IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 7, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

So tonight is all about attempted murder. Over the last few weeks, Eddie Edwards has vowed revenge against Sami Callihan and tonight they’re meeting in an unsanctioned street fight. Since Eddie is a little nuts, he’s promised to, and I quote, murder Callihan in the woods. This could be fascinating so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap covers most of last week.

Tag Team Titles: Drago/Aerostar vs. Z and E

Z and E (DJZ/Andrew Everett) are defending. Drago takes DJZ down by the leg to start but has to fight out of an armbar. Aerostar springboards in and flips forward around the ring about six times in a row. Back up and a whip into the corner lets Aerostar walk around the ropes as Callis wants to know how Aerostar’s mask stays lit up. Also, why doesn’t Everett throw water on him for an electrocution? There’s way too much attempted murder around here.

Some flips allow the tag off to Drago for a double elbow to the face as the champs stay in trouble. DJZ comes back in and hits an armdrag and headscissors but his double flip attempt is thrown down in a heap to put the champs in trouble again. We hit the chinlock on DJZ before a backdrop puts him on the floor for a break. Back with Everett coming in for a double handspring elbow and a dropkick for two on Aerostar.

The champs miss a double Lionsault (cool) and get double springboard dropkicked down for their efforts. DJZ suicide dives onto Drago and Everett adds an Asai Moonsault for another big crash. Of course Aerostar is right after them with a double springboard dive, followed by a rope walk hurricanrana for two on Everett. The moonsault hits raised feet though and the ZDT sets up a 630 from Everett to end Aerostar at

Rating: C+. If Z and E are an indication of how things are going to go around here with the new regime, I’m all for it. They’re a pair of talented guys who didn’t get to do anything before so let’s throw them together and give them something to do. Not everyone needs to win a title but when you have these talented guys in the X Division, why shouldn’t they get a title run? It’s not like the division is full of teams so make one and let them see what they can do. I mean, if this run winds up being a failure (and there’s no sign that it will be), is that much worse than Scott Steiner as a champion in 2018?

The announcers recap/preview.

Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams argue over the X attacker and Williams leaves.

Video on Su Yung winning the Knockouts Title last week.

This week’s classic clip: Rob Van Dam vs. Tommy Dreamer from Turning Point 2010.

The returning Diamante comes to the LAX clubhouse and wants to know what’s going on. So they’re really bad at communications? King comes in and things get a little more serious. Homicide comes in as well and leaves with a briefcase as tensions rise.

Cult of Lee vs LAX

LAX has King with them. The Cult gets beaten down in short order and Santana’s dropkick gets two on Lee. Some double teaming puts Santana in trouble and the announcers talk about the idea behind the Cult, which still doesn’t quite work. I mean, they’re just not really cultish and Lee doesn’t seem to be ahead of Konley in superiority.

Santana rolls out of a rollup attempt and backflips into a cutter, allowing the double tag to bring in Ortiz and Konley. Everything breaks down and Lee German suplexes Santana so Konley can get a quick rollup for two. Ortiz is back in though and it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant into a cutter to give Santana the pin on Konley at 7:24.

Rating: C-. LAX getting back on the winning track is the right move and that should mean good things for both them and the division. There’s a story to be told there with Konnan missing and the team falling apart but getting back together when King is around. If Konnan comes back later on, it could get very interesting very fast.

Here’s Eli Drake with the returning Fact of Life. Since it’s been a long time, he’s going to name the Top Five Dummies in Impact Wrestling. First up at number five, the entire crowd, who is just jealous of Eli. Number four, the man who eats bananas, Austin Aries. More on that later. Number three is Impact management. Number two….it’s the Impact fans again, YEAH! That leaves us with number one and it’s Moose. Eli wants to face Moose next week in a #1 contenders match so here’s Moose to respond. The fight is on and Drake hits a low blow and a Gravy Train before turning the podium onto Moose. The match is on for next week.

Brian Cage vs. Rohit Raju

Raju gets all fired up and kicks Cage in the face, only to eat Weapon X for the pin at 1:16.

Post match here’s X-Division Champion Matt Sydal to say his third eye shows him weakness in Cage. An F5 leaves Sydal laying.

Preview for next week’s card, including Moose vs. Drake and Sydal vs. Cage.

Edwards is in the woods and tells the cameraman to film everything, including death.

Austin Aries joins Josh via Skype and won’t say where he is on vacation. Aries doesn’t care who he faces at Slammiversary and says it doesn’t matter how he won the World Title because all that matters is he won. While Aries doesn’t care who he faces at Slammiversary, he expects Drake to win because of his experience.

Last week was the Slammiversary press conference. Johnny Impact is back after getting married and, of course, GAIL KIM WAS THERE! Yeah she’s from Toronto where the show will be held but what’s the excuse the rest of the time?

Madison Rayne talks about what a big deal it was to beat Tessa Blanchard last week. She wants to get the title for the sixth time.

Tessa Blanchard says she didn’t lose last week because she’s not a loser. Kiera Hogan comes in to laugh a bit and gets thrown down. Hogan shoves an anvil case into her legs and gets stomped down next to a garbage can.

Moose is all fired up to win the title shot next week.

Eddie is hunting through the woods and demands that Sami, who can be heard shouting, come out and face him. Sami appears but Jake Crist jumps Eddie instead, earning him a choking with a branch. Eddie pulls a big piece of wood out of his car but Dave Crist pops out of the trunk to jump him. That earns him a hood slam onto his back and now it’s Sami for the big showdown. Eddie strikes first but Sami uses the bat to block the stick. Sami goes for the eyes and tries to stab him with a bull skull but gets rammed into a tree and monkey flipped.

A branch to Sami’s head draws blood (with the camera cutting in good time to show the branch touching the head, then Eddie screaming, then Sami gushing blood) but before Eddie can kill him, cue Alisha and Tommy Dreamer (in a Lucha Underground shirt) in a car (How did they know where this was happening? And how did Eddie and Sami know where to be? “In the woods” is a pretty generic location. How formal was the agreement for the attempted murder?) but the distraction lets Sami get away. Eddie hits Tommy with the bat in frustration and screams that it’s never over to end the show as Alisha tends to Tommy.

This felt like something similar to the Final Deletion matches but nowhere near as over the top. Eddie continuing to snap and get further and further into his obsession with Callihan is a good story but I’m not sure how far it can go. There has to be a blowoff at some point and that’s likely to take place at Slammiversary, though I’m not sure how it’s going to end.

Overall Rating: C-. This definitely wasn’t a wrestling heavy show (at least in the second half) and focused more on storylines and getting things ready for Slammiversary. Therefore it’s not a great show on its own but it’s a show that will do them something good for the future. This company has a good history of succeeding on the bigger shows and if they build it up well, Slammiversary could be no different.

Results

Z and E b. Drago/Aerostar – 630 to Aerostar

LAX b. Cult of Lee – Wheelbarrow Cutter to Konley

Brian Cage b. Rohit Raju – Weapon X

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 31, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s a big night tonight with the Under Pressure special, headlined by Austin Aries challenging Pentagon Jr. for the Impact Wrestling World Title. Pentagon won the title last month at Redemption in a three way but Aries is getting his rematch in a singles match. Other than that, Allie is defending the Knockouts Title against Su Yung in a casket match. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, Sonjay Dutt held a talent meeting (because Sonjay is a boss around here) about the X attacks. The locker room says they have to stick together.

We get a rapid fire series of hype videos about the entire card.

Opening sequence.

Eli Drake vs. Scott Steiner

They were Tag Team Champions and fell apart due to colliding egos. Drake talks trash to start and gets shouldered down, followed by the overhead belly to belly. A slingshot shoulder drops Steiner but the Push Up Elbow gives Steiner two. They head outside with Steiner driving him into the barricade but getting posted to cut him off again. Back in and Drake misses a Lionsault, only to put Steiner up in an electric chair for a throat first drop drop across the top rope. Steiner shoves the referee away so Drake sneaks in a chair shot for the pin at 6:13.

Rating: D. That needs to be it for Steiner as he’s not exactly doing anything in the ring or on the microphone, the latter of which being the only thing he’s good for anymore. Drake didn’t get much of a rub off the win but it was short and he got a quick Tag Team Title run out of it so now he can move on.

Callis and Matthews talk about the rest of the show.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Madison Rayne. Tessa debuted a few weeks ago and talked about how she was that much better than everyone else. Madison didn’t like it and the match was set up as a result.

Madison Rayne vs. Tessa Blanchard

Feeling out process to start with Tessa scoring off a quick tilt-a-whirl slam. A kick to the face gets two on Madison and Tessa dropkicks her in the back, allowing more cockiness and trash talk. Tessa grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two and we hit the chinlock. Madison fights back up with a northern lights suplex but a hanging Downward Spiral cuts her right back off and gives Tessa two. Some swearing at the referee looks to set up the hammerlock DDT but Madison reversed into a rollup for the surprise pin at 6:09.

Rating: D+. I’m sorry what? I would really hope that this is leading somewhere else as Madison hasn’t done anything in forever and Tessa is as complete of a package as they’ve had in a long time. They did seem to be suggesting that Madison won on a fluke because Tessa was too cocky, but I’m really not sure about having Tessa lose in any way so soon after she debuts.

LAX is in the clubhouse and Kingston has some rather fetching women for the guys, plus a match with the Cult of Lee next week.

Video on Brian Cage wrecking people around the world.

Dezmond Xavier vs. Brian Cage

Dezmond gets shoved around by raw power to start but manages a dropkick to send Cage outside. A running splash and some kicks have very little effect so Cage throws him back in. Xavier’s DDT is thrown away with a butterfly suplex and we hit that Terminator clap. Dezmond is smart enough to hit and move, including another kick to send Cage to the floor for a Space Flying Tiger Drop (I love wacky Japanese names for moves). Back in and the Final Flash gets one and that’s about it for Dezmond’s already limited chances here. The Drill Claw gives Cage the pin at 5:40.

Rating: D. Dezmond got in a lot here but the ending was never in doubt. I can appreciate a good monster, especially one with such a great look, and it’s nice to have the designated victim getting in some offense. Cage is just more important than the lower card of the X-Division and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Cage as a World Title contender by the end of the year.

Austin Aries says he’s the man who makes the belts matter because that’s how it works around here. Back in the day he breathed some life into this place and that’s what he’s going to do tonight. This time it’s one on one and we get to find out what Pentagon Jr. has. He may have no fear, but after tonight he’ll have no title. Good promo.

We recap Allie vs. Su Yung. Allie is terrified of Yung, who made it even worse when she got rid of Allie’s freaky friend Rosemary. Now Allie seems ready to tap into the dark side to defeat Yung once and for all.

The undead bridesmaids bring out the casket.

Knockouts Title: Allie vs. Su Yung

Allie is defending and comes out with the Rosemary face paint, which actually works very well for her. The champ wastes no time with some clotheslines and a suplex into the corner as Yung seems freaked out by the paint. Yung takes her down into a bodyscissors and calls for the casket to be opened, forcing Allie to look at it. Back up and Allie misses a charge into the corner but fights out of the casket. A running clothesline off the casket drops Yung and we take a break.

Back with Allie missing another charge and getting kicked in the face, knocking her backwards with her legs underneath. Yung’s chair is kicked away with Allie using it for a Codebreaker instead in a smart counter. A superkick knocks Yung into the casket but she gets her leg out for the save. That means the Mandible Claw to knock Allie out, giving Yung the title at 11:48.

Rating: C-. Nothing much here but Allie losing makes sense. Rosemary is going to be gone for a long time and there’s a story to be told with Allie maturing and eventually fighting back against the evil Yung could work. The division is very stacked with heels right now though and I’m not sure who else could take the title from Yung.

From Destination X, the Last Rites match between Sting and Abyss. This would be the one where the fans chanted FIRE RUSSO.

Pentagon has no fear and knows that Aries is great, but he’s not great enough.

Diamante thinks there’s something up with LAX and Kingston.

Petey Williams, who was the most vocal in the talent meeting, is found standing over Sonjay with the X symbol over him.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards.

Eddie is ready to go murder Sami in the woods (his words) and tells Alisha to stay here.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr.

Aries is challenging and his Grand Championship isn’t on the line. Pentagon takes his time on the floor and Aries takes him down with a suicide dive to start fast. The champ puts him up against the post and chops away, hitting the post on the second attempt. They get inside for the opening bell and Aries has the Last Chancery in short order. With the hold broken in short order, Aries ties the string from the mask to the ropes.

You do NOT do that to a luchador and Pentagon gets fired up, only to eat a missile dropkick. Aries sends him face first into the middle buckle and the middle rope elbow to the back gets two. They slug it out with Pentagon kicking him outside and we take a break. Back with Pentagon chopping even more and hitting the back to back Sling Blades.

Hang on though as Aries gets back in and swears a lot, saying this needs to restart. Pentagon is game and gets forearmed into a Death Valley Driver onto the apron. Since it’s a World Title match, Pentagon pops up and hits the Fear Factor on the apron. That means another double countout at 18:40 but, of course, we start it again at Pentagon’s insistence. Aries tells the referee to ring the bell, kicks Pentagon low, and hits the brainbuster to regain the title at 20:21.

Rating: B. This felt very much like an Impact main event: long (in a good way) and doing its job, but nothing that is going to be remembered in a few hours. These matches just don’t have the best staying power and that’s part of why Impact has issues getting anywhere: Aries turning heel is smart, but am I supposed to be upset that Pentagon got screwed? I don’t know much about Pentagon other than a catchphrase. In other words, build up the characters and this will be better.

Overall Rating: C+. These special episodes work rather well for Impact as they take their time and get through everything that they’re supposed to. The matches might not have been good and at least one booking decision was questionable, but the storytelling was fine for the most part and that’s what they need to get down. The X attacker continues to interest me, but egads they could blow that horribly. Overall not a great show, but the good storytelling made it work well enough for a big night.

Results

Eli Drake b. Scott Steiner – Chair to the head

Madison Rayne b. Tessa Blanchard – Rollup

Brian Cage b. Dezmond Xavier – Drill Claw

Su Yung b. Allie – Yung put Allie in the casket

Austin Aries b. Pentagon Jr. – Brainbuster

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 24, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re back to an old problem that this show has had many times before: not much is really standing out. Sure there’s some good stuff going on, but it’s not exactly sticking as something that leaves much of an impact. The big stories are still Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr. and Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards, but they’re both starting to feel a bit long. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long and rather detailed recap of last week’s show. That’s a good idea.

Opening sequence.

OVE vs. Drago/Aerostar

Drago wastes no time in diving onto everyone with a corkscrew dive and Aerostar adds a springboard trust fall dive. They head inside for the opening bell and Jake kicks Drago in the head. We hit a very early chinlock but Aerostar comes in for the save. A dropkick to the face keeps Dave in trouble but Jake kicks away to take over. We go split screen to show Eddie Edwards arriving with a kendo stick and ignoring his wife’s pleas for him to stop. Cue Eddie with the stick to hit Jake in the back for the DQ at 4:40.

Rating: C-. I was starting to get into this one as OVE was doing the stuff that made them work in the first place. The Eddie goes psycho stuff is interesting but I’m almost worried about where it’s going to go. Eddie as a psycho who eventually goes full heel could have potential and it seems that they’re going that way, though I’d be worried about an attempt to make Sami a face in some twisted way.

Post match Eddie’s wife Alisha pleads with him to stop but six people have to hold him back.

Post break Alisha yells at him but Eddie vows to destroy Eddie. She accuses him of becoming Sami.

The announcers talk about next week’s show.

LAX vs. Cult of Lee

They head outside for a brawl to start as the announcers talk about LAX needing to win to get back on track. Ortiz gets sent into the steps and Santana posts himself by mistake (that’s the kind of problems some good Konnan advice could prevent) as we take an early break. Back with Ortiz in trouble and getting forearmed in the face.

A belly to back gets two but a suplex into a Stunner is enough for the hot tag to Santana. Everything breaks down and a Death Valley Driver/DDT combination (cool) gets two on Konley. LAX loads up some kind of a double team with a wheelbarrow slam but Lee pulls Ortiz to the floor, allowing Konley to roll Santana up (with trunks) for the pin at 11:39.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere with the break in the middle but the downward spiral for LAX continues. I’m curious to see how they get out of this, especially with the chance that Konnan isn’t coming back. LAX is a good team and it’s clear that they have something in mind for them, though they need someone new to feud against.

Jimmy Jacobs says Moose is the problem and Kongo Kong is going to solve that tonight.

KM is giving Fallah Bahh another pep talk. They run into Grado and Katarina with KM asking what she sees in him. Apparently she likes big guys.

To fill in some time, here’s a segment from 2013 with Jeff Hardy and Bully Ray hyping up their World Title match at Lockdown.

We look back at Madison Rayne saving Kiera Hogan from Tessa Blanchard last week.

Madison says the Knockouts Division is built on respect and doesn’t like the bullying she saw last week. Tessa comes in and rants about Madison getting involved in her job. Next time, meet her in the ring. That’s what she did last week.

DJZ and Andrew Everett know they can compete with any team and will face anyone. Scott Steiner and Eli Drake come in for some yelling. This turns into Drake and Steiner arguing.

X-Division Title: El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal is defending. Fantasma offers a handshake so Sydal bows to him and touches the mask. A quick takedown has Sydal glaring up at him before sending Fantasma to the apron. That’s fine with the masked one who headscissors Sydal down for two and the champ begs off. An armbar into something like a one armed cobra clutch has Fantasma in trouble and a standing legdrop gets two.

Fantasma fights up and a baseball slide puts Sydal on the floor as we take a break. Back with Sydal being dropped face first onto the steps but avoiding a top rope double stomps. The Thrill of the Kill is broken up so Fantasma grabs a modified Indian Deathlock of all things. With that not working, he just slams Sydal’s knee into the mat but Matt grabs his stacked up cradle to retain at 13:18.

Rating: C+. I’m still not wild on Sydal as champion with this third eye thing which isn’t fitting him very well. Granted it’s still better than having Josh Matthews there, which didn’t fit him either. Fantasma did well enough here and is fine for something like this, at least with putting on a good singles match instead of a messy four way spot fest.

LAX rants about everything falling apart when Eddie Kingston comes in. He says Konnan is in a good place and that he’s the next in the chain of command. It’s time to get LAX back to where they were before by getting them back to their roots.

Video on Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr.

The announcers talk about the World Title match and say they’ve stepped up security to prevent attacks this week.

Dezmond Xavier vs. Petey Williams

The winner gets to face Brian Cage next week. Feeling out process to start with Xavier’s headlock takeover not getting him anywhere. Some standing switches go nowhere so Xavier hits a great dropkick for two. A headscissors to the floor has Xavier down and we take a break. Back with Petey grabbing a chinlock and getting two off a belly to back suplex. Petey takes him to the corner but gets German superplexed back down.

That means a big flip dive to the floor but it’s too early for the Final Flash. The delayed Downward Spiral plants Xavier and a crucifix gives Petey two. Petey’s slingshot Codebreaker isn’t enough to set up the Canadian Destroyer do Dezmond kicks him in the head. The backflip kick to the head sends Xavier on to next week at 12:01.

Rating: C+. They were really starting to turn it up at the end but that wasn’t enough to make it especially good. I’m glad they went with Xavier as he’s more interesting than Williams, who still only has one move for the most part. I need more to a match than hearing him trying for the Destroyer fourteen times in a match.

Allie is in Rosemary face paint (that actually works very well) and says she knows this isn’t what Rosemary wants but it’s how it has to be.

Next week, Allie defends against Su Yung in a Last Rites (casket) match.

Moose vs. Kongo Kong

There’s no Jimmy Jacobs in sight this week. Kong shoves him away to start and hits the big clubbing forearms to the back. Moose’s dropkick doesn’t have much effect so they head outside with Moose being sent hard into the steps. The Cannonball crushes Moose against the steps and gets two back inside.

We hit the nerve hold (as required), which Kong makes look even lazier than usual. A shot to the back cuts Moose off but he wants Kong to hit him even harder. The running corner dropkick finally puts Kong down but the Game Changer is countered into a fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. Kong’s top rope splash misses and it’s three straight bicycle kicks to set up a slam. The spear puts Kong away at 8:56.

Rating: D. Moose was trying here but there’s a firm limit on what you can do with Kong. That nerve hold in the middle looked terrible and it was more of the fat man offense that looks embarrassing instead of anything good. I’m hoping we don’t get another match between these guys because Jacobs wasn’t here. Kong needs to go away for good and hopefully slaying the monster causes just that.

Post match the X logo appears on screen and we see a recap of the attacks. A voiceover talks about death riding with him as we see Jacobs down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a really flat show with nothing really standing out and little of interest. Some of the wrestling was perfectly fine but it didn’t make me want to see more. The X attacker is interesting, though you can pretty easily pencil it in as Brian Cage (not a bad thing). It’s nice to have something to keep you interested, because Drake arguing with Steiner, the same tag matches we’ve seen for a long time and Sydal with the third eye isn’t doing it for me.

Results

OVE b. Aerostar/Drago via DQ when Eddie Edwards interfered

Cult of Lee b. LAX – Rollup with trunks to Santana

Matt Sydal b. El Hijo Del Fantasma – Stacked Up Cradle

Dezmond Xavier b. Petey Williams – Backflip kick to the head

Moose b. Kongo Kong – Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 17, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Josh Matthews

Last week’s main event wasn’t the most interesting as it left us without many places to go in the World Title scene. Pentagon Jr. easily dispatched Eli Drake and likely only has a rematch with Austin Aries to go. Other than that, it’s hard to say where things are going to go around here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the big stories, including Brian Cage’s World Tour, the X attacker and Sami Callihan jumping Don Callis last week.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: DJZ/Andrew Everett vs. Eli Drake/Scott Steiner

Drake and Steiner are defending. Everett and Drake start things off but DJZ comes in for an early double spinebuster. Steiner gets in a shot to the back though and a neckbreaker drops DJZ. The belly to belly (not butterfly Josh) suplex gets two and it’s back to Drake to drive DJZ into the corner.

Steiner’s super Samoan drop plants DJZ but not well enough as a kick to the face allows the hot tag to Everett. Everything breaks down and Drake tries the Gravy Train on DJZ but a Codebreaker from Everett sets up a Code Red for a rather creative near fall. Drake breaks up Everett’s springboard but Steiner chairs Drake in the head by mistake. A quick standing shooting star from Everett is good for the pin at 6:22.

Post break the new champs celebrate and say it’s been a long road for the both of them. They’ve been a team for ONE WEEK. I know that’s not exactly what they were going for but it was a bad line.

Madison Rayne is here for commentary for the next match.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Kiera Hogan

Kiera jumps Tessa right after the bell (nothing wrong with that) and Madison approves. Unfortunately that means Madison was doing commentary, which really isn’t her strong suit. Tessa is right back with a forearm and a hanging Downward Spiral to really take over. The trash talking begins but Kiera comes back with forearms and a step up Fameasser for two. That’s it for Kiera though as a cutter and a hammerlock DDT are enough to give Tessa the pin at 4:06.

Rating: D. Just a squash to get Tessa off the ground and likely the start of a setup for Madison vs. Blanchard. That’s not the most thrilling thing but it’s better than having Madison on commentary. She doesn’t have much emotion and is really analytical, which doesn’t make for the best wrestling announcer. Blanchard looked good though.

Post match Blanchard stays on Hogan but Madison comes in for the save.

Earlier today Grado and Katarina accused Jimmy Jacobs and Kongo Kong of being the X attacker. Jacobs threatened Grado with Kong so Katarina set up the match.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards, focusing on Sami’s series of attacks on various people, which drove Eddie over the edge.

Pentagon Jr. is ready for tonight’s tag team main event because he’s brought the Chocolate Champion (I don’t get it either) El Hijo Del Fantasma.

Kongo Kong vs. Grado

Can they just destroy each other? Oh and we’re never getting an explanation for how Grado is allowed back are we? Grado walks away from him to start before his right hands have no effect. A single uppercut drops Grado and a belly to belly gets two. Grado’s punches and Bionic elbow don’t do much but a top rope shoulder puts Kong down for a second. That’s about it though as a hard slam sets up the top rope splash for the pin on Grado at 3:34.

Rating: F. Imagine that: taking two of my least favorite people on the roster and putting them in a short, nearly comedy match wasn’t something I was going to enjoy. Kong is still a big fat guy who is nowhere near as impressive as Impact thinks he is while Grado is a small, uninteresting guy who is nowhere near as entertaining as Impact thinks he is. And those are their good points.

Post match Katarina bails as Grado gets hit with the steps but Moose comes out to break up another attempt.

LAX runs into the Cult of Lee, who laughs about Konnan being gone. I’m sure a match is coming.

Tommy Dreamer tried to talk Eddie out of the street fight but Eddie won’t hear it. This ends when Sami has no blood left.

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan

Street fight from House of Hardcore. Eddie wastes no time and attacks him before the bell, including a kick to the face. A suicide dive knocks Sami into the barricade and there’s something metal to the head. Josh gives us a full history of Sami being all evil until Sami gets in a pipe shot to the ribs. Eddie knocks a spike out of Sami’s hands but a Death Valley Driver on the ramp cuts Eddie off. They head to the ring (which they haven’t been in yet) and Eddie DDTs him on the apron, allowing them to finally get inside.

A kendo stick duel goes to Eddie as Josh compares this to Dreamer vs. Raven. At least they’re just saying what they’re doing this time. Sami spits in Eddie’s face and goes low, setting up Get Outta Here for two. Two chairs are set up and a Falcon Arrow onto them gives Sami two more in what I thought was the finish. Back up and the Boston Knee Party gives Eddie the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C. So what’s the next match? I mean, you know that’s not going to be the end of the feud so what do they have next? My guess: something else where Sami is despicable and Dreamer tries to talk Eddie out of doing this because of something that happened in ECW twenty years ago and Sami is the most evil, horrible thing in the world while still not being anything more than someone who can’t get by without bad brawling. Just a hunch of course.

Post match Eddie chokes him with the bat until security comes out for the save. Dreamer comes out to stare at him as I wonder how well an Eddie heel run could go. Just don’t have him join Sami in some nonsensical turn.

From Destiny World Wrestling in Canada.

Brian Cage vs. Facade

Thankfully Josh gives us a quick bio on Facade, which is still more than when Cage beat the Noah World Champion last week. Facade gets thrown around to start and a powerbomb against the post makes things even worse. For some reason the cameras are staying on a wide shot, which isn’t the best look for a wrestling show. Some chops in the corner have Facade in trouble and a swinging full nelson slam gets two. We’re clipped to a pumphandle faceplant getting two on Facade, followed by a sitout Alabama Slam for two. Weapon X is good for the pin at 7:50 shown.

Rating: D+. The match quality was nothing compared to what we got last week but Josh told me something about this guy and Cage won in a squash from what we saw. This was Cage going around wrecking everything in front of him and it was a fun squash. I got more out of this than I did last week and that’s the point of this whole Cage deal.

From No Surrender 2011, Austin Aries beats Brian Kendrick.

Earlier today, KM praised Fallah Bahh on his weight loss. Next up, hair care. And a tie over bare chest. Bahh tried to hit on Kiera Hogan.

We recap the night.

We run down the card for next week and Under Pressure, two weeks from now. Aries will challenge Pentagon Jr. for the World Title in the main event.

We go to a cemetery where Su Yung and the undead bridesmaids are burying Rosemary. They drop the casket and set it on fire as Yung hisses. Nothing else is said.

El Hijo Del Fantasma/Pentagon Jr. vs. Austin Aries/Matt Sydal

Sydal and Fantasma start us off in a preview of next week’s title match. A headlock takeover gets Fantasma out of early trouble and it’s a standoff. Fantasma snaps off a hurricanrana and a double tag gives us Aries vs. Pentagon. The champ says CERO MIEDO and gets bopped on the chin. A kick to the ribs cuts Aries off and it’s time to go for the arm, sending Aries to the floor and us to a break.

Back with Pentagon superkicking Aries from the apron and Fantasma’s suicide dive getting caught on the ropes. Pentagon takes Aries back inside and grabs a chinlock, followed by What’s Up with Pentagon as D-Von and hitting a dropkick instead of a headbutt. A wheelbarrow Codebreaker combination gets two on Sydal but he’s right back up with a jawbreaker/backbreaker combination to both masked guys.

Aries’ slingshot corkscrew elbow keeps Fantasma in trouble and a top rope ax handle rocks him again. Sydal knees Aries in the face though and the hot tag brings in Pentagon for the Sling Blades. Fantasma’s cutter drops Sydal but Matt hurricanranas him off the top. Pentagon Jr. breaks up the shooting star with a superkick and the Thrill of the Kill gives Fantasma the pin on Sydal at 19:05.

Rating: C. Completely standard main event tag match here with two feuds put together to make a tag match. Fantasma pinning Sydal is fine and the right way to set something up for next week. Aries vs. Pentagon still doesn’t feel big no matter what they do, which is part of what’s wrong with Impact as a whole. The World Title should feel bigger than at least almost everything and that’s just not the case right now.

Overall Rating: D+. As usual, the problem with the new regime shines through: they’ve completely stabilized the stories but they’re not the most thrilling. Pentagon vs. Aries feels like nothing special, I forgot that Sydal was X-Division Champion, the comedy stuff isn’t funny and the Tag Team Titles are on life support because there are about three teams and Scott Steiner just lost a title. They need something interesting and big, which hasn’t been the case in a good while.

Results

Andrew Everett/DJZ b. Eli Drake/Scott Steiner – Standing shooting star press to Drake

Tessa Blanchard b. Kiera Hogan – Hammerlock DDT

Kongo Kong b. Grado – Top rope splash

Eddie Edwards b. Sami Callihan – Boston Knee Party

Brian Cage b. Facade – Weapon X

El Hijo Del Fantasma/Pentagon Jr. b. Austin Aries/Matt Sydal – Thrill of the Kill to Sydal

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

Commentary needs to tell us things.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-cool-tell-us/

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 10, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Josh Matthews

We’re still dealing with the Redemption fallout while also starting the build towards Slammiversary. Tonight’s big deal is Eli Drake cashing in his Feast or Fired briefcase for the World Title shot against Pentagon Jr. You also have Austin Aries roaming around near the title and some other people aren’t far behind. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Josh Matthews in the studio talking about Sami Callihan wrecking a recent ceremony in Don Callis’ honor. Apparently Sami is livid at Callis for throwing in the towel to save Eddie Edwards at the WrestleCon show and wanted revenge.

There’s currently a meeting going on regarding Sami’s future. We’ll cut into whatever to let you know the outcome.

It’s off to the ceremony in Toronto with Anthony Carelli (Santino Marella) giving Callis an award. Cue Sami to attack Callis and beat him down while busting him open. Fine angle, but Callis has been on camera around here for less than a month. That’s quite a lot of faith to bet on fans caring about something like this.

The regular opening video talks about Drake vs. Pentagon.

Opening sequence.

Andrew Everett/DJZ vs. LAX

Santana and DJZ start things off with a rather speedy exchange until Ortiz comes in for some double teaming to take over. It’s off to Everett for a failed fireman’s carry gutbuster as Santana is keeping his eyes open for anyone trying to interfere. Santana’s cutter gives Everett two and Josh gives us updates on the meeting: it’s still going on. I’ll take nothing new Josh over nitwit/stupid/self praising Josh. Everett rolls over into a kick to Santana before rolling over to DJZ for the tag.

DJZ sends them together so Ortiz DDTs Santana in that spot that is still so stupidly contrived. A double kick takes DJZ down but a double kick takes LAX down. Everything breaks down and DJZ tornado DDTs Ortiz, only to walk into a Santana superkick. Everett hits a very good looking top rope Asai moonsault to drop Ortiz but Ortiz is up a few moments later for a suicide flip dive. The Street Sweeper is broken up and DJZ rolls Ortiz up for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: B-. This is a good idea as there’s only so much you can do with a two or three team tag division. Everett and DJZ aren’t breaking the mold or anything we haven’t seen before but the division needs bodies right now and there’s nothing wrong with that. LAX’s downward spiral is interesting and I’m kind of curious to see what’s behind the whole thing. Nice match too.

Grado is still waiting on his girlfriend but Joseph Park says he smells a rat. Cue Katie Lea Burchill/Winter (now known as Katarina) name she’s going by now to hug Grado and say she’ll see “James” (Park) later.

Austin Aries wants Eli Drake to win tonight because he knows he can beat him.

Rohit Raju vs. Grado

Before Josh can say it: WHO IS THE DESI HIT SQUAD AND WHY SHOULD I CARE? Raju jumps Grado while he gives Katarina his hat but can’t suplex the rather rotund one. Some running boots to the face in the corner give Raju two and we hit the chinlock. Grado is back with a side slam and a falling splash, which Josh calls unique. That would be true, if Ortiz didn’t do the same thing in the previous match.

We go split screen for a second to show that the meeting is still going. Grado takes too much time with his dancing punches and gets kneed in the face. A swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two but Grado is right back with an elbow to the head and the Cannonball for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D. I never cared for Grado in the first place and now I’m not sure if he’s supposed to be a heel or a face. By nature he’s a face but if you put a hot manager with anyone, it’s going to make them a heel almost by default. Unless Katarina is with him to stay in the country or just using him or something, I’m not sure I get this.

Joseph Park is the latest X victim. Given that one of his finishers is called Weapon X, Cage is a possible suspect.

Video on Tessa Blanchard, who has wrestling in her blood and has to be the best.

Eli Drake and Scott Steiner are in the back with Drake saying tonight, he becomes the new belt collector. Steiner doesn’t like the idea of Drake saying he’ll do this himself.

Drago vs. Aerostar vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma

Lucha rules and the winner gets a future X-Division Title shot. Now that’s all I ask. Ishimori and Fantasma are sent to the floor in about thirty seconds, leaving Drago and Aerostar to trade covers. The other two replace them in a hurry and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two on Ishimori. A good looking middle rope moonsault to the floor drops Drago and we take a break.

Back with Drago kicking Fantasma in the mask and hitting an ankle scissors to take Fantasma down again. Ishimori comes back in with a Regal roll for two on Drago. All four get back in and Fantasma superkicks Drago down. Ishimori drops Fantasma as well and all four are down for a bit. Drago is sent outside for a dive from Ishimori, followed by a dive each from Fantasma and Aerostar. Back in and Aerostar powerbombs Ishimori into the corner for two but the Thrill of the Kill gives Fantasma the pin on Aerostar for the pin at 16:43.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have the energy or the pace as last week’s six man but thank goodness they did something about giving us a new #1 contender. You can’t have these guys out there doing all kinds of crazy stuff and popping the crowd and not move them up, at least a little bit. Good match here, as you probably expected.

Eddie Edwards goes into the meeting and demands that Callihan not be fired. Management tells him to do what he has to do away from the Impact Zone.

From House of Hardcore in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Moose vs. Kongo Kong

Joined in progress with Moose hitting a dropkick but getting thrown to the floor. Kong follows him out and whips Moose into the barricade as Josh talks about Callihan and Edwards over and over. Kong’s waistlock doesn’t get him very far so he sends Moose shoulder first into the post. Moose switches to a more simplistic offense by shouldering him down but Jimmy Jacobs comes in with a chair for the DQ at 6:08.

Rating: D. Leave it to Kong to pull the good match streak to a grinding halt. I still don’t care for these matches from outside promotions but at least they have something here where it’s continuing a storyline with people we know. Unfortunately one of those people is Kong and I still have no clue why he’s getting so much time, unless he works for dirt cheap.

KM wants Fallah Bahh to become the best man that he can and we get shots of them screaming into the camera.

Montage of KM training Bahh to make him lose weight while eating various bad food. Bahh passes out.

From Pro Wrestling Noah and if what I can find is correct, this is from June 4, 2017.

Brian Cage vs. Takashi Sugiura

Joined in progress with Cage hitting a delayed vertical suplex, followed by a standing moonsault for two. Josh: “If the Avengers ever needed a new member, and they do after Infinity War, they should get Brian Cage.” That’s getting rather close to a spoiler. Cage hits the apron suplex for two more but Sugiura knees him down and hits some running knees in the corner.

A superplex attempt is broken up but Sugiura snaps off a top rope hurricanrana to put both guys down. There’s a buckle bomb to drop Sugiura and an F5 gets two. A German suplex and running knee give Sugiura the same but Cage blasts him with the Tornado Claw for two more. The Drill Claw is good for the pin on Sugiura at 7:49.

Rating: C. They really couldn’t find another match from within the last ten months and had to go this far back? The World Tour idea is fine but come up with something a little more recent. The match was watchable, though telling me who Sugiura was would have been nice, albeit completely beyond Josh’s capabilities. As someone who doesn’t watch Noah, I have no idea if that was a big, middle of the road or meaningless win for Cage, because I don’t know if Sugiura is an all time great, a midcarder, or a jobber. I’m sure I could find it, but Josh and Impact need to be telling us these things. Why that’s so much to ask, I’m not sure.

From Destination X 2009, Suicide wins the X-Division Title.

Allie is looking in a mirror and has flashbacks to last week. She finds a doll with a note pinned to it and opens it up. While we don’t see what it says, Allie looks a little disturbing when she looks in the mirror, almost like something is trying to take control of her.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eli Drake vs. Pentagon Jr.

Pentagon is defending and Steiner isn’t here with Drake. They trade catchphrases to start and Drake sends him into the corner to stand on his head. Back to back Sling Blades give Pentagon two as Aries is watching in the back, banana in hand. A powerslam cuts Pentagon off as we’re told that next week, House of Hardcore will present Edwards vs. Callihan in a street fight. At least there’s a storyline reason for going to another promotion this time.

We hit the chinlock for a bit before Pentagon headscissors Drake out to the floor. A superkick to the ribs knocks Drake out of the air and the Codebreaker out of the corner gets two. The Gravy Train doesn’t work and Drake misses a top rope Lionsault, allowing Pentagon to hit the Pentagon Driver for the pin at 7:09.

Rating: D+. Uh, where’s the rest of this match? Pentagon defends against a guy who was World Champion about three months ago and it’s barely hyped up and seven minutes long with a clean finish? We didn’t deserve a little more than that for a match like this? Anyway at least the briefcases are already done instead of having them hanging over our heads like the Money in the Bank briefcases so score one for Impact.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was on a roll in the first hour and then rolled off a cliff in the second with some bad matches and lame ideas that didn’t go anywhere. They’re doing a better job of setting up the other promotions’ matches as they seem to have a point now, at least some of the time. The show was watchable but they need to put it together in a better order to really make things work. That and get a louder bell. Seriously I had to rewind four matches tonight to hear where they started. Get something louder.

Results

Andrew Everett/DJZ b. LAX – Victory roll to Ortiz

Grado b. Rohit Raju – Cannonball

El Hijo Del Fantasma b. Aerostar, Taiji Ishimori and Drago – Thrill of the Kill to Aerostar

Moose b. Kongo Kong via DQ when Jimmy Jacobs interfered

Brian Cage b. Takashi Sugiura – Drill Claw

Pentagon Jr. b. Eli Drake – Pentagon Driver

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

Originally, I was going to write this article for Friday, solely based on this tiny storyline going on in NXT. Then I read Cordova’s Commentary on the “Not So” Greatest Royal Rumble. Great read on the women. Then I saw Impact. Then I saw Backlash. It seemed like I was getting more and more fodder for this. You know the drill with main roster WWE. Their love of buzzwords, twisting perception, etc. But one buzzword that actually seems to resonate with many in a positive manner is “Women’s Revolution”. In short, Women’s wrestling in North-American TV no longer sucks. It’s no longer about their looks. Not that those are bad things, but {most} wrestling fans have grown to be sophisticated and long for quality in the ring. You can’t blind them with just being tall on in the case of females, by having a large rack. WWE has in fact developed a complete generation of women and are already working on the second one. Just look at NXT the past few weeks.

Since Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title, we’ve gotten a completely clean slate on the division. There is no more Ember Moon who could be seen as the last of the first generation of women in NXT. She carried what Asuka left. Her streak, her dominance and before her was Bayley with the rest of the 4 Horsewomen. NXT is now starting clean, introducing us to the likes of Lacey Evans, Candice LeRae, Bianca Belair and one that has struck a cord with me lately: Dakota Kai.

See, Dakota has something I consider odd. When you binge Raw, Smackdown, 205, NXT and whatever other show WWE musters, you notice trends. And Dakota is breaking one by showing something a lot (and I mean A LOT) of people refuse to show in wrestling. Fear. She fears Shayna Baszler who broke her arm twice. Now to the “muy macho” world of WWE and pro wrestling at large, fear can be seen as synonymous with weakness. A big no-no for them. It shatters their image of manliness. Or wo-manliness here. Provided Saudi Arabia doesn’t make a generous donation. But fear is not a sign of weakness. No, it is a very powerful storytelling device that can show many things. Perseverance. Courage. Self-Improvement. That all starts with fear and can give a very dynamic story. Something you can see in say Jessica Jones where she fears Killgrave (The Purple Man for us real nerds) for the horrible things he did to her. That’s just one of many examples. But it gives Dakota Kai a point of interest and something very different to the norm. And if I do say so, a very positive story about how to deal with bullying if it does end up with Dakota eventually beating Baszler. It’ll certainly be better than Nia Jax dominating Alexa Bliss and then giving a pre-written Be A Star ad, that’s for sure.

But hey, that’s not the only dynamic story involving women on TV. Nope. Our pals on Impact Wrestling are also having their own “out of nowhere” renaissance of women’s wrestling. With Allie, Rosemary, Taya Valkyrie and Su Yung on top, Tessa Blanchard coming in, Kiera Hogan being an out of nowhere surprised. Last week Impact gave us something different when they headlined with Rosemary vs Su Yung. No, it wasn’t different because women closed the show. No, beforehand we saw what felt like a genuine friendship. Allie begging to help her best friend Rosemary who in turn, refused. Worried for her friend’s safely. The match takes place and Su Yung summons a casket. Planning to throw Rosemary in there, but Allie appears against the wishes of her friend to help. But just as Rosemary predicted, Allie falls in danger. But Su Yung ends up attacking Rosemary, driving her through a table as her best friend is forced to watch in horror. Now what? Allie disobeyed. Rosemary is hurt. Su Yung is still getting the upper hand. Is Allie heartbroken thinking this is all her fault? That is a gripping story right there. There’s emotions for you to grasp.

What’s Raw offering? Well, while people can relate to Nia Jax being bullied for her weight, that goes straight to the dumpster when you see her dominate a person a third of her size. As Backlash showed, fan’s did not buy it or her phony Be A Star promo afterwards. And what’s Smackdown offering? Not Asuka’s streak. Not a strong Charlotte reign. Nope. WWE decided to trade all that in favor of Carmella. Who in her second singles match of 2018 (besides the cash in) had a terrible match with Charlotte. That is what was selected to follow one of the best women’s matches in WWE history. It certainly was the best in Wrestlemania.

What’s my point? Well, it’s simple. The true appreciation for the “Women’s Revolution” doesn’t come from Raw and Smackdown who are yet to shake all the cobwebs of their “Divas” days. No, it still comes from the alternatives. Time will tell how WOH will shape up in ROH. But for now, if you want your women to be as dynamic if not more given the two examples above, than the men, you’re better off searching for it in NXT and Impact. It’s great that women now get to have big time matches and have prominent spots on your rosters but, we as fans also crave good storytelling to go with it and WWE’s main roster is just not delivering right now while it’s developmental field continues to show them up and now the same company that let themselves go for 5 years and fell on hard times is actually picking itself up to offer something WWE doesn’t yet again with it’s own new crop of women.

==

Thank you for reading. My name is AB Morales, Puertorican Dirt Sheet writer, a friend of KB for years. You can find and follow me here:

Facebook | Where I have my own personal blog with daily wrestling updates and even cover anime and videogames once in a while.

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Impacto Estelar | My own little Spanish Dirt Sheet site.

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground
Date: April 6, 2018
Location: Sugar Mill, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 1,400
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Matt Striker

Now this is something that caught my eye as soon as it popped onto the schedule. Lucha Underground doesn’t get a lot of play outside of its own universe so having it come somewhere else could be interesting. On top of that, given how many of its wrestlers wrestle for Impact as well, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Just please be more like Lucha Underground and less like Impact. Let’s get to it.

Of note, since this aired live on Twitch, you can watch it online free and legal right here:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/247553403

The opening video is a pretty standard collection of highlights of both shows. Nothing wrong with that.

After we hear Josh’s warmup and talking about how many people are there (it’s not that many more than the Impact Zone and you would expect him to be used to the huge crowds from his time in WWE), he and Striker welcome us. Striker: “Are you annoyed yet?” Oh sweet goodness it’s going to be a long night.

Melissa Santos and McKenzie Mitchell come out to handle the intros with the LUCHA chants almost drowning them out. Santos drops an F bomb because this is live and Lucha Underground is a little different than your regular wrestling promotion.

Matanza vs. Moose vs. Matt Sydal vs. Caleb Konley vs. Jack Evans vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Non-title (Sydal is X-Division Champion, which you would think would be PERFECT for a title match on this show.) and one fall to a finish. Chavo is out first and that means we hit the EDDIE chant. I’ll give them credit for the Matanza outfit: I never would have believed that he and Jeff Cobb were the same person. It’s that good of a costume change. Some people go after Matanza to start while the others are tossed out by Moose.

Of course it’s time for the early monster showdown and Moose TOWERS over Matanza. A shoulder puts Moose down but he nips up and dropkicks Matanza outside. Chavo and Konley get together to put Moose down but Evans comes back in for some lucha level snarling. Evans sends the two of them to the floor and does the crane kick pose at Sydal. A spinwheel kick takes Evans out of the air but Chavo is back in to run Sydal over.

Instead of, you know, calling the match, the announcers try to come up with Twitter hashtags for the show with Striker promising to block us. Konley kicks Chavo to the floor but Matanza is back in to run him over. Cue Moose for another power showdown with a second dropkick putting Matanza to the floor again.

Chavo takes Moose down as well and we hit the parade of dives. Jack tells the referee that he’s not the boss and caps the whole thing off with a springboard corkscrew dive. Back in and Moose spears Sydal down for two as it’s time to clean house. Konley takes him down with a hurricanrana and spinning backfist, only to get suplexed by Matanza. The Wrath of the Gods gives Matanza the pin on Konley at 6:40.

Rating: C-. This was too short for all the people involved and they didn’t do enough of Moose vs. Matanza, which should have been the draw of the match. The other four didn’t get much going due to the time and that made this better suited as a four way instead of six. With that many people in a match, you need a little more time.

Post match Chavo grabs the mic to announce that Lucha Underground is back on June 13.

Trailer for Season 4.

Video on Austin Aries vs. Alberto El Patron at Redemption. Oh how things would change.

We get a graphic for Trevor Lee vs. Famous B., which isn’t taking place either here. Leave it to TNA to screw something like this up.

Knockouts Title: Allie vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya, who wrestles in both promotions, is challenging. Josh manages to praise Gail Kim during Allie’s entrance so check your Bingo cards. With that out of the way, Striker pesters Josh about not knowing how to be annoying. My goodness Josh Matthews is the more professional announcer in this team. Allie grabs a waistlock to start and let’s talk about Gail Kim some more!

Taya shoves her off and talks trash, ticking Allie off so bad that she bounces off of Taya when trying a shoulder. Striker talks about how different characters mean wrestlers bringing different things to the fight as Allie can’t do anything against Taya’s power. A charge into the corner sends Allie face first into the buckle, allowing Taya to add running knees to the back.

Taya’s chop annoys Allie as Striker explains why wrestlers chop instead of punch. See, why can’t he do stuff like that more often? It’s off to a dragon sleeper to keep Allie in trouble but Taya insists that she was NOT pulling the hair. Taya rubs the face and that’s enough to annoy Allie all over again.

Allie runs her over in the corner and a dropkick knocks Taya into the corner for two. A sloppy release German suplex drops Allie on her head and there are some running knees in the corner for two of her own. The Road to Valhalla is broken up and Allie gets two off a DDT. Frustration is setting in so Allie hits a Codebreaker for the pin to retain at 9:15.

Rating: C. Not bad here and there’s something to these two if they’re given some more time. Taya has real talent and she’s going to be Knockouts Champion one day. For now though, Allie is a heck of a face champion. I guess you can call this the first Impact win if you really stretch and that’s a big pillar of this company so that’s a tie.

GWN Network ad.

Scott Steiner/Teddy Hart vs. OVE

Sure why not. Steiner is in a Wolfpac shirt and….aside from some weekly PPV era shows, I don’t think Hart has ever worked for either company. That would be another thing/person that you’re just supposed to know because commentary isn’t saying a thing about him. Is “he’s a member of the Hart Family and does some amazing athletic moves” be too much to ask for?

With Steiner waiting in the ring, Hart springboard moonsaults onto OVE. So it’s going to that kind of a show. Hart powerbombs Jake onto his knees (Striker: “What I would not give to see that done to you.”) and there’s a DDT to Dave. An electric chair into….something is mostly botched and you can hear the cringing. Steiner comes in but walks right back out again, leaving the announcers unsure what happened. Teddy gets taken into the corner and we’re in a quick chinlock.

Steiner walks into the ring, takes two steps, and goes outside again without the referee telling him to leave. With Teddy still in trouble, Striker thinks OHIO VERSUS EVERYTHING might have an “us against the world” mentality. Again: this guy is billed as smart. Jake hammers him down in the corner and Dave gets in some kicks to the head. Something like a Bank Statement has, I kid you not, Striker suggesting that Dave is shooting on Teddy, even explaining what shooting means.

Teddy gets a Code Red out of the corner and the hot tag brings in Steiner. The spinning belly to belly gets two as Matt tries to put Steiner over as some master of movement and psychology. A Downward Spiral plants Jake and it’s another suplex into the Steiner Recliner for the tap from Dave at 7:24.

Rating: D. That’s actually better than I was expecting here but Steiner was pretty much nothing here. It’s also a rather bad idea to have OVE, who are supposed to be a big deal, lose to this first time team with an old man and a nutjob who has barely ever wrestled for the company. To be fair this wasn’t a major pay per view or anything and it’s not like they gave Steiner the Tag Team Titles.

King Cuerno/Drago/Aerostar vs. Andrew Everett/Dezmond Xavier/DJZ

Now this is more like it. Striker explains the Lucha Underground characters and Josh sounds stunned. Drago and Everett start things off with a handshake and it’s time to go in a hurry. Everett misses a springboard before hurricanranaing Drago to the floor. It’s off to DJZ vs. Aerostar, the latter of whom front flips around the ring. A top rope corkscrew crossbody puts DJZ down again but he’s right back up with a middle rope slow motion back elbow.

Dezmond and Cuerno come in and the fans seem rather pleased. Cuerno poses at him and they take turns missing until Dezmond can pose right back. A good looking dropkick gives Xavier two and it’s time to strike it out in the corner. We get a little miscommunication but Xavier elbows him in the face for a quick save. Xavier scores with a neckbreaker and it’s Aerostar and Drago coming in at the same time.

DJZ crossbodies both of them down and hits the big flip dive over the top. Dezmond does his own cartwheel dive but Cuerno breaks up Everett’s dive. It’s Drago’s turn now with a flip dive onto DJZ and Dezmond, followed by Aerostar’s step up dive of his own. Everett breaks up Cuerno’s suicide dive though and the fans aren’t happy.

Another dive from Everett drops the pile and it’s finally time to head back inside. Drago superkicks away but Everett takes him down and gets two off a top rope moonsault with Aerostar making the save. The fans rightfully like that sequence and Aerostar rolling into a cutter on DJZ for two makes them even happier. The 619 around the post gives Dezmond two on Aerostar but Cuerno grabs an Indian Deathlock to make Everett tap at 10:18.

Rating: B. Take six guys and let them fly around for about ten minutes to have a lot of fun. That’s all you can want from a match like this but it was necessary after the previous match. All six guys got a chance to shine and this was what I wanted to see on this show. Good match here and I was digging it by the end.

Gail Kim video. SHE DOESN’T WORK HERE ANYMORE! Though she does have a GWN collection.

Trevor Lee vs. Famous B.

B. is a loudmouthed manager but he’s here in a suit. It turns out that B. has hired someone to wrestle this match instead.

Trevor Lee vs. Marty Martinez

Marty is, uh, insane. The announcers get in an argument over which sports metaphor to compare this to. Marty sends him outside and hits a scary looking dive over the top, nearly landing on his head. Famous B. gets popped in the face and the distraction lets Lee kick Marty down. The announcers debate gumbo and we get a Lash Leroux reference. Back in and Lee sends Marty into the buckle a few times but Marty decides to show him how it’s really done but ramming his own head in.

Trevor opts for a powerbomb for two instead and we’re off to a chinlock. Striker tries a Russian accent for some stupid reason so Josh ignores him and tries to say that these two are very similar. Really? These two? I mean, I still don’t get the cultish part of Lee but that’s just me. Marty gets a quick DDT and tries a moonsault but a Caleb Konley distraction lets Lee roll away. A rollup with trunks puts Marty away at 5:05.

Rating: D+. They were going for an “our weird guy vs. your weird guy” here but I’ve still never seen much that makes me think Lee is weird. I’ve never gotten the cult thing as he’s more just a country guy who wrestles a decent match. Marty impresses me more and more every time I see him as he feels like a maniac most of the time. You don’t get that too often and he sells it very well.

Tag Team Titles: LAX vs. Killshot/The Mack

LAX, with the returning Diamante in their corner, is defending and it wouldn’t be a WrestleCon show without Shane Strickland (Killshot) appearing. Ortiz and Killshot get things going with Killshot getting the better of it very early on. An arm trap northern lights suplex gives Ortiz two and he sends Strickland into a chop in the corner.

Santana comes in and gets kicked down by Killshot and it’s off to the Mack, who seems to have the fans’ interest. A hurricanrana puts Mack down and Striker starts singing with a Mexican accent for whatever reason. Mack does Jack Gallagher’s headstand in the corner but jiggles a bit for a bad visual. Killshot is back in for a chinlock but Santana fights up and backflips into a cutter on Mack. A falling splash gives Ortiz two and it’s off to Santana for a running kick to knock Killshot off the apron.

Ortiz isn’t about to be outdone and dropkicks Mack in the ribs, only to have Killshot come in to clean house. Santana kicks Killshot down and it’s a fourway knockdown. It’s Mack up first with a running boot in the corner as Josh wonders how the rest of the Impact Wrestling teams would react to Lucha Underground wrestlers holding the titles. He can ask one team and I can ask the other and we’ll compare notes. Killshot takes Ortiz up top in a fireman’s carry but throws him down into a Pounce (PERIOD!) from Mack.

It’s Santana back up though and slugging away at both challengers, only to get kneed in the head by Killshot. A powerbomb/top rope double stomp combination only gets two and the fans are WAY into this. LAX starts the double teaming and a Lionsault gets two on Mack with Santana being annoyed at the kickout. The Street Sweeper to Killshot is enough to retain the titles at 13:15.

Rating: B-. For a team without a bunch of experience together, Killshot and Mack were good challengers here and looked like a threat at times. LAX is a very polished team though and that’s the right way to go. The match was fun though and really, what more can you hope for in a stand alone show like this? LAX still needs better challengers though and it’s starting to show.

We get probably the fifth GWN network.

Eli Drake vs. Brian Cage

Cage is in both promotions as well. Before the match, Drake talks about how everyone is saying his name and he knows everyone here is a virgin. Drake is sick of hearing the fans cheer for Lucha Underground and boo Impact Wrestling because that’s cool. Well when is the last time Impact Wrestling took a midseason break and took that long to finish anything?

Cage comes out so Drake offers an alliance and the attempted cheap shot is casually blocked as we start fast. Cage throws him around and snaps off an overhead belly to belly. A superkick makes Drake yell a lot but then he collapses on a delay. Drake plants him with a DDT to take over as Striker wants to know if he can start arguing with Matthews. A jumping neckbreaker sets up a chinlock to slow Cage down some more.

Back up and Cage snaps off the hard clotheslines, meaning it’s time for the comeback. There’s a release German suplex and Josh says we have an announcement on the main event coming up in a few minutes. DUN DUN (Alberto is) DONE! Drake runs the ropes for a superplex but walks into a discus lariat to give Cage two. The Gravy Train is countered and Cage hits something like the Axhole for the pin at 7:11.

Rating: C. Cage’s rise to the top of the promotion continues with a clean win over a former World Champion. You don’t see that too often and it’s a good sign to see them pushing someone new like this. Cage is a fresh name in the promotion and the look alone gets your attention. I could go for more of both of these guys and that’s not something I can say very often around here.

Jeremiah Crane vs. Eddie Edwards

Crane is of course Sami Callihan and this is an I Quit match. For once we have a story here as Callihan crushed Eddie’s face with a baseball bat, sending Eddie completely over the edge in an effort to get revenge for the attack. Eddie wastes no time in suicide diving onto Crane before the bell. The announcers are referring to Crane as Sami Callihan, which is a little better than insulting our intelligence by suggesting anything else.

Eddie gets dropped back first onto the apron but it’s way too early for a quit. A spit chop keeps Eddie in trouble so he chokes Crane with a cable. They take turns accidentally chopping the post so Eddie goes to the back to find a pair of chairs. As usual, Striker gets annoying as he tries to say Eddie should have expected the baseball bat to the face. Two more chairs are stacked on top of Crane but Eddie throws him back inside instead.

Striker says more people are watching Impact Wrestling now because everyone loves a car crash. I’m too busy chuckling at that but thankfully it’s just Crane posing after knocking Eddie off the apron. Crane goes for the eye so Eddie hits a fisherman’s buster to put Crane on the floor again. They head back inside with Eddie having eight chairs to pick from. One of them is wedged into the corner and another is pelted off Crane’s head. Well Eddie is certainly versatile with his violence.

Crane gets smart with a low blow and a double underhook shoulderbreaker but a charge sends him into the chair. The yes or no question is received by swearing and the fans are very pleased so far. A bunch of chairs are pelted off of Crane’s head and the Boston Knee Party rocks him again. Eddie piles up a stack of chairs but Crane can’t quite powerbomb him through the pile.

Instead he settles for a Death Valley Driver to put Eddie through an open chair but there’s not even a question from the referee. Crane wraps the chair around Eddie’s neck and pulls back but Eddie won’t give up to “Solomon Crowe.” Nice touch. Now it’s time to drag in a piece of barricade but Eddie saves himself from going into the steel. Instead he powerbombs Crane onto the barricade in the corner for a big knockout.

Eddie still won’t let the referee ask if Crane quits though, instead grabbing some chairs. He loads up the chair on Crane’s chest just like Crane did to him but cue OVE for a distraction. Crane HITS HIM IN THE FACE WITH THE BASEBALL BAT and Eddie is done. Instead of letting the match end though, Crane loads up the said chair spot that started the whole thing. Cue Don Callis to warn Crane and throw in the towel to save Eddie at 20:10.

Rating: B. It was too early in the feud for an I Quit match but Crane is starting to become a solid villain. Now if only they can avoid having him talk, like, ever again, things can get even better. Eddie snapping and going crazy is a good character development for him as there’s only so much he can do with his pretty basic character. The wrestling is already there so this should help him some.

Moose runs in to save Eddie.

Video on the Redemption main event of Aries vs. El Patron.

The announcers praise each other and announce that Fenix will face Pentagon Jr. at Redemption. Cool indeed.

So about that announcement on the main event earlier? Alberto El Patron has no showed the event so the tag match has been turned into a triple threat match. The announcers don’t acknowledge Alberto’s absence, probably due to not knowing all of the details at the moment.

Austin Aries vs. Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr.

Non-title and Fenix and Pentagon are brothers. The fans start an F DEL RIO chant, which amuses me greatly. The guy is a multiple time World Champion and has been in the promotion for a long time but screw that. He’s still the same WWE guy he always was in our eyes. As usual: Impact puts up a good front but not many people care what they do. Aries goes after Pentagon and gets superkicked down.

The announcers starts talking about what MIGHT have happened with Alberto while saying they have no idea and were just given a note. Aries is sent outside and the lucha begins, this time with Fenix kicking Pentagon in the head to take over. The crazy rope bounce into the armdrag sends Pentagon outside but Aries is back in with a missile dropkick to Fenix. Pentagon is back in and takes Aries down for two on each so it’s time to yell at a referee. He also throws in a CERO MIEDO to keep the crowd on his side in a smart move.

Aries tries to get a bit too fancy and gets kicked in the ribs to cut him down again. Fenix is back in with a rolling cutter to send Pentagon to the floor, only to get chopped by Aries. There’s a suicide dive to drop Pentagon so Fenix is right back in there with a corkscrew dive to take them both down. Pentagon stays on the floor so Fenix can German suplex Aries for two. Back in and a powerbomb gives Pentagon two on Fenix but Aries breaks up the package piledriver. Aries’ 450 gets two on Pentagon so it’s off to the Last Chancery with Fenix making a save this time.

Another Last Chancery has Fenix in trouble so Pentagon makes a third save in a few minutes. A Codebreaker rocks Aries and Fenix throws Pentagon at him n the corner for good measure. There’s no cover (much to Striker’s annoyance) and it’s time to chop it out. A double superkick sends Aries’ teeth somewhere into southern Alabama, leaving Pentagon to backdrop Fenix into a powerbomb for two, followed by a pumphandle driver for the pin at 10:25.

Rating: B-. That last double superkick alone looked (and sounded) great, capping off a pretty fun main event, especially when you consider that it was thrown together with very little time. The interesting thing to me here was that Aries seemed to be trying to keep up with Pentagon and Fenix. It’s so strange to see him being outpaced but lucha isn’t the easiest style to do in the world, especially without the experience. I also like that this actually lead somewhere, which is just another benefit of Alberto being gone. Good main event here and I was surprised by the winner, which is always nice.

Lucha Underground and Redemption (with Alberto included) commercials take us out.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this one and that’s a nice thing to be able to say. While there’s nothing that really blew me away and nothing that stands out as great, the night was full of good to pretty good matches, which is better than I was hoping for. It’s nothing I’ll ever want to see again, but that’s not really what they were trying to do. This was supposed to be something fun to get the name out there a little more and they pulled that off. The I Quit match was good and the lucha stuff is always worth a look, plus you get to laugh at Impact for having more drama, as is always the case. All in all, not too shabby.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Hi, my name is AB Morales, otherwise known as Killjoy from WrestleZone Forums. A good buddy of KB since he started this website and he’s offered me a column spot here. Thank you very much for your time and reading my first piece here and I hope to do more.

It feels like it was such a long time ago, but years ago the options for wrestling were quite scarce. WWE was obviously the most accesible. But if you were not a fan of WWE for one reason or another, the pickings were slim. But alternative did exist. It’s name was controversial. As was it’s image. It was TNA: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Now, it wasn’t controversial because it was this edgy product pushing the boundaries. No, it’s because for many, it was a terrible product that just looked nice. But for others, it was the wrestling company that wasn’t embarrassed to say it was wrestling. That wasn’t shilling its cellphone app as if you were too dumb to know how your phone worked. For all it’s faults, TNA was there to be the second choice. And many took it. But as we know, over time they fell behind with the advent of other the counter online services and the rise of other companies across the world. TNA was no longer the alternative. There were far more now.

As TNA, now Impact Wrestling, struggled to grasp to its audience and dealing with it’s own internal turmoil, their fanbase dwindled. Their brand name diminished in the public eye and the company has been on the bring of death several times. But come 2018, there’s a VERY minor sense of optimism towards the now called Impact Wrestling. Coming off a Pay-Per-View most consider good. Other’s as it’s best show in years, there is a sense of establishment to Impact that it has not had since losing its Spike TV deal in 2014. Characters are being established, they’re grasping their placement on the card and for once, you can feel optimistic about their weekly TV. Sure, it’s not perfect. It still has the faults TNA is known for. But Impact once again feels like an alternative worth selecting.

With the likes of Pentagon Jr, Brian Cage, Aerostar, Drago, Fenix and Hijo del Fantasma from Lucha Underground coming in to bolster their roster, Austin Aries being both a familiar and established top star for the promotion and other acts like the new LAX, Allie and Rosemary growing their name as well as the feud between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan seemingly giving Impact it’s highest ratings on Pop TV since the advent of the Broken Universe, things do seem to be looking up for Impact. Not to mention, it also seems like after a lot of turmoil and chaos that the company has finally found a stable management.

At the end of the day, what I’m trying to say is that Impact Wrestling is not as bad as it used to be. I know that’s not the most endearing thing to say, but as someone who went through heck and high water for TNA’s sake for many years, I want to give it another go. While no one can deny the superiority of NJPW or that ROH is another choice, Impact is still the most accesible alternative to the WWE out there. It’s also far more open to work with other companies as evidenced by their alliance with Lucha Underground which has been a great help to both promotions. While time will tell if Impact Wrestling has indeed found it’s second footing, I can say that I’m cautiously positive about them right now. They’re clearly in a better place now than they have been the past 3 years.

Thank you for your time, my name is AB Morales. You can find me in the following.

Facebook | Where I have my own personal blog with daily wrestling updates and even cover anime and videogames once in a while.

Twitch | Where I stream videogames and do occasional art streams.

Twitter | Where I do….., well it’s Twitter.

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 26, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re past Redemption and that means it’s time to get ready for Slammiversary. What that means is kind of up in the air at this point but it really could go in a variety of directions. Above all else though, we have a new World Champion as Pentagon Jr. defeated Austin Aries and Fenix in a triple threat match on Sunday. Let’s get to it.

Here are the Redemption results if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Redemption, including results from every match.

Earlier today, Austin Aries talked to the roster and said he’s still the Grand Champion so it’s now the top title. Aries makes a bunch of excuses and Moose calls him out on them before walking out. The rest of the people leave as well. Sounds heel turnish to me.

Opening sequence.

The pay per view set is now the regular set.

Brian Cage vs. Trevor Lee

Lee drops to the floor for a meeting with Caleb Konley to start before a shoulder drops him to the floor again. Cage throws him around and shrugs off a forearm but a Konley distraction lets Lee kick him outside. Back in and a bridging German suplex gives Lee two and Konley adds in some choking. That’s enough for Cage who Hulks Up and hits a powerslam, followed by the apron superplex. The Drill Claw puts Lee away at 5:04.

Rating: D+. Cage is starting to run through some bigger names and it wouldn’t shock me if the names get bigger and bigger as we move forward. There’s a certain monster quality to him and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him near the World Title picture within the next year or so. Lee isn’t going to lose anything by getting destroyed here, but it was nice to have him get in some offense.

A livid Eddie Edwards arrived earlier today and ran into Tommy Dreamer (in a Lucha Underground shirt). Tommy told him to go be with his wife but Eddie shoved him out of the way.

Here’s Eddie in the arena to talk about putting Sami Callihan in the hospital. He’s not done though because he wants to put OVE in there right next to Sami. Cue OVE for the 2-1 fight and Eddie runs through them before grabbing the kendo stick. We cut to the hospital room where someone in a wheelchair with balloons covering his face rolls up to Alisha Edwards’ bed. It’s a very banged up Callihan, who says he wants to talk.

OH MY GOODNESS how stupid can Eddie be? A few weeks ago he sees OVE in his wife’s hotel and then LEAVES after checking on her for a few seconds. Now he leaves her IN THE SAME HOSPITAL WHERE CALLIHAN IS STAYING??? My goodness I know he’s a face in wrestling but Sting would find this dumb.

We look at Sunday’s main event.

Classic clip: the Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3D at Bound For Glory. I really wouldn’t point out that one half of your Tag Team Champions was old eleven years ago.

Video on DJZ, who is back after over a year away.

Moose vs. Braxton Sutter

Sutter’s pre-match promo is cut off by Moose’s music. Moose throws him into the corner to start and dropkicks him out to the floor in a heap. Sutter gets in a whip to send Moose into the barricade, followed by a suplex into the corner for two. That earns Sutter a running elbow and running dropkick in the corner, followed by a spear for the pin at 3:32.

Rating: D. Nearly a total squash here, which makes sense as Sutter has announced that he’s done with the promotion. It’s not like Sutter has done anything of note in the company and now that he and Su Yung seem to be done, there’s no reason to not have him go out on his back like this.

Post match the fans chant HAPPY BIRTHDAY at Moose. He wants Pentagon Jr. and the World Title.

Matt Sydal promises to retain the X-Division Title against Taiji Ishimori. A commotion is heard and we go to see someone (not clear who) unconscious with an X on their chest.

LAX wants the titles back but also want to know what’s happened to Konnan.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Allie

Allie is defending. Taya wastes no time in jumping Allie and hammering away in the corner. Allie’s comeback is cut off in very short order as Taya powers her down without much effort. A running dropkick in the corner only hits buckle and Allie is in even more trouble. Taya is all fired up but the Road to Valhalla is broken up, allowing Allie to hit the superkick and Codebreaker to retain at 4:17. That was pretty much all of her offense.

Rating: D. Nothing to this one and Taya deserved more than that in a title shot. Allie shrugged off everything Taya threw at her and won with her regular stuff in short order. The match needed more time, but then we wouldn’t have been able to plug the Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3D match and that’s WAY more important.

Post match Su Yung appears, flanked by a bunch of dead brides. They load up a casket but Rosemary appears for the showdown. The lights go out again and Su is gone.

Slammiversary is in Toronto.

KM yells at Fallah Bahh, his partner for next week. Why in the world are these two getting TV time?

Eddie goes to the hospital to see Alisha, who isn’t happy with him leaving her there. He goes into Callihan’s room and beats the heck out of him until a bunch of doctors make the save. This crazy Eddie character is actually working for me.

Video on Kongo Kong vs. Johnny Impact from last week.

Tag Team Titles: Eli Drake/Scott Steiner vs. LAX

Drake and Steiner are defending. Before the match, Steiner says he promised he’d win “last night” (which he says twice) because he’s world famous. Konnan was at Taco Bell due to a discount on burritos so we know his priorities. The champs stall on the floor for a long time before Ortiz drives Drake into the corner to start. Santana comes in for a chop of his own but gets taken outside and sent into the steps by Steiner as we take a break. Back with Steiner getting two off a belly to belly as he picks Santana up.

The fans chant for LAX but get cut off when Steiner “hits” a belly to belly superplex (not rotating enough and nearly falling backwards). It’s back to Drake (thankfully) for a chinlock as we hear that Edwards has been arrested. Well duh. Santana rolls over for a tag so Ortiz can get two off a short DDT. The Death Valley Driver gets two more on Drake but the Street Sweeper is countered into a powerslam (ala Rick Steiner back in the day) to pin Ortiz and retain the titles at 10:54.

Rating: D+. Steiner continues to be scary with some of those near botches, but at least they have a “big name” on the roster now right? Steiner does offer some star power but really, how much is he going to be able to offer without maiming someone? I can’t imagine that he’s going to be around very long but I’m still not a fan.

Post match Drake holds up the World Title briefcase and suggests that he’s cashing in right now. Actually it’s just a warning, but here’s Aries anyway. Back from a break, Aries says he’s healing from a dislocated elbow and looks at the “suitcase”. The fans chant for Aries, who says he wishes they were here on Sunday. The Grand Championship is what matters now but he’ll get the World Title back soon enough.

Drake wants to fight Pentagon, Aries and the Easter Bunny because it means he’s getting the title back. Cue Pentagon Jr. to say CERO MIEDO (zero fear) but Steiner and Drake beat down Pentagon and Aries. They fight back and clear the champs out of the ring, leaving Aries and Pentagon to stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I wasn’t feeling this one, as there wasn’t a lot in the vein of storyline advancement and the wrestling was nothing of note. Allie and Rosemary continue to be an interesting team but really, there’s not much else to go on here. That being said, they have a ton of time to get ready for the next pay per view so it’s not like this needed to be incredible. Not the worst, but nothing that pulled me in.

Results

Brian Cage b. Trevor Lee – Drill Claw

Moose b. Braxton Sutter – Spear

Allie b. Taya Valkyrie – Codebreaker

Eli Drake/Scott Steiner b. LAX – Powerslam to Ortiz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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