona needs a partner and brings out….the Home Town Man. Thankfully commentary flat out says “this is Cody Deaner” as Cardona and JDC start things off. JDC wants and receives Home Town, who takes over on JDC without much trouble. Cardona sends JDC outside for a running flip dive but Alisha Edwards offers a distraction so Eddie can take over. A neckbreaker gets Cardona out of trouble and it’s back to Home Town for Sliced Bread on JDC. Eddie goes for the mask but gets rolled up for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here and that’s a nice thing to see given Home Town. I do like that they’re leaning into the joke instead of trying to make me care about Cody Deaner again, as that was a horrible failure. It’s nothing I want to see full time, but for a one off “fun” moment, it could have been far worse.

Post match Brian Myers comes in for the beatdown but Matt Cardona makes the save. The System beats him down as well.

We look at the six man tag from NXT, with Yoshiki Inamura pinning Trick Williams to earn a title shot…for Josh Briggs.

Rascalz/Elijah/Joe Hendry/Leon Slater vs. Moose/Steve Maclin/Trick Williams/Nemeths

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Nic and Elijah start things off with Nic out wrestling him without much trouble. Back up and Nic hits a dropkick, only for Elijah to grab the wrist for the Old School Meteora. Wentz comes in to flip out of Maclin’s wristlock, giving us a Maclin vs. Rascalz standoff. Ryan gets dragged in and double dropkicked before Williams and Moose get knocked to the floor.

The Rascalz hit stereo moonsaults but Moose is back in with the spear to Miguel. Everything breaks down and we take a break. Back with the champions taking turns choking Miguel on the ropes, though Maclin doesn’t seem to approve. Nic puts on a bow and arrow hold before it’s back to Williams for a cravate. A belly to back suplex is broken up though and it’s off to Slater to pick up the pace.

Maclin won’t tag in so Nic drops Slater to take over again. Slater suplexes Moose and brings Hendry back in…but the referee didn’t see the tag. Moose plants Slater but the spear is countered. The powerbomb is reversed into a DDT and the hot tag brings in Hendry to clean house.

The turning pose is cut off by Williams for the big staredown so Hendry clotheslines the Nemeths instead. Everything breaks down again and the Rascalz drop Moose, only to get knocked outside by the Nemeths. Ryan tries to bring in a title belt but Maclin takes it away. The Standing Ovation into the Highwayman’s Farewell finishes Ryan at 20:04.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that happens every so often and for a rare treat, it works well. The ending lets someone get a potential title match set up in the near future but if nothing else, we have the already established feuds. They’re teasing the heck out of Hendry vs. Williams II and Moose vs. Slater is already set. That’s not a bad way to go and this was a fine way to set up some things which are likely to happen at Slammiversary.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was the big deal on the show and while it worked, it made the rest of the show a bit tricky. You can only get so much out of the show when so many big names are tied up in the main event. It’s not bad and they did seem to boost up Slammiversary a bit, which is going to need to be the focus for the next few weeks.

Results
Eric Young b. Sami Callihan – Piledriver
By Elegance b. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich – Rarefied Air to Slamovich
Matt Cardona/Home Town Man b. The System – Rollup to Edwards
Rascalz/Elijah/Joe Hendry/Leon Slater b. Nemeths/Moose/Steve Maclin/Trick Williams – Highwayman’s Farewell to Ryan

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

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

Nothing To Lose
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: MEET Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Jordan Castle, Brian Zane

This is from Prestige Wrestling, a promotion from the Pacific northwest. I’m not sure what that is going to mean this time around but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen from the promotion before. Hopefully they can live up to the hype as I’m watching them based on that reputation. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow the promotion so I apologize in advance for any plot or character points I miss.

Lykos Gym vs. Sinner And Saint

Lykos II and Icarus start things off but all four come in for the staredown. With that broken up, Lykos II takes over on Williams and it’s quickly back to Icarus. An armdrag into an armbar takes Icarus down as Zane talks about his high school e-fed (I love independent wrestling). Lykos gets taken into the corner and dropped with a clothesline but he manages to get up top.

That means a roll over to Lykos II and the pace picks way up. A brainbuster gives Lykos II two but some rapid fire strikes to the face knock him down. Ode To The Fallen is broken up and it’s back to Lykos as everything breaks down. Lo Mein Pain gets two on Icarus but a double brainbuster is broken up. Lykos II is sent outside (and hard too) and it’s the Ode To The Fallen to give Williams the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C+. Perfectly watchable tag match here between two teams who have been around the independent scene for a good while. Sinner And Saint are getting a focus in TNA so they might be on their way somewhere. I’m not sure I get the appeal of Lykos Gym, but they are far from bad in the ring.

Arez/El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr./Galeno del Mal vs. Z-Brats

Lucha libre vs. Dragon Gate here. Arez and Shun Skywalker start things off with Arez spinning around to get some early near falls. An armdrag takes Skywalker down again and the other Z-Brats come in to hammer Arez down into the corner. Everything breaks down and Galeno and Wagner gets sent into each other and Skywalker gets to pose. Back up and Galeno and Wagner (who are apparently brothers) double team Ishin and a pair of splashes get two, with Skywalker making the save.

Wagner chops at Skywalker in the corner but he’s back with a sitout butterfly suplex for two. Back up and a double suplex gets two on Galeno but Arez is back in for a PK to Minoura. A step up Asai moonsault takes him out again but Ishin is there for a running flip dive. The much bigger Galeno hits his own dive before Ishin manages to suplex him back inside. Galeno is right back up with the Galeno Special to plant Ishin for the pin at 10:34.

Rating: B-. This week has featured quite a few matches similar to this one and that’s not a bad thing. These people know how to work well together and this was no exception. They mixed things up a bit here with some bigger guys and that helped a good bit. It’s another fast paced tag match with people getting to do their thing and it’s on the card over and over for a reason.

Jordan Cruz vs. Bodhi Young Prodigy

The smaller Bodhi tries to start fast but his high crossbody is pulled out of the air. Cruz knees him in the face in the corner and grabs a Falcon Arrow to drop Bodhi again. Quite the lariat turns Bodhi inside out but he comes back with a high crossbody. A Pele kick rocks Cruz and a pop up hurricanrana gives Bodhi two. Bodhi’s 450 is countered with a grab of the throat and a superplex into a Shining Wizard…gets two as Cruz pulls him up. No More Sorrow (a brainbuster onto the knee) finishes Bodhi at 4:54.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but there wasn’t supposed to be. Bodhi is literally named “Young Prodigy” so seeing him take that kind of a beating makes good sense. Cruz got to show off well enough here too, though it’s almost strange to see this kind of a match on such a featured show.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Adam Priest

Suzuki gets a heck of a reaction and Priest heads straight to the floor for some stalling. Back in and a kick to the leg has Priest in more trouble as the fans get in a MURDER GRANDPA chant. Priest’s chops just annoy Suzuki and he’s smart enough before Suzuki can retaliate. The stalling is on again but this time Suzuki follows him outside and it’s time to throw some chops.

Suzuki even puts him in front of a fan for a big chop and let’s have a chair. Apparently that’s a ringside chair so it doesn’t count as a DQ, at least according to commentary. Back in and Suzuki starts working on the hand before switching over to a half crab. That’s switched into a crossface but Priest gets up and goes after the leg.

A Figure Four has the leg in more trouble but Suzuki cranks on the ankle to make Priest go to the ropes, despite still having the hold on. That’s some amazing pain innovation. Back up and they strike it out with Suzuki getting even angrier. Suzuki knocks him down and does it again, with the fans thinking Priest’s time is limited. The sleeper into the Gotch style piledriver finishes for Suzuki at 12:28.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that Suzuki can still do well, as it was more a case of him being goofy/intimidating at the same time while using some smoke and mirrors to get through the match. Suzuki can’t move nearly as well as he did before and it’s smart to let him do something easier like this. The fans still love him so let him go do something a bit less than serious.

Post match Suzuki teases a piledriver on the referee but lets him escape.

Kevin Blackwood vs. Leon Slater

Man Like DeReiss is here with Slater. They go with the grappling to start until Blackwood grabs a headlock into a shoulder. Slater is back up with a running clothesline for a knockdown, with Blackwood nipping up. A bouncing kick to the face sends Blackwood to the floor and there’s the slingshot dive. Back up and a slingshot Fameasser over the middle rope has Blackwood in more trouble. Blackwood drops him onto the apron though and a knee to the ribs cuts him off again.

Slater’s rollup seems to annoy Blackwood, who drops him with a belly to back suplex. The abdominal stretch goes on the banged up ribs but Slater powers out and hits a leg lariat. Slater hits a running boot to the face for two so Blackwood German suplexes him down for the same. They go up top, where Slater gets shoved down but he avoids a dive. Slater hits a Blue Thunder Bomb, only to miss a 450. Another top rope double stomp is kicked out of the air but Slater’s Swanton 450 hits raised knees. Now Blackwood’s double stomp can finish at 12:21.

Rating: B. Blackwood has impressed me in the few matches I’ve seen him in and that’s a cool thing to see. He wrestles an intense style and Slater’s high flying fits in well with him. I’ve liked Slater during his time in TNA and hopefully he gets a chance to keep going, as that could take him a long way.

Evan Rivers/Tate Mayfairs/Vaughn Vertigo/Xia Brookside vs. Drexl/Jaiden/Amira/Matt Brannigan

Rivers and company have matching costumes….though I have no idea what they are. Jaiden strikes away at Vaughn to start before it’s off to Brookside vs. the rather odd Drexl. Mayfair comes in to chop away at Drexl, who rubs his nipples in appreciation. Brannigan comes in and gets taken into the wrong corner and it’s time for some wind up spanks. Brookside comes in and gets dropkicked down by Amira, sending her and her team outside for a huddle. Brannigan and company stop for a drink and everyone but Mayfairs do match pose.

Instead, Brannigan gets suplexed down so it’s time for CPR. Amira gets taken into the corner for a kick to the back of the head but manages a quick shot of her own. Jaiden comes in to clean house for all of five seconds before getting stomped down in the corner. Jaiden’s suplex gets him out of trouble and it’s Drexl coming in to clothesline and grab various things. Everything breaks down and most of the people head out to the floor. Amira gets caught in the Tree Of Woe for a coast to coast ax handle. That sets up Mayfairs’ moonsault for the pin at 11:56.

Rating: C+. This was little more than goofy fun with the heroic team getting to do their entertaining stuff and the villains cutting them off here and there. It was a good example of taking a bunch of people and letting them entertain the fans, which is going to work every time. If nothing else else, Brookside getting a bit more featured time is a nice bonus too.

We get a pretty basic highlight package on the promotion.

Michael Oku vs. El Phantasmo

Amira (not the one from the previous match) is here with Oku. Feeling out process to start and they take turns shaking Amira’s hand. Phantasmo shoulders him down and grabs a hurricanrana to send Oku outside. Some chops have Oku in more trouble and a whip into the corner has him in trouble back inside. Oku is sent outside, where his chop almost hits Amira by mistake.

Back in and Oku wins a slugout and grabs a tornado DDT for two. The top rope Lionsault misses though, leaving Phantasmo to hit a regular version for two more. Oku kicks him down though and now the top rope Lionsault can hit the leg, setting up the half crab. The rope is grabbed so Oku knocks him outside, setting up the Fosbury Flop. Phantasmo is able to catch him on top for a superplex and a cutthroat driver gets two. They trade big shots to the head until Phantasmo’s clothesline gets two. Oku’s backslide gets two so Phantasmo hits a Canadian Revolution II for the same. Thunder Kiss 86 finishes Oku at 13:30.

Rating: B-. Oku continues to grow on me and that’s nice to see after so long of being relatively indifferent to him. This was a good mixture of technical and high flying stuff, with Phantasmo looking rather smooth in the ring. You can see how talented these two are and they had a good match, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Respect is shown post match.

IInspiration vs. Kylie Rae/Nicole Matthews

This is the IInspiration’s first American independent match ever and the fans give them quite the reception. Matthews runs Lee over and mocks her dancing, only for Lee to do the exact same thing in a nice moment. Rae comes in and gets caught with a middle rope ax handle to the arm. It’s back to Matthews, who gets rolled up for a quick two. With Matthews on the floor, Rae gets caught with some running shots in the corner. Stereo kicks drop Rae again and it’s time for Matthews and Rae to leave.

The IInspiration isn’t having that and drag them back for the right hands in the corner. Matthews gets in a shot to McKay’s knee though and it’s time to start the double teaming on the leg. Matthews cranks on McKay’s leg but she sends Rae and Matthews into each other. It’s back to Lee to pick up the pace, including a tornado DDT for two. Everything breaks down and Matthews gets a half crab on McKay. Lee does the same thing to Rae and it’s a powerbomb/spinning faceplant combination to give Lee the pin at 10:54.

Rating: C+. This was the feel good match as having the IInspiration got to have their big moment as they have been away for a long time. They get to come in and beat some known names, which is a fine way to use them. I’m not sure I can imagine them being around long term, but it was perfectly fine for a one off appearance.

Prestige Wrestling World Title: Alan Angels vs. Calvin Tankman

Angels is defending and it’s No DQ so he jumps Tankman with a trashcan to start. They get inside for the opening bell and the much bigger Tankman fights back to take them out to the floor. An exchange of chairs to the back goes to Tankman, who knocks him around ringside and drops him onto the apron. The door is loaded up but Angels dropkicks it into Tankman’s face for the big crash.

Angels chokes away with a chain and puts a trashcan over Tankman’s head for a heck of a chair shot. Tankman drops him with a single forearm and Angels’ chair shot bounces off the rope and hits him in the head. Angels blocks a powerbomb though and hammers away with forearms to the back of the head.

The Rings Of Saturn with a chain has Tankman in more trouble but he powers out for two of his own. Tankman makes a door bridge, with a super sitout powerbomb putting Angels through them for two. With that not working, Tankman takes him up again but cue Jordan Cruz to powerbomb Tankman through the chairs. The Halo Strike (basically a Van Daminator) retains the title at 16:01.

Rating: B-. The ending felt like a big deal as Angels now has some muscle to help fight against the forces of good. Tankman is a big guy who can move and that makes for a good challenger for a smaller champion like Angels. The weapons stuff helped make the match feel special, as we hadn’t seen it throughout the show. Nice main event here with the surprise angle at the end.

Overall Rating: B-. This was about all you can ask for out of such a show, as they had good matches with some storyline changes taking place as well. It’s a perfectly watchable show with some familiar faces and a few names who are probably more local to Prestige. I had a good time with this one as it’s a perfectly acceptable show.

Results
Sinner And Saint b. Lykos Gym – Ode To The Fallen to Lykos
Arez/Galeno del Mal/El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. b. Z-Brats – Galeno Special to Ishin
Jordan Cruz b. Bodhi Young Prodigy – No More Sorrow
Minoru Suzuki b. Adam Priest – Gotch style piledriver
Kevin Blackwood b. Leon Slater – Double stomp
Evan Rivers/Tate Mayfairs/Vaughn Vertigo/Xia Brookside b. Drexl/Jaiden/Amira/Matt Brannigan – Moonsault to Amira
El Phantasmo b. Michael Oku – Thunder Kiss 86
IInspiration b. Kylie Rae/Nicole Matthews – Powerbomb/spinning faceplant combination to Rae
Alan Angels b. Calvin Tankman – Halo Strike

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

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Rebellion 2022
Date: April 24, 2022
Location: Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s back to pay per view for Impact and this time they have made me want to see what they have to offer. The main event is a long awaited showdown between Moose and Josh Alexander for the World Title, after Moose took the title at Bound For Glory and then went after Alexander’s family. The rest of the card looks pretty good too so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Eddie Edwards vs. Chris Bey

Bey is replacing an injured Jonathan Gresham. There are no seconds here for a change and the fans are behind Bey, complete with the TOO SWEET/HOWEVER YOU SPELL THE WEIRD BARKING THING THEY SAY AFTER TOO SWEET chants. Feeling out process to start with Bey grabbing a headscissors but getting taken down with a shot to the face. An overhead belly to belly suplex drops Bey again but he fires off some kicks to send Edwards outside.

There’s the big running flip dive, sending Rehwoldt into a weird Inception reference. Edwards hits a running knee for two, only to have Bey come back with a running clothesline. Some YES Kicks rock Edwards but he’s back with a failed tiger driver attempt. A Backpack Stunner gets Edwards out of trouble for two but his Blue Thunder Bomb is countered into a cutter for two. The Art of Finesse misses though and Edwards’ tiger driver gets two. The Diehard Driver is enough to finish Bey at 9:22.

Rating: B-. This is the right way to open up a show, as they had a hard hitting, fast paced match until one of them got caught with a big move to shut them down. They had some bigger names in this one than you would see in most Kickoff Show matches and it was a good, back and forth match. Edwards beating Bey is a big win as Bey has had some moments lately, though hopefully Bey doesn’t have to start from scratch again.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Influence vs. IInspiration

The Influence is defending and jumps the IInspiration before the bell. We settle down to McKay vs. Rayne to start but it’s quickly off to Lee to send Rayne into the corner. Dashwood comes in to send Lee face first into the mat as we’re told Rebellion starts in about seven minutes. Good thing they didn’t waste time letting us think this might be some epic match.

Lee manages a rollup for two on Dashwood and they knock each other down for a double breather. The double tag brings in McKay to go after Rayne but has to send Dashwood into her in the corner. A bulldog Rayne face first onto McKay’s knee for two but Dashwood sends the IInspiration into each other. The Spotlight kick gets two on Lee, who kicks the belt out of Rayne’ hands for two. The Idolizer is broken up with a spear and the Clap (double Stroke) retains the titles at 6:35.

Rating: C. It doesn’t help that this is the Knockouts tag division for all intent and purpose but they were given no time here and the clock made it even more obvious. You can only get so far when you’re going home as soon as things start cooking and that caught them here. I’m not sure who comes after the titles next, but this is about it for the IInspiration going after the belts for the time being.

The opening video talks about how everyone has a spirit in them that wants to rebel and win, which they’ll try to do tonight.

Steve Maclin vs. Jay White vs. Chris Sabin

These three have been fighting back and forth for a few weeks. Stat during the entrances: White has competed in 3 triple threats, Maclin has competed in five, and Sabin has competed in SIXTY EIGHT. Dang that’s a bit nutty. Maclin has a skull painted on his face for some unexplained reason and it’s White bailing to the floor to start. Sabin gets run over with a shoulder and punched down, only to send Maclin to the apron.

White pulls him down and Sabin runs both of them over on the floor to pick up the pace a bit. Back in and Sabin hits a spinning crossbody to drop White but Maclin hits some backbreakers to take over. They all head outside with White dropping Maclin ribs first onto the apron and taking Sabin down as well. Back in and White suplexes Sabin into Maclin in the corner for two but Sabin kicks both of them down.

A double high crossbody leaves Sabin the only one standing before he chops away at both of them. The tornado DDT gets two on White but Maclin drops Sabin as well to put everyone on the mat. White’s swinging Rock Bottom gets two on Maclin but the Tower Of Doom is broken up.

Sabin knocks White into the Tree of Woe and missile dropkicks Maclin, who puts Sabin in the Tree of Woe as well. Maclin spears White but misses another to Sabin, sending Maclin flying out to the floor. That leaves Sabin to counter the Blade Runner into a rollup for two (how he beat White at Multiverse of Matches) before hitting the Cradle Shock….but Maclin rolls Sabin up for the pin at 12:05.

Rating: B-. At some point you have to pull the trigger on someone and Maclin has come a pretty long way in recent months. Having him pin Sabin is a big enough deal but giving him a win over White (even without pinning him) means even more. I’m glad to see Maclin getting a chance after having his chance cut in WWE through no fault of his own, and it seems like he’s making the most of it too. Good for him and a pretty sweet opener.

We run down the rest of the card.

Josh Alexander arrived with his wife and son, with the former talking about how important tonight is for him. Scott D’Amore comes in and gives Alexander a bit of a pep talk.

We recap Taya Valkyrie vs. Deonna Purrazzo for the AAA Reina de Reinas Title. Valkyrie returned at Multiverse of Matches and challenged Purrazzo for the title, but also wants revenge for Purrazzo beating her for the title in the first place.

Reina de Reinas Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending and the fans are behind Valkyrie to start. An armdrag into the corner doesn’t get Valkyrie very far so she runs Purrazzo over for two instead. The Shinsuke Nakamura sliding German suplex drops Purrazzo but she manages to pull Valkyrie head first into the post. Back in and a clothesline gives Purrazzo two and it’s a Downward Spiral into a Koji Clutch. Valkyrie powers out and bails to the floor for a breather, setting up a Russian legsweep to drive both of them back first into the apron.

They get back inside where Valkyrie hits her own clothesline for two but Road To Valhalla is broken up. The standing moonsault connects but Valkyrie goes straight to the rope to escape the armbar. Purrazzo goes up and dives into a sitout powerbomb, setting up an STF. That sends Purrazzo to the ropes for a change but she is right back with a kneebar. With that broken up, Valkyrie slips out of the Queen’s Gambit and hits the Road To Valhalla for the pin and the title at 9:02.

Rating: C+. They had to take at least one of the titles off of Purrazzo sooner or later and you had to know Valkyrie was getting the AAA title as soon as she showed up at Multiverse of Matches. Purrazzo had a heck of a ride up to the top but had to come down eventually. Next up will probably be dropping the Ring of Honor Women’s Title and that is the way this should go. If nothing else, it is nice to have Valkyrie back though and hopefully she sticks around with Impact for a bit.

Tasha Steelz isn’t worried about Taya Valkyrie or Rosemary, the latter of whom doesn’t know what is coming for her tonight.

We recap the X-Division Title match, which is more about Mike Bailey vs. Ace Austin with champion Trey Miguel trying to remind us that he is there too.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending. Austin talks too much trash to start and gets double teamed down, allowing Bailey and Miguel to take turns kicking him in the back. A missed dropkick makes it even worse for Austin, who is sent outside. Austin is able to break up Bailey’s handspring but Miguel takes Austin down with a suicide dive. Bailey takes down both of them with a springboard moonsault but Miguel strikes away back inside.

The big stomp to Bailey’s back is cut off as Austin powerbombs Miguel onto Bailey instead. That doesn’t work well for Austin as he is sent outside, leaving Miguel to avoid the Ultimate Weapon. Now it’s Bailey being sent outside so Miguel counters the Fold into a rollup for two (how Miguel beat Austin on Impact), leaving Bailey to hit a great moonsault to Austin. Miguel isn’t having that and dives onto both of them on the floor, giving them a much needed breather.

Back in and Bailey uses Miguel to set up a German suplex to Austin. Bailey’s double knees take both of them down, leaving Bailey to hit Austin with the Ultimate Weapon for two as Miguel makes the save. Some rollups get two each and it’s Miguel hitting the top rope Meteora for two on Bailey with Austin pulling the referee out. The Fold hits Miguel to give Austin the pin and the title at 10:24.

Rating: B. As expected, this was all action with the three of them not stopping for the ten minutes that they had. Austin getting the title back is interesting, but it is hard to imagine Bailey isn’t champion by Bound For Glory at the very latest. Total sprint here and I had a good time with it, as you kind of had to expect, even with the changes to to Jonathan Gresham’s injury.

Honor No More says they’ve had a great night so far and they’re ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

We get a vignette for EGV, complete with some binary code.

Jonah vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Battle of the monsters time and they go nose to nose to start. Ishii fires off forearms but Jonah knocks him back with just one. Jonah eventually runs him over and then hits the Vader standing splash to drop Ishii again. Some elbows to the neck let Jonah send him into the corner for some forearms to the head and the chinlock goes on.

Ishii fights up and starts his growling but Jonah forearms him back into the corner. That’s broken up again but Jonah is way too big for the brainbuster. Ishii wins the slug out in the corner and they slug it out again until Ishii goes after the knee to take him down. Back up and Ishii sends him into the ropes for a German suplex, setting up a hard lariat for two.

The sliding lariat is blocked though and it’s a shoulder to drop Ishii for a change. The Jonah Bomb gets two and a hard clothesline is good for the same. One heck of a spear cuts Ishii down but he avoids the Tsunami. Now the sliding lariat can connect for two and the brainbuster finishes Jonah at 14:35.

Rating: B-. Ishii isn’t at his former speed anymore and this is a formula that has been done many times, but my goodness they beat each other up here and I was surprised by the ending. Jonah continues to be an absolute beast and it gives Ishii a big boost to beat him. I’m not sure if that is the right move, but dang it was a fun monster fight.

Violent By Design is ready for all comers.

Tag Team Titles: Gauntlet Match

Violent By Design is defending and there are eight teams in total. The Major Players are in at #1 and Jordynne Grace/W. Morrissey are in at #2, because irony tends to be strong in gauntlet matches. Grace hits Myers in the face a few times and manages a suplex from his knees (egads) before handing it off to Morrissey vs. Cardona. With that not working, Grace comes back in as Morrissey gets in a chase on the floor. The melee lets Cardona roll Grace up for the pin at 2:17.

Hold on though as Morrissey chokeslams both of them and Grace hits the big dive through the ropes. The powerbomb through the table is broken up by a Green low blow but Morrissey is wearing a cup. That means Green is powerbombed through the table and the fans seem to approve. The Good Brothers are in at #3 and the Magic Killer finishes Cardona at 6:36 (total). Zicky Dice/Johnny Swinger are in at #4 and, after Dice hits Swinger by mistake, the Magic Killer finishes Dice at 8:41.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann are in at #5 and jump the Brothers to start in a hurry. Swann headscissors Anderson to properly start fast and it’s Mack adding a corner splash. Anderson rips Swann’s face though and it’s Gallows coming in to miss a charge into the corner. A big boot cuts Swann off though and Gallows hits those weird weird punches in the corner. Gallows suplexes him down and grabs a chinlock, with Swann jawbreaking his way to freedom.

The hot tag brings in Mack to clean house, including the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault for two. Anderson is back up with the spinebuster for the same and everything breaks down. A pop up right hand gives Mack two on Anderson but Gallows catches him on top. With Swann down, the Magic Killer finishes Mack at 19:20. Mike Bennett/Matt Taven are in at #6 and it’s a Gun Stun to rock Bennett early. A suplex to Taven is loaded up but Bennett trips Anderson down, allowing Taven to get the pin at 21:48.

Hold on though as the Brothers go after the rest of Honor No More so Taven dives….and hits his teammates. That means a Magic Killer on the floor leave Taven down as Heath and Rhino are in at #7. We start with Bennett getting punched in the corner but Maria’s distraction lets Bennett discus forearm his way out of trouble.

Taven hits a middle rope dropkick for two and Bennett puts on a chinlock with a knee in the back. Back up and stereo crossbodies put both of them down and the hot tag brings in Rhino. A double superkick staggers Rhino and Heath runs into him by mistake to make it worse. The Proto Pack is loaded up but Rhino Gores Taven down for the pin at 25:58.

Violent By Design is in at #8 to complete the field. Young clothesline Rhino down for a fast two and it’s a double kick to the head so Doering can come in. A double clothesline gives Rhino a breather and it’s heath coming in to kick Young in the face. The Wake Up Call connects but Deaner puts the foot on the rope for the save. Everything breaks down and Heath powerslams Young off the top for a change of pace. Doering breaks up the Gore though and it’s a piledriver to finish Heath and retain the titles at 33:02.

Rating: C+. This was long and there were parts where it felt like they were stretching, but Good Brothers vs. Mack/Swann was a good match in the middle of the whole thing. I’m not sure they needed to do the eight team thing when some of the teams were either thrown together or a joke, but the match needed to fill a quota so here we are. The division does have a bit of depth though so there might be something for the future.

We recap Tasha Steelz vs. Rosemary for the Knockouts Title. Steelz won the title last month and Rosemary won a battle royal to get the shot. They have some history so this is a bit personal.

Knockouts Title: Tasha Steelz vs. Rosemary

Steelz, with Savannah Evans, is defending and Havok is here with Rosemary. They start fast with Rosemary taking her into the corner and then throwing her right back out, complete with some screaming. The Upside Down goes on so Steelz bails out to the floor, where she slaps Havok for some reason.

Havok goes after her instead so that’s enough for an ejection. The distraction lets Steelz get in a cheap shot on Rosemary and the beating is on, including something like the Rings of Saturn. Rosemary makes the rope so there’s a Codebreaker to drop her again. A bite to the trunks slows Steelz down and a reverse DDT gives Rosemary two.

Steelz is back with Stratusfaction and the Blackout gets two, only to miss a frog splash. Rosemary sprays some mist in the face though and a spear connects for a VERY close two, meaning it’s time for Rosemary to be frustrated. She goes back up but this time it’s a running springboard cutter right back down. Steelz grabs a Michinoku Drive to retain at 11:44.

Rating: C+. Rosemary is a good person to have in the division because you can put her into any spot and she’ll be at least enough of a threat to make the match interesting. Steelz wasn’t about to lose the title so soon though and now she has a good first victory under her belt. Rosemary had some nice spots in there and that’s about all you can ask for here.

Slammiversary is coming to Nashville on June 19.

Long recap on Josh Alexander vs. Moose for the World Title. Moose stole the World Title at Bound For Glory with the Call Your Shot title match. Then Alexander had to go through the roster, got sent home, and then came back to go after Moose. That caused Moose to go after Alexander’s family, including spearing Alexander’s wife at an independent show. Now the title match is on, after a heck of a video to recap a months long feud.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is challenging and his son comes out with him in Alexander cosplay. They go nose to nose to start with Alexander taking him down for some knees to the ribs. The very early ankle lock sends Moose bailing out to the floor, where he yells at Alexander’s family. Alexander comes out after him and Moose gets in a cheap shot to take over for the first time. Back in and Alexander gets sent hard into the corner, where he ducks a chop and chops away.

That doesn’t work for Moose, who hits a heck of a dropkick to take over before dropping Alexander face first for two. They head outside again where Alexander gets in a posting, only to be sent hard into the barricade. Back in and Alexander snaps off a belly to belly suplex to put both of them down. Some running boots to the face rock Moose to send him outside again, setting up a running crossbody through the ropes to drop him again.

Back in and the C4 Spike is blocked so Alexander rolls ten straight German suplexes. Moose gets in a shot of his own though and the Sky High gets two. A pump kick staggers Alexander but he counters a crossbody into the ankle lock. The rope is grabbed so Alexander kicks him in the head, which just wakes Moose up. They chop it out until Moose hits a Rock Bottom for no avail. Back up and Alexander wins a slugout, setting up a C4 Spike for a very close two.

Another C4 Spike is blocked and Moose bites Alexander’s head. That’s enough to set up a top rope superplex for two more and Moose is frustrated. The spear is countered into a Styles Clash of all things and the ankle lock goes on. Moose rips the turnbuckle pad off to escape, allowing Moose to kick him low. Now the spear can connect for a VERY close two so Moose takes off the top turnbuckle as well. A buckle bomb into the exposed turnbuckle looks to set up another spear but Alexander cuts it off. The C4 Spike is enough to give Alexander the pin and the title at 23:50.

Rating: B. They got the result right, it came after a hard fought match, and Alexander is the champion as he should have been a long time ago. This felt like a pay per view showdown and Alexander won because he is the better man. Much like the previous match, I’m not sure how much drama there was here, but it was a great way to close up the show.

Alexander’s family comes in to celebrate with him to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. As has been the case for a little while now, Impact can deliver on the big stage. That’s what they did again here and I liked what we got almost all the way up and down the card. Nothing on here was really anything close to bad and they got the ending right. While their TV can be hit or miss (though it has been more hit lately), the company’s pay per views are usually quite good and this is the latest entry on that list. Check this out if you haven’t been with Impact in a bit as it’s a rather good show.

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 21, 2022
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Rebellion and we should be in for a solid night. The card is mostly set with the World Title being more than ready, so now it might be time to focus on just about everything else. I’m actually looking forward to the pay per view and if they can get in one last push, we should be in for a nice Saturday. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Violent By Design vs. Decay

Non-title and it’s Eric Young/Deaner vs. Black Taurus/Crazzy Steve. Taurus hits Deaner in the face to start but Young gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. A running knee in the corner gives Deaner two but Taurus knocks him down and brings Steve in to clean house. Steve dropkicks Young off the apron and hits the Cannonball for two on Deaner, with Young dropping a top rope elbow for the save. Everything breaks down and Taurus is sent into the steps. The distraction is enough for Young to break a flag over Steve’s back, allowing Deaner to grab the DDT for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one and the champs cheat to win. Decay is going to be in the elimination match for the titles at Rebellion but it is still a little hard to buy that Violent By Design would need to cheat to beat them. At least it was short though, which is how I tend to like my Violent By Design.

Video on Moose vs. Josh Alexander, which has turned into something of an epic feud.

During the break, Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans jumped Rosemary and Havok as they checked on the rest of Decay.

Rebellion rundown.

Here are the Major Players (Chelsea Green/Brian Myers/Matt Cardona) for a chat. We look back at the three of them combining to put W. Morrissey through a table last week before Cardona says it is appropriate that he is in the ECW Arena because he is the Deathmatch King. Now he and Myers think they need some tag team gold around here, with Myers saying that they’re on the same page now. Green talks about how they were all you could talk about on their own, and now they’re united.

Cue Guido Maritato and Tony Mamaluke, better known as the FBI in ECW, to interrupt. Guido rants about how the Major Players are disrespecting this building and thinks the shirt says MAJOR SISSIES. The FBI clears the ring and Guido wants a Digital Media Title shot RIGHT NOW.

Digital Media Title: Matt Cardona vs. Guido Maritato

Cardona is defending and gets taken to the mat to start. A fireman’s carry takeover has Cardona messed up so he bails to the floor, where he almost hits Green in the face. The distraction lets Guido get in a shot but Myers offers a distraction of his own, allowing Cardona to kick a rope low on Guido. Back in and Cardona gets a bit more serious with some choking and the Reboot. Guido fights up as well and hits the Sicilian Slice, only to have Myers offer a distraction. The low blow and Radio Silence finish for Cardona at 4:56.

Rating: C. As much as I absolutely never need to see another ECW tribute or return again, they kept this short and Cardona won in the end so it could have been a lot worse. Cardona and Myers could make for a force around here and it is kind of amazing to see Cardona coming this far. This isn’t the same thing as having Hawkins and Ryder together again, so I’m curious enough about where this is going.

Post match the table is loaded up but W. Morrissey runs in and…gets taken down by Green’s low blow. Jordynne Grace of all people runs in for the save and cleans house, allowing Morrissey to chokeslam Cardona through the table.

Honor No More is ready to win all of their matches at Rebellion and mock Bullet Club for a bonus.

Jonah talks about how he hurt PCO and now he’ll do the same to Tomohiro Ishii at Rebellion.

Shera vs. Gabriel Rodriguez

The toss into the corner sets up the Sher Kamur for the pin at 16 seconds.

Bhupinder Gujjar isn’t regretting his decision to not join Raj Singh.

Moose is ready to go and make a public apology but wants assurances that Josh Alexander won’t attack him. Scott D’Amore isn’t impressed but he’ll be at ringside anyway.

Honor No More vs. Bullet Club

Vincent/Matt Taven/Mike Bennett/Kenny King vs. Jay White/Good Brothers/Chris Bey here with the rest of Honor No More at ringside too. Anderson shoulders Vincent down to start and hands it off to Gallows to do the same. Bennett comes in to get punched in the corner but avoids an elbow, allowing White and Taven to come in.

Taven dropkicks him down but spends too much time saying his name, allowing White to hit a chop. King comes in to trade missed dropkicks with Bey, with the latter being knocked into the corner. A Bennett brainbuster plants Bey and Taven gets two off a neckbreaker. Taven misses a charge though and the hot tag brings in Anderson to really clean house. Honor No More is sent outside and we take a break.

Back with Anderson and Bennett knocking each other down, setting up the double tag to White and Vincent. The spinning suplex gives White two but Vincent is back with a Russian legsweep for the double knockdown. The hot tag brings in Gallows to clean house as everything breaks down. Bey hits a big running flip dive to the floor, leaving Bennett to get Gun Stunned into the Magic Killer for the pin at 12:48.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of insanity that you might have expected and there was almost no way that Honor No More was going to win, especially without its ace in the match. Other than that, the Bullet Club instantly feels bigger because of White being around. He’s a star and the kind of person you can build around for a long time to come, assuming he wants to stick around. Good match here, with a lot of people getting to shine.

Steve Maclin is ready for Chris Sabin and Jay White at Rebellion because he is in a club of his own (meaning the military).

The IInspiration were having a signing earlier before stopping to talk to the camera. They’re glad that Kaleb With A K is gone, as now they can get the Knockouts Tag Team Titles back.

Taya Valkyrie is back for the Reina de Reinas Title, and maybe to shut Deonna Purrazzo up a bit.

Ace Austin/Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel/Laredo Kid

Austin forearms Miguel in the face to start and goes after his arm to limited avail. Bailey comes in to run the ropes with Kid, who sends him outside for a heck of a suicide dive. Back from a break and it’s Austin driving a shoulder into Kid’s ribs in the corner. Kid fights up and strikes away though, allowing the hot tag off to Miguel.

Everything breaks down and Kid’s springboard is broken up with a kick to the head. Bailey and Austin hit their stereo running flip dives but Miguel is back up to kick them both down. Back in and Bailey spends too much time setting up a kick and gets dropkicked down. That leaves Austin to load up the Fold, which is countered into a rollup to give Miguel the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B-. It’s the kind of a match that is going to be entertaining and high speed every time, even if it isn’t exactly a classic formula. It’s a bit of a weird choice to give the champ the pin going into the title match, but maybe Austin can get the win back at the pay per view to even it up. I’ll take that over Bailey, who still hasn’t clicked for me.

Post match Austin wants Bailey to deck Miguel but Bailey strikes Austin down instead to stand tall.

Another Rebellion rundown.

Vincent excuses himself from an Honor No More huddle so he can go find some jumper cables. He finds PCO and electrocutes him back to life, because PCO is not human.

Here is Moose, with his lawyer RD Evans, for the public apology. The statement, to Josh Alexander’s family, is rather formal and includes some information about Moose’s title reign. That’s not good enough for Moose, who cuts it off and wants a better apology. He is sorry that he exposed Alexander as a horrible father and husband, plus for the beating that Alexander is getting at Rebellion. Moose isn’t sorry for sending Alexander home for more than a month. Then Alexander is going to beg Moose to come to his home and show his wife and son what a real man is.

Cue Alexander for the brawl with Moose, who gets in a cheap shot to set up a chokeslam. The table is set up at ringside but Moose takes too long, allowing Alexander to hit the C4 Spike through said table to end the show. I have no idea why the table was needed when a regular C4 Spike inside would have worked just fine but that’s modern wrestling for you.

Overall Rating: B-. They’re doing a good enough job of setting up the pay per view, which has been built up long enough that it needs to just take place already. The good thing is that they haven’t burned me out on any of the feuds, with Moose vs. Alexander being timed about as well as it could have been. There was enough good wrestling on here to keep me interested and Rebellion still has my attention so it’s a success all around.

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 10, 2022
Location: Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Sacrifice and on our way to the Multiverse of Matches over Wrestlemania weekend. I don’t think that show is going to have that much major long term impact, but it does sound fun so far. Other than that, the big story is Josh Alexander is back and coming for the World Title. Throw in the three title changes and Sacrifice was a big night. Let’s get to it.

Here is Sacrifice if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Here is Josh Alexander for the opening chat. The fans chant about him being the NEXT WORLD CHAMP and that is all he has been wanting since Bound For Glory. He enjoyed sitting at home with his family but he had to come to some realities about his career. His son had been asking him when he would be getting his hands on Moose again. Well now he can say it’s April 23 at Rebellion because he is getting the title and his revenge.

Cue Honor No More to interrupt, with Eddie Edwards saying it must be nice to be able to leave and come back to work whenever you like. Before Josh worries about giving his son a new memory, he should tell him the truth: he has been handed everything since day one. Alexander threatens to knock his head off if he mentions his son’s name again. Alexander brings up everything he put on the line to bring the title back to Impact, but Eddie says the fans will turn on Alexander just as fast as they did him.

Matt Taven tells Alexander not to talk to Eddie like that and talks about how he and Eddie are both former World Champions. Taven: “And our reigns never finished prematurely in front of our wives.” Alexander: “When you were champion, you put the company out of business.” Alexander is willing to fight all of them and tries his best but Team Impact runs in for the save. Scott D’Amore comes out to say he is sure this is going to go smoothly one of these days, but it won’t be tonight. Tonight it’s Eddie vs. Rich Swann but for right now, it’s Willie Mack vs. Kenny King. Also, all night long, everyone is banned from ringside.

Willie Mack vs. Kenny King

King knocks him into the corner to start but gets shouldered out to the floor. The slingshot dive drops King again and they head back inside, where King grabs the referee. That lets him send Mack face first into the middle buckle to take over and a slingshot legdrop gets two. A seated abdominal stretch and camel clutch stay on Mack’s ribs and back but he gets in an “accidental” low blow. The Samoan drop into a standing moonsault gets two on King but he snaps off a powerslam for two. King misses a Blockbuster though and Mack hits the Stunner. The Six Star Frog Splash gives Mack the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. This was a good, mostly action based match and it was nice to see Mack getting a singles win for a change. I’ve always thought he could wind up being something around here but he seems more destined to be a tag guy. King was his usual self here and when that works, it can be rather entertaining.

We look at the Bullet Club’s night at Sacrifice.

Moose complains to Scott D’Amore about Josh Alexander sneaking into the World Title match at Rebellion. D’Amore asks if Moose is surprised that Alexander was sent home….which is a mile from Anthem’s corporate office. Moose has a week to sign the contract or he’s stripped.

Ace Austin vs. Crazzy Steve vs. John Skyler

The winner is added to the X-Division Title triple threat match at Rebellion so champion Trey Miguel is on commentary. Steve gets double teamed to start but he knocks Austin down and snaps Skyler’s neck around. Austin bails to the floor for a chat with Madman Fulton so Steve joins them, only to get enziguried.

We take a break and come back with Austin hitting running forearms to both of them in the corner until he gets sent outside. That leaves Skyler to hit a butterfly powerbomb for two but Austin is back in to kick both of them in the head. Austin gets caught on the top so Steve can bite Skyler, who holds him up in the air. That’s enough for Austin to come off with the Fold (turning it into a kind of Hart Attack Blockbuster) for the pin on Steve at 10:11.

Rating: C+. It’s the formula that has worked well forever and it still works today. While the X-Division isn’t quite a cruiserweight division, it goes by the same rules, including a few names being at the very top. That was the case here, as there was little reason to believe anyone but Austin was winning. That’s a good thing too, and the title match is already looking good.

Bhupinder Gujjar is ready to move forward but Rohan Raja comes in to ask why he hasn’t answered his phone calls. Larry D, who doesn’t work here anymore, comes in to get in Gujjar’s face. A big shot to the face has Raja saying that is why he and Gujjar have to be on the same page. Gujjar doesn’t seem convinced.

Violent By Design brags about winning the Tag Team Titles, saying it was all by design.

IInfluence/Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans vs. Mickie James/Chelsea Green/IInspiration

Green has a brace on her wrist but won’t need surgery this time. Lee and Dashwood start things off with lee taking her down and hammering away early. It’s quickly off to Rayne, who takes McKay into the corner to take over. A forearm knocks Rayne away though and it’s Evans coming in instead. That works for the IInspiration, who double kick her down to take over.

This lasts all of five seconds as the IInfluence trip up Lee on the floor so Evans can run her over instead. Evans’ legdrop connects and it’s Rayne coming in for a chinlock. Lee manages to send the IInfluence into each other though and the hot tag brings in Mickie to clean house. Steelz cuts that off though and Kaleb With A K pulls Green off the apron to break up the tag. That’s fine with James, who hits the MickDT to finish Steelz at 5:59.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on having Steelz lose in her first match as champion, especially to Mickie. This is a match where Evans should have taken the pin to keep the new champions strong, as we are probably heading for a rematch at Rebellion. Either that or Green is getting the shot, though that is going to depend on her wrist, as she never actually got into the match here.

Jonah brags about taking out PCO at Sacrifice, where he showed that PCO is human.

Here is the Bullet Club for a chat. Karl Anderson introduces everyone and we stop for a TOO SWEET/WOOP WOOP chant. Doc Gallows isn’t happy with losing the Tag Team Champions but everyone is on notice. They have won titles on every continent but Antarctica because they don’t have wrestling there so they’re coming to get the Tag Team Titles back.

Jay White talks about beating Alex Shelly in a match that meant a lot to him. He didn’t shake Shelly’s hand, but Shelly can come out here for a too sweet right now. Cue Shelly to say he won’t come down there and too sweet “Jamie”, who he lived with for a year and a half while he was making no money in Ring of Honor. Shelly knows that White is doing what he has to do but he is still hurting from those chops.

White says Shelly knew him but doesn’t know him now. He lists off everything about himself and says that everything in wrestling happens to him. Shelly says he is the king of a generation and influenced Kazuchika Okada, the Young Bucks and White himself. Chris Bey: “WHY ARE YOU HERE???” Shelly: “The adults were having a conversation.” Shelly brings out Chris Sabin, who says that the two of them being together makes them the best tag team around here. Next week: White/Bey vs. Motor City Machine Guns.

Josh Alexander wants Honor No More so Scott D’Amore gives him Matt Taven next week. After that, focus on Moose though.

Deonna Purrazzo doesn’t feel bad about what happened to Chelsea Green because she knew the risk. Gisele Shaw comes in to say she’d love to take the titles from Purrazzo but here is Lady Frost to say she beat Shaw at Sacrifice. Purrazzo gets tired of the fighting and makes a winner take all triple threat next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rich Swann vs. Eddie Edwards

Swann is looking serious here and dives off the apron to jump Edwards early. We take a break and come back with the fight still on the floor before they head inside for the opening bell. Maria has joined commentary as well as Eddie chops away in the corner. An overhead belly to belly drops Swann but he manages to send Eddie to the apron for a 619. Swann misses a dive though and we take a break.

Back with Eddie hitting a clothesline but Swann grabs some rollups for two. They head to the apron with a headscissors taking Eddie down to the floor in a crash. Back in and some kicks rock Eddie but he’s fine enough to crotch Swann on top. The Backpack Stunner sets up a half crab, sending Swann crawling to the ropes. Back up and Swann kicks away at Eddie’s face, setting up some stereo kicks to put both of them down.

Eddie’s tiger driver is countered into a rollup for two and they strike it out again. Something close to a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Eddie two Now the tiger driver connects for two but Swann is back with a cutter. The Lethal Injection gets two on Eddie but the phoenix splash misses. The Boston Knee Party connects though and the Die Hard Driver finishes Swann at 18:10.

Rating: B. No surprise on this one as two talented wrestlers got a lot of time and had a good match as a result. Edwards is a legitimate ace for Honor No More and that is what they need, if nothing else for the sake of most of their wrestlers having no track record around here. Swann is not likely to get back to the top of the company, but he is still good for a match like this every time.

Honor No More poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty solid show this week and the fact that we have a main event star ready to come after Moose makes things that much better. What matters here is they keep up the momentum and now we have a path towards Rebellion. Most of the card is yet to be determined, but at least they are already getting somewhere with the most important match.

Results
Willie Mack b. Kenny King – Six Star Frog Splash
Ace Austin b. John Skyler and Crazzy Steve – Fold to Steve
Chelsea Green/Mickie James/IInspiration b. Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans/IInfluence – MickDT to Steelz
Eddie Edwards b. Rich Swann – Die Hard Driver

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 17, 2022
Location: Charles Dodge Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for No Surrender and the show is looking good. We have a double main event of W. Morrissey challenging Moose for the World Title, plus Honor No More fighting Team Impact to stick around the company. There is enough other good stuff here to make me interested in the show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is Moose (meaning no opening sequence, which is a shame as this show has a catchy theme song) for the No Surrender contract signing. Scott D’Amore is in the ring but before W. Morrissey comes out, Moose explains what a contract signing means (I think it’s pretty clear). There is no Morrissey for some reason, but D’Amore says Morrissey can sign the contract any time in the next two days.

Moose isn’t happy, but if Morrissey makes the match, pain is waiting on him. He signs and then goes to leave, where Morrissey jumps him on the ramp. The fight is on and Moose gets chokeslammed off the stage and through a well placed table. Now Morrissey signs the contract as Moose is left laying.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The Bullet Club is ready for tonight but they’re looking forward to No Surrender as well, where they’re going to win the Tag Team Titles and get closer to the X-Division Title. Jay White finds if funny that Eric Young is trying to make his own Bullet Club but maybe he can join the real one. Maybe Young can do some laundry, or maybe White can just take him out at No Surrender. Too Sweeting ensues.

Masha Slamovich vs. Kiah Dream

Masha gives her a free shot and then hits a Burning Hammer. Dream gets pulled up at two so the Russian Doomsday Device can finish her at 47 seconds. That worked.

Ace Austin vs. Blake Christian vs. Laredo Kid

The winner is in the No Surrender X-Division Title #1 contenders match and Madman Fulton is here with Austin. Kid and Christian knock Austin down to start and trade dropkicks until Kid gets him into the corner. Austin is back up to send Kid outside and kick Christian in the head. Christian sends Austin outside but the suicide dive bounces off of Fulton’s back. A dropkick knocks Austin off the apron though and we take a break.

Back with Austin getting two on Kid and then stomping away. Christian gets stomped down as well but Kid is back up with a running knee to Austin. The three moonsaults are broken up by Christian, who puts them both down and hits a split legged moonsault for two on Kid. A big flip dive to the floor sets up a double reverse DDT to leave Christian as the only one up. Another dive takes out Fulton but Kid plants Christian with a poisonrana back inside. The frog splash gets two but Austin makes the save. Christian’s Spanish Fly gets two on Austin, who is right back up with the Fold to finish Christian at 12:05.

Rating: B-. I know it’s a simple idea and something that has been done for years, but just having the X-Division go out there and do their thing for ten or so minutes is always going to work. They’re crazy athletic and know exactly how to do this kind of a match, which made for a rather entertaining spectacle here. Yeah it’s a bunch of spots going a hundred miles an hour, but dang does it still work.

Decay doesn’t think much of humans, especially Jonah.

The IInspiration come in to see Kaleb With A K and thank him for those photos he took of them last week. He was the best they ever had and they seem to offer him a job.

Lady Frost vs. Gisele Shaw

This is Shaw’s debut. The fans are behind Frost as Shaw shoves her in the face. Frost flips over her and hits a dropkick to the back before something like a Cannonball gives Frost two. Shaw is right back with a hanging DDT out of the corner for two more and a big right hand rocks Frost again. A running knee to the back of the head gives Shaw two more but Frost kicks her down again. The Temperature Drop moonsault gives Frost two but she takes too much time loading up another one. That means a super Spanish Fly can bring Frost back down and a corkscrew Vader Bomb finishes Frost at 4:39.

Rating: C+. Frost got in a lot here but Shaw wasn’t exactly looking nervous, which seems to fit in well for her. That being said, it isn’t like there was much to see here and Shawn only stood out so much. I’m not about to pretend that a four and a half minute match is enough to make an opinion on someone, but this was a nice enough start.

Honor No More’s Kenny King is ready to make Chris Sabin bend the knee tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo isn’t worried about Mickie James because she is the champ champ rather than just the champ. Anyone who wants a shot at either of her titles can come get it at No Surrender.

Kenny King vs. Chris Sabin

Honor No More is here, as is Team Impact, minus Steve Maclin. They go technical to start as Ian Riccaboni (on commentary) explains what you should expect from King (which he does rather well). King is sent outside for a quick meeting with Honor No More but Sabin stomps on Matt Taven’s fingers to cut him off. Back in and King hits a powerslam for two and we hit the reverse chinlock. The knee in Sabin’s back makes it even worse so he gets to the ropes without much trouble.

King kicks him in the head for two and the reverse chinlock goes right back on. Sabin fights out of that too and it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Back up again and this time it’s Sabin hitting a running boot in the corner, setting up a tornado DDT for two. King grabs a spinebuster for a breather, which has Honor No More talking to Riccaboni even more. A tiger driver gives King two more but the Royal Flush is countered into a crucifix to give Sabin the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C+. Another case where these two work well together because they are talented wrestlers who work styles that mesh. King is still very athletic and Sabin can wrestle a good match against anyone while still having the ability to keep up in any match. Good stuff here, as Team Impact gets a win to keep things even.

Post match Maria says that Honor No More is a team but they didn’t take out Jonathan Gresham, suggesting that someone on Team Impact did.

Post break, Team Impact isn’t sure what to do and seems to accuse Steve Maclin as he comes in. Maclin gives them a unifying pep talk and the team is in.

Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans vs. Chelsea Green/Mickie James

Green starts with Steelz, who tags out almost immediately, as you might have expected. Evans gets rolled up for two and send into the corner to make it worse. Mickie comes in for some knee lifts, setting up a hurricanrana out of the corner a neckbreaker for two. It’s back to Green for a Natural Selection for two on Steelz but Evans shoves her off the top.

We take a break and come back with Green fighting out of a chinlock and rolling Steelz up for two. The choking in the corner cuts Green off again but she is up in a hurry for the hot tag off to James. Some clotheslines have Steelz rocked and the Mick Kick gets two. Everything breaks down and the Mick Kick/MickieDT put Evans down, only to have Steelz hit a crucifix bomb to finish James at 12:23.

Rating: C. Not the most exciting match here but it was designed to have Steelz get some momentum going into a title match that does not have the most drama. That is something that can be done well enough with something like this and it should be fine for Saturday. James is a far bigger star than Steelz so the win should help her a bit, even if the title doesn’t seem to be in serious jeopardy.

It’s time for the final chapter of Brian Myers’ How To Be A Professional, with Myers yelling at VSK and Zicky Dice for letting him get beaten up by W. Morrissey last week. The Learning Tree is done and the two of them are cut.

Here’s what’s coming at No Surrender.

Violent By Design vs. Bullet Club

That would be Eric Young/Deaner/Joe Doering vs. Guerrillas of Destiny/Jay White, with the rest of both teams here too. Young and White start things off with neither being able to get very far. An exchange of chops in the corner goes nowhere so White drags him over to the corner for the tag to Tama Tonga. Deaner comes in as well and gets taken down so Doering comes in, only to get triple teamed in the corner.

The Guerrillas double clothesline him to the floor and Violent By Design needs a breather on the floor. We take a break and come back with Doering covering Tama Tonga for two and handing it off to Young. Tama Tonga can’t quite get over for the hot tag so Doering is there with a crossbody for two. Some elbows get Tama Tong out of a fireman’s carry and it’s off to Tonga Loa for the Doering showdown.

They collide a few times and shout at each other a lot so we’ll try Young vs. White instead. The rapid fire chops rock Young in the corner and everything breaks down. The Guerrillas give Doering a Magic Killer but Young saves Deaner from the same. Young’s top rope elbow gets two on White but Young gets sent outside. That leaves Deaner to take a 3D into a top rope headbutt into a frog splash to give Tonga Loa the pin at 13:39.

Rating: C+. Pretty good main event here, as the Bullet Club continues to look more and more dominant every single week. White is starting to come off like the star that he was in New Japan and the Guerrillas are some of the scariest people in all of wrestling. Violent By Design might not be the best competition, but at least they have a reputation around here.

The Good Brothers come out for a staredown with the Guerrillas to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another solid show this week as they have put the pieces in the right place to make for an entertaining two hours. What makes this show work is that there are a lot of entertaining parts. You have the World Title, the Bullet Club, Honor No More, the various women’s stories and more. It makes for a good, balanced show and that is what makes this work. Things are getting better around here and No Surrender has my attention, so nice job.

Results
Masha Slamovich b. Kiah Dream – Russian Death Machine
Ace Austin b. Blake Christian and Laredo Kid – Fold to Christian
Gisele Shaw b. Lady Frost – Corkscrew Vader Bomb
Chris Sabin b. Kenny King – Rollup
Tasha Steel/Savannah Evans b. Chelsea Green/Mickie James – Crucifix bomb to James
Bullet Club b. Violent By Design – Frog splash to Deaner

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

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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 27, 2022
Location: Charles Dodge Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We continue on the road to No Surrender and now we know what we are going to be getting in the show’s main event. W. Morrissey will be challenging Moose for the World Title in what should be a heck of a hoss fight. Other than that, we have the continuing adventures of Honor No More, which at least now has a name. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Bey vs. Jake Something

Bey dropkicks him into the corner at the bell but runs into a big backdrop. A right hand rocks Bey and it’s time to head outside. That means a face first drop onto the apron but Bey is right back with a positing. There’s a dive to the floor to drop Something again and a basement dropkick sends him into the corner. Something’s comeback is cut off with a neckbreaker and a superkick drops him for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Something fights up to plant him for a breather.

Back up and Bey’s running hurricanrana is countered into a heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. The spear misses in the corner though and Bey stomps him in the back. Bey kicks him in the head and hits a poisonrana for two more and they’re both down. A low superkick doesn’t do much good for Bey as Something is right back up to run him over hard. Bey goes up top but dives into the swinging Boss Man Slam to give Something the upset pin at 9:39.

Rating: B. That might be a bit high but I had a great time with this one. Bey can work well with anyone and this was Something’s best match to date as he was hanging in there move for move. The ending caught me by surprise too as you wouldn’t expect Something to pick up this kind of a win. Heck of a match here and I had a lot of fun with it.

Post match the Guerrillas of Destiny run in and beat Something down. Mike Bailey runs in for the save but Jay White returns and takes him down. The Guerrillas say they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles as New Japan is here (again).

Honor No More is in the crowd so here are a bunch of Impact wrestlers to tell security to let them in the ring. Scott D’Amore comes in to say these guys don’t represent Ring of Honor because they don’t even work there anymore. People like Jonathan Gresham represent Ring of Honor but Maria says they just want an opportunity. Rhino wants to give them an opportunity at a beating so D’Amore makes a match for No Surrender, with Honor No More’s futures around here on the line. We can even have a preview tonight with PCO vs. Chris Sabin.

Madison Rayne tells Kaleb With A K to not screw up during tonight’s scouting mission against the IInspiration.

Scott D’Amore has Honor No More stay in a private locker room….which happens to be a storage room. Former Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin comes in and doesn’t seem pleased with these people. D’Amore and Silkin leave together.

Kaleb With A K/Madison Rayne vs. IInspiration

Non-title because Tenille Dashwood can’t be here. Cassie armdrags Madison down to start and a headscissors sends Madison over to Kaleb With A K (in a neck brace). That means another armdrag but Kaleb With A K blocks another one, allowing the tag to Jesse. The IInspiration kicks Kaleb With A K down but Madison offers a distraction so he can superkick Cassie down.

We take a break and come back with Rayne elbowing Cassie in the face for two. That doesn’t last long as Cassie gets over for the tag to Jesse, who hits a reverse DDT for two on Madison. Kaleb With A K comes in off a blind tag and flips Jesse down so it’s back to Cassie. Everything breaks down and Cassie reverses Kaleb With A K’s powerbomb into a sunset flip for the pin at 11:12.

Rating: C. It’s so strange to see the IInspriation as faces but it’s even stranger to see them doing well in the roles. This was a good way to go with the team pinning the goofy manager and that’s all they should have done. It says a lot that the IInfluence vs. the IInspiration is such a showdown but I do kind of want to see the match, so well done.

Jake Something thanks Mike Bailey for having his back but here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to check on Bailey. A teamup against the Bullet Club is suggested but Austin isn’t sure. Gail Kim comes in and she certainly is sure.

The Quintessential Diva, Gisele Shaw, is coming.

The Good Brothers tell Violent By Design about the Bullet Club but Violent By Design don’t see that being their problem. The Brothers want to kill the Club that they created and say it gets Violent By Design closer to the titles. That gets Violent By Design’s attention so they’re in.

The Knockouts are around the ring and Gail Kim introduces Mickie James for a State of the Knockouts Address. Mickie is honored to be out here in front of everyone here because the Knockouts division has never been better. She puts over the other champions and talks about how awesome it was to have a Knockouts Ultimate X match.

Then there is Deonna Purrazzo, who might be the worst human she has ever been in the ring with, but at worst she is the third best Knockouts Champion ever. That is too far for Purrazzo, who thinks this is a waste of time because she knows she is the greatest of all time. Purrazzo leaves, which Mickie says proves her point.

In two days, herstory will be made again when a Knockouts Champion is going to be in the Royal Rumble and go on to Wrestlemania to set up a champion vs. champion match. Chelsea Green gets in the ring to praise James and goes over her resume. She wants the first shot but here are Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans to say no one cares about Green.

Steelz brags about how great she is and says she’ll be taking the title at No Surrender. She hits Mickie in the ribs with the X and the big beatdown is on with Mickie and Chelsea cleaning the ring. This was a long setup for a reminder that James is in the Rumble and that Steelz is still coming for the title.

Steve Maclin is upset that he lost to Jonathan Gresham last week in a Pure Rules match. He throws the interviewer out but Gresham comes up, saying Maclin can have a non-title match next week without Pure Rules.

We look at Jordynne Grace successfully defending the Digital Media Title at Terminus.

Grace will give Matt Cardona a shot at the Digital Media Title. Cardona is a pioneer in this area, but that was back when MySpace was a thing. He can have his shot, but don’t go crying about it on Live Journal.

Here is Brian Myers with the Learning Tree, now with several new recruits.

W. Morrissey vs. Learning Tree

There are nine people for the Learning Tree and the destruction is on in a hurry, with some people being thrown over the top onto others. A powerbomb sends one of them onto VSK to give Morrissey the pin at 2:35.

Post match, Brian Myers goes after Morrissey but it’s Moose running in to jump Morrissey as well. The Learning Tree comes back in but gets cleared out, allowing Moose to spear Morrissey down.

Raj Singh has a new protege for next week but an unimpressed John Skyler pops up. Skyler will take on said protege next week.

Johnny Swinger vs. Jonah

This is the result of Swinger running his mouth earlier (I’m shocked too). Swinger’s single leg doesn’t work as Dan Lambert is watching. Jonah throws him down, this a backsplash, and finishes with the Tsunami at 1:17.

Post match here is Decay to check on Swinger and stare at Jonah. That’s a weird way to go.

Here’s what’s coming at various shows.

PCO vs. Chris Sabin

Good thing Honor No More already has a tron video. The rest of the team is here with PCO so Sabin’s friends come out with him as well. PCO drives him into the corner for a shot to the face but Sabin isn’t having that. He is however having a drive right back into the corner as PCO hammers him down again without much trouble. Sabin’s arm is sent into the buckle a few times but he fights back anyway. Honor No More trips him down so Eddie Edwards does the same to PCO, meaning the Impact guys are out.

We take a break and come back with Sabin raining down right hands in the corner but PCO tosses him outside with ease. The running flipping suicide dive takes Sabin down on the floor again. PCO makes it worse with a posting and there’s the big flip dive off the top to the apron.

Back in and a DDT plants Sabin again but the PCOsault misses. Sabin manages a middle rope dropkick and PCO gets knocked to the floor. That means a suicide dive from Sabin and a high crossbody gets two back inside. A side slam plants Sabin but he gets his knees up to block another PCOsault attempt. Sabin has to deal with Honor No More though and PCO grabs a Bubba Bomb for the pin at 15:15.

Rating: B-. That’s the only way this match could have gone and it was an entertaining path to the correct ending. You can’t have Honor No More lose so early in their run and it isn’t like Sabin is going to be hurt by taking a fall after interference from the rest of the team. No Surrender shouldn’t be that big of a surprise either, but it’s nice to see how things are going on the way there.

Post match the Impact guys come back out and the big brawl is on. Josh Alexander gets Vincent in the ankle lock but a save is made to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Rather good show this week as they built things up, continued some stories and had solid action throughout the night. There are things going on here that I want to see and for the first time in the better part of ever, I’m looking forward to what Impact is doing on more than one front. Well done, and the Honor No More stuff is keeping my interest above all else.

Results
Jake Something b. Chris Bey – Swinging Boss Man Slam
IInspiration b. Kaleb With A K/Madison Rayne – Sunset flip to Kaleb With A K
W. Morrissey b. Learning Tree – Double pin
Jonah b. Johnny Swinger – Tsunami
PCO b. Chris Sabin – Bubba Bomb

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

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AND

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tasha Steelz vs. Chelsea Green

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Influence vs. Decay

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

Influence vs. Havok

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

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

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

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

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

Learning Tree vs. W. Morrissey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Post match, Maclin still won’t show respect.

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

The Ring of Honor wrestlers leave. Right.

Doc Gallows/Joe Doering vs. Heath/Rhino

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

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

King’s Daughter trailer.

Charlie Haas vs. Josh Alexander

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.