Victory Road 2023
Date: September 8, 2023
Location: Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s another special and in this case we have a flashback to the first regular Impact Wrestling pay per view. This time around we have a pretty stacked card, including Kushida challenging Lio Rush for the X-Division Title and Tommy Dreamer putting his career on the line for a shot at the Digital Media Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Alan Angels vs. ???

This is an open challenge from Angels ad it’s…Guido Maritato, perhaps better known as Nunzio in WWE/Little Guido in ECW. The bell rings and we lose the feed, leaving us with a logo and nothing more. The feed picks up about four and a half minutes in with Angels faking an injury in the corner. That’s enough for a quick cheap shot and Angel’s Wings finishes Maritato at 5:23. Not enough shown to rate of course but I’d assume they’ll upload the full version later.

Kickoff Show: ABC vs. Moose/Brian Myers

Moose and Bey pose at each other to start until Bey slips out of a slam attempt. Bey gets on Moose’s nerves and misses a charge, meaning it’s off to Myers. Bey takes him into the corner so Austin can come in for some shots of his own. It’s already back to Bey and a cheap shot lets Myers hammer away as the villains take over.

Myers cuts off a comeback with a trip and Moose hits a middle rope backsplash for two. Bey gets sent into the buckle and choked on the ropes but an enziguri gets him out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Austin to clean house, including a springboard spinning kick to the head for two. The 1-2-Sweet is broken up and Myers powerbombs Austin. A quick Roster Cut misses though and Austin rolls Myers up for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: B-. Nice match here between two teams who work well together. That’s all you need on a show like this and the fans like ABC pretty much no matter what. Moose and Myers continue to lose, which is kind of weird for a team presented as big time villains. Perfectly good choice for a warmup match and that’s what it was supposed to be.

And now, the show proper.

X-Division Title: Lio Rush vs. Kushida

Kushida is challenging as he cashes in his Ultimate X win from Slammiversary. The chase is on to start with Rush bailing away as fast we he can. It’s already time for a breather on the floor, with Kushida saying it’s on his time. Kushida isn’t having that and grabs a quick Hoverboard Lock followed by some slams for two. The arm is tied up in the ropes again and then sent into the turnbuckle as they fall out to the floor.

Some chops against the barricade have Rush in more trouble but he manages the spinning kick to the head for a breather back inside. Rush hammers away and grabs Kushida’s glasses for a distraction, only for Kushida to strike away. A rollup gets two on Rush but it’s too early for the Hoverboard Lock. Kushida is sent outside, where he counters a dive into the Hoverboard Lock in a sweet spot.

Back in and Rush hits a Spanish Fly but Kushida reverses into the Hoverboard Lock again. That’s broken up as well and they knock each other down again, meaning it’s time for the slow exchange of forearms. Rush gets in a quick low blow to put Kushida down though and the Final Hour retains the title at 10:38.

Rating: B-. Kushida is someone who can wrestle with anyone and that was no exception here, as it was a chess game of Kushida’s technical mastery vs. Rush’s athleticism. That made for some pretty awesome moments, including Kushida getting the Hoverboard Lock from a variety of places. I wasn’t wild on the cheap ending, but it did keep Kushida strong while retaining the title.

We look at Bully Ray hitting PCO with a car on the Kickoff Show.

PCO is told he can’t compete but he rises off of a stretcher and screams for Bully.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: MK Ultra vs. Gisele Shaw/Savannah Evans

MK Ultra is defending and Jai Vidal is here with the challengers. Slamovich powers Shaw down to start as we hear about Rehwoldt’s “shark guy” back home. Kelly comes in but the distracted referee misses Vidal pulling the ropes down for a crash to the floor. Back in and Evans hammers away, allowing Shaw to gets two off a suplex.

The chinlock goes on before Shock And Awe gets two. Some knees in the corner keep Kelly in trouble and Evans comes in for another suplex. Shaw misses a charge into the corner though and it’s back to Slamovich to unload on Evans. Vidal offers a distraction though and it’s a backbreaker/kick to the head combination for two. Another cheap shot lets Evans plant Slamovich but she’s back up with a kick to the head. The Snowplow finishes Evans to retain at 8:25.

Rating: C+. MK Ultra aren’t the most traditional team but they’re good at what they do and that’s all they need to be. Shaw didn’t take the fall here but she loses again and those things are piling up. At some point she is going to have to win something and I’m really not sure when that is going to happen.

PCO is looking for Bully, who comes up from behind him with a chair to beat him down. Then he pours gasoline on PCO and calls him Carl Ouellet. We’ve seen the last of both of them tonight, but then PCO hits him in the eye and Ray runs off.

We look back at Crazzy Steve embracing the evil side and wanting to hurt everyone who abandoned him. That’s how we got here, as Steve went after his former partner.

Crazzy Steve vs. Black Taurus

Tom Hannifan is scared of Steve to start but Taurus starts fast to break that up. A powerslam plants Steve and they head outside, where Steve gets in a quick shot to take over. Steve talks Hannifan a bit, calling this “the birth of something beautiful.” Back in and Steve hits some corner clotheslines before crotching him on top for two. We hit the neck crank for a bit before Steve just goes for the eyes.

Taurus blocks the double thumbs but gets taken down again so Steve can stomp away. Some elbows to the eye in the corner make it worse for Taurus but he powers his way out of trouble. A crucifix bomb cuts Taurus right back down but Steve can’t follow up. Taurus drops him with a heck of a right hand and a par of Sling Blades put Steve down again.

A torture rack dropped into a backbreaker has Steve screaming even more before he starts apologizing. Taurus can’t bring himself to hut his friend and walks around, allowing Steve to jump him from behind. Steve whips out a fork but when that’s taken away, he settles for the two fingers in the eyes. The Belladonna’s Kiss finishes Taurus at 9:02.

Rating: C+. This was more about the story and the mind games than anything else, with Steve continuing to do some of the more interesting stuff on the show. He really does feel unhinged a good bit of the time, with the Dark Knight looking promos making it better. I want to see what Steve is doing and that’s more than I can say about a lot of people in modern wrestling

Tommy Dreamer is ready to celebrate his life and career while winning the Digital Media Title tonight. If he loses, it’s a great story but if he loses, it’s another chapter.

We recap the Digital Media Title as Kenny King defends against Tommy Dreamer. King brags about how this is his title and well overdue but Dreamer wants to win one more title. He’s even putting his career on the line.

Digital Media Title: Kenny King vs. Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer, in Terry Funk gear, is challenging with his career on the line and his family in the crowd. Sheldon Jean is here with King to even things up a bit. Dreamer goes for the arm to start but gets broken up without much trouble. King goes after Dreamer’s likely injured back (everything else is hurt so it makes sense) but Dreamer slugs away again. Jean’s interference doesn’t work as King is clotheslined to the floor, where Dreamer gets to spit water in his eyes.

Dreamer’s dive is cut off though, as Dreamer diving isn’t a great idea. King suplexes him on the ramp and yells at Dreamer’s family because he’s not a nice person. Dreamer beats the count back in though and catches King on top with a superplex for the double knockdown. They trade shots to the face until Dreamer goes with the Flip Flop and Fly. The Bionic Elbow has Dreamer in more trouble but King is back with a spinebuster for two.

King talks too much trash and gets cuttered for his efforts. The Dreamer Driver is broken up and King hits a Blockbuster or two. They trade rollups for two each until the Dreamer Driver can connect. A piledriver gives Dreamer a rather close two so Jean offers a distraction. That’s enough for a distraction so Jean is ejected. Cue Heath for a Wake Up Call on King. That and a DDT are enough to give Dreamer the pin and the title at 9:51.

Rating: C+. I can’t imagine Dreamer keeps the title long, but there is something strange about seeing him win a title in 2023. Maybe Heath will get a run with the title sooner than later, but for now it’s Dreamer getting another moment as King loses again. Good enough match, even if the result is rather hard to comprehend.

We recap Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace. They have a history and Purrazzo is ready to prove she’s better (again).

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace starts fast by powering her out to the floor, leaving Purrazzo not sure about this. Back in and Purrazzo goes after the arm, including taking Grace down to crank away. Grace fights up with some forearms and a few slams with the good arm. A Michinoku Driver gives Grace two but Purrazzo goes right back to the arm, even snapping it back rather hard. Purrazzo cranks on said arm but Grace powers up and gets her into the corner.

The superplex into a Jackhammer gets two on Purrazzo but the Juggernaut Driver is blocked. Purrazzo’s leg trap Tombstone gets two and she knocks Grace to the apron. Grace comes back in and it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Back up and Grace runs her over for two more but the MuscleBuster is escaped as well. Not that it matters as Grace grabs the Juggernaut Driver for the pin at 11;57.

Rating: B-. This was about reestablishing Grace as a threat and there was little way to do it better than by having her vanquish her most famous rival. The power vs. submission stuff went well and Grace managed to escape enough times to win. These two have chemistry together and having Grace win is the right way to go.

We recap Bully Ray vs. PCO. Ray has tried to take PCO out multiple times but PCO keeps coming back, which has Ray terrified.

PCO vs. Bully Ray

Anything goes, so weapons are provided. There’s no PCO to start so Ray tries to run, only to be cut off by Santino Marella. PCO jumps him from behind and the brawl starts backstage. They head into the arena where Ray’s trashcan shots don’t have much effect. Ray loads up some tables as the match hasn’t actually started yet as they haven’t been in the ring together.

PCO gets in some shots of his own and they finally get inside for the bell. Ray sends him head first through a table in the corner, then does it twice more for a bonus. PCO gets knocked off the apron and through another table at ringside but gets up anyway. Ray tries to run but gets cut off by Santino Marella, meaning PCO can trashcan him down. PCO brings in a ladder but gets dropped onto it for two instead.

Another table is loaded up and then another one is loaded up next to that as Ray likes the wood. Ray grabs a trashcan, which is punched into his face. A chokeslam through a table gives PCO two and it’s time for a cheese grater as we pay another tribute to ECW. Ray is busted open and a low blow makes it even worse. The De-Animator onto (not through) a table crushes Ray and a PCOsault through another table gives PCO the win at 10:14.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you just need to have two big strong guys hit each other really hard and that is what we had here. Ray being all scared and worried about facing PCO fights him well, as does PCO popping up after everything. Good brawl here, with the extra stuff before the bell making it even better.

Eric Young and Scott D’Amore are ready for Impact 1000 and it’s going to be an hour to be on the show.

We recap the Rascalz defending the Tag Team Titles against the Motor City Machine Guns. The Rascalz won the titles last month but Chris Sabin beat Zachary Wentz in a singles match to set this up.

Tag Team Titles: Rascalz vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are challenging and Shelley takes over on Wentz to start. Stereo superkicks put Shelley on the floor though and we slow down a bit so the champs can brag. Back in and Shelley is fine enough to kick Wentz down, allowing Sabin to come in and work on the leg. It’s back to Shelley for a spinning toehold but Wentz goes for the eyes.

Wentz misses a kick to the head though and the Figure Four goes on. Sabin grabs the same thing on Miguel but lets him to and sends him to the floor. Wentz gets out and hands it off to Miguel as the pace picks up, including a springboard splash as everything breaks down. The champs hit stereo running elbows in the corner but Shelley blocks the Lightning Spiral. Sabin takes them both down with a double dragon screw sends them both outside.

That means a big dive can connect, followed by a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination for two. Wentz is back in with a top rope double stomp to send Sabin into a backbreaker from Miguel for two more. The referee gets distracted so a belt shot can give Miguel another near fall.

The spray paint is broken up but Miguel is able to hit a heck of a dive to take everyone out. Back in and Sabin hits a tornado DDT to send Miguel into the dropped title but cue John Skyler to break up the cover. The Cradle Shock is broken up though and the spray paint to Sabin is enough for the rollup to retain at 13:51.

Rating: B. These teams working well together isn’t exactly a shock as they’re both incredibly talented and can do well with anyone. I could have gone with a better ending but that has been the case with the Rascalz for a good while now. What mattered here was getting two awesome teams in the ring for some time as it’s going to work well no matter what. Heck of a match here and it does a lot to make the Rascalz feel more legit.

We recap the Knockouts Title match. Alisha Edwards won a battle royal and talked a lot of trash. There isn’t much else to it than that.

Knockouts Title: Trinity vs. Alisha Edwards

Alisha, with Eddie Edwards, is challenging and mocks the fans’ New York accents. Eddie handles her intro and we’re ready to go. Well hang on though as the fans have to throw a bunch of glow sticks into the ring and NOW we’re ready to go. Trinity stars fast and knocks her to the floor as the fans are feeling rather Ucey.

Back in and Eddie’s distraction lets Alisha send her into the corner and the champ is in trouble. The bodyscissors goes on Trinity and Alisha hammers away. Trinity fights up and sends her into the buckle to even things up. A Backstabber gives Trinity two but the referee gets kicked down.

Trinity grabs Starstruck and Alisha seems to tap to no one. Eddie gets in a cheap shot and loads up a table but cue Frankie Kazarian and Traci Brooks for the save. Trinity is back up and hits a top rope splash onto Eddie through the table as the referee is STILL down. Alisha gets in a kendo stick shot for two and can’t believe the kickout. Back up and Trinity kicks Alisha in the head, setting up the Bubba Bomb into the rollup to retain at 9:01.

Rating: C+. The ref bump was ridiculous but they had to do something to spice up the idea of Alisha being the one to get the title shot. There wasn’t much of a story setting up the match so it made sense to go with another story that was already established. Trinity won in the end as she should have, but what mattered here was setting up the mixed tag and that’s fine in this situation.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Don West and Mike Tenay are joining the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame at Bound For Glory. Well yeah that works. You can tell this means a lot to Rehwoldt and Hannifan.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Steve Maclin. This was set up for earlier this year but Alexander got hurt and had to vacate the World Title. Now it’s a match that was scheduled to take place months ago and both are healthy.

Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander wrestles him down to start and goes after the arm with an armbar. They head outside with Maclin being sent into the barricade and then dropped hard onto the apron. Alexander’s recently repaired arm is snapped over the top though and Maclin gets to take over. Back in and Maclin grabs a standing armbar, only to have Alexander roll some German suplexes. By that I mean ten suplexes for two but Maclin rolls straight into another armbar.

Alexander has to bail to the ropes and out to the floor, where Maclin can hit a heck of a suicide dive. The armbar keeps Alexander in trouble back inside but he fights out a bit faster this time. Alexander can’t jump over him in the corner though as the arm gives out, meaning the London Dungeon can go on. That’s broken up and Alexander manages to send him to the apron, setting up the running crossbody to the back. Maclin is back in with a modified DDT for two and the armbar goes on again.

This time time it’s countered into a powerbomb backbreaker and a rolling forearm gives Alexander two. Maclin misses a running knee and gets caught in the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well so Maclin sends him outside but another suicide dive is countered into a belly to belly. Maclin drops him again on the floor but can only get a nine count. They chop it out back inside with Maclin getting the better of it, only to miss a splash off the top. The C4 Spike finishes for Alexander at 18:34.

Rating: B. this was Alexander’s return to form as he gets the big win over the one guy he never got to beat. I’m not sure if he’s going to get back into the World Title picture immediately, but for now he gets the win to give him some moments and confidence back. Best match of the show too, so it fits in the main event spot.

Overall Rating: B. This was good stuff for the most part, with a solid main event and enough positives throughout the show to make it work. Impact tends to be at its best when they strip away a lot of the nonsense and just have a wrestling show, which is what they did here. The show might not feel all that important with Impact 1000 and Bound For Glory coming up, but for a show available for the cost of a month on their streaming service, this was a solid way to go.

Results
Alan Angels b. Guido Maritato – Angel’s Wings
ABC b. Moose/Brian Myers – Rollup to Myers
Lio Rush b. Kushida – Final Hour
MK Ultra b. Savannah Evans/Gisele Shaw – Snowplow to Evans
Crazzy Steve b. Black Taurus – Belladonna’s Kiss
Tommy Dreamer b. Kenny King – DDT
Jordynne Grace b. Deonna Purrazzo – Juggernaut Driver
PCO b. Bully Ray – Whip through a table
Rascalz b. Motor City Machine Guns – Rollup to Sabin
Trinity b. Alisha Edwards – Rollup
Josh Alexander b. Steve Maclin – C4 Spike

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Dani Luna

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

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

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

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

Joe Hendry/Yuya Uemura vs. Champagne Singh/Shera

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

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

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

Video on Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong.

Video on Will Ospreay.

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

Subculture vs. Rich Swann/Sami Callihan

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lio Rush vs. Kevin Knight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Victory Road rundown.

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

Bully Ray/Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander/PCO

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

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

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

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

Emergence recap.

Knockouts Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crazzy Steve vs. Mike Bailey

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

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

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

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

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

Eric Young vs. Kon

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

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

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

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

Jordynne Grace is coming back at Victory Road.

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

Zachary Wentz vs. Chris Sabin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Awesome Kong is back at Impact 1000.

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

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Dirty Dango

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

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

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

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

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

Alisha Edwards vs. Jody Threat

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

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

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

Deonna Purrazzo wants KiLynn King next week.

Mike Bailey vs. Kushida

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

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

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

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

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

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

Subculture has their eyes on the #1 contenders tournament.

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

Long Slammiversary recap.

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

Good Hands vs. Sami Callihan/Rich Swann

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

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

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

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

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

Jake Something vs. Kevin Knight

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

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

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

Courtney Rush vs. Savannah Evans

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

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

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

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

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

Dirty Dango vs. Santino Marella

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

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

It’s the returning Johnny Bravo.

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

Alisha Edwards and Traci Brooks get into a brawl.

Tag Team Titles: Subculture vs. Bullet Club

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Former Team Canada member A1 is here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

X-Division Title: Lio Rush vs. Chris Sabin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Frankie Kazarian vs. Eddie Edwards

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

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

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

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

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

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

Knockouts Title: Trinity vs. Deonna Purrazzo

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

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

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

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

Impact Wrestling World Title: Nick Aldis vs. Alex Shelley

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Rebellion 2023
Date: April 16, 2023
Location: Rebel Sports Complex, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s back to regular pay per view around here and that should make for a good show. The injury bug has struck Impact hard though as a new World and Knockouts Champion have to be crowned tonight. Other than that we have a Hardcore War, because we just needed more Tommy Dreamer vs. Bully Ray. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Heath/Rhino vs. Champagne Singh/Shera

Singh offers Heath money to throw the match but Heath throws the money instead. Heath works on the arm to take over before it’s off to Rhino vs. Shera. Rhino gets taken into the corner and Shera hammers away, setting up some choking on the ropes. Rhino gets in a clothesline but Shera is back up to knock Heath into the barricade. The belly to belly gets Rhino out of trouble for good though as the tag brings Heath in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Singh rolls Heath up, with Shera holding the feet for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: C. Very basic match to open things up here and that’s all it needed to be. They kept things moving and while I’m not sure about the logic of having Shera and Singh win, well anything really, it wasn’t long enough to get bad and the fans are going to cheer for Rhino and Heath. Just don’t expect me to care about Singh and we’ll be fine.

Post match Rhino Gores Singh.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: The Coven vs. Death Dollz

The Dollz are challenging and it’s Rosemary and Wilde both tagging out to start. It’s way too early for the Sick Driver so Jessicka clotheslines her to the floor instead. Back in and King is sent into the corner for a running splash from Rosemary. King manages to get over for the tag to Wilde, who quickly takes over on Rosemary. A running shoulder in the corner connects and Wilde runs her over again for a bonus.

Rosemary slugs at Wilde, who gets caught with a Codebreaker to cut her right back off. An exploder to Wilde gets Rosemary out of trouble though and there’s the double tag so Jessicka can clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s quickly back to Rosemary, who gets to bite King. The spear gives Rosemary two but Wilde makes a blind tag. Rosemary hits a second spear for no count, as instead she walks into a swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker to give Wilde the pin to retain at 9:39.

Rating: C. Slightly longer match than the opener here but it didn’t make that much of a difference. The Knockouts Tag Team Titles are certainly better than either Women’s Tag Team Title in WWE but that isn’t the biggest hurdle to clear. The division needs some more teams, but the Coven still feels fresh enough to make them last for a while to come.

The opening video focuses on the World and Knockouts Titles being vacated and how we need new champions.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club

The Club is defending in Ultimate X. It’s a brawl to start with Sabin getting knocked down but Shelley back off, allowing Sabin to try for the belts. With that not working, the Guns are sent outside for stereo dives from the Club. Back in and the Guns take over on, with Austin’s arm getting banged up.

Austin and Sabin climb up at the same time with the bad arm being rammed into the structure. Sabin ties up both of the Guns and Shelley goes up but gets pulled back down fast. Bey’s knee is banged up but he’s fine enough to grab a quick DDT and give everyone a much needed breather.

With everyone else on the floor, Austin busts out the big flip dive to take out both Guns. Back in and everyone gets knocked down again before all four go up for a climb at once. They all come crashing down and it’s the Art of Finesse to drop Shelley, allowing Bey to pull down the titles and retain at 13:07.

Rating: B. Hot opener as expected but there wasn’t much in the way of climbing, which made it kind of a regular match until the ending. The good thing is the people involved are able to do just about anything and make it work so this went well. I did like the lack of climbing and insanity though, as it was more about the people rather than the big crashes and spots. You don’t get that kind of thing in a match like this very often and it was nice for a change.

Commentary runs down the card as the audio quality goes down.

Steve Maclin is upset over the situation because he wanted to win the title from Josh Alexander. He spent years in a war zone and now he is ready to tag em and bag em. Oh and beat Kushida.

We recap Callihan trying to join the Design in maybe the dumbest story going in wrestling today.

Design/Callihan vs. Dirty Dango/Santino Marella/Joe Hendry

Before the match, Hendry mocks Callihan and the Design because the fans believe in him. He introduces Santino and….I still have no idea why this is supposed to be interesting. Is he really that kind of Canadian hero? Dango suplexes Angels to start and brings in Santino to wrestle Angels down. The threat of the Cobra sends Angels into the corner for the tag off to Callihan.

Santino gets taken into the corner corner so the beating can begin. A quick escape allows the tag off to Hendry though and Kon is pulled out of the air. Deaner gets suplexed and the tag brings Dango in to take over on Callihan. The Dirtbag Shuffle hits Callihan but a Kon distraction lets the villains get in a cheap shot. Dango gets beaten down in the corner but he manages to knock Angels down, allowing the hot tag off to Santino.

Everything breaks down and Hendry hits a double fall away slam, only to get caught with the Cactus Special 97. Deaner’s discus lariat hits Santino but he wants Callihan to finish him off. Callihan is handed the baseball bat….and he hits Deaner with it (thank goodness). Callihan gives him the thumbs down and walks out, leaving Santino to hit the Cobra for the pin on Deaner at 10:40.

Rating: C+. Pretty basic six man with the focus being on Santino and Callihan. That isn’t the most thrilling match but the fans being into it helped things a lot. At the very least, we’re done with the idiotic Seven Deadly Whatevers for Callihan, meaning we can finally move on to ANYTHING else. Not a great match but the fans liked it enough so it could have been a lot worse.

Tommy Dreamer is sad about his mother’s health but wants to be here anyway to fight in her honor. Dreamer is leaving a bit after tonight, but he’s ready to fight with the people he loves.

We recap PCO vs. Eddie Edwards. Eddie turned on PCO during the Honor No More days, sending PCO into a quest for revenge. For some reason Eddie has tried to bury PCO multiple times, which has been as bad of an idea as it has sounded. Now PCO wants to end Eddie for good in a Last Rites match.

Eddie Edwards vs. PCO

Last Rites (casket) match with Alisha Edwards in Eddie’s corner. PCO wastes no time in diving onto Edwards and the fight is on outside. Edwards gets in a shot though and hits his own dive to take over. They get inside for the first time, where PCO hits a running corner clothesline and a DDT.

The middle rope legdrop hits Edwards again and the Deanimator makes it worse. Back in and a chokeshove sends Edwards right back to the floor but it’s too early for the casket. Edwards gets in a shot to the arm and yep that’s dislocated. A German suplex and superkick don’t make things better for PCO so he goes outside…and slams the shoulder into the post to pop it back in.

They chop it out (with PCO opening his vest to make it easier) and Edwards is in trouble again. The PCOsault connects and Edwards gets chokeslammed onto the apron for another painful crash. Edwards gets in a shot of his own and smashes a kendo stick over PCO’s head. The Boston Knee Party connects but PCO pops back up. Cue Alisha with a shovel to the back for no avail, leaving PCO to chokeslam Eddie into the casket for the win at 13:46.

Rating: B-. PCO is not an overly complicated idea and sometimes that is what you need. In his case, you have a monster who is going to hurt people and is nearly unstoppable, which is exactly what you had here. I’m not sure what is next for PCO, but Edwards needs to go away for the time being while PCO moves off to something else. Good brawl here though, with PCO’s monster offense being great.

Trey Miguel’s promo….cannot be heard as there is no sound.

We recap Trey Miguel defending the X-Division Title against Mike Bailey and Jonathan Gresham. In short, two challengers, stupid champion, interference, triple threat results.

X-Division Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending in an elimination match. They go with some three way grappling to start and that’s good for a three way standoff. Gresham and Bailey double hiptoss Miguel for a double two before Miguel is smart enough to bail to the ramp. The other two get to fight a bit until Miguel comes back in with an enziguri to Gresham.

Bailey is back up with a missile dropkick to Gresham and the standing shooting star gets two on Miguel. Bailey Indian Deathlocks Gresham and suplexes Miguel at the same time to crank on the leg even harder. Miguel gets dropped again and the challengers get to slug it out. Bailey poisonranas Gresham and crashes outside with Miguel in a big heap. Gresham dives onto Miguel but Bailey dives onto both of them to take over again.

Miguel cutters Bailey down and hits a big running version over the top for two on Gresham inside. Gresham is fine enough to Figure Four Bailey (that won’t work) but Miguel breaks it up with a top rope Meteora to eliminate Gresham at 9:45. Miguel figures Bailey’s four and they chop it out with the hold still on.

Bailey finally breaks out and wins a chop off until he kicks Miguel in the face. A standing flipping slam gives Bailey two and there’s the tornado kick. The Ultimate Weapon misses so Bailey sends him outside for the standing moonsault knees. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon only hits mat, allowing Miguel to roll him up with trunks to retain at 13:53.

Rating: B. Good, fast paced match here which shouldn’t be a surprise, much like holding Bailey in a pair of Figure Fours for two minutes straight making him do more flips and kicks. That is just something you know is coming from Bailey but at least now we get to move on to more of Miguel as champion. His time as champion is getting to be impressive as he is getting into the all time ranks and that can make for some very fun times.

We recap Team Bully vs. Team Dreamer. This is all about Bully Ray vs. Tommy Dreamer, which has been going on for about six months now. Ray pretended to be good, Dreamer wasn’t sure, Ray revealed he was evil, it’s time for a big fight with friends because they used to be around each other in ECW.

Team Bully vs. Team Dreamer

Bully Ray, Moose, Brian Myers, Masha Slamovich, Kenny King
Tommy Dreamer, Killer Kelly, Yuya Uemura, Frankie Kazarian, Bhupinder Gujjar

It’s basically WarGames without the cage, with the first two entrants in for three minutes. Then Team Bully (thanks to winning a match on Impact) gets an advantage for ninety seconds. All ten have to get in and then it’s first pin or submission, anything goes. Moose starts for Team Bully and Frankie Kazarian starts for Team Dreamer.

Kazarian starts fast by throwing a trashcan at Moose’s head and we’re ready to go. Moose fires back with a chop and they head outside, where Kazarian sets up a table. We’ll save that for later though as they head back inside, with Kazarian sending him into the corner. Brian Myers is in to give Ray the advantage and he sets up another table next to the first.

Bhupinder Gujjar evens things up and goes after Myers to give Kazarian a breather. The cheese grater to the head has Myers busted open (good thing he is in a white shirt) and Moose gets trashcan lidded down. Kenny King is in to uneven things again and house is quickly cleaned. Moose hits Gujjar in the head with a bottle of water and Killer Kelly makes it 3-3. That means a staple gun to Myers’ head and another shot between Moose’s legs. Then Kelly staples her own head and it’s Masha Slamovich in to give the villains control again.

Everyone else is knocked down and it’s Myers alone to face Yuya Uemura as things are evened up. The good guys clear the ring again and it’s Bully Ray to complete his own team. Ray is smart enough to take his time so the rest of his team can get back up and jump Team Dreamer. Kelly is held down but it’s Dreamer to even things up with the kendo stick. Dreamer goes after the leg….and everyone else gets involved for a ten person chain submission for quite the visual.

Kelly and Slamovich have a chair duel until Ray shoves Kelly off the top. Moose spears Ray by mistake and Uemura hits Moose with a high crossbody. The Killer Klutch has King in trouble but Slamovich breaks it up and Snow Plows Kelly. Dreamer piledrives Slamovich but here are the Good Hands to jump him.

Kazarian breaks that up and let’s bring in a ladder. The Good Hands come back in to go after Kelly, who beats them up like the goons they are. Kazarian cutters Skyler through the tables at ringside but Ray low blows Dreamer inside. Another table is set up….and here are a bunch of referees to beat Ray up for revenge from the last few weeks. Dreamer drops Ray and, with the referees holding the ladder, goes up to splash Ray through said table for the win at 25:07.

Rating: C. What is there to say here? You have a bunch of other people there to keep everyone else warm for the sake of Ray vs. Dreamer. This is a feud that has been going on for months for reasons I still don’t quite get, but hopefully this should wrap it up. The hardcore stuff was kind of there but it was all basic stuff with only a few spots of note. It was fine enough and far better than Ray vs. Dreamer on their own, but it has been a story that wasn’t interesting for months and wasn’t much better here in the blowoff.

We recap the World title match. Josh Alexander had to vacate the title after about a year long reign, setting up #1 contender Steve Maclin vs. Kushida, the best remaining option. There isn’t much heat on the match, but it is a case where they didn’t have another choice and are doing the best they can.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Kushida vs. Steve Maclin

For the vacant title and former World Champion Nick Aldis is here as a surprise guest commentator. Aldis says he is officially back in Impact, which is better than nothing for him. Kushida goes right at him to start fast but it’s way too early for the Hoverboard Lock. Back up and Kushida rides him into a headlock without much trouble as Maclin can’t get anything going here.

Kushida can’t hit the basement dropkick so he takes it over into a wristlock instead. The Hoverboard Lock is blocked again and this time Maclin sends him throat first into the top rope to take over. A backbreaker gives Maclin two and Kushida’s back is sent into the post. They head outside with Maclin grabbing a suplex and dropping an elbow off the apron, though he might have banged up his knee in the process.

We hit the chinlock with a knee in Kushida’s back as Maclin certainly has a target. An Angle Slam is blocked though and Kushida hits a running kick to the arm. A discus forearm sets up the small package driver to give Kushida two but Maclin is fine enough to crotch him on top. They go to the ramp where Kushida hits a running shot to the arm but said arm is fine enough for a German suplex back inside.

A buckle bomb into a sitout powerbomb gives Maclin two and he puts Kushida on top. That is hardly the best idea as Kushida pulls him down into a cross armbreaker. Maclin gets over to the rope for the break and they crash out to the floor again. Back in and Maclin’s spear in the corner sets up the KIA for two, leaving Maclin frustrated.

Maclin goes up top but dives into the Hoverboard Lock, only to break it up with some forearms to the head. Another Hoverboard Lock goes on but Maclin reverses into a Death Valley Driver into the corner. Kushida gets the Hoverboard Lock AGAIN, only to have Maclin reverse into another KIA for the pin and the title at 18:27.

Rating: B. That was about the only way they could go as Kushida was a filler opponent for Maclin. That isn’t something they could really get around given the circumstances and it wound up being a rather good match anyway. Maclin has been built up to be champion for months now and it was the only conclusion they had here. Kushida going for the arm time after time but having Maclin escape it at every turn worked well. They were limited in what they could do and made it work as well as possible.

Post match Maclin insists that Scott D’Amore come out and hand him the title. D’Amore does so and gets hit in the face with the belt. Nick Aldis gets in and glares Maclin off. Aldis works just fine for a first challenger, as Maclin has already run through a lot of the other options.

Here are some upcoming major events. Multiverse United 2 is on August 20.

We recap the Knockouts Title match. Again the champion, Mickie James in this case, was forced to vacate the title due to injury so we have the #1 contender and a former champion fighting for the title.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace

For the vacant title. They shake hands to start and Grace grinds away on a headlock. Purrazzo cranks away on the arm and has Grace in some early pain. Some armdrags into a running hurricanrana has Grace in more trouble but she sends Purrazzo outside. That means a dropkick through the ropes and a Jackhammer on the floor as Purrazzo is rocked.

A rather stalled suplex gives Grace a slightly delayed two but she has to roll out of a Fujiwara armbar. The Queen’s Gambit on the ramp is broken up so Purrazzo settles for a moonsault to the floor instead. Back in and the Queen’s Gambit is broken up again but Purrazzo is able to grab a Koji Clutch.

Grace powers out and drops her hard with a Vertebreaker for all things for two. The Grace Driver is blocked and she pulls Purrazzo into a rear naked choke. They trade some strikes but Purrazzo pulls her into the Fujiwara armbar. Make that the Venus De Milo but a foot on the rope is good for the break. Back up and Grace’s spinebuster gets two, followed by a Grace Driver for the same (as Rehwoldt is getting into these near falls). Purrazzo counters a superplex into a sunset bomb, setting up the Queen’s Gambit for the pin and the title at 17:06.

Rating: B. This is an interesting way to go as I would have expected Grace to win but Purrazzo is a completely acceptable choice as well. Grace had held the title for a long time until James took it off of her but it has been a bit since Purrazzo. They could go quite an interesting direction with Purrazzo fighting off some challengers and hurting some arms, so this was certainly a smart idea. It was a good match as well, similar to Kushida vs. Maclin actually, but with the submission holds having more success until Purrazzo managed to pull it off.

They hug to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. They were in a rough place here as the two biggest matches had stories thrown together over the last two weeks. That left the main story of Bully Ray vs. Tommy Dreamer with four friends each. Given what they had, they had put on a rather strong show, which has been the case for their bigger events in recent memory. Good show here, and worth some extra praise all things considered.

Results
Champagne Singh/Shera b. Heath/Rhino – Rollup to Heath
The Coven b. Death Dollz – Swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker to Rosemary
Bullet Club b. Motor City Machine Guns – Bey pulled down the titles
Santino Marella/Dirty Dango/Joe Hendry b. The Design/Callihan – Cobra to Deaner
PCO b. Eddie Edwards – Chokeslam into the casket
Trey Miguel b. Jonathan Gresham and Mike Bailey – Rollup with trunks to Bailey
Team Dreamer b. Team Bully – Splash through a table to Ray
Steve Maclin b. Kushida – KIA
Deonna Purrazzo b. Jordynne Grace – Queen’s Gambit

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 13, 2023
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

The road to Rebellion end this week and that means it is time to finish off the build towards the show. In this case it means we are going to be seeing more build towards the new World Title match of Kushida vs. Steve Maclin. This week will also see what happens with Mickie James and the Knockouts Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Kenny King vs. Frankie Kazarian

The winner gets the advantage in the Hardcore War at Rebellion and the other teams are at ringside. They fight over a lockup to start until Kazarian snaps off some chops. King cuts him off though and starts hammering away in the corner to take over. A backbreaker gives King two and we hit the one armed camel clutch. Kazarian breaks it up and makes the clothesline comeback, capped off by a running forearm.

The springboard spinning legdrop gives Kazarian two but King is back with a tiger driver for the same. King sends him to the floor but Kazarian comes back in with a slingshot cutter for two. The brawl on the floor finally breaks out as Kazarian gets the chickenwing. Cue Brian Myers for a distraction, allowing Moose to spear Kazarian down for the pin at 8:18.

Rating: B-. These two were having a good match until the screwy ending, which was quite the twist as Myers and Moose haven’t had anything to do with this feud so far. They would be an upgrade over the Good Hands for the match but that might be asking too much. For now though, I’ll settle for talented wrestlers having a good match to open the show, as is the norm around here.

Post match the beatdown is on and Team Dreamer is left laying.

Earlier tonight, Steve Maclin interrupted the Canadian National Anthem. Kushida made the save and cleaned house in a brawl.

Lince Dorado vs. Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rich Swann

Crazzy Steve handles Taurus’ intro. Taurus sends everyone to the floor to start and hits the big dive, only to have a triple superkick send him to the floor. That means the dives can take him out and leave everyone down as we take a break. Back with Taurus launching Dorado onto the top, where he can superplex Kid (while on top of Taurus’ shoulders for a crazy visual).

Back up and Kid hits a springboard armdrag to Swann, followed by a double Golden Rewind from Dorado. Taurus is back in to clean house, including a heck of a pop up Samoan drop to Dorado. That’s not enough as Taurus powerbombs Kid onto Swann at ringside. Taurus cleans house and goes up, only to have Kid catch him with a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 10:44.

Rating: B-. This might not have broken the mold for a match like this but they did their thing well. Kid has felt like he should be the next breakout star in the division almost every time he is around but nothing has ever really clicked. It seems like they’re trying it again and pinning Taurus is certainly a good way to start. Taurus got to show off again here and that power is always worth a look. Fun match, as expected.

Long video on the Bullet Club vs. the Motor City Machine Guns in Ultimate X for the Tag Team Titles.

Jessicka and Rosemary want to go to the Undead Realm to get Taya Valkyrie back but Rosemary says she’s going alone because Jessicka doesn’t know how to do it. She opens the coffin….but it’s just a regular one instead of the portal. The Coven must be behind this!

Jessicka vs. Taylor Wilde

Rosemary and KiLynn King are here too. Hold on as Wilde gives Jessicka a tarot card to start so Jessicka shows it to Rosemary. That lets Wilde jump her from behind so Jessicka says STOP HITTING ME. Jessicka misses a charge and gets choked in the corner before a Backstabber brings Jessicka down again. Back up and some jabs stagger Wilde, setting up a running crossbody for two. Rosemary and King get into it, allowing Wilde to slip out of a Sick Driver and grab a fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C. The more I see of Wilde, the more amazed I am by the fact that she is the same woman who came back to almost no reaction last year. This is a completely different way to go for her and it is working rather well. The Coven has been a nice breath of air for the division and I could go for them holding the titles that much longer.

Jordynne Grace is ready for the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion but she can’t control what happens with Mickie James. She can control winning though.

Alisha Edwards is glad to have brought Eddie Edwards back to the right path. Now they want to get rid of the monster blocking his path.

Dirty Dango/Joe Hendry vs. Angels/Callihan

Before the match, Hendry confirms our belief in him. The rest of the Design is here too because what would it be like without the rest of them. Callihan suplexes Hendry for a fast two so Angels comes in, only to get suplexed as well. Dango comes in for the Dirtbag Shuffle but Angels takes him down. Callihan is whipped into Angels though and it’s back to Dango to clean house. Kon grabs the leg though and it’s a standing Sliced Bread to drop Hendry. A frog splash gets two, with Hendry making the save. Callihan hits Angels by mistake so Deaner stops to yell, leaving Hendry to hit the Standing Ovation for the pin at 4:39.

Rating: C. Egads I don’t know how much more I can take of this story. It feels like it has been going on forever and the Design somehow gets lamer every single week. Just get to someone turning on someone so they can have their big violent match and we can move on. Dango continues to do fine in his role and it’s nice to see him getting away from the dancing stuff. Hendry continues to be awesome and that’s all he needs to be.

Post match the Design jumps them again, until Santino Marella comes out for the save. This includes the Cobra because….oh my head hurts again.

Video on Steve Maclin vs. Kushida.

PCO promises to bury Eddie Edwards in a Last Rites match at Rebellion.

Bully Ray introduces Moose and Brian Myers as new members of his now seven person army. They’re ready for Rebellion and promise destruction because they’re family. Keep in mind that this is all to destroy TOMMY DREAMER.

Gisele Shaw vs. Tasha Steelz

Jai Vidal and Savannah Evans are here with Shaw. Steelz scares her to the floor to start before Steelz slaps her in the face back inside. That sends Shaw back to the floor and we take a break. Back with Shaw slapping her in the face as the theme continues. Steelz chops away but Shawn knocks her outside, where Evans hits a chokeslam onto the apron.

A snap suplex gives Shaw two more and we hit the reverse chinlock. With that broken up, Shaw hits a double jumping stomp in the corner and we take another break. Back again with Shaw hitting a running jumping uppercut for two more, followed by a swinging suplex for the same.

Steelz fights up and hits an ax handle into an atomic drop into a…completely missed jumping neckbreaker. Shaw’s belly to back toss sets up a running shot to the back of the head for two. The annoyed Shaw stomps away in the corner before they head outside for a slugout. Steelz sends her into the steps but misses a running knee, which only hits said steps. Back in and Steelz kicks the knee out for the pin at 21:23.

Rating: C+. Something tells me we didn’t miss much between those breaks as I have a hard time believing that these two had a pay per view main event length match out of nowhere. It wouldn’t surprise me if this had to be extended due to the Mickie James injury and if that is the case, they did rather well in an area they probably haven’t been in before.

Mickie James tells Santino Marella that the doctor has given her a diagnosis of her rib injury.

The fans leave the arena for Mickie’s announcement. I’m assuming this is to avoid the announcement getting out, but it comes off like some tragedy.

Rebellion rundown. Apparently Brian Myers and Moose are taking the Good Hands’ spots on Team Bully. At least they don’t have to find two more people for Team Dreamer.

Video on Mickie James’ Last Rodeo and path to winning the Knockouts Title again, plus Jordynne Grace and Deonna Purrazzo waiting for their shots.

Here is Mickie for her big announcement. When she started the Last Rodeo, she wanted to show that she still had it and that is what she did. At some point, every champion has to lose and she can handle some of that, but she can’t fight age. There is a difference between her and most of the division, but she feels like she is 20.

The fact that she isn’t makes this even worse and she thanks everyone for this Last Rodeo. She just got off the phone with the doctor though and she isn’t cleared to compete at Rebellion. She is a woman of her word and it is Deonna and Jordynne’s (watching in the back) time now. Mickie leaves the title, and her hat, in the ring and leaves. Grace leaves and Deonna looks on to end the show. This felt a lot like a retirement speech, but retiring over a broken bone feels like quite the stretch. James should be back and probably will, as ending a legendary career over something that will heal in a month or two is nuts.

Overall Rating: B-. The Mickie angle at the end was actually emotional and felt like a huge deal, which should set up the Knockouts Title match that much better. Other than that, the card for Rebellion was already mostly set coming into this show so there only so much that needed to be done. This show did well enough with the little that it had to cover, so nice job on hammering things down on the go home show.

Results
Kenny King b. Frankie Kazarian – Spear from Moose
Laredo Kid b. Black Taurus, Lince Dorado and Rich Swann – Super Spanish Fly to Taurus
Taylor Wilde b. Jessicka – Fisherman’s neckbreaker
Dirty Dango/Joe Hendry b. Callihan/Angels – Standing Ovation to Angels
Tasha Steelz b. Gisele Shaw – Kick to the knee

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 6, 2023
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Multiverse United and that means we are on the way to Rebellion. However, this time we are going to have to stop for the sake of Josh Alexander vacating the World Title due to injury. There is a new main event of Kushida vs. Steve Maclin for the vacant title at Rebellion, which should be good but won’t feel as special. Let’s get to it.

Here is Multiverse United if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Josh Alexander’s World Title reign and his injury, which may have been exacerbated by Kushida’s Hoverboard Lock in a recent match.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. TMDK

That would be Shane Haste/Bad Dude Tito for TMDK. Everything breaks down fast and the Guns send them to the floor, setting up the stereo dives. Back in and Skull & Bones is broken up, allowing Hates to take over on Shelley. Tito comes in to chop away for two and it’s right back to Haste for the neck crank.

A Downward Spiral into the corner gets Shelley out of trouble and Sabin comes in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Guns take over, including a dive and a bunch of kicks. Back in and a toss Blue Thunder Bomb is broken up and it’s the Dream Sequence to Tito. A crucifix from Shelley into a rollup from Sabin finishes Haste at 7:46.

Rating: C+. These teams work well together, which shouldn’t be a surprise as the Guns can work with just about anyone. Haste and Tito have been around a little bit more frequently and what I’ve seen has worked. That being said, it’s a rather little bit so they have a ways to go before they really get anywhere.

Post match the Guns go to the back where they run into the Bullet Club, who can work their way up to another title shot. The Guns say they’ve already got a title match at Rebellion so let’s make it an Ultimate X match. If the Guns can make it happen, the Club is in.

Eddie Edwards makes sure Kenny King has his back against PCO tonight. King wants to know where Edwards was when he was fighting PCO, so no he doesn’t have Edwards’ back. He also makes it clear that he wasn’t the one driving the car that ran over PCO.

Tommy Dreamer comes up to see Scott D’Amore about being on his team at Rebellion. Dreamer sucks up to him but D’Amore says his job is back here.

Mike Bailey vs. Jonathan Gresham

The winner gets a shot at X-Division Champion Trey Miguel, on commentary, at Rebellion. They stare each other down to start and we get a handshake. They fight over a wristlock with neither getting very far. Instead Bailey backs him into the corner before a double collision puts them both down. We take a break and come back with Bailey missing a running shooting star press, setting up a pinfall reversal sequence. They go head to head and then chop it out until Gresham knocks him to the floor.

Back in and Gresham rolls him up for two but a flipping slam gives Bailey two more. Gresham grabs a not great looking Figure Four and they roll around until they fall under the bottom rope to break it up. After being in a Figure Four for over a minute, Bailey is fine enough to hit a top rope springboard moonsault to the floor. Bailey yells at Miguel, which is enough to draw him in for a springboard double dropkick for the double DQ at 13:09.

Rating: B-. Miguel came in just before Bailey could go insane with the no selling of the leg and that is fine enough. You can pencil in the triple threat for Rebellion from here and that isn’t the worst idea. Gresham and Bailey have had a rivalry going on and there is no reason to have one of them go over the other for a title shot. If nothing else, we continue the tradition of a champion not getting the problem of a double DQ in a #1 contenders match, so at least something is consistent.

Post match Miguel indicates he’s smart. I’m sure.

Deaner is impressed Callihan has made it this far and talks about Callihan doing well in step six. Then Callihan cost them a match against Time Machine, which Callihan finds ridiculous. It’s time for step seven, which involves getting rid of all other authority in Callihan’s life except for the Design. He can figure out how to do that. This remains one of the worst things in wrestling today.

Santino Marella makes the triple threat match for the X-Division Title at Rebellion. We’ll even make it elimination style.

Jody Threat vs. Tara Rising

The fact that Rising has hair ala mid 1990s HHH is just a coincidence I assure you. Threat grabs a headlock to start as we see Santino Marella down in the back. A running clothesline and uppercut stagger Rising before some standing clotheslines rock Rising again. Some more clotheslines set up the double knees to the back and a German suplex drops Rising again. An F5 (the F416, the local area code) finishes Rising at 3:08.

Rating: C-. This didn’t work very well as Threat wasn’t exactly impressive. She felt like almost anyone who would fit in with almost any low level indy promotion who needs a stereotypical intense woman. Maybe this was just a tryout or something but Threat didn’t really stand out in any good way here.

In the back, Scott D’Amore checks on Santino Marella, with Dirty Dango saying the Design did this. Dango thinks that since Marella is out of action (as he sits there wide awake), he should be in charge. Instead, D’Amore says that Dango and Joe Hendry should face the Design. Marella says this is a chance to show his son how to stand up for himself, so he’ll fight the Design at Rebellion. Because of course he will.

Gisele Shaw, Jai Vidal and Savannah Evans interrupt Tasha Steelz. Shaw isn’t happy with Steelz interrupting her and a match is set for next week.

Bully Ray/Good Hands vs. Tommy Dreamer/Yuya Uemura/Darren McCarty

McCarty is a former NHL player who got in a fight with Ray at Sacrifice. Skyler slugs away at Dreamer to start to no avail, so Uemura comes in for a double hiptoss. The jumping elbow drop gives Uemura two before it’s off to Hotch, who gets armbarred down. A cheap shot takes Dreamer down though and the double villain choking ensues. Dreamer finally DDTs his way out of trouble and it’s McCarty coming in to clean house. McCarty clears the ring before hitting a Stunner on Hotch for the pin at 5:47.

Rating: C. The match was nothing to see but rather a way to have McCarty in there for something a bit special. That’s all it needed to be and McCarty didn’t take up too much time. If nothing else, it meant we didn’t have to hear Dreamer and Ray talk again for a week so I’ll call that one a success.

Post match Kenny King runs in to go after Dreamer, drawing in Frankie Kazarian, Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly in a row. Dreamer, Kelly, Uemura and Kazarian clear the ring as we seem to have a Team Dreamer for Rebellion.

Video on Josh Alexander’s World Title reign.

Jordynne Grace did well in a bodybuilding competition.

We look at Deonna Purrazzo qualifying for the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion.

Purrazzo talks about how rough of a time she has had in the last year but now she has a chance to get back to the top.

Eddie Edwards vs. PCO

PCO puts him on the top rope to start and snaps off a super hurricanrana as we take a break. Back with Edwards not being able to hit a tiger driver on the floor but settling for a superplex instead. A chop out goes to PCO and he choke shoves Edwards to the floor. The suicide cannonball plants Edwards again and a chokeslam onto the apron sends us to another break.

Back again with PCO hitting the Deanimator but Edwards pulls the referee in front of a charge. PCO goes up top but here is Alisha Edwards to beg him no on the PCOsault. Then she kendo sticks him in the head so Eddie can hit a buckle bomb. The Boston Knee Party finishes PCO at 16:45.

Rating: C+. PCO can still do some crazy things in the ring but at least the ending seems to explain who was driving the car. If nothing else, this ties up the on again/off again deal with Alisha and Eddie, which does at least offer something different for Eddie. You know there’s going to be some wacky match at Rebellion and that could at least be a lot of fun.

Post match PCO gives chase but Edwards and Edwards escape in their car.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Here is Scott D’Amore, with Kushida and Steve Maclin here as well, to accept Josh Alexander’s World Title. D’Amore talks about how great Alexander has been as champion and hypes up a new champion being crowned at Rebellion. Here’s Alexander, with his wife and son, to talk about opportunities. He toiled on the Canadian independent scene to get a chance and then D’Amore offered him a contract.

Alexander has worked so hard in and out of the ring to pay people like D’Amore back. His work ethic has brought him this far and he stands here the longest reigning World Champion in Impact’s history. At Rebellion, there will be a new champion crowned and we’ll find out if Maclin has what it takes. Alexander promises to get the title back and goes to hand it over….and then his son takes the title.

After a NEW CHAMP chant, the title is handed over to D’Amore but Maclin says just hand it to him because he was going to win it at Rebellion. D’Amore goes off on Maclin for going after an injured Alexander, because if Maclin was a real man, he would have accepted the open challenge like Mike Bailey did. Maclin isn’t a real man and a few weeks ago, Kushida made him tap out. Maclin calls out Kushida, who pulls him into the Hoverboard Lock and sends him running before holding up the title. Kushida hands the title back to D’Amore to end the show. They did what they could with what they had here so this could have been worse.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another standard Impact show with enough good action and building towards the future. The Alexander segment was doing as well as could be expected given some horrible circumstances that aren’t Impact’s fault so I’ll take what I can get. Other than that, they’re getting Rebellion ready and we might even be seeing less from Santino Marella week to week. I’ll call that a win so it’s another nice week around here.

Results
Motor City Machine Guns b. TMDK – Rollup to Haste
Mike Bailey vs. Jonathan Gresham went to a double DQ when Trey Miguel interfered
Jody Threat b. Tara Rising – F416
Darren McCarty/Tommy Dreamer/Yuya Uemura b. Bully Ray/Good Hands – Stunner to Hotch
Eddie Edwards b. PCO – Boston Knee Party

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

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Multiverse United
Date: March 30, 2023
Location: Globe Theater, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan, Ian Riccaboni

This is a special show as we have New Japan vs. Impact Wrestling, quite a bit of which will be built around title matches. The card is pretty stacked but injuries to Josh Alexander and Mickie James are going to slow things down a bit. I’m curious to see where some of these matches go and that is a great feeling. Let’s get to it.

Pre-show: Yuya Uemura vs. Gabriel Kidd

They fight over a lockup to start with Kidd grabbing a headlock. Uemura can’t get away until Kidd flips him into the ropes for the break. Back up and they fight over wrist control until Uemura pulls him into an armbar. That’s broken up too and Kidd shoves him off the top for a crash. Kidd strikes away for two but Uemura bulldogs his way out of trouble. Uemura starts in on the arm until a choke slows him way down. That earns Kidd a shot to the face though, setting up a high crossbody to give Uemura the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C. Not much to see here but this was just a way to get some wrestling in the ring to wake the fans up. It was short and to the point with two guys that have just enough notoriety to have a bit of interest. Uemura has a bigger name though and seems a bit more polished, which is why you’ll probably be hearing more from him sooner.

The opening video talks about how the companies are coming together and only the strong survive.

X-Division Title: Rich Swann vs. Kevin Knight vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Clark Connors vs. Rocky Romero vs. Trey Miguel

Miguel is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Everyone goes after Miguel to start and we get a six way headlock because scramble. A bunch of armdrags ensue and everyone tries a dropkick at the same time. Miguel snaps off some armdrags but gets quadruple dropkicked out to the floor. Swann and Knight clear the ring with Swann taking him down as well.

Now it’s Kazarian coming in to take over until Knight dropkicks him out of the air for two. Miguel manages to Tower Of Doom everyone but Swann, who comes in with a top rope splash to Miguel for a bonus. Romero is back up with the Forever Lariats until Connors spears a bunch of people. A middle rope spear knocks Knight out of the air but Miguel steals the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. This was all about getting a bunch of people in there at once, allowing them to do their thing in fast forward. Miguel stealing the pin fits him well and it isn’t exactly shocking to have him get beaten up after his heel stuff has gone so well. Connors got to show off a bit here and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him become a thing down the line.

Commentary runs down the card.

Eddie Edwards/Tom Lawlor/JR Kratos/Joe Hendry vs. PCO/Fred Rosser/Sami Callihan/Alex Coughlin

Before the match, Hendry says it doesn’t matter which language we speak, because WE BELIEVE. Edwards and PCO slug it out to start before it’s off to Lawlor vs. Rosser (a long feud in New Japan Strong). With Lawlor down, Hendry comes in and gets pounded down. Hendry and Coughlin fight over a suplex before Kratos comes in for the strike off.

Coughlin manages a suplex so PCO comes in to chop away at Kratos. Everything breaks down in a hurry until Callihan is left alone to clothesline Lawlor. PCO’s dive is cut off by Kratos, who hits his own dive. That leaves PCO to hit the big dive off the top onto everyone else at once.

Back in and PCO clotheslines Hendry before Rosser drives Edwards into the corner. A northern lights suplex sets up a chickenwing but Lawlor makes the save. We hit the parade of finishers until PCO is left alone with Kratos. They slug it out until a reverse DDT and PCOsault finishes Kratos at 12:27.

Rating: C+. Much like the opener, this was about getting as many people on the show as they could at once with some feuds mixed together in the middle. PCO as the unstoppable monster makes all the sense in the world, though Rosser got a very nice showcase here too. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get a chance to show up on a bigger stage soon.

We recap Moose vs. Jeff Cobb. They’re both big and strong so it’s hoss fight time.

Moose vs. Jeff Cobb

The much taller Moose can’t get anywhere with a headlock but Cobb’s shoulders don’t do much either. Moose shoves him away for a bit and they take turns chopping away in the corner. Cobb takes over and stands on Moose’s back to mock the Moose pose. Moose knocks him into the corner for a hesitation dropkick and the corner chokebomb gets two.

That’s fine with Cobb, who catches him with an apron superplex for a double knockdown. The slugout sets up a double clothesline into a double nipup before they knock each other to the floor. Back in and Moose catches him on top and jumps up for the superplex. The spear misses so Moose jumps up to the top for a high crossbody. Cobb shrugs that off though and muscles him up for the Tour of the Islands and the pin at 11:52.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need two big guys to beat on each other for a little while until one of them can’t get up. This was exactly what you got here and Moose putting Cobb over is a bit surprising. Cobb is a heck of a monster and it was cool to see him throwing Moose around. Fun match here and it was exactly what was advertised as being.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Masha Slamovich vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita

The winner is in the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion with Mickie James, on commentary, possibly being in as well if her ribs heals in time. They stare at each other to start with Shaw bailing out to the floor. Slamovich goes out with her so it’s down to Purrazzo vs. Miyu. The big kick doesn’t work for Miyu but Shaw pulls Purrazzo to the floor.

Back in and Shaw loses a strike off with Miyu and Slamovich is there for a dive. Shawn dives onto them as well (Mickie: “I legit screamed, I am so sorry.”) but Slamovich runs her over inside. Miyu is back in to run people over and slug it out with Purrazzo. Everyone is down and goes to a corner before coming out for a pair of slugouts.

Purrazzo’s Fujiwara armbar is broken up and Slamovich hits a middle rope Canadian Destroyer to plant Shaw. Purrazzo rolls some German suplexes on Slamovich but the Queen’s Gambit is countered into the Skull Kick. Shaw makes a save but the Queen’s Gambit gives Purrazzo a title shot at Rebellion.

Rating: B-. This was another match with everyone working well together and Purrazzo, by far the most accomplished regular around here, getting the win. Miyu didn’t get to do much in here but Slamovich had the power and Shaw held her own, making for a nice combination here. Now can we please have some more singles matches instead of a bunch of people in the ring at once?

The Bullet Club (Ace Austin/Chris Bey) say they have lost a few matches, but they’re a different team now.

Tag Team Titles: TMDK vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Aussie Open vs. Chris Bey/Ace Austin

Austin and Bey (of the Bullet Club) are defending, this is one fall to a finish and the Guns’ Strong Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Haste (of TMDK, along with Bad Dude Tito) starts things off with Alex Shelley. The Guns and TMDK all come in and everything breaks down in a hurry. Back in and Haste has to slip out of Skull & Bones and it’s Tito stomping on Shelley.

Haste comes back in and kicks/dances before handing it back to Tito for the missed top rope splash. Bey gets the tag and Code Reds Haste for two, only to get chopped down by the Aussies. A suplex drops Bey but he ducks the Aussies’ double clothesline, allowing the tag off to Austin.

Sabin comes back in to start striking away at Fletcher and we hit the parade of dives to the floor. Back in and Davis saves Fletcher, setting up an assisted standing Iconoclasm for two. Coriolis is broken up and the Dream Sequence hits Fletcher. Tito plants Bey for two but the Club is back up with 1-2-Sweet to Haste to retain at 13:26.

Rating: B-. The Club gets to retain to prove that they are a different team than they were when they first got together. They are a great example of a team who was put together and then made something of it so well done all around. The Guns are the Guns and the Aussies will have their day, but Tito and Haste showed themselves well here and should have a nice future as well.

Mick Foley wants you to come to Dresselmania III (a charity dress/story show).

Kushida vs. Lio Rush

Rush is replacing an injured Josh Alexander. Kushida goes to the mat and Rush bails into the corner before doing his running and dodging. The handspring kick to the head sends Rush outside and a dropkick through the ropes hits him again. Kushida follows and gets caught in a hurricanrana but a kick to Rush’s arm cuts him off again back inside. Said arm is snapped around the bottom rope and cranked on in various ways, setting up a weird standing hammerlock.

Rush manages to send him outside though and that means a suicide dive. Back in and the Final Hour misses, meaning it’s a double strike to put both of them down. They get up and Rush has to power out of the Hoverboard Lock before kicking Kushida’s head off. A poisonrana into the springboard Stunner gets two on Kushida, who is right back for the Hoverboard Lock for the tap at 12:43.

Rating: B. Kushida has long been my favorite New Japan star and he was able to work well with Rush here. Rush may not have the best attitude and there will often be drama with everything he does but he can move around the ring like almost no one else. Heck of a match here as Kushida kept slowing him down and reeled him in until he got the tap.

We recap Kenta defending the Strong Openweight Title against Minoru Suzuki. Kenta lost to him in the New Japan Cup and Suzuki wants revenge for being disrespected a few years ago.

Strong Openweight Title: Kenta vs. Minoru Suzuki

Kenta is defending and you can lose the title by DQ (as is normally the rule for the title). Feeling out process to start with Kenta bailing into the ropes. Some kicks stagger Kenta and Suzuki gets in a leg choke on the ropes. They brawl on the floor with Suzuki getting posted a few times and kicked up against the barricade.

Kenta gets the better of things and takes it back inside for the strike off. Suzuki gets knocked down and we hit the chinlock. The comeback earns Suzuki some kicks to the chest but Suzuki starts going after the ankle. Kenta cuts that off with a DDT and they forearm it out again.

They kick it out with Kenta getting the better of things, setting up the hesitation dropkick in the corner. The top rope double stomp gets two on Suzuki but the GTS is countered into a sleeper. With that broken up and nothing else working, Kenta shoves the referee down, goes low, and grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin to retain the title at 15:27.

Rating: B-. They beat on each other for a good while here but the ending didn’t exactly click. It felt like they were told to go home out of nowhere and did the most basic, quick ending that they could. Kenta is a great weasel heel though and it was nice to see Suzuki hit him, but Kenta keeping the title makes more sense.

Post match Suzuki has to be kept away from Kenta again.

We recap the main event, with Mike Bailey challenging Hiroshi Tanahashi because Tanahashi is still the best.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Mike Bailey

They shake hands to start and Tanahashi backs him into the corner for a shot to the ribs. That lets Tanahashi get in the air guitar but Bailey is back up with the bouncing kicks. Tanahashi goes after the knee (I think this might be a waste of time) with a chop block and some kicks to said knee in the corner.

Bailey is fine enough to knock him away and hit a missile dropkick, setting up the running shooting star press for two. Tanahashi is back with a knockdown and a flipping splash for two of his own. A dragon screw legwhip over the ropes slows Bailey down a bit so Tanahashi does it again.

Bailey avoids a charge and hits an Asai moonsault (oh here we go) to knock them both down. They barely beat the count back in and Bailey hits the moonsault knees to the chest. The tornado kick is countered with the Sling Blade but Bailey hits some kicks (including his spinning kick in the corner). The Ultimate Weapon only hits mat so Tanahashi grabs some Twist And Shouts. The High Fly Flow finishes Bailey at 15:17.

Rating: B-. I am completely over Bailey and his horrible lack of selling. It’s like someone working over his knee makes him want to sell less and less each time and it gets very annoying. What’s the point of Tanahashi doing one of his signature moves if Bailey is going to just pop up, do his big flip or kick and the go “ow my leg” after he got in his spot? Anyway, Tanahashi looked very good here and Bailey continues to be annoying.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. There’s nothing close to bad on here and the matches all worked well. While I could have gone with fewer multi-person matches and had some more regular one on ones, it’s hard to argue with a show featuring that much good stuff up and down. Nothing blew the roof off, but I will absolutely take a show where almost everything was above average by a pretty nice margin.

Results
Yuya Uemura b. Gabriel Kidd – High crossbody
Trey Miguel b. Rich Swann, Kevin Knight, Frankie Kazarian, Clark Connors and Rocky Romero – Spear to Knight
PCO/Fred Rosser/Sami Callihan/Alex Coughlin b. Eddie Edwards/Tom Lawlor/JR Kratos/Joe Hendry – PCOsault to Kratos
Deonna Purrazzo b. Masha Slamovich, Miyu Yamashita and Gisele Shaw – Queen’s Gambit to Shaw
Chris Bey/Ace Austin b. TMDK, Motor City Machine Guns and Aussie Open – 1-2-Sweet to Haste
Kushida b. Lio Rush – Hoverboard Lock
Kenta b. Minoru Suzuki – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Mike Bailey – High Fly Flow

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