Impact Wrestling
Date: June 17, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We are done with Against All Odds and the big story is Kenny Omega retaining the World Title over Moose, with Sami Callihan appearing after the match. Don Callis fired Callihan, which seems like it could be quite the story on the road to Slammiversary. There is about a month to go before the show and that means there is time to set things up. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Don Callis and Kenny Omega taking over the company (yes, a story about someone taking over Impact Wrestling) and people getting worried about it. Omega retained the title over Moose at Against All Odds but almost got taken out by Sami Callihan. Callis interrupted it and fired Callihan, sending things even further into chaos.

Moose comes up to Scott D’Amore and says he got screwed out of the title at Against All Odds and wants a rematch. D’Amore is too worried about an Anthem representation showing up here to deal with things, because that has never been done before. It’s going to be Tommy Dreamer isn’t it? Anyway Moose promises to make D’Amore pay attention.

TJP vs. Black Taurus

Fallah Bahh and Decay are here too. TJP avoids a charge in the corner to start and snaps off some armdrags into an early standoff. A headbutt puts TJP down for a change and the chinlock goes on in a hurry. Taurus hits a pumphandle backbreaker for two and it’s time to crank on both arms for a bit.

Something like a torture rack dropped into a backbreaker gets two as Josh rapid fires the results from Against All Odds. TJP manages a hurricanrana into an atomic drop as the pace picks up, including a running boot in the corner to rock Taurus again. There’s a tornado DDT to send Taurus bailing to the floor, allowing TJP to hit the dive (which knocks Bahh down as well). Back in and the Mamba Splash finishes Taurus at 6:04.

Rating: C. I like both guys so this was a fun match to see, though it’s kind of sad to see Taurus fall down pretty hard in a hurry. He wasn’t exactly a main eventer, but he also wasn’t a guy losing in a six minute opener on TV. TJP winning is nice to see though, as he gets to rebound after the Iron Man loss.

Post match Moose grabs a chair and says this show is being hijacked until Scott D’Amore makes time for him. Security guards come out but Moose says none of them are Scott. Cue the returning Chris Sabin to clear Moose (who injured him) out and Moose bails. That was a pretty lame hijacking.

Rohit Raju rants to Ace Austin and Madman Fulton about Ultimate X returning at Slammiversary. An alliance seems to be made.

Chris Sabin doesn’t like Moose and the challenge is on for Slammiversary.

Commentary recaps Callis/Callihan/D’Amore/Anthem.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Madman Fulton vs. Josh Alexander

Non-title and Ace Austin is in Fulton’s corner. Fulton powers Alexander around to start and hits the early toss suplex. Alexander gets pulled outside for a drop onto the apron and a big boot as we take a break. Back with Fulton hitting Snake Eyes to set up a claw STO for two. Austin gets in a cheap shot on the apron but Alexander stops a charging Fulton with a boot to the face. A middle rope knee to the knee to the head sets up a roaring elbow to rock Fulton again. The Jay Driller gives Alexander the pin at 9:36.

Rating: C+. Alexander continues to look good in almost everything he does and it would not surprise me to see him drop the title in Ultimate X so he can move up towards the main event. I’m not sure if that is a move that needs to happen immediately or not, but Alexander seems like he is ready for at least some kind of an upgrade. Fulton is still good as the monster, but he can’t take too many losses like this one. It’s just not good monster behavior.

Post match Ace Austin comes in for the beatdown but Petey Williams makes the save. Rohit Raju, Trey Miguel and Shera come out in a row, with Shera cleaning house so the villains can stand tall.

Deonna Purrazzo yells at Kimber Lee and Susan because they keep failing. Susan says she wouldn’t be champion without them so Purrazzo walks off. Susan: “Ungrateful degenerate millennial!”

W. Morrissey thinks everyone around here is dumb enough to think they have friends. Everyone will stab you in the back and the only person you can trust is yourself.

Steve Maclin vs. Jason Page

Maclin is formerly known as Steve Cutler. Chops and a back elbow have Page in early trouble and Maclin drops him stomach first across the top rope. Page’s right hands just earn him a clothesline and some elbows keep him in trouble. A reverse sitout Edgecution (cool) finishes Page at 1:54. Total squash and Maclin was fairly impressive.

Rachael Ellering talks to Jordynne Grace about how rough things have been as of late. Grace doesn’t want to hear it though and the team seems to be done. This is the latest example of a common problem in tag team wrestling: trying to make it a big deal when a team who hasn’t even been together for two months splits up. These two had their first match together on April 25. If they’re done, it really isn’t a big deal whatsoever.

Don Callis explains that he and Scott D’Amore are like brothers who happen to fight from time to time. He had to do the heavy lifting that D’Amore can’t do, like firing Callihan. They’ve talked about doing it a hundred times but D’Amore couldn’t bring himself to do it. Callis expects the Anthem representative to bring gifts because he did what should have been done a long time ago.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Rachael Ellering

Kaleb With A K is here with Dashwood, who offers Ellering a shirt with the two of them together. That’s tossed to the floor and we’re ready to go. Ellering works on a wristlock to start and puts Dashwood on the mat to stay on the arm. A front facelock keeps Dashwood down and it’s right back to the armbar. Dashwood switches into a headscissors, which is countered straight into a chinlock.

Back up and a running shoulder drops Dashwood and a running clothesline hits her in the corner. Kaleb With A K grabs the foot though and Dashwood finally gets in a few shots of her own. Dashwood sends her outside for a chop, with Kaleb With A K getting in a quick photo. A hard whip sends Ellering into the barricade and a high crossbody gives Dashwood two back inside.

Ellering manages a suplex into a Sling Blade to start the comeback and there’s a backsplash for two. Dashwood hits a heck of a clothesline for two more but Ellering plants her with a spinebuster. Back up and Dashwood talks a bit too much trash, causing Ellering to hammer her into the corner. A middle rope spinning legdrop connects but Kaleb With A K offers a distraction, allowing Dashwood to crucifix her for the pin at 15:21.

Rating: C. This was a bit longer than it needed to be but they were hardly having a bad match. Dashwood winning off of the distraction makes sense as Ellering doesn’t have anyone watching her back with Grace gone. Neither of them are exactly on fire at the moment but Dashwood is at least starting to string some wins together. I’m sure we’ll get more on Grace vs. Ellering though, all those weeks after they teamed up in the first place.

TJP and Fallah Bahh try to talk to Scott D’Amore but Decay interrupt. They aren’t happy with the result from earlier so a tag match is set up.

Fire N Flava brag about retaining the Knockouts Tag Team Titles and go ask a janitor if he knows who they are. This doesn’t go well for the janitor so they go off to a guy pushing a big barrel of trash bags. Rosemary comes up to get on them for being mean and here is Havok to throw Kiera Hogan inside. One of the black trash bags says MICKIE and I think we have foreshadowing.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Chris Sabin b. Bully Ray to win the World Title at Destination X 2013.

Satoshi Kojima vs. Rhino

If Kojima wins, he and Eddie Edwards get a Tag Team Title match. Therefore, Violent By Design and Edwards are here too. Rhino shoves him down to start and a shoulder drops Kojima again. Back up and Kojima’s forearms don’t have much effect as Rhino puts him down with another shoulder. Another set of forearms into an elbow finally put Rhino down and we take an early break.

Back with Rhino knocking him down again and getting two off an elbow to the face. The neck crank goes on but Kojima fights up to send Rhino into the corner. A running forearm gives Kojima two and a DDT drops Rhino again. The Koji Cutter is countered into a belly to belly but Kojima is right back up. Now the Koji Cutter can connect and the lariat is enough to finish Rhino at 10:43.

Rating: C-. This was a lot of hitting each other in the face and that wasn’t exactly the most interesting deal. Kojima picked it up a bit near the end but the lack of drama didn’t help things either. I’ve seen Kojima have some good matches so it isn’t him, but there is only so much that you can do under these circumstances.

Commentary goes for their preview for next week but here is Sami Callihan in the ring to demand Don Callis and Scott D’Amore get out here right now. Post break, security is trying to get rid of him but D’Amore comes out to say he is here to fix things. The Anthem representative is here and can do something about it, but Sami is kind of proving Callis’ point. Callihan storms off and here is Callis to say he fired Callihan for D’Amore. They are too smart to be wrestling anymore and Callis fired Callihan because D’Amore wouldn’t do it.

D’Amore loses it……and it really is Tommy freaking Dreamer. You know…..it’s not even a joke anymore. D’Amore and Callis say this isn’t a good time but Dreamer says that he’s here on Anthem’s behalf. Callihan is back and someone else has to be fired. D’Amore freaks out but Callis is the one being fired. Callis goes on a crazed rant and calls D’Amore a Bruce Prichard stooge. Dreamer: “There’s a trash bag in the back waiting on you.”

Callis goes to the back and runs into Callihan, who promises to bash Kenny Omega’s head in.

Overall Rating: C-. Not much of a show here other than the big ending, which more or less erased the big angle from Against All Odds and got rid of Callis. Throw in Tommy Dreamer actually being the representative at the end, which had me pausing the video and rubbing my eyes, and this wasn’t exactly a huge show. Slammiversary is coming though, including the arrivals of a bunch of people, including the Mickie James tease. Things are going to pick up in the future, but this was just kind of there for the most part.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 10, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

It’s the go home show for Against All Odds and that means it is time to focus on Moose vs. Kenny Omega for the World Title. Other than that though, we could use some build for the rest of the car. The rest of the card could use some attention of its own and odds are we might get that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Scott D’Amore is in the ring and brings in AEW owner Tony Khan. Tony thanks him for the welcome but here is Don Callis to join them with the smug starting fast. Callis knows that Kenny Omega is the greatest investment in Khan’s portfolio but there has been talk of Sami Callihan being involved in the title match with Moose. Callihan is blackballed all over this country but D’Amore brings up the Good Brothers interfering and causing chaos all over the place too.

Callis doesn’t go for it, instead talking about how Callihan is such a problem for the wrestling business. D’Amore says Moose vs. Omega will headline Against All Odds and Khan says they can have the match at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. That’s cool with Callis, but D’Amore says that the winner can face Callihan at Slammiversary. This is NOT cool with Callis but the music is already playing. They got the point over here pretty clearly so well done.

Commentary goes over what we just heard.

Here is what is coming tonight and at Against All Odds.

The Elite isn’t happy so they talk about putting a bounty on Sami Callihan. Scott D’Amore comes in to say instead of that, we can have the Good Brothers vs. Callihan/any partner in a street fight at Against All Odds (it’s going to be Tommy Dreamer). Callis mentions murder as a solution.

Brian Myers teaches Sam Beale about how to cut a promo. This turns into Beale praising Matt Cardona in a mock promo but Myers yells at him a lot.

Sami Callihan interrupts Scott D’Amore to rant about the tag match. He doesn’t know who he’ll get as a partner…and here’s Tommy Dreamer. I WASN’T BEING SERIOUS PEOPLE!!! Dreamer has been against all odds his entire career and since they both hate Don Callis, he’ll be the partner. And yeah Callihan will probably turn on him because everyone else does. Callihan says deal and promises to beat Dreamer up if he messes things up. D’Amore reminds Dreamer that he is his boss, but Dreamer doesn’t seem too impressed.

Rosemary vs. Havok

If Havok wins, she is added to the Against All Odds Knockouts Title match. Rosemary wastes no time in hitting a pair of spears for two. Some right hands have Havok in more trouble and something like a Last Chancery makes it worse. Havok finally gets up and powers her into the corner, setting up the hip attack. We take a break and come back with Havok grabbing a full nelson. That’s broken up in a hurry and Rosemary nails a spear for two. Back up and Havok misses a big swing, allowing Rosemary to hit a fourth spear for the pin at 4:17.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This was little more than a squash outside of that full nelson. Rosemary shrugged off what Havok did to her and hit four spears for the pin. The stipulation was a bit unnecessary but it did a nice job of making Rosemary look like a bigger threat to Purrazzo before their title match.

Post match Rosemary and Havok look at each other but Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee and Susan come out to beat both of them down. Purrazzo and Lee grab holds so Susan grabs the mic….and wants Tasha Steelz out here to face Lee RIGHT NOW. Sure.

Tasha Steelz vs. Kimber Lee

Kiera Hogan is here in Steelz’s corner. Steelz starts fast with a dropkick into the corner but a springboard hurricanrana is countered into a buckle bomb. Lee hammers away on the mat and we hit the reverse chinlock. Some choking in the corner keeps Steelz down and Lee tosses her outside in a heap. Back in and Lee grabs a side slam for two as Hogan starts yelling again. Some rolling suplexes into a delayed suplex gets two on Steelz but a Swanton only hits knees. Lee misses a spinwheel kick and gets caught in a spinning Falcon Arrow for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C-. Lee got to showcase herself a bit here and the match was fine enough considering the circumstances. Fire N Flava are desperately in need of challengers and at least Lee and Susan are a fresh team. I’m not exactly expecting a title change, but it should be a good enough match given who is in there.

Another brawl breaks out post match, with Rosemary and Havok coming in to clean house. Hogan, after being caught by Rosemary: “H*** no!” Hogan, after turning around to see Havok: “D***!” A double chokeslam leaves Hogan laying and a triple threat seems likely.

Steve Maclin talks about everything he has gone through and his back is against the wall again. I’m moderately intrigued by this.

Josh Alexander waited for sixteen years to have a chance like he had last week. Now he’s looking forward to the five way #1 contenders match but here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to interrupt. Austin says watch the tag match tonight, but he is the only person Alexander has to watch out for.

Petey Williams/Trey Miguel vs. Chris Bey/Rohit Raju

Williams fights out of a headlock to start and hits a dropkick to the back. The Sharpshooter goes on in a hurry but Raju is in the ropes just as fast. Bey and Trey come in to pick up the pace, but neither can actually hit anything. Miguel kicks him in the ropes so it’s back to Williams for two off a double backbreaker. Bey offers a distraction though and Raju knocks Williams outside. A sitout gordbuster gets two on Williams and it’s back to Bey for a knee in the corner.

Williams can’t fight out of the corner as Raju cuts him off with a belly to back suplex. Bey gets shoved into Raju and the hot tag brings in Miguel to pick up the pace all over again. An Indian Deathlock has Bey down and Miguel adds a northern lights suplex for two on Raju at the same time. A snap German suplex drops Raju again as Williams and Bey fight to the floor. That leaves Miguel to kick away at Raju, who comes back with a jumping knee to the face. Williams is back in with his slingshot Codebreaker though and the Hourglass makes Raju tap at 7:24.

Rating: B-. This is what you’re looking for in the X-Division and it worked here too. They didn’t bother trying to build anything up and the whole match was all about one spot after another. There was a nice section in the middle with Williams having to fight his way out of the corner but this was all about the fast pace and it worked well.

Post match here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to wreck Miguel and Williams. Josh Alexander comes in and it’s a huge brawl, with Williams hitting a super Canadian Destroyer to knock Fulton silly (ok that was cool).

Willie Mack is ready to beat up W. Morrissey in a No DQ match tonight. Rich Swann wants Swann to save a piece for him on Sunday. Mack says cool, but he wants to do this on his own tonight, which is cool with Swann.

It’s time for All About Me with Tenille Dashwood, with Rachael Ellering getting to ask the questions this week. Jordynne Grace is here too though because she is Ellering’s partner and they do things together. Kaleb With A K pulls out a shirt, which Grace doesn’t approve of, but it’s for Tenille instead. Rachael is getting a bit sick of this because it’s disrespectful to the two of them. Grace challenges Tenille for Against All Odds and is off to get the match made before she can give an answer.

We look at Crazzy Steve beating Deaner on Before The Impact.

Violent By Design is ready for the Tag Team Title match at Against All Odds. Eric Young tells Deaner to not disappoint him and Deaner looks scared. Tonight, Joe Doering is ready for Eddie Edwards because he wants to take out Impact’s heart.

Joe Doering vs. Eddie Edwards

Violent By Design is here with Doering but Eddie is on his own. Doering shoves him down without much trouble to start and then hits a hard running shoulder. The neck crank goes on early and Doering elbows Eddie in the face for two. Eddie manages to muscle Doering up for a suplex and a low bridge puts the monster on the floor. That’s enough though as Deaner comes in for the DQ at 3:47.

Rating: C-. I could go for watching Eddie every week but Doering is just a boring monster. He plays his role well enough but it’s not like we’ve ever been given anything to make us care about him. The stable needs someone like him though and having him dominate a legend like Eddie made sense. Keeping it short was a good idea, but it wasn’t exactly much to see.

Post match the beating is on but Satoshi Kojima comes in for the brawl with Doering. The good guys clear the ring to stand tall.

Video on Moose vs. Kenny Omega, focusing on Moose wanting the elusive World Title.

The announcers talk about the World Title match.

Against All Odds rundown.

W. Morrissey vs. Willie Mack

No DQ. Morrissey powers him into the corner for a variety of choking to start and a knee to the ribs. Brown calls it a kitchen sink and actually EXPLAINS THE NAME OF THE MOVE, saying it’s like everything has been thrown at you, even the kitchen sink. Fair enough. Mack gets knocked down again and we take an early break. Back with Morrissey choking on the floor but Mack sends him into the steps.

Mack finds a chain for a shot to the leg and ribs, followed by a chair to the back. They head inside with Mack hitting a running splash in the corner, setting up the Cannonball. Morrissey is right back up with a big boot and it’s time to chair Mack in the back a few times. The chain is wrapped around Mack’s eyes and then underneath his nose to make it….worse? Maybe?

Some more chair shots to the back have Mack down again and Morrissey uses said chair to choke him in the corner. A big splash misses though and Mack kicks him in the head. There’s the standing moonsault for two and Mack gets in his own chair shots to the back. The Six Star only hits chair but so does Morrissey’s elbow. Back up and Morrissey kicks the chair into Mack’s face for the pin at 14:09.

Rating: C. This was a good way to make Morrissey look like a monster but it wasn’t exactly getting to a higher level. Instead, we got a bunch of chair shots and some chain stuff, which was only so interesting. Morrissey taking out Mack again does set him up for Rich Swann though, and that’s the idea here. Just fine a more interesting way to do it.

Post match Morrissey goes after Mack again but Swann runs in for the save. Security keeps them apart but Swann manages a chair shot to send him outside. A lot of staring ends as Josh rapid fire plugs Against All Odds to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling itself ranged from pretty good to not so great, but they accomplished their goal of setting up Against All Odds. That’s actually a heck of a trick given how it feels like little more than a stepping stone on the way to Slammiversary. We got a nice enough go home show here though, even if you don’t really need to see anything here.

Results

Rosemary b. Havok – Spear

Tasha Steelz b. Kimber Lee – Spinning Falcon Arrow

Trey Miguel/Petey Williams b. Rohit Raju/Chris Bey – Hourglass to Raju

Eddie Edwards b. Joe Doering via DQ when Deaner interfered

W. Morrissey b. Willie Mack – Big boot into a chair

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: June 3, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We’re on the way to Against All Odds which means we’re on the way to Slammiversary, meaning Kenny Omega is going to be getting some more featured time around here. Tonight might be a little short on time though, as we are getting a special bonus match. During Before The Impact (the show which airs before Impact), Josh Alexander defended the X-Division Title against TJP in an hour long Iron Man match, which has gotten such rave reviews that I’ll include it as an extra. Let’s get to it.

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

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.

The roster gives them a standing ovation and respect is shown post match.

Commentary previews the rest of the show.

The Good Brothers and Don Callis don’t like being filmed.

TJP and Josh Alexander have a moment of respect in the back. Scott D’Amore congratulates both of them and Alexander says he wants all of the challengers. A bunch of people come up to say they want the shot so D’Amore leaves them to argue among themselves.

Rohit Raju vs. Jake Something

Tables match and they are both alone. Raju slugs away to start and ducks Jake’s bit right hand. They’re on the apron in a hurry with Raju bailing from an attempt to be put through a table. We take a break and come back with Jake sending him back inside, where Raju hits a running knee to the head. Some chairs are brought in but Raju breaks that up with some running clotheslines.

There’s a running shoulder into Raju’s ribs in the corner but Raju gets in a few chair shots to even things back up. The chair is driven into Jake’s arm and a chair to the arm sets up the Crossface. The referee points out that it doesn’t matter so Raju stomps the chair onto Jake in the corner. A Cannonball onto the chair onto Jake makes it even worse but he is right back with a shot of his own. Jake finally grabs a table and puts it in the corner as we get back to the point. That takes too long though and Raju sends him face first into some open chairs.

A running knee to the face drops Jake again but he cuts off Raju with a shot to the head. They fight to the apron with Jake being shoved into the post and being laid onto a table at ringside. That is broken up as well so they head back inside, where Raju kicks him off the ropes. A top rope double stomp sends Jake face first into the chairs but Raju charges into the swinging Black Hole Slam. Jake hits another one so Raju throws a chair at his head. That has no effect so Jake spears him through a table for the win at 15:05.

Rating: C. It was a violent brawl but this was a good bit longer than it needed to be. At the same time, it really didn’t need to be a tables match, as it felt like they just remembered the tables part at the end. It worked out well enough, but it felt like a stipulation there for the sake of having one, which isn’t a great sign.

W. Morrison tells Scott D’Amore that he wants a match with Rich Swann. It turns out that Swann wants that too so the match is on.

Rosemary is rather happy with beating Deonna Purrazzo last week and promises to win the Knockouts Title. Havok comes in to say she wants the title too. Rosemary thinks this means Havok wants one more fight, but it can be after Rosemary gets the title back…I think.

W. Morrissey vs. Rich Swann

Swann takes way too much time dancing to the ring and gets jumped from behind. They head inside with Swann hammering away but getting knocked back down. Security breaks it up before the match ever starts. Cue Willie Mack with a chair, which has little effect on Morrissey. Staring ensues.

Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K talk to Rachael Ellering and propose an appearance on It’s All About Me. Ellering says Jordynne Grace is her partner so here is Grace to interrupt. Grace doesn’t seem thrilled but things go ok.

Brian Myers gives Sam Beale pointers on being a professional, including wearing a Myers shirt. His entrance is terrible too, with Myers busting out a boom box to demonstrate the proper way.

Deonna Purrazzo is told that Rosemary will face Havok next week. If Havok wins, Against All Odds becomes a triple threat title match. Purrazzo rolls her eyes but says it doesn’t matter what happens.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering vs. Fire N Flava

Fire N Flava is defending with Tasha Steelz having to pick up the pace to avoid Jordynne’s power. A swinging full nelson slam plants Steelz and a charge in the corner gives Grace two. Ellering comes in for a running kick to the head into a backsplash for two of her own. An electric chair is broken up with Tasha using the headband to pull her down. Ellering gets taken into the corner for the double teaming but powers her way over to Grace for the tag. A gutwrench powerbomb gets two on Hogan and a running hip attack in the corner crushes her again.

Ellering comes in for a spinning legdrop but the referee has to get rid of Grace, allowing Steelz to hit a Codebreaker. That doesn’t last long either as it’s back to Grace for MuscleBuster into a powerbomb for two more. They head outside with Steelz hitting a DDT to plant Ellering, leaving Grace to get beaten down. Hogan grabs a sleeper but Grace pulls her up and drops back down, only to have Steelz come in with a top rope splash for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C-. I really don’t need to see these four fight again, though I’m not sure who else is left in the, ahem, division. Grace and Ellering weren’t exactly a great team in the first place and they were given the titles out of nowhere. Fire N Flava are a good team, but they have almost no one to defend against and that is a problem.

Sami Callihan wants to be in the World Title picture but here is Don Callis to say the company wants Moose instead. Callihan is always the bridesmaid instead of the bride and kind of a journeyman. Except for that time he won the World Title, sure I guess.

We get a video of a guy drinking whiskey as a song talks about this being the time we have waited for. His name is Steve Maclin, though you might know him better as Steve Cutler.

Fire N Flava annoy Scott D’Amore about retaining their titles and want competition. As luck would have it, Kimber Lee and Susan are in his office and get the Against All Odds title shot.

Deaner vs. Satoshi Kojima

Kojima is a New Japan legend and runs Deaner over to start. Deaner rakes the eyes for a breather and hits a running dropkick to the back to send Kojima into the corner. An elbow seems to wake Kojima up as he takes Deaner into the corner for the rapid fire chops. A running neckbreaker drops Kojima but he’s right back with the brainbuster. Kojima loads up his big clothesline but Rhino gets on the apron for a distraction. Joe Doering goes after Kojima so here is Eddie Edwards to take care of him. The Koji Cutter sets up a lariat to finish Deaner at 5:07.

Rating: C-. This was perfectly fine and a way to get Kojima’s feet wet in Impact. He didn’t do much because he didn’t have to but the match got the point across. Throw in his match against Doering at Against All Odds and this was a perfectly fine way to spend about five minutes. They might even have a tag match ready for next week if necessary.

Moose is ready for Sami Callihan but Don Callis comes in to say no one wants to see Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan. Maybe Moose can finish Sami off quick with some extra mustard. Moose doesn’t care and is only after the World Title.

Violent By Design doesn’t want to have to deal with Eddie Edwards anymore but Decay comes in to interrupt. A Tag Team Title match is set for Against All Odds.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Moose vs. Sami Callihan

Callihan sends him outside to start and a superkick knocks Moose off the apron. That’s fine with Moose, who pulls him outside as well but a powerbomb is countered as Sami jumps onto the apron. That’s fine with Moose as he beats Sami down again and rolls inside to break the count. Back on the floor and Sami is sent into the barricade but a charge only hits steel.

Sami ties the arm in the barricade but commentary is too busy reading their lines about the two of them. More arm cranking takes us to a break and we come back with them inside for a change. Moose’s arm is too banged up to hit the Rock Bottom and Sami hits a Death Valley Driver out of the corner. Moose powers him into the corner to block the piledriver but a superplex is countered with a shot to the bad arm.

The second attempt works just fine though and Moose gets a slightly delayed two. They trade some shots to the face until Moose catches him on top with a dropkick. The chokebomb out of the corner gets two more on Sami but he hits Moose in the arm again. The Cactus Special gets two on Moose but here are the Good Brothers to jump Sami for the DQ at 13:31.

Rating: C. I liked the arm work throughout the match as it actually seemed like Moose was damaged rather than just going through the match and then grabbing his arm intermittently. The ending probably sets up something for either next week or Against All Odds, assuming they say it was a DQ rather than the no contest, which isn’t how that ending works. Good enough match here, as Callihan continues to move towards a title shot of his own.

Post match the beatdown is on both of them as Don Callis and Kenny Omega come out. The Elite goes to the back when Scott D’Amore interrupts. Omega and the Good Brothers leave so D’Amore talks to Callis about how Sami Callihan should get a title shot after beating the #1 contender. Maybe Against All Odds should be a three way match! Callis says no because they have to agree and Tony Khan would never go with that. It turns out Khan will be here next week so we’ll figure all of that out together.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure if I should count the Iron Man match in this or not as just the last ten minutes or so were included. The rest of the show wasn’t great, though they did add a good bit to the Against All Odds card. That was one of the more important things to cover here and it worked out well enough, though I’m not sure how much difference it makes with Slammiversary in July.

Results

Josh Alexander b. TJP 2-1

Jake Something b. Rohit Raju – Spear through a table

Fire N Flava b. Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering – Frog splash to Grace

Satoshi Kojima b. Deaner – Lariat

Sami Callihan b. Moose via DQ when the Good Brothers interfered

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

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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 27, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We’re on the way to Against All Odds and that means we are going to be seeing more of Moose vs. Kenny Omega as they set up their World Title match. I’m kind of curious to see the match, even though I don’t quite see a ton of drama involved. Hopefully they can live up to the hype and we can get some more matches set up this week. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Heath being involved in the Call Your Shot gauntlet match at Bound For Glory, with Rhino ultimately winning. Then last week, Rhino cashed in the contract to win the Tag Team Titles with Violent By Design.

Eric Young says that the change was foretold and last week it came to pass. Now they prove that it is real.

Opening sequence.

Here is Sami Callihan to have a seat in the ring for a chat. Callihan isn’t happy with what Kenny Omega has done around here because Omega and the Good Brothers have ruined this place. You can’t plan for someone like Callihan and Don Callis knows it. Let’s lay this to rest right now, so Omega can come out here right now. Cue Moose to say that no one cares about Callihan, because he didn’t win at Under Siege.

Callihan knows that Moose is a physical specimen but he isn’t dangerous. Cue the Good Brothers to say praise the Lord a lot and say they are on Moose’s side here. Maybe Callihan needs to stay out of Moose’s way, but Moose doesn’t want them on his side. The brawl is on and the Brothers are cleared out in a hurry. Anything that involves them talking less is a good thing.

The Good Brothers go to the back, where Don Callis makes the tag match.

Post break Callis is asked if he is allowed to make a match. Of course he can, though Scott D’Amore comes up to express his shock.

Commentary talks about what is coming tonight, plus the issues between Callis and D’Amore.

Petey Williams/Josh Alexander vs. TJP/Fallah Bahh

TJP has paid off Bahh’s debts at Swinger’s Palace so the team is back. Bahh shoves Alexander into the corner to start and we hit the front facelock. Alexander gets punched in the face but goes after the leg and grabs a front facelock of his own. TJP comes in for the Paisan elbow but Bahh can’t quite nip up.

A double splash gets two but Williams comes back in to slow Bahh down. Alexander adds a top rope shoulder and we take a break. Back with Alexander driving shoulders into Bahh’s ribs in the corner. Alexander comes back in for a kick to the ribs but makes the mistake of hitting Bahh in the head.

Bahh brings TJP back in to pick up the pace, including the Facewashes to Williams in the corner. The TJP vs. Alexander slugout goes to the former but it’s a double knockdown to set up another double tag. TJP counters the Canadian Destroyer from Williams, who is crushed by Bahh’s crossbody. A Samoan drop crushes Alexander and the Mamba Splash gives TJP the pin at 11:08.

Rating: C. It’s kind of nice to have the oddball team back together again as they have always worked well together. TJP pinning Alexander is a fine way to set up their title match at….well whenever the match takes place. Williams’ employment continues to confuse me a bit, though he is perfectly serviceable for a spot like this.

We get a sitdown interview with W. Morrissey, who mocks everyone for being so happy to your face and then stab you in the back. Some may call him bitter and people have kicked him while he was down. They even recorded him having a seizure instead of calling 911. People didn’t talk to him in years but once he came back to wrestling, they were right there telling him how happy they were for him. He mocks the idea of Rich Swann and Willie Mack being friends and asks who is laughing now. Cue Swann to jump him for the brawl.

Video on the Knockouts, which feels like an ad you would see when watching another channel.

Tenille Dashwood needs a replacement for a Knockouts tag and Rachael Ellering suggests Jordynne Grace. Dashwood isn’t sure but Grace comes up, saying she doesn’t want to be a substitute. Ellering talks her into it.

Fire N Flava/Kimber Lee/Deonna Purrazzo/Susan vs. Rachael Ellering/Havok/Jordynne Grace/Rosemary/Tenille Dashwood

Kaleb With A K is in the latter’s corner and Grace is replacing Taylor Wilde who is missing due to…..well in theory we’ll find out in a bit. Lee charges into Havok’s boot to start so Susan comes in to get kicked down as well. Hogan comes in and gets caught in Ellering’s release gutwrench suplex. A backsplash connects but Hogan gets over for the tag to Steelz. That’s fine for Ellering, who hits a sliding kick to the side of the head.

Dashwood tags herself in and takes Steelz down, much to Ellering’s annoyance. It’s quickly off to Grace, with the referee actually getting rid of Ellering because she was in the ring too long. The distraction lets Steelz snap Grace’s neck across the top and we take a break. Back with Steelz dropping an elbow on Grace to cut off a hot tag attempt. Grace jumps over Hogan in the corner though, allowing her to backflip over into the corner for the tag off to Rosemary.

The Upside Down is broken up in a hurry and some double teaming puts Rosemary in trouble for a change. Susan takes Rosemary up and bites her head, only to have Havok turn it into a Tower of Doom. Purrazzo comes in and gets dropped by Ellering as everything breaks down. Susan throws her shoe at Havok to little success so Rosemary hits As Above So Below to finish Purrazzo at 12:42.

Rating: C. These things are really hard to pull off as there is only so much that can be done with so many people in there at once. Rosemary will be a fine challenger for the title as she is one of the more established names in the division. This did its job, but you would think they could have done about the same with four or so fewer women included.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Eric Young beats Bobby Roode to become King of the Mountain Champion.

Josh Alexander is ready for all challengers so here are TJP and Fallah Bahh to interrupt. Scott D’Amore comes in to make a sixty minute Iron Man match for the title next week on Before The Impact. Well that’s certainly a way to get people interested.

Video on the history between Rohit Raju and Jake Something…..which apparently exists. They were friends for years and Raju doesn’t know why Impact has treated Something as such a star. Something says this isn’t the Raju he has known for years. A showdown seems to be looming. It’s a bit of a random feud to give a story but points for doing anything with a midcard feud.

Here is Violent By Design to brag about their win last week. Eric Young talks about how scary violence is to everyone else but to them, it is a tool. He needed people who knew the sickness existed and that it needed to be removed. Joe Doering was his first choice and his vision is clear.

Then you have Deaner, who needed a guide and now is the most diabolical and violent version of himself. Finally you have Rhino, who is back as the War Machine. They did everything to set up last week by design. FinJuice is back in Japan and can’t use their rematch….by design. Cue Satoshi Kojima to stare Doering down and then issue the challenge for Against All Odds. And then he leaves.

We look at Brian Myers laying out Matt Cardona last week, including sending him face first into a camera.

The Impact doctor says Cardona is out for twelve weeks when Myers comes in to laugh. Sam Beale interrupts and a match is made for later.

Joe Doering accepts Satoshi Kojima’s challenge for Against All Odds. Decay interrupts and talks about Deaner still being in the shadows. Deaner doesn’t like that and I think we have a title match impending.

Decay vs. Johnny Swinger/Hernandez

Alisha is here with Swinger and Hernandez. Swinger’s hammerlock doesn’t last long on Crazzy Steve so Black Taurus comes in for a double back elbow. A backsplash gets two and it’s back to Steve for an armbar. That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s off to Hernandez for something like a reverse Samoan drop. Swinger climbs onto Hernandez’s shoulders but then drops down and hits a standing splash for two instead.

That doesn’t last long either so it’s back to Taurus to clean house. Steve backdrops out of a piledriver and goes up for the middle rope DDT….which is botched so badly that I had to rewind it a few times to see what happened. Steve jumped right but Swinger didn’t fall down, instead standing there until Steve hit the mat and then falling onto his back. As bad as that is, it’s good enough for to give Steve the pin at 3:58.

Rating: D. The match was your usual TV match but that ending was so bad I had to rewind it a few times and put it in slow motion to figure out what the heck happened. I’m not sure how you can have that kind of miscommunication but they pulled it off here. How hard can it be to fall on your face when someone hits a big move off the top? Nothing match, but that ending was memorable in all the wrong ways.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Don Callis gives the Good Brothers a pep talk.

Slammiversary ad, featuring teases of debuts.

Good Brothers vs. Sami Callihan/Moose

Callihan jumps Anderson to start and snapmares him down in a hurry. Some clawing at the head has Anderson screaming and Moose comes in for a slam. The Brothers take a breather on the floor and we take a break. Back with Callihan working on Anderson’s arm but Moose tags himself in. Callihan does that right back so it’s off to Gallows for the weird punching in the corner. After a trip to the floor, Callihan tells Gallows to punch him more so Gallows takes him down for a chinlock.

Back up and Callihan jawbreaks his way to freedom and it’s a double tag so Moose can beat up Anderson. The spear is loaded up but Callihan tags himself in. Callihan loads up the Cactus Special, only to have Moose kick him in the face. Anderson rolls him up for two so Callihan kicks Moose off the apron. Anderson uses the distraction to hit a spinebuster into the Magic Killer for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: C-. This was a storyline match with the Good Brothers happening to be there too. Moose vs. Callihan would be a good warmup match for Moose before his title shot, assuming they don’t turn it into a three way. The match was fine enough and advanced the biggest story on the show, but it wasn’t exactly must see.

Moose spears Callihan to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Not their best show, but they did some stuff to set up Against All Odds. There wasn’t much to see here in the way of wrestling though and it wasn’t the most thrilling two hours. Violent By Design’s segment didn’t exactly go very far, though at least they did some stuff with the main event. All in all, a skippable week this time.

Results

TJP/Fallah Bahh b. Petey Williams/Josh Alexander – Mamba Splash to Alexander

Rosemary/Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering/Havok/Tenille Dashwood b. Fire N Flava/Kimber Lee/Deonna Purrazzo/Susan – As Above So Below to Purrazzo

Decay b. Johnny Swinger/Hernandez – Top rope DDT to Swinger

Good Brothers b. Sami Callihan/Moose – Magic Killer to Callihan

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: May 20, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Josh Matthews

We’re done with Under Siege and that means it is time to start getting ready for Moose vs. Kenny Omega at Against All Odds. Other than that, we need to fill out the rest of the card, which is a nice feeling as these regular big shows have done a lot of good things for the way Impact works month to month. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of New Jack.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Rohit Raju vs. Jake Something

Shera is here too. Something forearms Raju outside in a hurry but the Shera showdown lets Raju get in a few cheap shots. Back in and Jake hits a hard shoulder and shouts a lot as Raju rolls outside. This time the referee checks on Raju, allowing Shera to get in a big clothesline of his own. Jake’s missed charge sends his shoulder into the chest, setting up Raju’s flying armbar for two.

A kick to the face gives Raju two more and it’s time for a standing armbar. That earns him an ax handle to the back of the head and a big right hand, followed by the running shoulder in the corner. The discus lariat gives Jake two but Raju catches him with a running big boot in the corner. Jake tries a powerbomb but Raju slips out and hits a jumping Downward Spiral. The Crossface is broken up and Jake tries a suplex, only to have Shera pull the leg so Raju can fall on top for the pin at 7:14.

Rating: C. There is still something so strange about the idea of Raju being completely competent after so many years of being one of the least tolerable wrestlers around. The ending was straight out of the 80s but the classics continue to work for a reason. Jake Something isn’t much in the way of classics, and I continue to base that entirely on his horrible name. Fix that and he’ll be fine, as the match itself here was completely watchable.

Post match Jake unloads on Shera, including a chair shot to put him down. Raju watches from the ramp as Jake puts Shera through a table.

Here is what’s coming tonight.

Taylor Wilde wants the Knockouts Title but here are Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K to interrupt. Dashwood has gotten a match against Kiera Hogan tonight and that kind of a win would get them a Knockouts Tag Team Titles. Wilde again explains that they aren’t a team and STOP FACE TIMING HER.

Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace are upset by the loss but need to get back out there. Has Grace always been that short?

Kiera Hogan vs. Tenille Dashwood

Tasha Steelz and Kaleb With A K are here too. Hogan sends her straight into the corner to start and comes out with a butterfly suplex. That earns her a Tarantula but Steelz’s distraction….has no impact as Dashwood snaps off a neckbreaker over the middle rope. A low superkick takes Dashwood down again though and we take a break. Back with Hogan choking on the rope for two and putting on a chinlock. A superkick (which might not have connected) sends Dashwood into the ropes but she bounces back with a clothesline into a rollup to pin Hogan at 7:42.

Rating: C-. The Knockouts division outside of the singles title continues to seem like it just keeps going back and forth week to week, which isn’t the most thrilling stuff. This was more of the same, but maybe they can set up another Knockouts Tag Team Title match so a thrown together team can win the belts again. Dashwood was doing her usual stuff here, and that is not the most thrilling thing.

Post match the brawl is on with Kimber Lee, Susan and Deonna Purrazzo running in to beat on Dashwood. Taylor Wilde runs in for the failed save attempt so here’s Havok to really clear the ring.

Jordynne Grace has gotten herself and Rachael Ellering a match tonight. Against each other.

Satoshi Kojima is coming next week.

FinJuice is ready to defend their Tag Team Titles against Ace Austin/Madman Fulton later tonight and will keep the titles, as always. After that, it’s back to Japan.

VSK vs. Petey Williams

Striker gushes over what a legend Williams is, because the term legend is now the same as “guy who wrestled here a long time ago”. Williams starts fast and snaps off a hurricanrana out of the corner, followed by a toss to the floor. That means a slingshot hurricanrana to drop VSK again but he is right back in with a DDT.

VSK drops a knee for two and then slams him with an immediate splash getting two more. Williams suplexes him out of the corner and hits a basement dropkick. The spinning Russian legsweep looks to set up the Canadian Destroyer but VSK counters into an Irish Curse. Williams elbows him down though and the Destroyer finishes VSK at 5:10.

Rating: C-. This was every Williams match: a bunch of the same spots he has done for years, capped off by a move that was indeed special at one point but has become the most overplayed move in wrestling. It was nice to see VSK get in some offense here as he is being treated as more than your regular jobber. Odds are that doesn’t lead anywhere, but at least he got a chance here.

Rich Swann says he lost the World Title and he felt that loss mentally and physically. He has been watching the show week in and week out and doesn’t like what W. Morrissey has been doing to Willie Mack. Cue Morrissey to jump Swann from behind throw him out the door.

It’s off to Swinger’s Palace for some roulette, though Swinger wants to know where the coal miner’s glove match is. TJP is making some money and gives some of it back, though he stops at Fallah Bahh in a dress. He offers to reform the team with Bahh because he got jumped by Petey Williams at Under Siege. Cue Williams to issue a challenge for himself/Josh Alexander vs. TJP/Bahh. That seems to be on but here is Decay, with Rosemary saying John E. Bravo is looking better.

Here is Moose for a chat. Moose talks about how easy it was to become the #1 contender at Under Siege and now he is ready to be World Champion. Kenny Omega has beaten a lot of great wrestlers but Moose is a different kind of athlete. We hear about his NFL career and now it is time to see a clash of the titans. Moose lists off some various Greek gods….and here is Omega, with Don Callis, to interrupt.

Callis talks about how great Moose looks and thinks he might be a bit bigger than 6’5. Moose might be the most physically talented person in all of professional wrestling, but he isn’t about to coast over Omega. There is nothing sadder than wasted talent, and Moose couldn’t even win a title in RING OF HONOR. How many Super Bowls did he win? Callis asks if Moose is coasting on his talent so Moose promises to rip Callis’ head off and stick it in a certain place on Omega.

That’s too far for Omega, who says it is just one One Winged Angel to take him out. Moose offers to let him try it right now but here are the Good Brothers to interrupt. Sami Callihan appears as well and the Elite bails. As usual, Omega is weakened by talking, but thankfully he doesn’t do it very often around here.

Post break, Moose tells Callihan that he isn’t going to be thanking him. Callihan is sick of the Good Brothers and all that matters is he is coming for whoever leaves Under Siege as champion.

Rachael Ellering vs. Jordynne Grace

They shake hands to start and Grace headlocks her over. Grace has to flip out of a headscissors but is right back up with a wristlock. Ellering is right back on the arm and they fight over a battle of the wristlocks. A toss into the corner does not sit well with Grace, who is sent to the apron in a hurry. The tease of a kick to the face doesn’t sit well with Ellering and we take a break.

Back with Grace driving shoulders in the corner, setting up a basement clothesline for two. We go old school with a full nelson so Ellering drives her into the corner three times in a row for the break. Grace hits some clotheslines but Ellering elbows her in the face. The running backsplash gives Ellering two but Grace is right back with some running knees in the corner. Grace’s fireman’s carry is countered into a sunset flip, setting off a pinfall reversal sequence with Ellering getting the pin at 11:02.

Rating: C. The power stuff was good here, but I really hope that I’m not supposed to think it’s a major showdown when these two teamed together like three times. Just making a team and then having them fight isn’t interesting, as they have barely been a team in the first place. Ellering getting the win should give her a bit of a boost, though Grace doesn’t need to be losing again.

Respect is shown post match but Grace doesn’t seem happy.

Brian Myers says everything he has said is justified. Matt Cardona walks by and Myers beats him down.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: FinJuice vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton

Austin and Fulton are challenging after becoming #1 contenders at Under Siege. Finlay starts with Austin, who tags out to Fulton less than fifteen seconds in. Fulton powers his way out of a headlock and it’s off to Robinson to hammer away at the monster. Fulton runs him over without much trouble but Robinson grabs the arm and brings Finlay back in with an ax handle. Finlay is sent hard into the corner though and now Austin is willing to come in and…get taken down almost immediately.

It’s back to Robinson for a backsplash and a double flapjack into a double dropkick puts Fulton on the floor. Back from a break with Robinson in trouble (thanks to a chokeslam to send his arm into the barricade) as Austin works on a hammerlock. The paper cut on the finger makes it even worse and the armbar goes on again. A jumping knee to the face gives Robinson a breather but Austin takes Finlay off the apron to be smart.

That means Robinson’s backdrop doesn’t mean a tag but Austin’s rather dumb drop toehold into the corner lets Finlay come in. House is cleaned in a hurry and a Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two on Austin. A fireman’s carry/running kick to the face takes Austin down for the same as everything breaks down. Robinson’s snap jabs to Fulton set up a quickly escaped fireman’s carry, with Fulton hitting a tilt-a-whirl powerslam.

Austin hits a springboard spinning kick to the face with Fulton adding a belly to back suplex for two more. A chokeslam/top rope Fold combination (cool/hard to pull off) gets two more as Finlay has to make the save this time. Everything breaks down again and Robinson superplexes Austin down. There’s an assisted Cannonball to Fulton but he is way too big for the Doomsday Device. Instead the Unprettier finishes Fulton for the pin to retain at 15:54.

Rating: B. This was a good and long title match with Fulton playing the monster role well. He and Austin are a solid pairing and I’m a bit surprised that Fulton took the fall here. That being said, I would rather he take it than Austin, who could be a main event star here at the drop of a hat. Good main event here, as FinJuice is growing on me despite half of their personalities being talking about Japan.

Post match….here’s Violent By Design to surround FinJuice. Eric Young hands over Rhino’s Call Your Shot trophy and it’s time for another title match.

Tag Team Titles: FinJuice vs. Violent By Design

Violent By Design, with Rhino and Joe Doering in this case, are challenging and the brawl is on in a hurry. Doering crossbodies the champs down and hits an AA on Robinson. One heck of a lariat is enough for the pin and the titles at 49 seconds. I don’t care about the team, but if they’re going to mean something, they needed a win like this.

We get another Slammiversary ad with hints about wrestlers coming. The word YES, the letters II and the word FORGOTTEN can be seen this time.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped a bit but that was about the only really good part of the show. This felt like a lot of quick ideas which weren’t all that interesting, including Grace vs. Ellering and Williams’ latest reheating. It’s all going to be about Moose vs. Omega sooner than later though, and the Slammiversary reveals are likely to shake things up again. Now just have some better TV on the way.

Results

Rohit Raju b. Jake Something – Suplex reversed into a cover

Tenille Dashwood b. Kiera Hogan – Rollup

Petey Williams b. VSK – Canadian Destroyer

Rachael Ellering b. Jordynne Grace – Sunset flip

FinJuice b. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Unprettier to Fulton

Violent By Design b. FinJuice – Lariat to Robinson

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: May 13, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

It is the go home show for Under Siege and we have the lineup for the show’s six way #1 contenders match main event. That leaves tonight as little more than a standard go home show, which means we could be in for a rather fun show. Impact has been holding my interest fairly well lately so hopefully they can keep it up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Havok vs. Rosemary

The winner gets a Knockouts Title shot against Deonna Purrazzo at Under Siege and the rest of Decay is here with Rosemary. They shake hands and then yell at each other a lot. Rosemary hammers away with forearms but bounces off of Havok. More shouting sets up stereo running boots before Havok sends her face first into the buckle.

There’s a running boot in the corner for two and Havok grabs the camel clutch. That’s broken up and Rosemary counters a charge into the Upside Down to slow Havok down for a change. Rosemary somehow manages a t-bone suplex for two but Havok pulls her up into the Tombstone for the pin out of nowhere at 6:02.

Rating: C-. Rosemary got to show off some surprising power here but Havok winning is another way to go. I can imagine Rosemary getting a title shot of her own in the near future, but they very well may hold off on that until Slammiversary. Havok will do very well for now and it should be a good power vs. technical title match.

Post match here is Deonna Purrazzo to go after Havok but she gets knocked outside. Rosemary throws her back in and Decay cuts off Kimber Lee and Susan. The Tombstone plants Purrazzo.

Here is what is coming tonight and at Under Siege.

The Good Brothers are ready for tonight and Saturday. Kenny Omega says he is the game changer and the reason why the team is back on track. Violence and success are promised, though Omega having all three belts on didn’t help the seriousness.

Petey Williams vs. Ace Austin vs. Acey Romero vs. TJP vs. Rohit Raju vs. El Phantasmo

One fall and the winner gets the X-Division Title shot at Under Siege. Madman Fulton, Mahabali Shera and Larry D. are all at ringside. Romero gets jumped to start but manages to shove them away so we can get down to the usual insanity that these matches bring. Romero pulls Austin off the apron and sends him into the barricade but TJP nails a slingshot dropkick to finally put the monster down.

That gives us TJP vs. Phantasmo with the former snapping off a great running hurricanrana. Phantasmo is back up for a rope walk….but stops to pick up Austin for a Death Valley Driver off the top and onto the pile, because that’s something he can do. We take a break and come back with TJP sending Raju into the corner for some standing/running kicks to the face.

Romero comes back in to sweep Raju’s legs and hit a splash to the back for two. Phantasmo gets to clean a bit of house but Williams hits a slingshot Codebreaker. The Canadian Destroyer gets two on Phantasmo but Austin is back with a running kick to the head. A short string of dives sets up the brawl between the seconds, leaving TJP to hit the Detonation Kick on Phantasmo. The Mamba Splash misses though and Phantasmo hits a top rope splash of his own to TJP. Williams makes the save but walks into Phantasmo’s arm trap Neutralizer for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C+. The action was good, but I’m not bit on these wild multi person matches. There is no flow or story to them and they are just a bunch of spots until someone gets the pin. The spots were good and some of the stuff was entertaining, but I can only get so into them. Granted Phantasmo vs. Josh Alexander could be incredible.

Susan and Kimber Lee comes in to show Scott D’Amore a clip of Tenille Dashwood on her phone. The result: Susan/Lee vs. Dashwood/Taylor Wilde at Under Siege.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Havok b. Gail Kim for the Knockouts Title on the October 1, 2014 Impact.

Violent By Design says failure will not be tolerated and must be crushed. Eric Young isn’t sure what caused the problem but then he realized that the sickness is the problem. Nothing is guaranteed and change is the only thing you can trust. You’ll be seeing a lot of them.

We go to Swinger’s Palace where Alisha Edwards is now working, presumably to pay off her debts. Ace Austin and Madman Fulton come in to name themselves #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles but some other teams come in to disagree. TJP knows he could get a title shot with the right partner, so here is Petey Williams (the amount of dirt he has on this company must be astounding) to tease the Scott Steiner promo on the odds of the title change. That is cut off in a hurry, and a multi team match seems likely.

Sam Beale vs. Willie Mack

Mack starts fast with the swinging slam into the standing moonsault for two before hurting his hand on some shots to the face. Beale gets in a kick to the face, followed by a few knees to the ribs. A pop up right hand drops Beale and the frog splash finishes him off at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Just a quick match here to get Mack some momentum going into the Under Siege match against Morrissey. I’m not sure why Mack hasn’t gone a little bit further around here but at least he has a big enough match set up for the show. This was a squash, but Beale has looked decent in his appearances.

Post match here is W. Morrissey to drop Mack again.

David Finlay, with Juice Robinson and Eddie Edwards, is ready for Karl Anderson tonight. The other two are ready for the Under Siege six man tag too. Eddie has even brought back Kenny the Kendo Stick.

Slammiversary ad, featuring various recently released WWE stars and past Impact names.

It’s time for It’s All About Me with Tenille Dashwood and her guest….Kaleb With A K. Taylor Wilde comes in to have a chat of her own, as she doesn’t like Dashwood cheating last week. They couldn’t really talk about it because she doesn’t have Dashwood’s number as they aren’t friends. Under Siege is a one off because they are not friends or partners. Kaleb With A K: “Hashtag awkward.” Dashwood seems cool with it though.

Karl Anderson vs. David Finlay

Doc Gallows, Kenny Omega, Don Callis, Eddie Edwards and Juice Robinson are all here too. Anderson starts hammering away but Finlay pops him in the jaw a few times. Some of the seconds offer trips but Gallows gets in another trip to take over. Finlay is sent outside for some choking against the barricade so commentary can talk about Japan.

Back in and Anderson hammers away before raking away at the eyes. We hit the chinlock for all of five seconds before Anderson blasts him with a clothesline. Another chinlock is countered into a hard belly to back and Finlay slingshot dives onto Omega and Gallows. An Indian Deathlock goes on back inside but Omega comes in for the DQ at 5:50.

Rating: C-. This was another match that didn’t have the time to go anywhere but it wasn’t supposed to be anything more. They previewed Saturday’s six man and while your mileage might vary on the story, what we got here was certainly good enough. If nothing else, it was another week without Omega talking and that’s a good thing.

Post match the brawl is on and Kenny the Kendo Stick is enough to chase the villains off.

Chris Sabin feels bad for not having James Storm’s back in Storm’s qualifying match. He’ll face Moose tonight in a six man tag and we’ll see what happens.

Video on Under Siege.

Earlier tonight on Before The Impact, Tasha Steelz beat Jordynne Grace.

Grace is upset over the loss but Rachael Ellering tells her to save it for Under Siege.

Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve takes him down for a very quick two and Myers is a bit scared in the corner. He even bails to the floor where Black Taurus scares him again, earning an ejection as we take a break. Back with Myers kicking Steve in the head and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up but so is Steve’s tornado DDT. Myers grabs a rollup for the pin with feet on the ropes at 7:17. Not enough shown to rate but it keeps the Myers vs. Decay feud going, as odd as it might be.

Post match Black Taurus comes back in to run Myers over and leaves a death card.

Don Callis doesn’t like how this place is being run but here is Scott D’Amore to interrupt. D’Amore remembers Callis messing with Moose’s head last week, which is why James Storm is out of action with an injury. Maybe Callis needs to figure out if he is an AEW manager or an Impact Wrestling executive.

Under Siege rundown.

Chris Sabin/Matt Cardona/Trey Miguel vs. Moose/Sami Callihan/Chris Bey

Callihan takes Sabin into the corner to start but a crucifix gives Sabin a quick two. Cardona comes in but gets taken down by Bey as we see the Elite watching in the back. It’s off to Miguel, who jumps over Cardona for a backsplash onto Bey. The Pendulum has Bey in more trouble but Bey misses a jumping double stomp. Bey kicks Miguel down without much trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Moose hammering on Miguel and handing it off to Callihan for some chops in the corner. Miguel gets two off a sunset flip, earning himself a dropkick from Bey. Moose is back in with a one handed slam and the two handed version puts him down just as quickly. Now it’s Callihan coming back in for a slam into a chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Miguel kicks him in the head, setting up a double clothesline for the double knockdown.

The hot tag brings in Cardona to clean house, with Sabin tagging himself in for a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination. Everything breaks down and Miguel counters Moose’s powerbomb into a hurricanrana into the post. Bey forearms Sabin, who counters the package piledriver. Back in and Miguel missile dropkicks Moose back to the floor but Callihan package piledrives Sabin for the pin at 14:37.

Rating: C+. This was the exactly right idea to build up the Under Siege six way and it gives us an interesting twist with Sami getting some momentum. He might be a wild card in the match and that could be what the match needs. Moose would still seem to be the heavy favorite and was treated like a monster here, but there are a good many options (six I believe).

Moose and Callihan get in a shoving match post match.

Callis looks worried to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The point of this show was to make me want to see Under Siege and they did that well enough. It still isn’t a show that means very much with both main events being matches designed to set up things later but they made it fairly interesting here. That’s a tricky thing to do and they did a nice job here, so well done enough.

Results

Havok b. Rosemary – Tombstone

El Phantasmo b. Ace Austin, TJP, Rohit Raju, Petey Williams and Acey Romero – Arm trap faceplant to Williams

Willie Mack b. Sam Beale – Six Star Frog Splash

David Finlay b. Karl Anderson via DQ when Kenny Omega interfered

Brian Myers b. Crazzy Steve – Rollup with a grab of the rope

Sami Callihan/Chris Bey/Moose b. Chris Sabin/Matt Cardona/Trey Miguel – Package piledriver to Sabin

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 6, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re still in the early days of the Kenny Omega era and we are also on the way to Under Siege. Since Omega isn’t working that show, we need his #1 contender, meaning the six way #1 contenders match at Under Siege needs some more qualifiers. That’s what Impact is for at the moment so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Chris Sabin vs. Rhino

James Storm and Violent By Design are here too. They trade arm control to start until Sabin sends him outside. Back in and Rhino hits him in the face before hammering Sabin down in the corner. The neck crank goes on but Sabin fights up and hits a discus forearm. There’s an enziguri to put Rhino on the floor and a rollup gives Sabin two back inside. Deaner offers a distraction though and Rhino pokes him in the eye to take over. Sabin is fine enough to kick out the knee to block the Gore though and la majistral finishes Rhino at 6:46.

Rating: C-. Just a match here as almost anything involving Violent By Design has almost no interest. The team feels like a bunch of people thrown together to give Eric Young something to do, and since Young is injured, the team does not exactly seem like it matters all that much. They aren’t the worst by any means, but Rhino felt like an obstacle rather than a threat, which only kind of worked.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Brian Myers is annoyed at losing to Matt Cardona so he wants another qualifying match. He runs into Rosemary, who says he has no one to blame for his problems but himself. Myers doesn’t buy it, so here is Black Taurus to run him over. Rosemary gives him a card, which seems to suggest that he is having bad luck.

The Elite thinks that was hilarious but Don Callis says they need to focus on winning more matches. That’s why tonight it’s Doc Gallows vs. Juice Robinson.

Susan vs. Taylor Wilde

Kimber Lee is here with Susan. Wilde cartwheels out of a waistlock to start but Susan can’t do the same. Instead Wilde throws her down as Striker talks about all of the styles that Wilde uses. Susan sends her into the corner but misses a legdrop as Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K come out to watch. Wilde’s German suplex sends Susan to the floor, setting up a hurricanrana to take her down again. A quick glare at Dashwood doesn’t change anything, as Wilde hits a bridging German suplex for the pin at 2:28.

Post match Dashwood comes in to pose for a photo with Wilde, who doesn’t seem interested.

Deonna Purrazzo isn’t scared of Taylor Wilde but Susan and Kimber Lee need to earn the right to have her join them at ringside. Decay comes in and, after scaring off the interviewer, seem to threaten Purrazzo. Havok comes in to say she wants a shot as well, so a flustered Purrazzo says they can fight for a title shot.

W. Morrissey says no one knows him but he knows that all of the fans left him as soon as he started to fall apart. Everyone he thought he knew in this business was a phony but now he has risen from the ashes. At Under Siege, he’s starting with Willie Mack.

Rohit Raju vs. Trey Miguel

Under Siege qualifying match and Shera is here with Raju. They lock up to start with Miguel trying to pull him down so Raju bails outside in a hurry. Back in and they go to a test of strength with Raju taking him down, only to have Miguel nip up. That earns him a takedown and Raju is rather pleased as we take a break. Back with Shera getting in a cheap shot but Miguel strikes away at the face to put him up against the ropes.

What looks like a northern lights suplex is blocked so Raju suplexes him down for two. Raju knocks him to the floor and then takes it back inside to start cranking on the arm. A flying armbar makes it worse but Miguel flips over him and hits a jumping stomp to the back. They slug it out from their knees until Miguel suplexes him into a Kimura. That’s broken up as well until Raju crotches him in the corner and hits a hanging DDT. A Falcon Arrow into a Crossface has Miguel in trouble until he rolls out but gets kneed in the face. Miguel kicks him down again though and grabs the Hourglass for the tap at 11:27.

Rating: B-. Good back and forth match here as I continue to try and get my head around the idea of Raju actually being this entertaining. I know I say that rather often, but he was so terrible as part of the Desi Hit Squad. It’s amazing how much better it is to just have him as a guy instead of a guy there to make a legend look good. Miguel gets another boost here and it wouldn’t stun me to see him get the title shot.

Post match here’s Jake Something to knock Shera down and take out Raju as well. Yeah is name is still Jake Something.

We go to Swinger’s Palace and Alisha Edwards seems to have lost all of her money. Trey Miguel comes in and gets in a bit of an argument with the other people who have qualified for Under Siege over betting odds. James Storm insists he’ll be getting in too but Chris Bey gets in Storm and Chris Sabin’s heads over being tag wrestlers getting into singles matches. Storm doesn’t seem interested.

Doc Gallows vs. Juice Robinson

Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson and David Finlay are here too. Gallows goes straight to the eye to start and hits an uppercut in the corner. Robinson sends him into the corner to even things up and some left hands have Gallows down. Back up and Gallows big boots him out to the floor, followed by the rights and lefts to the ribs.

The chinlock goes on, though Gallows does give him a breather to drive in the elbows to the chest. Robinson fights out of another chinlock and dropkicks the knee out, setting up a running DDT for two. The big left hand drops Gallows but Robinson has to go after Anderson. A bicycle kick into the chokebomb (and a good one at that) finishes Robinson at 7:19.

Rating: C. Gallows still isn’t nearly as good of a big man as he is given credit for but he worked well enough here. This was about Gallows beating up Robinson, who kept trying to fight from underneath. The numbers game catching up with him made sense and it did a nice job with what they were trying. Also, the lack of Omega talking tends to help a lot.

Post match the beatdown is on so Eddie Edwards runs down for a failed save attempt.

Deonna Purrazzo, Susan and Kimber Lee are leaving when Scott D’Amore comes up. Next week: Havok vs. Rosemary for the Under Siege title shot.

VSK vs. El Phantasmo

VSK is an AEW Dark guy and Phantasmo is from New Japan’s Bullet Club. Phantasmo starts fast by jumping over him but VSK hits a dropkick into a backbreaker. A slam into an immediate splash (that’s a new one) gets two but Phantasmo is right back by putting him on the top. Phantasmo pulls him back down for a crash and a Lionsault gets two. VSK is right back with a rollup for two and a fireman’s carry backbreaker connects for the same. That earns him some kicks to the chest and, after possibly loading up the boot, Phantasmo hits a superkick for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: C+. Phantasmo is awesome, but this seemed to be more about building up VSK than anything else. That being said, it isn’t like Phantasmo needs that much of a build as he is the big guest star. VSK did look good in defeat, though it is kind of hard to say how much of that was him when he was in there with such an established name.

Rachael Ellering vs. Kiera Hogan

Jordynne Grace and Tasha Steelz are here too. An early Steelz distraction lets Kiera hit a superkick and it’s already time to stomp Ellering in the corner. A kick to the ribs has Ellering in more trouble but she avoids a charge in the corner. Ellering counters a neckbreaker but gets caught with a running knee to the head for two. The chinlock goes on but they get up and collide so Ellering can get in a kick to the head. There’s a backsplash for two, only to have Ellering miss a charge of her own in the corner and get kicked in the face again. They miss some shots to the face until Ellering hits a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 4:33.

Rating: C-. They didn’t really have a good way to go here as you don’t want either of them losing, though in this case, it makes more sense to go with the person who is still new to the company (yet is somehow a champion). The action was hardly great, though that has never quite been Hogan’s strong suit. It wasn’t exactly great, but it did what it was supposed to do….I think.

Don Callis comes up to Moose in the back and brings up football coach Jimmy Johnson. Callis talks about Johnson saying stars should be treated like stars, which is what Moose certainly is. Why is he in some qualifying match when he is already a star? Moose tells him to shut up, but Moose might be slightly convinced.

Fire N Flava are annoyed at the loss but Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering come up. Trash is talked until Grace vs. Steelz is set for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

James Storm vs. Moose

Final Under Siege qualifying match. Storm’s headlock doesn’t last very long and Moose shoulders him away without much effort. A shot to the face knocks Moose outside though and Storm adds a dropkick through the ropes as we take a break. Back with Storm being sent to the apron, where Moose blocks the enziguri in the corner. Moose dumps him outside without much effort and sends him knee first into the barricade.

The knee is rammed into the floor as well, followed by some stomping back inside. Moose talks a lot of trash but Storm fights up and gets in a few right hands, only to get knocked back down. A running dropkick to the knee connects in the corner and Storm is in even more trouble. The leglock goes on but Moose gets caught holding the rope. That’s fine with Moose, who works on the knee even more with some cranking. Moose misses a charge though and Storm slugs away, including the Thesz press with right hands to the jaw (there’s a Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan joke in there somewhere).

The Codebreaker rocks Moose again and there’s a tornado DDT for two. Moose is back up with a tackle to the knee though and we hit the half crab. That doesn’t last long either so Moose goes up, with Storm pulling him into the Eye of the Storm….but the leg gives out. Storm takes his time getting up but manages a Last Call out of nowhere. The knee is too bad to cover though and Moose hits the spear for the pin at 16:08.

Rating: B. This was close enough to a main event style match to fit in this spot. Moose working on the knee throughout the match and then having it play into the whole thing worked out well. Moose has been primed for the title shot for a long time now and beating Storm feels like something that matters. Good match in the right spot with the right result so that’s a nice job.

Post match Moose Pillmanizes the leg with Chris Sabin running out just a bit too late for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. They had a very streamlined show here to set up a lot of Under Siege in a hurry. It was almost weird having a bunch of singles matches in a row but it was what they needed to do here. The six way could go to multiple people and they set up enough stuff for the coming shows to make this a pretty good use of two hours.

Results

Chris Sabin b. Rhino – La majistral

Taylor Wilde b. Susan – Bridging German suplex

Trey Miguel b. Rohit Raju – Hourglass

Doc Gallows b. Juice Robinson – Chokebomb

El Phantasmo b. VSK – Superkick

Rachael Ellering b. Kiera Hogan – Swinging Boss Man Slam

Moose b. James Storm – Spear

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 29, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We’re done with Rebellion and Kenny Omega is the new World Champion. That could make things interesting around here, though I’m almost worried to see how Omega treats this show. Other than that, we have the rest of the fallout to deal with, which should open some interesting options. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rebellion if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Rebellion, which was quite the big card.

A bunch of guys come up to Scott D’Amore because they want a title shot at Kenny Omega. Scott tells them to go to the ring and he’ll deal with this. Don Callis pops up to say Omega will be here on Zoom but D’Amore says he’s either here in person or he’s stripped of the title and suspended from Impact and Dynamite (as per the Rebellion contract).

Opening sequence.

Here is D’Amore with the roster around the ring. D’Amore praises Rich Swann but says there is no rematch clause, so we need a new #1 contender. Therefore, at Under Siege, there will be a six way match to find Omega’s first challenger. We’ll be having qualifying matches over the next two weeks so let’s start right now.

Jake Something vs. Chris Bey

Bey makes sense, but what is the qualifying process for getting into these matches? Jake takes him into the corner to start and, after kicking out of a sunset flip, blasts Bey with a clothesline. Bey gets him caught in the ropes though and it’s a top rope elbow to the back of the neck as we talk about everyone waiting for Omega to arrive.

A top rope clothesline gives Bey two but Jake punches him in the face. Jake’s powerbomb is countered but the sitout powerbomb plants Bey for two. The Art of Finesse is broken up and Jake blasts him with a clothesline. Bey bails into the corner so Rohit Raju grabs Jake’s foot, allowing Bey to roll him up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C. Jake continues to be nothing more than a jobber to the stars/midcard stars and that is probably the right place for him. Not only is the name a bit much to take, but he hasn’t won anything of note in a long time. Bey is someone who has all kinds of potential and while he won’t be getting the title shot, he is someone worth putting into a #1 contenders match to see how he does.

Don Callis tells Kenny Omega to take the jet and get here as soon as possible. Sami Callihan comes in to laugh at the idea of Omega and Callis’ plans going up in smoke. Oh and he’s coming for what is his.

Taylor Wilde feels like her decade away is gone because she’s here for Impactpalooza. Tenille Dashwood comes in to say Wilde is here to be her partner. Actually Wilde is here for Deonna Purrazzo’s title, which Dashwood thinks means a Tag Team Title shot. Wilde: “No.”

Here’s what’s coming tonight and next week.

Sam Beale vs. W. Morrissey

Before the match, Morrissey says you know his face but not him. This industry is full of bad people but he isn’t afraid to shot it. Morrissey runs him into the corner to start and hits a running kick to the ribs. There’s a big clothesline and a Jackknife to finish Beale at 1:22. Simple and effective here.

Kimber Lee isn’t worried about Taylor Wilde being back. Deonna Purrazzo is going to let Lee and Susan go out there without her, and NO she is not scared of Wilde. She seems a bit more anxious after everyone else leaves.

Willie Mack doesn’t get why new people pick on him, but he’ll face W. Morrissey at Under Siege if Morrissey is interested.

Taylor Wilde vs. Kimber Lee

Susan is here with Lee. This is Wilde’s first match in over ten years and her theme music sounds like kids shouting LET’S GET WILDE. Brown thinks Lee looks like a princess, with Striker telling him to let it go. Lee jumps her at the bell to start fast but Wilde snaps off some armdrags. A wheelbarrow into a failed leglock attempt doesn’t get Wilde very far so we take a break.

Back with Lee holding a full nelson with her legs and then bridging her over for two. Wilde slips out and tries another leglock, with Lee bailing to the ropes. Susan gets in a shoe to Wilde’s face but she is right back with a shot to the face for two. Some kicks give Lee two but a top rope backsplash hits knees. Now Wilde can get the leglock, which is something like a modified Indian deathlock for the tap at 9:43.

Rating: C-. I’m still a little confused as to why Wilde was brought back in, though she was completely acceptable here. Lee and Susan are fine as lackeys for Purrazzo, though I’m not sure how interested I am in Wilde running through them to get her title shot. Wilde worked well enough here though and she’ll get better when the rust is gone.

Post match Susan jumps Wilde but Tenille Dashwood makes the save.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Ace Austin wins a six way match at Rebellion 2019.

Moose comes up to Scott D’Amore and asks why he’s in the qualifying matches. D’Amore tells him that he has his chance to get the title shot but Moose doesn’t seem thrilled. James Storm comes up and hands him a sack lunch, which he’ll need for their match.

X-Division Title: Ace Austin vs. Josh Alexander

Austin, with Madman Fulton, is challenging. Alexander takes him down by the arm and cranks away as Striker complains about having to worry about Kenny Omega all the time. A backbreaker gives Alexander two but he misses a kick to the face. Instead Austin goes for his ankle and takes him into the corner for the stomping. Austin’s kick to the face connects and it’s time to elbow Alexander in the head.

That lets him cut the finger with the playing card but Alexander is fine enough to break up a springboard. Rolling Chaos Theory out of the corner plants Austin and Fulton needs to give him some coaching. Back up and Alexander hits kind of a powerbomb for two but Austin is back with a knee to the face. That earns him an ankle lock, which is quickly broken as tends to be the case.

Austin kicks him in the face for two but Alexander punches him right back down. They head to the apron for an exchange of kicks until Alexander plants him with a World’s Strongest Slam on the apron. Fulton’s missed charge sends him knees first into the steps but Austin hits Alexander in the face back inside. A Phoenix splash hits Alexander….in the feet at least but a hurricanrana out of the corner is countered into a powerbomb onto the knee. The ankle lock makes Austin tap at 11:10.

Rating: B-. These matches have been the wrestling portion of a lot of the shows as of late and that is what you can always use on a show like this. Alexander is someone who might not be the most thrilling personality but he can go in there and have a good match with just about anyone. I still want to see Austin go a lot higher than he already is, but putting Alexander over is the right idea here.

Don Callis is still trying to get Kenny Omega here when Johnny Swinger, who owes $20,000 in a lost bet from Rebellion, comes up. Callis offers to let him off the hook if he can drive Omega here, with Swinger saying to page him the details. Callis: “Page?”

We look at Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering winning the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Rebellion.

Grace and Ellering are happy with their win but here are Fire N Flava to yell a lot and set up the rematch at Under Siege.

Matt Cardona vs. Brian Myers

Rematch from Rebellion and an Under Siege qualifying match. The brawl starts on the floor before the bell before they head inside to officially get things going. Myers runs him over early and Ryder comes up favoring his knee. They head outside with Myers sending him knee first into the steps as we take an early break. Back with Myers cranking on the knee and taking it out again to put Cardona down.

Cardona rakes the eyes to get out of a leglock but Myers wraps the knee around the post instead. Back up and Myers manages to get a knee up in the corner, setting up the middle rope dropkick. Something like a Sky High plants Myers again but the knee gives out, allowing Myers to put him down again. Myers gets a bit too cocky though, allowing Cardona to hit Radio Silence for the fast pin at 9:20.

Rating: C. The knee work was fine here and it makes sense to have Myers get too cocky before losing to a fluke pin. Cardona is another name who isn’t likely to win anything in the end but at least he is someone fresh near the main event scene. Impact needs to build up some newer names and Cardona would fit that category, even if he never actually gets anywhere near the title.

Violent By Design says the war isn’t over and disappointment can elicit more violence. They will be represented in the six man scramble because the sickness will not win.

El Phantasmo is coming from New Japan. If he just has to.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards

Another Under Siege qualifying match. They start fast and it’s an early standoff as we take a break thirty seconds in (because that’s a good schedule). Back with Sami raking the eyes in the corner as Brown talks about having a rival he wanted to rip apart but remembering that he had something bigger in mind (meaning X-Pac, because Brown actually has a history to draw on). Sami grabs something like a standing Crossface but Eddie sends him into the corner for a super hurricanrana. Eddie cuts off a charge to hit the Blue Thunder Bomb for two….and here are Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers for the double DQ at 9:04.

Rating: C. I was starting to wonder how they were going to fill in the Omega thing at the end and still finish the match so the solution was to combine the two. I can see why you don’t want either of them losing here, though I’m almost scared of the shenanigans this is going to lead to for the Under Siege match. These two work well together though so it was hard to get annoyed at this one.

Post match the beatdown is on, including FinJuice getting dropped for trying a save. Callis says everyone got what they wanted to end the show. It’s amazing how much more tolerable Omega was when he didn’t say anything.

Overall Rating: C+. I can always go for a show that has a point and follows through on it over the course of the show. Aside from a title match and a few other things, this was all about getting to the six way match at Under Siege. We had a good, easy to watch show as a result and the Omega thing, while fairly manufactured drama, kind of fit for what they’re doing with him. Nice followup to the pay per view here so I’m rather surprised.

Results

Chris Bey b. Jake Something – Rollup with feet on the ropes

W. Morrissey b. Sam Beale – Jackknife powerbomb

Taylor Wilde b. Kimber Lee – Indian deathlock

Josh Alexander b. Ace Austin – Ankle lock

Matt Cardona b. Brian Myers – Radio Silence

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards went to a double DQ when Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers interfered

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.

Is there anything else to talk about this week?

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/new-column-expedition-belt-collecting/

Rebellion 2021
Date: April 25, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega, title for title. I would talk about the rest of the show but none of it matters in the slightest, which you would know if you have been watching the TV shows. Nothing else has gotten any significant attention in the build, which does make some sense. Hopefully it lives up to the considerable hype. Let’s get to it.

The opening sequence focuses on Omega vs. Swann, with Omega talking about how being the best goes so far beyond being the best in the ring. The rest of the card gets far less attention.

X-Division Title: TJP vs. Ace Austin vs. Josh Alexander

Austin, with Madman Fulton, is defending. Alexander and TJP go after the champ to start with Austin kicking Alexander in the head. TJP gets taken down so Alexander goes for the ankle lock on Austin. That’s broken up so Alexander gets caught in TJP’s Octopus hold. With that not lasting long either, TJP sends them both outside where Austin bails out of a Lionsault. Striker goes into a speech about how Ace Austin isn’t in the new Micro Brawler series while TJP is, which will have Austin wondering why a kid is playing with TJP and not him. Brown: “Actually Austin is in the series too.” And we move on.

With Alexander on the floor, Ace loads up the (special edition) playing card on TJP’s hand but the referee takes it away. Alexander comes back in and captures Austin’s arm for something close to a German suplex as Striker talks about how we don’t need two referees. Everyone is back in and Austin monkey flips TJP into Alexander’s powerbomb but kicks Alexander in the ribs, allowing TJP to snap off a hurricanrana instead.

TJP is back up with a running boot to Austin in the corner, setting up a superplex/Russian legsweep combination to put everyone down at the same time. Back up and Alexander goes for the ankle lock on Austin but gets pulled into TJP’s kneebar. That’s fine with Alexander, who grabs an ankle lock on Austin at the same time.

Everyone escapes as I try to get my head around the odds of holds like that only happening in TJP matches. With that broken up again, we get another triple submission with the same result. The Fold is broken up so Alexander hits Divine Intervention on TJP with Austin making the save. Alexander locks Austin’s ankle but TJP comes in with the Mamba splash. Fulton breaks up the cover, leaving Alexander to hit Divine Intervention to pin Austin at 11:11.

Rating: B. That’s all this should have been and it worked out well. Above all else, they didn’t stop with the action and that is how they set the match up over the last few weeks. I like Alexander winning the title as he has needed to show that he can do something without Ethan Page. Now he can go and have one good match after another with just about anyone so I’m certainly pleased with the result. Now hopefully they can come close to living up to this level.

We run down the card that you already paid to see.

Violent By Design is ready for an eight man tag, even with Eric Young injured. He talks to someone we can’t see and says that they are getting the chance to start something. Whoever it is isn’t ready for the full thing, but they can do something tonight.

We recap Violent By Design vs. Chris Sabin/James Storm/Willie Mack/Eddie Edwards. Violent By Design are all evil and want to hurt people so the other four are standing up to them. Eric Young is hurt though and we are going to need a replacement.

Violent By Design vs. James Storm/Willie Mack/Eddie Edwards/Chris Sabin

The mystery partner is….W. Morrissey, better known as Big Cass (that is a horrible ring name). Sabin kicks at Rhino’s arm to start as Eric Young is sitting on the stage in a chair. It’s off to Storm, who shoves Deaner into the corner so Morrissey can come in. Morrissey looks great as Storm punches him in the face and then catches him on top. A big boot knocks Storm to the floor and Morrissey knocks the rest of the team off the apron.

It’s off to Doering to run Storm over for two but Storm hits a running neckbreaker on Rhino. Mack comes in off the hot tag to clean house as everything breaks down. Deaner and Rhino get caught in the Tree of Woe for some running kicks, followed by Storm’s top rope elbow to Deaner for two. Morrissey tags himself in and starts running people over, including taking out Sabin’s leg on the apron.

Storm cannonballs off the apron to drop Rhino and Sabin catches Deaner on top….for the superplex onto the pile (with Deaner slipping so the landing wasn’t great). Back in and Mack Stunners Doering to the floor but Morrissey is back in for the East River Crossing and the pin on Mack at 10:07.

Rating: C. Morrissey is the story here and he looked good at what he did. The question, as usual though, is what is going on in his head. If he can have the mental side of things down, he could be quite the asset. That and if you don’t bring Enzo Amore in as well, because that comes off as little more than a rehash of something that was only so good in the first place. Good debut here and a fun match, though I’m not sure how far the team can go without Eric Young.

We recap Brian Myers vs. Matt Cardona. Myers seemed to want to reform the team but Cardona wanted to do something on his own for once.

Brian Myers vs. Matt Cardona

Myers slaps him in the face instead of shaking hands so Cardona unloads on him in the corner. The Reboot is loaded up but Myers bails to the floor and takes Cardona out with him. Myers gets sent over the barricade, where he manages to snap Cardona’s back over the steel. Cardona gets hit in the head and they go inside for some elbows to give Myers two. The chinlock with a knee in the back goes on for a bit until Cardona fights up to make the clothesline comeback.

They head outside again with Cardona nailing Radio Silence to put them both down. Myers is up first with a spear and they head back inside with an elbow giving Myers two. Cardona is back with an Unprettier for two and can’t believe the kickout. More Radio Silence is broken up and Cardona’s knee buckles on the landing. The referee calls for help and Myers checks on Cardona….before decking him. The Roster Cut finishes Cardona at 9:48.

Rating: C. I’ve seen worse as they both brought the anger and intensity. Throw in the pretty well done false injury angle at the end and they had some good stuff here. Cardona and Myers need to get away from each other, but the ending seems to suggest that we aren’t done yet. And get Myers a better finisher, because it’s still just a clothesline.

Tony Khan is here and lists off all of his AEW job titles. He has Aubrey Edwards here as his referee for the main event but Scott D’Amore has Brian Hebner. Khan: “What’s your last name again?” They’ll both referee the main event.

We recap Fire N Flava defending the Knockouts Tag Team Titles against Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering. Grace needed a partner after Jazz retired so Ellering debuted to get the title shot.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering vs. Fire N Flava

Fire N Flava is defending but here is Jazz to second the challengers, which Striker treats as the biggest thing that he has ever seen. Ellering powers Hogan around to start and lifts her up to block a headlock attempt. Grace comes in to throw Hogan around as well but it is too early for the Grace Driver.

Steelz comes in for a kick to Grace’s face for two before taking her into the corner for the stomping. Hogan comes in to stomp away but Grace powers her way over for the hot tag to Ellering. House is cleaned and everything breaks down, with the champs being sent to the apron for stereo missile dropkicks for stereo near falls.

Grace is back up and backdrops Steelz over the top but she grabs a cutter on Ellering on the way down (while crashing onto the apron). Grace leaves a dive mostly short and Hogan dives onto everyone at once. Steelz and Grace knock each other down on the floor as Ellering forearms Hogan into a fisherman’s suplex swung forward into a spinebuster (that’s a new one) for the pin at 9:24. Jazz added nothing here.

Rating: D+. Sure why not. It’s not like the titles have any meaning or that there are more than a few regular teams to go after them in the first place. Ellering and Grace winning doesn’t change much but you had to take the titles off of Fire N Flava sooner or later so this works as well as anything else. The botches didn’t help things and the ending was flat, but it could have been miles worse.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Trey Miguel. Trey came back recently and Sami wants him to show more passion. This has involved hurting him over and over so tonight it’s Last Man Standing so Miguel can show his heart.

Trey Miguel vs. Sami Callihan

Last Man Standing. Sami starts fast by sending Miguel outside in a huge crash for a seven count. That works for Callihan, who follows him out but gets caught with Sliced Bread on the floor. Miguel swings into a hurricanrana to send Sami down again but the suicide dive only hits barricade. Brown: “Where is Sami going now?” Striker: “Mentally? Physically? Spiritually?”

They head up to the stage with Miguel being powerbombed onto an anvil case. It’s time to open said case with Sami finding and throwing away a wrench. Instead he pulls out some chains to wrap around his fists to knock Miguel down again. The wrench is put into Miguel’s mouth because we need to do something out there in a Callihan match. They head inside with a bunch of weapons included, including a table being turned upside down with the legs being set up.

Callihan isn’t having any of Miguel’s comeback and slams him onto the open legs for the scary spot of the night. Miguel is sat on top with Sami throwing a chair at him, setting up a super piledriver not through the table, because that table is very sturdy. They both beat the count and head outside as Striker quotes the Bible about never turning back.

Sami sets the steps on their side on the floor and piledrives Miguel onto the side for another nasty crash. The steps are laid on top of Miguel but he slips out the other side, which Striker thinks is like a magic trick because Striker is easily impressed. A huge cutter from the apron through the table is enough to finish Sami at 15:35.

Rating: C+. Yes there were a lot of impressive spots and Miguel showed heart, but if a super piledriver onto a table doesn’t finish you, why in the world should someone try a wrestling move on you? That slam onto the steps looked great though and Sami is going to be at his best in something like this, so I’m not surprised that this wound up working out as well as it did.

We recap FinJuice vs. the Good Brothers for the Tag Team Titles. FinJuice took the titles from the Brothers and then went back to New Japan, so tonight is the big rematch. The Good Brothers want their titles back and are extra serious this time.

FinJuice vs. Good Brothers

The Brothers are challenging with Doc Gallows looking rather Jesse Venturaish during their entrances. Finlay takes Anderson down to start and Robinson gets dropped onto him for two as the champs take over early. Anderson shrugs off the arm cranking and it’s off to Gallows for the rights and lefts in the corner. A double bulldog gets two on Gallows but he’s back up to power Finlay into the corner.

Gallows hits a kick to the head for two and we hit the chinlock. Some hammer elbows keep Finlay down until Gallows puts him on the middle rope. That’s fine with Finlay, who scores with the middle elbow elbow to the jaw. The hot tag brings in Robinson to clean house, including a backsplash to Gallows. A dive to the floor takes Gallows down again and the jabs put Anderson down as well.

Everything breaks down, with Striker talking about FinJuice being influenced by the Hart Foundation, Demolition and….the Smoking Gunns? Gallows is knocked to the floor so FinJuice can load up a Doomsday Device, only to have Gallows break it up. The belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination gets two on Robinson but Finlay is back in to break up the Magic Killer. A small package Anderson to retain at 10:32.

Rating: C+. And with that, we have proof of which team is the most Japan of all time. I’m rather surprised at the lack of a title change but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Young Bucks being brought in to become the bestest tag team ever in the history of ever. Good enough match, but hearing all of the Japan references and having FinJuice leave for a month didn’t help my interest.

Don Callis is ready to see Kenny Omega win the Impact World Title because he is in Rich Swann’s head. Callis and Omega are family but Swann is an orphan who isn’t going home with his toy. Callis has envisioned this for years and tonight it is reality.

We recap Tenille Dashwood vs. Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts Title. Purrazzo is the unstoppable champion who cam make anyone submit while Dashwood is obsessed with herself and wants the title to prove her great she is.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Tenille Dashwood

Purrazzo is defending, Susan, Kimber Lee and Kaleb With A K are all here. Purrazzo goes straight for the arm to send Dashwood bailing away in a smart move. A clothesline gives Purrazzo two and it’s time to wrap Dashwood’s arm around her own throat for a chinlock. Back up and they trade shots to the face, setting up the Tarantula on Purrazzo. A high crossbody (warranting a three sentence description from Striker) gives Dashwood two but Purrazzo is right back with the German suplex.

Dashwood is right back with an STF but Lee offers a distraction, drawing Kaleb With A K over. The brawl is on outside and Dashwood hits the Spotlight Kick. Lee pulls Dashwood to the floor to break up the count, allowing Purrazzo to hit an exploder back inside. The Fujiwara armbar is countered with a quick roll so Purrazzo settles for the Queen’s Gambit and the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go very far with everything else going on. At the same time, there is only so much that you can do with a heel vs. heel match without the most detailed reason for a feud. Purrazzo is rapidly cleaning out the division but odds are some free agents/the returning Taylor Wilde should give her some fresh opponents.

Post match the beatdown seems imminent but Taylor Wilde returns and cleans house, setting up the staredown with Purrazzo.

We run down the upcoming Impact Plus slate, capped off by a video for Slammiversary in July, featuring Samoa Joe, Chelsea Greene and Mickie James.

We recap Kenny Omega vs. Rich Swann, World Title vs. World Title. Omega came in and was treated like the greatest thing ever so Impact World Champion Swann didn’t think much of it. Then Omega pinned him in a six man tag, setting up the title vs. title match. Swann has as much chance of winning tonight as I do of winning the 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Championship so let’s get to the inevitable.

Impact Wrestling World Title/AEW World Title: Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega

Title or title, Eddie Edwards, Willie Mack and Tony Khan are here, Mauro Ranallo is on commentary, there is a referee from each company and Don Callis does an amazing over the top introduction for Omega, listing off every legend he can think of, all of whom are beneath Omega. Swann gets knocked down to the floor in a hurry but is right back with a dropkick to the floor. There’s the big flip dive to take Omega down again but he is right back with a belly to back suplex onto the apron.

They head back outside with Swann loading up the handspring cutter onto the apron but loses momentum and lance on his head instead. Back in and a buckle bomb rocks Swann again, meaning it’s time to work on Swann’s back injury. Various shots to the back, including some rather big knees, keep Swann in trouble. The Kitaro Crusher is avoided though and Swann kicks him in the head. Ax handles to the back are shrugged off and it’s a hurricanrana to drop Omega again.

A super hurricanrana gets one on Omega and he goes up again. This time Swann follows but has to backdrop his way out of a superbomb (with Omega almost landing on his head). The Phoenix splash gives Swann two but Omega is back with the Dr. Willy Bomb. The V Trigger looks to set up the One Winged Angel, with Swann escaping in a hurry. Another V Trigger connects in the corner, followed by another into the snapdragon. Another snapdragon connects but Swann is back up with the handspring cutter.

Swann tries it again but Omega pulls the Impact referee into it instead. Omega grabs a chair, which the AEW referee takes away. Swann hits the handspring cutter into la majistral for one, with Omega reversing into a cradle of his own for two. Another V Trigger misses and a spinning Michinoku Driver gets two on Omega. The Phoenix splash misses and it’s a V Trigger into an electric chair dropped into a German suplex for two more (ok that was cool).

Omega hits a Jay Driller for another near fall so, after some trash talk to Eddie Edwards, it’s another V Trigger. Swann gets fired up and manages a suplex for a breather but the Phoenix splash misses. Another V Trigger sets up the One Winged Angel to give Omega the pin and the title at 22:57.

Rating: B+. It’s a very good match, even with the ending that you knew was coming. Omega was always winning the title so he can do the belt collector deal, though I could have gone with at least trying for a little more drama. This match was built up as “Swann can’t beat Omega so watch Omega win the title” and that’s exactly what happened. They had some good action and tried, but this was all about getting to the ending that you knew was coming. That being said, points for not going too insane with everyone out there, even including the completely unnecessary ref bump.

Overall Rating: B. You had a rather good opener and an even better main event with nothing too horrible in between. This was actually quite the pay per view, as is usual for Impact. I’m really not sure where this goes for them in the future, but for now at least they had a rather good show. Just find the right way forward with Omega and the title and we’ll see what they can do, but they didn’t have a choice with the ending. Rather good show, book ended by a pair of awesome matches.

Results

Josh Alexander b. TJP and Ace Austin – Divine Intervention to Austin

Violent By Design b. Eddie Edwards/Chris Sabin/Willie Mack/James Storm – East River Crossing to Mack

Brian Myers b. Matt Cardona – Roster Cut

Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace b. Fire N Flava – Fisherman’s spinebuster to Hogan

Trey Miguel b. Sami Callihan – Callihan could not beat the ten count

FinJuice b. Good Brothers – Small package to Anderson

Deonna Purrazzo b. Tenille Dashwood – Queen’s Gambit

Kenny Omega b. Rich Swann – One Winged Angel

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.