I know Impact Wrestling might not be at the top of everyone’s hit list at the moment but the company does have a long history of important shows and big moments. This show is the biggest thing that they offer and we should be in for a special night as a result. The build has gone well and there are some promising matches on here so if they can live up to the hype, we could be in for a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Brian Myers(c) vs. ???

I’m glad to be getting this out of the way early as there is no way of knowing how this is going to go. It’s a mystery opponent/open challenge deal because we haven’t had one of those in at least 14 seconds. This could be almost anyone and while that is interesting, there is only so much to be had out of a Kickoff Show match for the lower midcard title, even with the entertaining Myers involved.

We’ll go with Myers to….lose here, as a title change like this one would be a nice way to get the night started. As for who takes it, I have a grand total of no idea, but we’ll stay home and say Trey Miguel, who is always getting some kind of a match and could certainly use the win. Odds are it will be some outside or Bhupinder Gujjar getting another shot, but Miguel is more fun so we’ll go there instead.

Mia Yim vs. Mickie James

Sometimes you come across a match where the end result isn’t in doubt but it should be a fun ride getting there. That is what we have here, as James’ career is on the line in a recreation of Ric Flair’s final (ha) run in 2007/8. In other words, James isn’t likely to lose for a very long time as she moves through one challenger after another. It just happened to start pretty close to Bound For Glory so it isn’t likely ending here.

Obviously I’ll be taking James, as there is no reason to believe that she is going to lose anytime soon. Yim beating her would be an upset, although not the biggest in recent memory. The good thing is that James should be around for a long time to come and we should get to see her having good matches like this one for the time being. The match will work and it goes to James.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey(c) vs. Frankie Kazarian

This is the paying tribute to our past match, as former champion Kazarian, who somehow doesn’t age, comes back to challenge the hot new champion. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not a big Bailey fan, but he is certainly putting in the work to make the most of his time with the title. Bailey is a lot of things but he definitely isn’t lazy, which is always a positive.

I’ll go with Bailey to retain here, as he gets a heck of a challenge from Kazarian. The good thing about someone like a Kazarian is you can put him out there to do just about anything and know that it is going to work. Other than that though, Bailey is going to have to eventually drop the title to a big name, whoever that might be. It just won’t be Kazarian here, as Bailey retains.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: VXT(c) vs. Death Dollz

I had kind of forgotten these titles existed and that tends to be the case quite often with them. VXT does at least feel like a regular team and have done well so that could be a lot worse. Other than that though, you have the latest incarnation of Rosemary/Jessicka/Taya Valkyrie, who have been around and doing their thing for what feels like the better part of ever now.

There is no reason for the Dollz to get the titles here so I’ll go with VXT to retain here. It makes sense to keep the titles on them until a new team is built up to go after the belts later on. The Rosemary etc. stuff isn’t exactly interesting anymore but there is a good chance that they are going to a split after this match goes badly for them. Or at least that is what should happen.

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More(c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is one of those matches that should be good and probably will be, just because of who is involved. Mike Bennett and Matt Taven are underrated as a team and it would be nice to see them getting a chance on a big stage like this one. Throw in the Guns and they should be able to do as much good stuff as you would expect them to against a team as talented as the champions.

I’m not sure what to think of this one as you could go either way. The Guns getting the titles back would be a nice moment, but I’m not sure if there is any need to have them stop Honor No More. If the stable is continuing then they need to keep the titles here. Therefore I’ll go with Honor No More to retain in the match that I’m expecting to get completely wrong.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

This is their version of a Royal Rumble for what amounts to the Money In The Bank briefcase. There are twenty people involved but since a lot of them are unknown, there is only so much guessing that can be done. It should include at least a few surprises and predictable moments, but the question now is where does the whole thing end, which tends to be the important part.

Given who we know is already in the match, I’ll go with a bit of a gut instinct and say Joe Hendry, even if I have no reason to believe that he’s going to win. Getting eliminated from a battle royal is hardly crushing and Henry getting to inspire us somehow is always a good thing and it would be a nice way start off his Impact Wrestling career. Odds are he doesn’t win, but I’ll go with him as the pick anyway.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace(c) vs. Masha Slamovich

Impact has been pushing the heck out of this one in recent weeks, even giving it the go home spot on this week’s TV. Slamovich was the clear challenger for this show several months ago as she has come into the promotion and wrecked havoc on the Knockouts division. You have the unstoppable Slamovich against the monster that is Grace and that should make for a good one.

I don’t see any reason for Grae to retain here as Slamovich has been built up as untouchable for the last several weeks. That is where she needs to just win the title and become the new star, so hopefully Impact gets this one right and doesn’t try to do anything funny. Grace is awesome at what she does but this is the time to change the title and I think they will.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander(c) vs. Eddie Edwards

Now this is where things get complicated as you really could go either way. Alexander getting his win would be the second time in a row that he has won the (scheduled) Bound For Glory main event but that would come more or less at the destruction of Honor No More. The team feels like it is ready to either drop off the map or become the focus of the company, which is more or less what is decided by this match.

With that being said, I’ll go with the illogical choice here and take Edwards to win, making Honor No More the dominant faction of the promotion. Edwards is more than capable of being the World Champion, even if it is for the short term, though I don’t know where that leaves Alexander. It could go either way, but I’ll say Edwards wins the title here, just to mix things up a bit.

Overall Thoughts

While I don’t know if this is going to live up to Bound For Glorys of years past, there is enough here to make me care about what we are going to be seeing. If nothing else, just having the name Bound For Glory means something as it has been the biggest show for the company for the better part of twenty years. Even if it can live up to most of the hype, this is going to be a good night.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 6, 2022
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Bound For Glory, which is tomorrow for whatever reason they have come up with this time. That is one of those things that is always a little weird and I can’t quite get into the idea here either. The good thing is that the card is already set so we should be in for the hard sell this time around. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Antonio Inoki.

Opening recap.

Kenny King vs. Frankie Kazarian

They fight over a lockup to start and go long enough that it has to be broken up in the corner. Some armdrags take King down but it’s way too early for the chickenwing, meaning Kazarian has to settle for a hammerlock. The Royal Flush is countered as well and Kazarian takes him down with a clotheslines. That just earns him a dropkick out to the floor, followed by the springboard spinning legdrop to give King two back inside.

The seated abdominal stretch goes on for all of three seconds before King gets caught in a backslide for two more. The strike off goes to Kazarian and a neckbreaker gets two, followed by his own springboard spinning legdrop for two of his own. King is back up with a toss into the corner and a bridging t-bone suplex for another near fall. A tiger driver gets two more but Kazarian pulls him into the chickenwing for the pin at 9:20.

Rating: C+. As expected, this is what you get when you take two talented stars and put them in the ring against each other with a bit of time. Both of them can work well with anyone and they did it again here, with Kazarian getting the momentum going into tomorrow’s title match. King doesn’t have anything going on at the moment so it isn’t like a loss is going to do anything to him.

Video on the history of the X-Division Title match, with a look at the numbers of both Mike Bailey and Frankie Kazarian’s title reigns over the years. That’s a nice twist on things.

Bound For Glory/tonight rundown.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards for the World Title.

Mike Bailey is ready for Frankie Kazarian. They’re pushing the heck out of this match and we’re not even thirty minutes into this show.

Mia Yim vs. Gisele Shaw

Mickie James is on commentary. Yim armdrags her down to start as James praises both of them. Shaw gets sent outside for a breather/some yelling at James, allowing Yim to grab a guillotine choke back inside. That’s broken up and Yim is sent outside, allowing Shaw to hit the big dive as we take a break.

Back with Yim striking away until an exchange of kicks to the head gives us a double knockdown. Yim is up first with a dropkick into the corner but Eat Defeat is countered with a whip into the corner. A backbreaker into a flatliner gets two on Yim, who is right back with Eat Defeat for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: C. This was a nice warmup match for Yim, who has a big one coming up with James at the pay per view. That’s all you need to do sometimes and I’m sure James will get to have a staredown or something after the match. They kept this one simple and it worked just fine for everyone involved.

Post match Mickie gets in the ring and stares Yim down.

Video on the Call Your Shot gauntlet.

Video on Killer Kelly…who is attacked by Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Raven jumps Jeff Jarrett on January 23, 2003.

Brian Myers walks through the back and mocks potential challengers for the Digital Media Title. Also, a guy in yellow runs by shouting I AM VIOLENCE.

Video on Masha Slamovich vs. Jordynne Grace.

Moose vs. Steve Maclin

Sami Callihan is guest referee and Moose is still very banged up from Barbed Wire Massacre. They slug it out to start with Maclin taking him to the mat and firing off right hands. Maclin chops away in the corner and Callihan doesn’t bother watching what is going on. Moose gets knocked outside for a suicide dive and somehow Maclin’s head is busted open. Both of them are down on the floor so Sami shouts ARE YOU OK.

Back in and Moose goes after the cut open head but stops to yell at Callihan, allowing Maclin to chop away. More wound ripping staggers Maclin though and a hot shot keeps him in trouble. A discus forearm rocks Moose though and Maclin puts him in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder and a VERY delayed two. Moose catches him on top with the chokebomb but this time Sami won’t even count. The spear connects for two but Callihan Cactus Driver 97s them both and puts Maclin on top for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. What are you supposed to say here? This was an angle somewhat disguised as a match and nothing more as Callihan was the focus of this thing. The three way feud has gone on longer than I thought they could make it work and it is still decent enough, but I’m not sure how you pay this off after you have already done a barbed wire match.

Three guys argue over who should get the last spot in Call Your Shot but they go to Scott D’Amore’s office….and Joe Hendry comes out, having gotten the final spot. Dancing ensues.

Swingerellas vs. Death Dollz

Johnny Swinger, Zicky Dice and Rosemary are all here and the Dollz are Taya Valkyrie/Jessicka. Brunhilde (yes Brunhilde) gets choked into the corner to start and it’s off to Riley (I think?) who gets caught a sliding German suplex from Taya. The Sickishi Driver finishes Riley at 1:32.

VXT isn’t worried about the Death Dollz.

Matt Taven vs. Alex Shelley

Mike Bennett, Maria Kanellis and Chris Sabin are here too. Taven takes him into the corner and unloads with right hands to start but the Climax is countered. The Border City Stretch is countered as well and Taven bails to the floor for an early breather. Back in and Bennett trips Shelley down so Sabin distracts Taven to keep things even.

That’s fine with Shelley, who kicks Taven in the back on the floor. Back in and Taven goes to the eyes, setting up a backbreaker as we take a break. We come back with Taven hitting another backbreaker for two and cranking on both arms. Taven misses a Lionsault as the fans are split with their cheering.

Shelley rolls him up and grabs the Border City Stretch but can’t keep it on. An elbow drops Shelley but he Downward Spirals Taven into the middle buckle. A Maria distraction lets Taven go up but Aurora Borealis hits knees. Since that isn’t enough cheating, Bennett offers a distraction so Just The Tip can give Taven two. Back up and Shell Shock gives Shelley the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C+. They had too much interference for this to really take off but they gave Shelley the pin to set up the title match on Friday. Taven continues to be underrated in the ring and Shelley is still one of the best hands in all of Impact. It’s also nice to have one match between the tag wrestlers instead of doing it over and over so I’ll take what I can get here.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Josh Alexander is ready for Eddie Edwards….who pops up after the interview for the face to face showdown. With Alexander gone, Alisha Edwards come in to say this isn’t Eddie and either Honor No More is done or they are.

It’s time for the contract signing between Masha Slamovich and Jordynne Grace with Scott D’Amore as emcee. Scott talks about how great both of them are and Masha signs without saying a word. Grace respects her and how she got here, but Grace isn’t ready to give up the title. We hear about Grace’s accomplishments but she knows Masha hasn’t had the chance to learn from losing. That is a lesson to be learned and Grace is teaching it to her tomorrow night. Masha says something in Russian, which is translated to “Masha’s gonna kill you”. The brawl is on and the Snowplow sends Grace through the table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They had something of a strategy here as there was almost nothing to do to get ready for Bound For Glory so they didn’t go too far with anything. This show was about holding everything together until the pay per view and there were enough good matches to make the show enjoyable. Nothing great, but Friday is all that matters this week.

Results
Frankie Kazarian b. Kenny King – Chickenwing
Mia Yim b. Gisele Shaw – Eat Defeat
Steve Maclin b. Moose – Cactus Driver 97 from Sami Callihan
Death Dollz b. Swingerellas – Sickishi Driver to Riley
Alex Shelley b. Matt Taven – Shell Shock

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

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Mystery Vortex III
Date: June 26, 2015
Location: American Legion Post #308, Reseda, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Rick Knox, Chris Hero, Joey Ryan, Ethan Page

This is another PWG show that someone requested I do….a few years back now, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a bad one. From what I understand, the gimmick of this show is that the card isn’t announced until the wrestlers are coming out of the curtain. That should make for a fun match so let’s get to it.

As usual, I don’t really follow PWG so I’m sorry for not knowing any plot or character details coming in.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano

Yeah this works, though a clean faced Ciampa is a bizarre visual. Feeling out process to start with Gargano working on the wrist until Ciampa makes the rope. Back up and Ciampa tries a quick Air Raid Crash but Gargano slips out, setting up an exchange into a standoff. Fans: “THAT WAS WRESTLING!” Some chops rock Gargano but he’s right back with the rolling kick to the head.

A neckbreaker puts Ciampa on the floor and Gargano follows him for some left hands to the head. With Ciampa sitting in a chair, Gargano hits a big (but not running) chop to pop his eyes a bit. It works so well that Gargano loads it up again but gets hit in the face this time. One heck of a running knee rocks Gargano so Ciampa tries it again, only to get tornado DDTed into…well pretty much into a fan.

Back in and Ciampa hits a hanging Downward Spiral and they both need a breather. A battle over a suplex goes to Gargano (after about five blocks each) but Ciampa knees him right back down again. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Gargano is back with a running basement cutter. The Lawn Dart sets up the Gargano Escape which Ciampa, uh, escapes.

They trade some thigh slapping shots to the face until Ciampa blasts him down with a clothesline for a double knockdown. Ciampa goes up but gets caught as well, setting up another Lawn Dart. That’s enough to send them to the apron, and since this is a modern wrestling match, we need a big spot on that apron. In this case it’s an Air Raid Crash from Ciampa but Gargano is out again.

A super Air Raid Crash is reversed into a super Liger Bomb for the crash (non-Air Raid variety), sending Ciampa outside. The suicide dive sends them into the chairs and they’re right back up and inside. The slingshot spear is kneed out of the air though and it’s Project Ciampa for a VERY close two. Back up again and they chop it out until Gargano pulls him into an STF. Ciampa slips out and lifts Gargano up for a suplex but drops him onto the knee for a nasty landing. Project Ciampa is enough to finish Gargano at 18:37.

Rating: A-. This is the kind of match that you expect from PWG, as they threw two people out there for the better part of twenty minutes and let them tear the house down. These two have always had some great chemistry together and this was no exception. It’s a hidden gem compared to their NXT classics and I had a blast with the whole thing.

World’s Cutest Tag Team vs. Monster Mafia

That would be Joey Ryan/Candice LeRae vs. Josh Alexander/Ethan Page. The Mafia jumps Ryan before the bell but miss a charge at LeRae in the corner. A DDT drops Alexander and Candice ties her hair back, allowing her to slam Page. Back in and Ryan throws LeRae on his shoulders to swing her feet at people’s face. It only kind of works on Page, who is right back to run Ryan over as we get down to a regular tag match.

Alexander grabs a butterfly suplex into a headscissors and it’s Page coming in for a headbutt. Hold on though as Page pauses to tease stripping, allowing Ryan to come back with a right hand. You do not break up Page’s dancing though and it’s a tilt-a-whirl faceplant for two. Alexander is back in with a chinlock but Ryan fights up and avoids a charge. The tag brings in LeRae to clean house, including a double DDT for two on Alexander.

It’s back to Ryan who gets caught in a northern lights suplex, only to have LeRae come in off the top with a double stomp (which isn’t as low as commentary thinks it is). Ryan and Page trade kicks to the face until a suplex sends Page outside. LeRae comes back in with a good looking top rope hurricanrana. Page cuts off LeRae’s hurricanrana so Alexander hits his crossbody to the back dive.

Back in and a faceplant gets two on LeRae as commentary wants to know who is legal. The double superplex is broken up so Ryan hits a super swinging neckbreaker on Alexander, setting up LeRae’s top rope splash for two. The exchange of strikes to the face leaves Page standing but LeRae grabs a Stunner. Not that it stops Page as he shoves LeRae down and drops his trunks, earning a, quote, ballsplex, unquote, from LeRae. Alexander is back up and takes LeRae up, where she is right back with a super poisonrana for the surprise pin at 12:20.

Rating: B-. I’ve head a lot of good things about LeRae and Ryan together and yeah they do work well as a team. LeRae isn’t someone who has ever really broken out as an in-ring star but she can do some good things when she is given the chance. The Mafia would go on to much better success as the North in Impact, which took me a lot longer to remember than it should have. Fun match here, even if it is WEIRD to see Alexander as a pretty nothing tag guy. And with hair!

Post match Alexander seems a bit shaken up but gets a big ovation from the crowd. Apparently was his sendoff to go have neck surgery….and Page lays him out with a swinging Rock Bottom.

Biff Busick vs. Timothy Thatcher

This could be good and it’s Thatcher’s PWG debut. They fight over a lockup to start until Thatcher’s attempt at an ankle pick is thwarted. After a quick standoff, Thatcher takes him to the mat and cranks on an armbar but Busick reverses into a rather aggressive headlock. That’s reversed into a Kimura, sending Busick over to the rope. With the holds not quite working, Thatcher blasts him with an uppercut and grabs a chinlock.

There’s the required finger snap but Busick is back up with one heck of a slap and some uppercuts to make it worse. Thatcher isn’t having that and knocks him hard to the floor, but does stop to check his own ear after that slap. Busick has to try to get out of an armbar but Thatcher bends the arm at a VERY scary angle to keep him in trouble. The big stomp to the arm makes it even worse for Busick, who gets suplexed down again.

Back up and Busick grabs the half and half suplex, meaning it’s time to slug it out from their knees. The slugout continues from their feet until both of them are knocked down again. Busick fires himself up though and grabs a reverse headlock takeover into a bulldog choke for the tap at 11:36.

Rating: B. This is a good example of “what you see is what you get” as these two beat the living fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t keep going. These two are both known for their incredible intensity and that was on display here. Throw in some painful looking holds and people hurting each other and this was a lot of fun.

Here is PWG World Champion Roderick Strong to issue an open challenge. Well he was going to but he hates the fans so much that he isn’t going to wrestle. Cue Mike Bailey to answer the challenge but Strong isn’t interested. Eh we’ll do it anyway.

PWG World Title: Roderick Strong vs. Mike Bailey

Strong is defending and my goodness I can’t get away from Bailey lately. Bailey has a really farmer’s tan and isn’t exactly a big guy. The fans get on Bailey over said tan but him kicking Strong in the head for a fast two cuts that off fast. Bailey unloads with strikes against the ropes and Strong is needing a breather on the floor. That means Bailey can hit a corkscrew Asai moonsault, pulls out a bouquet of flowers (like a magician) and then kick Strong a few more times.

Strong is back with the jumping knee to the face and the End Of Heartache onto the apron (Commentary: “That is how you stop someone’s momentum!”) and Bailey is rocked fast. Some chops send Bailey around ringside before he is thrown back inside for a kick to the back of the head. A gutwrench suplex sets up a camel clutch to send Bailey over to the ropes and Strong isn’t pleased.

Bailey comes back with a knee of his own and a spinning kick to the face drops the champ. A buzzsaw kick to the head gets two on Strong but he’s back with a kick of his own out of the corner. The fans, who were insulted by Strong before the match, are split here as Bailey kicks away again. The standing Sliced Bread and another kick give Bailey two so he kicks Strong down some more.

Strong is able to catch him on top though and it’s a hard running knee in the corner. A torture rack into a backbreaker gives Strong two so he goes right to the Stronghold. Bailey makes the rope though and the champ is frustrated again. More kicks drop Strong so the moonsault knees can connect for two. Back up and the strike it out, setting up Bailey’s running corkscrew shooting star press for two.

Bailey gets caught with a jumping knee up top, meaning a top rope superplex with Strong floating over into a gutbuster. That’s reversed into a hurricanrana and the Ultimate Weapon gets a VERY hot near fall with Strong having to grab the rope. Another slugout lets Strong hit the Sick Kick but the End of Heartache is countered into a small package for a white hot near fall (which the crowd totally bought). Strong is done with this and knees him in the head, setting up End of Heartache into another End of Heartache to retain the title at 18:55.

Rating: A-. It took me some time to get into this one but the crowd reactions alone carried it over the line. Strong’s knees and forearms were loud enough to get your attention and that small package at the end was one of the best near falls I’ve seen in a long time. Bailey takes some getting used to but he was great as a one off challenger here. Great match with the crowd carrying it that extra stretch.

Brian Cage vs. John Silver

Cage has taped up ribs coming in. We get the natural pose down to start before Silver wants a test of strength. That’s fine with Cage, who holds his hand too high, causing Silver to pull it down before locking hands. Silver actually takes over and lifts Cage into the air before flipping him down. After a bit of a celebration, Cage runs him over with a shoulder and snaps off a headscissors.

What looks to be a fall away slam, with curls, doesn’t work as Silver sticks the landing and then fall away slams, with curls, Cage for an impressive feat. Back up and Cage sends him outside for the running flip dive, which doesn’t look quite as impressive on someone Silver’s size. The kind of clothesline you would expect Cage to throw for a near fall gives Cage a near fall and something like a Boss Man Slam gets the same.

Somehow the Drill Claw is countered into a Jackhammer to give Silver two and the fans are right back into things. A powerslam gives Silver two but Cage is back with a spinebuster to cut him off fast. Cage’s tornado DDT is blocked and Silver hits a northern lights suplex for another near fall.

Back up and a hanging neckbreaker out of the corner gives Cage two more but Silver strikes away and hits the Spin Doctor. The F5 plants Silver hard and Cage grabs a Texas Cloverleaf but doesn’t step over, allowing Silver to small package him for two. A Diamond Cutter and crucifix bomb gives Cage two more before a discus lariat finishes Silver at 14:00.

Rating: B. This was a fun showdown as Cage did his usual stuff and Silver was there to have all kinds of fun with his wild charisma. Silver is six inches in height away from being a major star but unfortunately this is about as far as he is going to get. Cage is still someone who looks like he should be a major star but just isn’t for a variety of reasons.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chris Hero

They shake hands to start and tentatively go into the grappling for a standoff. Hero gets him down by the leg and twists away a bit but Sabre bridges out of a crucifix. That’s broken up and Sabre starts twisting the wrist, setting up some rather nasty cranking (Page: “That’s some Exorcist s***!” Hero flips out and drops a backsplash but Sabre is fine enough to pull him right back into more arm cranking.

With the grappling not working, Hero kicks him in the face but Sabre uses his feet to snap hero’s arm. Back up and Hero uses the good arm to send him face first into the buckle, only to get caught with some running shots to the face. Sabre tries a German suplex but only gets laughed at by Hero for thinking he can lift him up. With that being a miserable failure, Sabre goes back to the arm and hits the big stomp on Hero’s now bleeding fingers.

Hero is fine enough to backdrop Sabre outside and through some chairs, meaning Sabre can get a breather on the floor. Back in and Hero blasts him with the good elbow to put him on the floor again. Back in again and a dropkick Sabre’s arm even things up a bit and they’re outside for the third time in less than two minutes. This time Sabre grabs an octopus but Hero gets smart by climbing back inside for the break. Sabre fires off uppercuts but gets cut off with one heck of a right hand.

A staggered Sabre comes right back with a hard running kick to the chest but Hero kicks Sabre out of the air for two. Hero still can’t follow up so Sabre pulls him into a Kimura, which is reversed into a suplex neckbreaker for another near fall. Hero, looking like an inflated Adam Cole, gets pulled into a cross armbreaker, only to roll over to the ropes for a last second break.

Another kick to the arm has Hero clutching the ropes for mercy but he’s able to grab a hard belly to back suplex for the double knockdown. Back up and Hero loads up some kind of a piledriver but gets reversed into another quickly broken armbar. Hero elbows the heck out of him for two more and then kicks him square in the head.

Sabre gets back up so Hero kicks him, followed by the rolling boot to the face for one. With nothing else working, Sabre Pele kicks the hand (cool) but Hero is right back with an attempt at a cradle piledriver. That’s countered into the Kimura and then a double arm crank with Sabre kicking him in the head for the knockout win at 24:01.

Rating: A-. This was hard hitting, violent, well told and exactly what I wanted to see from these two. The story here made perfect sense as you had Sabre who was going to go after a limb and do everything he could to tear it apart, while Hero went through every style he knew to try to fight Sabre off. I was cringing at some of the things that Sabre was doing to the arm and got way into the match so we’ll certainly call this a success.

Here are Tag Team Champions Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett to find out who they’re facing for the titles they won at Mystery Vortex II. The fans want the Young Bucks but instead Everett and Lee are going to face each other. The singles match starts but here are the Bucks, who were wrestling in Japan just the day before.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks vs. Trevor Lee/Andrew Everett

The Bucks are challenging and, after some insults from the floor, the champs dive onto them to start things off fast. The brawl starts on the floor but the Bucks are right back up with stereo moonsaults off the apron. They get inside with Matt hitting some running corner clotheslines but a duck allows Lee to bring Everett in. Everything breaks down and the Bucks clear the ring, setting up the required running flip dive. Fans: “THAT WAS TOO SWEET!”

The Bucks hit stereo powerbombs on the apron, drawing a FIGHT OWENS FIGHT chant. Back in and a slingshot splash/fist drop hit Everett again as this is rapidly becoming one sided. Matt has way too much fun telling people to suck it before grabbing the chinlock with an expected result. Lee raises his knees to block a moonsault though and the hot tag brings in Everett for a high crossbody to both Bucks. Matt’s slingshot X Factor is countered into an atomic drop and Lee drops both Bucks again.

Everett teases a moonsault to the floor but it’s Lee hitting one instead. That’s not good enough though as Everett hits moonsault knees to drop Matt again and the fans certainly approve. Since Nick Jackson doesn’t sell very long though, he’s right back up to take down both champions without much effort. Everett’s shooting star press hits raised knees and the Bucks hit an enziguri/cannonball in the corner combination. The hanging Swanton gets two on Everett but Nick’s running kick hits post by mistake, allowing Lee to cutter him on the apron.

The double tag brings in Lee and Matt to slug it out until Lee’s flipping powerslam connects. Not that it matters as the Bucks are up with double superkicks, followed by a low superkick to break up Everett’s standing moonsault. Lee gets superkicked out of the air as well and a package piledriver/superkick combination gets two, with Everett shoving Nick into the pin for the save.

The champs fight up again with a Cave In and standing hurricanrana, setting up Everett’s 630 for two on Matt. The referee gets dropped so Matt can kick Everett low. Cue Roderick Strong to Sick Kick Lee silly, setting up the Meltzer Driver (with commentary saying “Nick doesn’t give a s***” about the bad ankle) for the pin and the titles at 14:12.

Rating: B. This is the kind of tag match that you would expect here, but there was never a time where it felt like Lee and Everett had a chance to retain the titles. Granted it’s a Young Bucks match so you had to know it was coming, as annoying as it might be. This was around the time when the Bucks were the biggest team in the indies and there was no way they weren’t getting these titles from the second they were revealed as the “surprise” partners.

Post match Joey Ryan and Candice LeRae go after Strong but get superkicked down. Johnny Gargano runs in and gets superkicked down. Strong and the Bucks hug to quite the negative reaction. Referee Rick Knox comes in to chair the Bucks down but Strong takes him out and gets another chair.

The lights go out and come back up to reveal company founder Super Dragon…..and Psycho Drivers Knox through the open chairs instead. LeRae gets Psycho Drivered too so Excalibur goes after Super Dragon and is laid out. The Bucks add some superkicks and the beating continues with more Psycho Drivers as we have Mount Rushmore (former heel stable) 2.0. The fans of course love this even as Biff Busick comes in to stare down Super Dragon.

Commentary bills it as a showdown of tough guys, so of course the Bucks drop Busick with superkicks. Chuck Taylor is beaten down as well, which is finally enough carnage to let the new team unveil their shirts. Oh and Dragon small packages Lee for a three count and a bell (I’m sure that means something). Strong officially christens the new team to end the show (which cuts off after Rushmo).

Overall Rating: A. This was the PWG show I have been waiting on as they tore the house down with nothing close to a bad match on the nearly two and a half hour show. They didn’t bother trying to do anything more than an all-star style show with some variety and I had a blast with this. Great show, well worth seeing, and the kind of show that would make me want to see a lot more from this company.

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 29, 2022
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are done with Victory Road and that means we are only a little over a week away from Bound For Glory. I’m still not sure why Victory Road was such a necessary show before the biggest night of the year but at least it wasn’t an eventful night, meaning Bound For Glory got even more build. Hopefully that can continue tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Bullet Club vs. Trey Miguel/Laredo Kid

It’s Ace Austin/Chris Bey for the Club, with Juice Robinson in their corner. Austin and Kid start things off with an exchange of wristlocks but hold on as Austin needs to hold up Too Sweet. A quick high crossbody gives Kid an early two so it’s Bey offering a distraction so Austin can take over on the arm. Bey comes in with a backbreaker as we hear about his album coming out around Halloween.

Kid slips away and hands it off to Miguel to fire off kicks at Bey. A northern lights suplex gives Miguel two but Bey is back with a reverse DDT/Downward Spiral combination to drop both of them at once. Austin comes back in and catches Kid with a springboard spinning kick to the face. Miguel pops up for a springboard sunset bomb for two on Austin. Back up and Austin shoves Bey at Miguel for the Art of Finesse, setting up the Fold for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: B. More of the X-Division goodness to open the show and yes, it still works. I can go for more of Austin and Bey as the two of them are very good on their own or as a team. Miguel and Kid are both guys who can do anything with anyone so this was always going to be entertaining while it lasted.

We look back at Bhupinder Gujjar losing the ladder match to Brian Myers last week.

Gujjar says he can’t wrestle this week due to a broken nose, but he’ll be ready for the Call Your Shot gauntlet match at Bound For Glory.

Frankie Kazarian is ready to win the X-Division Title at Bound For Glory. He wants to prove that he still has it.

Someone in a yellow hoodie tries to jump the barricade behind commentary but isn’t named. He looked like he was making a V sign with his fingers so…..Violent By Design maybe?

Bound For Glory/tonight rundown.

Digital Media Title: Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve, with Black Taurus, is challenging. They fight over wrist control to start until Steve goes after Myers’ face. A bite to the face is blocked with a throat snap across the top though and we take a break. Back with Steve hitting a Cannonball in the corner for two but getting caught with the implant DDT for two. Steve comes back with the Upside Down in the corner, which lasts about as long as it can. Myers distracts the referee though, allowing him to poke Steve in the eye. The Roster Cut retains the title at 3:54.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a way for Myers to cheat and retain the title and that is all it needed to be. Myers already won the big ladder match last week so this was a step down for him. The title works well enough for a lower card championship, even if the digital media stuff has already been heavily toned down.

Post match Myers says he has turned the title into the most prestigious title around here. Now he wants better competition so it’s open challenge time at Bound For Glory. That could be a fun reveal.

Johnny Swinger’s ex-fiance shows up and yells at him, despite now being married to John E. Bravo (from Wrestle House 2 apparently). Arguing ensues, with Taya Valkyrie wandering in to wonder what is going on here. Fair question.

The family from the recent Joe Hendry videos are at the reading of their father’s will and want a name said. Cue Joe Hendry, who everyone still believes in.

Rosemary begrudgingly asks James Mitchell for help with the Jessicka issue because she wants the Tag Team Titles back. Taya Valkyrie and Jessicka come in to say they can do it, so Rosemary eventually gives in.

Delirious vs. Black Taurus

Delirious’ dropkicks have no effect so he rams Taurus mark first into the buckles. That doesn’t work either as Taurus steps on Delirious’ bare feet but Delirious starts running the ropes in an odd pattern. Delirious manages to take the leg out and hit a slam, setting up a series of ten legdrops to send Taurus outside. Back up and Taurus hits a pop up Samoan drop and a headbutt. The spinning piledriver gives Taurus the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C-. This was as much as you were going to get out of Delirious vs. Black Taurus in a five minute TV match, meaning it was working with a low ceiling. Taurus getting some momentum is a nice thing to see, even if it is weird to see delirious anywhere but Ring Of Honor. Fine enough match, but what were they expecting to get out of this?

Bobby Fish is here and wants Josh Alexander so he’ll win the Call Your Shot gauntlet in his hometown of Albany.

Mia Yim is ready for Mickie James at Bound For Glory. They fought in one of Yim’s first matches and yes, we have a clip of Mickie beating her probably fifteen or so years ago. Gisele Shaw comes up to mock the idea of Mia beating Mickie so a match is made for next week.

Here is Honor No More for a chat, with the fans being way behind PCO. Eddie Edwards is happy with Victory Road because he showed he can beat Josh Alexander. There were some setbacks on the night though and yes, he is looking at PCO again. PCO lost to the Motor City Machine Guns and he likes to step up too much, so who does he think he is? Vincent puts a bag over PCO’s head to calm him down as Matt Taven takes the mic.

Taven rants about how Impact has tried to hold the team down but now the are Tag Team Champions. At Bound For Glory, Honor No More will leave with the World and Tag Team Titles, with everyone talking about how great Eddie is for pinning Alexander at Victory Road. Maria gives us a video looking at Eddie pinning Alexander over and over, leaving Eddie to rant about how everyone turned on him.

Cue Alexander to say he sees this as any fight he has ever had. He views the title as something that proves he’s the best while Eddie sees it as job security. At Bound For Glory, the only one outnumbered is Edwards. Alexander comes to the ring for the fight, with Heath, Rich Swann and the Motor City Machine Guns coming in to help clear out Honor No More.

Heath/Rich Swann vs. PCO/Vincent

Joined in progress with PCO coming in to make Swann roll around a bit. PCO powers him down though and drops a leg to the back of the head, allowing the tag to Vincent. A basement Downward Spiral gets two but Swann is back up with an enziguri. The tag brings in Heath to clean house with a powerslam getting two on Vincent. Heath sends Vincent into PCO and Swann gets in a cheap shot from the apron so an implant DDT gets two on Vincent. With PCO knocked outside, Swann hits a 450 to finish Vincent at 4:34.

Rating: C. They kept this one quick and that is the right way to go. Vincent is about as low on the Honor No More totem pole as you can get so having a former World Champion pin him is hardly the end of his momentum. It wasn’t much of a match but they continue to make Heath look like a big deal, which is rather impressive given how much of a comedy guy he has been for years.

Moose isn’t happy with Steve Maclin, who comes in for the brawl.

Scott D’Amore tells Sami Callihan that he can’t get in the ring because of a broken orbital bone, so D’Amore lets Sami referee Moose vs. Maclin next week.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Masha Slamovich vs. Allie Katch

Monster’s Ball and they’re still doing the “locked up for 24 hours deal”. They slug it out to start and an early double clothesline takes both of them down. A duel of the trashcan lids goes to Katch as she cracks Slamovich over the head. Slamovich is right back with a German suplex and it’s time to whip Katch with a chain.

We mix things up a bit with Slamovich putting the side of a street sign in Katch’s mouth before going with the more classic double arm crank. A cowbell is pulled out of the trashcan but since that takes some time, Katch cracks her with a trashcan lid to take over. Slamovich shrugs it off and hits an Air Raid Crash into the corner as we take a break. Back with Slamovich driving a chain into Katt’s (very busted open) mouth in the corner before grabbing a chair.

A reverse DDT drops Slamovich and now she is busted open as well. Slamovich is fine enough to kick her in the head and Death Valley Driver Katch into the chair for two. Katch is back up with a trashcan shot to the head to catch Slamovich on top and a Death Valley Driver sends her through the door (yeah a door) in the corner for two.

They fight to the apron and Slamovich Russian legsweeps her through a table to leave them both down. With Slamovich up first, it’s time for the thumbtacks (dang it) but Katch piledrives her onto them for two more. A trashcan full of broken cans is poured out and it’s a Snowplow to drive Katch into the junk on the mat for the pin at 18:44.

Rating: B. These two were having one heck of a fight and I was getting drawn into it, but then the thumbtacks killed off a lot of the interest. It’s still such a stupid spot and something that we’ve seen so many times before. Throw in a piledriver onto the tacks getting two and there was only so much I could get out of the second half of this. Great first half but it fell down pretty hard in the end.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird show with a good opener, a good main event, and almost nothing good in the middle. The idea of having Bound For Glory in eight days is more than a bit much and it’s a very rushed feeling, but at least the card is set. It should be a good major event, but the TV is a bit rough to put it mildly. At least we got two strong matches here though and that’s enough for two hours.

Results
Bullet Club b. Laredo Kid/Trey Miguel – Fold to Miguel
Brian Myers b. Crazzy Steve – Roster Cut
Black Taurus b. Delirious – Spinning piledriver
Rich Swann/Heath b. Vincent/PCO – 450 to Vincent
Masha Slamovich b. Allie Katch – Snowplow onto cans and thumbtacks

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 22, 2022
Location: The Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the go home show for Victory Road, which means we are about a month away from Bound For Glory. Victory Road is being treated as a pretty big deal so it would make sense to have a good go home show. This week does feature a pretty big showdown with Aussie Open vs. the Motor City Machine Guns. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Digital Media Title: Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Brian Myers

Myers is defending in a ladder match. Gujjar slugs away to start and hits a jumping knee to the face. A Samoan drop looks to set up the Gargoyle spear but Myers knees him out of the way. The first ladder is brought in but Gujjar dropkicks it into his face. Myers knocks him outside though and goes up for the title, only to be pulled down into a cutter.

Now the Gargoyle spear can send Myers into the ladder but the climb takes too long, as usual. The ladder is knocked into Gujjar and it’s time to bring in another ladder. Gujjar breaks that up and the other ladder is set up next to the first. They both climb with Myers being knocked off, only to come back up with a belly to back off the ladders.

That’s good for a crash out to the floor, where Myers bridges a ladder onto the steps. A powerbomb drops Gujjar onto the ladder but he’s still able to make the save back inside. Myers low blows Gujjar on the ladder though and then gets creative by duct taping Gujjar to the ladder. That’s enough for Myers to go up and retain at 12:20.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty run of the mill ladder match, albeit one with a creative ending. Gujjar continues to look good enough out there, but there is still something missing that is keeping him from breaking through to that next level. I’m not sure if this feud warranted a ladder match, but at least they had a decent one.

Heath comes up to Josh Alexander and Rich Swann to apologize for messing up last week. They have a six man tag at Victory Road, but Heath has an open challenge street fight against any member of Honor No More tonight. Swann offers help but Heath has to do this himself.

Victory Road rundown.

We look at Steve Maclin invading a Wrestling Revolver show to try to get to Sami Callihan.

Jordynne Grace vs. Zicky Dice

Johnny Swinger is here with Dice, whose boot to the ribs is quickly caught. Grace slaps him in the face a few times and the Grace Driver finishes Dice in 43 seconds.

Video on Max the Impaler, who is facing Grace tomorrow night as per Masha Slamovich’s choice.

Black Taurus vs. Mia Yim vs. Laredo Kid vs. Alex Zayne vs. Trey Miguel

One fall to a finish. The fans are behind Yim, who stands back as the four guys get into separate brawls. We settle down to Miguel trying to cover Zayne for some near falls but Yim middle rope dropkicks both of them down. Taurus comes back in to headbutt the heck out of Yim so Kid comes in with a very spinning headscissors to put Taurus down on the floor. There’s the big dive into a hurricanrana, followed by stereo dives from Zayne and Miguel.

Yim hits one of her own and is the only one left standing on the floor. We take a break and come back with Miguel sending Kid into Zayne in the corner. Taurus lifts Kid up for a double hurricanrana to Zayne and Miguel before a series of strikes puts everyone down. Back up and Yim powerbombs Zayne and Protect Yo Neck gives her two. Taurus gets up to clean house and the over the shoulder piledriver finishes Kid at 11:45.

Rating: C+. This is where the X-Division tends to shine: taking a bunch of people and letting them go nuts for a little while. The match doesn’t mean much for the #1 contenders match at Victory Road because the bigger names are involved in that one, but this was a nice way to fill in some time and do a bunch of high spots.

Eric Young tells the new Violent By Design to prove themselves to him. They chant answers in unison and he beats them all up.

A couple is arguing when the wife says that their kid isn’t his. The dad wants the name said, and cue Joe Hendry for the music video. This is still funnier than it should be.

Here is Heath for an open challenge to a street fight with any member of Honor No More.

Heath vs. PCO

Street fight. Well hang on a second though as Eddie Edwards comes out and doesn’t want PCO to do this. Not that it matters as Heath talks PCO into it anyway. Heath dives onto PCO, who pops up and hammers away, much to Vincent’s (at ringside too) delight. PCO gets backdropped onto the ramp and they fight on the floor up to the stage.

A cart full of chairs is shoved around until PCO throws them onto a bunch of already set up chairs. That takes too long though and Heath DDTs him on the stage. A big toss off the stage sends PCO into the chairs so here is Honor No More to surround Heath. Rich Swann and Josh Alexander come in for the save and the fight is on.

With everyone else down, Vincent chairs Heath down but Heath pops back up for a Wake Up Call. PCO gets up, with a bunch of chairs hanging off of him, and wins a slugout inside. The chairs are piled up and PCO Mandible Claws him down, only to miss the Swanton onto said chairs. Heath hits a Wake Up call onto the chairs for the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C. This was half match and half angle advancement but giving PCO a big win was a good idea. Heath isn’t exactly a top star but he is starting to get somewhere with the serious stuff. He’s still a bit goofy, though he is starting to figure things out and that is more than I would have bet on. PCO seems likely to split off from the team at some point though and having him get a nice face run could be interesting.

Aussie Open vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot at Bound For Glory. Shelley and Fletcher start things off with the bigger Fletcher shouldering him down. That earns him a crank on the arm and it’s off to Sabin for a knee drop. The even bigger Davis comes in to power Sabin into the corner but some kicks break that up without much trouble.

The Guns clear the ring and some kicks to Fletcher leave him down on the floor. Back in and the Aussies drive them together for a crash as we take a break. We come back with Fletcher hitting a delayed vertical suplex for two on Shelley. The beating doesn’t last long as it’s off to Sabin to clean house.

A missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Fletcher as everything breaks down. The Aussies plant Sabin for two as Shelley makes the save, only to be sent outside. The assisted Iconoclasm gets two on Sabin but Coriolis is broken up. Shelley is back in and Skull And Bones finishes Davis at 14:21.

Rating: B-. This was a fast paced tag match between two talented teams so of course it wound up working out. The Guns can do well against anyone and Aussie Open are a good, young team. While seeing the Aussies get a chance at Bound For Glory would have been nice but the Guns are the team with the legacy around here and make for a bigger match.

Tasha Steelz aren’t having anything of Killer Kelly, who is sitting in Steelz’s locker room. Steelz isn’t sure what to think about that.

Gisele Shaw is ready to beat Mickie James and end her career.

Victory Road rundown.

And now, a contract signing, with Scott D’Amore emceeing. D’Amore brings out the three participants in Barbed Wire Massacre, with Moose, Steve Maclin and Sami Callihan…the latter of whom doesn’t show up. That’s cool with Moose, who compares Maclin’s time in the military with what is coming for him tomorrow night.

Maclin talks about how Moose has no idea what he is talking about and has never seen the things Maclin has seen. Tomorrow will be mayhem for all but here is Callihan to interrupt. Sami mocks both of them and has a seat, saying that the two of them made a grave mistake by crossing him.

Maclin wants Sami to sign….so Sami busts out a barbed wire pen. That takes too long so Maclin jabs Sami in the head with the other pen and it’s time to turn over some furniture. Sami gets tied in the Tree of Woe but Moose spears Maclin down. Another spear only hits table though, allowing Sami to sign in his own blood to end the show. This was every violent contract signing you would have expected.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty nice show this week, even if having another big event just a few weeks before Bound For Glory still feels off. I could go for having a focus on the major show but thankfully we can get to that next week. This show didn’t have a ton of big stuff but they did the minor stuff well enough and that’s good for a week.

Results
Brian Myers b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Myers pulled down the title
Jordynne Grace b. Zicky Dice – Grace Driver
Black Taurus b. Laredo Kid, Mia Yim, Trey Miguel and Alex Zayne – Over the shoulder piledriver to Kid
Heath b. PCO – Wake Up Call onto a pile of chairs
Motor City Machine Guns b. Aussie Open – Skull And Bones to Davis

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

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 15, 2022
Location: The Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re rapidly approaching Victory Road and then Bound For Glory, meaning some of the shows’ major matches have already been announced. With some of the bigger shows on the way, it would make sense to give them that much extra attention. There’s a good chance of getting some more added to the cards this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

X-Division Title: Mascara Dorada vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey is defending. They trade armdrags to start before both block one at the same time. An exchange of countered hurricanranas gives them a standoff and they chop it out until Bailey is knocked to the floor. The slingshot dive misses and Dorada wins a chop off outside. Back in and a heck of a suicide dive drops Bailey, setting up a missed top rope double stomp back inside.

Bailey pulls him into a kneebar but Dorada is in the ropes rather quickly. The running twisting shooting star gives Bailey two so Dorada sends him to the apron. That means the missed dive, allowing Bailey to hit the big springboard moonsault for the huge crash on the floor. Back in and Dorada catches him on top with an enziguri, setting up a jumping super hurricanrana for two. A Lionsault (minus the running) hits Bailey’s raised boots though and Bailey kicks away, setting up the Ultimate Weapon for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C+. This is Bailey 101 and it’s still working well. Bailey is going to do the same stuff every week and have a pretty good match, though when you’ve seen one or two of them, you’ve probably seen them all. Dorada was built up with a win last week and then puts Bailey over here. That’s a good enough way to go, but Bailey needs a big challenger soon or this is going to get stale.

Post match Bailey shows respect to Dorada. Cue Kenny King to jump both of them from behind and the beatdown is on.

We go back to Violent By Design (because of course we are) where Deaner beats up one of the nameless guys in yellow. Someone else names Young the Designer and he’s cool with that. Then they all say their name is Violence and Young seems pleased. This is a nightmare right? It has to be. There is no other reason for this stupid thing to continue so I’m convinced that I’m dreaming.

Scott D’Amore gives Mike Bailey a title defense against Delirious at Victory Road. At the same show, there are a bunch of people in a #1 contenders match, including Mia Yim and Frankie Kazarian. Bailey is happy.

Here’s what’s coming at various shows.

Decay vs. Moose/Steve Maclin

Decay knocks Maclin into the corner to start and Taurus gets to stomp away. Moose gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and comes in to demonstrate proper stomping technique. Maclin comes back in but gets rammed into Moose, allowing Taurus to grab a rollup pin at 1:51. Well they got me there.

Post match Sami Callihan pops up to promise violence at Victory Road. We also see a clip of Moose saying he was going to screw Maclin over before Maclin can do it to him. Maclin promises to hurt Callihan at Victory Road, but Callihan has a clip of Maclin promising to screw Moose over. Violence ensues until Callihan comes in to leave them both laying.

We look at some miscommunication costing Taya Valkyrie a match against Chelsea Green last week.

Rosemary and Jessicka argue over the loss, with Taya Valkyrie thinking it might have been Rosemary’s fault. Jessicka needs help though and Taya has an idea.

Alisha vs. Killer Kelly

Tasha Steelz is on commentary. Kelly drives her into the corner to start but Alisha punches her way out. That earns Alisha a choke on the ropes into a release fisherman’s suplex as Steelz brags about herself nonstop. A missed charge in the corner looks to let Alisha grab a Backpack Stunner but Kelly grabs the rope. Kelly pump kicks her, setting up the Killer Klutch for the tap at 2:14.

Post match Steelz grabs a chair but Kelly takes it away and stares at her.

Some people are sitting around a dying man in a hospital bed. The man tries to say something….and Joe Hendry bursts through the door, turning it into a Hendry music video. The man dies but no one seems to notice.

Tag Team Titles: Josh Alexander/Rich Swann vs. Honor No More

Honor No More is defending. Bennett gets knocked into the corner by Alexander to start and Swann comes in with a running legdrop. Back up and Swann gets taken into the wrong corner so Taven can come in, allowing him to knock Alexander off the apron like a true villain should.

A catapult into a kick to the face gives Bennett two and we hit the corner stomping. Swann fights out of the corner and dives between the legs though, allowing the hot tag to Alexander. House is cleaned, including the running crossbody to the back to knock Bennett outside. Swann dives onto both champs and it’s a spinning kick into a bridging German suplex for two on Bennett back inside.

The threat of an ankle lock sends Bennett over to Taven as everything breaks down. Just The Tip gets two on Alexander but he gets his knees up to block a Lionsault. Maria gets on the apron so Eddie Edwards can run in and kendo stick Alexander, only to have Heath come in with the Wake Up Call to Taven for the DQ at 6:58.

Rating: C+. The Heath issues with Alexander continue and I’m curious to see where that is going. They have built Heath up rather well but at some point he needs to actually win something. The match was pretty good at least, which shouldn’t be surprising given who was involved, though the Heath part is what matters.

Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice bring a Serious Pizza to Jordynne Grace but accidentally suggest that Masha Slamovich is going to destroy her. This earns Dice a match with her next week.

Heath tries to apologize to Josh Alexander and Rich Swann but Scott D’Amore comes in and seems to make a six man tag. Maybe?

Mickie James vs. Hyan

James gets rolled up for a fast two to start and a Wasteland into a legdrop gets the same. Mickie slips out of a suplex though and strikes away, including the flapjack into the top rope Thesz press. The MickDT finishes at 2:36.

Post match Gisele Shaw comes in to steal the spotlight, plus challenge her to Victory Road. Sure.

Vincent recharges PCO again.

Brian Myers talks about how he and Bhupinder Gujjar have a lot of similarities but he’s ready to climb the ladder next week.

Here’s what’s coming up on various shows.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Good Brothers

Shelley and Anderson start things off as the fans seem more into the Brothers. With nothing going on, Gallows and Sabin come in with Sabin getting a boot up in the corner. The middle rope dropkick staggers Gallows and the Guns start the double teaming. Gallows finally kicks Shelley in the face and it’s Anderson coming in to hammer away.

The big elbows set up Gallows’ chinlock for as long as you would expect a chinlock to last. Back up and Sabin avoids a charge in the corner, setting up the hot tag to Shelley. Everything breaks down and the Guns hit stereo baseball slides as we take a break. We come back with Anderson getting taken down with a dragon screw legwhip and then Shelley doing it again in the corner.

The Figure Four stays on the leg but Anderson grabs the rope for the break. Sabin goes old school with an Indian Deathlock so Anderson rakes the eyes to break it up again. Shelley grabs a front facelock but gets caught in a spinebuster to give Anderson a breather. Gallows comes in and gets to kick away, including a pumphandle powerslam.

Everything breaks down and Gallows is sent outside for some kicks to the face. A missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Anderson but Gallows is back in for the belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination for two on Sabin. Shelley is back in for the Dream Sequence and the Skull and Bones finishes Anderson at 18:10.

Rating: B. It was a good match and felt like something of a dream showdown, which it more or less is given how successful both of them have been. At the same time, this feels like a match that was designed to write off the Good Brothers, who lost clean after losing their titles. That might be the best thing too, as there is nothing left for the team to do. As for the match, they pretty much tore it up, which is what happens when two good teams get to put in the time.

Too Sweets are exchanged to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Solid show this week with the main event carrying things, as it tends to do. Other than that, they kept things moving with shorter matches that didn’t drag things down too much. What matters here is getting things ready for Victory Road so we can move on to Bound For Glory, even if it is more than a little strange to have them back to back. Good show here, and now we get to move on to the bigger stuff.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Mascara Dorada – Ultimate Weapon
Decay b. Moose/Steve Maclin – Rollup to Maclin
Killer Kelly b. Alisha – Killer Klutch
Honor No More b. Josh Alexander/Rich Swann via DQ when Heath interfered
Mickie James b. Hyan – MickDT
Motor City Machine Guns b. Good Brothers – Skull and Bones to Anderson

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 8, 2022
Location: The Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re still on the way to Victory Road and that means we should get some stuff being built up this week. That could go in a few different ways but we do at least have the main event set. In other words, it is probably time for Josh Alexander to keep dealing with Honor No More, who will be terrorized by Heath even more. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Ace Austin/Chris Bey vs. Aussie Open

Aussie Open is getting around as of late. The Aussies jump them to start and Bey is kicked out to the floor without much effort. Austin is right there for the save, including a handstand on the apron. Bey is back up with the big running flip dive but the Aussies catch them inside with a double spinebuster ram into each other. We settle down to Fletcher slamming Austin and running him over with a shoulder.

Back up and Austin avoids a charge in the corner, allowing the rolling tag off to Bey. A standing Sliced Bread drops Fletcher and everything breaks down, with Austin hitting the big running flip dive to Davis on the floor. That leaves Bey to frog splash Fletcher for two but Davis is back in to send Austin outside. Some forearms to the head rock Bey, setting up the Coriolis (kind of a double Death Valley Driver) for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C+. Good start to the show here and a nice way to establish Aussie Open as big deals. The Bullet Club still means something and it is a good idea to have the Aussies beat them clean. Aussie Open already has exposure coming off of AEW so push them for a bit, especially if they won’t be around that long.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at Victory Road.

Honor No More is ready to keep winning, with Kenny King wanting the X-Division Title. Eddie Edwards is going to crush Heath once and for all.

The Good Brothers want their Tag Team Titles back but the Motor City Machine Guns come in to say they want the dream match. Let’s do it at Bound For Glory. Or we’ll make it next week.

Mickie James vs. Raychell Rose

Mickie grabs a headlock and armbar to start but gets taken into the corner for a knee to the ribs. Back up and Mickie kicks her away and hits the top rope Thesz press for two. The MickDT finishes Rose at 3:15.

Rating: C-. Just a step above a squash here as Mickie begins her climb up through the ranks one more time. That is something that has some potential and now I’m wondering who else she is going to get to face on the way there. Nothing match of course, but it’s the start of a long story.

Kenny King breaks up a chat between Scott D’Amore and Mia Yim because he wants another X-Division Title shot. D’Amore says not so fast but he’ll have an idea next week. King is also getting a warmup match and it’s next.

Steve Maclin insists that there is no alliance with Moose and he’ll prove it.

Kenny King vs. Yuya Uemura

King takes him down without much trouble and Uemura’s shoulders have no effect. Uemura gets taken down by the head but slips up and drops an elbow for two. Back up and King pulls him off the top for a nasty crash though and we take a break. We come back with Uemura fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a dropkick. A Saito suplex gives Uemura two but King is back up with a spinebuster for the same. They head outside with Uemura being sent into the steps but Mia Yim comes out to yell at King. A kick to the head rocks King, allowing Uemura to get up top for a high crossbody and the pin at 12:30.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Uemura a win to start his time around here and if it builds up Yim in whatever she’s doing is a nice bonus. I’m not entirely sure where this is going but it is a good thing to have Uemura getting established. He is a guy with some buzz at the moment so let him see what he can do with a nice win to start.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Bobby Roode b. Sting at Victory Road 2012.

Sami Callihan is ready for barbed wire at Victory Road.

Doering finds Eric Young and says he still believes in violence. Then a bunch of people in yellow hoodies come up behind Doering and shout VIOLENCE over and over. WHY IS THIS STUPID THING GETTING BOOSTED UP AGAIN???

Taya Valkyrie vs. Chelsea Green

Rosemary, Jessicka and Deonna Purrazzo are all here too. Taya kicks her in the face to start and hits a running crossbody for two. Believe it or not, Taya talks trash but Green sends her outside. A running shot cuts Taya down though and Green chokes away back inside. Taya is back up with some strikes to the face, including a hard knee. Green kicks her in the head but Taya is pulls her down to go after the leg. That means a quick distraction so Purrazzo can trip Taya, setting up the Unprettier to finish for Green at 6:30.

Rating: C. This continues the issues between Rosemary/Jessicka/Taya, as the former two were nowhere to be seen when Taya was in trouble. The match wasn’t much to see but Green getting the boost is a good sign. She hasn’t quite been able to maintain momentum so seeing it keep moving forward for another week is a good thing.

Jordynne Grace isn’t intimidated by Masha Slamovich. She goes into her locker room and finds MASHA’S GONNA KILL YOU painted on a wall.

Vincent talks about resurrecting PCO and how their voices are in unison. They are together in Honor No More.

Digital Media Title: Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Brian Myers

Myers is defending and gets taken down for some forearms to the face to start. A basement superkick gives Gujjar two but it’s too early for the Gargoyle spear. Myers manages a quick posting and we take a break. Back with Gujjar hitting something like a Sling Blade and a Samoan drop gets two. Myers manages an enziguri and hits the implant DDT for two before going to grab the title. That doesn’t work as Gujjar takes it away and belts Myers for the DQ at 8:31.

Rating: C. And so it continues. The Digital Media Title sounded like something that could have been a fun idea, or at least a nice change of pace, but it is nothing more than a lower midcard title with Gujjar vs. Myers being a boring feud. I’m sure we’ll get something else between these two as this feud just has to continue.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Gail Kim comes up to Savannah Evans and Tasha Steelz to put the latter on commentary, as per Killer Kelly’s request.

Scott D’Amore makes a ladder match for the Digital Media Title in two weeks.

Eddie Edwards vs. Heath

Edwards jumps him before the bell but Heath punches into the corner to get out of trouble. That doesn’t last long as Edwards knocks him around and chokes on the rope for a bit. Back up and Heath manages a toss to the floor and we take a break. Back with Edwards hitting a forearm to the face for two and grabbing a chinlock. Heath fights up and stereo crossbodies put them both down. Back up and Heath hits a DDT for two, followed by the Wake Up Call, which draws out Honor No More. The distraction lets Eddie hit a low blow so the Boston Knee Party can finish Heath at 12:15.

Rating: C+. Heath is a weird case as he is clearly in over his head against Honor No More but he is inspired to keep fighting because of what happened to his friend. That being said, there is no reason for him to be beating Edwards or really coming close to doing so. Let him go over other members of the team, but this was about as much as he should have been able to do against someone on Edwards’ level

Post match Eddie grabs the mic and says Honor No More wants to know which side Josh Alexander is on in this war. Cue Alexander to say this isn’t a war because no one is pulling any strings against Honor No More. Alexander says his side is across from Eddie so the fight is on. Cue Honor No More for the beatdown, with Heath and Rich Swann running in for a failed save attempt. The big beatdown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t really feeling this one as there wasn’t much that kept my interest this week. The wrestling was fine and they advanced enough stories, but nothing was exactly jumping off the page. Victory Road isn’t looking overly interesting and that isn’t going to leave much time for Bound For Glory. Not a bad show here, but one of their weaker efforts in recent weeks.

Results
Aussie Open b. Ace Austin/Chris Bey – Coriolis to Bey
Mickie James b. Raychell Rose – MickDT
Yuyu Uemura b. Kenny King – High crossbody
Chelsea Green b. Taya Valkyrie – Unprettier
Brian Myers b. Bhupinder Gujjar via DQ when Gujjar used the title belt
Eddie Edwards b. heath – Boston Knee Party

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 1, 2022
Location: The Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

The road to Victory Road and then Bound For Glory continues and we’re going big this week. Honor No More is finally getting its shot against the Good Brothers for the Tag Team Titles. This is a long time coming and now the question is how far Impact is willing to go with Honor No More. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More vs. Good Brothers

They’re starting fast and the Good Brothers are defending. The fans seem behind Honor No More as it’s a slugout to start. Taven and Bennett take Anderson into the corner for a running kick to the head before we settle down to Gallows beating on Bennett in the corner. It’s off to Taven for a kick to the face in the corner and a neckbreaker gets two on Anderson. Back up and Anderson fights out of a double team, only to get kicked back down for two.

Taven’s Lionsault hits knees but Bennett is right there to cut Gallows off before the hot tag. That doesn’t really matter as Anderson gets in another shot and hands it off to Gallows a few seconds later. House is cleaned, including a pumphandle spinning…something for two on Taven. Bennett breaks up the Magic Killer so Anderson gives Taven the spinebuster instead. Back up and Bennett sends Gallows to the floor and crotches Anderson on top, setting up the Proto Pack for the pin and the titles at 8:17.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time to get anywhere and it didn’t really get out of second gear. The Good Brothers wrapping up with the company made this a pretty obvious conclusion but at least it was a clean win to give us new champions. On top of that, Honor No More HAD to win something before the team stopped meaning anything so this was long overdue.

Maria comes in to celebrate.

Video on Killer Kelly, who is feeling like a star since her debut.

Honor No More celebrates their win but Eddie Edwards is STILL on PCO. Vincent intervenes again.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at Victory Road.

X-Division Title: Kenny King vs. Mike Bailey

King, with Maria, is challenging and elbows Bailey in the head to start. A clothesline out of the corner puts Bailey down again and there’s a snap powerslam for two. Back up and Bailey knocks him outside but a dive is broken up, allowing King to hit him with a headbutt. A t-bone suplex sends Bailey hard into the apron and we take a break. We come back with Bailey hitting a middle rope dropkick but Bailey kicks him down again. The running corkscrew shooting star press gets two on King but he’s back up and accidentally kicks the referee down.

Bailey’s Ultimate Weapon is broken up with a low blow and another referee comes in for the delayed two. Back up and Bailey tries a sunset flip but Maria grabs King’s hands so he can get the pin at 12:11. And no of course not because the original referee saw Maria cheating so we’re restarting and Honor No More is barred from ringside. King loads up the Royal Flush but Bailey reverses into a cradle to retain at 13:31.

Rating: C+. That was a big tease of a finish and it wouldn’t shock me to see a rematch between these two at Victory Road. I’m not big on Bailey but they have been pushing him hard and making his reign feel like a big deal as he keeps racking up wins. Good match here, and the ending probably builds to something else so well done.

Brian Myers tells Scott D’Amore to get the Digital Media Title back but D’Amore says do it yourself. Then Bhupinder Gujjar drops Myers and leaves the title.

Rosemary, Jessicka and Taya Valkyrie have a drink together but Taya still isn’t sure about Jessicka.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Sami Callihan wins the World Title on the October 29, 2019 Impact.

Aussie Open is ready to win the Tag Team Titles and they’ll start by beating the Bullet Club.

Moose and Steve Maclin argue again.

Eric Young rants at Violent By Design and Joe Doering walks off. Young does as well, but Deaner can decide who to follow. Get well soon Joe.

Here is the returning Mickie James for a chat. She seems rather pleased with the warm reception before talking about November being 24 years since she first set foot in a ring. The last few years have been a journey, from her sister’s deathbed to being released to being thrown out like the trash to being told she was too old and fat.

That’s good for a MICKIE chant before she talks about everything that has happened in her latest run for the company. She even headlined a pay per view but then she lost her Knockouts Title and was betrayed by Chelsea Green. It had her thinking that she couldn’t do it anymore so she broke up with wrestling.

All she wanted to do when she first got into wrestling was to make it a better place for women and she thinks she has done just that. At one point though, she also promised herself that she was done if she didn’t think she could do it at a high level anymore. Mickie isn’t sure if she can do it anymore, but she isn’t retiring right now.

Instead, she wants to earn it with dirt in her eyes and grit in her teeth, so the open challenge is on for everyone and she is going from the bottom of the roster to the top. But if she loses (Fan: “YOU’RE NOT GONNA LOSE!”), she’s done and it ends one of two ways: as Knockouts World Champion, or her being gone for good. This was an emotional promo and Mickie’s last rodeo (her words) should be a heck of a ride.

Josh Alexander talks about how great Mickie James is but he’s ready for Eddie Edwards at Bound For Glory. And no, he doesn’t buy Honor No More’s sales pitch, because no one is more Impact than him. Edwards comes in to say everyone knows Alexander is disrespected. He brings up Heath….who runs in and beats up Heath.

Post break (and after Tommy Dreamer and Lance Storm finish calming Heath down, because DREAMER WILL NOT JUST GO AWAY), Scott D’Amore gives Heath Eddie Edwards next week. That’s cool with Heath, who goes to apologize to Josh Alexander. That’s a problem though, as Alexander didn’t like Heath cutting him off last week and walks away.

Mascara Dorada vs. Alex Zayne

Dorada is better known as Gran Metalik and the winner is the #1 contender to the X-Division Title. They trade running flips to start before stereo missed dropkicks give us a standoff. Back up and Dorada runs the ropes, setting up the middle rope hurricanrana to the floor. That works for Zayne, who sends him into the barricade and starts chopping away. Zayne drops an elbow on the apron and we take a break with Dorada in trouble.

Back with Dorada fighting up and hitting a rope walk flip dive (with Hannifan saying Dorada is turning this place into a house party). They get back in with Zayne cutting off a charge with an elbow in the corner, followed by a running knee for two. A 450 misses though and Dorada’s tornado DDT sets up a Dorada Driver for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C+. Another week, another good X-Division match as they throw two more guys out there and let them do their thing. On top of that, there was even something on the line here to make it feel more worthwhile. Dorada is someone people will recognize and that puts him ahead of most of the division. Good stuff here and another nice use of TV time, as tends to be the case with these guys.

Jordynne Grace wishes Mickie James luck and would love to give her a title shot at the end of the line.

Yuya Uemura is here next week.

Masha Slamovich vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Chelsea Green is here with Purrazzo and the winner gets Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Title at Bound For Glory. They start a bit slowly until Slamovich gets her into the corner for some chops. That’s fine with Purrazzo, who ducks a chop and hits a shot to the face of her own. A running hurricanrana drops Slamovich but she takes Purrazzo down by the hair and kicks her in the chest. It’s too early for the Snowplow so Slamovich has to throw her back inside. Green’s distraction lets Purrazzo get in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Slamovich getting out of a chinlock and hitting a dropkick through the ropes. One heck of a running spinwheel kick gives Slamovich two and she wins a slugout from their knees. Purrazzo is right back with a Russian legsweep into the Fujiwara armbar, sending Slamovich straight over to the rope. Back up and Purrazzo sends her shoulder first into the post, setting up the rolling German suplexes.

The Queen’s Gambit is countered into an Air Raid Crash into the corner for two more. A Green distraction sets up the Queen’s Gambit for two. Slamovich has had it with this and hits the spinning backfist, kicks Green to the floor, and hits the Snowplow for the pin at 13:59.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match that Slamovich has been needing, as you can only go so far with having her squash people in a minute and a half. Beating Purrazzo, who has been the star of the division for most of this year, and taking out Green at the same time, makes her look like a killer and Jordynne Grace could be in trouble at Bound For Glory.

Post match Jordynne Grace comes out and gives Slamovich a death warrant of her own to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was focused on the X-Division until the big ending with the Knockouts. I liked how they didn’t spend the entire night on the World Title situation, as the match is set and there is other stuff that needs the focus. Impact is getting the idea that they need a balanced card and what they are doing so far is working. Good show here, as Impact continues to produce quality TV.

Results
Honor No More b. Good Brothers – Proton Pack to Anderson
Mike Bailey b. Kenny King – Rollup
Mascara Dorada b. Alex Zayne – Dorada Driver
Masha Slamovich b. Deonna Purrazzo – Snowplow

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 25, 2022
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Bound For Glory is starting to take shape and we now have a main event set for the show. Eddie Edwards won an elimination match last week to earn the spot and now we can begin the build towards the biggest night of the year. There is a lot more to get set up for the show though and maybe we can work on that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Eddie Edwards winning the elimination match last week to earn the title shot.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Jordynne Grace/Mia Yim vs. VXT

VXT is defending. Grace and Green start things off with the former grabbing a headlock takeover. With that not working, Purrazzo comes in for a few shots before it’s right back to Green. Grace runs her over again and hands it off to Yim for a dropkick into the corner. The Cannonball gets two but Purrazzo’s cheap shot lets the champs take over for a change. Some clotheslines get two on Yim, followed by a clothesline for two on Yim. Purrazzo misses a charge into the post though and the tag brings in Grace.

Everything breaks down and Yim suplexes Green for two before missile dropkicking Purrazzo. Green is back up with a top rope Blockbuster on Yim, only to get gutwrench powerbombed by Grace. The champs are sent outside for stereo dives but Grace cuts Yim off. The distracted referee misses a neck snap across the top rope to Grace, setting up the Due Collector (that double suplex) to retain the titles at 7:28.

Rating: C. This was a good way to give VXT another title win while also having Purrazzo get built up for a possible title shot. Granted I would be shocked if we weren’t gearing up for Masha Slamovich challenging Grace at Bound For Glory, but at least they are trying something. VXT is starting to turn into a nice team and that is something the division really needs.

Violent By Design says they’re back and ready for Time Machine.

Vincent comes up to Josh Alexander, who he is facing tonight. Alexander isn’t dealing with the mind games and plans to drop him on his head.

Here’s what’s coming at various shows.

Mike Bennett vs. Karl Anderson

If Anderson wins, Maria, here too, is banned from ringside whenever Bennett and Matt Taven get their Tag Team Title shot. Anderson chops him down to start and stomps away before a clothesline puts Bennett on the floor. We take a break and come back with Bennett working on a chinlock before whipping Anderson hard into the corner.

The big running start sets up the poke to the eye and we’re back to the chinlock. Anderson fights up and hits the Rocket kick, only to get superkicked for two (Maria screams a lot). Maria offers a distraction so Taven can come in with a cheap shot, only to be cut off by Doc Gallows. That’s enough for the Gun Stun to finish Bennett at 10:16.

Rating: C. They kept this one moving well enough and I was a bit surprised by the ending. What matters here is setting up the title match, where Honor No More can win the titles in a more dominant fashion without having their backup in the corner. I can’t imagine the Good Brothers retaining and the better Honor No More can look in the process, the better for the future of the division.

Post match the Good Brothers go to the back where Scott D’Amore makes the Tag Team Title match for next week.

Savannah Evans is banged up after Killer Kelly beat her last week. Tasha Steelz is ready for revenge but Kelly chokes her from behind.

Jason Hotch vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Brian Myers is on commentary. Gujjar runs him over to start and hits a shoulder in the corner for two. Hotch is back with a rake to the eyes and a kick to the head in the corner, only to roll into a spinebuster. The Gargoyle spear finishes for Gujjar at 2:18.

Post match Myers lays out Gujjar but he comes back with a Gargoyle spear. Gujjar steals the Digital Media Title.

VXT brags about their win to Gail Kim and Deonna Purrazzo thinks she should get a Knockouts Title shot. Gail gives her a #1 contenders match with Masha Slamovich instead.

Gujjar won’t give the title back, saying Myers can come get it.

Vincent vs. Josh Alexander

Non-title. Vincent drives him into the corner to start but gets belly to belly suplexed for his efforts. A Russian legsweep drops Alexander though and Redrum connects for a fast two. The running knee misses Alexander in the corner and he’s right back with a German suplex to send Vincent flying again. It’s too early for the C4 Spike so Alexander grabs the ankle lock instead, sending Vincent straight to the ropes. Alexander is right back with a Falcon Arrow into a C4 Spike for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C+. Not much more than a squash here and it isn’t like Vincent is going to be hurt by losing to the World Champion. Alexander going through some of Honor No More on the way to Eddie Edwards should work well enough as a road to Bound For Glory and it isn’t like he’ll run out of opponents anytime soon. Vincent is fine in a spot like this, but he’s much better with those out there promos that he sells so well.

Post match here is Eddie Edwards to say he is going to be challenging Alexander at Bound For Glory, but they don’t have to be enemies. There is a war going on in wrestling and it has nothing to do with what is going on in the ring. These people in the arena support the machine instead of the wrestlers and Alexander needs to pick a side. Before Edwards can get very far, Heath runs in with the Wake Up Call. They got me with that one.

Raj Singh and Shera are complaining about things when they hear Moose and Steve Maclin arguing. Sami Callihan jumps Maclin and Moore, with Maclin being busted open. The villains manages to tie Callihan up in barbed wire and leave him laying.

Video on Masha Slamovich.

Alisha vs. Jessika

Rosemary is here with Jessika, who is billed from the Bright Light District. Rosemary gives Jessika some eye black to fire her up and Alisha gets crushed early. A running basement crossbody drops Alisha again and a fire thunder driver finishes her off at 1:56.

Video on Mickie James walking out of Impact.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Sami Callihan, still wrapped in barbed wire. He wants Barbed Wire Massacre at Victory Road.

Time Machine vs. Violent By Design

That would be the Motor City Machine Guns/Kushida vs. Eric Young/Joe Doering/Deaner. Kushida charges at Doering to start but the shoulders bounce off of him. Young comes in so Shelley joins in to double team him down. It’s off to Deaner, who gets kneed in the back as everything breaks down. Deaner gets in a cheap shot on Sabin in the corner though and it’s Doering plants him to send us to a break.

Back with Young’s neckbreaker getting two, setting up Doering’s elbow drop for two. The alternating stomps and choking in the corner ensues but Sabin avoids a charge. That’s enough for the tag off to Kushida so the pace can pick way up. A basement dropkick hits Deaner and it’s right back to Shelley for some kicks to the face. Everything breaks down again and the villains are sent outside, with Sabin hitting a dive onto Doering.

Back in and Deaner rolls through Sabin’s high crossbody for two, setting up Young’s Death Valley Driver for the same. Deaner hits a top rope headbutt to set up Young’s top rope elbow for two but Young can’t hit the piledriver. Sabin gets over to the corner and everything breaks down again, with the villains being kicked out to the floor. Deaner gets kicked in the head by Kushida, sending him into Cradle Shock to give Sabin the pin at 18:42.

Rating: B. Maybe it’s enjoying seeing Violent By Design get hit and kicked a lot but this was a rather enjoyable main event. Kushida and the Guns work well together (shouldn’t be a surprise) and they picked up a win here to put Violent By Design back in trouble. I’m sure Young will monologue about this again next week, but for now, the team loses and gets shut up for another week so we’ll call that a win.

Overall Rating: C+. This was Impact doing what it does best: giving you a completely acceptable two hours of wrestling with its unique cast of stars. Some of the action was more ok than great or even good, but they aren’t doing anything too bad and you can follow the stories with no particular difficulty. That is a lot more than several promotions can claim, making Impact an enjoyable enough show. Good show this week, and I could go for more of this kind of show as the norm if that is what Impact can do.

Results
VXT b. Jordynne Grace/Mia Yim – Due Collector to Grace
Karl Anderson b. Mike Bennett – Gun Stun
Bhupinder Gujjar b. Jason Hotch – Gargoyle spear
Josh Alexander b. Vincent – C4 Spike
Jessika b. Alisha – Fire Thunder Driver
Time Machine b. Violent By Design – Cradle Shock to Deaner

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

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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 18, 2022
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re coming off a pretty awesome Emergence and that means it is time to start getting going on the next special, meaning it’s off to Victory Road. I’m not sure what that is to entail but having the show just a few weeks ahead of Bound For Glory is more than a little weird. Let’s get to it.

Here is Emergence if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander escaping Alex Shelley at Emergence.

Opening sequence.

Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Horus vs. Trey Miguel

Crazzy Steve is on commentary. Taurus gets triple dropkicked to the floor to start and Kid dives on him. Back in and Kid hits some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers before headscissoring Taurus into the corner. Some Sling Blades put Kid down though and it’s Miguel coming back in, only to get taken down as well. Horus backdrops Taurus outside but a slingshot hurricanrana is pulled out of the air.

A headbutt drops Horus so Miguel hurricanranas Kid into Taurus for the knockdown. Everyone gets back in with Taurus dropping Miguel, only to get poisonranaed by Horus. With everyone else outside, Horus hits a huge top rope moonsault onto the pile for the huge knockdown. Back in and Miguel takes Horus down but gets Canadian Destroyed by Kid, who is spun into a piledriver to give Taurus the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. You remember what I say about how the X-Division style stuff is here to pop the crowd in an opening match and little more? That’s what we had here, as they had three people in there flying around, plus Taurus for the power. In other words, a very fun match and the right way to open any show as they packed in a lot of stuff without being out there too long.

We look back at Killer Kelly.

Zicky Dice and Johnny Swinger are impressed with Kelly. Cue Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans to rant about how much better Steelz is. Kelly pops in and doesn’t seem to care, but seems to get a match with Evans for tonight.

Rich Swann talks to Josh Alexander about tonight’s #1 contenders match and Alexander wouldn’t mind Swann winning. Vincent comes in to say Eddie Edwards is going to win. Alexander glares at him.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Kenny King vs. Heath

Vincent is here with King and the slugout is on fast. An early Wake Up Call attempt is blocked so King is sent outside for a conference. Vincent offers enough of a distraction to get heath outside, with King hitting the corkscrew slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Heath avoiding a springboard spinning legdrop and grabbing a jumping neckbreaker. King misses a charge in the corner and the Wake Up Call gives Heath the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C-. They didn’t have much time here but Heath’s roll continues. That takes something special, as they have turned Heath into someone with people getting behind him despite the fact that he’s, you know, Heath. Nice job with the story here, even if the match was only so good in the first place.

Post match here is Honor No More to beat Heath down, but Eddie Edwards spends awhile telling PCO to take Heath out. That takes so long that Heath hits a Wake Up Call on Bennett and gets out.

Kushida and the Motor City Machine Guns didn’t have a good night at Emergence but they’re ready to face Violent By Design next week. They are Time Machine, which is as clever of a name as you’re getting in their case.

Honor No More regroups until Scott D’Amore comes in. The team wants to know when their title shot is, but Doc Gallows is injured. Maria isn’t pleased, so D’Amore makes Matt Taven vs. Karl Anderson next week, and if Anderson wins, Maria is banned from ringside whenever the title match takes place.

Killer Kelly vs. Savannah Evans

Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. Kelly gets in her face to start before grabbing Evans’ hand and putting it around her own (as in Kelly’s) throat). That’s fine with Evans who sends her hard into the corner, only to have Kelly come back with a dropkick. A hard German suplex drops Kelly but she reverses a full nelson into the Killer Clutch for the tap at 3:32.

Rating: C. I remember wondering why Impact was bothering to bring Kelly in after her less than interesting NXT UK run. This is a complete surprise as Kelly is already making an impression and looks like she could be a player. That’s a lot more than I would have bet on and if Impact gets someone else in the Knockouts division, good for them.

Rosemary isn’t happy that she and Taya Valkyrie lost the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, saying that Havok would have been a better partner. Jessika has this though, as her debut match is next week.

We recap Masha Slamovich giving Jordynne Grace her death warrant.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Slamovich and respects Mia Yim. VXT comes in to mock her for not getting able to shake Mia’s hand. Trash is talked but here is Mia to issue the challenge for the titles. Deal.

X-Division Title: Chris Bey vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey is defending and armdrags him down a few times to start. Back up and Bailey kicks him in the head, sending Bey outside for a breather. The chase back inside lets Bey grab a slingshot DDT for two and Bailey is in trouble for a change. The Figure Four necklock goes on but Bailey is right back up with a running dropkick. It’s too early for the running corkscrew shooting star press but it’s not too early for Bailey’s bouncing kicks.

Bey is back up with a jumping Downward Spiral for two, only to miss a charge to the floor. That means Bailey can hit his middle rope moonsault but Bey kicks him down again. The big running flip dive takes Bailey down, setting up a top rope double stomp (with Bailey laying on the top rope for a unique spot). A sitout powerbomb gives Bey two but Bailey is back up with some more kicks. The Ultimate Weapon retains the title at 8:24.

Rating: C+. I don’t know what it is about Bailey but I can’t get myself to care about him. Maybe it is that his matches are similar most of the time (entertaining, but repetitive) or that stupid bow he does, but I can’t bring myself to get invested in him. He’s doing a good job as champion though and someone beating him will feel important when it happens. I’m just not getting behind him that much.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Christian Cage b. Ace Austin at Victory Road 2011.

Brian Myers runs into Bhupinder Gujjar and says this isn’t over. Why can’t it be?

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan vs. Rich Swann vs. Moose vs. Steve Maclin vs. Bandido

Elimination rules with tags required and the winner gets the shot at Josh Alexander at Bound For Glory. Swann and Bandido start things off with Bandido having to flip out of a wristlock. They both miss a bunch of dropkicks until Eddie and Sami tag themselves in. Everything breaks down and commentary explains the logic of not needing/wanting to be in the ring until the end, which is an extra degree of psychology.

We take a break and come back with Swann getting beaten down in the corner by Moose and Maclin, which doesn’t sit well with Sami. That’s appropriate as Swann gets over for the tag off to Sami to clean some house. The double teaming slows him down though and it’s a spear to give Moose the pin on Sami at 11:04. Then Maclin rolls Moose up for the pin at 11:08, which has Moose mad.

Callihan doesn’t leave and sends Maclin into Moose, allowing Bandido to hit the big dive to drop Maclin on the floor. Back in and the 21 Plex finishes Maclin at 12:07, leaving us with Eddie vs. Bandido vs. Swann. We take another break and come back with Swann and Bandido trading big shots to the head. Bandido starts striking away and grabs the one armed gorilla press. The pop up cutter gets two, as does Swann’s Lethal Injection.

Eddie tags himself in though and sends Swann into the post. The Boston Knee Party connects to get rid of Bandido at 19:57. We’re down to one on one and Swann gets elbowed in the face for two more. Swann catches him on top and snaps off a super hurricanrana, setting up the running kick to the head for two.

That’s enough for Eddie to be sent outside where he gets in a shot with Kenny the kendo stick for two more. Back in and the tiger driver is countered so Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party for another near fall. That’s enough for Eddie who comes back with a vengeance with the Die Hard Driver and the winning pin at 25:29.

Rating: B. This worked well and Edwards winning is the right way to go. Honor No More is a team that could go somewhere rather quickly if given the chance and maybe this is that chance. Edwards is someone who can be put right back into the main event scene in the blink of an eye and that seems to be what they are doing here. It helps that there were other viable options to get the title shot, so it wasn’t exactly a foregone conclusion. Rather good match with some drama here so nice job.

Honor No More celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Impact shaking off their reputation for a weak followup to the bigger shows as this was a perfectly good episode. They have also got us ready for Bound For Glory, where you can probably pencil in Honor No More for two title shots. Other than that, more stories have been built up and we should be in for some interesting stuff on the way to Albany.

Results
Black Taurus b. Laredo Kid, Rey Horus and Trey Miguel – Piledriver to Kid
Heath b. Kenny King – Wake Up Call
Killer Kelly b. Savannah Evans – Killer Clutch
Mike Bailey b. Chris Bey – Ultimate Weapon
Eddie Edwards b. Rich Swann, Sami Callihan, Moose, Steve Maclin and Bandido – Die Hard Driver to Swann

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