Impact Wrestling
Date: September 7, 2023
Location: Rebel Sports Complex, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Victory Road, but perhaps more important, we’re a week away from Impact 1000, which has the potential to be something special. I could go for seeing a lot of the legends back for one more run, but we have a more modern special to set up first. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Dani Luna

Luna works on a headlock to start before they go into some standing switches. Luna gets two off a clothesline but Purrazzo snaps off Two Amigos. They head to the apron with Purrazzo snapping Luna’s arm down hard. Back in and a Backstabber drops Luna but she comes back with some forearms to the face. Purrazzo has had enough though and it’s a Russian legsweep into the Fujiwara armbar to finish Luna at 6:05.

Rating: C+. I liked this one well enough as we rarely see Luna in the ring on this show. She isn’t the most complex wrestler in the world but she does well with the power game. Purrazzo seems ready to move back into something bigger, though that needs to be something other than facing Trinity after her latest loss.

Crazzy Steve insists that he is not crazy, including when he attacked Black Taurus last week. He saw what used to be rage and now Taurus is going to do the exact same thing that everyone has done to him: leave him abandoned and forgotten. Now it’s time to decimate.

Tommy Dreamer is ready to put his career on the line against Kenny King. He talks about going to his first show in 1980 and it became the love of his life. His parents and children have been everywhere for his major events but he had to say goodbye to his mother recently. Everyone has second guessed him but here is Heath to interrupt. Heath tries to talk him out of putting his career on the line because everyone respects him. Dreamer says he’s writing one final chapter.

Joe Hendry/Yuya Uemura vs. Champagne Singh/Shera

Joe and Yuya have quite the coordinated entrance as they are dubbed JoYa. Yuya armdrags Singh a few times to start but Singh snaps off a hot shot. Shera comes in for a slam but Yuya forearms away at Singh. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Hendry, who suplexes Shera down. Everything breaks down and it’s an airplane spin tossed into Yuya’s cutter to finish Singh at 4:27.

Rating: C. This was almost all about the entrance, which is of course incredibly catchy, as tends to be the case with any Hendry music. It’s a clever team and they got off on the right foot here. I like Hendry moving up a step and he and Yuya have had some good chemistry together in their limited interactions.

Steve Maclin and Bully Ray are ready for PCO and Josh Alexander. Well part of it at least as Ray is terrified of PCO. He wants Carl Ouellet rather than PCO, who seems indestructible. Ray has lit PCO on fire but he keeps coming back so Ray wants Maclin to follow his lead. Maclin isn’t overly impressed.

Video on Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong.

Video on Will Ospreay.

Josh Alexander is ready for Steve Maclin at Victory Road and for tonight’s tag match.

Subculture vs. Rich Swann/Sami Callihan

Andrews and Swann fight over wrist control to start and miss stereo dropkicks for a standoff. Callihan comes in to chop at Webster but Swann misses a springboard kick to the head. Subculture dropkicks Swann to the floor and a big dive takes him down as we take a break. Back with Swann fighting out of a seated abdominal stretch but getting dropkicked down again.

Andrews misses a charge into the post and Swann kicks his way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Callihan. House is cleaned and Callihan breaks up a double team attempt, only to get caught with Stundog Millionaire. Morgan misses the 450 though and it’s back to Swann to pick up the pace. A running cutter on the ramp drops Webster and a kick to the head sets up a middle rope 450 to finish Webster at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here but that shouldn’t be the biggest surprise. Subculture have shown they can work with anyone and Swann/Callihan have done some good things together. What matters here is it feels like they are actually building a division and that is a nice flashback to days of Impact past. It can be done, and this was a nice way to boost a team that needed the help.

We look at Gisele Shaw and company getting rid of MK Ultra in last week’s battle royal.

Shaw and company are coming for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

The Rascalz brag about winning the Tag Team Titles when the Good Hands come in. They seem to imply they want their payment, in the form of a title shot, for helping the Rascalz win the belts in the first place. The Rascalz don’t seem interested.

Lio Rush vs. Kevin Knight

Non-title. Knight counters Rush’s rapid fire head fakes to start and knocks him to the floor, meaning Rush is ready to walk. That doesn’t work for Knight so he sends Rush back inside and takes him down for two. Rush bails outside again and gets chopped into the barricade as Knight is on a roll to start. Back in and they trade chops in the corner with Rush getting the better of things. That’s broken up as well and Knight kicks away but gets caught with a shot in the corner we take a break.

We come back with Knight missing a charge in the corner and getting dropped with a hard clothesline for two. We hit the chinlock and then an armbar until Knight powers up for some rams into the corner. Knight snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana (that looked good) and they’re both down. Back up and Knight hits a splash in the corner, followed by a clothesline for two. A high dropkick knocks Rush silly but a springboard spinning crossbody misses. Rush kicks him in the head and hits the Final Hour for the pin at 10:21.

Rating: B-. The more I see of Knight, the more I like him. He’s very athletic and can work the fast paced style, which offered a rare challenge for Rush. There was no need to have Knight get the win here, but having him hang in there with name after name is a rather smart way to go. Give him some wins and you might have something with him. Rush already has Kushida coming up though and this was the kind of boost he needed before the title defense.

Post match Rush grabs a Hoverboard Lock but Kushida runs in for the save.

Dirty Dango and Alpha Bravo aren’t looking forward to Impact 1000, with Dango bringing up names from the very early days of the company. Dango: “We’re doing it Dixie!” He mocks Jake Something defending pro wrestling and isn’t worried about beating him at Impact 1000.

Here is Santino Marella to run the contract signing for the Victory Road Knockouts Title match. Cue Alisha Edwards, with Eddie Edwards (and alcohol), and Trinity, with Santino hyping up the match as well as he can. Alisha mocks his accent and talks about how glad she is that she changed like Eddie did. She promises to win the title and signs without incident.

Trinity signs without saying a word and Alisha is a bit offended. It turns out Trinity can’t understand Alisha’s accent (the fans approve), but in reality she respects what Alisha has accomplished. Alisha accuses Trinity of being given a pass to the top, with Trinity suggesting Eddie helped Alisha get here.

Eddie rants about how they’ve been here longer than anyone but Trinity brings up Eddie turning his back on the company. Alisha spits the alcohol into Trinity’s face but then stops to talk trash. That’s enough for Trinity to kick her in the head and the brawl is on. Trinity loads up a powerbomb through the table but Eddie breaks it up and puts her through the table instead. Frankie Kazarian makes a late save. Not a great contract signing, as Alisha isn’t the most interesting challenger.

Victory Road rundown.

The Motor City Machine Guns are ready to get their Tag Team Titles back.

Bully Ray/Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander/PCO

Alexander and Maclin start things off, with the threat of an ankle lock sending Maclin running away in a hurry. Ray comes in and looks scared at the thought of a tag to PCO. That’s exactly what he gets though and naturally Maclin comes in as well. PCO hits a quick clothesline and stomps away in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Alexander chopping away at Maclin in the corner and handing it back to PCO. That doesn’t go so well as Maclin takes over in the corner (where Ray isn’t having any of this tagging in stuff) but PCO fights out with relative ease. Alexander comes back in but gets taken into the wrong corner, allowing Ray to come in and stomp away. The middle rope dropkick hits Ray but he sends Alexander outside, where Alexander comes up favoring his recently repaired arm.

Back in and Maclin stomps away before grabbing a chinlock with a knee between Alexander’s shoulders. An Irish Curse gives Maclin two and it’s back to Ray for some clotheslines. Alexander manages to suplex his way out of trouble though and it’s PCO coming back in to clean house. Maclin knocks Alexander off the apron but gets caught with a Backstabber by PCP. The middle rope legdrop sends Maclin outside and there’s the big dive to send him into the barricade. Ray tries to talk his way out of trouble but it takes a Maclin distraction so Ray can get in a low blow. The rollup finishes PCO at 14:55.

Rating: B-. The match was good but this was never about the wrestling itself. This was about getting two of the big matches at Victory Road in the ring together and that is something that works almost every time. Ray didn’t so much beat PCO here as much s he caught him, and that is going to mean pain tomorrow night.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a nice way to get me ready for Victory Road and that’s what the show was supposed to do. There was nothing bad on the show and I’ll take that over a two hour stretch. While there were some parts that weren’t so interesting, there was enough here to make it worth a look, especially if you’re watching Victory Road.

Results
Deonna Purrazzo b. Dani Luna – Fujiwara armbar
Joe Hendry/Yuya Uemura b. Champagne Singh/Shera – Toss cutter to Singh
Rich Swann/Sami Callihan b. Subculture – Middle rope 450 to Webster
Lio Rush b. Kevin Knight – Final Hour
Bully Ray/Steve Maclin b. PCO/Josh Alexander – Rollup to PCO

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: August 31, 2023
Location: Rebel Entertainment Complex, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Emergence and Bound For Glory is starting to appear over the horizon. Before we get there though, we have Victory Road and Impact 1000 to cover and at least one of those shows has some special names already announced. Tonight will probably see some more names and matches set for those shows, while we also get the Emergence fallout. Let’s get to it.

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

Emergence recap.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Gisele Shaw, Killer Kelly, KiLynn King, Courtney Rush, Masha Slamovich, Jody Threat, Alisha Edwards, Vanna Black, Savannah Evans, Jessicka

For the Knockouts Title shot and they start fast with the brawling around the ring. Edwards and Black tease an early alliance but get beaten up by the Death Dollz. MK Ultra gets rid of Black for the first elimination and Evans/Shaw toss Kelly and Slamovich. Rush is out as well, with Shaw going out around the same time.

Jessicka is eliminated as well (onto the ramp, which counts as the floor) and Evans follows, leaving us with King and Threat to slug it out. King Neutralizes Threat but the King’s Curse is countered, allowing Threat to hit a German suplex. Then Alisha comes in to eliminate both of them because she was never eliminated (erg) for the win at 7:07.

Rating: C-. Not much of a battle royal here with the always annoying “oh, you forgot this one” ending. Edwards getting the short term title shot is fine as it isn’t like Victory Road is the place for some kind of title showdown. That being said, I don’t remember the last time Impact held a traditional battle royal and that helps this feel so much more fresh.

We look at Steve Maclin returning at Emergence and going after Josh Alexander’s recently repaired tricep, allowing Moose to beat Alexander.

Alexander takes blame for the loss and apologizes to the Motor City Machine Guns. He wants the World Title back and Alex Shelley doesn’t like Alexander touching the belt. Shelley tells him to earn a shot so Shelley can show him he’s not a transitional champion. That works for Alexander, so here are the Rascalz to mock the Guns, with a singles match set for tonight.

Alisha Edwards celebrates with Eddie Edwards and declares themselves the power couple of Impact. Oh and she’ll win the title.

Crazzy Steve vs. Mike Bailey

Steve wears a mask to the ring and has a much creepier entrance, which leaves Tom Hannifan a little disturbed. Steve goes for the eyes to start and that’s a DQ at 16 seconds.

Post match Steve goes after the referee before whipping out a fork to go for Bailey’s eyes again. Cue Black Taurus to try and calm Steve down but Steve goes after Taurus’ eyes as well. Steve goes for security’s eyes as well. This was more good stuff from Steve.

Brian Myers brags about Moose and Eddie Edwards winning at Emergence. They’re ready for a six man tag tonight. Bully Ray comes in to tell Eddie to leave because they have a problem with PCO. Myers: “No, you have a problem with PCO.” With Moose and Myers gone, PCO can be heard screaming in the background.

Will Ospreay will be at Turning Point and Bound For Glory.

PCO almost catches up to Bully Ray, who catches him in a door. PCO shouts about how Ray tried to kill him, but Ray calls him Carl and says he wants the man back, not the monster.

Eric Young vs. Kon

No Deaner after an attack at Emergence. Young knocks him into the corner and hammers away. A spinebuster plants Young for two and Kon gets to slowly pound away. Back up and Young scores with some right hands, only to be tossed out to the floor in a big crash as we take a break. We come back with Kon grabbing a nerve hold but Young fights up again. Kon misses a charge in the corner and Young hits the Death Valley Driver for two.

Young’s top rope elbow gets the same but the piledriver is easily blocked. The full nelson slam gives Kon two but Young clotheslines him to the floor, setting up the big dive. There’s a piledriver on the floor to drop Kon again, only to have him beat the count at nine (erg). Back in and Young hits another piledriver for the pin at 13:01.

Rating: C. It really is amazing how much easier the Design is to take when Deaner isn’t involved. Kon isn’t much better and is a rather generic big guy but he doesn’t have the bad things that drag Deaner down. This was a passable match, even if Young didn’t do much other than punch for the first half.

Lio Rush doesn’t know why Chris Sabin wants another shot at him. Maybe his brain is still scrambled, but pick the time. Kushida comes up with his Ultimate X and says Victory Road.

Jordynne Grace is coming back at Victory Road.

Deonna Purrazzo is upset at her loss to Trinity at Emergence but she has faced setbacks before. She finds it interesting that Grace is only coming back now, but maybe it’s because she lost to Purrazzo so many times. The challenge is on for Victory Road.

Zachary Wentz vs. Chris Sabin

Trey Miguel and Alex Shelley are here too. Sabin sends him outside to start and Miguel offers some advice. Back in and some armdrags into an armbar have Wentz in more trouble. A boot scrape to the eyes cuts off a comeback attempt and Sabin stays on the arm. Wentz’s arm is sent into the buckle but he’s able to send Sabin outside for a change. There’s the big dive to take Sabin down again and we take a break.

Back with Wentz kicking him in the chest for two and grabbing an armbar/neck crank. The rope gets Sabin out of trouble and a straitjacket suplex rocks Wentz again. There’s the tornado DDT for two but Wentz kicks him in the back of the head. A half nelson slam gives Wentz two and a handspring knee drops Sabin again. That doesn’t last long as Sabin is back up with a knee and they’re both down (this lasts a bit longer). Sabin pulls him into an STF but the other two get in a fight on the floor. Sabin sends Wentz outside for a suicide dive onto both Rascalz. The Cradle Shock finishes for Sabin at 14:03.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by the new champ losing, though getting beaten by Sabin is hardly a terrible upset. This should set the Guns up for a Tag Team Title shot though I’d hope they don’t win them back that fast. Other than that, you had a nice match here and it shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there.

Post match Miguel runs in for a cheap shot on Sabin, allowing the Rascalz to bail.

We look at the Rascalz cheating to beat Subculture, with the Good Hands and ABC getting in a fight during the match.

ABC want the Tag Team Titles back but the Good Hands come in for the argument. A match seems likely.

Subculture is talking to Santino Marella about getting a rematch against the Rascalz. Sami Callihan and Rich Swann come in to say they want the title shot. The #1 contenders match is made instead. With everyone else gone, Joe Hendry and Yuya Uemura come in to say they want a title shot too. Santino thinks it’s a little too early for that.

Here are Kenny King and Sheldon Jean for a chat. King brags about his greatness and his Digital Media Title reign, including his recent title defenses. Cue Tommy Dreamer of all people to say we need to hear the REAL story of Emergence. Before King beat Johnny Swinger in the match of Swinger’s life, he heard that his father in law had passed away. Then King jumped Dreamer, as many have done before.

Swinger had to leave but he called Dreamer to check on him and everything was cool. Then he saw King and Jean at the bar, ignoring the show’s main event. Dreamer talks about how he remembered Dreamer trying to get all kinds of advice from the veterans and now this. King doesn’t care and talks about how Dreamer used to be the one with the women in the bar. Now Dreamer won’t leave so King can have the spot because he won’t let go of anything.

Dreamer says he never left early and King has never even been in a main event. Dreamer turned down millions of dollars from WWE and WCW because he believed in something and listened to people like Mick Foley and Terry Funk. Yes Dreamer is 52 years old and he looks at people like Sting and Chris Jericho or the 107 year old PCO. That makes him wonder why King doesn’t just knock them out to take the spot.

King says Dreamer doesn’t have anything he wants but Dreamer talks about losing his mom, being diagnosed with skin cancer and losing Terry Funk in the span of three months. All he has left is his career, so let’s do title vs. career at Victory Road. Dreamer leaves before King can answer. It’s an interesting story, but it’s still Dreamer and that holds things down a lot.

Awesome Kong is back at Impact 1000.

Gail Kim says if Kong is back then so is she. All past and previous Knockouts are invited back. Kim almost being summoned by the return of Kong is a cool way to go.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Steve Maclin wants to torture Josh Alexander at Victory Road. He has a target and is ready for bagging and tagging.

Moose/Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian/Jake Something/Sanada

Kazarian slugs away at Myers to start and Sanada comes in for a double suplex. Something clears the ring and we take an early break. Back with Sanada fighting out of Myers’ chinlock and firing off a string of dropkicks. The Paradise Lock doesn’t last long as Edwards drives Sanada into the corner to take over.

There’s the Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Sanada and a knee drop gets the same. Myers stomps away for two and it’s time to crank on Sanada’s face. Sanada hurricanranas his way out of a powerbomb and an enziguri staggers the heck out of Moose. It’s back to Kazarian who is happy to beat on Edwards some more. The Unprettier drops Edwards for two and stereo crossbodies put both of them down.

Something gets to come back in and clean house, including a pop up powerbomb to Moose. Back up and Moos muscles Something up for a powerbomb but gets Shining Wizarded by Sanada. Kazarian puts Myers down and crashes out to the floor with Edwards. Myers’ Roster Cut is countered into Into The Void to give Something the pin at 14:00.

Rating: B. They got rolling by the end here and it seems that they’re trying to do something with Som….yeah please change his name. Anyway, this was a good way to make Jake look like a bigger deal as not only was he in the main event but he hung in there with higher level talent. Now follow up on it and give him some more wins.

Overall Rating: B-. Not as good as last week’s awesome show but a completely acceptable two hour show. What matters here is getting some things set up for a few upcoming shows, which is hard to do when you’re coming off a big show. That being said, Impact has done this for a few months now and manage to make it work most of the time. Good show here, as they again do exactly what they need to do.

Results
Alisha Edwards on a Knockouts Battle Royal last eliminating Jody Threat
Mike Bailey b. Crazzy Steve via DQ when Steve gouged Bailey’s eyes
Eric Young b. Kon – Piledriver
Chris Sabin b. Zachary Wentz – Cradle Shock
Jake Something/Sanada/Frankie Kazarian b. Eddie Edwards/Brian Myers/Moose – Into The Void to Myers

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: August 24, 2023
Location: Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Multiverse United and other than some good matches, there wasn’t much taking place. Now we are on the way to Emergence and it means we need to firm up a lot of the card. The good thing is that most of the card seems to be set up and now we get to hammer home everything else. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with PCO coming to the ring to beat up Shera and Raj Singh, who had apparently talked trash on Before The Impact. The destruction doesn’t take long, including a Deanimator to put Singh through a table. Bully Ray pops up on the screen to say that he’s not leaving his hotel room, meaning PCO can’t find him. Ray says he’s the biggest star ever around here and PCO is going to learn that Ray is the one to take him out.

Opening sequence.

Trinity vs. Jody Threat

Non-title and threat takes her down into a quickly broken armbar to start. Trinity’s headlock doesn’t work either as Threat sends her hard into the corner for some clotheslines. Back up and Threat wins a slugout, only to have Trinity come back with her bulldog into the corner. It’s Threat’s chance for a comeback with a spear, followed by running knees to the back. Threat gets two off a Michinoku Driver but the F5 is countered into an X Factor to give Trinity two of her own. Something like a Bubba Bomb into a rollup finishes Threat at 5:32.

Rating: C. Trinity wasn’t about to lose on the way towards such a huge title defense so this was more about keeping her even with Deonna Purrazzo after last week. Trinity has established herself as one of the stars of the division and that is nice to see after being away from the ring for so long. Not a bad match, but it kind of came and went.

Jake Something is ready for Sanada at Emergence.

In Memory Of Terry Funk. They had to wait twenty minutes for that?

Multiverse United recap.

Josh Alexander was back in the ring for the first time in five months at Multiverse United and now he wants the World Title back. First though, he has Emergence, but he’ll be watching tonight’s World Title match.

Deaner vs. Laredo Kid

Kon is here with Deaner, who grabs a headlock to start. Kid takes it out to the floor but gets yelled at by Kon, allowing Deaner to hit a clothesline. Back in and Deaner twists the neck before sending said neck into the corner for two. A neckbreaker gets two and Deaner shouts that no one cares about Kid. I uh, wouldn’t talk much man. Deaner misses a charge in the corner and Kid gets two off a driver. Kid goes up top but dives down onto Kon (who hadn’t even done anything) instead. Back in and the Antidote finishes Kid at 4:24.

Rating: C. The action was fine but as usual, it’s almost impossible to care about Deaner’s lame….well existence really. He’s been the same “I’m crazy and evil” guy for months and it still isn’t interesting. Kid could have been anyone here and that’s a shame given how good he really has been almost every time he’s here.

Post match Deaner says that Eric Young tried to start this and it earned him a knife in the heart. Then Young decided to rise again (which apparently is something he can just do) but he doesn’t realize that Deaner is in control because HE IS THE DESIGN. Deaner: “YOU! ME! NO DQ!” Well that’s anticlimactic.

We get a video that looks like it’s from 1999 (complete with pop ups, featuring a variety of wrestling name drops) about how Johnny Swinger is ready for the Digital Media title. As usual, this was rather funny.

PCO looks for Bully Ray and screams a lot.

ABC vs. Good Hands

Before the match, John Skyler talks about how they don’t like being called Good Hands For Hire and insults Chicago a lot. Austin hammer and headlocks Skyler to start until an elbow to the face breaks that up. Hotch comes in and gets knocked away without much trouble. Bey comes in and takes Hotch down for two as things settle a bit. A kick to the back has Hotch in more trouble and we take a break.

Back with Austin cutting off Hotch to block a tag attempt but getting sent into the post for his efforts. A double elbow gets two on Austin and it’s time to work on the arm that went into the post. Skyler ties the arm up in between his own legs or some cranking. Austin’s legs are fine enough to kick his way out of trouble though and it’s back to Bey to take them both down.

A slingshot DDT gets two on Skyler and everything breaks down. Austin’s bad arm is snapped over the top and the Favor (Samoan drop/Blockbuster combination) gets two with Bey making the save. A springboard Fameasser drops Skyler again and the 1-2-Sweet finishes Hotch at 14:01.

Rating: B. This is one of the places where Impact really shines. You had two talented teams who have an issue with each other. They were given almost fifteen minutes and had a clean match with the good guys winning. It’s a great example of not making things too complicated and letting the wrestlers do their things. Very nice match here.

Subculture is ready for the Rascalz.

We get what sounds like a movie trailer for Joe Hendry and Yuya Uemura’s tag match on the Countdown to Emergence.

Video on Trinity vs. Deonna Purrazzo, including their issues with the Coven.

Samuray del Sol vs. Chris Sabin

The fans do the LUCHA dance to start and the two (the wrestlers, not the fans, as there are more than two of them) of them take time to get going. Sabin gets sent outside and then gets sent outside again, allowing Sol to flip backwards into some posing. Back in and Sabin runs him over for a change before starting in on the leg.

Sol misses an enziguri and gets pulled into an STF, sending him straight to the ropes. Sabin ties the leg up again but lets go as it’s not exactly getting him anywhere. We take a break and come back with Sabin working on something like an abdominal stretch on the mat. Sabin ties up the legs and cranks on both arms at the same time as he’s mixing up the holds tonight.

Sol is back up with a crossbody but the Salida del Sol is blocked. Sabin powerbombs him for two and rolls straight into an STF in the middle of the ring. That’s escaped as well and Sol pops up with the Salida del Sol to send Sabin outside. The springboard flip dive connects but Sol’s leg gives out back inside. That’s enough for the Cradle Shock to give Sabin the pin at 17:38.

Rating: B. Remember how the previous match was two wrestlers having a good match? What’s what they did again here and it worked, again. Sabin can wrestle with anyone and Sol showed what he could do multiple times in WWE. I could go with having him around more often and he probably earned a job here if he wants one.

We get the last part of the sitdown interview with Crazzy Steve. He talks about how Tom Rehwoldt is the best at what he does and Steve needs him to help carry his message. Steve talks about how he isn’t crazy but he’s tired of being abandoned and forgotten. If he can’t be the antidote to evil, then maybe he needs to be the plague. Tom says Steve is hurting his hand as Steve goes on about how cruelty is the causal blindness to the pain of others.

Steve says Tom is going to help him tell the people something but Tom calls in security to break it up. Steve breaks up the set and shouts TELL THEM. Steve takes down a member of security and seems to spray mist on him and shouts TELL THEM again. He grabs the camera and says he’s comfortable being evil and the psychopath in the story, but remember the chapter where you f****** made him. It takes a lot to make me interested in something from a longstanding middle of the road star like Crazzy Steve and they have done it in the last three weeks. Nicely done.

MK Ultra, in a mix of English and Russian, say they’re not scared of their first title defense because the more teams coming after them, the more toys to play with. Or maybe more control and pain. Chains are included.

Video on Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian, with both o their wives getting involved. We also see the door to the Killer Kowalski School Of Professional Wrestling door closing. That could be interesting.

Emergence rundown.

PCO goes to Bully Ray’s hotel but can’t find him. Why he only looked in the lobby isn’t clear but it might explain the failure.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Brian Myers vs. Alex Shelley

Shelley is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Myers takes him into the corner to start and slaps Shelley in the face, earning himself a rollup to give Shelley two. Shelley starts cranking on the arm and has Myers wincing quite a bit. Myers is sent to the apron and they fall outside, with Shelley being sent into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Shelley fighting out of a chinlock. Myers misses a charge into the post and Shelley gets a needed breather. Shelley knocks him down again and it’s a Downward Spiral into the buckle. The Border City Stretch goes on but Myers slips out and hits the implant DDT. Myers gets two more off a spear but Shelley kicks him in the face and hits Sliced Bread #2. The kickout sends Myers right back into the Border City Stretch though and Shelley retains at 14:32.

Rating: B. I kept waiting on something screwy to happen but instead they went with the clean ending again. As usual, there’s no shame in losing to the World Champion and Myers looked good in defeat. That’s about all you can ask for out of something like this and the fact that it was another good match made things even better.

Post match Moose and Bully Ray run in for the beatdown but Kushida and Josh Alexander make the save. We cut to the back where Lio Rush has jumped Chris Sabin. The good guys fight back and the brawl continues to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Maybe it’s that I’m so used to having other wrestling shows be full of interference and shenanigans, but my goodness it was SO refreshing to have a show with clean wrestling and storylines being advanced. This is the definition of a show that doesn’t overthink things and let the talented wrestlers showcase themselves. Awesome show here and a good example of why I have so much fun with this show a lot of the time.

Results
Trinity b. Jody Threat – Rollup
Deaner b. Laredo Kid – Antidote
ABC b. Good Hands – 1-2-Sweet to Hotch
Chris Sabin b. Samuray del Sol – Cradle Shock
Alex Shelley b. Brian Myers – Border City Stretch

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

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So I reviewed this last week as usual and for some reasons completely forgot to publish it.  I’m not sure how that happened but here you go.

Impact Wrestling
Date: August 17, 2023
Location: Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are three days away from Multiverse United and ten days away from Emergence so we should have some building to do this week. That should make for a pretty easy path forward tonight and there are more than enough stories to go around. There might even be room to announce some more matches so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

KiLynn King vs. Deonna Purrazzo

No entrance for Purrazzo (odd) and Taylor Wilde is here with King. Purrazzo’s arm cranking doesn’t work to start so she rolls King up for two and tries the Fujiwara armbar. With the rope saving King, Purrazzo snaps off a running hurricanrana to send her outside, setting up the baseball slide. Back in and King loads up a Tombstone but flips her forward into a kind of reverse sitout powerbomb (always thought that would be a good finisher, with or without the sitout) for two.

King kicks her out to the floor, where Purrazzo Russian legsweeps her into the apron. Back in and a forearm off doesn’t go very far so Purrazzo grabs another quickly broken Fujiwara armbar. A kick to the face gives Purrazzo two but King’s DDT gets the same. Purrazzo Downward Spirals her into a Koji Clutch, which King stacks up for another near fall to break it up. King’s Neutralizer gets two more but the King’s Curse is countered into the Venus de Milo for the win at 8:29.

Rating: C+. King’s work is impressing me as she has the size to stand out and does well with just about anyone. She could be something on her own, as she has already proven herself in the tag team with Wilde. Then you have Purrazzo, who is a rather polished star and I could go with seeing her face anyone on the roster. Nice roster here, and it’s nice to see something other than the usual fast paced opener for a change.

Trinity is shown watching from the back.

Kenny King isn’t worried about Johnny Swinger challenging for the Digital Media Title. We won’t talk about him, so we’ll talk about Heath wanting to come after the title too. King will just beat them both up.

Bully Ray interrupts Santino Marella and wants protection from the madman who is PCO. He is scared of facing Black Taurus in a No DQ match tonight but Brian Myers and Moose come in, with the former wanting to face Alex Shelley tonight. Moose calls Kushida a coward so Kevin Knight (mentored by Kushida) pops in. He gets a match with Moose as a result and here is Shelley, who will face Myers for the World Title next week.

Killer Kelly vs. Savannah Evans vs. Jessicka

Their respective partners are all at ringside. Jessicka and Evans argue as Kelly crawls around, earning herself a big shove down. Back up and Kelly takes over on both of them before getting two on Jessicka. Evans snaps off a German suplex to Kelly but Jessicka grabs a release side slam for one. The choke goes on Jessicka, who slams Kelly down without much trouble. Evans drops Jessicka but Kelly AA’s Evans onto her for the fast pin at 3:50.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time for this one but it helped boost up the four way Knockouts Tag Team Titles match at Emergence. There isn’t much else that can be done to set up a match like that one so this worked out well enough. I’m not sure about having one of the champions win, but Kelly winning is a nice thing to see.

Dirty Dango mocks Jake Something for crawling back to Impact after working on “outlaw mud shows”. Maybe after they have a match, Something can go back to working the VFW halls for another year or so. These continue to sound like Jim Cornette as an annoyed wrestler and that works well.

Moose vs. Kevin Knight

Moose powers him around a few times to start but misses a chop in the corner, allowing Knight to chop away. The chokebomb gives Moose a fast two and he steps on Knight’s head for the good old heel embarrassment. Knight slips out of a powerbomb and hits a superkick, only to dive into a release Rock Bottom. Moose slowly stomps away and adds some slaps, which fire Knight up for the running forearm. That’s fine with Moose, who LAUNCHES him over the top and we take a break.

Back with Knight getting in a shot to the knee and snapping off a super hurricanrana. Another kick to the face sends Moose outside, where another hurricanrana takes him down again. Knight’s springboard flip dive drops Moose again as the fans seem to be divided. Back in and Knight gets some rollups for two, followed by a Code Red for the same. Moose isn’t having that and hits a powerbomb into the spear for the pin at 14:11.

Rating: B. I got into this one by the end as Knight was fighting with everything he had against the powerhouse Moose. That is a match type that has worked for the better part of ever in wrestling and they had a good match here by playing with the same idea. Knight is someone who has impressed almost every time he is out there so put him out there a bit more often.

The Rascalz are ready to win the Tag Team Titles and get another step tonight. The Bullet Club comes in to accuse them of sending the Good Hands after them. Santino Marella comes in to make Good Hands vs. Bullet Club for next week.

Kon vs. Eric Young

Deaner is here with Kon. Young’s right hand in the corner doesn’t work to start as Kon drops him with a shot to the face. Kon sends him to the floor for a shot from Deaner, setting up a nerve hold back inside. Young fights up and hits a backdrop (with commentary implying is a big deal) into a Death Valley Driver for two. A spinebuster cuts him off and Kon loads up the chokeslam, only to have Young slip out. The piledriver is loaded up so Deaner comes in for the DQ at 4:47.

Rating: C. The more I see of the Design, the more obvious it is that they are not very good. Kon is a generic big man and Deaner is one of the worst master villains I can remember. Why these guys have been going on for so long is beyond me, but I’d assume we are heading for the big blowoff where Young defeats them for good. It can’t come soon enough, as this stuff isn’t working.

Post match the beatdown is on, including a DDT onto a chair.

We get a new music video on Joe Hendry and Yuya Uemura, who are now a team.

We get part two of the sitdown interview with Crazzy Steve, who was raised in an abusive home. His dad yelled at him a lot until one day he fought back and dealt with him. His mom had a lot of health issues but was his biggest fan. Then one day, after twelve years in the business, he got to Impact Wrestling. Three weeks before he signed though, his mother took her own life. So why talk about all this now? More on this later. I’d like to know myself so they’re doing this right.

Chris Sabin is ready to get his hands on Lio Rush at Emergence and then he’s coming for the X-Division Title. Samuray del Sol comes in to say he wants Rush too, but for now he has to settle for facing Sabin next week.

Bully Ray vs. Black Taurus

No DQ and Taurus runs him over a few times to start fast. Right hands in the corner send Bully outside so Taurus hits him with a slingshot dive. Bully gets in a shot of his own and we take a break. Back with Taurus unloading with a chair inside before sending Bully face first into a ladder in the corner. Taurus plants him again and hits a twisting senton for two. Another one is loaded up but only hits ladder, allowing Ray to steal the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C. The violence didn’t have a chance to get cranked up and the break in the middle of a match that wasn’t that long in the first place didn’t help things. The Ray vs. PCO showdown should be a heck of a spectacle, but this wasn’t exactly a great way to get me ready for it. Give it more time and less of a break and it could have been better, but this didn’t work so well.

Post match PCO is here so Bully puts him through a table…to no avail, sending Bully running.

Eddie Edwards is mad at Frankie Kazarian for hitting Eddie’s wife Alisha with a kendo stick last week. Frankie comes in to say it was an accident and a match seems to be made for next week, amid the pull apart that is.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Sami Callihan/Rich Swann vs. Rascalz

The Rascalz are sent outside in a hurry to start and Callihan hits Miguel with a Death Valley Driver onto the apron. Thanks to the power of modern wrestling, Miguel is back up in less than ten seconds for Swann’s big running flip dive. The Rascalz poke them in the eyes and hit stereo middle rope moonsaults to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Callihan being knocked to the floor so Swann can get double teamed with some rapid fire kicks. A kick to the chest gives Miguel two but Swann gets over to Callihan for the hot tag. The pace picks up but it’s a Codebreaker into a neckbreaker into a running shooting star press for two on Callihan. The catapult is countered into a piledriver to drive Miguel into Wentz in a rather unique spot.

Swann comes back in to pick it back up, with an ax kick into a side slam getting two on Miguel. The catapult/middle rope double stomp works on Swann and a 619 connects in the corner. Callihan is back up for the save and all four are down. Some knees to the head rock Miguel but Wentz makes a save of his own. The referee is distracted so it’s spray paint to Callihan’s eyes. Swann is sent outside and it’s Hot Fire Flame to finish Callihan at 14:02.

Rating: B-. I get that it’s their thing and all that jazz, but I’m rather sick of the spray paint ending. It’s been done to death and the Rascalz aren’t even the only people using it in wrestling at the moment. That being said, it was a heck of a match as the tag division continues to roll. The Rascalz getting the titles from Subculture wouldn’t be a shock and I could go for Swann and Callihan getting an early shot if the title change takes place.

Overall Rating: B. This was one of their stronger shows in a bit, with good action throughout and some stuff being set up for Emergence. It’s nice to see things getting back on track after a few weeks that weren’t as good as they had been coming in. Impact can be a heck of a treat when it’s on and they certainly were this week, so well done all around.

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

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Multiverse United 2: For Whom The Bell Tolls
Date: August 20, 2023
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan, Veda Scott

This is a special show as it’s a battle between Impact Wrestling and New Japan. The original version was held over Wrestlemania weekend and now we could be in for a cool sequel. This includes a main event of Alex Shelley defending the Impact Wrestling World Title against Hiroshi Tanahashi. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow New Japan incredibly closely so I apologize for missing any characters, plot points etc.

Kickoff Show: Joe Hendry/Heath/Yuya Uemura vs. Master Wato/Rocky Romero/Ryusuke Taguchi

Heath and Romero start things off with Heath hitting an atomic drop into a clothesline. Taguchi comes in for the double stomping in the corner but it’s Heath coming in for some dancing. A hip attack drops Heath though and it’s Hendry coming in to face Wato. This doesn’t work for the Impact guys either, as Wato gets in a double bulldog and sends them outside.

Back in and Hendry chops away at Wato before hitting a delayed suplex for two. Uemura comes in for a slam as things settle down into the standard rotating beatdown. Hendry’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Wato fights up and brings Romero back in to pick up the pace. Hendry fall away slams Romero and Wato at the same time, allowing the double tag to Uemura and Taguchi. Everything breaks down and Uemura hits a high crossbody for the pin at 10:21.

Rating: C+. Nice way to start here with three fun Impact stars getting a win to warm up the crowd. Hendry and Uemura seem to be gearing up for a tag team run and Heath can work well in any midcard spot. The New Japan guys were treated as stars here too, with Wato being a near buzzsaw at times. Entertaining opener and that’s as good as you can expect.

Impact – 1
NJPW – 0

Kickoff Show: Digital Media Title: Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Kenny King

King is defending. Feeling out process to start with Kanemaru cranking on a headlock before hurting himself on a shoulder block. The headlock works a bit better, at least until King breaks it up and stomps away, setting up a camel clutch. Back up and King misses a charge in the corner, allowing Kanemaru to hammer away a bit more. A DDT plants King for two, followed by a moonsault for the same. King spinebusters him for two more before ducking the miss. A kick to the head sets up the Royal Flush to retain the title at 6:51.

Rating: C. They kept this relatively short as it was mainly a way to get a title match on the show. King’s title is about as low down as you can get in Impact and having him defend against a former champion like Kanemaru makes sense. The match itself was fine enough and that’s really all it needed to be for the spot they were in.

Impact – 2
NJPW – 0

The opening video looks at some of the bigger matches. Rather simple here and nothing wrong with that.

Chris Sabin vs. Kevin Knight vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Bushi vs. Yoh vs. Rich Swann vs. Mao vs. El Desperado

Everyone in at once, one fall to a finish. We get a quick eight man lockup before they pair off and go outside. Naturally this means some dives until it’s off to Mao (who dances a lot) vs. Swann, the latter of whom kicks him in the ribs. Yoh comes in to clear the ring without much effort but Knight hits him with a spinning splash for two.

Sabin is in with a missile dropkick to Knight before getting taken down by Kazarian. Desperado and Mao are back in to clean house in a hurry until Mao punches him in the mask, as you probably guessed was coming. We get the eight man submission chain until the referee breaks it up for using the rope (Rehwoldt: “Using the rope was the most ridiculous part of that.”).

Everyone beats down Bushi before they go after Swann with running splashes in the corner. A Tower Of Doom bring Swann down again and Knight comes off the top for two. Kazarian sends Knight to the apron and pulls him back in with a cutter, setting off the parade of knockdowns. Sabin drops Yoh and Knight at the same time before hitting the Cradle Shock to finish Yoh at 8:24.

Rating: B-. I never know what to say in a match like this, as it’s all over the place and complete insanity, with a big parade of spots and dives. That being said, it can be fun to see something like this, as it’s nonstop action until someone gets the win. They also did the right thing in keeping it relatively short, which can be a huge problem in matches like this. Fun opener, as they’re certainly starting fast.

Impact – 3
NJPW – 0

Post match Desperado mists Sabin to blow off some steam. And some mist.

TMDK vs. Team Impact

That would be Zack Sabre Jr./Shane Haste vs. Moose/Eddie Edwards for your wacky Impact team of the night. Eddie and Sabre start things off with Sabre wasting no time in going after the arm. Haste comes in for two off a dropkick and it’s already back to Sabre to work on the arm again. Eddie gets in a shot to Haste and hands it back to Moose, who gets two off Eddie’s backpack Stunner.

The Impact guys take turns chopping at Haste, who gets slammed down to make it worse. Haste kicks his way to freedom though and brings Sabre back in. Moose is low bridged to the floor and an armbar over the rope has Eddie in trouble again. A PK hits Eddie, who pops back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a double knockdown. Haste and Moose come back in, with the former armdragging his way out of a release Rock Bottom.

The second attempt works but Sabre is back up with a tornado DDT to Moose. Eddie drops Sabre and everyone is down again. Back up and Sabre slugs it out with Moose, with Sabre pulling him into a choke. Eddie makes the save and hits the Boston Knee Party to Sabre. Haste rolls Moose up for two but the spear gives Moose the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B. This was another rather solid match and it was cool to see a makeshift team hang with and even beat an established pairing. Haste taking the fall to a former Impact World Champion is hardly some big slap in the face, though this was quite the upset. If nothing else, Sabre didn’t get to snap any limbs!

Impact – 4
NJPW – 0

Video on the four way for the New Japan Strong Women’s Title.

New Japan Strong Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Momo Kohgo vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Giulia

Giulia is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Purrazzo and Giulia grab headlocks to start but get broken up for a staredown just as fast. Everyone goes or a rollup and I’s another four way showdown. Shaw brags a bit too much and gets dropkicked to the floor, leaving Purrazzo to dropkick the other two. Momo is back up with a superkick for two on Giulia, with Shaw making the save.

Shaw takes Momo and Giulia down and covers both of them in a row for rapid fire near falls. Deonna pulls Giulia to the floor so Momo can hit a big dive before Shaw goes after Giulia for a change. Back in and Giulia butterfly superplexes Shaw, leaving to a four way knockdown. They pair off for the stereo forearm exchanges until Shaw’s spear misses Purrazzo and hits Giulia by mistake.

An assisted Backstabber puts Momo down again but Shaw gives Purrazzo a super Spanish Fly. Momo makes the save, leaving Purrazzo to Queen’s Gambit Giulia and Shaw. Purrazzo and Shaw grab stereo submissions but stop o fight each other. Giulia is back up and hits a northern lights bomb on Shaw to retain at 12:25.

Rating: B-. Another title match to make the show feel more special and in this case it went well. The more I see of Giulia in the ring the more obvious it is that she is a star. It’s a good idea to feature someone like that and Shaw has lost enough that another one isn’t going to do much damage. Purrazzo vs. Giulia down the line could be a heck of a showdown and that might be the case eventually. For now though, I’ll take a Giulia showcase.

Impact – 4
NJPW – 1

Sami Callihan vs. Douki

Before the match, Sami says we’re missing the extreme around here so let’s make this a street fight. Douki agrees and wastes no time in knocking him outside before putting Sami in a chair. The kick from the apron takes too long though and as a result, Sami throws in a bunch of weapons.

Back in and Sami whips out an 8×10 of himself and paper cuts Douki’s fingers, followed by the arm pit. A t-bone suplex sends Douki onto a chair, which Sami loads into the corner. That takes too long and Douki sends him into it instead, meaning it’s time for a kendo stick. Some shots to Sami let Douki stack the chairs on him, setting up a top rope double stomp.

Sami is back up with a neckbreaker onto the chair for two before it’s time for a ladder. Douki manages to send him into said ladder though and a slingshot X Factor gets two. The Douki Driver is countered and the Cactus Driver 97 gives Sami two. Sami loads up four chairs and they climb onto them, with a Cactus Driver 97 sending Douki into them for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: C. Pretty basic hardcore match here and since they’re in Philadelphia, it would almost have been insane to not include something similar. Sami is the right choice for a match like this too, as he might not be the most polished in the ring, but he knows how to do this kind of thing. Douki more than held up his end, but it was just a bunch of the same stuff we’ve seen far too many times over the years.

Impact – 5
NJPW – 1

Kosei Fujita/Robbie Eagles vs. TJP/Francisco Akira

Akira and Fujita go to the mat to start and neither can get very far. Back up and Fujita chops Akira up against the ropes but TJP comes in off a blind tag for a double dropkick. Eagles comes in with a dropkick of his own for two on Akira before Fujita grabs a quickly broken leglock.

It’s back to TJP for a facewash in the corner, followed by a dropkick to put Fujita down again. That doesn’t last long a the hot tag brings in Eagles for the rapid fire house cleaning. The running knees in the corner get two on Akira and the Ron Miller Special (leglock) makes it worse.

TJP makes the save before being sent outside but Akira is back up with a poisonrana. A top rope double stomp/reverse DDT combination puts Fujita down for two and the Mamba splash gets the same. Eagles superkicks Fujita by mistake though and something like a 3D puts Fujita down again. Stereo running knees finish for TJP at 11:30.

Rating: C+. This was the showcase match for New Japan and that isn’t a bad idea. There was enough good action here to make the match interesting, with TJP and Akira coming off more like a successful team than Fujita and Eagles. Solid fast paced match here though and I could go or more of TJP and Akira.

Mike Bailey is ready to challenge Hiromu Takahashi for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title but tonight, they’re teaming together.

Bullet Club vs. The World

Bullet Club: David Finlay, Chris Bey, Ace Austin, Alex Coughlin, Kenta, Clark Connors
The World: Josh Alexander, PCO, Tanga Loa, Tama Tonga, DKC, El Phantasmo

Finlay spits at Tama to start and quickly send him outside for the big beatdown. Back in and PCO chops it out with Coughlin with the latter somehow managing a gutwrench suplex. Coughlin is sent outside for the big beatdown from the World as everything breaks down. Back in and DKC runs Connors over until a powerslam takes him down.

Finlay comes in for some rapid fire shoulders in the corner but DKC kicks his way to freedom. The big tag brings Alexander in (first time in five months) to clean house but Austin/Bey kick him down. It’s off to Kenta for some kicks to the back and Austin drops a leg for two. Alexander suplexes Austin and Bey, allowing the tag off to Phantasmo.

Everything breaks down and Finlay is surrounded so the beatdown can be on. DKC’s frog splash gets two but the Club makes the save. Kenta’s GTS to Alexander is countered into an ankle lock, which is broken up as well. PCO dives onto them and then hits a big dive onto the pile. Back in and Finlay hits a quick powerbomb to finish DKC at 14:08.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the opener with all of the chaos and everyone doing their thing at various times. The good thing is that they managed to have more of a structure this time around, with the Club getting the big win, as they should have earned. What mattered here was getting a bunch of people onto the show at once and it was one step away from being total chaos, which makes it pretty engaging stuff.

Impact – 5
NJPW – 2

Mike Bailey/Hiromu Takahashi vs. Lio Rush/Trey Miguel

Takahashi and Miguel start things off with Miguel telling the crowd to be quiet so he can stomp away in the corner in silence. Bailey comes in to trade dodges with Rush and hit a dropkick on Miguel. We settle down to Miguel missing a charge in the corner and getting dragon screw legwhipped by Rush.

Bailey’s running shooting star press gets two but Miguel suplexes his way to freedom. Everything breaks down and Bailey moonsaults onto Rush on the floor. Back in and Rush avoids the Ultimate Weapon, meaning Miguel and Takahashi get to chop it out. Takahashi gets double kicked down until Bailey makes the save.

The Lightning Spiral is countered into Takahashi’s pop up powerbomb and Miguel is rocked. The Ultimate Weapon into a Regal Roll gets two with Rush making the save. Rush hits Rush Hour for two on Takahashi, leaving Miguel to Meteora Bailey on the floor. Back in and Rush counters the Time Bomb and hits Takahashi low, allowing a rollup to give Rush the pin at 14:30.

Rating: B. This has been the night of letting people go nuts throughout their match and that is where these people shine. The ending could set up a champion vs. champion (X-Division vs. Junior Heavyweight) and that could be a big showdown at some point. Letting talented people fly around and showcase themselves is always a good idea and that’s what they did here at a pretty high level.

Impact – 6
NJPW – 2

Post match Rush says he wants the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title shot but Bailey brings up asking for the shot, which Takahashi granted.

Quick video on the main event, which is both for the title and teacher vs. student.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Alex Shelley

Shelley, Tanahashi’s former student, is defending. Tanahashi takes him into the corner to start and we get an early standoff. A headlock takeover frustrates Shelley a bit, though the air guitar might soothe him a bit. Shelley has to fight his way out of the headlock and gets to the middle rope for a knee to the arm.

The cranking on the arm ensues until Shelley gets taken down, with his knee being sent into the post. Tanahashi starts working on the knee but a slingshot stomp to the arm cuts him right back off. Shelley works on the arm outside and then again on the apron as he certainly has a target. Tanahashi gets in another shot to the knee but Shelley slugs away and hits a running forearm.

The standing Sliced Bread sets up the Border City Stretch to keep Tanahashi down for a change, but the foot in the rope makes the save. That means a dragon screw legwhip over the rope can put Shelley down again. The Texas Cloverleaf goes on but Shelley escapes and knocks him down again.

They slug it out with Tanahashi getting the better of things until three straight Twist and Shouts take Shelley down. The Sling Blade gets two but Shelley avoids the High Fly Flow. A running knee and ripcord clothesline give Shelley two so Tanahashi German suplexes him for the same. They head up top with Shelley Air Raid Crashing him back down before Shell Shock retains the title at 18:53.

Rating: B. This felt like a title match, as it came off like two stars fighting over a prize. While Tanahashi is definitely a few steps slower than he used to be, there is enough talent there to let him wrestle a good match with the right opponent. Shelley might not be setting the world on fire as champion, but you’re going to get a well wrestled match against any opponent. In other words, he is a perfectly acceptable placeholder and that’s not the worst place to be. Good main event.

Impact – 7
NJPW – 2

Overall Rating: B-. This felt like a rather cool DVD extra, as it doesn’t change storylines in any meaningful way. Instead, it was a nice showcase of the Impact stars against some midcard names from another company. You don’t need to watch it to keep up with what was going on, but you’ll have a good time with the whole thing, even if it’s about three and a half hours counting Kickoff Show. Pretty easy watch though, with a rather surprising final score too.

Results
Joe Hendry/Yuya Uemura/Heath b. Master Wato/Ryusuke Taguchi/Rocky Romero – High crossbody to Taguchi
Kenny King b. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Royal Flush
Chris Sabin b. Kevin Knight, Frankie Kazarian, Bushi, Yoh, Rich Swann, Mao and El Desperado – Cradle Shock to Yoh
Moose/Eddie Edwards b. TMDK – Spear to Haste
Giulia b. Deonna Purrazzo, Momo Kohgo and Gisele Shaw – Northern lights bomb to Shaw
Sami Callihan b. Douki – Cactus Driver 97 onto a pile of chairs
TJP/Francisco Akira b. Kosei Fujita/Robbie Eagles – Double knees to Fujita
Bullet Club b. The World – Powerbomb to DKC
Lio Rush/Trey Miguel b. Mike Bailey/Hiromu Takahashi – Rollup to Takahashi
Alex Shelley b. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Shell Shock

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: August 10, 2023
Location: Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re still on the way to Emergence and the card is starting to come together. That being said, we also have Multiverse United coming up in less than two weeks and that card could use some build of its own. Other than that, we have a new monster heel group, though Lio Rush might not be all in. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Tag Team #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Rich Swann/Sami Callihan vs. Bullet Club

Bey takes Swann into the corner to start so Austin can hit a running kick in the corner. Swann gets over to Sami for the tag though and it’s the shoulder breaker into a kick to Austin’s head. Bey is kicked down and the Cactus Driver drops Austin on the apron as the Club is in early trouble.

Bey gets in a shot of his own to put Callihan down and we take a break. Back with Swann being knocked to the floor but Bey’s clothesline hits post. The tag brings Callihan in for a Death Valley Driver before it’s already back to Swann. Bey’s brainbuster is escaped and Austin kicks Bey in the head by mistake.

That doesn’t seem to matter as Swann is sent outside for a double superkick to Callihan. 1-2-Sweet gets two with Swann making a diving save. Austin hits a spinning kick to Callihan’s head and adds a double stomp but cue the Good Hands to break up the cover. Austin gets dropped by Skyler and Callihan (who didn’t see Skyler) hits the Cactus Driver for the pin at 15:16.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, though Austin being fine after a Cactus Driver on the apron was the required eye roll inducing spot. Other than that, this already makes things equal to or even more interesting than anything WWE has had in its tag division in a few months. There are actual teams having issues and a story here, which is more than a lot of places have to offer. Good action too and that makes for a solid opener.

Santino Marella is in the back when the Coven comes in to interrupt (Wilde: “Just the muggle we’re looking for.”). They want the next shot at the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, but here are the Death Dollz to say they want the shot instead. Reasons of “we’re awesome” don’t convince him, so they have a huddle. Santino joins the huddle, and suggests listing off some of their previous wins. Jessicka lists them off, in a Santino accent, and Santino thinks about it. Cue MK Ultra, to say they’ll take them all. This was hilarious.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Dirty Dango

Alpha Bravo is here with Dango. Gujjar takes him into the corner to start but Dango elbows him in the face. Some knees to the back set up a chinlock but Gujjar fights up and gets two off a spinebuster. Bravo breaks up the Gargoyle Spear though and Dango hits a reverse layout DDT for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go very far but it’s good to see Dango getting some wins. I’m not sure how well he fits with Bravo, but at least Dango has a goon with him, which feels rather appropriate. Other than that, Gujjar continues to be a person who exists and not much more, which is kind of a shame as he isn’t bad.

Post match Dango insults the fans until Jake Something interrupts. Something doesn’t like hearing how much Dango hates wrestling so he can get out of here He threatens to make Dango leave but it doesn’t get that far, as Dango leaves on his own. Dango tries a cheap shot and is quickly knocked outside.

The Design talks about Eric Young running off for greener pastures and then coming back. Deaner is NOT a failure and Young will be destroyed.

Johnny Swinger thinks Simon Diamond is back but gets interrupted by Kenny King and Sheldon Jean. King says Swinger is old and talks about how being the Digital Medical Champion means more than being the World Champion. Swinger: “What’s the internet daddy?”

Alisha Edwards vs. Jody Threat

Eddie Edwards is here with Alisha. Threat forearms away to start but gets caught in the ropes for a pull down by the hair. Edwards chokes away on the ropes as Eddie gets in some quality yelling. Threat fights up but Eddie trips her down, only to have Frankie Kazarian jump him from behind. The distraction lets Threat hit Pop Shove It (I think? It’s an F5.) for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as Edwards is still gearing up for her showdown with Traci Brooks. Other than that, it was Threat getting another win to continue boosting her up, as she is starting to feel like one of the gang around here. Other than that, this was another step in Eddie vs. Kazarian and not much more.

Post match Kazarian pulls back the kendo stick to hit Eddie but hits Alisha on the back swing by mistake. Alisha goes straight to the mat like she’s been shot.

Deonna Purrazzo wants KiLynn King next week.

Mike Bailey vs. Kushida

Kushida drops to the mat and tries to pull Bailey down before settling for a wristdrag. A kick to the chest drops Bailey again but the fans are split. The bouncing kicks don’t do much to Kushida, who sends Bailey outside. Back in and we hit the surfboard to keep Bailey in trouble a bit longer. They chop it out until Bailey is knocked outside for a shoulder first ram into the post.

We take a break and come back with Kushida tying up the legs and cranking away with an Indian deathlock (with commentary pointing out that since Kushida had taken out the arm, Bailey would start using his legs so Kushida is staying ahead of him). Back up and the leg is fine enough to hit a springboard moonsault (of course), only to miss something off the top.

Bailey strikes him down and tries the standing moonsault but gets caught in an armbar. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker but Kushida makes the rope. Bailey kicks him in the face so Kushida hits him in his, only to have Bailey knee him in the face for two. The tornado kick looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon but Kushida pulls him down and hits Back To The Future for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. This is one of those setups where you know it is going to be at least good give all of the circumstances. That being said, Bailey’s knee nonsense continues as Kushida worked it over and then bailey was right back up with the springboard moonsault. Other than that, Kushida seems to be on the road to an X-Division Title showdown and that should be very good whenever it happens.

Crazzy Steve has a sitdown interview with Matthew Rehwoldt, with Steve saying he needs his help. Steve has been trying to get Havok and Rosemary back, but now everyone, including Black Taurus, is turning their backs on him. That is normal for him as he has been abandoned before, including his vision, as he is legally blind. He’s been doing this for 21 years and you can imagine what that kind of pressure his bad vision puts on him. When asked about family, Steve says that’s a very interesting story and more on that later. This was surprisingly interesting and I could go for a part two.

We look at Subculture defending the Tag Team Titles in the UK.

Subculture has their eyes on the #1 contenders tournament.

Joe Hendry pops up behind two fans, but they were actually summoning Yuya Uemura, complete with his own song. Hendry wants an explanation and they seem to like the idea of winning the Tag Team Titles together.

Team 3D will be back at Impact 1000. Cool.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Moose/Brian Myers/Bully Ray vs. Black Taurus/Laredo Kid/Samuray del Sol

Hold on though as we cut to the back where del Sol (better known as Kalisto) has been attacked by Lio Rush. We take a break and start the match 3-2, with Myers teasing a test of strength with Taurus, only to grab a headlock instead. Taurus runs him over instead so it’s off to Moose vs. Kid, with the latter headscissoring him to the floor. Back in and Taurus shoulders Ray down but Myers pulls Ray to safety as we take a break.

We come back with Taurus having to fight away from Ray and handing it back to Kid. A tornado DDT plants Moose and there’s a hurricanrana to Ray. Back up and Ray takes Kid down though, allowing Myers to stomp away. Ray goes for Kid’s mask….and PCO is back. Moose is tossed outside and Myers gets crushed with a flip dive, leaving Ray to get chased to the back. Kid frog splashes Myers for a VERY slow two, allowing Moose to take Taurus down. Myers hits the Roster Cut to finish Kid at 16:38.

Rating: C+. Kid and Taurus looked awesome here and it was nice to have the two of them get this much shine. At the end of the day, the villains had to win here before their big eight man tag at Emergence. Other than that, it wasn’t exactly a great match but they kept it moving well enough to hold my interest, so well done.

Post match Ray runs through the back and steals a car. PCO gets to said car but Ray speeds off, leaving PCO screaming to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was good enough to carry the show here, even if they’re in a weird time as Emergence is coming but is only so big of a show. The whole thing isn’t looking like the biggest even in the world but after that we are on the road to Bound for Glory. For now they need to make the best out of their limited possibilities and it went well enough this week.

Results
Sami Callihan/Rich Swann b. Bullet Club – Cactus Driver 97 to Austin
Dirty Dango b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Reverse layout DDT
Jody Threat b. Alisha Edwards – Pop Shove It
Kushida b. Mike Bailey – Back To The Future
Brian Myers/Moose/Bully Ray b. Black Taurus/Laredo Kid – Roster cut to Kid

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 3, 2023
Location: Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re on the way to Emergence and the show still has a long way to go to setting up the card. Deonna Purrazzo is set to challenge Trinity for the Knockouts Title along with a few other matches but the show is going to need more than that. There is a good chance we will hear some more for the card this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Trinity to talk about what Chicago means to her. This is where she made her Impact Wrestling debut. It’s amazing how far things have come for her because she was thinking about ending her career. Then she debuted here and wanted to become the Knockouts Champion and she DID IT. Cue Deonna Purrazzo to interrupt and congratulate Trinity on her win. She knows what it feels like to win the title on your first chance. The only difference between the two is that the roles are reversed.

Purrazzo says she never tapped out out, with Trinity saying she did at Slammiversary. Trinity says she can make Purrazzo tap, with Purrazzo saying prove it. Cue the Coven to interrupt, saying no one wants Trinity here. KiLynn King suggests that she should be champion and Taylor Wilde isn’t happy that they have to be in Chicago. Threats and a brawl lead to a match being made by Santino Marella.

Coven vs. Trinity/Deonna Purrazzo

Trinity and King go to the mat to start before Trinity elbows her in the face. A rather twisty rollup gives Trinity two but a headscissors is easily blocked. Wilde comes in and gets kicked in the stomach. Trinity is fine enough to take Wilde into the corner and rain down right hands….but Purrazzo tags herself in to cut things off. A hurricanrana sends Wilde flying but she takes Purrazzo into the corner so King can come in.

That doesn’t last long as Purrazzo gets away for the tag to Trinity as the pace picks up. A bulldog into the middle buckle rocks Wilde but King tosses Trinity off the top. King backflips Wilde into a moonsault onto Trinity for two as the villains take over again. Trinity fights up again though and gets over to Purrazzo for the hot tag.

King fights out of the Fujiwara armbar and gets two off a DDT as everything breaks down. Trinity’s Rear View is countered into a German suplex and everyone is down again. Purrazzo Fujiwaras King down again but Wilde makes the save this time. Trinity kicks Purrazzo in the head by mistake and the King’s Curse (pumphandle flipped into a faceplant) finishes Purrazzo at 10:15.

Rating: C+. The Coven getting a win back is a good thing and Trinity and Purrazzo having issues makes perfect sense. This wasn’t exactly inspired booking, but it was the kind of match that helped multiple things at once. I still like the Coven quite a bit and it would make sense to see them be put back in the title scene sooner than later.

The Rascalz are ready to win the #1 contenders tag team tournament, even if they should just get the title shot already. Scott D’Amore comes in to say they’re fined two weeks pay for coming back after they were ejected a few weeks ago. If they do it again, it’s an indefinite suspension, but yeah D’Amore is happy they’re back!

Alisha Edwards rants to Eddie Edwards about Traci Brooks. Jody Threat comes in say that’s nonsense and again, arguing leads to a match, this time next week.

Heath vs. Alan Angels

This is over who is the REAL rockstar of Impact. Angels slaps him in the face to start and then bails out to the floor. Back in and Heath knocks him outside again without much effort but stops to celebrate with some fans. That lets Angels dropkick toe steps in the knees, meaning Angels has a target back inside. The moonsault misses though and Heath gets to slug away. Angels manages to go up top but dives into a powerslam for a rather near fall. The Wake Up Call misses though and Angels goes right back to the knee. A kick to the head misses though and the Wake Up Call finishes for Heath at 6:17.

Rating: C+. Heath has really grown on me in recent months as he has this likability to him and it shows almost every time he’s out there. No he isn’t going to be World Champion or anything close to it, but he’s perfectly fine as a midcard face that the fans can get behind. Go with him for a little bit and let the fans have fun with him as it’s not going to hurt anything.

We look back at the Design taking out Eric Young last week.

Eric Young isn’t surprised at what happened but gets asked an interesting question: wasn’t he supposed to be dead? Young says the fans didn’t know what they were seeing and they will see what happened tonight.

Jake Something vs. Davey Vega

Jake sends him down fast to start and launches Vega off for trying a headlock. A running shoulder blasts Vega before Something smashes him with a heck of a forearm. Vega tries to leave but gets hit with a flying block block (like the start of a Thesz press but Jake stays on his feet), followed by a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 2:35. Something looked great here.

Last week, Moose talked to Brian Myers, Bully Ray and Lio Rush, all of whom are here to get the World Title. Rush was told to give them an answer by the end of the night, which he did by joining them at the end of the show.

Myers, Moose and Ray interrupt Rush on the phone, with Ray asking who he’s talking to. Rush says that’s none of his business, but Ray is VERY happy with Rush’s decision. Rush says he’s not here to make friends, but Moose doesn’t care about that. All that matters is Rush helping them, which Rush will do at Emergence. Ray wants Rush with them next week for a six man tag and says they’ll trust him until he gives them a reason not to.

Digital Media Title: Joe Hendry vs. Yuya Uemura vs. Kenny King

King, with Sheldon Jean, is defending. Before the match, Hendry doesn’t seem happy with Uemura being involved in his one and only title rematch. King shoves Uemura into Hendry to start and we get a few rollups for two each. Back up and Hendry chops both of them until King hits him in the face. There’s a kick to Uemura in the corner as this isn’t exactly picking up the pace so far. King knocks Hendry to the floor and hits a running dropkick to Uemura. Back in and Hendry neckbreakers King, who DDTs Uemura at the same time as we take a break.

We come back with King forearming Hendry and then suplexing Uemura out to the floor. King can’t hit the Royal Flush on Hendry so here is Uemura to crossbody both of them down. Uemura tries it again but dives into Hendry’s cutter. Jean pulls Hendry out so King can get two so Hendry blasts Jean with a clothesline. King sends Uemura into King though and the Royal Flush finishes Uemura to retain the title at 12:19.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but it was a lot better once they came back from the break. What matters here is Uemura is the one who took the pin, which gets Hendry out of the title picture without taking a fall. That’s the best way to go for everyone as Uemura doesn’t really have much stature in the first place. Now do something else with Hendry already.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Mike Bailey b. Jack Evans at Emergence 2022.

Mike Bailey and Jonathan Gresham don’t quite agree with the way the rules are enforced around here but they think they can work together to win the #1 contenders tournament. This doesn’t seem to be the best pairing.

Video on Josh Alexander returning and uniting with the Motor City Machine Guns and Kushida against the resident heel faction. Kushida and Chris Sabin might not be on the same page about the X-Division Title though.

The Beautiful People and Awesome Kong will be back for Impact 1000. Cool.

The Death Dollz are looking for a plan to get a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot from Santino Marella. Crazzy Steve comes in to try and find out why it’s Courtney Rush and not Rosemary but she shoves him aside. Steve: “Ok I understand.”

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Rascalz vs. Jonathan Gresham/Mike Bailey

Miguel gets knocked down to start so it’s off to bailey to armdrag Wentz. The bouncing kicks have Wentz in more trouble and there’s the enziguri to put him down. Gresham comes in and works on the arm before tying up the leg as well. Miguel offers a distraction though, allowing Wentz to hit a good looking dropkick. Bailey is knocked off the apron and we take a break.

Back with Gresham fighting up and bringing Bailey in to pick up the pace. The standing shooting star press gets two on Miguel but a Wentz distraction lets Miguel grab a German suplex. Some kicks get Bailey out of trouble and Gresham comes back in for an assisted rolling cutter on Miguel with Wentz making the save. Everything breaks down and Gresham powerbombs and forearms Miguel for two. With the referee distracted Miguel gets in the spray paint to Gresham for the pin (with trunks) at 13:16.

Rating: B-. The spray paint thing is getting old fast but at least it’s something Miguel has done for a long time. The Rascalz moving forward is a better fit than another team of partners who hate each other but work well in the ring so they went with the logical move. Not a great match, but it made the Rascalz look good after a long time apart.

We look back at Deaner stabbing Eric Young to kill him off last year. Then Deaner sat there and Young laid there….until he spit up blood and started laughing. Young crawled outside and got on a motorcycle to ride away (while Deaner was presumably getting donuts or something). Young narrates a video about life and death being opposites.

Can you die if you never truly lived? Death can be a gateway and a door and it can be beautiful. But he’s not censored dead yet. A man can be killed and a body can be disposed of, but an idea is eternal. He’s more than death and more than an idea, so he will live forever. Uh yeah….we’re going to go with “they overthought this one” and move on.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was good enough with some nice action, but that Eric Young video at the end was so over the top that I was trying not to laugh. Other than that, I’m a bit optimistic about some of the names who could be moving up the charges, as Heath, Jake Something and Joe Hendry all seem like they could have bright futures. Impact is starting to make those people look like bigger deals and that is a good idea, as the roster is a good bit aged at the top. Now just figure something out with them and see how far you can go.

Results
The Coven b. Trinity/Deonna Purrazzo – King’s Curse to Purrazzo
Heath b. Alan Angels – Wake Up Call
Jake Something b. Davey Vega – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Kenny King b. Joe Hendry and Yuya Uemura – Royal Flush to Uemura
Rascalz b. Jonathan Gresham/Mike Bailey – Rollup with trunks to Gresham

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: July 27, 2023
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re still in Windsor for the Slammiversary fallout and this time we have a big main event with Nick Aldis vs. Eric Young. Other than that, it seems that World Champion Alex Shelley has all kinds of people coming after him and that could open up quite a few doors for the future. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Trinity/Dani Luna vs. The Coven

King powers Trinity into the corner to start but Trinity grabs a running neckbreaker for two. Luna comes in and rolls her up for two more so it’s off to Wilde for a change. A running basement clothesline hits Wilde for two but a cheap shot from the apron lets the villains take over.

King’s forearm from the floor rocks Luna and a clothesline back inside does it again. Luna forearms her way out of trouble though and it’s back to Trinity for a bulldog into the corner. Everything breaks down and Luna and King fall to the floor, Trinity to grab a Bubba Bomb into a rollup for the pin on Wilde at 8:32.

Rating: C. Pretty basic match to start here and it seemed to be more a way to get Trinity in the ring than anything else. The Coven already seems to be falling down and I’m really not sure why. It isn’t like the Knockouts tag division has any depth so weakening one of the few good teams is quite the questionable choice.

Post match Deonna Purrazzo comes out to say she’s getting her rematch.

We look back at the end of last week’s show, with Lio Rush refusing to attack a downed Alex Shelley.

Rush asks Moose and Brian Myers why they’re aligned with Bully Ray, who comes in to yell at Rush for having too many questions. Rush needs to decide which side he’s on.

We look at Johnny Bravo returning to side with Dirty Dango.

Dango and Bravo aren’t worried about Santino Marella (though Dango might have dated his daughter). As for Bravo, he was trained by Villano VI in Mexico.

Johnny Swinger vs. Zicky Dice

Loser Leaves Town. The Fingerpoke puts Dice down for two but he small packages Swinger for two of his own. They exchange eye rakes and hair pulls until Dice gets two off a slam. Swinger teases walking out but Dice stops him and lets him get into the cart. The posing Dice gets clotheslined down though and a rollup with feet on the ropes gives Swinger the pin at 3:15.

Rating: C+. Oh like this was supposed to be anything serious. These two know how to do their stuff perfectly well and Swinger turning on Dice to get what he wants is exactly how this whole thing should have ended. Swinger is going to need a new goon and I’m not sure who that is going to be, but this was a lot of fun as the legendary team ends.

On Before The Impact, Yuya Uemura pinned Kenny King in a tag match.

Uemura wants the Digital Media Title, which Joe Hendry likes because he can get the title back. Santino Marella makes a triple threat title match.

Nick Aldis promises to beat Eric Young.

Gisele Shaw vs. Masha Slamovich

Jai Vidal, Savannah Evans and Killer Kelly are here too. They fight over arm control to start with Slamovich taking her to the mat. A clothesline gives Slamovich two but Shaw sends her crashing out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Shaw elbowing her down in the corner and hitting a double stomp for two.

The chinlock goes on but Slamovich slips out and fires off some shots to the face in the corner. A full nelson backbreaker into a spinning faceplant gives Shaw two but Slamovich kicks her in the face for two more. Everyone on the floor gets in a brawl though and the distraction lets Shaw hit a running knee for the pin at 10:25.

Rating: C+. Shaw needed the win here and beating one of the Knockouts Tag Team Champions should go a long way towards setting up a future title shot. The new champs need new challengers and Shaw/likely Evans would be a nice fit. The first match went well enough though and I could go for more from the teams.

Video on Jake Something.

Impact is going to the UK for three shows in October. Good for them for getting to expand like that.

Traci Brooks wants Alisha Edwards in the ring for five minutes but Frankie Kazarian tries to talk her out of it.

Moose/Brian Myers vs. Time Splitters

For you non-old school fans, that would be Kushida/Alex Shelley. Kushida ducks Moose’s chop in the corner and forearms away. The leglock keeps Moose slowed down but he powers out of an armbar. Myers comes in and the Splitters take turns working on the arm, with Kushida smashing it into the mat. Everything breaks down and Moose drops Shelley on the floor as we take a break. Back with Myers grabbing a chinlock on Shelley but Shelley reverses into a cradle….for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: C+. That’s the most out of nowhere finish I’ve seen in years and I kind of love it. At the very least, it shows the fans that there is a chance for a match to end at any given time. That’s kind of the point of wrestling and you don’t see it often enough so points for throwing a bit of a bone in there. Not everything has to be some huge finishing sequence with signature moves. Nice job here, just for a quick ending.

Post match Bully Ray comes in for the beatdown, with Josh Alexander making the save. Lio Rush comes in to uneven things again but Chris Sabin makes the real save.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Eric Young b. Nick Aldis to win the World Title in 2014, which was NOT a ripoff of Daniel Bryan, the bearded popular star, doing the same thing earlier in the week.

Heath laid out Alan Angels on Before The Impact.

Alan Angels says Heath thinks he is a rock star but Angels IS a rock star.

The Rascalz are coming for the Bullet Club and then the Tag Team Titles. They run into Mike Bailey, who thinks they shouldn’t act like idiots.

Zachary Wentz vs. Mike Bailey

Trey Miguel is here with Wentz. Bailey strikes him down to start and we hit the early headlock. Wentz slides outside and cuts off a dive to take over. Back in and Bailey slips out of a suplex and elbows him down. The standing shooting star press gets two and a kick to the head gives bailey two more.

There’s the springboard moonsault to the floor but Wentz is right back with a backbreaker onto the apron to cut Bailey off fast. Back in and Bailey kicks away again but Miguel pulls Wentz away from the tornado kick. Miguel gets ejected, with the distraction letting Wentz spray paint Bailey’s eyes. A headlock driver finishes Bailey at 6:15.

Rating: B-. The action was good here and it’s always nice to see bad things happen to Bailey. The important thing here though is that the Rascalz are getting a nice push after reuniting. They were a big deal before the team originally split and now we get to see what they can do in a different format here.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Eric Young vs. Nick Aldis

They fight over arm control to start, with Young armdragging him into an armbar. Neither can throw the other outside so Young tries the piledriver, sending Aldis outside and us to a break. Back with Aldis taking over on the floor, including an elbow to the face for two. Aldis pumphandle suplexes him for two and we hit the chinlock.

Young fights up and hits some shots to the face, setting up a belly to belly suplex for two. Aldis is fine enough to crotch him on top and grab a superplex for a near fall of his own. A Michinoku driver gives Aldis two more and we hit the King’s Lynn cloverleaf. The rope is reached and Young grabs the piledriver for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: C+. That feels like a way to write Aldis off TV, as he lost completely clean in a fairly prominent match. Aldis was doing his normal stuff here, meaning it was only so interesting. On the other hand you have Young, who is almost a folk hero around here and having him get a win like this is going to get a nice reaction.

Post match Deaner and Kon run in to beat Young down. Deaner hits his DDT and sits on Young’s chest to end the show. I know there was the whole murder thing, but is that really important enough to make this story worthwhile again?

Overall Rating: B-. This show was more like the ones Impact has been doing in recent months and that is a good thing. They set up some stuff for Resurgence next month and now we should be in for some more positive stuff going forward. For now though, I’ll take a nice enough show which set things up and closed a few things off at the same time. Nice job.

Results
Trinity/Dani Luna b. The Coven – Rollup to Luna
Johnny Swinger b. Zicky Dice – Rollup with feet o the ropes
Gisele Shaw b. Masha Slamovich – Running knee
Time Splitters b. Moose/Brian Myers – Cradle to Myers
Zachary Wentz b. Mike Bailey – Headlock driver
Eric Young b. Nick Aldis – Piledriver

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: July 20, 2023
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are back after a middle of the road Slammiversary, where the big story was the return of Josh Alexander, as he confronted World Champion Alex Shelley to end the show. That should make for a big showdown going forward, and Eric Young is back as a bonus. Let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

Long Slammiversary recap.

Here is Scott D’Amore in the ring to get things going. He is proud of everything that happened at Slammiversary in his hometown. Getting to stand in the ring with those people is something he will never forget, but as for tonight, he is acting Director Of Authority because Santino Marella is beating up Dirty Dango. We hear about more of the show until the Good Hands come out to interrupt. D’Amore tells them to come in if they have something to say so the Good Hands come in for some threats. That’s cool with D’Amore, who has some guys waiting to face them.

Good Hands vs. Sami Callihan/Rich Swann

Sami hammers on Skyler to start but the Good Hands actually take over, with Hotch hitting a middle rope moonsault to take the two of them out on the floor. We settle down to Skyler taking over on Swann but Hotch gets dropped, allowing Callihan to come in and pick up the pace. The Death Valley Driver gets two on Hotch with Skyler making the save. That earns Skyler a kick to the floor, setting up double knees to Hotch’s face. Swann and Callihan lift Hotch up under the arms for a rather high angle double spinebuster for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C. The Good Hands got in more than I was expecting here but ultimately Callihan and Swann are a much prominent pairing. I could go for seeing the two of them getting into a bigger story and maybe this is the start of something like that. For now though, nice quick opener and rather different than the longer stuff that has mainly opened the show in recent months.

The Bullet Club are mad about losing their Tag Team Titles and promise revenge on the Rascalz too. Cue the Rascalz to mock them, meaning the brawl is on. Scott D’Amore comes in to say the Club already has a match tonight but the Rascalz can get out of here. With them gone, Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice come in, with Swinger asking what he’s supposed to do now. D’Amore says the fifty wins deal is over, but if Swinger wins his next match, he’ll get a title shot. He can even fight Dice, and we’ll make it Loser Leaves Town!

Eric Young is back and has a story to tell but here is Nick Aldis to interrupt (and TOWER over Young). Aldis says Young can be his colleague in his war against the cretins and internet darlings who are ruining this place. Young isn’t sure about that so they’ll fight tonight instead.

Video on Jake Something, who looks like a star but has the name Jake Something so he’s under a ceiling.

Jake Something vs. Kevin Knight

Knight actually gets an insert promo, promising to show what he can do. Something shrugs off some shoulders to start and then shoulders Knight instead. Some clotheslines rock Knight again but he sends Something to the apron for a heck of a springboard dropkick. We take a break and come back with Something’s Hulk Up being dropped by a basement shoulder.

Knight hits a jumping splash for two but Something fights up and runs him over with another hard shot. Back up and Something turns him inside out with a clothesline but gets caught on top. Knight’s super hurricanrana is countered into a super sitout powerbomb for…two. Either Knight is winning or the producer is a moron. Something cuts him off with a forearm but Knight hits a forearm of his own, followed by a rather awesome pop up dropkick. A high crossbody gives Knight two but Something hits a Boss Man Slam for the pin at 13:39.

Rating: B-. They had me until that sitout powerbomb only got two. It’s a perfect example of a move that either should have been the finish or shouldn’t have been in the match. Knight got a lot in here and has the potential to be a star on his own, while Something has all of the physical tools you could need. Just get a better name and things should be just fine.

Courtney Rush vs. Savannah Evans

Jessicka, Jai Vidal and Gisele Shaw are all here too. Rush gets powered up against the ropes to start and her headlock is countered with a belly to back. Vidal grabs Rush’s leg so Evans can run her over and drop a leg or two. Back up and Rush charges into a spinebuster for two but gets in a shot of her own. Vidal grabs the foot again though, which draws out Jody Threat to carry Vidal to the back. Rush hits a spear for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C-. The interference and everyone getting involved hurt this a lot and kept taking me out of the match. Rush winning is a good way to go though as she has needed some kind of momentum for a bit. Evans is a big, intimidating monster so beating her once in awhile is a great way to give someone a nice boost. Just cut down on the shenanigans.

Video on Trinity winning the Knockouts Title and how much it means to her.

The Coven isn’t impressed with Trinity but they also want the Women’s Tag Team Titles back from MK Ultra (Masha Slamovich/Killer Kelly).

We get a sitdown interview with Jonathan Gresham, who says if the X-Division is about no limits, it is now about no rules. In Ring Of Honor, he wanted rules…..so maybe this place isn’t for him.

Dirty Dango vs. Santino Marella

Santino grapples him down to start and tries for the armbar, which Dango has to block for a good bit. The threat of a leglock sends Dango to the ropes but this time he comes up with a shot to the face. Back up and Santino snaps off some armdrags but Dango pulls him throat first into the ropes. Some shots to the back have Santino in trouble and a whip into the corner keeps him down. Santino’s back gives out on a slam attempt but he avoids a twisting Swanton. The Cobra is loaded up but here is a guy in riot gear to break it up. Dango rams them together and gets the cheap pin at 5:55.

Rating: D+. This is a good example of a match that missed the point. Dango attacked and insulted Santino, who should have been out for blood. Instead, he was doing armdrags and hiptosses, plus the Cobra. Santino showed he can wrestle and grapple but then he just went into the traditional goofy stuff. Why should I care if he’s doing comedy in such a personal feud? This didn’t work and that’s rough to see.

It’s the returning Johnny Bravo.

Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans run into MK Ultra and insults are exchanged. Jody Threat drops Jai Vidal off at their feet.

Alisha Edwards and Traci Brooks get into a brawl.

Tag Team Titles: Subculture vs. Bullet Club

Subculture, with Dani Luna, is defending. Webster armbars Austin to start until they flip to a standoff. Andrews comes in to flip around and annoy Bey’s arm. Back up and Bey hits a dropkick and it’s back to Austin for a headscissors. Andrews is back up with a northern lights suplex and we take a break.

Back with Andrews working on an armbar before handing it off to Webster. That doesn’t exactly go well as Austin quickly takes over. Webster is already back to Andrews to pick up the pace but Bey brainbusters him for two. Bey torture racks him so Austin can hit a kick to the head, setting up the torture rack neckbreaker for two more. Webster is back in with a headbutt to Bey so a poisonrana can get another near fall.

Back up and Bey sends the champs outside for the big running flip dive as we take another break. We come back with Andrews hitting his double Pele but the Club hits the Art of Finesse. The Fold is broken up though and the Stundog Millionaire drops Bey. Cue the Rascalz to take Austin out, leaving Andrews to roll Bey up to retain at 19:57.

Rating: B. This got some time and the action was rather good for the most part. Subculture has hit the ground running like few teams ever have around here and that is great to see. Beating the former champs, even after some shenanigans, will take Subculture a long way and now they can wait for their next challenges. Solid match here and I was getting rather into it by the end.

Here is Josh Alexander for his big return speech. Alexander talks about how he had to give up the World Title right here due to a freak injury. Now he wants to win the title that he never lost, and he is 100% medically cleared. Unfortunately he can’t come here and get his title back from Steve Maclin, so now the question is can Alex Shelley beat him.

Cue Shelley to say Alexander has a cool healing factor but let’s cut to the chase. Shelley is the champ but he has to know if he can beat Alexander so let’s do it. Cue Lio Rush to tease Option C so cue Kushida (#1 contender to the X-Division Title) to say no Option C until he gets his shot. Now cue Bully Ray but the distraction lets Moose and Brian Myers to jump Kushida, Alexander and Shelley. Rush teases laying out Shelley but leaves instead to end the show. It got more interesting by the end, but enough of the Option C stuff.

Overall Rating: C+. This show only gave me so much hope for Impact’s future, as this didn’t feel like the rather good stuff that they have been doing in recent months. It’s still a fine enough show, but something was missing here. There were good parts to the whole thing, including the ending and main event, but some of the stuff was rather weak and felt like a step in the wrong direction. Good enough overall, but hopefully they tighten things up again.

Results
Rich Swann/Sami Callihan b. Good Hands – Double high angle spinebuster to Hotch
Jake Something b. Kevin Knight – Boss Man Slam
Courtney Rush b. Savannah Evans – Spear
Dirty Dango b. Santino Marella – Marella was rammed into a helmet
Subculture b. Bullet Club – Rollup to Bey

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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Slammiversary 2023
Date: July 15, 2023
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Impact is back to pay per view and the show is looking rather good on paper. The main event will feature Alex Shelley defending the World Title against Nick Aldis in what could be a heck of a match. Other than that, we may be in for a major surprise return as Scott D’Amore needs a tag partner and put in a phone call last week to close Impact. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Gisele Shaw/Jai Vidal/Savannah Evans vs. Jody Threat/Death Dollz

Jessicka and Evans go with the power lockup to start, with Jessicka shoving her around. Vidal comes in and gets hit in the head, followed by Shaw getting rammed into the buckle over and over. It’s off to Rush, who gets cheap shotted so the villains can take over. Vidal lays her over the middle rope for a running shot to the ribs but Rush reverse DDTs Evans. The hot tag brings in Threat to clean house, including a running knee to Shaw in the ropes. Vidal gets suplexed and Rush hits a spear for the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. This was very quick and to the point, which didn’t leave them much time to get going. There is only so much that can be done with six people in less than six minutes, but they managed a short form story. Rush getting the win over a glorified lackey in Vidal makes sense and should start the night out on the right foot.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Joe Hendry vs. Kenny King

King, with Sheldon Jean, is challenging. Before the match, Hendry says Stripper Kenny wants to strip him of the title, but that isn’t going to happen because the people believe. King charges to start and gets caught in a delayed vertical suplex. With King on the floor, Jean slips Hendry a Chippendale’s tie for some choking.

King gets two off a suplex of his own before grabbing a guillotine. Hendry powers up and does some hip gyrating while still managing a backdrop at the same time. The Standing Ovation connects but Jean puts the foot on the rope. King misses a dive onto Jean but he grabs a rollup (with Jean holding the feet) for the pin and the title at 6:09.

Rating: C-. What a weird match. It’s not just the result (Hendry losing here is beyond questionable and almost into the world of idiocy) but they rushed through everything and the ending game out of absolutely nowhere. The stripping deal was hardly an interesting story and I really wasn’t feeling a lot of this one.

The opening video talks about legacies and dreams with everyone having their own path. We get some clips of the stars on tonight’s show, complete with some classic audio, with most of the Steiner Math promo. I get what they’re going for, but that’s not exactly the most serious promo for something that should be pretty important.

Kushida vs. Alan Angels vs. Jake Something vs. Jonathan Gresham vs. Kevin Knight vs. Mike Bailey

Ultimate X for a future X-Division Title match. Something is a surprise and runs some people over to start but Knight climbs onto Something’s shoulders in a failed attempt. Instead Something powerbombs Knight onto the pile at ringside before running over Gresham and Bailey.

A quadruple dropkick staggers Something until Gresham and Bailey get to clean house. Hold on though as the team isn’t sure who gets to go after the X, so Angels super Spanish Flys both of them down. Angels gets dropkicked down onto a pile on the floor but Bailey climbs onto the structure and hits a gigantic moonsault onto everyone else.

Something starts getting back up so it’s a bunch of chair shots to put him back down. Back in and Angels goes for the X but drops down to poisonrana Knight instead. Gresham gets low blowed by Angels, who climbs up just like Kushida. Angels is knocked down though and Kushida gets the win at 11:13.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t one of the better Ultimate X matches as it was more about stopping Something, who didn’t really go for the win anyway. Kushida getting the win is fine as more Kushida is always a good thing, but these matches are all about the stunts and the drama, with the latter not really being around this time.

Former Team Canada member A1 is here.

We run down the card as the structure is taken down.

Kenny King brags about winning the Digital Media Title and says this is the only title that matters.

We recap the Knockouts Tag Team Title match. The Coven, the champions, attacked Killer Kelly so Masha Slamovich, her former rival. Kelly and Masha are being presented as a certain kind of team without anything ever being flat out said.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: The Coven vs. Masha Slamovich/Killer Kelly

The Coven is defending. Kelly shoves Wilde around to start and invites her to start fighting. Everything breaks down quickly, with the champs in early trouble. Slamovich comes in and gets Russian legsweeped for two, allowing King to come in and toss her into the corner. Slamovich gets in a double stomp and hands it back to Kelly, who is sent throat first into the middle rope.

King misses a middle rope backsplash though and it’s Slamovich coming back in to clean house. Wilde grabs a Codebreaker into King’s German suplex to slow Slamovich down but she misses the running knees. Everything breaks down again and Wilde’s Witch’s Wrath (swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker) gets two as King and Kelly fight outside. That leaves Slamovich to hit the Snowplow to finish Wilde for the pin and the titles at 9:02.

Rating: C+. This got better near the end and while there still isn’t much of a division to be seen, it is nice to see a pair of actual teams for a change. The Coven has been quite the addition to the division and Kelly and Slamovich could do well too. It helps that they feel like teams rather than two women being thrown together, so this felt like an important title match. If nothing else, Slamovich finally winning something is nice to see, as she felt like the next big thing in the regular Knockouts division.

We recap Bully Ray/Deaner vs. Scott D’Amore/???, which is much more about Ray vs. D’Amore. Ray hates how D’Amore runs the company so D’Amore is finally standing up for himself. Deaner is replacing Steve Maclin and D’Amore’s original partner PCO was set on fire, so it’s mystery partner time.

Bully Ray/Deaner vs. Scott D’Amore/???

Big Kon is here with the villains and former NHL enforcer Darren McCarty, who doesn’t like Ray either, is guest enforcer. We get the old Team Canada theme and…..Eric Young is back as the mystery partner, despite dying in December. Young and Deaner (the guy who MURDERED him last year) start things off as we get the explanation of “eh, looks like Young is back”.

Ray comes in and gets his arm cranked before it’s off to D’Amore, who has Ray backing up. It’s off to Deaner, who gets leg lariated down and legdropped for two, setting up a reverse 3D for two. A Sky High gives D’Amore two but Kon and McCarty have a staredown, allowing Deaner to take over on D’Amore. Now Ray is willing to come in on beat on D’Amore, meaning it’s time for the crowd to sing O CANADA in a great touch.

Ray yells at the referee….who walks out on the match, meaning McCarty is now the full on referee. Some left hands to the jaw wake D’Amore up enough to spear Ray down, allowing the tag off to Young. The piledriver hits Deaner but Kon pulls McCarty outside. A1 (still in the crowd) takes out Kon, leaving McCarty to Stun Ray. A three man What’s Up means the good guys can get the tables and Ray is chokeslammed through. D’Amore Canadian Destroys Deaner, setting up Young’s top rope elbow for the pin at 11:49.

Rating: C+. This was a goofy match and that’s what it needed to be. There were multiple changes to the match and while Ray got beaten up, it felt like it let the door open for a D’Amore vs. Ray showdown later on. For now though, it was nice to have Young back, as at least he gets to be around here rather than waiting and waiting and waiting for his WWE return.

Nick Aldis is ready to beat Alex Shelley because he is a closer, and he’s ready to close Shelley’s book.

We recap Lio Rush challenging Chris Sabin for the X-Division Title. Sabin won the title for the ninth time last month and now Rush is here to get it for the first time.

X-Division Title: Lio Rush vs. Chris Sabin

Sabin is defending….and gets jumped on the floor before the bell. The medical staff comes out to say Sabin can’t go but Sabin says he’ll do it anyway. The bell rings and Rush knocks him down again, setting up a spinning kick to the head. Rush hits the Final Hour for two, followed by a second for the pin and the title at 1:18. I’m going to assume Sabin is injured or something, as this is a very odd way to go otherwise.

In the back, Alex Shelley has nothing to say about what just happened.

Tag Team Titles: Subculture vs. Rich Swann/Sami Callihan vs. Bullet Club vs. Moose/Brian Myers

The Club (Chris Bey/Ace Austin) is defending, Subculture (Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster) has Dani Luna in their corner and it’s one fall to a finish. Bey and Andrews start things off by trading some flips until Austin comes in for a headscissors. Webster comes in for a pair of flipping dives and a near fall. A standing moonsault drops Austin so it’s off to Callihan to throw Swann at Austin.

Moose and Myers both come in but stereo powerbombs are broken up. The Club clears the ring but Bey’s running flip dive is countered into an apron powerbomb from Moose. Austin knees Moose in the face from the apron but Callihan shoves people onto the pile on the floor. We settle down to Webster striking away at Swann and Callihan until the latter grabs a Death Valley Driver.

Swann misses his middle rope 450 and the Club hits a springboard kick into a torture rack neckbreaker. Moose and Myers are both back in to clean house until Andrews kicks both of them away. The Stundog Millionaire hits Moose and Webster’s Shadows Over Malice (Swanton) gets two. We hit the parade of strikes to the face until Swann and Bey cutter Moose out of the air. The 1-2-Sweet is broken up and here are the Rascalz to go after the Club. Webster hits his standing Sliced Bread #2 on Austin, setting up Fall To Pieces (shooting star press) to give Andrews the pin and the titles at 10:35.

Rating: B-. A few weeks ago, Subculture’s match against the Motor City Machine Guns seemed to be enough to get them a job and that seems to be the case. If nothing else it got them the titles here in an entertaining match. Much like the Ultimate X match, there was only so much to be seen here with so many people flying around, but what we got was a lot of fun.

We recap Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian. They’re both veterans and have split the first two matches, as Kazarian doesn’t seem to like Eddie’s lack of respect. This is the “here are two veterans who are going to have a good match” match and their wives are both here too.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Eddie Edwards

Kazarian has Traci Brooks and Edwards has Alisha Edwards. They start fast with Kazarian snapping off a hurricanrana into a headlock. Back up and Kazarian chops away but Alisha offers a distraction. Traci does it right back, allowing Kazarian to hit a Backstabber for two. Edwards drops Kazarian hard to the floor and a suplex gives Edwards two back inside.

Kazarian comes back with a release German suplex and Edwards is sent outside. The diving hurricanrana drops Edwards again but the women nearly get into it, allowing Eddie to hit a big dive. The fans are all over Eddie, complete with BOSTON SUCKS chants, so Kazarian makes the comeback with some shots to the face.

Kazarian drops a springboard spinning legdrop for two but Eddie is right back with the backpack Stunner for two. A nice looking top rope superplex drops Kazarian again and they’re both down. Both miss the others’ finisher so Kazarian sends him to the apron and slingshots him back into a cutter for two.

The referee gets bumped and a double clothesline leaves both of them down. Alisha tries to bring in the kendo stick so Traci takes her down. With the women out, Kazarian gets the chickenwing to make Eddie tap but there’s no referee. Kazarian goes to check on him and gets kendo sticked in the head. The Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 17:43.

Rating: B. I’m not sure there is a way for these two to have an actually bad match, so giving them this much time on a big stage was a near guaranteed success. It might not have been some epic showdown, but it was a solid back and forth match between two talented stars. You can run a match like this anytime and it will work, as it did here.

We recap Trinity challenging Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts Title. Trinity has shown up and is ready to be the new star, but Purrazzo is saying not so fast.

Knockouts Title: Trinity vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending and has a live violinist play her to the ring. They trade armdrags to start before Trinity has to roll away from a Fujiwara armbar. The threat of the Rear View sends Purrazzo outside so Trinity takes her down with a slingshot flip dive. Back in and Purrazzo starts in on the arm and the cranking has Trinity in trouble. Trinity tries to go up top but gets pulled into a leg/neck crank to keep her down.

With that broken up, Trinity manages a kick to the face into a Samoan drop. A springboard kick to the face gives Trinity two but Purrazzo is back with a leg trap Tombstone for the same. The Queen’s Gambit is blocked so Purrazzo settles for the Fujiwara armbar. Trinity makes the rope and hits a slingshot X Factor. The split legged moonsault gets two but Purrazzo is right back with a Queen’s Gambit on the apron for two. Back up and Trinity quickly pulls her into Starstruck for the tap and the title at 14:26.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what was missing here but it didn’t quite get to the next level. Trinity is crazy athletic and feels like a star but the match felt like a pretty firm downgrade from the usual great Knockouts stuff. She did win in a good match here and it makes sense to go with her early on, so well done here, even if it could have been better.

We recap Alex Shelley defending the World Title against Nick Aldis. Shelley finally won the title last month and Aldis doesn’t like the lack of respect since his return. Aldis turned on him, and now it’s time for a title showdown.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Nick Aldis vs. Alex Shelley

Shelley is defending and spits water in Aldis’ face to start fast. Aldis powerbombs him hard out of the corner and the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf is on in less than a minute. With that escaped, Aldis grabs some suplexes but Shelley dragon screws the leg. Aldis is knocked to the floor but cuts off the baseball slide by tying Shelley in the ring skirt.

Shelley gets posted and sent into the barricade but manages a Stunner over the ropes for a needed breather. It’s off to Aldis’ arm for a change, with Shelley wrapping it around the post to take over. Aldis’ fingers are bent into the turnbuckle but he rakes the eyes for a needed breather.

Shelley is right back to the bad arm but Aldis clotheslines him down. The top rope elbow is countered into a superplex, followed by a standing Sliced Bread to plant Aldis. Shelley snaps the fingers, which are good enough to piledrive Shelley for two. The top rope elbow gets the same so let’s bring in the title. With the referee taking it away, Aldis hits a low blow into a Michinoku Driver for two but Shelley kicks the belt away. A DDT onto the belt busts Aldis open and Shell Shock retains the title at 16:33.

Rating: B. It was another rather good match but I don’t know if it was going to draw in that much interest. Shelley winning the title was a very cool moment, but he doesn’t quite feel like the top star. The same is true for Aldis, who has made a career out of having the tools without making fans care all that much. The wrestling was fine and Shelley using Aldis’ cheating against him was good, but I never really got pulled into it.

We get a video on the match….and Josh Alexander is back to stare Shelley down to end the show. Well there’s Bound For Glory.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what it was but I couldn’t get into this show. The wrestling was fine to good, but nothing on here made me all that interested in what they were doing. The show had all kinds of title changes though and that should give them a lot of momentum going forward. They need something of a top story though and while Shelley vs. Alexander looks good on paper, I don’t know how well it will go in reality. Completely watchable show and you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your time, but not a great one.

Results
Jody Threat/Death Dollz b. Gisele Shaw/Jai Vidal/Savannah Evans – Spear to Vidal
Kenny King b. Joe Hendry – Assisted rollup
Kushida won Ultimate X
Masha Slamovich/Killer Kelly b. The Coven – Snowplow to Wilde
Eric Young/Scott D’Amore b. Deaner/Bully Ray – Top rope elbow to Deaner
Lio Rush b. Chris Sabin – Final Hour
Subculture b. Moose/Brian Myers, Rich Swann/Sami Callihan and Bullet Club – Fall To Pieces to Austin
Eddie Edwards b. Frankie Kazarian – Boston Knee Party
Trinity b. Deonna Purrazzo – Starstruck
Alex Shelley b. Nick Aldis – Shell Shock

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.