Impact Wrestling
Date: March 17, 2022
Location: Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re still on the road to Rebellion and this week features the in-ring return of Josh Alexander against Matt Taven. Alexander is back in the company after a few weeks off due to visa issues and now he is probably going to need a small bit of build on the way to his World Title shot against Moose. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Scott Hall.

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander’s return and his match with Matt Taven being set up.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Chris Bey/Jay White

White and Shelley start things off with White still not giving him a handshake. Sabin comes in and a double dropkick puts White on the floor rather quickly. It’s off to Bey, who gets headlocked takeovered by Sabin, with Shelley tagging himself in for a kick to the ribs. The Guns start taking turns on Bey’s arm, setting up a couple of kicks to the chest for two. White’s save attempt lets the Guns grab stereo abdominal stretches before the villains are sent outside.

Sabin adds the big dive but White crotches him on top back inside. That means a big dive from Bey and the Guns are down on the floor for a change. Back in and White grabs a chinlock on Shelley before some alternating choking in the corner keeps Shelley down. Shelley is back up with a shot of his own though and the hot tag brings in Sabin to clean house.

Bey gets tied up in the Tree of Woe and a belly to belly sends White into him for a crash. The tornado DDT gets two on White but he’s back up with a suplex to send Sabin into the corner. Back in and Bey hits a torture rack neckbreaker for two on Sabin but the Art of Finesse is broken up. Everything breaks down and Shelley hits a Downward Spiral/DDT combination. Skull and Bones finishes Bey at 12:33, even with White diving in for the failed save attempt a split second late.

Rating: C+. The ending was a little weird but losing to the Guns is hardly some destruction for the Bullet Club. Bey continues to be the guy who is there to take the team’s falls and that is a fine role for him, as White certainly isn’t going to be taking a loss for a long time. I could go for the Guns getting back into the title picture, if nothing else to add an actual interesting team into the mix.

The ending is so close that commentary looks at it before and after the break.

Steve Maclin vs. Rhino

Fallout from Maclin turning on Team Impact at Sacrifice and Anthony Carelli is on commentary. Rhino hits a clothesline to start and we take an early break. Back with Maclin getting in a neck snap and hammering away on the mat to take over. A DDT gives Maclin two and we hit the chinlock. With that broken up, Maclin misses a middle rope headbutt and Rhino starts the comeback. A belly to back suplex gets Maclin out of trouble for two but Rhino hits a vertical suplex of his own. The fans want the Gore so Maclin hits one of his own for the surprise pin at 9:17.

Rating: C. That was a surprise ending, though Maclin winning was the only way to go. Rhino is not someone who is going to get a big win anytime soon and Maclin needed to beat someone to continue his push after the betrayal at Sacrifice. Maclin vs. the rest of Team Impact should work out well and this was a good enough first step.

The IInspiration comes up to Kaleb With A K and know he was trying to help them at Sacrifice. Just get it right next time.

Rhino is annoyed at the loss when Heath comes in to suggest they get the band back together. Sure let’s do it.

Larry D. vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Brian Myers is on commentary. D. powers him into the corner to start as Myers talks about the Buddy Rose Blowaway Diet. An enziguri drops D. to set up a slingshot elbow for two as Raj Singh comes out to watch. The fans are behind D. (still weird to hear) as he fights back and grabs a chinlock. Back up and a discus lariat gives D. two but Gujjar is back with an Irish Curse and a Samoan drop. D. is back up and sends him to the apron but a superplex attempt is broken up. Instead Gujjar hits his middle rope spear for the pin at 5:59.

Rating: D+. What exactly are you expecting to get from something like this? Gujjar is just a guy in tights and D. is best remembered as part of a nothing tag team. It wasn’t a good match either, and it’s the second match in a row ending with a spear. I wasn’t feeling this one and the best part was Myers occasionally popping in with a joke on commentary.

Post match here is W. Morrissey to chase off Myers and powerbomb Singh through the table.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton come up to Mike Bailey in the back and suggests an alliance once Bailey qualified for Ultimate X. Bailey is good with that and knows one of them will win the X-Division Title, though that doesn’t seem to be what Austin had in mind.

Honor No More is ready for Josh Alexander tonight when Alisha Edwards comes in. Alisha says Matt Taven can’t beat Alexander, who actually fights for something. She tells her husband Eddie that she hasn’t given up on him but Eddie says maybe Impact gave up on him.

Reina de Reinas Title/Ring of Honor Women’s Title: Gisele Shaw vs. Lady Frost vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending both titles and this is winner take all. They trade rollups for two each to start until Frost is knocked to the floor. Purrazzo grabs the ankle but Shaw slips out and grabs a headscissors. Frost comes back in but Shaw knocks both of them down to take over. Purrazzo gets posted, leaving Shaw and Frost to forearm it out.

After a double knockdown, Purrazzo is back in with a standing moonsault to both of them. Shaw gets caught in Purrazzo’s Fujiwara armbar but Frost kneebars Purrazzo at the same time, allowing Shaw to get to the ropes. Back up and Purrazzo gets knocked into the corner, leaving Shaw to get Cannonballed (Snowballed actually) in the corner.

That’s fine with Purrazzo, who German suplexes both of them at once. Purrazzo goes up but gets superplexed back down, which sends her rolling out to the floor. Frost ducks Shaw’s running knee and kicks her in the head, setting up the Blockbusters on Shaw. That doesn’t seem to matter though as Purrazzo hits the Queen’s Gambit to finish Frost and retain at 6:06.

Rating: C. They weren’t going to change the two titles here to either of a pair of wrestlers who have been going back and forth in recent weeks. Purrazzo is one of the better things going in Impact these days and I’m not sure who could take the titles from her. Slamovich vs. Purrazzo doesn’t work, but another showdown with James wouldn’t surprise me. Frost and Shaw were just kind of there, but I don’t think there was much drama to this one.

Josh Alexander is ready for Honor No More and then promises to take the World Title back from Moose at Rebellion.

The Good Brothers want their rematch with Violent By Design for the Tag Team Titles so Scott D’Amore makes it for next week. And let’s make it a lumberjack match, with the winners defending their titles in an eight team elimination match at Rebellion.

Jonah vs. Zicky Dice

For some reason Dice turns his back on Jonah, earning himself a crush and then the Tsunami to give Jonah the pin at 31 seconds.

Post match, PCO is wheeled out on a stretcher and sits up, despite wearing a neck brace. PCO comes to the ring, rips off the brace, and starts the brawl with Jonah. Security breaks it up but PCO breaks free and goes to the top for the big flip dive onto security on the floor.

Tasha Steelz jumped Mickie James at her concert last week.

James is ready to fight Steelz in a street fight next week. Chelsea Green nearly begs James to let her be in her corner but James turns her down again, citing Green’s injury. You can see the shenanigans from here.

Masha Slamovich vs. Arie

Arie actually gets in a few shots before the spinwheel kick in the face takes her down. The Snowplow (all Russian references to its name are gone) finishes Arie at 1:01.

Zicky Dice thinks he has one major problem: he sucks as a wrestler. What he needs is a wrestling school.

Video for Johnny Swinger’s Dungeon wrestling school. Lance Storm pops up to say he does not endorse this place, which features a bunch of people in towels and various states of undress/leather gear (because it’s a different kind of, ahem, dungeon).

Matt Taven vs. Josh Alexander

Maria is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Alexander shouldering him out to the floor. Back in and Taven grabs a suplex for a fast two before sliding between Alexander’s feet to set up a dropkick. Taven takes him up top and snaps the arm across the top and we take a break.

We come back with Taven staying on the arm, including a seated armbar. Alexander fights up and rolls some German suplexes but Taven knocks him down again. The middle rope moonsault misses though and they’re both down for a bit. Alexander is back up with a northern lights suplex but the arm gives out on a C4 Spike attempt. Taven comes back with a Purple Thunder Bomb before countering another C4 Spike.

A kick to the chest gives Taven another knockdown but Alexander sends him to the apron. Alexander hits a running crossbody through the ropes to knock Taven outside (that’s a new one) but Taven is back in with as hot to the face. The Climax is countered into the ankle lock, sending Taven straight to the rope. Alexander takes him up top for a superplex, which he rolls through into the C4 Spike for the pin at 15:42.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of win that Alexander needed as he hasn’t been gone from Impact for very long but still needs a win to get him back in form. Taven is a former World Champion and beating him still means a little something. Alexander seems ready for Moose and having him stack up wins is a perfect way to go. Best match of the night too, which tends to be the case with Alexander.

We cut to Moose arriving at Josh Alexander’s house, where he asks Alexander’s wife to deliver the Rebellion contract to Anthem because their office is closed. Alexander’s son is terrified as Moose leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Good enough show here, as they are gearing up for Rebellion. One thing that helps is the Multiverse of Matches show doesn’t seem like it is going to mean all that much, so it isn’t a stop they need to focus on all that much. What we got here was mostly standard stuff, but they have enough stories built up that the Rebellion card can start coming together in the coming weeks. That’s an important step to take and they’re getting there nicely so far.

Results
Motor City Machine Guns b. Chris Bey/Jay White – Skull and Bones to Bey
Steve Maclin b. Rhino – Gore
Bhupinder Gujjar b. Larry D. – Middle rope spear
Deonna Purrazzo b. Lady Frost and Gisele Shaw – Queen’s Gambit to Frost
Jonah b. Zicky Dice – Tsunami
Masha Slamovich b. Arie – Snowplow
Josh Alexander b. Matt Taven – C4 Spike

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 10, 2022
Location: Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Sacrifice and on our way to the Multiverse of Matches over Wrestlemania weekend. I don’t think that show is going to have that much major long term impact, but it does sound fun so far. Other than that, the big story is Josh Alexander is back and coming for the World Title. Throw in the three title changes and Sacrifice was a big night. Let’s get to it.

Here is Sacrifice if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Here is Josh Alexander for the opening chat. The fans chant about him being the NEXT WORLD CHAMP and that is all he has been wanting since Bound For Glory. He enjoyed sitting at home with his family but he had to come to some realities about his career. His son had been asking him when he would be getting his hands on Moose again. Well now he can say it’s April 23 at Rebellion because he is getting the title and his revenge.

Cue Honor No More to interrupt, with Eddie Edwards saying it must be nice to be able to leave and come back to work whenever you like. Before Josh worries about giving his son a new memory, he should tell him the truth: he has been handed everything since day one. Alexander threatens to knock his head off if he mentions his son’s name again. Alexander brings up everything he put on the line to bring the title back to Impact, but Eddie says the fans will turn on Alexander just as fast as they did him.

Matt Taven tells Alexander not to talk to Eddie like that and talks about how he and Eddie are both former World Champions. Taven: “And our reigns never finished prematurely in front of our wives.” Alexander: “When you were champion, you put the company out of business.” Alexander is willing to fight all of them and tries his best but Team Impact runs in for the save. Scott D’Amore comes out to say he is sure this is going to go smoothly one of these days, but it won’t be tonight. Tonight it’s Eddie vs. Rich Swann but for right now, it’s Willie Mack vs. Kenny King. Also, all night long, everyone is banned from ringside.

Willie Mack vs. Kenny King

King knocks him into the corner to start but gets shouldered out to the floor. The slingshot dive drops King again and they head back inside, where King grabs the referee. That lets him send Mack face first into the middle buckle to take over and a slingshot legdrop gets two. A seated abdominal stretch and camel clutch stay on Mack’s ribs and back but he gets in an “accidental” low blow. The Samoan drop into a standing moonsault gets two on King but he snaps off a powerslam for two. King misses a Blockbuster though and Mack hits the Stunner. The Six Star Frog Splash gives Mack the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C+. This was a good, mostly action based match and it was nice to see Mack getting a singles win for a change. I’ve always thought he could wind up being something around here but he seems more destined to be a tag guy. King was his usual self here and when that works, it can be rather entertaining.

We look at the Bullet Club’s night at Sacrifice.

Moose complains to Scott D’Amore about Josh Alexander sneaking into the World Title match at Rebellion. D’Amore asks if Moose is surprised that Alexander was sent home….which is a mile from Anthem’s corporate office. Moose has a week to sign the contract or he’s stripped.

Ace Austin vs. Crazzy Steve vs. John Skyler

The winner is added to the X-Division Title triple threat match at Rebellion so champion Trey Miguel is on commentary. Steve gets double teamed to start but he knocks Austin down and snaps Skyler’s neck around. Austin bails to the floor for a chat with Madman Fulton so Steve joins them, only to get enziguried.

We take a break and come back with Austin hitting running forearms to both of them in the corner until he gets sent outside. That leaves Skyler to hit a butterfly powerbomb for two but Austin is back in to kick both of them in the head. Austin gets caught on the top so Steve can bite Skyler, who holds him up in the air. That’s enough for Austin to come off with the Fold (turning it into a kind of Hart Attack Blockbuster) for the pin on Steve at 10:11.

Rating: C+. It’s the formula that has worked well forever and it still works today. While the X-Division isn’t quite a cruiserweight division, it goes by the same rules, including a few names being at the very top. That was the case here, as there was little reason to believe anyone but Austin was winning. That’s a good thing too, and the title match is already looking good.

Bhupinder Gujjar is ready to move forward but Rohan Raja comes in to ask why he hasn’t answered his phone calls. Larry D, who doesn’t work here anymore, comes in to get in Gujjar’s face. A big shot to the face has Raja saying that is why he and Gujjar have to be on the same page. Gujjar doesn’t seem convinced.

Violent By Design brags about winning the Tag Team Titles, saying it was all by design.

IInfluence/Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans vs. Mickie James/Chelsea Green/IInspiration

Green has a brace on her wrist but won’t need surgery this time. Lee and Dashwood start things off with lee taking her down and hammering away early. It’s quickly off to Rayne, who takes McKay into the corner to take over. A forearm knocks Rayne away though and it’s Evans coming in instead. That works for the IInspiration, who double kick her down to take over.

This lasts all of five seconds as the IInfluence trip up Lee on the floor so Evans can run her over instead. Evans’ legdrop connects and it’s Rayne coming in for a chinlock. Lee manages to send the IInfluence into each other though and the hot tag brings in Mickie to clean house. Steelz cuts that off though and Kaleb With A K pulls Green off the apron to break up the tag. That’s fine with James, who hits the MickDT to finish Steelz at 5:59.

Rating: C. I’m not wild on having Steelz lose in her first match as champion, especially to Mickie. This is a match where Evans should have taken the pin to keep the new champions strong, as we are probably heading for a rematch at Rebellion. Either that or Green is getting the shot, though that is going to depend on her wrist, as she never actually got into the match here.

Jonah brags about taking out PCO at Sacrifice, where he showed that PCO is human.

Here is the Bullet Club for a chat. Karl Anderson introduces everyone and we stop for a TOO SWEET/WOOP WOOP chant. Doc Gallows isn’t happy with losing the Tag Team Champions but everyone is on notice. They have won titles on every continent but Antarctica because they don’t have wrestling there so they’re coming to get the Tag Team Titles back.

Jay White talks about beating Alex Shelly in a match that meant a lot to him. He didn’t shake Shelly’s hand, but Shelly can come out here for a too sweet right now. Cue Shelly to say he won’t come down there and too sweet “Jamie”, who he lived with for a year and a half while he was making no money in Ring of Honor. Shelly knows that White is doing what he has to do but he is still hurting from those chops.

White says Shelly knew him but doesn’t know him now. He lists off everything about himself and says that everything in wrestling happens to him. Shelly says he is the king of a generation and influenced Kazuchika Okada, the Young Bucks and White himself. Chris Bey: “WHY ARE YOU HERE???” Shelly: “The adults were having a conversation.” Shelly brings out Chris Sabin, who says that the two of them being together makes them the best tag team around here. Next week: White/Bey vs. Motor City Machine Guns.

Josh Alexander wants Honor No More so Scott D’Amore gives him Matt Taven next week. After that, focus on Moose though.

Deonna Purrazzo doesn’t feel bad about what happened to Chelsea Green because she knew the risk. Gisele Shaw comes in to say she’d love to take the titles from Purrazzo but here is Lady Frost to say she beat Shaw at Sacrifice. Purrazzo gets tired of the fighting and makes a winner take all triple threat next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rich Swann vs. Eddie Edwards

Swann is looking serious here and dives off the apron to jump Edwards early. We take a break and come back with the fight still on the floor before they head inside for the opening bell. Maria has joined commentary as well as Eddie chops away in the corner. An overhead belly to belly drops Swann but he manages to send Eddie to the apron for a 619. Swann misses a dive though and we take a break.

Back with Eddie hitting a clothesline but Swann grabs some rollups for two. They head to the apron with a headscissors taking Eddie down to the floor in a crash. Back in and some kicks rock Eddie but he’s fine enough to crotch Swann on top. The Backpack Stunner sets up a half crab, sending Swann crawling to the ropes. Back up and Swann kicks away at Eddie’s face, setting up some stereo kicks to put both of them down.

Eddie’s tiger driver is countered into a rollup for two and they strike it out again. Something close to a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Eddie two Now the tiger driver connects for two but Swann is back with a cutter. The Lethal Injection gets two on Eddie but the phoenix splash misses. The Boston Knee Party connects though and the Die Hard Driver finishes Swann at 18:10.

Rating: B. No surprise on this one as two talented wrestlers got a lot of time and had a good match as a result. Edwards is a legitimate ace for Honor No More and that is what they need, if nothing else for the sake of most of their wrestlers having no track record around here. Swann is not likely to get back to the top of the company, but he is still good for a match like this every time.

Honor No More poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty solid show this week and the fact that we have a main event star ready to come after Moose makes things that much better. What matters here is they keep up the momentum and now we have a path towards Rebellion. Most of the card is yet to be determined, but at least they are already getting somewhere with the most important match.

Results
Willie Mack b. Kenny King – Six Star Frog Splash
Ace Austin b. John Skyler and Crazzy Steve – Fold to Steve
Chelsea Green/Mickie James/IInspiration b. Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans/IInfluence – MickDT to Steelz
Eddie Edwards b. Rich Swann – Die Hard Driver

 

 

 

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Yeah you might have forgotten about the company but Impact Wrestling is back on pay per view with their biggest show of the year. The card has been built up as well as it can be, but that is kind of a firm limit. The show isn’t exactly jumping off the page at me, though Impact Wrestling has managed to surprise me before. Hopefully that is the case again so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Rascalz vs. Deaners

There is something so fun about the Rascalz. I have a good time watching them but their win/loss record could be a lot better. There is only so much you can do when you can’t consistently win and that has been a problem for them for a very long time now. Hopefully they can get a lot better, and there are only a few ways to do that. We might be seeing it here.

I’ll take the Rascalz, for the double reason of I like them and I can remember which one is which. The Deaners got a lot out of Wrestle House but they are still more of a gimmick tag team than anything else. Maybe they can become a bigger deal one day, because while they’re not terrible, they leave a lot to be desired. Give me the Rascalz in a fast paced match.

Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards

This is a tricky one as Shamrock is entering the Hall of Fame this weekend but probably shouldn’t be beating someone like Edwards, who was World Champion just a few months ago. Then again, Shamrock wins a good amount of matches that he probably shouldn’t be winning, meaning that this could be in play. Shamrock has been impressive enough in his return, but that might not be enough to beat Edwards.

That being said, I’ll take Shamrock here, as Impact Wrestling REALLY likes honoring its legends, even though Edwards has been far more successful in the company than Shamrock. Edwards can absorb a loss far more easily than Shamrock, and if the idea is to make Shamrock a machine again, he shouldn’t be losing his first big match after the heel turn.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

It’s your usual casserole of wrestlers who have nothing else going on (yes Tommy Dreamer is in there too) and the winner gets a title shot of their choice. The catch is that if Rhino or Heath win, Heath gets a contract and Rhino gets to keep his job. You can probably knock out a few of the options in a hurry, so at least it’s a little bit more limited of a field to pick through.

I’ll take Heath to win and go with the layup of the two of them going for the Tag Team Titles in the more feel good moment. It isn’t like most of the people involved have much of a story anyway and winning a ten person gauntlet match is only so difficult in the first place. Hopefully they don’t stay out there too long though, which is always a big danger in something like this. And go with the right winner of course, as in the person that I picked.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju(c) vs. Chris Bey vs. Jordynne Grace vs. TJP vs. Trey Miguel vs. Willie Mack

Blast it with these messy matches. The X-Division has actually been a division as of late and now we are getting another one of these big car crash matches for the sake of getting everyone involved rather than having one challenger for a change. Raju is a fine choice as the heel champion who escapes with the title that he doesn’t really deserve and that is a good role to have in a match like this. There are a lot of ways this could go and that could make for something interesting.

I’ll take….eh give me Bey to get the title back here, if nothing else because I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve seen from him. Odds are Raju winds up retaining the title and escaping again, but that’s a bit of a traditional pick and Impact Wrestling likes to mix things up a bit. I’m not sure if that is what they are going to do here, but it really could go a lot of ways and that is a good thing.

TNA World Title: Moose(c) vs. EC3

So EC3 was the big surprise at the end of Slammiversary and he has set his sights on Moose. Now why did he do that? Honestly I’m not sure that I know as he has been going on and on about controlling your narrative…and I don’t know if I quite understand what the heck he is talking about. I know he wants to get rid of the TNA World Title to change his legacy or something, but that’s about as far as I can go.

The only other place I can go is to the place where EC3 wins the title, as he should here. There is no reason to have Moose retain here, though I’m not sure what else to expect from the match. It is going to take place in an undisclosed location and I wouldn’t be shocked to see this as a cinematic match, because we haven’t had one around here in awhile. Just have it regular please. Is that so much to ask?

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns(c) vs. Good Brothers vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. The North

The Good Brothers have become the biggest stars in the company almost by default and now all they need is the gold. They showed up announced at Slammiversary and were instantly treated as some of the most important people in the company, overshadowing the entire tag team division in a hurry. They don’t need the titles, but it doesn’t exactly do the titles much good for the Good Brothers to not have them.

Actually I’ll go with the instinct and pick Austin and Fulton to win, with the Good Brothers hunting them down for the regular title match later on rather than winning the four way here. This has gotten most of the recent main event slots and while it isn’t (or at least shouldn’t) main event the show, it is going to be one of the more important matches on the card. Odds are the Good Brothers win, but I feel like a gamble.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo(c) vs. Kylie Rae

This feels like it was supposed to take place months ago but then the Wrestle house deal slowed everything down. Rae has become one of the perkiest stars the company has seen in years while Purrazzo is more of an assassin who can rip anyone apart whenever she feels like it. That being said, when your opponent has a move called Smile To The Finish, it’s hard to cheer against them. Throw in the fact that Rae is more innocent than the Easter Bunny and it’s hard to argue against her.

I’ll take Purrazzo to win here and crush everyone’s dreams, as she just hasn’t held the title long enough to lose it yet. Rae is someone who could smile her way through anything and it seems like she could be back in the title scene down the line without much effort. Maybe she takes it from Purrazzo one day, but I really don’t think it is going to happen on Saturday night.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eric Young(c) vs. Rich Swann

And then there’s this, which does not feel like a main event of the biggest show of the year no matter how revered the company wants to make it sound. This feels like it should be for the X-Division Title halfway through the show rather than (probably) headlining everything. Swann came back from a long injury at Slammiversary and eliminated Young from the World Title match, only to have Young take out the knee. Now Swann is back for revenge and the title.

Swann has to win here right? I can’t imagine that Impact Wrestling would go with Young as a long term champion, but then again I can’t believe that we’re seeing him as the champion again in the second place. I’ve liked Swann for a long time now and hopefully he is back to his old self. He should win the title here, though I’m not sure if he is ready for that point. Then again, it’s not like the title feels all that important most of the time anyway.

Overall Thoughts

I’ve thought this for a good while now but this show has been surpassed by Slammiversary as the most important of the year. I know Bound For Glory gets all of the attention and that’s perfectly fine, but this really doesn’t feel like the big showcase event. I’m sure the matches and action will be good as Impact Wrestling almost always delivers when they focus on their in-ring product, but I can’t really bring myself to get overly interested in the show.

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 11, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We are coming up on Emergence and that could make for some good stuff around here. It might be a little soon after Slammiversary but the question now is what will actually take place on the two weeks of specials. Throw in Wrestle House and we could be in for some good stuff. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, focusing entirely on Rich Swann’s retirement and Eric Young attacking him last week.

We open in the back with Willie Mack attacking Eric Young. Security can’t break them up and they fight into the arena, eventually getting into the ring where referees and security break it up. Mack says they’re scheduled to have a match tonight so let’s do it right now. Young says on his time and tries to leave but Mack goes after him. They get inside and the bell rings.

Eric Young vs. Willie Mack

Young stomps away to start but Mack hits a running elbow in the corner. The Stunner over the top rope slows Mack down but he sends Eric outside without much trouble. There’s the slingshot dive to take Young down again as Mack is all fired up. Young bites him in the head to get out of trouble on the top, setting up the top rope elbow for two. Some shots to the back of Mack’s head get two but Mack pulls him out of the air for a northern lights suplex. Young knocks him down in a hurry though and we hit the chinlock.

Mack fights up again with the swinging slam into the legdrop. The standing moonsault gives Mack two and they’re both down. The Stunner is countered with a rake of the eyes but Mack grabs the Stunner. There’s no cover though as Mack goes for a chair instead and lays it over (not around) Young’s leg. That takes too long though and Young crotches him on top, setting up the piledriver for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C. This went well enough and it protected Mack to have the match won but go for revenge instead of the pin. That’s what he should be doing and it keeps Young strong, which has to appeal to someone….somewhere I guess. It’s a good enough story and if we get Swann’s big emotional return to the ring (maybe at Bound For Glory), they’ll be as fine as you can be in an Eric Young story.

Here’s what’s coming up tonight.

The Good Brothers go hunting for Ace Austin and Madman Fulton.

It’s time for Wrestle House. Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo call everyone into the main room so they can watch her greatest hits, as determined by a house vote of course. Kylie Rae thinks the votes may have been fraudulent and Cody just drinks. Various people make excuses to go away and we start looking at Taya’s Impact debut.

Johnny Swinger tells Crazzy Steve a story about Lord Littlebrooke but Steve is staring at Rosemary. Steve thanks him for being a good mentor and goes to sit next to Rosemary. She offers to pick back up where they left off and brings up Decay. Steve accuses her of being jealous of Taya with Bravo and Rosemary glares.

We cut to elsewhere in the house, where Cody and Alisha are getting Jake and Susie ready for their date, presumably with each other.

Reno Scum jump Rhino and take Hernandez’s money.

Kimber Lee vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace runs her over a few times to start and gets two off the side slam. Some hard whips into the corner don’t have Lee in that much trouble as she avoids a charge. Back from a break with Lee cranking on Grace’s knee and then chopping away in the corner. A suplex doesn’t work as Grace reverses into one of her own, setting up a spinebuster for two on Lee. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for some near falls until Lee grabs a German suplex for two. Madison leaves commentary to do Locker Room Talk as Lee headbutts Grace off the top, only to have her Swanton hit knees. The rear naked choke finishes Lee at 8:27.

Rating: C-. Grace getting some wins with the choke would look to set up some kind of a big match against Deonna Purrazzo for the title later on. That’s a good idea as you can only do so much with Grace’s power and it is quite the relief to see that she is getting to expand her horizons a bit. Lee continues to just be kind of there, but it could be worse.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk, with Rayne knowing how happy everyone is to have it back. They even have their first sponsor: the Heath4Impact campaign, as Heath needs to be on the show. Rayne: “His money is as good as anyone’s.” That brings us to the guests: Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes, with the latter dancing in.

Madison is glad to have them back in their, ahem, natural state but they can’t control themselves and Madison walks out. They decide to have their own show, with Katie asking Rob for his favorite things about her. He likes quite a bit, but here’s Sami Callihan out of nowhere to jump him. Katie helps Rob though and the double beatdown is on.

Trey surprises the other Rascalz by wearing the Suicide mask but here’s Moose, who doesn’t like Wentz’s EC3 hoodie. Moose glares at him but gives Suicide a TNA Title shot next week without knowing who he is.

Back to Wrestle House, with Rosemary ignoring Taya’s matches and thinking about the jealousy thing Steve mentioned. She uses some magic to get Larry D.’s attention and Larry seems interested. Alisha gives Susie dating advice as she sits down to dinner with Jake. Susie mentions some stomach issues, which was the only excuse Alisha could think of to get her out of the Taya watchalong earlier. Back in the main room, Larry can’t stop staring at Rosemary. Acey asks what’s wrong and offers popcorn, but Larry says there are things more important than food. That means it’s MATCH TIME!

Larry D. vs. Acey Romero

Cody is referee. Romero promises to show tough love and hits a jumping clothesline. A running dropkick drops Larry again but the backsplash misses. The Best Hand In The House finishes Acey at 1:28.

Larry dedicates his win to Rosemary.

Deonna Purrazzo challenges Jordynne Grace to a 30 minute Iron Woman match at Emergence.

Video on the North vs. the Motor City Machine Guns. The Guns came back for the North and took the Tag Team Titles. Now the North wants them back.

Nevaeh/Jessika Havok vs. Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan

No DQ and Steelz/Hogan jump them from behind during the entrance. They head inside for the opening bell and Havok pulls Steelz out of the air to slam her down. Havok elbows Steelz out of the corner for a running knee as Hogan blasts Nevaeh with some kind of club. Nevaeh is fine enough to save Havok from a double teaming and snaps off a suplex to Steelz. Havok misses a charge and goes knees first into the steps on the floor, allowing Hogan to save Steelz again.

A running basement dropkick in the corner hits Nevaeh for two and it’s time to choke on the ropes. Havok makes a save and Nevaeh snaps off a suplex to Hogan, meaning it’s time to set up a table on the floor. All four wind up back inside for the slugout until everyone but Havok is kicked down. Havok isn’t about to be double suplexed but she can be low bridged out to the apron. A few kicks put her through the table and a fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Nevaeh at 7:50.

Rating: C. The match was fine but it’s still a story that doesn’t exactly offer the biggest thrills. They treated it like the big blowoff though and that’s the best thing they could have done here. It wasn’t much of a feud between the two teams but at least they had someone win instead of just having them stop fighting.

The Good Brothers ask Scott D’Amore where Fulton and Austin are and promise to hold the ring until they get here. D’Amore is getting Hall and Nash vibes.

EC3 pops up on screen in front of Moose, promising to destroy him. That is the warning.

Suicide vs. Dez

It isn’t clear if this is still Trey, but Wentz is with Dez. They fight over wrist control to start but here are the Good Brothers to take out Dez for the DQ at 1:04.

The Good Brothers beat up everyone involved and it’s time to call out Fulton and Austin. The two of them pop up on screen to say they aren’t in the arena tonight. Austin will fight, but they’ll do it on his time (second use of that line tonight). Say the first night of Emergence. The Brothers are down.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Eddie Edwards b. Cody on Impact, October 2, 2016.

Rohit Raju comes in to warn Chris Bey that he might have to defend the X-Division Title against TJP at Emergence. Fallah Bahh will be there too, so put Raju in to make it a triple threat and protect the title. Bey seems to agree.

Brian Myers is still coming to be a professional.

Back to Wrestle House and Jake says he thought of Susie as the Undead Bride for so long. That turns her into Su Yung for a bit and this time Jake is the one with the bad stomach. Alisha comes in and wonders what happened, with Susie suggesting Alisha gave her bad advice. You know what that means.

Susie vs. Alisha Edwards

Steve is referee and Alisha doesn’t like the bad advice suggestion. Alisha shoves her away and gets slapped, triggering the catfight. A double clothesline puts both of them down, sending Steve into a count of seven, nine, potato. Back up and Alisha hits a clothesline but Susie gets a rollup for the pin at 1:55.

Post match Taya comes in to say it’s time to go watch her match of winning the Knockouts Title. Kylie smiles a lot and says they would all rather go to sleep. Taya calls her a loser and Susie points out that Kylie has beaten her twice. Dreamer pops up for MATCH TIME but Rosemary threatens him (ok good for a chuckle). Taya says next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here’s Eddie Edwards to say he’ll face Eric Young right now, so get out here. It’s Brian Myers instead and he’ll take the title shot right now. In his hands, that title becomes a championship.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers

Eddie is defending and chases Myers into the ropes to start. Some stomps in the corner have Myers in trouble as Josh reminds us of Myers’ completely forgotten Tag Team Title reign. Myers’ headlock doesn’t last long so he goes with choking on the ropes instead. Eddie sends him outside though and we take a break.

Back with Eddie hitting an atomic drop into an overhead belly to belly. Myers grabs him for a posting though and sends him back first into the apron. A knee to the chest gives Myers two and we hit the chinlock. With that broken up, Myers kicks at the head and slaps on another chinlock, this time with a knee to the back. This time Eddie fights up and sends him outside for the suicide dive but comes up holding his knee.

Myers whips him back into the barricade for a near countout but Eddie gets back in without much drama. Eddie snaps off a suplex and hits some forearms, followed by the Backpack Stunner for two. Myers’ implant DDT gets the same but Eddie superkicks him into a tiger driver for another near fall. The Boston Knee Party misses but then connects to retain at 10:24.

Rating: C. This was as good of a match as you were going to get with someone best known as Curt Hawkins getting a World Title shot. I know he’s not the same guy anymore, but you’re going to need to give me something more than calling him the professional to shake his reputation. He’s fine in the ring and knows how to talk, but fans are going to see him as Hawkins for a good while and this wasn’t exactly the match to shake that feeling. It wasn’t bad, but it was only so interesting with zero drama.

Eddie celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The weekly World Title matches are starting to take a bit of a toll on the show. I like the idea behind them but you can only get so far with the lack of drama and feeling like we need to check an item off a list every week. Then you have the Wrestle House stuff, which is entertaining enough for something different but at some point it needs to go somewhere. The show was fine, but they’ll need Emergence to work to give us something a little more substantial.

Results

Eric Young b. Willie Mack – Piledriver

Jordynne Grace b. Kimber Lee – Rear naked choke

Larry D. b. Acey Romero – Best Hand In The House

Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan b. Nevaeh/Jessika Havok – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Nevaeh

Dez b. Suicide via DQ when the Good Brothers interfered

Susie b. Alisha Edwards – Rollup

Eddie Edwards b. Brian Myers – Boston Knee Party

 

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

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

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

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

Outbreak
Date: February 21, 2020
Location: Ice Center, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Josh Matthews

This was a nice little surprise as OVW/Impact Wrestling ran a joint show in Lexington as a setup for Saturday’s Sacrifice in Louisville. For some reason OVW never runs Lexington so hopefully this is the start of a trend. The show was barely advertised locally so it was far from a guaranteed sellout. Let’s get to it.

The venue was rather small, with four rows of chairs on three sides. One good sign: I sat in the fourth row and by the time the show started, they had put out a fifth row of seats behind me. There was a small but invested crowd so it seemed to go fairly well. I was facing the entrance with commentary on my right (you could hear almost every word they said, which is a weird situation when you’re in the arena) and OVW owner Al Snow about eight feet behind me.

Josh Matthews, going solo until the actual show starts, welcomes us to the show and talks about the big upcoming events. It’s fairly clear that he doesn’t have much to say here other than listing off shows so he’s trying to fill time, which is harder than it seems.

Pre-Show: Dimes vs. Corey Storm

Storm grabs a headlock to start but Dimes is out with a sunset flip for two. Dimes shoulders him down as Josh is talking to I believe Twitch users. I know it sounds a bit goofy but can you imagine WWE doing something that direct? Storm fights out of a chinlock and snaps off a German suplex before dropkicking Dimes into the corner. A top rope double stomp to the back gives Storm the pin at 2:56. Entertaining while it lasted and Storm looked decent.

Josh chats some more.

Pre-Show: Rae Lynn vs. Cali Young

Young is a rather bubbly blonde who is running for some unspecified office, complete with her campaign manager DL3 (in an American flag shirt and shorts). I think you get the idea here and while it’s a small indy gimmick, OVW is a relatively small indy. We start with a Pledge of Allegiance but Lynn rolls her up for two. That means a dancing salute from Young but Lynn drops her with a shoulder.

Young can’t nip up so Lynn slams her, only to have DL3 grab her foot. Lynn is fine enough to hit a crossbody for two and a small package gets the same. A snapmare sets up a chinlock on Lynn but she’s back up in a hurry. DL3: “Get her!” Callie: “Okay!” Another chinlock doesn’t last as long so Callie goes with an X Factor for two more. Callie misses a charge and gets kicked in the head, drawing DL3 up to the apron so there’s no count. Lynn knocks them into each other and rolls Callie up for the pin at 6:08.

Rating: D+. There isn’t much to say about this one as it was two women who are neither good nor horrible in the ring with a limited amount of time to work. It’s fine for a warmup match and Callie’s patriotic deal was fine enough for what they’re doing. OVW’s women’s division has never been a strong point but this was far from a disaster. Just kind of there for the most part.

Moose joins commentary and is happy to be going back to Atlanta for some shows. They talk about his time with the Atlanta Falcons and it’s much more of a chat than an interview. Moose is ready to face Jay Bradley and isn’t worried about facing a so called “best big” tonight. He thinks it’s going to be bell, spear bell, and yes, he is Mr. Impact Wrestling. This was really different and in a pretty nice way (once they got the commentary to work).

Opening sequence, complete with the ring announcer telling the fans to get up and make noise.

Trey Wentz vs. Maximus Khan

Khan’s OVW Title isn’t on the line. He has a big helmet and cape to make him quite the intimidating presence. Wentz’s offer of a handshake is slapped away but he gets powered into the corner. That means a top rope hurricanrana to send Khan into the corner for a running dropkick.

Khan is right back with some right hands to the head and Wentz is in trouble in a hurry. The chinlock goes on until Khan switches to a sleeper, sending Wentz over to the rope. This time Wentz grabs a rolling snapmare and kicks him in the chest to send Khan outside. Back in and a springboard Codebreaker gives Wentz two but Khan’s ax kick gets the same. A heck of a spear finishes Wentz at 9:20.

Rating: C. I like both guys and this was a good showcase for Khan. Wentz is part of a trio but he has enough credibility that beating him makes Khan look that much better. It’s not a game changer, but it makes Khan look like a big deal. Good enough choice for an opener here with power vs. speed being as basic of a wrestling story as you’re going to find.

Dave Crist vs. Joey Ryan

So Crist apparently has no idea what Ryan is all about and is rather confused by the whole thing. He does get in a rather funny line during his entrances (though the camera doesn’t pick it up here): “I’m not like you Kentucky hillbillies! We don’t have hills in Ohio!” Josh explains Joey’s shtick in as PG of a way as possible, which gets to what bothers me here: there are a bunch of kids in the audience and Ryan’s deal is far from kid friendly. I’m sure he has a PG version of it, but this was the full on deal and there’s something off about doing that with so many kids in the audience.

We get the full lollipop deal and it’s time to oil up after the bell. Dave: “WHAT IS THAT FOR???” Joey tells him to touch it but Dave has to ask the fans what he needs to touch. Dave does in fact touch it and then asks what that thing is. After teasing getting in a fight with a fan, Dave invites Joey to wrestle the wrestle guy. Joey: “Wrestling’s not really my strong suit but I’ll give it a go.”

They fight over arm control until Ryan takes him down for a leglock. Some armdrags put Dave outside so he comes back in for failed attempts at a low blow and atomic drop. Dave bails to the floor again because of a leg injury but this time he comes back in to work on Ryan’s leg. He dives into a raised boot though and falls face first between Joey’s legs. Joey fires back with clotheslines and a dropkick but Dave gets in a spinebuster. Standing Sliced Bread #2 gives Dave two more but Joey makes him touch It. The Plex sets up Sweet Tooth Music for the pin on Dave at 9:39.

Rating: D. Yeah what else were you expecting here? My guess would be the same stuff that you always get from Ryan, which is one of my biggest problems with him. I’ll give them points for having something unique with Dave being all confused and not knowing what was going on, but the first half was really basic stuff and not very good, which is the other part of what’s wrong with Ryan: his wrestling is rather boring most of the time, hence the need for the shtick.

Johnny Swinger vs. Willie Mack

Hold on though as Swinger says no one wants to see these two fight. They’ve caught on like wildfire so strong that Tommy Rich called him up the other day. Ole is ticked but the fans need to go buy a Mack and Pack shirt for $29.95, cash on delivery. They can have a tag match instead so bring out the ham and eggers. Swinger tries a rollup but the bell hasn’t rung yet, so Mack is rather annoyed. He grabs his own rollup for two as the bell rings and Swinger knows he’s in trouble.

Mack scares him into the ropes where Swinger insults the mizarks, earning himself some atomic drops. Swinger needs a breather but goes with a test of strength to continue the rather dumb ideas. That earns him a double stomp to the hands and Mack hammers away in the corner for a bonus. A cheap shot out of the corner drops Mack and we hit the nerve hold. Swinger pulls at the nose and gets two off a forearm to the face.

We go Orndorff with a bit of a dancing elbow but Mack is back up with a few back rakes. A missed elbow starts up the Mack chants and the fans are even more pleased as Swinger misses his own elbows. The swinging slam into the legdrop sets up the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault as Mack is rolling. There’s the Stunner into the Six Star Frog Splash to finish Swinger at 10:44.

Rating: C. I know the wrestling wasn’t much to see but Mack is one of the best guys around here and Swinger is so goofily bad that it’s fun (and we’re in on the joke for once). Keeping him WAY down in stuff like this is fine and he’s playing everything perfectly. Just let him stay as a comedy guy and he could stick around for a good while.

Tony Gunn vs. Trey Miguel

Gunn is a former OVW Champion and has yet to show me much of anything in previous appearances. Gunn shoulders him down and says this is the Gunn Show. I’m almost scared to ask how long it took him to think of that. They go to the mat with neither being able to get ahead, meaning it’s a standoff. Back up and they both miss some right hands until Trey kicks him in the face.

Tony takes the leg out as he heads outside, only to get taken down by the suicide dive. Gunn kicks the ropes on the way back in though and Trey has banged up his knee. Back in and Gunn grabs a kneebar, as he certainly should be doing. Now it’s a Brock Lock to mix things up a bit, even lifting Trey up for a bonus.

That’s broken up and Trey manages a kick to the face, setting up a jumping neckbreaker to put both of them down. In a not so bright move, Trey goes up and misses the double knees, though he settles for a double stomp to the back of the head for two. Gunn grabs the Texas Cloverleaf to go back to the knee, only to let it go so Trey can hit the Cheeky Nandos kick in the corner. A 619 into the top rope Meteora finishes Gunn at 11:05.

Rating: C. Another completely watchable match with Wentz fighting back through adversity and hitting his finisher to win, even though there wasn’t much logic in using a knee based move after you knee was banged up. Then again Trey isn’t the most logical guy in the world so maybe it makes sense for him. Not a bad match either, even with Gunn being rather generic in everything he does.

Moose vs. Jay Bradley

Hoss fight. Moose tries the spear at the bell but gets kicked in the face for his efforts. They trade shoulders with Moose going down, only to nip right back up. Moose gets tossed across the ring and that means it’s time for a breather on the floor. Bradley follows him out though and sends Moose into the apron, only to get whipped into the barricade.

The run around the ring clothesline is cut off by an elbow to the face and it’s a chokeslam onto the apron for a bonus. Back in and a Vader Bomb elbow gives Bradley two but Moose hits some running dropkicks to the face. A wind up lariat misses and Bradley headbutts him down for two.

Bradley’s pop up powerbomb gets the same but Moose catches him on top. That means a top rope superplex with one of the loudest landings I can ever remember. Moose’s chokebomb gets two more and they trade big shots to the face. Bradley hits the Boom Stick (hard lariat) for two so he loads up another, only to get No Jackhammer Needed down for the pin at 12:40.

Rating: B. This was easily the match of the night so far as the two of them beat the heck out of each other with one hard hitting power move after another. Bradley is little more than a power guy but he does it quite well and makes for some entertaining matches. When Moose finds a good opponent, he can do some awesome stuff in the ring and that’s what he did here.

The announcers chat for a bit as something (maybe part of the mat that attaches to the ring) has to be repaired.

North vs. Larry D./Acey Romero

Alexander grabs Romero’s foot though and Page kicks him in the head, followed by sending Alexander hard into Romero’s back. As Josh gets his Kentucky geography wrong, Page hammers away and rips at Acey’s face against the ropes. Alexander forearms at the face and hands it back to Page for a knee drop. The wide variety of pounding on Romero continues until the North mixes things up by beating him up at the same time. Romero hits the double Pounce and the hot tag brings in Larry to clean house.

A sitout powerbomb gets two on Alexander, who is right back with a muscular suplex. Romero is already back in as everything breaks down with the big guys getting the better of things. The North pulls Larry off the top and into Romero though, followed by a heck of a German suplex for two on Larry. Romero dropkicks Alexander into Larry for a full nelson slam but Page sends Larry outside. That means a powerbomb out of the corner can finish Romero at 16:03.

Rating: D+. The length is the big problem here as Romero and Larry aren’t exactly guys with a lot of versatility. They can do some good things for their size but sixteen minutes is WAY too long for a big guy like Romero and a very limited guy like Larry. It’s not a horrible match but it just went on WAY too long.

Rhino vs. Madman Fulton

No DQ, or “old school” rules as it’s called here. They drive each other around a few times until a hard shoulder puts Fulton on the floor. The brawling begins with both guys being sent into various things, including Rhino dropping him back first onto the apron. Rhino chairs him in the ribs and gets in a suplex in the aisle. Now it’s a trashcan and a kendo stick as Rhino starts unloading with various shots. He spends too much time hunting for weapons though and that lets Fulton get in his own chair shots.

The trashcan is wedged in the corner but Rhino hiptosses him onto an open chair. Fulton gets sent HARD into the trashcan in the corner, only to come back with a slam onto the folded chair. Rhino is right back up and superplexes him onto a few chairs for two. The Gore is cut off with a trashcan shot and Fulton smashes him with a kendo stick. The referee gets bumped, followed by a Gore and another referee running in for the pin at 13:22.

Rating: D+. If you’ve seen one of these, you’ve seen all of them. There’s nothing to this other than trading shots with weapons and that doesn’t exactly keep me interested in what is going on. Fulton losing to Rhino is far from a stretch but the ECW stuff doesn’t exactly hold up well these days, especially with an ECW guy still in there.

Kiera Hogan vs. Megan Bayne vs. Jessika Havok vs. Jordynne Grace

Non-title and Bayne is a tall/muscular woman from OVW. It’s Bayne vs. Havok in the first of what will likely be several power showdowns. The hit/shove each other a few times until Grace comes in to slug it out with Havok. Hogan comes in and has to escape a Grace Driver attempt, meaning Bayne can come back in to fight Grace.

With Grace being sent outside, Havok comes back in to splash Bayne in the corner. Forearms to the chest keep Bayne down but she avoids a legdrop. Bayne’s crossbody takes Havok down but Hogan and Grace come in for stereo near falls. Bayne knocks both of them down and Samoan drops Havok for two on all three. Havok is back up though and chokebombs Bayne into a Boston crab for the win at 7:02.

Rating: C-. They kept this short as there is only so much that you can do with these four going after each other. The win makes sense as Havok is challenging Grace on Saturday so at least they have some logic. Bayne is someone who could be a nice player once she gets some more experience, because she already has the look and size.

Ace Austin/Jake Crist vs. Tessa Blanchard/Daga

Preview for tomorrow’s Austin vs. Blanchard match. Ace bails from Tessa to start so it’s Jake coming in to trade arm holds with Blanchard. That’s fine with her as she ties up Jake in a leglock to send him to the ropes for a breather. Daga and Ace come in for an exchange of shoulders with Daga getting the better of things. A dropkick keeps Jake down so it’s off to Ace, who again runs from the legal Tessa.

Ace gets in a cheap shot from the apron to drop Daga though and NOW he’ll come in, like any good heel. That means a front facelock, followed by a bow and arrow to keep Daga in trouble. A rather nasty northern lights suplex drops Daga on his head for two and it’s off to the reverse chinlock. The headscissors works on the neck a bit more, with Ace bragging about his legs.

An invading Tessa lets Jake come in sans tag but it’s quickly back to Ace to stomp away even more. Daga fights back but gets pulled into the corner by the leg. A quick flurry of kicks and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker get Daga out of trouble though, meaning Tessa can come in and clean house….until the referee says he didn’t see it.

I can always go for that and it’s Daga getting taken back into the corner to continue the beatdown. Daga scores with a snap powerslam and NOW the tag to Tessa counts. House is cleaned in a hurry but Magnum misses, allowing Ace to hit a Samoan driver onto the knee. Daga brainbusters Ace though and sends him outside for a dive. The Buzzsaw DDT finishes Jake at 16:50.

Rating: B. Now this was more like it and you can see the talent out there. Tessa really is good and has the fire in her eyes that makes you realize just how good she is. Couple that with a slimy heel like Ace and we should be in for a heck of a fight tomorrow. This was a very nice formula based tag match and the best thing on the show, which is often what a main event should be.

Overall Rating: C. This was perfectly watchable and there were some good matches throughout the card. Not everything is great or even good but Moose vs. Bradley and the main event were solid enough. For $15 flat to sit in the fourth of five rows on a two and a half hour show, I can’t complain much at all. It makes me want to watch Sacrifice and that’s entirely the point of something like this. Above that though, I’d go again so they’ve done something right.

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

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

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

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