IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Sacrifice
Date: February 22, 2020
Location: Davis Arena, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

It’s a special event as we are in one of the most famous arenas in all of wrestling. This is the home of Ohio Valley Wrestling and this time around we are going to be seeing a co-promoted show between OVW and Impact Wrestling. The main event is X-Division Champion Ace Austin vs. World Champion Tessa Blanchard in a non-title match, which is kind of a weird way to go. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: AJ Daniels vs. D’Mone Solavino

Solavino has big black wings and AJ, who has no music, is from the Outer Space District. Some shoulders put Daniels down to start but he’s back up with leapfrogs and a dropkick. Solavino’s suplex is countered into a small package for two but he’s back with a backbreaker. A belly to back suplex gets two but Daniels kicks him in the face and hits a slingshot corkscrew splash for two. An Angle Slam gets two on Daniels but he knocks Solavino off the top, setting up a 450 for the pin at 5:23.

Rating: C-. This was a good example of two young guys getting to go out there and fly around the ring for a little bit. It wasn’t exactly high quality but the 450 looked good and it’s nice to see two younger guys getting a chance like this. They were probably both on the biggest show of their career to this point so it was completely acceptable for what it was.

Pre-Show: Max The Impaler vs. Cali Young

Cali is a rather ditsy blonde who is running for President (along with her campaign manager DL3) and LOVES AMERICA. On the other hand, Max seems inspired by her Mad namesake. Cali ducks some clotheslines to start and then bounces off of Max. A running shoulder in the corner crushes Cali again, meaning it’s time for a DL3 distraction.

This goes as badly as you would expect as Cali’s jumping choke is flipped over without much effort. Another distraction lets Cali get in a chop block but the good leg kicks her away. DL3 chokes from the floor but Max easily suplexes Cali down. Max beats up DL3 again and hits a spear for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here as Cali didn’t get to go into her full shtick with the patriotism. She got to do it last night though and that got her some extra attention as well. Max felt your local monster, which is fine enough but it’s not something that is exactly breaking the mold.

The opening video is a pretty standard series of shots of people involved.

Rohit Raju vs. Corey Storm

Storm is an OVW regular. Raju takes him into the corner to start but runs into an atomic drop. There’s a dropkick to put Raju in the corner and a springboard kick to the face gets two. Back up and Raju slugs away, setting up a quick fisherman’s buster for two of his own. We hit the chinlock but Storm jawbreaks his way to freedom and kicks him down for two. Something like a springboard Codebreaker, followed by a basement superkick. Raju knees him in the face though and nails a Cannonball in the corner. A top rope double stomp to the back finishes Storm at 6:29.

Rating: C. Completely competent match here and a fine enough way to set things up for the rest of the night. Storm is someone with some potential and while I’m not big on Raju in the slightest, he is a lot better when he’s not doing the Desi Hit Squad stuff. Just have him out there as a wrestler in trunks and let him do his thing. It works a lot better that way, as it did here.

Impact Tag Team Titles: Rascalz vs. The North

The Rascalz (Trey and Wentz) are challenging here. Alexander sends Trey into the corner to start so it’s off to Wentz, who takes Alexander down. That doesn’t go anywhere for him as Alexander hits a quick toss as the Rascalz can’t get anything going. Some chops in the corner work a bit better for Wentz and a running dropkick gets two. Page gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and it’s Wentz in trouble again.

A rather delayed suplex gives Alexander two more but Wentz rolls underneath a double clothesline and brings in Trey…who gets blasted by a big boot to give Page two. The chinlock goes on and back to back backbreakers keep Trey in trouble. Trey comes back with some rapid fire chops to Alexander, earning himself a suplex right back into the champs’ corner. A Regal Roll out of the corner gives Alexander two and we get the handoff delayed suplex, minus the actual suplex as Trey escapes.

Trey grabs a neckbreaker and the hot tag brings in Wentz to clean house. Wentz’s slingshot Codebreaker gets two on Page as everything breaks down. Alexander throws Trey into Wentz for two and Page is stunned by the kickout. Wentz fights back but gets caught in a tilt-a-whirl faceplant. He’s back up with a Canadian Destroyer for two on Alexander.

The champs are sent into each other and it’s back to Trey, who gets caught with a double crucifix bomb for two. A Backstabber into a Swanton hits Page but Alexander is up to cut Wentz off. The referee is bumped and it’s a 619 in the corner to Alexander. Cue Rohit Raju to shove Trey off the top though, setting up the Northern Assault for the pin to retain at 20:20.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but they were rolling by the end. The teams have some great chemistry together but the Rascalz have lost to the champs so many times now that it’s becoming hard to believe that they are a real threat. It might be time for them to move on, but at least the matches are still good.

Ace Austin has an interview in the back where he interviews the Steiner Math promo. Well at least in theory he does, as the audio keeps cutting in and out.

Rae Lyn vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan takes her into the corner to start but Lyn switches places and slaps Hogan on the chest. They fight over wrist control until an exchange of shoulders has no effect. Dropkicks have the same result and it’s time for a pose/dance off. Lyn armdrags her down a few times so Hogan hits an elbow to the face. Choking in the ropes ensues and we hit the chinlock to slow things down again.

Back up and they trade kicks to the head for a double knockdown. Lyn’s legsweep gets two and a missile dropkick is good for the same. A spinning kick to the face gets two more, followed by the fisherman’s suplex for the fourth two in a row. They slug it out until Hogan kicks her in the face and finishes with a fisherman’s neckbreaker at 11:05.

Rating: C-. Just a match here and there is nothing wrong with an Impact wrestler defeating someone who hasn’t been around OVW very long. It wasn’t anything great and they went with a little too much silliness, but at least they had a passable match with both women getting in some time. Lyn has potential but needs some more ring time and something to get people to pay attention.

Johnny Swinger still tries to get Willie Mack on his side and is shut down again. Swinger can’t even give him a VHS.

Jay Bradley vs. Willie Mack

Bradley jumps him before the bell but Mack is up and slugging away. That earns him a beatdown into the corner but a Vader Bomb elbow misses. A dropkick puts Bradley on the floor and that means a big dive to take him down again. Back in and Bradley hits a running boot in the corner for two while shouting about this being his house. Forearms to the chest put Mack down again and we hit the chinlock. Mack fights up again and strikes away, setting up the standing moonsault for two. Back to back Stunners set up the Six Star for the pin at 6:33.

Rating: C. Totally acceptable wrestling here with Mack getting to survive a monster like Bradley and come out with a win. Mack is someone they’re ready to push to the moon as soon as they get a chance. On the other hand you have Bradley, who was in Impact for a little while and then wound up back here. I can understand that as while he is good, he’s not exactly doing anything that hasn’t been done better before.

OVE is ready to destroy Acey Romeo and Larry D.

OVE vs. Larry D./Acey Romero

It’s Mad Man Fulton/Dave Crist with Jake Crist in their corner here. Hold on though as Dave gets caught with some brass knuckles so we need a delay before we get started. Fulton headlocks Larry to start and gets clotheslined to the floor in a hurry. Dave comes in and gets headbutted into the corner, setting up a big running dropkick to make it worse. It’s off to Acey to sit on Dave’s chest but Fulton sweeps the leg to take over.

A hard clothesline drops Acey again and the stomping begins. Dave adds a running shot to the knee in the corner to put Acey in even more trouble. Acey tries to fight out of the corner and gets forearmed down in a hurry. An exchange of clotheslines doesn’t get Acey or Fulton very far until Acey hits him in the back of the head and dives over for the tag to Larry. Everything breaks down as Larry beats up Dave, including a sitout powerbomb for two.

Fulton gets crushed in the middle and a Rock Bottom puts him down as well. Acey’s big elbow gets two more and Fulton is knocked to the floor. That means the huge dive from Acey, who then goes up for a moonsault. Thankfully Dave breaks that up so Fulton tries a Samoan drop, which is broken up by Larry. The big right hand from Larry sets up the Pounce from Acey to finish Dave at 13:45.

Rating: D+. I get the idea of Acey and Larry but they’re not exactly thrilling so far. It’s one of those things where they lose a lot of steam after you watch it once, meaning there isn’t much else to see. OVE losing again isn’t going to make that much of a difference for them, but if Acey and Larry are going to mean anything they have to win something like this every now and then.

Post match OVE jumps the two of them but Daga runs in for the save. As luck would have it, this is next.

Daga vs. Jake Crist

They strike it out in a hurry until Jake is sent into the corner. A crossbody puts Jake on the floor and Daga drops him with a suicide dive for a bonus. The cannonball off the apron takes Jake down again but he superkicks Daga out of the air for two. What looked like a keylock has Daga in trouble and Jake bends the arm around the shoulder for a bonus.

A chop puts Daga down but he nips up and kicks Jake in the face. That just earns Daga another armbar, followed by a flipped over hammerlock (I can always appreciate mixing up the holds). Jake rakes the eyes and bends the arm around the rope before taking it outside. Daga grabs a DDT on the floor and it’s a high crossbody for two back inside. A gutwrench powerbomb gives Daga two more but Jake is right back with a super sunset bomb for the same.

They slug it out from their knees until Daga grabs a German suplex for two more. A belly to belly suplex sends Daga into the corner, followed by an exchange of kicks to the head, headbutts and clotheslines to knock them both down. Daga is up first and heads to the top, only to dive into a cutter for two. Crist is frustrated and pie faces him, earning himself a hurricanrana into the Tiger Driver 98 for the pin at 16:42.

Rating: B. This was a battle of two guys trading moves for sixteen moves and that was an entertaining use of time. It was a fun match and exactly what it should have been as both guys got to show off. The Crists continue to be one of the most talented teams in the company and Daga can have a good match against anyone. Good showcase for both guys here, as it should have been.

Moose is ready to destroy Rhino.

Johnny Swinger vs. Joey Ryan

Hold on though as we need to do the lollipop and oil deals before we’re ready to go. Swinger grabs the mic and says they’ve done this before and he’s not facing the love child of Freddie Mercury and Animal Steele. He has that videotape from earlier and is willing to give it to Ryan (including the match against Ray Stevens with a 23 minute and 17 second airplane spin) if Joey will lay down. Joey puts the tape in his trunks and lays down, allowing the bell to ring so he can small package Swinger for two.

The staredown is on and they shake hands, with Joey trying to make him touch it. That doesn’t work so Swinger tries an atomic drop, giving him the required knee pain. Ryan’s atomic drop works just fine and it’s Swinger getting caught in the ropes for some right hands. A cheap shot lets Swinger hit a middle rope ax handle for two and we hit a headscissor choke (Swinger: “YEAH DADDY!”).

Swinger grabs the sleeper for two arm drops but Ryan fights up for a collision. With Ryan down, Swinger falls head first onto it, allowing Ryan to hit a spinebuster for two. Ryan pulls out the lollipop but it goes into the referee’s mouth. That lets Swinger hit him with the tape for two but the Swinger Neckbreaker is countered, allowing Ryan to make him touch It. Sweet Tooth Music finishes Swinger at 7:29.

Rating: D+. This could have been worse as Swinger has gone from someone who made my eyes roll to one of the more entertaining people around here. Above all else, they’ve kept him firmly at the comedy level and that makes him a lot more tolerable. Not a good match or anything, but it served its purpose.

We look at Jordynne Grace winning the Knockouts Title.

Knockouts Title: Havok vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace is defending and gets driven straight into the corner to start. Some corner splashes make it worse and Havok screams a lot. Grace fights back with a quickly broken sleeper but she fights out of a suplex out of the corner. A Vader Bomb gives Grace two and there’s a hanging DDT to plant Havok again. The champ is back with another sleeper, which has about as much success as the first. A chokeslam gives Havok two but she has to break a third sleeper by falling back. Graces grabs it again and wraps the legs, which is enough to knock Havok out to retain at 5:37.

Rating: C. It was short but I liked the story here as it wasn’t something you would expect from a powerhouse like Grace. They had a little something with Grace going after the sleeper over and over and FINALLY winning with it, which isn’t what you usually see. Not a great match or anything but good storytelling.

Tessa Blanchard says she’ll win tonight and then she’s taking the X-Division Title.

Chris Harris is here.

Moose vs. Rhino

They slug it out to start until Rhino plants him down with a spinebuster. Moose bails to the floor and is ready to walk out but Rhino drags him back through the entrance. Back in and Moose hits him low for the DQ at 2:33. I’m thinking we’re not done here.

Indeed Rhino wants it to be No DQ.

Moose vs. Rhino

No DQ and Moose slowly stomps him down before grabbing the chair. That winds up bouncing off of the top rope and onto Moose’s head so they go outside. Moose yells at Chris Harris but goes for a lap around the ring, earning himself a trashcan lid to the head. Back in and Moose hits another low blow so it’s staple gun time. That earns him a staple to the crotch but Moose is fine enough to hit a running dropkick in the corner.

With the staple not working, it’s time for a hammer, but Rhino spinebusters him to avoid a bad case of death. A hammer shot to the foot puts Rhino down again so Moose throws in a bunch of chairs to unload. He takes too long going up though and gets superplexed down onto the chairs. The fans request and receive their table but a discus lariat blocks the Gore attempt. Moose charges into a chair in the corner but it’s No Jackhammer Needed through the table to finish Rhino at 11:48.

Rating: D. I’m so tired of seeing this same match over and over again. How many times can you see the same hardcore brawl? The hammer to the foot was the only fresh spot in there and it’s not like it was some game changer. Just something they’ve done far too many times lately (or not lately for that matter) and I don’t need to see it ever again.

ICU graphic.

Ace Austin vs. Tessa Blanchard

Non-title. Ace stalls a bit by adjusting his gear for a good bit both before and after the bell. They stare each other down for over a minute to start until Austin dances a bit. That earns him a heck of a slap to the face but Tessa charges into a hiptoss into the corner. A dragon sleeper slows Tessa down and Ace puts a knee on the back of her neck for a bonus. Some stomps to the back set up a half crab but the rope is reached.

Tessa gets in a running knee but a kick to the head puts her outside in a hurry. Ace follows her outside and shrugs off the forearms to the head so he can kick Tessa in the face. The dive off the apron is blocked but so is Tessa’s suicide dive as she just can’t get anything going so far. A hanging swinging neckbreaker gives Ace two and we hit a seated armbar. That lets Ace slice the fingers with the playing card for two which is quite the painful way to go.

Ace goes up but gets pulled down with Magnum from the middle rope so Tessa can snap off a hurricanrana with a bunch of screaming included. A cutter sends Ace outside and the triple suicide dives connect. Back in and the Buzzsaw DDT is countered into a northern lights suplex. Tessa snaps off a standing Sliced Bread #2 but still can’t hit the DDT. Instead she goes up, only to dive into a spinning kick to the face for two.

A springboard spinning Fameasser gets two more, meaning Tessa can scream again. Tessa snaps off a tornado DDT and a Code Red for her own two but Magnum is blocked. Ace can’t superplex her but Tessa can’t super DDT him. Instead she hits the Buzzsaw onto the turnbuckle (El Generico would be proud) for the pin at 18:31.

Rating: B. They built this up as a big match and it felt like one, so they hit the important idea. Tessa’s screams were a bit much but it was a nice story with Tessa never giving up and trying to hit one of her big moves to get the win. Ace isn’t going to be hurt by losing to the World Champion and Tessa gets an important win. Good stuff here, and it felt like an important main event.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a back and forth show with the good matches being very good but the bad matches bringing them back down. What brings the show up though is how much longer the good stuff was than the bad, and that made this a solid show. For an online special, it was an awesome night and worth checking out, though you might want to fast forward a few things.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 10, 2020
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s a big showdown match this week as we have the fifth match in a best of five series between Eddie Edwards and Michael Elgin. The winner gets the World Title shot at Tessa Blanchard at Rebellion and that means we have something special tonight. You have to have a good main event like that so hopefully this one works. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mad Man Fulton vs. Rhino

The Crists are at ringside….and get ejected early on for trying to interfere. With the two of them gone, Rhino shoulders him down and takes it to the floor for a ram into the apron. A clothesline hits the post though and Fulton sends him into the apron as well. Back in and Fulton pounds away in the corner, followed by a running shoulder to the ribs.

Rhino fights back up with some right hands to the head, only to get elbowed right back down for two. The chinlock (or cobra clutch double sugar hold according to Callis) goes on for a bit but a middle rope headbutt only hits mat. Rhino fights back up, avoids a clothesline and hits the Gore for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: D. This was missing on almost all counts as it was a bunch of slow pounding until the slightly more energized ending segment. They would have been better off having some kind of hardcore match because Rhino really wasn’t feeling all that energetic here. I’m hoping we have something other than Rhino fighting OVE.

Post match the Crists come back out and the beatdown is on….so SABU makes the save with a chair because ECW.

Chris Bey is coming.

Tessa Blanchard is ready to face either Eddie Edwards or Michael Elgin at Rebellion and doesn’t care who it is. She’s used to the target on her back.

We run down the rest of the show.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Rascalz

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz here with Gama Singh at ringside for the Squad. Raju and Dez start things off with the former shoving him into the corner and posing a bit. A quick dropkick gives Wentz two and it’s Dez coming in with a slingshot hilo for his own near fall. Raju takes him into the corner though and it’s Shera coming in to start hammering away with the double chop.

We get some power as Shera drops Raju onto Dez for two and the beating continues in the corner. Dez dives over Raju and makes the hot tag to Wentz so the pace can pick up. Shera starts to clean house, including a chokebreaker to Dez. Wentz comes back in and starts firing off the kicks, with a double superkick putting Shera down. Raju gets knocked to the floor and the Final Flash gives Dez the pin at 6:00.

Rating: C-. The Squad has firmly hit their ceiling, even with Shera there as the monster. There isn’t much to get out of these tag team matches where they the teams are on a treadmill for months on end. The match was fine enough, but the Squad is nothing and the Rascalz have fallen way down from where they were.

Katie Forbes is annoyed at fans staring at her but the Deaners like her rather small gear. Joey Ryan doesn’t like their implications and a tag match is made with Ryan and Rob Van Dam vs. the Deaners being set for next week (this includes roughly half a dozen references to internet and social media fans, which isn’t as profound as they think). Ryan does make sure to check with Rob, who goes with it.

Tenille Dashwood video.

Knockouts Title: Lacey Ryan vs. Jordynne Grace

Ryan is challenging and is the next challenger from Madison Rayne. Grace gets taken down early on and Ryan drops her again with a running shoulder. That earns her a backdrop to the apron but she catches Ryan on top. A slam down gets two and grace stops charging Ryan with a boot to the face. Grace hits a running hip attack in the corner and a Vader Bomb gets two as Ryan is hanging in there.

Ryan kicks her in the head for two and goes up, only to get pulled down with a MuscleBuster (though more of a suplex than dropping straight down). A Regal Roll into a frog splash gives Ryan two more but she misses a kick to the head and gets Grace Drivered for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: B-. If Ryan doesn’t get a job out of that, I’m not sure what Impact is thinking. She looked very good here and they had a match I never would have expected. This was rather good stuff and Grace had to fight to retain the title. I’m not sure how much I want to see Grace vs. Rayne, but at least we got a good one here.

Fallah Bahh wants to win the Tag Team Titles with TJP so they can be the first ever Filipino Tag Team Champions.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin wins the X-Division Title in 2004.

Sabin is proud of his time in TNA and he’s ready to be the guest referee in the King of the Mountain match for the World Title at There’s No Place Like Home. Moose comes in and doesn’t understand the rules, so Sabin not so subtly explains them. I’m still trying to wrap my head around a TNA nostalgia show.

Video on the best of five series between Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards.

Taya Valkyrie is all depressed at a bar when Rosemary pops up. She doesn’t want to hear about Taya losing everything but thinks it might be the thing that connects them. After you lose everything, you’re free to do everything.

Johnny Swinger/Glenn Gilbertti vs. Willie Mack

Hold on though as the referee thinks the team has some foreign objects. Swinger has brass knuckles but gets caught, meaning he has to run from Mack for a bit. Gilbertti comes in and gets hiptossed right back to Swinger. A cheap shot from the apron lets Swinger take over as Callis tries to get Swinging Disco Balls over as the team’s name. Callis: “Can we say Disco?” A double elbow puts Mack down and the old school pummeling continues.

Gilbertti gets in a shot with a roll of quarters and it’s back to Swinger for the chinlock (plus some SHUT UP’s to the crowd). The ax handle misses so Gilbertti comes in for the YMCA Elbow. Cue Ace Austin of all people to stand in Mack’s corner. Mack is fine enough to hit the Stunner and it’s off to Austin for a spinning Swanton to Swinger. Everything breaks down and it’s an old school doe-see-doe. Mack Samoan drops Gilbertti into the standing moonsault, setting up the Fold from Austin. The Six Star finishes Gilbertti at 7:50.

Rating: C-. Well that was something. I’m not entirely sure what it was, but it certainly was something. If nothing else, it shows you how good the new generation is looking solid with Austin, Mack and Rich Swann (when he gets back) among others. They’ve needed something like this for a good while now and if they actually get somewhere with it, Impact could move forward for once.

Su Yung jumps Havok in the back and it turns into a chair duel. Yung gets the better of it, puts on the Mandible Claw, and puts her in a well placed coffin.

Swinger blames Gilbertti for the loss so Gilbertti quits. This turns into an argument over who was the leader, but Swinger wants to know what he’s supposed to do with all of these Swinging Disco Balls shirts.

It’s Gut Check time and they’re all still bad, even in a six man tag.

Realityislost glitch.

Next week: Gut Check ends and we find out who the glitch is.

Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin

It’s the final match in the best of five series with the winner getting the World Title shot at Rebellion. You can tell it’s a big match because Josh has stats about how they’ve won their matches. Elgin powers him away to start and hits a big clothesline so we can head outside early. A Death Valley Driver on the ramp gives Elgin an early two so he hits Eddie in the face rather hard.

The Blue Thunder Bomb gets Eddie out of trouble for a second but Elgin catches him on top. That just earns Elgin a sunset bomb and we take a break. Back with Eddie elbowing him in the face, only to get backdropped HARD out to the floor. Eddie is back in and slugs away at Elgin on the apron, earning himself a lot of yelling. A kick to the head puts Elgin on the floor and he wins a slugout to really rock Elgin for the first time. Elgin grabs a DDT for two, followed by a neckbreaker over the ropes as we take another break.

Back again with the big slugout, including some rather loud shots to Eddie’s jaw. Elgin goes up and gets superplexed back down, setting up the Backpack Stunner for two more. A tiger driver is broken up so Elgin gets him up in an electric chair and drops backwards into a bridge for his own two. Just to go insane, Elgin hits a dragon superplex for another near fall, though the kickout doesn’t get the strongest reaction (because only finishers can end matches).

Eddie backflips out of a release German suplex and finally hits the tiger driver for two. Elgin is back up with a powerbomb and another hard clothesline sets up the Elgin Bomb for the real near fall. The referee gets bumped so the Boston Knee Party only gets two. Elgin grabs the Crossface but Eddie rolls over into a cradle for two, only to tap at the same time as the three count at 25:55.

Rating: B. This was probably longer than it needed to be but they beat the heck out of each other with some big moves. That dragon superplex probably should have been the finish had they had one, meaning it might not have been the best spot for a kickout. The ending wasn’t the biggest surprise but that’s not the worst idea in the world. Both guys have benefited from the feud so having a draw is a good way to protect both of them. And give us the triple threat, because that’s what you get in wrestling.

Post match Scott D’Amore comes out because there’s confusion. Tessa, triple threat, she’ll take em both.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event and the Knockouts Title match were the only things worthwhile on this show as the rest ranged between weak and rather bad. They did the important thing though by getting the pay per view main event set up, but they need to set up a few more things on the way. Assuming the show actually takes place as scheduled at this point. Either way, they had a good main event and title match, but the rest of the show dragged it pretty far down.

Results

Rhino b. Mad Man Fulton – Gore

Rascalz b. Desi Hit Squad – Final Flash to Shera

Jordynne Grace b. Lacey Ryan – Grace Driver

Willie Mack/Ace Austin b. Glenn Gilbertti/Johnny Swinger – Six Star Frog Splash to Gilbertti

Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin went to a draw

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 25, 2020
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

Sacrifice has come and gone with no title changes because no title was on the line in the main event. My guess is that’s so they could avoid any kind of spoilers on the taping cycle and while that makes sense, it didn’t make the stakes seem that high on Saturday. We should be building towards Rebellion now so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a clip of World Champion Tessa Blanchard defeating X-Division Champion Ace Austin at Sacrifice. Now Ace wants a title match so managed granted it, but for his title and not hers. Makes sense.

Opening sequence.

Rob Van Dam vs. Daga

Katie Forbes is at ringside and the fans are behind hometown boy RVD. Daga kicks him to the floor to start and nails a suicide dive, only to get slammed down. Back in and Rob crotches him on the ropes for the kick to the face as Katie is on a Twitter blocking spree. Rolling Thunder is loaded up but Rob rolls outside to kiss Katie instead.

That’s enough of a delay for Daga to hit a dropkick into a rollup for two, followed by another dropkick for a bonus. Katie walks out on the match and Van Dam is rather confused. A running enziguri puts Van Dam on the floor for the dive…and that’s enough for Van Dam as he’ll take the countout at 8:52. Like any good face, Daga is rather annoyed at the result and begrudgingly accepts the win.

Rating: C-. It was starting to get somewhere but at the same time, there is only so much that Rob can do in the ring at the moment. He’s gotten older and is nowhere near as explosive, but points to them for coming up with a way to hide the fact that he just isn’t as athletic anymore. There is going to be a rematch here, perhaps in a cage where Van Dam can’t run, but this didn’t exactly make me interested in seeing it.

Post match Van Dam asks Katie what happened. Katie left because the fans are haters, but Rob says they did buy tickets. Joey Ryan comes up to say he was reading what Katie was tweeting and knows how she’s feeling. Joey: “I’ve got the super penis, you’ve got the super a**, Rob you’re a superstar.” After that amazing gem, Joey says he’s their guy if they ever need to talk. Rob: “O……k?”

Jordynne Grace issues an open challenge to anyone in the locker room. Madison Rayne comes up but doesn’t want to hear anything from Grace until she has won the title five times. Guidance is offered and Madison promises to find a suitable opponent tonight.

Rohit Raju vs. Zachary Wentz

The rest of the Desi Hit Squad/the Rascalz are here. This is fallout from Raju costing the Rascalz the Tag Team Titles at Sacrifice because they didn’t get a title shot. They fight over a headlock to start until Wentz takes him down with a front facelock. Back up and a slugout actually goes to Raju, who takes him down with a running knee to the head.

A suplex gets two and we take a break. Back with Wentz kicking away, including an enziguri, followed by a Stunner over the middle rope. Raju grabs a Downward Spiral for two more but Wentz is right back with a cutter driver. A brawl on the floor distracts Wentz though, allowing Raju to avoid a Swanton and hit a top rope double stomp for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C. Just another match between members of teams here and that’s not enough to make me care about them that much. The Rascalz are a fun act but then you have the Hit Squad, who are as generic of a group of heels as you can get. The match was technically fine, but trying to get me interested in a Hit Squad match is like trying to get me interested in a farmhouse in Gary, Indiana.

Post match the Realityislost/ICU video pops up and the Squad notices it.

Ace Austin doesn’t understand why Tessa gets a title shot first. Don’t worry though because he’ll win tonight and become #1 contender. Tessa may be undeniable but he is inevitable.

OVE, minus Sami Callihan, say they’re not done.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Miranda Alize

Alize is challenging and has Madison Rayne in her corner. A charge at Grace doesn’t go well as the champ pulls her down, only to get caught in a headscissors. Alize gets two off a forearm as Madison says Alize can’t beat Grace without covering her. I love it when wrestlers try to sound smart but miss the point entirely. Back up and the Grace Driver is blocked and Alize gets two off a cutter. Not that it matters as the second Grace Driver attempt retains the title at 4:05.

Rating: C-. Alize was fine here but it looks like we’re coming up on Grace vs. Rayne for the title. That’s fine for a first title program for Grace as Rayne will give her a good match before coming up short. Grace is the kind of champion where it’s going to take a special effort to get the title off of her and that might take some time. Decent enough match for its time.

The North isn’t sweating TJP and Fallah Bahh next week. The two of them want to be like the North because they are tag team wrestling around here.

Chris Bey is coming.

Jessika Havok is looking for someone but Rosemary finds her. Rosemary isn’t happy with Havok joining up with James Mitchell again so next week, Havok can face Su Yung in a no DQ match.

From Dayton, Ohio at a Pro Wrestling Revolver event.

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards

Match #4 in a best of five series with Elgin up 2-1. Elgin grabs a headlock to start and then shoulders him down but Eddie snaps off a belly to belly. That’s fine with Elgin, who hits a slingshot elbow to the jaw to put Eddie down again. Elgin chops him down and hits a sliding elbow, followed by some slams to show off the power. It takes a bit too long to go to the top though and Eddie brings him down with a superplex.

The Backpack Stunner is broken up so Eddie settles for a German suplex. Elgin blasts him with a clothesline though and we take a break. Back with Eddie flipping out of another German suplex and hitting the low superkick to put them both down. Eddie’s tiger bomb gets two but he misses the moonsault. Some rollups give Eddie two but he has to avoid a sliding elbow, allowing him to roll Elgin up again, this time for the pin at 16:14.

Rating: B-. A lot of the interest has fallen away from these matches but that’s going to happen with the amount of times they’ve had it out there. The fifth match will at least have some stakes to it, but it’s kind of telling that they moved it to another show so the fans wouldn’t get burned out on it. That being said, there are far worse things they can do and the matches have been solid. Just wrap it up soon.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Jeff Hardy wins the World Title from Mr. Anderson at Against All Odds 2011. The graphic says 2010, as Impact does the most Impact thing ever by not even being able to celebrate their own history without making a mistake.

Scott D’Amore and Petey Williams are happy at the thought of the TNA show on April 3. Moose comes up to say TNA is dead so let it be dead. Why celebrate people like Suicide and Chris Sabin? Petey: “We were all actual champions.” Violence is implied.

Johnny Swinger annoys Willie Mack again but here’s Disco Inferno to say he’ll team with Swinger instead.

Video on Gut Check. Thank goodness this isn’t a full on in-arena segment again. Some of these names are from OVW.

X-Division Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Ace Austin

Ace is defending and only his title is on the line. Tessa starts fast with some running dropkicks, including one in the corner for two. A rollup gets the same but Ace grabs a backbreaker as we take a break. Back with Ace hitting a spinning elbow to the face for two and it’s off to a bow and arrow hold. Tessa fights out of the corner and snaps off a headscissors to the floor, followed by the big dive.

Back in and Ace grabs a gutbuster to cut Tessa off again and we hit the reverse chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry so Ace kicks her in the back a few times instead. Now it’s something like a dragon sleeper but Tessa is up in a hurry to start slugging away. A running hurricanrana sets up a tornado DDT but here’s Taya Valkyrie to jump Tessa for the DQ at 10:48.

Rating: C. So that’s all you can ask for with the ending as Tessa has already proven she can beat Ace so there’s no need to have her win the X-Division Title here. Taya is someone with history against Tessa so it’s not out of the question to have that be the next title challenger. Given that either Edwards or Elgin is facing Tessa at Rebellion, this is going to be a one off against a challenger that beat Tessa before but she has since surpassed. It’s Ultimate Warrior defending against Rick Rude in 1990 and that’s….probably me putting way too much thought into this.

Taya beats Tessa up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show felt pretty flat and while it set up stuff for the future, there wasn’t much of a fire to the whole thing. There also wasn’t a great or even very good match on the show, leaving is just kind of there instead of anything noteworthy. Not a terrible show or anything close, but nothing you need to see here.

Results

Daga b. Rob Van Dam via countout

Rohit Raju b. Zachary Wentz – Top rope double stomp

Jordynne Grace b. Miranda Alize – Grace Driver

Eddie Edwards b. Michael Elgin – Rollup

Tessa Blanchard b. Ace Austin via DQ when Taya Valkyrie interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 11, 2020
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We continue our trip in Mexico as well as the road to Sacrifice, which is turning into an In Your House style show. That’s a good idea for Impact given how infrequently they do regular pay per views around here. The big deal this time around is Jordynne Grace challenging Taya Valkyrie for the Knockouts Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards

Match #2 in a Best of Five series with Elgin leading 1-0. Elgin slugs away to start and gets two off a belly to back suplex. Eddie’s rolling German suplex doesn’t work so well so he grabs a crucifix for two instead. What looked to be a top rope hurricanrana attempt is countered into a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Edwards gets dropped back first onto the apron and Elgin tells him to bring it on. A hard clothesline gets two on Eddie but he counters a failed superplex attempt into a failed sunset bomb attempt.

The Elgin Bomb is countered as well so Elgin forearms him in the face. Eddie is right back with a tiger bomb for two so Elgin rolls outside, with Eddie hitting a suicide dive. Back in and Eddie gets two off a super hurricanrana but Elgin takes him down by the arm. The Crossface is countered and Eddie snaps off a German suplex, only to miss the Boston Knee Party. The buckle bomb into the Elgin Bomb finishes Eddie at 10:47.

Rating: B-. These two always work well together and this should set up three more matches between the two of them. Seeing Eddie as the underdog against the monster should be fun as they have some chemistry. Hopefully we get some better stuff out of them, though this one was quite good in its own right.

Video on Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace.

Taya says she’s ready and she’s used to having no one believing in her.

Man Man Fulton vs. Daga

Daga starts fast with the kicks to the head before avoiding some stomps. Fulton shouts at him and blocks a hurricanrana but gets sent to the floor anyway. The suicide dive connects and we take an early break. Back with Daga getting choked on the mat and ropes, followed by Fulton’s release German suplex to drop him on his head. Daga Hulks Up though and hammers away before snapping Fulton’s throat across the top.

A running double stomp gets two on Fulton but he’s right back with a swinging chokeslam. Fulton doesn’t let go and hits a regular chokeslam, only to have Daga pop up with a Death Valley Driver. Cue the Crists so Daga hits a running corkscrew dive but the distraction lets Fulton get back up. Daga’s springboard DDT is countered into a northern lights suplex with Daga landing on his head (that looked bad) for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: C. Daga is someone who can do his thing very well while Fulton is starting to gel as the monster. That being said, the ending was downright nasty looking and it wouldn’t shock me if they wrapped it up early. Hopefully Daga is ok because he’s getting better around here and a feud with OVE could be interesting.

Moose is getting a massage and wants some work on his, ahem, lower back because Rhino is a bad pain down there. Rhino takes the masseuse’s place and beats Moose up.

Fallah Bahh vs. Ethan Page

TJP and Josh Alexander are here as well. Fans: “GOO GOO GAGA!” Bahh busts out some cartwheels to start and hits a running splash in the corner as Page wasn’t quite ready for this much athleticism. Alexander offers a distraction though and Page kicks Bahh out to the floor. Back in and Bahh shrugs off the shots to the head, meaning it’s Page being sent into the corner for the running hip attack. Alexander breaks up the Banzai Drop so TJP flip dives onto him, leaving Bahh to small package Page for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C-. Bahh continues to surprise me as there is no reason for him to be able to do something like that. He pulled it off here though and that was one of the bigger surprises that you could have imagined here. The North vs. TJP/Bahh should be a fun little match too as TJP and Bahh have some shockingly good chemistry together.

James Mitchell wants Jessika Havok to help him find Su Yung. They find Susie and Mitchell is very happy, saying the family is reunited and everything can be better now. Susie follows them but seems to morph into Su.

Rob Van Dam vs. Joey Ryan

Katie Forbes is here with Rob and let’s get this over with as fast as possible. Ryan oils up and tells Rob to touch it but Rob poses and shoves him instead. We get a staredown but hang on because Katie needs to come in for kisses and dancing. The jiggling distracts Joey and Rob kicks him down, with commentary calling out the lack of wrestling for the first three minutes.

Rob kicks him down but won’t use Rolling Thunder so Joey is up with a dropkick to the floor. Back in and Rob pokes him in the eyes and puts him on the middle of the top rope for a jumping kick to the face. Rob loads up Rolling Thunder again but goes outside to see Katie again. That means a dive from Ryan before they head back inside where Ryan makes him touch it. The Plex is countered though as Rob kicks him in the head, setting up the Five Star for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: D-. I’d still like to emphasize that this is the best thing they can do with Rob Van Dam, the biggest star this company has. The Joey Ryan stuff has its place and I don’t think it’s on this show. The problem is the same thing you get with most comedy stuff: how many times can he do the same shtick? We’ve covered this so many times before and it’s not like anything new (or good) is added. If you have to do this, find someone else besides Van Dam.

Su Yung is dragging Mitchell by the neck with a noose. Mitchell blacks out and wakes up in….I think h***?

From Sacrifice 2014: Eric Young retains the World Title over Magnus (Nick Aldis). Yeah remember when THAT was a thing? They showed a lot more of the match here than usual.

Johnny Swinger has all of his cheating weapons ready to help Willie Mack against Shera. Mack tells him to stay right there.

Willie Mack vs. Shera

Gama and Rohit Raju are here. They chop it out in the corner but Raju comes in for the DQ at 47 seconds.

Swinger, save, tag match.

Willie Mack/Johnny Swinger vs. Desi Hit Squad

Swinger gets taken into the corner to start and it’s Shera pounding him down. That’s it for the offense though as Swinger gets over for the tag off to Mack as the fans don’t seem thrilled. A Samoan drop into the standing moonsault crushes Raju and Shera gets double teamed in the corner. Mack doesn’t like the idea of a double clothesline with Swinger so Gama pulls Mack to the floor. That leaves Shera to Sky High Swinger at 3:20.

Rating: D. See, notice what they did here: the whole thing, including the first match, was about as long as the Van Dam vs. Ryan match, including a commercial. Breaking it up like that was a bit of a help, plus Swinger is more entertaining than Ryan. They kept it short and didn’t waste the top guy in the company while keeping Mack busy despite Rich Swann being injured. It’s still not good, but it’s also not as annoying so upgrade….maybe?

Tessa Blanchard isn’t worried about her (non-title….for some reason) match with Ace Austin. Ace comes in to say Tessa is never going to earn daddy’s approval, but he likes women with daddy issues. Tessa beats him up.

Next week: Ace Austin/Reno Scum vs. Tessa Blanchard/Trey Miguel/Tommy Dreamer. They’re trolling us, right?

The announcers are cut off by another Realityislost video, though they acknowledge this one.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace

Taya is defending and has John E Bravo with her. Grace gets jumped at the bell and there’s the running hip attack in the corner. Bravo chokes Grace with the stuffed dog and we take an early break. Back with more of the same but this time Grace gets in a suplex to put Taya on the floor. That means the required suicide dive but Bravo shoves Grace off the top. Somehow the referee is oblivious to this, with commentary pointing out how bad that really is.

Bravo chokes even more, with commentary comparing it to the Houston Astros sign stealing ordeal. Grace is back up with a clothesline and some slams look to set up the Grace Driver. It’s too early for that though as Taya heads to the apron and manages to powerbomb Grace onto the steps (strategically placed by Bravo).

Taya takes her to the stage for Road To Valhalla as Grace is looking a bit done. That’s only good for a nine count as Grace staggers back in to beat the count. Grace is fine enough to Muscle Buster Taya for two but Taya grabs a Bubba Bomb into a cross armbreaker of all things. That’s reversed into a Crossface (minus the arm trap, making it more of a Bank Statement) but Bravo pulls Taya to the rope.

A Vader Bomb gets two with Bravo pulling the referee so Grace pulls Bravo in. Taya spears him by mistake but Bravo gets on top of her to block the top rope backsplash. It turns out that means very little as it just crushes Taya even worse, setting up the Grace Driver to end Taya’s reign at 17:17.

Rating: B-. I can’t complain about the interference too much as Grace won (as she should have) and it’s a case of living by the sword and dying by the sword for Taya, who kept the title because of all the cheating in the first place. It makes sense to put the title on Grace here as Taya was completely out of challengers. Good match too, as the Bravo stuff was the right way to go and they got the ending right, which is what matters most.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show this week as they focused more on their own people instead of all of the guest stars. They needed a show to move some stories forward and that’s what we got here. I liked the main event for the feel good title change and Eddie vs. Elgin (probably) three more times sounds good. Just get rid of the Ryan vs. Van Dam stuff and give us more of the good and we might have something around here.

Results

Michael Elgin b. Eddie Edwards – Elgin Bomb

Mad Man Fulton b. Daga – Northern lights suplex

Fallah Bahh b. Ethan Page – Small package

Rob Van Dam b. Joey Ryan – Five Star Frog Splash

Willie Mack b. Shera via DQ when Rohit Raju interfered

Desi Hit Squad b. Willie Mack/Johnny Swinger – Sky High to Swinger

Jordynne Grace b. Taya Valkyrie – Grace Driver

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Hard To Kill
Date: January 12, 2020
Location: The Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s back to pay per view with another big show and the card looked pretty good coming in. However, news has since broken about Rich Swann hurting his ankle and not likely being able to wrestle, plus the Tessa Blanchard controversy over her not being a very nice person. Hopefully they can overcome everything and have a great show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on Tessa Blanchard challenging Sami Callihan for the World Title, in what should be a pretty obvious ending. They’ve made no secret of the fact that this is a big coronation and while that might take away a little something, it can be nice to see where things are going and then get there.

Ken Shamrock vs. Mad Man Fulton

Shamrock is coming to the ring while Josh is still talking about the opening. The Crists are here with Fulton and this is fallout from Shamrock vs. Callihan. Shamrock starts with some strikes to the leg and face but Fulton wrestles him down and stomps away in the corner as an insane monster is known to do.

Shamrock’s kneebar doesn’t last long as Fulton shoves him away, only to miss a big boot. The crotching on the ropes lets Shamrock hammer away, only to get pulled down into a cross armbreaker over the ropes, because Fulton can do that. Fulton rolls outside so Shamrock dives onto him. That’s caught so Shamrock has to slip out and hit a German suplex on the floor, setting up a knockdown to Jake Crist.

The Crists get knocked down again and that’s an ejection to make it man vs. monster. Fulton gets in a shot of his own and starts stomping on the arm before switching to a chokeslam. He tries another one but Shamrock takes him down with a Kimura to escape. The shoulder gets popped and Fulton screams but Shamrock lets go for some reason. Fulton wants to fight anyway and something like a one armed powerbomb gives him two. Shamrock grabs something like the Rings of Saturn for the tap at 9:24.

Rating: C-. What an odd opener and what a not great choice for the win. Fulton is a monster and your way to treat him as one is to have him lose via submission? I know Shamrock is someone who can offer some star power but fans already know who he is. Why do you need to give him a win over someone whose status is hurt more than most by a loss?

The announcers run down the card. For the life of me I don’t get why they do this. Just in case someone casually bought the pay per view to see what they might get to see?

We recap the X-Division Title match. Trey Miguel is the #1 contender so Ace Austin is hitting on his mom in one of the most bizarre methods of building a title match that I can remember in recent memory. It’s a personal one and they’re both selling it to set up a good feud.

X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin

Austin is defending and Trey takes him down at the bell, meaning it’s an early chase around the ring. Back in and Trey hits a spear before kicking Austin outside again. A 619 on the apron hits Austin in the head and there’s a middle rope moonsault to get in another knockdown. Ace gets in a few shots of his own and busts out a Space Flying Tiger Drop to take over.

Trey isn’t about to stand for that and hits him in the ear, only to get shoved off the steps and onto the barricade. Back in again and Ace elbows the ribs but stops to check on his ear. A low superkick gives Ace two and some belly to back slams (think Cena’s ProtoBomb without the spin) set up…an escaped third attempt so Miguel kicks him down into the corner. The Bang-A-Rama gets two and we hit the half crab, with Ace throwing in a finger cut with a card between the fingers.

Trey finally comes back with some clotheslines and a kick to the head, setting up a reverse suplex into a dragon sleeper. That’s broken up and a bottom rope springboard Downward Spiral gets two on the champ. Ace gets up a knee in the corner though and Trey charges into a springboard spinning kick to the face. That doesn’t seem to bother Trey, who hits a 619 in the corner, only to get crotched on top. The Fold retains the title at 12:24.

Rating: C. Kind of an abrupt finish but Ace getting pushed like this is a very good thing. He’s one of my favorite guys in the entire promotion right now and I could go for more of his horrible mind games. This one might not even be done and that’s not the worst idea. Good enough match here, and some more fire from Trey could make it even better.

Post match Ace hits on Mama Miguel but gets jumped by Trey. Even the Rascalz have to come out and help pull him off.

ODB’s new food truck will be ready in the Spring and she thanks all of the fans for having her back.

We recap the Knockouts Title match. Taya Valkyrie is defending, having held the title longer than anyone in history. Jordynne Grace is ready to take it from her but ODB has been added to the mix and things might not be that simple.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace vs. ODB

Taya is defending and has John E. Bravo with him. ODB starts with a double noggin knocker of all things and Taya is sent outside early on. The other two head to the apron for a slugout with Grace getting the better of things by knocking ODB to the floor. Taya takes ODB’s place inside but ODB pulls Grace to the floor for the fall away slam on the ramp. Back in and Taya chokes ODB and doesn’t seem happy with the FOOD TRUCK chants.

More choking in the corner gives Taya two and a curb stomp into the STF gives us a Cena/Rollins finisher kit. Grace is back in so Taya tries to work on her shoulder, only to get lifted up with straight power. ODB breaks that up to put everyone down though I’d give it ten seconds before it’s back to one on one.

A spinebuster gives Grace two on Taya and a German suplex is good for the same with ODB making both saves. Taya kicks Grace in the head for two with ODB making a third save. Grace pulls ODB off the top and hits a top rope backsplash for the same with Taya having to make a save. Everyone is down again until the Grace Driver plants ODB. It’s Bravo with the distraction though, allowing Taya to steal the pin and retain at 11:37.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was almost every triple threat match you can imagine. The wrestling wasn’t all that great and Taya escaping after someone else hit their finisher was what I guessed for the finish. Anytime you think the same way I do in a finishing sequence, it’s probably not a good sign, which was the case here too. Grace probably gets the title soon though, and it’s not like more Taya is a bad thing.

Katie Forbes is all over Rob Van Dam and is sure that he’ll win because he’s so handsome. Daga walks by and Van Dam thinks he’s a fan in a great touch. Sex is implied but we need a video package first.

Video on Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage, with Rob suggesting that Cage has copied all of his moves. Cage is a big Van Dam fan but is ready to show how great he is on his own.

Brian Cage vs. Rob Van Dam

Van Dam has Forbes with him, plus new music which features him saying his initials and name several times. Cage high fives fans around the ring but Katie’s girlfriend (just go with it) grabs his hand so Rob can jump him from behind. A few rams into the post has Cage’s shoulder busted up and Rob hits a springboard kick to the face, meaning it’s time for a few bows.

They head inside with Rob hitting a springboard kick to the face but Cage uses the one good arm to send him into the corner. The superkick rocks Van Dam again as I don’t think the bell ever rang. Forbes slides in a chair though and Rob hits a Van Daminator to bust Cage open. The Van Terminator connects, Katie jiggles a lot, and Rob covers for…nothing because Cage is hurt. Cue Daga and some referees as Cage is taken away, meaning there’s no match. Well not a match with Cage at least as we have a replacement. Cage is either hurt or leaving or both, which does explain a little bit of this mess.

Rob Van Dam vs. Daga

Van Dam gets in an early chair shot but the rolling monkey flip is broken up with a dropkick. Daga hits a few dropkicks to the floor so Katie climbs onto Rob to check on him. They head back inside with Daga missing a top rope dropkick, allowing Rob to roll him up for two. A fireman’s carry gutbuster into a suplex gives Daga two but Rob is right back up with a kick to the face. The Five Star finishes Daga in a hurry at 4:11.

Rating: D. What in the world was the point of this? Did they not know that Cage was hurt or something? They really couldn’t have just had Daga go out there and do a longer match? I have no idea how this was their best option but egads it really didn’t work. Daga vs. Van Dam would have been fine and I get that Cage was leaving, but dang this was a major disappointment.

Post match Rob celebrates with the two girlfriends before watching them dance together.

Sami Callihan isn’t granting interviews.

We recap Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards. Eddie has the Call Your Shot Trophy (Money in the Bank for any title) and Elgin is willing to do whatever it takes to get the World Title. He has treated Eddie rather badly backstage and beaten him in a regular (and awesome) match, so now it’s for the trophy.

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards

Eddie starts fast but gets forearmed in the face early on. Elgin gets knocked outside for the suicide dive so Elgin forearms him down again. Stick with what works I guess. A superkick puts Eddie down again, only to have him come back with chops. Eddie tries another suicide dive but gets forearmed out of the air again, setting up a posting to make it even worse.

Back in and Elgin hits a reverse jawbreaker (as in to the back of the neck, meaning it’s not a jawbreaker), followed by a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. The neck crank goes on but Eddie fights up and manages to suplex both Elgin and himself out to the floor. Eddie is back up with the suicide dive to send Elgin flying into the barricade.

Back in and Elgin counters the Boston Knee Party with a spinebuster before no selling Eddie’s snap German suplex. Elgin runs him over with a clothesline for two more and another forearm drops Eddie again. They slug it out for a good bit until Eddie knocks him down with a clothesline.

Elgin is right back with some superkicks and a release German superplex (egads, though it’s similar to a really high moonsault and a bit safer than it looks). Splash Mountain gets two on Eddie but he’s right back with some shots to the knee. Elgin Crossfaces him to cut that off but that’s broken up in a hurry as well. With the holds not working, Elgin goes with the power in the form of a buckle bomb, only to have the Elgin Bomb reversed into a sunset flip to give Eddie the pin at 19:53.

Rating: B+. This was your physical slugout match of the night with Elgin beating the heck out of him as Eddie had to try and hang in there. Elgin got frustrated by Eddie kicking out every single time, allowing Eddie to survive until he could catch Elgin going too far. They beat the fire out of each other and had an awesome match as a result. Good stuff, as you had to expect.

Rhino is ready for the spear vs. the Gore. Moose likes to call his spear the No Jackhammers Needed, so Rhino is going to show him the no f**** given.

We recap Moose vs. Rhino. Moose wants to prove that he’s the best all around athlete and has been going after the older guys, including Rhino. Therefore, it’s a battle of the spears which is a fine enough idea.

Moose vs. Rhino

No DQ. Moose, in Randy Savage gear, starts an exchange of elbows and knocks Rhino outside. An early spear misses Rhino though and he falls outside, only to grab a chair to hit Rhino in the back. They fight on the ramp but Moose charges into a backdrop to make him cringe. Back to ringside and Rhino gets posted, meaning it’s time for a table.

Moose can’t powerbomb him off the apron though, instead charging into a powerbomb from Rhino to put him through the table in the big crash. That’s good for two back inside and it’s time to throw in a bunch of chairs and trashcan lids. Moose gets the better of that though with some shots to the back putting Rhino down. A top rope elbow gets two on Rhino but Moose tries again, allowing Rhino to chair him on the top.

That means a superplex onto the pile of chairs for two so Rhino grabs another table. It takes a long time to set it up though and Moose hits a running dropkick in the corner. Rhino clotheslines him right back down and hits the Gore through the table, but also through the referee. Another referee comes out to count a delayed two but Moose hits him low. No Jackhammers Needed finishes Rhino at 12:27.

Rating: C+. They had a nice brawl here and that’s what they were hoping to do. The match was what it needed to be with the only logical ending, as there was no reason to do anything more than have Moose break a sweat and then win in the end. It was an entertaining fight and now Moose needs to move on towards the World Title scene. He’s been chasing the thing for so long that it has to happen sooner rather than later.

We recap the North vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack. Swann and Mack have been chasing the titles for months and are the new #1 contenders so the North has tried to split them up. Now none of that matters though because Swann has hurt his ankle and can’t wrestle.

Swann isn’t even cleared to stand at ringside on crutches so Mack is on his own. He’s got this.

Tag Team Titles: Willie Mack vs. The North

The North is defending in a handicap match. Alexander starts for the team but walks over to Page for the tag, followed by another tag to set up the double teaming. Mack shrugs that off and hits the swinging slam on Alexander, plus an enziguri to put him on the floor. Page is there for a distraction though and the champs take over with a cheap shot from behind. The chinlock goes on as we see Swann watching from backstage.

Mack fights up and hits a DDT out of the corner, setting up some running corner clotheslines. The Samoa drop into the standing moonsault gets two on Alexander and a running big boot in the corner makes it worse. There’s an exploder suplex for the same but Page is back in with the double Neutralizer for two of his own.

They head to the floor and take Mack up, only to have him knock Alexander onto Page’s shoulders. That means a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer to Alexander, followed by the frog splash for two with Page pulling the referee. Page’s request for a DQ is denied so Mack hits him with a Stunner, only to have Alexander come back with the assisted spinebuster to retain at 10:34.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as there was only so much that they could do given the circumstances. Mack and Swann could have had a classic match here but with Mack having to be in there on his own, their options were a bit limited. They did what they could here though and it wound up being an entertaining match. Do the title switch later, though it could be months given their taping schedule.

Rebellion is back in April.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard. Callihan won the World Title from Brian Cage in a cage match and Tessa won a gauntlet match to earn the title shot. Tessa has faced Sami twice before but come up short both times, meaning this is her big chance at destiny and revenge at the same time. It feels like a big deal, though not the most surprising conclusion.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard

Sami is defending and is on his own for a change. We get the Big Match Intros and Sami hits a Cactus Special for two in the first ten seconds. Tessa fights out of a superplex attempt and hits Magnum for two of her own as we’re a minute into the match. A headscissors puts Sami on the floor and the suicide dive connects. Tessa snaps off a hurricanrana on the floor as the fans are WAY behind her.

The big flip dive connects as Sami hasn’t been able to do anything after the Cactus Special. He manages to drive her knees first into the barricade so Tessa has to limp back inside to beat the count. The leg is wrapped around the post a few times and Sami punches at the knee for a bonus. An Indian Deathlock takes us back to 1972 until Sami hits her in the back and lets it go. There’s another kick to the knee and Tessa is in trouble despite the fans being completely behind her.

The cockiness is strong with the champ as he stands on Tessa’s ribs to show off. Tessa tries to slug back so Sami hits her in the face. They head outside again with Tessa getting powerbombed through a table in the big crash. That’s good for nine so Tessa gets on the apron for another chop off. A superkick sets up Magnum on the apron and they’re both down on the floor again. They beat the count again but Sami is starting to look a bit desperate.

Tessa says to hit her and keeps bouncing up from the chops. Somehow Tessa manages a Samoan drop and gets two more off a second Magnum. Another Magnum misses though and the knee is banged up again. Get Outta Here gets two on Tessa and she bounces up from a German suplex. A cutter gets two on Sami but he’s right back with a sitout powerbomb into a Stretch Muffler.

That’s switched into an STF but Tessa makes the rope to escape again. Sami grabs the belt, only to have it taken away. It’s a ruse though as he busts out some brass knuckles but Tessa kicks him low. Magnum gets two more so Tessa grabs the Crossface but that’s reversed into another Cactus Special for another two. Tessa slugs away so Sami spits on her and kicks her in the face. A running Canadian Destroyer plants Sami though and the hammerlock DDT gives Tessa the pin and the title at 23:49.

Rating: B+. Another very good match here but the history is what matters in this one. They beat each other up and told a story with Tessa having to survive the knee injury and hang on against the way too arrogant Callihan. It’s still a bit of a stretch to believe that Tessa can be a physical match for the men but they’ve hidden it as well as can be expected. It’s an important moment and something that does matter, though the controversy from the weekend is going to hurt the meaning a bit.

Tessa celebrates and we’re off the air almost immediately.

Overall Rating: C+. The two bigger matches had to bail this out as some of the things they did here didn’t work. A few of them weren’t Impact’s fault but this show could have been a lot better with another rewrite. They nailed the matches that mattered though and with a few fixes, this card could have been great. What we got was good enough, though the bad things are really pretty bad. Check out the main and Elgin vs. Eddie though, as Impact gets to show what they can do when they have the chance.

Results

Ken Shamrock b. Mad Man Fulton – Rings of Saturn

Ace Austin b. Trey Miguel – The Fold

Taya Valkyrie b. ODB and Jordynne Grace – Grace Driver to ODB

Rob Van Dam b. Daga – Five Star Frog Splash

Eddie Edwards b. Michael Elgin – Sunset flip

Moose b. Rhino – No Jackhammers Needed

The North b. Willie Mack – Assisted spinebuster

Tessa Blanchard b. Sami Callihan – Hammerlock DDT

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also -available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

It’s back to the pay per view pile for Impact and in a way, that sounds like a good thing. When Impact Wrestling cuts out all of the other nonsense and focuses on the wrestling alone, they can have a heck of a show and hopefully that is what happens here. Sometimes you don’t need to do anything more than have a bunch of good wrestling and under the right circumstances, this could be quite the show. Let’s get to it.

Ken Shamrock vs. Mad Man Fulton

Unless I missed it before, this was added to the show on Tuesday night. I’m not sure how much more gas Shamrock has in the tank but his intimidating look alone should be worth something. I can’t imagine that he’s going to be around long term but he has enough star power to validate keeping him around for the time being. That being said, Fulton has a lot of potential as a monster and Shamrock could make for a good opponent.

I’ll go with Fulton here because he has a brighter future and there is no reason to put Shamrock over him. Shamrock is already a legend and a former World Champion so putting him over Fulton doesn’t make sense. Then again, if there is one thing this company loves to do it is push older people for no logical reason. I’ll take Fulton, but there is a bit of fear in the back of my head over the whole thing.

Moose vs. Rhino

This is one of those formulas that works almost every time: take two people who can hit each other really hard and see who is left standing. It’s also a battle of the spears, with Rhino’s having more impact but Moose’s having the more clever name. Moose is in need of the big win but I’m not sure how much value there is in putting him over Rhino. That being said, I can’t imagine Rhino getting a big win on this stage.

So yeah of course it’s Moose here, as it should be. Rhino is someone who still has some name recognition and now that they’re getting him away from the ECW tributes, you can see why he’s been around as long as he has. This could be a good ten minute power brawl and Rhino can still bring it in that style. Have some fun and get the right person over and everything works out.

Tag Team Titles: The North(c) vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

This was the match that I was looking forward to more than any other on the card as Mack and Swann have turned into a heck of a team against a dark horse contender for the Tag Team Of The Year in 2019 in the North. Then Swann sprained his ankle last night and is unlikely for the match, meaning the whole thing is pretty much forgotten about as Mack is probably wrestling it in a handicap match.

Therefore, the North retains here and we probably get the big title match in SEVERAL weeks on Impact, assuming it happens at all. Given their marathon taping sessions, there is almost no way we’re going to be seeing Swann in the ring for months as far as Impact taping time goes and that’s a shame because he seemed ready to jump way up the ladder in the coming weeks, starting with a title win here. But alas, the North retains here (hardly a bad thing as they’ve been excellent).

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie(c) vs. ODB vs. Jordynne Grace

I was completely sold on Grace ending the record long reign here, but then ODB was added to it and things started trending down (as they tend to do when she is added to almost anything). They now have an out to keep the title on Valkyrie (again: not a bad thing, which seems to be a Canadian trait), even though it is time for someone else to get into the title picture. I think you know where this is going.

I’ll play it safe and say that Valkyrie retains the title, likely by defeating ODB. Maybe they can even throw in a bonus by having Grace hit the Grace Driver so Valkyrie can steal the pin. I’m not entirely sure why ODB needs to be involved in this, though if it’s to give her a hand after her food truck burned down, I can get over my lack of caring for her. Anyway, I’m not thrilled about this one, but Valkyrie is likely retaining to lose to Grace in a singles match later.

Brian Cage vs. Rob Van Dam

I wasn’t big on Van Dam returning as he is way past his prime and has been around for so long that a lot of the luster is gone. However, I’ve dug the heck out of his crazy self-absorbed heel character as he’s selling the heck out of it. While I could go for a little less Katie Forbes, Van Dam’s stuff has been great and I’m enjoying his promos more than I have in years.

As for the match…..dang I’m not sure. This is the kind of thing that should be Cage in a walk but Van Dam has been so awesome in everything he’s done that it could go either way. I think I’ll actually take Van Dam, just for the sake of giving him something else to talk about. Cage shouldn’t be losing again, but they’ve got an intriguing match here, provided they can make the in-ring stuff work.

Call Your Shot Trophy: Eddie Edwards(c) vs. Michael Elgin

This is basically Money In The Bank but for any title, which very well could play a role later in the show. The idea here is that Elgin wants the World Title and is willing to take shortcuts to get there. He already beat Edwards in a rather good match on Impact and now he wants to do it again for the trophy. I like the idea of having to defend the thing, even though it has barely been mentioned since Edwards won the thing.

I’ll take Elgin to win here, even if it’s two big losses in a row for Edwards. The good thing about him is that he’s almost bulletproof in Impact and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Elgin on the other hand seems to be in a place where he needs to win the World Title or find something else to do, and winning the Trophy could get him a big step closer to being champion.

X-Division Title: Ace Austin(c) vs. Trey Miguel

There aren’t many people who have been as bizarre as Austin in recent months. He’s gone from apparently being an adult actor to hitting on Miguel’s mom while also winning the title. I’m not sure which of those is weirder, but here we are with one of the first actual stories about the title in months. That might not be the best story in the world, but at least it’s something for a change.

I’ll go with Austin retaining here, partially because I like him and partially because I want to see Miguel’s mom turn on him. It would be hilarious to see if nothing else, though I do need to see the Rascalz get somewhere sooner or later. This very well may be where it takes place, but I’m not sure if that’s what’s going to happen. Give me Austin to retain, though I’m not very confident in it.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan(c) vs. Tessa Blanchard

And then, as usual, something has to happen to mess everything up around here. In this case it isn’t Impact’s fault, but that never stopped the bad news before. In this case, Blanchard seemed all primed and ready to win the title but then there was yesterday’s Twitter fiasco that might cause some major issues for the company should they give her some big push.

That being said, I’ll go with Blanchard winning and then Elgin cashing in his newly won trophy for an immediate title shot. Therefore, Blanchard gets her win, a Canadian gets to be World Champion and we can move forward to Blanchard chasing the title again after things have cooled down a bit. It’s not the smartest thing in the world, but it’s the most protection they can have at the moment.

Overall Thoughts

I was looking forward to this show a lot more about thirty six hours ago before the Swann injury and the Blanchard drama but you should know better than to expect something like this to work out well. It really does feel like the company is cursed at times and even when they have been doing so much better as of late, it doesn’t seem like they can ever shake off the curse that follows them everywhere.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also -available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 7, 2020
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re back to a regular show and it’s the go home edition before Hard To Kill. The card is mostly set but there is always the chance that something could be added at the last minute. It’s kind of a weird situation as we are coming off back to back Best Of shows, meaning there isn’t much momentum for the pay per view at the moment. Maybe they can get in one last push though. Let’s get to it.

We open with Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards having to be pulled apart at ringside. Eddie is willing to fight him right now and hits a dive.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin

They’re still fighting on the floor as Eddie has to hurricanrana his way out of a powerbomb attempt. They chop it out until Elgin scores with a superkick and throws it inside for the opening bell. Eddie grabs an atomic drop but an enziguri in the corner sets up a stomp to the chest for two. A German suplex attempt doesn’t work for Eddie as Elgin grabs him by the head and flips him forward with raw power.

Eddie goes technical by countering a suplex into one of his own followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. A Rock Bottom/Boss Man Slam plants Eddie again and the Falcon Arrow gives Elgin two of his own. They strike it out in the corner with some chops and clotheslines before slugging it out in the middle. Elgin snaps off a German suplex but Eddie pops back up for a Boston Knee Party to the back of the head.

We take a break and come back with Eddie hitting another Boston Knee Party to put them both down. Eddie gets two off a tiger bomb and goes up, where he has to sunset bomb his way out of a super White Noise. Elgin blasts him with a clothesline for two more but can’t get a Crossface. Instead he settles for the Buckle Bomb into the Elgin Bomb for the pin at 19:43.

Rating: B. These guys beat the heck out of each other and the story made sense with Elgin using raw power while Eddie stuck and moved by getting in everything he could where he could. They didn’t waste time here and just went at it full blast for the twenty minutes and the match was very entertaining as result. As usual, the talent is strong around here and if they drop the nonsense and have good matches, it’s very entertaining stuff.

Video on the Tag Team Title match with Rich Swann and Willie Mack earning the title shot, leaving the North to try and play mind games to split them up.

Elgin vs. Edwards again on Sunday, this time with Edwards’ Call Your Shot trophy on the line. Oh yeah he has that.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP/Daga

Raj kicks away at Daga to start so Daga runs the ropes and hurricanranas him to the floor. Raju comes in and gets dropkicked down for one so it’s off to Bahh and TJP for a double back elbow. TJP nips up and Bahh….well he tried at least. They run the ropes over Raju and Bahh gets rather winded, just in case you didn’t get the joke the first time around. A DDT plants Daga and it’s Shera coming in to powerbomb Raju onto Daga for two.

It’s already back to Raj for a dropkick to the head and a backsplash for two of his own. TJP comes back in for a springboard dropkick as everything breaks down. Daga’s springboard wristdrag/headscissors combination puts Shera and Singh on the floor, setting up the big dive. Bahh’s suicide dive takes them down again but Shera hits his Sky High for the pin on TJP at 7:59.

Rating: C+. The Squad did look better here but there’s no way around how uninteresting they are. Their entire characters are “we’re from India and managed by a legend” and I need a lot more than that to care about someone. The match was pretty good, but give me something else to sink my teeth into with them.

Willie Mack comes in to see Rich Swann and says he might not be healthy for the Tag Team Title match. He doesn’t want to hold Swann back from realizing his full potential but Swann wants to win the titles.

OVE is ready to take over wrestling, starting with Mad Man Fulton beating Ken Shamrock on Sunday and Sami Callihan getting rid of Tessa Blanchard once and for all.

Johnny Swinger spikes Joey Ryan’s drink when Tommy Dreamer comes in and tells him to grow up. If Swinger didn’t do anything to Ryan’s drink, he can drink it himself. I’m sure hilarity will ensue.

Video on the X-Division Title match with Ace Austin hitting on Trey’s mom in a rather creepy way.

Video on Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard with Sami finally getting the World Title and Tessa trying to make history. This includes interviews from Tessa’s family, who has worked very hard to get here. Sami on the other hand only cared about wrestling and has done everything to get here. He’ll do anything to keep the title too. Sami doesn’t like it, but sometimes dreams don’t come true and Tessa will learn that on Sunday. Very good video, though it did a little too good of a job at making me like Sami, which wasn’t exactly the point.

James Mitchell locks Susie in a locker room so she can’t interfere in Havok’s match.

Havok vs. Rosemary

Rosemary screams and slugs away to start so Havok shoves her down. That just makes Rosemary jump on her back for more right hands before avoiding a charge to low bridge Havok to the floor. Michell’s distraction fails as Havok runs him over by mistake, only to catch Rosemary with a backbreaker inside. Cue Susie, who seems messed up by all of the noise. She winds up on commentary as Havok beats up Rosemary in the corner. A missed splash lets Rosemary get in a few shots but Mitchell gets Susie away from commentary. Havok hits the Tombstone for the pin at 5:11 as Mitchell covers Susie’s eyes.

Rating: D+. This was all angle stuff and that’s fine, though this story feels like it has been going on for years now. Mitchell trying to keep Su Yung from returning is certainly a twist, but I’m almost worried about how long they’re going to drag this whole thing out. It’s not bad and does keep things somewhat interesting, but I’m not sure how much of a goal they have with the thing.

ODB/Tenille Dashwood/Jordynne Grace vs. Kiera Hogan/Madison Rayne/Taya Valkyrie

Dashwood and Rayne start things off as Callis goes into Madison’s insane resume (73 time Knockouts Champion and an honorary Hart). Tenille throws her outside and it’s Grace coming in for two off an Implant Buster. Hogan gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Taya comes in for an elbow to the face.

A kick to Grace’s back gets two so ODB….rubs her chest. Grace runs Hogna over and dives over for the tag to ODB for a lot more chest based offense. A double Bronco Buster hits Taya and Madison and there’s a TKO to Taya as well. Grace adds a Vader Bomb but since she isn’t legal, ODB throws her outside and gets the pin at 5:16.

Rating: D+. Not much here as they were rushed and could have done this as a tag match without Dashwood and Hogan involved. ODB still feels really, really tacked on to the Knockouts Title match, meaning there is a good chance that Taya escapes before dropping the title to Grace later on.

Grace isn’t happy.

Moose interrupts Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes to make sure he can trust Rob tonight. They leave and Swinger is passed out on a couch. Joey Ryan and Petey Williams come in to draw something on him.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Moose/Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage/Rhino

Katie is here with Van Dam and Moose. Van Dam starts with Cage but decides that Moose can do it instead. Cage hits a superkick and spinebuster so it’s off to Rhino for a WOO. Rhino shouts to the crowd a lot and hammers away in the corner as the pace slows a good bit. A clothesline puts Moose on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Moose being sent onto the ramp but Katie breaks up the Gore so the villains can take over. Moose bites Rhino’s head and hammers away but can’t get a suplex. Rhino can hit a suplex of his own though and it’s Cage coming in for the staredown with Van Dam. A German suplex puts Van Dam down but Moose runs Cage over. Everything breaks down and Van Dam kicks Cage in the face for two.

These fans aren’t good enough to see Rolling Thunder so Van Dam is sent outside, leaving Moose to slug it out with Rhino. Cage takes Rhino’s place and hits a tornado DDT to put Moose down. Van Dam kicks Cage in the face but walks into the Gore. A missed charge puts Rhino down as well but Moose misses his own Five Star. The Gore and a discus lariat are enough to finish Moose at 12:23.

Rating: C+. They didn’t waste time here and just had four people hit each other for a somewhat lengthy match. Moose taking the pin makes more sense here and they did a nice job of setting up both matches at once. That’s something that will always work as you get to build two matches while also keeping things fresh. Nicely done here in a bit of a surprisingly good match.

Long video on Hard To Kill wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a rather good go home show as they covered everything on Sunday, added another match, and made me want to see the pay per view more than I did coming in. Some of the stuff felt like it could have been cut (that six man and Havok vs. Rosemary could have been on any other show) but overall, it was more good than bad and the opener was rather entertaining. Nice job here, but make sure the pay per view is even better.

Results

Michael Elgin b. Eddie Edwards – Elgin Bomb

Desi Hit Squad b. Fallah Bahh/TJP/Daga – Sky High to TJP

Havok b. Rosemary – Tombstone

ODB/Tenille Dashwood/Jordynne Grace b. Kiera Hogan/Madison Rayne/Taya Valkyrie – Vader Bomb to Rayne

Brian Cage/Rhino b. Moose/Rob Van Dam – Discus lariat to Moose

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 17, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re about a month away from Hard To Kill and the top of the card is already set. I’m not sure how interested I am in Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan again but the Tag Team Title match sounds good. What matters most is that they have something to shoot for and that is more important than a lot of things. Like Acey Romero vs. Joey Ryan as Ryan’s Wrestler’s Court punishment. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Jordynne Grace vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood still works here? She takes Grace down with a headscissors and then switches to a quickly broken armbar. They trade some standing switches until Dashwood’s crossbody is caught and muscled up into a suplex for two. Grace is sent to the apron and Dashwood gets in a kick to the face, plus a neckbreaker over the ropes for two.

The Tarantula goes on, setting up a reverse DDT for two more on Grace. That’s enough for Grace who busts the heck out of Dashwood’s spine for her own two, plus two more just in case. Dashwood fights out of the Grace Driver so Grace blasts her with a clothesline. Somehow Dashwood is right back up with the Taste of Tenille and a butterfly suplex for two more. Dashwood tries la majistral but Grace drops down onto her for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C. They did some back and forth stuff here but I’m not sure how much Grace should be going up before the big title shot. Then again I’m not sure how much ODB needs to be in that title match and she’s there anyway. Dashwood has just stopped mattering over the last few months and I don’t see that getting much better.

Post match they shake hands but here’s Taya Valkyrie to jump Grace. Dashwood makes the save though and Taya is sent bailing.

Moose runs into Rhino and tells him that he could have given him some pointers against Rob Van Dam. Rhino decks him, likely setting up a match later tonight.

The North comes up to Willie Mack and actually doesn’t want a fight. Since Mack is hurt, they should let Rich Swann go off and be a singles star. Swann comes up to say tell them to get out of here before a fight breaks out.

The announcers preview the card.

TJP vs. Daga

Fallah Bahh is here with TJP and we get an early handshake. They go to the mat for an early standoff until it’s back to the mat for some grappling. TJP dropkicks him into the corner and we stop for some staring. Back up and Daga armdrags him into an armbar and then does it again for good measure. TJP is right back with his headscissors to spin Daga over but Daga spins out of another attempt and pulls TJP down by the arm.

They trade some flips to maintain arm control, trade rollup for two each, and miss stereo dropkicks as we take a break. Back with Daga hitting some shots in the corner but getting sent out to the floor in a hurry. The springboard slingshot dropkick rocks Daga again and the slingshot hilo gets two back inside. Daga’s headscissors sends TJP into the corner for a change and there’s a forearm to the back.

Daga runs down the ramp for a sunset flip into a double stomp to the chest for two and that means frustration time. TJP spins out of a tiger bomb but his bridging rollup is countered into a superkick. That’s fine with TJP, who hits a jumping spin kick to the face for another double knockdown.

They slug it out until TJP snaps off a hurricanrana into a cross armbreaker but Daga stacks him up for two. A double clothesline puts them both down again and the real frustration is setting in. Daga knocks him down and goes up, earning himself a superplex back down into the Detonation Kick. The kneebar sends Daga to the rope so TJP switches to an STF to make Daga tap at 16:39.

Rating: B-. This got some time and was quite the technical display. TJP can go with anyone and has put in one nice performance after another. I could go for either of them getting a nice push but for some reason I don’t exactly buy that as being the most likely case. At least we got a good match out of the whole thing though.

Post match the Desi Hit Squad runs in to beat down TJP and Bahh. Daga makes the save but Shera comes in to plant him with a chokeslam. Good thing we got to push the important guys.

Brian Cage runs into the very combined forces of Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes. Rob isn’t worried about their match at Hard To Kill because he knows how to counter his own moves.

Here are Van Dam and Forbes for a chat. Katie introduces him and more kissing ensues. Rob isn’t sure why he’s getting so much attention as of late but he’ll take it while he gets it. After more Katie time, Rob says he’s taking a stand against everyone trying to steal all of his awesome moves. Cage is the biggest Van Dam mark of them all, so here he is in person. The fight is on with Cage getting the better of things until Katie gets in a low blow. Rob plants him with a middle rope Fameasser but won’t give the fans the Van Terminator. Instead he dropkicks the chair into Cage’s head and has some more of Katie.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Generation Me from Final Resolution 2010.

Susie runs into Rosemary, who warns him about James Mitchell, who comes in and gets Susie away from her. Havok comes in to choke Rosemary. The lights go all colorful and Rosemary disappears as Susie seems…..pleased?

Taya interrupts Madison Rayne and Kiera Hogan, who don’t seem pleased. They’re not friends because Taya is rather rude but she needs help. She asks them to help a Knockout in need but they don’t buy it. Maybe if they get a title shot after Hard To Kill? Taya thinks about it.

Ethan Page vs. Rich Swann

Page headlocks him to start so Swann shoves his way out and hits a good dropkick. Swann slugs away but Josh Alexander grabs his foot, allowing Page to get in a thumb to the eye. Page slugs away until Swann grabs a small package for two. That means a change of pace with some stomping in the corner instead of slugging, because Page is that versatile. A kick to the face keeps Swann down but he rolls forward into a clothesline to Page.

Swann gets two off a cartwheel splash but Alexander’s distraction breaks up the 450. Page’s Neutralizer gets two, only to have Swann come right back with some kicks to the head for his own two. Swann has to bail out of the 450 so Page hits a middle rope slam. The Swanton gives Page two but Swann is back with a kick to the face. He dives onto Alexander though, leaving Page to go after Mack. You don’t do that to Willie though and he chases Page back in and decks him for the DQ at 10:02.

Rating: C+. This was all about the mind games at the end and there is nothing wrong with that. Swann and Mack feel like almost guaranteed title winners so going with some doubt is a good idea. I could go for them winning the titles but I could also go with them fighting each other for months in a great feud.

Post match Swann isn’t happy with Willie.

Rhino and Moose get in another fight in the back.

Joey Ryan vs. Acey Romero

Johnny Swinger is on commentary and Joey starts fast with the baby oil down the trunks. Acey won’t touch it but does hurt his knee on an atomic drop. As the announcers talk about Joey killing territories, Acey crushes him with a crossbody and gets two off a spinebuster. They hit heads and Acey falls face first onto Ryan’s crotch, which brings Ryan back to life.

The lollipop goes into the referee’s mouth by mistake (I’m surprised it doesn’t give him superpowers) and it’s time for Acey to grab it. Swinger makes the save and has Acey grab his fanny pack, which has no such powers. Joey is right back up with the Flip and Sweet Tooth Music finishes Acey at 3:54.

Rating: F. Something about me not having fun or not getting wrestling. I think I’m to the point where I don’t need to rant about Joey anymore. He really does seem like a nice guy (including being nice to me on Twitter before) but this isn’t for me and that’s ok. I could go with not seeing it but I know there’s an audience for it. I’m just not part of it.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t worried about Sami Callihan exposing her. She’s going to take the title from the most vile champion the company has ever seen.

Michael Elgin takes Eddie Edwards’ trophy.

Ace Austin vs. Petey Williams

Non-title. Petey elbows him in the face to start and ducks a springboard kick to the face. A headscissors sends Ace into the corner, setting up the slingshot Codebreaker. The Sharpshooter attempt doesn’t work so Petey hits the slingshot hurricanrana to the floor. Ace is right back with a superkick from the apron and we take a break.

Back with Ace hitting a spinning kick to the head for two and then stopping to stare at the crowd. Ace can’t get the paper cut with the card so Petey snaps off a release German suplex. There’s the Russian legsweep but Ace’s Bang-a-Rama gets two. The Canadian Destroyer is blocked but so is Ace’s superplex. Petey powerbombs him instead but the Canadian Destroyer still can’t connect. Ace is right back with the Fold for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C. That was one of Petey’s better matches in awhile and it was a good bit better than I was expecting. Ace winning wasn’t in doubt but they were both working and got a nice match out of it. I’m liking the Fold more each time I see it and while Ace’s character has changed a lot, I still like what I see out of him.

Post match, Ace dedicates the win to Trey Miguel’s mom. He even blows her a kiss.

Post break Trey Miguel gets in Ace’s face and one more line about Trey’s mom starts the fight. Reno Scum breaks it up.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Here’s Sami Callihan to “expose” Tessa. She’s a fake and a phony, just like everyone sitting here today. People are saying this is something about gender but Sami should be looked at as a hero for spitting in her face, just like he’d do to any man in the back. The fans cheer for Tessa but they have more in common with him. Tessa is the daughter of Tully Blanchard and was raised by Magnum TA.

Sami earned everything he has and became the face of the company by winning the World Title. His dad never got him a tryout so here’s a livid Tessa. Mad Man Fulton jumps her from behind though, meaning the beatdown is on. Ken Shamrock makes the save but Fulton goes after his bad ribs. Sami and Tessa fight to the back where they brawl in front of some fans. Sami punches one of them by mistake before sending Tessa face first into the production truck.

Tessa shrugs that off and they brawl on the sidewalk. Another ram into the truck rocks Tessa and Sami chokes her with some caution tape. Tessa gets in another shot though and they brawl down the sidewalk with Tessa diving out of the back of a truck. Sami chokes her down and Tessa goes after him until referees FINALLY break it up to end the show. This didn’t do much to make Tessa seem like she could hang in a fight with Sami, but the smoke and mirrors will help a lot at the pay per view.

Overall Rating: C+. They were all working hard here and we got a nice show as a result. As usual, it helps a lot to have a goal to move towards and they have that here. It makes things that much easier and you could see the show improving now that a lot of the card is either set or ready to be set. I’m digging most of the show, though there are a few elements I’d like dropped for good. That isn’t going to happen, but you can only hope. Anyway, good show this week and a positive sign as we head towards the pay per view.

Results

Jordynne Grace b. Tenille Dashwood – Rollup

TJP b. Daga – STF

Ethan Page b. Rich Swann via DQ when Willie Mack interfered

Joey Ryan b. Acey Romeo – Sweet Tooth Music

Ace Austin b. Petey Williams – Fold

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel And Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

The long march towards Bound For Glory continues, but more importantly the march towards AXS TV continues as well. Things are actually looking up around here as last week’s show may not have been the best on its own, but it made me want to see what happens at the pay per view. That’s ultimately what matters most so hopefully they can continue that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards

Austin has a new shirt: Ace Austin 3:16 on the front and I JUST BANGED YOUR WIFE on the back. Eddie isn’t wasting time and knocks him to the floor for the slingshot dive. Some kicks against the barricade has Eddie in trouble and Austin kisses a groupie in the front row. Back in and they take turns choking in the corner until Eddie takes him outside for more chopping. A drink to the face slows Eddie down and Ace gets to choke in the corner some more.

Ace gets in a kick to stagger Eddie on the middle rope but Eddie crotches him on top instead. The belly to back superplex connects so here’s Reno Scum for a distraction. Eddie is fine enough to get two off the Blue Thunder Bomb but Ace kicks him in the head for the same. The Boston Knee Party gets another near fall but this time Reno Scum pulls the referee out at two. That means it’s Kenny time, only to have Austin hit the Fold. That’s good for two so Austin loads up a piece of metal in his arm brace and spinning backfists Eddie cold at 10:45.

Rating: C. I’m more than a little surprised that this match took place here as you would think that it was a perfect grudge match at Bound For Glory. I’ve been more interested in this feud than in almost anything else Impact has been offering lately and I really hope that they’re not thrown into a ladder match (or Heaven forbid it’s Eddie/Tommy Dreamer vs. Reno Scum) at the biggest show of the year.

Taya Valkyrie is panicking about having to face Havok when Rosemary comes in. Rosemary is looking forward to watching and doesn’t seem interested in helping.

The announcers preview the show.

We look back at Brian Cage being arrested for going after Sami Callihan last week.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Rascalz

Gama Singh introduces Mahabali Shera first and the rest of the team as his soldiers. Trey gets triple teamed to start and it’s a legsweep into a jumping stomp for two. Raj blocks a diving tag attempt and suplexes Trey for two more. Heel miscommunication finally allows Trey to get over for the tag and everything breaks down. The Rascalz start cleaning house but Shera blocks a double suicide dive. Back in and the triple teaming doesn’t work on Shera, who World’s Strongest Slams Wentz and puts Raju on top for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: D. The Desi Hit Squad is one of the least interesting acts I’ve seen in years as they’re just not fun to watch in any way. Their offense is generic, their gimmick is that they’re from India and the whole team exists to make Shera look good. That doesn’t help when Shera isn’t exactly thrilling on his best day and the team doesn’t help things. Throw in the fact that the Rascalz have a match at Bound For Glory and lose here and this was a big waste of time.

Katie Forbes arrives and tells Jordynne Grace to park her car. A fight is set instead, with Grace promising to kick Forbes’ a**. Forbes: “You mean this one?” And she pulls up her robe.

Knockouts Title: Jessika Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya is defending and it’s James Mitchell/John E. Bravo as the seconds. Hold on though as here’s Tenille Dashwood to join commentary. Havok powers her into the corner to start and gets two off a knee to the head. The threat of a right hand has Taya grabbing the ropes but she does manage to take Havok down and knee her in the face.

The choking in the corner just makes Havok mad enough to hammer away and bend Taya over her knee. Taya climbs down the post to get out of a superplex attempt and manages to knock Havok into the ropes. That means the top rope double stomp but Havok is right back up with a clothesline and the chokeslam….but Bravo pulls the referee out for the DQ at 5:07.

Rating: D+. I’m still not sure why things are going in this direction for the Knockouts Title. It still feels like there are three or four stories going on at the same time and Havok losing like this would suggest that she should be in the title match at Bound For Glory. Giving Dashwood the title shot is fine, but they’re doing a weird job of setting it up.

Post match Havok beats up Bravo but gets a belt shot to the face. Dashwood comes in and beats Taya up to send the champ running.

Sami Callihan says Brian Cage belongs in jail because he’s an animal. He’s taking the World Title at Bound For Glory.

The North is ready to defend the Tag Team Titles at Bound For Glory. Rich Swann and Willie Mack come up and say they’ll win. Rhino and Rob Van Dam come in to say they’re old and awesome. The North bails while the other teams argue.

Moose vs. Stephan Bonnar

Frank Trigg is on commentary. Moose throws him down to start and messes with Bonnar’s face so Bonnar gets in a knee to the ribs. A toss puts Moose on the floor as Trigg talks about how awesome Moose is. Back in and Moose hammers away some more until Bonnar gets in a spinwheel kick. Bonnar, with a cut next to his eye, hits a spinebuster and goes up….but Moose shoves the referee into the ropes to crotch Bonnar for the DQ at 4:29.

Rating: D-. This gets a hearty “well that happened” as we have our second DQ for attacking a referee in two matches. The idea of having Moose get into the MMA side of things and fighting mixed martial artists is fine but could they at least have the match be interesting? Bonnar isn’t anything in the ring and while he’s been trained, that doesn’t mean he’s ready to be in a spot like this. Bad match, and it’s setting up what could be a major disaster with Ken Shamrock getting back in the ring.

Post match Moose beats on him even more and grabs a chair. Shamrock comes out for the save and ankle locks Moose as Bonnar won’t let Trigg interfere.

Katie Forbes vs. Jordynne Grace

Forbes has a money gun and enjoy shaking various things. Grace headscissors her way out of a headlock takeover and manages some pushups at the same time. A crucifix gives Grace two and a middle rope dropkick puts Forbes on the floor. Back in and Forbes chokes with a boot in the corner but hold on because hip shaking needs to take place. Grace pulls Forbes’ trunks up rather hard and sends her shoulder first into the post. A Vader Bomb gives Grace two but Forbes grabs a tornado DDT for the same. That’s enough for Grace, who hits the Grace Driver for the pin at 5:40.

Rating: D. Another pretty bad match as the rather terrible show continues. Forbes is rather curvy and that’s the extent of her appeal, as wrestling isn’t exactly her strong suit. It’s like they’re trying to recreate Scarlett Bordeaux without most of the things that made her work in the first place. Bad match here, as Forbes didn’t belong on the show.

Johnny Swinger and Forbes compare physiques. She isn’t interested because she’s with Rob Van Dam and walks away. Grace comes in and shoves Swinger down.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Ultimate X at Bound For Glory 2009.

Daga and Tessa Blanchard talk strategy but Tessa isn’t happy with Daga having her back.

Fallah Bahh has to exercise while TJP eats donuts. Next week: Bahh vs. Michael Elgin.

Next week in an X-Division Title qualifying match: Sabu vs. Rohit Raju. WOW that sounds like a nightmare.

Madman Fulton/Jake Crist vs. Daga/Tessa Blanchard

Daga and Jake start things off with an early standoff so it’s a double tag in a hurry. Blanchard is fine with waistlocking Fulton but stops to suicide dive Jake instead. Back in and Tessa walks into a bearhug but slips out for a tag to Daga. Fulton catapults him throat first into the bottom rope and the beating is on with Fulton not exactly looking worried. Daga slips out of a powerbomb though and hits….I think a one kneed Codebreaker, allowing the hot tag to Tessa. Jake comes in as well and gets tornado DDT’d for two with Fulton making a save. Some double teaming puts Fulton on the floor and Magnum finishes Jake at 5:32.

Rating: C-. Not bad here as Fulton continues to look like a monster and Tessa’s rise to singles success keeps going. They’re doing a great job of keeping Tessa from looking ridiculous in hanging with men and that’s a very hard trick to pull off. It’s working fine here though and the match was watchable enough.

Post match Fulton cleans house but we cut to the back where Cage is arriving. Cage storms into the arena and hits the ring for an F5 to Fulton. Sami Callihan comes in for a chair shot to the back….which does nothing at all. A low blow works a bit better and it’s the rest of OVE getting up to beat Cage down. They handcuff him to the ropes and Sami pulls out a baseball bat but here’s Melissa Santos. That’s fine with Sami, who piledrives her as Cage has to watch to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was….not good, almost at all. The opener and the closing angle were solid but there were so many just bad matches in the middle that it didn’t work. I’m not sure if it felt like they were trying to do too much or if it was more that they didn’t focus enough on Bound For Glory but the middle three quarters of this show were almost painful to watch. Sami vs. Cage is looking good for Bound For Glory and really, that’s about it.

Results

Ace Austin b. Eddie Edwards – Spinning backfist

Desi Hit Squad b. Rascalz – Chokeslam to Wentz

Jessika Havok b. Taya Valkyrie via DQ when John E. Bravo interfered

Stephan Bonnar b. Moose via DQ when Moose shoved the referee

Jordynne Grace b. Katie Forbes – Grace Driver

Daga/Tessa Blanchard b. Madman Fulton/Jake Crist – Magnum to Crist

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 26, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re finally back to a regular show this week after last week’s Mash-Up Tournament show. Next week is the big Unbreakable show, which will feature Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan for the #1 contendership to the World Title. Tonight it’s Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin in a street fight, which isn’t likely going to be the next major story. It’s a long way to Bound For Glory so we don’t need to get things going from here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap and preview.

Jordynne Grace vs. Kiera Hogan

Hogan now has blue and silver hair instead of the fire red. I’m not sure if that’s an upgrade or not. Madison Rayne comes out for commentary and now wants to be known as Her Royal Highness The Queen Bee. Grace goes straight for Hogan in the corner and takes her outside for a belly to belly. Since selling isn’t the strong suit of today’s wrestling, Hogan is right back up with a suicide dive to take over. Back in and Hogan stomps away as Madison talks about being friends with Meghan Markle.

A running hip attack in the corner gives Hogan one but it’s a helicopter bomb out of the corner to put Hogan down for two. The Michinoku Driver gets two but Hogan kicks her into the corner for some running basement dropkicks. Hogan unloads with shots to the head until Grace blocks a neckbreaker out of the corner. A Vader Bomb gets two but Hogan sends her outside. That’s fine with Grace, who hits a suplex on the floor but Madison throws Hogan inside. Grace is right there with a bridging cradle for the pin at 8:57.

Rating: D. The lack of selling was really noticeable here as they were doing moves to each other and then popping back up to go to the next move. Hogan being more aggressive and changing her look is fine, but having her lose so soon might not be the best idea. That and focusing so much on Madison again doesn’t do much for me, but Impact certainly loves doing the same stuff over and over again.

The announcers run down the rest of the show.

Brian Cage promises to send Michael Elgin to the hospital this week.

Taya Valkyrie talks to Rosemary about Slammiversary but gets shushed. Their deal is done and unless Taya is willing to offer another title shot, they have nothing to do with each other. John E. Bravo offers to take care of this.

Here’s Sami Callihan for a chat. He demands that Tessa get out here right now so here she is in a hurry. When Sami was first told he was wrestling Tessa, he thought it would be a night off. But then Tessa showed that she has spunk and fire, drawing a TESSA chant. Sami cuts that off and then talks about winning the tournament last week. He can admit when he is wrong and he gave Tessa equality. From one wrestler to another, Sami respects her. He’ll show her respect now, but on August 2, it’s winner take all. They shake hands and he calls her toots and gives her a quick spank. The beating is on and Tessa hits Magnum.

Callihan yells at OVE for not coming to save him but he told them to stay there. Sami says Tessa sucker punched him so next week she can face Mad Man Fulton. Given that she is already scheduled to face Sami next week, that might be a conflict of interests.

Moose vs. Ray Steel

Moose throws him around to start and blocks a whip attempt. No Jackhammer Needed finishes Steel at 58 seconds.

Post match Moose says what matters around here is not being loyal to this place. He’s the guy who has put the company on his back and now he’s here to beat up a piece of garbage. Moose yells at Callis and apron bombs Steel for good measure.

Bravo finds Havok and tells her there will be no Knockouts Title match. She can have some fun with him though. Havok chokes him, which Bravo calls the hard way.

Video on the North retaining the Tag Team Titles at Slammiversary.

The Rascalz get a Tag Team Title match next week. Joking ensues and Gail Kim of all people pops in to talk about the Jonas Brothers.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Kurt Angle beats Matt Morgan at Bound For Glory 2009.

Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne argue and Melissa Santos walks off.

Ace Austin hits on Alisha Edwards with some magic and gets blown off. An unnamed woman comes in and hits on Austin but he isn’t interested.

Willie Mack vs. Rob Van Dam

Rob takes his time coming out of the curtain for some reason. As Callis talks about Rob being relatively injury free over his career (not quite), Rob works a headlock to start. Mack snaps off a spinwheel kick and Rob needs to stop for a breather. They head outside with Rob kicking him in the face as Callis continues to talk about how big Rob is. The running cannonball off the apron drops Mack again but a charge against the barricade is cut off without much effort.

Back in and a pump kick in the corner sets up a reverse cannonball in the corner. The standing moonsault gets two, with Josh calling the match one sided. Mack has been in control for about a minute and a half chum. Rob kicks him back down but the split legged moonsault hits knees. A Backstabber puts Rob down again but he’s right back with a springboard kick to the face.

Another kick to the face sets up Rolling Thunder for two and Mack is in trouble. He’s fine enough to come back with a cutter for a breather, followed by an exploder suplex. Mack’s frog splash misses though and it’s the stepover kick and it’s the Five Star to finish Mack at 12:22.

Rating: C+. Van Dam still looks slow and old but he can still do his greatest hits well enough. I’m not sure I would have had him go over someone with the potential that Mack has but Van Dam is the legend around here and is going to get a win like this every now and then. Not a bad match, but it got Rob some momentum back.

They shake hands post match.

Ace hits on Alisha again but can’t get her to put her hand in a box and grab a live bird. The box is just below Austin’s stomach in case you don’t get the joke. Alisha leaves and Stone Rockwell comes up to grab whatever is in the box, making Austin wince. Rockwell: “Seems malnourished.”

Ortiz, with a censored bottle in his hand, rants to Konnan about wanting to finish the North. Konnan tells him to calm down because Daga is going to replace the injured (torn MCL) Santana. Daga comes in and Ortiz isn’t happy, but Konnan says he has this.

Michael Elgin thinks it’s non-title tonight because Cage is scared. Cage needs to stop worrying about his fiance (who is holding the mic) and worry about him instead.

X-Division Title: Jake Crist vs. Rich Swann

Swann is defending and Crist is here alone. Crist headlocks him down to start Swann reverses into an armbar and they flip up to a standoff. Swann wastes no time in sending him outside for a flip dive but here’s Dave Crist, who gets kicked in the face. The distraction lets Jake hit a running DDT on the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Jake working Swann over in the corner before grabbing the reverse Rings of Saturn. That’s broken up so it’s a camel clutch to keep Swann in trouble. Swann breaks out of that as well and rolls forward into a flipping clothesline. Some kicks to the head give Swann two but he jumps into a Death Valley Driver for two as well. They slug it out again with Swann getting the better of it and hitting a top rope elbow for another near fall.

It takes too long to go up again though and it’s a superplex into a swinging neckbreaker for two on Swann. An exchange of kicks to the head sets up the Phoenix splash but Dave puts the foot on the rope. Swann cutters both of them but it’s Mad Man Fulton coming out to shove Swann into a cutter from Jake. Sliced Bread #2 gives Jake the pin and the title at 15:46.

Rating: B. This feels like a bigger deal because Swann had been built up as a huge star. There is no reason to not put him into the main event now as there isn’t anything left for him to do in the X-Division. It was a surprise title change and it wasn’t clear, and it even came at the end of a rather good match. These two worked well together and the ending was the best way to get the title out of Swann in a singles match.

Post break Sami says the team won the title and doesn’t like Jake calling himself the Golden Draw. Sami: “IT’S SILVER!” They need to focus on Tessa.

Unbreakable rundown.

Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin

Non-title street fight. Hang on though as Cage crawls through the curtain and it’s Elgin standing over him with a chair. Elgin chokes him with the chair in the ring but stops to grab a mic. He rants about this being non-title because Cage is scared of him. Elgin grabs another chair and hits the Conchairto on Cage’s head as we won’t be having a match here.

Security is quickly beaten up and Elgin wraps the chair around Cage’s head. Cue Melissa Santos to beg but the masked man comes in for the save. Elgin chairs him in the face but a second masked man comes in to Gore him down. The second masked man runs into the crowd and unmasks as Rhyno (it wasn’t really a secret) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was up and down here but they got in some angle advancement and storytelling so the show worked well. This felt like the big fallout show from Slammiversary and while they did lose some momentum, it was still a good show that picked up where the previous stuff took off. Unbreakable can be a nice stepping stone towards Bound For Glory and Impact could be in a good place for a while to come.

Results

Jordynne Grace b. Kiera Hogan – Bridging cradle

Moose b. Ray Steel – No Jackhammer Needed

Rob Van Dam b. Willie Mack – Five Star Frog Splash

Jake Crist b. Rich Swann – Sliced Bread #2

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

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

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