Impact Wrestling
Date: December 30, 2021
Hosts: Josh Matthews, Scott D’Amore

It’s the last show of the year and just like last week, that means it is time for the second half of the Best Of 2021. That could make for a good show, as Impact Wrestling knows how to pick and choose their best stuff. There should be some solid picks here, as was the case last week. We also have some more awards to hand out so let’s get to it.

As usual, I’ll be copying and pasting the full version of the matches rather than the clipped ones airing here.

Josh and Scott welcome us to the show.

We see the last few minutes of Moose retaining the World Title over Eddie Edwards in a Full Metal Mayhem match at Turning Point.

Kaleb With A K is doing a photo shoot for the Influence when the IInspiration interrupts. They insults each other’s outfits and the IInspiration’s own photographer comes in, leaving Kaleb With A K unhappy.

From Bound For Glory.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: IInspiration vs. Decay

The debuting IInspiration is defending and Harley Cameron sings them to the ring. We get all of the signature IIconics poses and it’s time for an official introduction. They say they are here to inspire up and strike the hands on hips pose…..so yeah they’re still the same team, minus some of the annoying voices. Rosemary (in orange) scares McKay into the corner to start so Rosemary sideslams Lee for two instead. Havok comes in to scream and hammer away, setting up the Upside Down from Rosemary. That’s enough for Lee to grab a suplex and McKay grabs a quickly broken chinlock.

They take each other down by the hair and it’s back to Havok to crush the IInspiration in the corner. Lee manages to send Havok outside though and it’s McKay coming back in to take over. The bulldog onto McKay’s knee gets two but Rosemary is back with a Scorpion Death Drop. Havok misses a legdrop though and gets sent into the post. That just makes her scream, so she gets sent in again, followed by another posting. Rosemary makes the save but gets sent into McKay’s knee. A sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combination is enough to give McKay the pin and the titles at 8:58.

Rating: C. The action wasn’t great, but the IInspiration feels SO much bigger than any team that has held the titles since their return (save for maybe Fire N Flava). It isn’t like Rosemary and Havok were some legendary team (with their 98 day reign ending here) so this is the right call. It isn’t a case of Impact bringing in WWE rejects and putting them over, because this is a nice upgrade for the titles.

It’s time for the Knockouts Tag Team of the Year Award with the following nominees:

Decay
IInspiration
Fire N Flava
Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering
Influence

Grace and Ellering win, which is a little surprising but the Influence hasn’t won anything, Fire N Flava are half gone and the IInspiration has been here about a month and a half.

Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino are ready for Violent By Design and the Good Brothers at Hard To Kill.

We look at the Top Ten Social Media Posts of the Year, with Christian Cage winning the World Title on the debut of AEW Rampage.

From Slammiversary.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan

Omega, with Don Callis, is defending and it is No DQ. Callis lists off Omega’s greatness, including saying he is the King of the Deathmatch and better than Terry Funk. Callihan jumps Omega to start and hits the Cactus Special for an early two. As Callis joins commentary, Callihan sends in a bunch of chairs but Omega blocks a fork to the head. Omega’s sunset flip is blocked and Callihan busts out a pizza cutter to slice Omega open.

Another rake across the head makes it even worse and a Death Valley Driver sends Omega outside. Callihan follows but gets caught with a trashcan to the head, allowing Omega to grab some weapons of his own. More shots put Callihan down and the moonsault with a trashcan onto the leg keeps him in trouble. The chair is wedged in the corner so Omega loads up….the One Winged Angel, which is countered into a rollup. The kickout sends Callihan head first into the chair though and he’s busted open too.

Omega grabs a fork to stab the head, as well as the inside of the mouth. They head outside with Callihan chopping the post, meaning Omega can load up the table. The Snapdragon off the apron is broken up, as is the piledriver from the apron. Instead, Callihan piledrives him through the table and throws in a piece of plywood. A trashcan to the head rocks Omega again and a side slam onto the top of the open can makes it worse.

Callihan sends him hard through the board in the corner for two and it’s time for a chair wrapped in barbed wire (Callis: “Never would have happened when I ran this place!”). Omega manages a V Trigger though and another one gets two. A bunch of stuff is piled up in the middle of the ring and Omega hits a superplex through all of it. Another V Trigger sets up a failed One Winged Angel attempt and Callihan Tombstones him onto the barbed wire chair for two.

Omega rolls outside and throws salt in Callihan’s eyes, causing Callihan to take the referee out. The blind Callihan gets belt shotted and piledriven but there is no referee. Cue the Good Brothers but Eddie Edwards and Chris Sabin cut them off. Callihan hits a package piledriver for two so it’s time for the bag of thumbtacks. Callis gets up for a distraction so Omega can throw tacks in Callihan’s eyes. Another V Trigger connects, followed by another V Trigger with tacks on the knee. Omega puts the tacks in Callihan’s mouth for another V Trigger and the One Winged Angel onto the tacks retains the title at 27:33.

Rating: B. I’m never sure what to give something like this but the violence was good, as it was supposed to be. The match didn’t feel like the nearly half an hour it got, but the V Triggers and the easy kickoff off the Tombstone onto the chair were a bit much. I liked what we got and while there wasn’t much drama, I’m not sure how much there could be in something like this.

We look at Jonah debuting and laying out Josh Alexander.

From Impact, December 2.

Jonah vs. Jay Vidal

Jonah runs him over, tosses him around, and finishes with the top rope splash at 1:49. That splash still looks incredible as the impact is perfect.

From Slammiversary.

X-Division Title: Chris Bey vs. Ace Austin vs. Josh Alexander vs. Trey Miguel vs. Petey Williams vs. Rohit Raju

Alexander is defending in Ultimate X, with commentary saying that wrestling skill has little importance here. It’s a big brawl to start (as it should be) with Bey going for the belt early and getting caught just as fast. Alexander is left alone so Austin comes back in and gets German suplexed. Raju goes up top and jumps for the belt, only to crash down. Bey comes in and hits a big running flip dive back to the floor. Williams follows with the slingshot hurricanrana and Miguel hits some kind of a running DDT.

Raju and Austin go up at the same time until Austin gets shoved down onto the pile for the huge moonsault crash. That leaves Raju to bust out a grappling hook and climbs up, taking WAY longer than it would have had he just gone as usual. Williams makes the save, sending Striker into a more complicated than necessary metaphor about Williams being the foundation of the division. After Williams clears Raju out, here is Bey to take Williams down as well. Bey and Miguel wind up going for the belt at the same time, though Miguel is a lot further away.

An attempt at a hurricanrana doesn’t quite work so Miguel kind of spears Bey down instead to drop everyone. A Tower of Doom is loaded up but they have to stop to prevent Raju from pulling the title down with a hook. Everyone else is down so Raju grabs a chair and tries the hook again, only to get dropkicked down by Miguel. Williams comes back in for a Sharpshooter on Miguel, with Raju adding a Crossface for the tap. That means nothing so Alexander goes up, only to get caught hanging upside down with the belt behind him.

Therefore, Bey is fed up to him for an ankle lock as Alexander is still hanging from the X. It makes no sense but DANG that is an awesome visual. At the same time, Bey chokes Austin, who headlocks Williams, who still has Miguel in the Sharpshooter. Raju lets go and chairs Alexander down to get everyone a needed breather. Austin goes up and tries for the belt but slips a bit, allowing Bey to dive off the top with a cutter to put them both down again. Williams is back up with the Canadian Destroyer on Raju and a running version drops Miguel.

That lets Williams go up but Bey Bey get son Alexander’s shoulder to cut him off…and gets planed with another Canadian Destroyer. Well that worked. Alexander isn’t having any of this Destroyer stuff and gives Williams the C4 to knock him silly. Raju breaks up Alexander and Miguel’s slugout, meaning it’s a Downward Spiral to plant Miguel off of Alexander’s shoulders. That lets Raju go up but Miguel makes the save and takes him down.

Alexander superplexes Miguel down though, meaning he and Bey can go up at the same time. They wind up hanging upside and pull the belt down at the same time, only to have Austin springboard in and…completely crash without grabbing the title. The distraction lets Alexander knock Bey down and retain at 15:46.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was pretty awesome with everyone trying something and a bunch of insane spots. The match isn’t supposed to have much of a story or flow to it and that’s perfectly fine. This is the company’s version of the ladder match and they nailed it here, though I have no idea who takes the title from Alexander at this point. Whoever does is going to let him move up to the main event scene though, as there is nothing left for him to do.

Video on W. Morrissey.

Here are the nominees for Men’s Wrestler of the Year:

Kenny Omega
Christian Cage
Moose
Josh Alexander
Rich Swann

Josh Alexander wins, as he kind of had to.

We see the last few minutes of Rich Swann beating Moose to retain the World Title at Sacrifice.

Here are the nominees for the Men’s Match of the Year:

Kenny Omega vs. Rich Swann (Rebellion)
Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan (Slammiversary)
Moose vs. Rich Swann (Sacrifice)
Christian Cage vs. Josh Alexander (Bound For Glory)
Ultimate X (Slammiversary)
Josh Alexander vs. TJP (BTI/Impact – June 3)

The winner comes later.

Mercedes Martinez doesn’t like Deonna Purrazzo speaking her name so the challenge is on.

The hosts talk about the knockouts division.

The Men’s Match of the Year: Josh Alexander vs. TJP. Again, kind of the clear favorite/winner based on how much it was hyped at the time.

Before The Impact: X-Division Title: Josh Alexander vs. TJP

Alexander is defending in a sixty minute Iron Man match. Fallah Bahh is here to sweep the steps for TJP and Petey Williams is here with Alexander. They go with the grappling to start with Alexander being shoved down in a hurry. A test of strength goes to Alexander but he can’t break TJP’s bridge. Instead TJP flips him over but gets caught in a bodyscissors. With that broken up they go back to a standoff until Alexander grabs a headlock of his own. That’s reversed into a headlock takeover until they jump up to another standoff.

Alexander goes to a crank on the ankle, which he pulls into a bow and arrow hold. TJP flips out again and it’s another standoff as they have a lot of time to use here. This time TJP takes him down by the ankle, setting off an exchange of mat holds. TJP pulls on the leg but Alexander grabs a chinlock for the break. That’s reversed into a hammerlock with TJP flipping over him to stay on the arm. Alexander gets his own armbar with TJP not being able to flip out of it so easily this time. He finally manages to send Alexander outside and a Bahh distraction lets TJP hit the slingshot dropkick (and a good looking one at that).

Back in and TJP starts in on the ribs, including a belly to back suplex for two. Alexander dragon screw legwhips him down but TJP slams the leg into the mat to put Alexander in more trouble. A headlock on the mat has Alexander in more trouble but gets reversed into a headscissors. TJP tries to spin out but gets reversed into something like a short piledriver.

TJP is fine enough to try a Muta Lock but gets reversed into a chinlock into an abdominal stretch. With the holds not working, Alexander rolls some German suplexes but gets pulled into a Kimura. That’s reversed into an ankle lock (on TJP’s other ankle) to send TJP to the ropes with 45:00 to go.

Alexander is busted open just a bit as he hits a belly to back suplex for two. A cannonball down onto the leg sets up some twisting around the rope to keep TJP in trouble. The chinlock eats up some more of the clock but TJP fights up to send him into the corner. Now the facewashes work but Alexander takes him down into a cradle for the first fall at 19:52.

We get a thirty second rest period before and the canned noise cranks up. TJP takes him down into a chinlock into a cravate, which is reversed into a chinlock with a knee in TJP’s back. A backbreaker drops TJP again and Alexander sends him outside in a heap. Just to show off, Alexander picks him up and walks up the steps to drop TJP inside. A surfboard in the ropes (that’s a new one) makes TJP scream until Alexander lets go.

Back in and Alexander goes up, with TJP catching him in a top rope superplex. TJP tries to roll it into another suplex but they crash over the top to the floor instead. The brawl on the apron sees TJP dropped down onto the apron as we hit halftime. Alexander drives TJP through the ropes with a running crossbody for another crash. Back in and TJP lifts him up for another backbreaker but TJP is right back with something like an Indian Deathlock. That’s broken up as well and Alexander hits a very delayed (as in about a minute) vertical suplex.

With TJP down, it’s off to another double arm crank. That’s broken up so TJP tries to power him down for a cover. With that not working, TJP tries a Sharpshooter but switches over to a Muta Lock instead. That doesn’t last long but Alexander is back up with a German suplex to put them both down. TJP unloads in the corner but charges into a hot shot onto the buckle.

We have twenty minutes left and it’s time to crank on TJP’s ankle again. That’s broken up with an enziguri, followed by a toss to send TJP shoulder first into the post. With TJP still in the ropes, Alexander grabs a half crab while sitting on the top. The chinlock goes on until TJP sends him chest first into the corner. The Black Widow goes on until TJP turns it over into a cradle for two with fifteen minutes left. A tornado DDT sends Alexander outside and there’s a slingshot dive to put him down again.

Alexander is right back up with a suplex onto the apron (egads) and TJP is mostly done. That’s a bit too much for Alexander so he takes him to the stage and loads up a piledriver. Cue Chris Sabin and Trey Miguel to say that’s too far but the distraction inadvertently allows TJP to hit a Tombstone powerslam (basically Riddle’s Bro Derek). A bunch of the roster comes out to watch as Alexander stumbles down the ramp and rolls in to beat the clock with 10:00 left.

TJP hits a running knee in the corner but the Mamba Splash takes too long and only hits mat. Alexander can’t follow up either though and gets tied in the Tree of Woe so TJP can hit him in the face quite a few times. A sliding dropkick connects as we have eight minutes left and Impact officially begins. TJP hits a springboard shot to the face for two but a double clothesline puts both of them down. Alexander tries the double underhook but gets reversed into a Falcon Arrow for two more.

We have five minutes left as TJP hits a running boot in the corner. TJP does it again but this time it is countered into the ankle lock. That’s countered into the Detonation Kick for two and the Mamba Splash connects for another near fall, as these kickouts are getting to be a bit much. Another Detonation Kick is countered into the ankle lock with three minutes left. TJP reverses into the kneebar, which he turns into something like a reverse Figure Four with two minutes left.

Alexander picks the ankle to retain and puts on the grapevine with 45 seconds left. TJP nearly taps but gets up and bridges back to tie it up with 2 seconds left and time expires. Therefore, we go to sudden death so both guys pull themselves up in the corner during the rest period. They slug it out until Alexander hits a Regal Roll to set up a moonsault for two. The powerbomb onto the knee gets two more so it’s the double underhook piledriver to FINALLY finish TJP at 63:36.

Rating: B. This was very good and the sixty minutes flew by, which is pretty hard to do. They didn’t waste a lot of time here, making this almost all action throughout. It helps that they have some awesome chemistry together and both came out looking great. Alexander is turning into a star around here and I’m really curious to see what happens with him. Heck of a match here that is actually worth the watch.

Josh and Scott thank the fans and wrap it up.

Hold on though as the Undead Bridesmaids announce that Su Yung is needing more souls….because she is pregnant.

Overall Rating: B+. What else is there to say here? This was a really fun show with everything ranging from very good to completely watchable. It’s really hard to screw up something like this and they made it work very well throughout. Impact is doing a lot of things right at the moment, to the point where they have me invested in Zack Ryder vs. Big Cass in a World Title match. Keep this up and the company might actually stay good for a long time to come.

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.

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 9, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We are on the way to Hard To Kill and the show still has a long way to go. You can see a lot of the card from here so hopefully we get some more work put in this week. A few more matches would help, as long as they pay enough attention to what is already there too. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap looks at Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey becoming co-#1 contenders, with their title shot coming against Moose at Hard To Kill.

Opening sequence.

Chris Sabin/Mickie James vs. Matthew Rehwoldt/Deonna Purrazzo

The women start things off but Rehwoldt comes in before Purrazzo does anything. Rehwoldt shoulders Mickie down to start but misses an elbow, allowing Sabin to come in and strike away. Sabin cranks on the arm but gets sent into the corner for a kick to the ribs. It’s back to Purrazzo to kick away at the ribs and to knock Mickie off the apron (Mickie should pay better attention). Rehwoldt grabs a chinlock, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two.

For some reason Rehwoldt goes up top, allowing Sabin to dropkick him out of the air. Mickie comes back in for the Thesz press on Purrazzo as everything breaks down. Sabin can’t Cradle Shock Purrazzo so he gets sent outside, where Purrazzo hits a dive to take him down. Mickie dives onto both of them but Rehwoldt catches her on top on the way back in. The top rope Thesz pres is blocked and Purrazzo reverses into a sunset flip (with Rehwoldt helping) for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C+. It was certainly action packed and that’s a good way to start. Purrazzo vs. James is advanced a bit more and there should be a solid title match when they get around to it. Rehwoldt isn’t the most thrilling star but he works well as Purrazzo’s muscle who can do his thing well enough.

Matt Cardona is ready for a World Title opportunity because he has only had one before and didn’t win. W. Morrissey comes in to call him Midcardona and promises to go take what he deserves. Threats are made to Cardona, who wants to have a match tonight. He’ll even put up his Hard To Kill spot.

We look at Violent By Design vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack/Heath/Rhino.

Eric Young says Rhino is like a rat who keeps coming for electrified cheese. He’s ready for Rhino in a street fight tonight.

Rohit Raju vs. Lawrence D.

Yes Lawrence rather than Larry, despite what the graphics say. Lawrence shushes him and says he’s a lover instead of a fighter before dropping Raju with a shoulder. A hiptoss sets up a running splash for two but Raju is back up with a kick to the head. Cue Josh Alexander to tell Raju to get out….and then attacks him for saying no, drawing the DQ 2:14.

Alexander wants Jonah out here right now and after a break he gets…Scott D’Amore. Jonah isn’t coming out here, but Alexander can have Jonah at Hard To Kill. That’s not cool with Alexander, who wants to get past Jonah to win the World Title back. D’Amore wants that too, but Alexander has to wait. Raju’s goon Raj Singh tries to come back in but gets planted with the C4 Spike, which is Alexander keeping his emotions in check.

The Bullet Club WILL NOT sign posters and threaten a backstage worker until Laredo Kid breaks it up.

Steve Maclin tells Scott D’Amore that he hasn’t been pinned or submitted. D’Amore says he hasn’t beaten anyone either, so it’s a no for now. Maclin leaves so here is Decay to want in on the Knockouts Ultimate X match. For once, D’Amore has too much going on so he is delegating this to someone else. Who else? More on that later it seems.

Learning Tree vs. FinJuice

Juice Robinson starts with Zicky Dice, who comes complete with a rather long ribbon. Robinson deals with that so VSK tags himself in for a cheap shot to take over. That doesn’t last long either as Robinson gets over for the tag to David Finlay to clean house. Dice runs into VSK though and it’s a backbreaker/middle rope elbow to give Robinson the pin at 3:23.

Rating: C-. Little more than a squash here and that’s what it should have been. FinJuice continues to be one of the better tag teams around here and the Learning Tree is little more than jobbers anyway. Nothing match, but it gives FinJuice a little momentum going into…whatever it is they’re doing next.

Moose comes up to W. Morrissey to offer one more alliance to get rid of Matt Cardona. Morrissey has this himself.

Eric Young tells Violent By Design to stay in the back because he has this himself.

Rhino vs. Eric Young

Street fight. Rhino throws in the weapons but Young throws them back out, earning himself a whip into the corner. That’s fine with Rhino, who tosses Young outside to start the real fighting. Young gets dropped back first onto the apron so it’s time to throw in some weapons. A few right hands stagger Rhino but he’s fine enough to suplex Young on the ramp. Back in and Rhino hits him in the head with a metal sheet, drawing even more ECW chants.

The trashcan is wedged in the corner so of course Rhino is sent face first into it (as he deserves for putting it there in the first place. Young chairs Rhino down and puts the chair on his face but the top rope elbow is broken up. A superplex brings Young down and a shoulder drops him again. Cue Violent By Design to break up the Gore so here is Heath for the save. Young uses the distraction to get in a hockey mask shot for two but here are Rich Swann and Willie Mack to go after Young again. Now it’s the Good Brothers running in for another save so Young can get in a low blow and piledriver for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. This was all of the brawling that you would have expected here but egads there was a lot of interference here. The Violent By Design stuff has lost a lot of its luster and the never ending feud with Rhino hasn’t helped things. Hopefully we’re gearing up for the team’s destruction, but it wouldn’t shock me to see them win the Tag Team Titles at Hard To Kill either.

The Influence and the IInspiration think they could have a good super group but can’t agree on a name.

Influence/IInspiration vs. Decay

What a weird choice for a mixed tag. Black Taurus scares Madison Rayne to the floor and Decay teases a quadruple dive as we take a break. Back with Cassie choking Rosemary in the corner but she pops up to glare at IInspiration. Rayne comes back in to choke Crazzy Steve, which works as well as you would expect. It’s back to Taurus, who tosses Dashwood onto Kaleb With A K. Back in and Rosemary spears Dashwood for the pin at 9:07.

Rating: D. This felt like something Russo would book as the good guys had the advantage and then just won without much trouble. I’m really not sure what the point of this was and there wasn’t exactly much of an explanation. There was talent involved here, but it was such a weird presentation that I’m not sure what they were going for here.

Post match the IInspiration yells at the Influence.

Lady Frost upset Kimber Lee on Before The Impact.

Lady Frost is happy to be on the roster and gets a welcome from Scott D’Amore. She wants in the Knockouts Ultimate X match, but D’Amore tells her to talk to the new person in charge of the Knockouts Division: Gail Kim. Eh makes sense. Frost is in, along with Tasha Steelz, Jordynne Grace, Rachael Ellering, Chelsea Green and Rosemary.

Hard To Kill rundown.

W. Morrissey vs. Matt Cardona

If Morrissey wins, Cardona is out of the Hard To Kill World Title match. The fight starts on the floor before the bell with Cardona being driven back first into the apron. There’s posting to make it worse and now we get the opening bell, with Morrissey pounding away even more. We take a break and come back with Cardona fighting out of a chinlock but getting knocked HARD out to the floor. Morrissey posts him again and Cardona is in big trouble (again).

Cardona is busted open, so Morrissey pulls the cut up against the post to make it worse. Back in and Morrissey misses a charge into the corner to give Cardona a much needed breather. A faceplant drops Morrissey and a middle rope dropkick sends him into the corner. Morrissey runs him over again but the powerbomb is countered into Radio Silence to give Cardona two. Back up and Cardona kicks him square in the jaw before pounding at the cut. Morrissey gets so carried away that he shoves the referee for the DQ at 13:38.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t wild on the ending but it was about all they could do here. Ultimately, Cardona needed to avoid a loss while you don’t want Morrissey getting pinned, leaving this as about as good as it was going to get. Not a great match, but Cardona is starting to look awesome with his underdog stuff and that’s a good thing.

Post match Morrissey decks the referee and powerbombs Cardona to blow off some steam. Cue Chelsea Green to cover Cardona so here is Moose to yell at Morrissey. A big boot drops Moose and Morrissey shoves Green, triggering the brawl from Cardona. Moose left the title in the ring so Cardona holds it up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. What matters here is the fact that you can see most of the Hard To Kill card from here. They still have a long way to go with some of the stories, but at least we have something to build on already. I’m curious to see where some of these stories go and that’s a good place to be so close to a pay per view.

Results
Matthew Rehwoldt/Deonna Purrazzo b. Chris Sabin/Mickie James – Sunset flip with assist from Rehwoldt
Rohit Raju b. Lawrence D. via DQ when Josh Alexander interfered
FinJuice b. Learning Tree – Backbreaker/middle rope elbow combination to VSK
Eric Young b. Rhino – Piledriver
Decay b. Influence/IInspiration – Spear to Dashwood
Matt Cardona b. W. Morrissey via DQ when Morrissey shoved the referee

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.

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 2, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re back after last week’s Wrestle House special, meaning that it’s time to start getting ready for Hard To Kill. For once that’s a major pay per view, which is quite different from all of the smaller monthly shows they have been running as of late. I’m actually curious to see where they go so let’s get to it.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Matt Cardona for a chat. He talks about how great of a show Turning Point was and how he had W. Morrissey beaten, but there was no referee. Then Moose speared him so Morrissey could win, and that’s because Moose knows what Cardona is. Cue Moose to say Cardona has accomplished a lot in eighteen years. Cardona has a podcast and a room full of action figures, plus a big house with a beautiful wife.

The problem is he’ll never be that guy, but he wants a match with Moose? That’s fine, because it would last as long as his Intercontinental Title run. They should just call him Midcardona, which is enough to start the brawl. Cardona knocks him down in the corner but here’s W. Morrissey to take Cardona out. Cue Eddie Edwards for the real save and we probably have a main event.

Violent By Design brags about their win at Turning Point and now they want the Tag Team Titles back.

Matt Cardona comes up to Scott D’Amore in the back and the tag match is made tonight. Cardona might even be able to earn a World Title shot. Cardona is happy and leaves, with Jordynne Grace and Rachel Ellering coming in instead. There is going to be a Knockouts Ultimate X match at Hard To Kill so here are Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans to talk trash. D’Amore makes Evans vs. Ellering for later tonight.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Chris Sabin

Deonna Purrazzo joins commentary and says she would rather die than wear a Sabin shirt. They fight over arm control to start until Sabin hits an armdrag and Striker refers to Purrazzo as “D”. Purrazzo is not pleased as we go to a break and come back with Rehwoldt choking away in the corner. A pendulum elbow hits Sabin and Rehwoldt grabs the chinlock.

Back up and Sabin sends him outside for a breather, meaning the comeback can be on. A running boot in the corner sets up a tornado DDT for two on Rehwoldt but they clothesline each other. Purrazzo gets up on the apron for a distraction, allowing Rehwoldt to hit End Scene for two. Cue Mickie James to go after Purrazzo as the Cradle Shock finishes Rehwoldt at 11:25.

Rating: C. I think I’m starting to see why Rehwoldt is best remembered for his talking. Er, singing. He’s fine in the ring, but there is only so far that you can get with such a basic style. Sabin is on one of the best runs of his career though, or at least his best in a good few years. Not a terrible match, but it was much more about the women than the men.

Post match James chases Purrazzo to the back.

Scott D’Amore explains the Ultimate X Knockouts match to Chelsea Green. She leaves, so here is Alisha Edwards to get the same explanation. With Edwards gone, Jay Vidal comes up, asking for an opportunity. D’Amore obliges.

Jonah vs. Jay Vidal

Jonah runs him over, tosses him around, and finishes with the top rope splash at 1:49. That splash still looks incredible as the impact is perfect.

Post match, Jonah says he wants to talk about Josh Alexander. Everyone talks about how Alexander is the best in the world, but to be that, you have to go through the top dog.

Video on Trey Miguel retaining the X-Division Title at Turning Point. Miguel pinned Laredo Kid and not Steve Maclin.

Miguel is talking about retaining the title when Maclin jumps him from behind to start the brawl. A referee breaks it up so Maclin hits Miguel with the belt and chokes him with a rope. Security breaks it up but Miguel climbs a ladder for the big flip dive.

Brian Myers explains distance learning, which means talking to Zicky Dice and VSK on Facetime.

Moose can’t convince W. Morrissey to help him with Matt Cardona as Morrissey isn’t buying the title shot carrot. Moose says Morrissey can have the next shot so Morrissey says ok. Well that seemed easy.

Rachael Ellering vs. Savannah Evans

Jordynne Grace and Tasha Steelz are here too. Evans stomps away to start but Ellering kicks her way out of the corner. Back up and Evans hammers away again, setting up a running shoulder in the corner. An STO sets up a spinning middle rope legdrop but Evans grabs the leg on the way down, which shows some good power. A DDT gives Evans two but Ellering elbows and kicks her in the face. Three straight backsplashes gives Ellering two but she has to deal with Steelz. That matters for all of two seconds as Ellering TKOs Evans for the pin at 6:54.

Rating: C. Another just kind of there match, but I do like that Ellering didn’t need to do much to overcome Evans and Steelz at the same time. It isn’t like the Knockouts tag division means much, so it’s almost a bit easier to watch these teams work in singles matches. Not a bad match, but nothing that feels like it is leading anywhere of note.

Tenille Dashwood is back and gets the recap from Madison Rayne. Post break, they run into the IInspiration, who are putting on each others’ lip gloss. Squealing ensues, but Rayne isn’t happy that they know Kaleb With A K.

Violent By Design vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Swann kicks at Doering’s leg to little avail so it’s Mack coming in for a running corner clothesline to Deaner. The legdrop/splash combination gets two, followed by a flapjack/bulldog combination. Doering has had it with this though and comes in with a cheap shot to take over as we go to a break. Back with Doering kicking Mack in the head and hitting a side slam.

Deaner adds a Swan Dive headbutt for two but a pop up right hand gets Mack out of trouble. Striker: “Deaner in trouble! The outstretched tree trunk of Joe Doering is his only reprieve!” And that’s why people think Striker talks funny. Mack gets over for the hot tag off to Swann so house can be cleaned. An Eric Young distraction lets Deaner crotch Swann on top for a breather. Mack takes out Deaner in a hurry though and the 450 gives Swann the pin at 9:21.

Rating: C+. One of the better matches of the night so far, which is mainly due to Swann and Mack having so much charisma. Violent By Design continues to be fairly lame, but, and I can’t believe we’ve reached this point, maybe having Eric Young back in the ring can help. Otherwise, they’re just a couple of guys who stay mean most of the time. Can we have something more than that from them if they just have to be here?

Post match Mack and Swann get beaten down until Rhino and Heath make the save.

Hernandez is happy that Johnny Swinger is happy, so here are Raj Singh/Rohit Raju to brag. Lawrence D. comes in and doesn’t like them, with a match being made for next week.

W. Morrissey/Moose vs. Matt Cardona/Eddie Edwards

Cardona starts for the team but Moose tags out at the bell. The threat of a double clothesline sends Cardona and Edwards bailing to the floor but they slide back in to drop Moose. We take a break and come back with Moose kicking Cardona down in the corner. Cardona gets over to Edwards for the tag and strikes away at Morrissey to pick up the pace. Morrissey knocks Edwards off the top though and it’s Moose taking over back inside.

Edwards avoids a charge though and Moose is sent outside, where he takes out Cardona to break up the hot tag attempt. Back in and Edwards hits a jawbreaker, allowing the tag back to Cardona. Everything breaks down and a series of kicks put all four of them down. Moose and Cardona slug it out and Eddie low bridges Morrissey to the floor for the suicide dive. A Rock Bottom gives Moose two on Cardona but another attempt is countered into a cradle to give Cardona the fast pin at 10:46.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice main event tag match here and that’s all it needed to be. This sets up Cardona as the next title challenger to Moose and I’m curious to see how it goes. They’ve actually made me believe that the title change could take place, and how hard is that to do with Cardona? Good setup here, but go make the whole thing work.

Post match Morrissey lays out Moose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show was good enough, but outside of Cardona’s surprise run to the main event, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with a lot of the stuff going on here. Maybe it’s that they just came off of Turning Point, but hopefully they can get something better going on the way to Hard To Kill. It was much more dull than bad, though that might be worse this time.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Matthew Rehwoldt – Cradle Shock
Jonah b. Jay Vidal – Top rope splash
Rachael Ellering b. Savannah Evans – TKO
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Violent By Design – 450 to Deaner
Matt Cardona/Eddie Edwards b. W. Morrissey/Moose – Rollup to Moose

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Steve Maclin vs. Laredo Kid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IInspiration vs. Undead Bridesmaids

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hikuleo vs. Doc Gallows

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turning Point rundown.

Minoru Suzuki vs. Josh Alexander

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: November 11, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We continue on the way towards Hard To Kill, though it is going to take some time to actually get there. There are a few things going on at the moment as well, which includes the build towards Turning Point. That could mean a few different ways to go on this show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Bullet Club vs. FinJuice

The winners get the Tag Team Title shot at Turning Point and Hikuleo is here with the Club. Bey headlocks Finlay to start and gets a grand total of nowhere. Instead Finlay takes him down and drops a knee to the chest. Robinson comes in for a slam and a backsplash crushes Bey again. Bey slips out of a delayed vertical suplex though and a distraction lets Robinson get dropped throat first across the barricade.

Back in and a legsweep takes Robinson down so El Phantasmo can hit a Lionsault. The top rope back rake wakes Robinson up a bit though and he starts firing off the snap jabs. The double tag brings in Finlay and Bey so the pace can pick up in a hurry. A running dropkick/Russian legsweep combination gets two on Bey and a modified Demolition Decapitator is good for the same. What looks like a Doomsday Device is broken up so Finlay dives onto the rest of the Club at ringside. Instead, Robinson rolls Bey up for two but Phantasmo hits a superkick to give Bey the pin and the title shot at 8:04.

Rating: C+. These guys work well together but it feels like a match we have seen far too often as of late. What we got was good with both teams doing their thing until the numbers game got the better of FinJuice. I’m not sure how well the Club vs. the Good Brothers is going to go, but at least it’s a fresh match, even if it involves the Good Brothers.

Post match the Good Brothers come out and the brawl is on, including Hikuleo clearing out Doc Gallows (who is shorter for a change).

Commentary previews Turning Point and tonight.

Scott D’Amore talks about Josh Alexander getting his rematch for the World Title but things are complicated. Cue Alexander, who says D’Amore won’t answer his calls. D’Amore knows Alexander is focused on Minoru Suzuki, so they can fight next week. When that is taken care of, then Alexander can go after the World Title.

We look back at Sam Beale pinning Brian Myers in a tag match on Before The Impact.

Brian Myers blames the Learning Tree for the loss. Zicky Dice keeps getting hit in the face off camera. Myers vs. Sam Beale is set for a singles match at some point.

Kaleb With A K vs. Minoru Suzuki

I sense pain. We see Josh Alexander watching in the back as Kaleb bails to the ropes to start. A variety of submissions send Kaleb to the ropes again but for some reason he tries slugging it out. This goes as expected and Suzuki hits the Gotch style piledriver to finish Kaleb at 1:37.

Moose isn’t worried about Eddie Edwards, Matt Cardona or W. Morrissey, who are in a #1 contenders match tonight.

Decay vs. Undead Bridesmaids

Decay clears the ring before the bell but here is the IInspiration to watch on the stage. We take a break and come back with the opening bell as Lee kicks Rosemary in the head for two. Rosemary pops up to beat on Lauren and Havok comes in to add a corner splash. Everything breaks down and Rosemary spears Lauren so Havok can get the pin at 2:10. Well that was fast.

Heath and Rhino are back together but it’s not done with Violent By Design. Rhino wants to get rid of Eric Young and they’re ready for Turning Point.

The IInspiration isn’t happy with the Undead Bridesmaids and will beat them up next week.

Chris Sabin doesn’t like Ace Austin’s “I Beat Chris Sabin” shirt and is ready to take him out at Turning Point.

Last week, Madison Rayne ranted about Mickie James so Scott D’Amore comes in to make Rayne vs. Mercedes Martinez for this week.

Madison Rayne vs. Mercedes Martinez

Martinez doesn’t like Madison running her mouth and hits an early delayed vertical suplex. Madison slips out of something though and hits a Codebreaker into a Backstabber for two. Some choking on the ropes and shoulders in the corner have Martinez in more trouble but she’s right back with a tiger driver. A short DDT connects but Madison is right back with an enziguri. There’s a Blockbuster to give Madison two more so she loads up the cutter, only to have Mercedes counter into a rollup for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: C-. I was a bit surprised at how much Madison got in here, as you would think this would be the place where Martinez should run through her to look like more of a threat to Mickie at Turning Point. Madison continues to be rather good in her latest comeback and I wouldn’t be shocked to see her in the title picture again at some point. That isn’t the case at the moment though, as Martinez vs. James should be great.

Post match Madison jumps her again and grabs a chair, only to have Mickie James make the save. With Madison gone, Mickie helps Martinez up and gets planed with an Air Raid Crash.

Steve Maclin is annoyed that he has lost twice in a row without getting pinned. Trey Miguel comes in and wants Maclin added to the X-Division Title match at Turning Point. Scott D’Amore comes in to say that Maclin can get in the title match if he beats Laredo Kid next week.

Sam Beale is ready to face Brian Myers next week because it’s time to show what he learned. Rich Swann and Willie Mack have his back but he has to do this alone next week.

Last week, Rohit Raju yelled at Rocky Romero.

Rohit Raju vs. Rocky Romero

Raj Singh is with Raju. They trade takedowns to start as Striker talks about how he used to be the opening match on a lot of cards back in the day. Yeah you’re still Matt Striker. Raju tries a leapfrog but gets poked in the eyes as Romero starts getting smart. Romero sends her outside and hits a running dive off the steps as we take a break.

Back with Raju chopping in the corner and Singh getting in some choking on the rope. Raju doesn’t get very far by cranking on the arm so Romero is right back with a running clothesline. The middle rope double stomp to the back gets two on Raju and a tornado DDT is good for the same. Raju takes him down and goes up top, only to miss a top rope knee. Romero’s running hurricanrana gets two and he takes Singh out for a bonus. There’s a running Sliced Bread for two more but Raju is back with the jumping knee. The running knee finishes Romero at 11:30.

Rating: C+. As usual, your mileage on both guys may vary, but they had a nice match here. The Singh stuff was annoying as Raju can’t get away from fairly lame tag partners for whatever reason. He’s good enough to do this on his own and I have no idea why Impact keeps having him do this stuff over and over. At least he can still do well enough in the ring though and that was the case here.

Hernandez has gotten Johnny Swinger a match with the two of them against Decay and the Demon. Swinger isn’t happy, so here is John E. Bravo to offer Fallah Bahh to even things up. That’s still not enough for Swinger, but the match is on anyway.

Chelsea Green wants the Digital Media Title and now she is in a #1 contenders match.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

W. Morrissey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Eddie Edwards

The winner gets a title shot against Moose at Turning Point. Cardona gets knocked down in the corner to start so Morrissey shoves Edwards over the top by the throat. That leaves Cardona to get beaten up but Edwards dives back in…and right into a choke from Morrissey. There’s the double chokeslam and we take a break with Morrissey dominating.

We take a break and come back with Morrissey splashing Cardona in the corner and hammering away as Edwards is down on the floor. The neck crank goes on, followed by the fall away slam to send Cardona flying. Edwards is back in with a knee to Morrissey, who sends him flying with another fall away slam. Edwards slips out of a suplex and gets his head kicked off for messing with Morrissey’s plans.

Cardona is back in to knock both of them down and it’s finally time to double team Morrissey. That goes well for all of ten seconds before he runs both of them over in a hurry. Edwards goes up top and Morrissey follows him, setting up the Tower of Doom. There’s a double suplex to put Morrissey down and he falls out to the floor. Cardona and Edwards slug it out but stop to deal with Morrissey again. The Boston Knee Party off the apron drops Morrissey again and a running knee to the back of Cardona’s head gives Edwards the pin and the title shot at 16:25.

Rating: C+. Another case where they stuck with the formula here and getting some positive results. Edwards vs. Moose is the right call for the title match as it’s hard to imagine Cardona getting the spot and Morrissey sounds like a big Impact main event. They told a nice story with having to deal with Morrissey and Edwards beating Cardona without much trouble, so this went as it should have.

Moose is watching from behind the stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this show as it did a nice job of setting up both next week as well as Turning Point. That’s the kind of show that you need from time to time and they made it work here. As usual, Impact knows how to set things up and then pay it off almost every week. Add in the fact that we had some good matches on top of it and I had a rather nice two hours.

Results
Bullet Club b. FinJuice – Superkick to Robinson
Minoru Suzuki b. Kaleb With A K – Gotch style piledriver
Decay b. Undead Bridesmaids – Spear to Lauren
Mercedes Martinez b. Madison Rayne – Rollup
Rohit Raju b. Rocky Romero – Running knee
Eddie Edwards b. Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey – Running knee to the back of Cardona’s head

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Impact Wrestling
Date: November 4, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

Things are staying interesting after Bound For Glory as Moose is the World Champion and needs some friends to go after his challengers. This time around, that means a guest star in the form of Minoru Suzuki, who will be in for a six man tag. I think that’s enough to hype up the show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Steve Maclin vs. Rohit Raju vs. Laredo Kid vs. Black Taurus

For a future X-Division Title shot and Raj Singh and Crazzy Steve are here too. Maclin and Taurus clear the ring to start and take turns running the ropes until Taurus scores with a clothesline to the floor. The two of them wind up on the floor and Laredo hits a moonsault onto everyone else. Back in and Raju hammers Kid into the corner, setting up a sitout gordbuster for two. Taurus comes back in so Kid hurricanranas out back to the floor, setting up a dive for two. Raju rolls up Kid for two but gets kicked into Taurus, allowing Kid to hit a Michinoku Driver for the pin and the title shot at 5:21.

Rating: C+. Kid is the right choice to get the title shot as a match with Trey Miguel could be excellent. I’m also glad that Maclin didn’t take the fall, as he has still been protected and now they are moving him up the ladder, at least a little bit. Hopefully they figure something out for everyone, as this is becoming a bit more interesting.

Post match X-Division Champion Trey Miguel comes out for the staredown but Maclin jumps him. Kid and Miguel clear Maclin out.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Madison Rayne is ready for Mickie James tonight, but she doesn’t know anything about hosting Locker Room Talk on the same show.

Ace Austin shows off an I Beat Chris Sabin shirt and thinks Madman Fulton can do the same.

Here is Violent By Design for a chat. Eric Young talks about how Rhino had a decision to make and made the wrong choice. If you’re Violent By Design, you’re Violent By Design forever. Young has been out of the ring for six months and now it is time to get his hands dirty again. Tonight, the first brick will be laid in the monument to violence.

Eric Young vs. Jay Vidal

The fans know Vidal and Young gives him a chance to introduce himself. Vidal is excited, which Young says is a sign of the sickness. The beating is on in a hurry, including a running clothesline into a powerbomb. The piledriver finishes Vidal at 1:07.

We go to the IInspiration’s locker room (which looks like a hotel) for Locker Room Talk, where the lights go out and Decay haunts them. TURNING POINT is written on a mirror.

Ad for Turning Point.

The IInspiration says they don’t want to do Ghostbusters so Gia Miller tells them to stay away from the Undead Brides. Don’t worry though, because the IInspiration has a plan for them.

Good Brothers vs. FinJuice

Non-title. Finlay grabs Anderson’s arm to start for some early twisting, plus Robinson to come in with an ax handle. Anderson manages to send Robinson outside though and Gallows adds a big boot to send us to a break. Back with Robinson getting crushed in the corner to set up the chinlock. Robinson avoids a chinlock though and it’s back to Finlay to pick the pace way up. A Rock Bottom onto the knee gets two on Anderson but the Doomsday Device is broken up. Everyone collides for a four way knockdown….and here’s the Bullet Club to attack Robinson for the DQ at 10:06.

Rating: C. FinJuice continues to look good in the ring and they feel like an established, regular team over here. I was worried that they were just more guest stars from New Japan but it is nice to have had them sticking around for the time being. Now just get the Good Brothers off of this show for the better part of ever and we’ll be getting somewhere.

Post match the beatdown is on, including a bunch of low blows and title shots.

Johnny Swinger is trying to sell his decorations to raise money for his own casino. Hernandez isn’t interested.

FinJuice is sick of the Bullet Club so Scott D’Amore gives them a match against said Club next week. We’ll make that a #1 contenders match too.

Knockouts Title: Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James

Rayne is challenging and has Kaleb With A K with her. They grapple around the ropes to start before fighting over wrist control. With that not working, Mickie catches a kick to the ribs but gets in a tug of war with Kaleb With A K over Madison. Mickie gets the better of things and goes up, only to get slammed back down for two.

After the rhythmic breathing is covered, Madison starts raking the eyes on the ropes. A hard whip into the corner has Mickie in trouble but she makes the clothesline comeback. There’s a neckbreaker to drop Madison but another Kaleb With A K distraction lets Rayne grab a cutter for two. Mickie is sent outside, where Kaleb With A K slaps the post by mistake. Back in and the top rope Thesz press retains the title at 7:42.

Rating: C. I know Rayne might not feel like a legend at times, but this was actually quite the high profile match for the division. Both of these two should be in the Impact Hall of Fame, as they have held the Knockouts Title more than almost anyone else. Rayne is a veteran who can still have a fine match and James can do well with anyone. Nice job here and a bigger feel than I would have expected.

Post match here is Mercedes Martinez to continue the trend of M named women. She congratulates Mickie on everything she has done, but now she wants her title shot (which she earned by winning the Knockouts Knockdown tournament). The title match is on at Turning Point.

The IInspiration comes up to the Undead Brides and asks them to face Decay on their behalf next week. A discussion on the belief in ghosts ensues.

Josh Alexander, Matt Cardona and Eddie Edwards are ready for the main event.

Chris Sabin vs. Madman Fulton

Ace Austin is in Fulton’s corner. Sabin tries to start fast but his middle rope crossbody is pulled out of the air. With that not working, Sabin goes for the hair, twisting it around like a wristlock. You don’t do that to Fulton, who takes him outside for a Rock Bottom onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Fulton hitting a middle rope crossbody of all things. Sabin manages to low bridge him to the floor for a breather though, setting up a dive. Back in and Fulton is too big for the Cradle Shock but Sabin flips out of a spinning Rock Bottom. A small package gives Sabin the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C. Sabin continues to make almost everyone else look better as his Impact renaissance rolls on. I could go for the next Sabin vs. Austin showdown and they are doing a nice job of setting everything up. Fulton is still a heck of a monster, though they might hold off on having him eat so many pins.

Post match Sabin has to duck Austin’s interference and runs off to fight another day.

Turning Point rundown.

Moose/W. Morrissey/Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Cardona/Eddie Edwards/Josh Alexander

Alexander and Moose start but it’s off to Suzuki instead for the big showdown. Alexander gives us a token headlock before they slug it out, meaning it’s quickly off to Morrissey. The ankle lock doesn’t last long so Eddie comes in to send the villains outside. A hard dive sends Moose into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Morrissey kneeing Cardona from the apron, allowing Suzuki armbarring him over the ropes. Suzuki comes in for a Crossface before handing it back to Morrissey. The monsters take turns beating on Cardona, who enziguris his way to freedom. The referee misses the tag to Eddie though and Morrissey gets to beat on Cardona even more.

That lasts all of a few seconds before the real tag brings in Alexander to wreck things. Everything breaks down and Eddie Blue Thunder Bombs Morrissey, leaving Alexander and Suzuki to slug it out again. Suzuki hits the Gotch Style piledriver for no cover, as Eddie kicks him in the face. In the melee, Morrissey hits a powerbomb to finish Eddie at 14:26.

Rating: C+. They managed to make a Matt Cardona match feel important so well done. The evil trio looked good here, even if they are likely a short term team. Edwards is a made man and Alexander is fresh off the run of his career so they both should be fine going forward. Alexander vs. Suzuki alone should be enough to get us somewhere so well done again.

Overall Rating: C+. When the heck did Impact get so competent? This was a well put together show with stories being advanced and characters I care about. I know a lot of people are never going to give them a chance and after so many years of disappointment, I can’t fault them whatsoever. For now though, Impact is one of the more consistently good shows today and I’m starting to look forward to watching it week to week. Nice job, and not something I would have ever bet on being the case.

Results
Laredo Kid b. Black Taurus, Steve Maclin and Rohit Raju – Michinoku Driver to Raju
Eric Young b. Jay Vidal – Piledriver
FinJuice b. Good Brothers via DQ when Bullet Club interfered
Mickie James b. Madison Rayne – Top rope Thesz press
Chris Sabin b. Madman Fulton – Small package
W. Morrissey/Moose/Minoru Suzuki b. Josh Alexander/Eddie Edwards/Matt Cardona – Powerbomb to Edwards

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: October 28, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re at the beginning of a new era in Impact Wrestling as this is the first show after Bound For Glory. We do have a new World Champion, but it is not Josh Alexander, who was challenging Christian Cage at the pay per view. Alexander did win, but Moose cashed in his Call Your Shot title match to leave as champion. That’s your big story and now we get to see everything else too. Let’s get to it.

Here is Bound For Glory If You Need A Recap.

We open with a long recap of Bound For Glory, as you kind of have to do.

Opening sequence.

Here is Moose to get things going but cue Eddie Edwards with a kendo stick. The brawl is on with Moose tossing him outside but getting caught with some kendo stick shots. Security breaks it up and gets Eddie to the back, meaning it’s time for Moose’s title win. Moose talks about everything he had to do to get here and brags about finally getting his hands on the title. He took the title from Josh Alexander in front of Alexander’s wife and child, but Moose has no sympathy.

Now he is the greatest champion and it doesn’t matter if you are elite, the chief of a tribe, the Boss, the Man, a king, the queen or what day you own a title. You can add a NEW DAY to the week and he is still the greatest champion in wrestling. He has done some horrible things to get here, but imagine what he will do to keep it.

Cue Alexander to take Moose down and hammer away but Moose gets away. Now it’s Minoru Suzuki for the showdown with Alexander and I think we have Alexander’s rebound match. Alexander turns to stare at Moose but Suzuki turns him around to start the brawl. Referees and security break it up in a hurry and I could go for more of this. Moose’s promo was rather braggadocios but it felt like something that suited him rather than just crazy rambling.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We get part of the IInspiration music video.

Moose is ready to deal with the locker room that he has angered over the years and yes, he can handle it. Cue Matt Cardona to say he got this close at Bound For Glory and he’s coming for the title. Security has to break them up too.

X-Division Title: Rocky Romero vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending. They fight over wrist control to start with Romero getting the better of things until Miguel gets in an armdrag. A dropkick puts Romero in the ropes and Miguel grabs something like an Octopus with Romero still down. Miguel sends him outside for the middle rope moonsault as we take a break.

Back with Romero elbowing him in the face and working on the arm that he banged up during the break. A dropkick puts Miguel on the floor and Romero hits a running shot to rock him again. Back in and a hurricanrana into a cross armbreaker has Miguel in trouble so he stacks it up for the escape.

Romero doesn’t let go though and powerbombs the heck out of Miguel. They slug it out from their knees until Miguel kicks him in the face. The top rope Meteora connects but Romero rolls through into a half crab. That’s broken up as well and Miguel hits him in the face but has to counter the Forever Clotheslines. Miguel cuts him off again and this time the top rope Meteora retains the title at 11:40.

Rating: B-. This was the good version of Romero with the counters and the good strikes and it was a solid match as a result. Sometimes Romero can be all over the place so it’s nice to see the better side coming out. Miguel gets a win over a name challenge in his first defense as well, meaning we can move on and find the first big challenger.

Post match, Steve Maclin runs in and takes Miguel out.

Jordynne Grace thinks she is perfect as the first Digital Media Champion. Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans come up to mock Grace and Rachael Ellering. That doesn’t bother Ellering, who is ready to fight Steelz, as scheduled, tonight.

Steve Maclin says no one has beaten him and he wants the X-Division Title. Scott D’Amore comes in to say he can get the title shot if he earns it next week. With that done, Eddie Edwards and Matt Cardona come up to argue over the title shot. D’Amore makes a six man tag with the two of them and Josh Alexander vs. Moose and anyone he can find. Hold on though as now D’Amore has to go and stop Alexander from attacking a referee. D’Amore explains the six man tag and tells Alexander that he can be the face of the company. He is a machine, but don’t run on emotions. Do it for his family.

Tasha Steelz vs. Rachael Ellering

Savannah Evans and Jordynne Grace are here too. Ellering chops away in the corner and scores with a running backsplash, setting up an STO. Steelz snaps her throat across the top though and the forearms ensue. A tornado DDT plants Ellering for two and we hit the chinlock. Steelz sends her outside and then back in for the stomping but this time Ellering grabs a fisherman’s buster for a sudden two. A rather messy backslide finishes Steelz at 5:09.

Rating: D. This was a pretty lame miss as they didn’t seem to have much to do and then the ending was even worse. Steelz isn’t the greatest in the ring and while Ellering is good, she needs something better to work with here. It could have been worse, but this wasn’t the best.

W. Morrissey says Moose betrayed him and he still wants the World Title. Moose comes in to say he screwed Morrissey before Morrissey could screw him, which is what he promised. He offers Morrissey the first shot for help in next week’s six man but Morrissey doesn’t answer.

The IInspiration is happy to be here and say they want to give back and inspire the division. When asked what that means, they talk about how great they are and end the interview. Yeah they’re still just the IIconics.

Joe Doering vs. Heath

The rest of Violent By Design and Rhino are here too. Heath dodges around to start but Doering runs him over with a crossbody for two. Some right hands put Heath down again but he’s back up with some forearms. There’s a running ax kick to drop Doering again as the comeback is on. Deaner trips Heath though and it’s a big brawl for the no contest at 3:14.

Rating: D+. Another match that didn’t have time to go anywhere as we continue on the road to what is likely a big tag team showdown. I’m not sure how long this feud can keep going, but it has breathed new life into Rhino, which is quite the trick at this point in his career. At least they didn’t have Heath lose here, so it could have been a lot worse.

Post match the brawl is on until Eric Young distracts Rhino so Violent By Design (including the now healthy Young) destroys Heath and Rhino.

The Good Brothers brag about their win at Bound For Glory but FinJuice comes in to say they did the work in the match. The challenge is on but the Brothers tell them to earn it.

The (certainly not KISS) Demon is here but Johnny Swinger complains about how 1993 has been the worst year of his career. Swinger shouts a lot but the rest of Decay comes in to scare him off (as he thinks it’s the Dungeon Of Doom, which was awesome).

Here is Mickie James for a chat. When she came back, she didn’t have the Knockouts Title on her mind but she wasn’t about to turn down that kind of opportunity. She thanks Deonna Purrazzo for an amazing match at Bound For Glory but there are a lot of talented women back there who want a shot of their own. Cue Madison Rayne, with Kaleb With A K, who is glad that Mickie is back. Madison doesn’t know why she isn’t listed among the all time greats, because she has been here forever. Mickie points out the times Madison has left but Madison is right back with the challenge for the title match next week. Game on.

Moose and W. Morrissey recruit Minoru Suzuki to be their partner. The chance to get his hands on Josh Alexander is enough to get him to say yes.

Ace Austin vs. Chris Sabin

Madman Fulton is here with Austin. They go with the exchange of arm cranking to start until Sabin gets two off la majistral. Back up and Austin misses a spinning kick to the face, allowing Sabin to take him down by the leg. The Iron Maiden works on the leg some more but Austin gets out and kicks him down. Austin eventually hits a suplex for two and it’s time for the playing card cut on the finger. A legdrop is good for the same and we take a break with Sabin in trouble.

Back with Austin catapulting him throat first into the bottom rope but missing a middle rope legdrop. That’s enough for Sabin to start the comeback with the running forearms and a fisherman’s buster for two of his own. It’s too early for the Cradle Shock though and Austin kicks him in the back.

An exchange of kicks to the head puts both of them down, with the fans chanting THIS IS IMPACT. It’s Austin back up first with a springboard kick to the face but the Fold is blocked. Sabin’s big tornado DDT gets two and the fans are way into this again. Back up and Sabin backdrops Austin over the top and onto Fulton but Fulton is back up with a distraction. Now the Fold can finish Sabin at 14:48.

Rating: B. I was getting quite into this one by the end and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. These guys are able to do all kinds of things in the ring and they had a good back and forth match here. Fulton interfering gives Austin the win and saves some of Sabin’s face so this was about as good as it could have gone. Solid match and it was nice to see a main event where the other stars got a chance to shine.

Overall Rating: C+. This didn’t exactly feel like the fallout show from the biggest night of the year but it did feel like a pretty nice regular television show. I’ll certainly take what I can get in that regard and the action was more good than bad. I liked the show and I’m curious to see where some of these stories go, so they are off to a good start after Bound For Glory.

Results
Trey Miguel b. Rocky Romero – Top rope Meteora
Rachael Ellering b. Tasha Steelz – Backslide
Heath vs. Joe Doering went to a no contest
Ace Austin b. Chris Sabin – The Fold

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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Bound For Glory 2021
Date: October 23, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

It’s the biggest night of the year for Impact Wrestling and we have a pretty stacked card. The main event is the battle of Canada as Impact Wrestling World Champion Christian Cage is defending against Josh Alexander. The second biggest match on the card is probably Deonna Purrazzo defending the Knockouts Title against Mickie James in a grudge match. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Madison Rayne vs. John Skyler vs. Chelsea Green vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Fallah Bahh

One fall to a finish for the inaugural title, which will be defended on online shows, kind of like a modern TV Title (that’s a good thing). Rayne is replacing Tenille Dashwood for reasons that are not clear. Before the bell, we get a countdown clock, showing about 7:40 to go before Bound For Glory, just in case you thought this match might get some substantial time.

Skyler poses in the middle of the ring to start and is promptly beaten down by everyone else. Bahh clears the ring save for Grace, who actually drops him with a running shoulder. A running Vader Bomb gives Grace two but Skyler runs her over. Green knocks Skyler off the top (to a strong reaction), followed by Rayne tornado DDTing Steve. A double stomp crushes Rayne to give Green two but Grace loads her up in a MuscleBuster.

While still holding Green on her shoulder, Grace clotheslines Rayne and then plants Green for two. Grace piles up a bunch of people in the corner, but Bahh throws her in as well for the big running splash. Skyler catches Steve with a super Regal Roll with Green making the save this time. That’s enough for Grace, who picks Skyler up for the Grace Driver for the pin and the title at 5:02.

Rating: D+. This was kind of a mess and they didn’t get much time, which is always a problem in a match like this one. You can only get so far with so many people in the match at the same time, but at least they went with an interesting winner. That being said, the whole point of this was to have people in the ring to warm up the crowd and that went well enough, though it wasn’t exactly quality.

We open with part of a video from a recent Impact, featuring Josh Alexander sitting in the empty stands and talking about what the X-Division Title means to him. He handed the title to his sons and now he can’t wait to do the same thing with the World Title.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: IInspiration vs. Decay

The debuting IInspiration is defending and Harley Cameron sings them to the ring. We get all of the signature IIconics poses and it’s time for an official introduction. They say they are here to inspire up and strike the hands on hips pose…..so yeah they’re still the same team, minus some of the annoying voices. Rosemary (in orange) scares McKay into the corner to start so Rosemary sideslams Lee for two instead. Havok comes in to scream and hammer away, setting up the Upside Down from Rosemary. That’s enough for Lee to grab a suplex and McKay grabs a quickly broken chinlock.

They take each other down by the hair and it’s back to Havok to crush the IInspiration in the corner. Lee manages to send Havok outside though and it’s McKay coming back in to take over. The bulldog onto McKay’s knee gets two but Rosemary is back with a Scorpion Death Drop. Havok misses a legdrop though and gets sent into the post. That just makes her scream, so she gets sent in again, followed by another posting. Rosemary makes the save but gets sent into McKay’s knee. A sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combination is enough to give McKay the pin and the titles at 8:58.

Rating: C. The action wasn’t great, but the IInspiration feels SO much bigger than any team that has held the titles since their return (save for maybe Fire N Flava). It isn’t like Rosemary and Havok were some legendary team (with their 98 day reign ending here) so this is the right call. It isn’t a case of Impact bringing in WWE rejects and putting them over, because this is a nice upgrade for the titles.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to beat Mickie James, even with Matthew Rehwoldt barred from ringside.

We recap the X-Division Title match for the vacant title. Josh Alexander vacated the title so we have had a series of triple threat matches. Tonight, it’s another triple threat for the title, because modern wrestling law dictates a minimum of triple threat matches.

X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs. Steve Maclin vs. El Phantasmo

For the vacant title. They all start going in a hurry with Phantasmo dropkicking Maclin to the floor. Miguel adds a kick to the face but Phantasmo breaks up a slingshot dive. Back in and Maclin gets punched into the corner, leaving Miguel to take Phantasmo down into a leglock. Maclin makes a save and Miguel is sent outside, leaving Phantasmo to walk along the top rope into a hurricanrana to drop Maclin again.

Phantasmo rakes both of their backs but Miguel is back in. The comeback lets Maclin knock both of them down again before putting Miguel and Phantasmo in the Tree of Woe. A running shoulder to the ribs hits Phantasmo but Miguel slips away. That’s fine with Maclin, who hits a spear to send a handspringing Miguel through the ropes and out to the floor in a nasty crash, much to the fans’ amazement.

Maclin isn’t done yet and hits big running dives onto both of them for more crashes. It’s Phantasmo up first though with a kick to Maclin’s head to knock him outside, setting up a Lionsault. Miguel takes Phantasmo down though and sends Maclin back inside. That’s about it for Maclin though as he catches a charging Miguel in something close to an AA, with Phantasmo making the save.

Phantasmo isn’t done and sunset bombs Maclin off the top. A super hurricanrana sends Miguel crashing onto Maclin, setting up a top rope splash for two. The fired up Maclin blocks Miguel’s top rope Meteora, only to get kicked in the head for his efforts. That leaves Phantasmo to punch Miguel low….and he hurts his own hand because Miguel is wearing a cup in a smart move. A brainbuster sets up the top rope Meteora for the pin and the title at 13:21.

Rating: B-. It was your run of the mill X-Division three way match, with everyone moving around and multiple cases of two people in the ring with one on the floor. What we got was entertaining though with the right result. Miguel has lost so many times now that there is almost no way he could lose again, so it makes a lot of sense to give him the big win he has been needing for a long time now. Throw in Maclin not taking a fall and this went rather well.

Mickie James knows that Deonna Purrazzo is her toughest challenge to date, but Purrazzo has made this personal. Mickie has been through a lot in recent years and tonight it is about proving that she is still worthy of being a champion.

We recap Heath vs. Violent By Design over Rhino. Violent By Design got Rhino to join the team, perhaps by brainwashing, but then blamed him for losing the Tag Team Titles. Rhino tried to leave but Eric Young wouldn’t let him. Then Heath returned and tried to get Rhino back to the good side, which is what he is gambling on tonight.

Heath vs. Violent By Design

Heath is on his own to start but hopes that Rhino will join him. Joe Doering and Deaner are representing the team here, with Eric Young in their corner. There is no Rhino to start so Heath gets double teamed, which he said he would accept if Rhino didn’t show up. The bell rings and Heath hammers away in the corner but a Doering distraction lets Deaner get in a cheap shot.

The beatdown is on in the corner as the villains start taking turns. Doering grabs the neck crank, setting up a running crossbody for two on Heath. Deaner comes back in so Heath fights back until a double clothesline puts them both down. That brings out Rhino, who takes the tag from Heath so house can be cleaned. The Gore finishes Deaner at 4:57.

Rating: C-. This was little more than an angle instead of a full on match and that’s ok. The whole point here was about having Rhino return to the side of good to save his friend. Somehow Impact managed to make me care about a story involving Rhino, Heath and Eric Young, so they must be doing something right. There was no need to have a long match here as they got to the important part and did it rather well.

We see part of Awesome Kong’s Hall of Fame induction. It’s still weird to hear her speaking as a normal person after so many years of seeing her as a monster.

We recap Jordynne Grace winning the Digital Media Title on the pre-show.

Jordynne Grace is very happy and Rachael Ellering is so happy for her. Ellering is going to win the Call Your Shot gauntlet match, but Moose and W. Morrissey come in to say not so fast.

Video on the Call Your Shot gauntlet match, which is basically a gauntlet match for a Money in the Bank contract.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

There are 20 entrants, with two minute intervals in a battle royal format until the final two have a singles match, with the winner getting a shot at any title any time they choose. Chris Sabin is in at #1 (due to being the last person eliminated from a battle royal) and Rocky Romero (a surprise) is in at #2. They go technical to start with neither being able to get any kind of an advantage. An exchange of armdrags gives us a standoff as Madman Fulton is in at #3, giving Sabin and Romero a joint target.

The clock speeds WAY up and it’s Rohit Raju in at #4 to go after the non-monsters. The mini tag match breaks out until Tasha Steelz is in at #5 as a bit of a wild card. Steelz joins in with the villains to get rid of Romero and it’s Rachael Ellering in at #6 to go after Steelz in a hurry. A bunch of people get rid of Fulton and it’s Savannah Evans in at #7. Sabin and Raju pair off as Ellering goes after Evans and Steelz. Johnny Swinger is in at #8 as Ellering and Evans eliminate each other. That leaves Swinger to hit on Steelz, who takes him down and hammers away instead.

Melina is in at #9 (another surprise) so Swinger shows her the guns. It actually works for a change, as Swinger is ready for her drop down into the splits and sends her face first into the mat. The Demon (as in WCW’s KISS Demon) in is at #10 so Swinger gets a quick autograph, followed by a quick elimination. Brian Myers is in at #11 as these intervals are all over the place. Matt Cardons is in at #12 and goes right at Myers due to the laws of the wrestling world.

More brawling against the ropes ensues and it’s Laredo Kid in at #13. A handspring DDT hits Raju as Myers dumps Melina and Steelz to clear the ring a bit. The ring is filled up a bit more though as Sam Beale is in at #14 and goes after Cardona (on Myers’ orders of course). Rich Swann is in at #15 and strikes away at Myers and Beale. Myers gets in a shot of his own but Beale tosses him out to a pretty big reaction. Ace Austin is in at #16 and kicks the Demon in the face, setting up the elimination, because the Demon was still in the match for some reason.

Moose is in at #17 and powerbombs Beale out in a huge crash. Eddie Edwards is in at #18 and there goes Kid. Moose gets kicked outside without an elimination, where he pulls Eddie out, also without an elimination. Alisha Edwards is in at #19 and it’s a family kendo stick beatdown on Moose. W. Morrissey is in at #20 (meaning we had 18 entrants in less than 20 minutes), giving us Sabin, Raju, Cardona, Swann, Austin, Moose, Eddie Edwards, Alisha Edwards and Morrissey as the final grouping.

Morrissey tosses out Alisha and then kicks Eddie out, meaning it’s time for the alliance with Moose. Raju wants to join them but joins the Edwards on the floor instead. Sabin dumps Ace Austin so here is Madman Fulton to attack Sabin, allowing Moose and Morrissey to get rid of him too. We’re down to Moose, Morrissey, Cardona and Swann so everyone takes a corner. Morrissey goes to get rid of Swann but Moose dumps both of them, leaving us with Cardona vs. Moose in a regular singles match. Cardona swings away and hits the Future Endeavored, only to miss Radio Silence. Moose spears him down for the pin at 29:38.

Rating: C-. They were flying through this one and your mileage may vary on that part. The bigger issue here was how fast people were coming in, as there wasn’t time to do much in between. It does help that there were multiple possible winners and they didn’t waste time once it was down to one on one. This could have been shortened a good bit though and the longer time is what holds it back a lot.

Heath says Rhino was running a little late tonight but Heath knew he would be there. Rhino thanks Heath for never giving up and wants Heath to tell his kids that Uncle Rhino is back. Heath: “Hey kids Uncle Rhino is back!”. Well he did what Rhino asked.

The Good Brothers aren’t happy with having to defend against two teams.

Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers vs. Bullet Club vs. FinJuice

The Brothers are defending after the other teams went to a double pin. For some clarity, this is Doc Gallows/Karl Anderson vs. Chris Bey/Hikuleo vs. David Finlay/Juice Robinson. Bey and Finlay fight over arm control to start and trade armdrags to keep up the pace. That means an early standoff until Bey flips into a dropkick to cut him off. Robinson comes in to start in on Bey’s arm and the Swanton off of the shoulders crushes Bey again.

It’s off to Gallows vs. Hikuleo for the big power showdown though and the slugout is on in a hurry. They collide with neither getting the better of things so Gallows powers him into the corner. Bey comes in and gets dragged into the Brothers’ corner, but some rapid fire tags leave us with Hikuleo sending Finlay into the vacant corner. A delayed vertical suplex gets two on Finlay and we hit the chinlock.

That’s broken up and Hikuleo misses a running boot in the corner. Robinson comes in and starts cleaning house, including the big shot to Bey’s head for two. Everything breaks down and it’s a six way knockdown for a breather. Robinson is up first with the Cannonball to Bey and the PowerPlex connects, only to have Anderson steal the retaining pin at 9:55.

Rating: C-. I believe the term you’re looking for here is erg, as not only do the Good Brothers retain the titles but they did so in the most cliched triple threat ending possible. The action was good enough, but the match was kind of slow and it was nothing we haven’t seen before. The ending made me roll my eyes hard though and that’s not how you should feel about a major match.

Minoru Suzuki is still coming.

Christian Cage knows Josh Alexander has sacrificed a lot to get here, but Cage has too. He gave up everything to come here, then worked hard to come back after a seven year retirement. Tonight, he isn’t giving up the title without a fight.

We recap Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts Title. James is back and wants to prove she still has it, so she is going after Purrazzo’s championship. This has turned into a personal issue so it is time for the showdown for the title and revenge/respect.

Knockouts Title: Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Mickie is challenging and is in full on cowgirl gear here, while Purrazzo appears to be some kind of royalty. Purrazzo gets knocked outside before the bell and Mickie hits the Thesz press off the apron to hammer away. They fight up the ramp as Striker lists off various legends in women’s wrestling history. Purrazzo takes it back to the floor and kicks Mickie in the face to put her down at ringside.

Back inside and we get the opening bell with Mickie getting stomped down in the corner to keep her in trouble. A lot of stomping puts Mickie on the floor but she scores with an elbow to the face back inside. Something like a powerbomb gets Purrazzo out of trouble though and Mickie is right back down. They trade crossbodies and it’s a double knockdown as a few fans think this is awesome.

Mickie gets the better of a slugout and hits something like a Regal Cutter. The top rope Thesz press gives Mickie two, followed by the MickieDT for the same, with Purrazzo getting in the ropes for the save. Purrazzo sends her into the corner and grabs the Fujiwara armbar, sending Mickie into the ropes this time.

The Queen’s Gambit gives Purrazzo two and she isn’t happy with the kickout. Purrazzo goes outside for a chair, allowing Mickie to go back up. The top rope Thesz press hits the referee by mistake, so Mickie gets in a chair shot of her own for two. Purrazzo catches Mickie on top with the Fujiwara armbar but Mickie slips out again. This time it’s the tornado DDT to plant Purrazzo for the pin and the title at 13:18.

Rating: B. This was about the big moment in the end but it helps that they also had a heck of a match. Mickie can still go in the ring and works well with anyone, which works even better if she is in the ring with someone as good as Purrazzo. I’m not sure how long James will hold the title, but it was cool to see her win here, as she certainly still has it.

Hard To Kill is in Dallas on January 8.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Christian Cage for the Impact Wrestling World Title. Cage won the title from Kenny Omega in AEW to get back to the top of the mountain after a seven year retirement. At the same time, Alexander was the unstoppable X-Division Champion who cashed in his title to get a shot at the World Title here, via Option C. Alexander wants to prove himself against someone he watched for years, while Christian wants to prove that he is still at the top of the mountain.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Christian Cage vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is challenging. Feeling out process to start and they lock up to shove each other around. Christian takes him to the mat and grabs a headlock as Striker talks about drums. Alexander catches him up top and gets in a big shove to the floor as things get a bit more physical. Back in and Christian has to backdrop his way out of a double underhook and they’re right back on the floor.

Alexander gets sent into the barricade and it’s right back inside where Christian grinds him down again. This time Alexander comes up with a wristlock, only to get sent into the corner for two. Christian strikes away in the corner but Alexander flips it around and hits him in the face. A release German suplex into the corner rocks Christian hard (that looked painful) and a running big boot puts him down again.

Christian punches his way out of a powerbomb attempt but Alexander drops him down for two more. It’s too early for the ankle lock though as Christian kicks the leg out and puts on a choke. Alexander backflips his way to freedom and the middle rope knee to the back of the head gets two. Christian is back up with a tornado DDT (Striker: “Geez.”) but Alexander pulls him down into a Crossface.

We keep up the Canadian violence with a Sharpshooter but Christian makes the rope in a hurry. Alexander misses a moonsault and gets speared down for two, meaning it’s a double breather. The Killswitch is broken up so Christian snaps the back of Alexander’s neck over the top rope. The frog splash gives Christian two but he misses a charge into the post and gets caught in the ankle lock. Alexander cranks away to keep Christian in the middle and the gets really clever by stepping onto Christian’s hand to hold him in place. That’s too much for Christian, who taps out to make Alexander champion at 18:57.

Rating: B+. They had an awesome match here with a great story throughout, as Christian was doing his best but got reeled in by Alexander. The ending was about Christian getting trapped by a submission machine as Alexander was just the better man. Alexander also knew what Christian would be trying because he has watched Christian for so many years. This was a heck of a main event and felt like a true passing of the torch, which is exactly what it should have been.

Alexander’s family gets in the ring to celebrate with him…and here’s Moose to cash in.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Josh Alexander

Moose is challenging and hits the spear for the pin and the title at 7 seconds, because Money in the Bank is the greatest idea in the world and must be copied as often as possible.

Overall Rating: C+. The ending really brought this down, as it felt like something out of the old school TNA days. It came off like they were going for shock value instead of the happy ending. Moose winning the title is a good thing, but it took away from a nice moment. Alexander vs. Moose will be good stuff, but egads this was frustrating and that is something Impact has avoided in recent months. I didn’t hate the ending, but I certainly didn’t like it.

The rest of the show did feel like a major night though, as you had all kinds of title changes up and down the card. That’s what you need to make the biggest show of the year feel important, as a lot of things happened here. There was more than enough quality to make the show good, but some of the matches pulled things back down. What matters here though is there was more good than bad, but a few tweaks would have made it that much better.

Results
IInspiration b. Decay – Sitout powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Rosemary
Trey Miguel b. El Phantasmo and Steve Maclin – Top rope Meteora to Phantasmo
Heath/Rhino b. Violent By Design – Gore to Deaner
Moose won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match – Spear to Matt Cardona
Good Brothers b. FinJuice and Bullet Club – PowerPlex to Bey
Mickie James b. Deonna Purrazzo – Tornado DDT
Josh Alexander b. Christian Cage – Ankle lock
Moose b. Josh Alexander – Spear

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