Impact Wrestling
Date: January 9, 2025
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentator: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re still on the way to Genesis and that means we should be getting some more of the card set up. In this case that could make for an interesting show, as there are several spots to be filled in on the card. Joe Hendry is still on his way to another World Title shot and we should be getting some hype towards it this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

The System vs. Eric Young/Steve Maclin/Jonathan Gresham

Edwards charges into Gresham’s bot in the corner to start and it’s off to Young to hammer on Myers. A quick necksnap across the top rope takes over on Young though and the villains take him into the corner. JDC sends him back into the corner to cut off a comeback attempt and we hit the chinlock. It’s too early for the Roster Cut though as Young cuts off Myers with the Death Valley Driver. Maclin comes in to clean house with a backbreaker getting two on JDC. Everything breaks down and the KIA finishes JDC at 6:30.

Rating: C+. They weren’t wasting time here as the System takes a loss in less than seven minutes. The team isn’t doing so well right now and the idea of Moose losing their lone title at Genesis isn’t out of the question. For now though, the trio of unlikely good guys are fine for what they are, especially in a fast spot like this.

Post match the System lays the winners out and wrap a chair around Gresham’s neck, which is sent into the post for a crash.

Video on Joe Hendry, looking at his childhood and rise up the ranks to the #1 contendership. We look at his education in judo and music to make him quite the mixture of talents. This is a really good package and a great “get to know you” idea to make you want to see Hendry the person win rather than Hendry the character.

Savannah Evans vs. Lei Ying Lee

Lee is being brought in by Xia Brookside for revenge on Evans, who injured both of them. Lee starts fast and takes Evans out with a dive on the floor, followed by another for two back inside. Evans powerbombs her down for two and we hit the chinlock. Back up and a clothesline drops Evans but Lee is right back with Thunderstruck for the pin at 4:20.

Rating: C. It’s nice to see Lee back in the ring and getting a win but I’m still not seeing much out of her that makes me think she’s going to be a star. At least she has something of a story here though and that is more than she has been able to say thus far. Brookside being involved should help a bit, though I’m curious to see who Evans is going to get to even things up.

Jordynne Grace grabs the mic and calls out Tessa Blanchard for a fight.

Here’s a Classic Moment Of The Week as Kurt Angle defeats Jeff Jarrett at Genesis 2009. We see about eight minutes of a twenty one minute match, which is quite a bit of TV time to use on something like this.

Rosemary wants Masha Slamovich.

Mike Santana vs. Northern Armory

Gauntlet Match and Judas Icarus starts for the team. Icarus jumps him from behind but the clotheslines don’t seem to matter. Santana hits a dropkick but gets knocked off the top for a crash. Not that it matters as Spin The Block gives Santana the pin at 1:56. Travis Williams is in next and slips out of a Death Valley Driver attempt to kick Santana down.

We take a break and come back with Williams getting a cross armbreaker but Santana powers out. The buckle bomb into a sitout powerbomb finishes Williams at 8:23 total, meaning it’s time for Josh Alexander. Cue Alexander…and the rest of the Armory jumps Santana for the DQ at 9:16.

Rating: C+. This was more of a plot device than anything else and that is not a bad idea. Santana wants to get his hands on Alexander and having to get through the lackeys first makes sense. Alexander sent the goons to do his dirty work and it makes for a perfectly simple wrestling angle as a result.

Post match the beatdown is on and Alexander gets his headgear back.

The Personal Concierge is ready to have a pre-title win title celebration next week.

Rosemary sees cracks in Masha Slamovich’s armor. Raven of all people comes in to ask how long it’s been since she held the belt. Rosemary whips out a knife and holds it to his throat so Raven offers to coach her. Well that came out of nowhere.

Good Hands vs. Rascalz

Wentz dropkicks Hotch down to start but Skyler breaks up the handspring to take over. A double middle rope crotch standing has Wentz in more trouble and Skyler grabs an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and everything breaks down with Rolling Thunder getting two on Wentz. A quick Feed Them To The Lions finishes Skyler at 4:48.

Rating: C+. Not much to see here but the Good Hands are in fact good hands, in that they can make anyone around them look better. That’s what the Rascalz can use on the way to their title shot next week at Genesis and it worked well enough here. Not a great match, but it did exactly what it needed to do.

Frankie Kazarian annoys Rhino.

Steve Maclin and Eric Young want revenge on the System but First Class interrupts to get on their nerves. A match is likely for next week.

Here is Alisha Edwards to introduce Moose for a chat. Moose promises to introduce a new X-Division Title at Genesis but cue former TNA star Andrew Everett to say that title means a lot around here. Moose isn’t sure who Everett is and promises violence. A boot to the face and a referee running in are enough to set up a title match.

X-Division Title: Moose vs. Andrew Everett

Moose is defending and runs him over in the corner to start fast. Everett gets in a tornado DDT though and Moose is sent outside. That means the big dive but Moos is back with an apron powerbomb. Back in and a Last Ride finishes for Moose at 2:54.

Sami Callihan demands a title shot against the Hardys. Santino Marella makes it a non-title match next week and if Callihan and PCO win, Genesis is a three way. Works for Callihan.

Here is Jordynne Grace to call out Tessa Blanchard, who answers for the pull apart brawl.

Grace vs. Blanchard is set for Genesis.

Rhino/Joe Hendry vs. Ryan Nemeth/Nic Nemeth

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary as Ryan bails from Rhino to start. Nic works on Rhino’s arm instead but can’t get very far. Instead a double clothesline puts Rhino down for two but he easily takes Ryan into the corner to take over. It’s off to Hendry for a running shoulder and a rather delayed suplex gets two.

Rhino comes back in and gets double teamed down, with Nic grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Hendry comes back in to clean house in a hurry. Kazarian gets up for a failed distraction, leaving Rhino to Gore Ryan but get dropped by Nic’s superkick. Hendry drops Nemeth and hits the Standing Ovation to pin Ryan at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Similar to a few things tonight, this wasn’t a match that was designed to blow the roof off but rather move us a few steps closer to a match that has already been set up. It worked well and gave Rhino a nice win on his way out of the promotion. That’s minor compared to helping boost up Nic vs. Hendry, but I can go for two birds with one match.

Nic and Joe have one more staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This might as well have been TNA in a nutshell recently: it’s nothing that is blowing the doors off of the place and certainly nothing overly novel, but it did a good job of setting up the show that has already been made. I want to see Genesis and while they still have one week to go, they have done well enough so far and this week was a big part of making that work.

Results
Eric Young/Steve Maclin/Jonathan Gresham b. The System – KIA to JDC
Lei Ying Lee b. Savannah Evans – Thunderstruck
Mike Santana b. The Northern Armory via DQ
Rascalz b. Good Hands – Feed Them To The Lions to Skyler
Moose b. Andrew Everett – Last Ride
Rhino/Joe Hendry b. Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth – Standing Ovation to Rhino

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 31, 2024
Location: Wayne State Fieldhouse, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Bound For Glory and the big story is that Nic Nemeth retained the World Title against Joe Hendry with help from JBL. Other than that, the Hardys are the Tag Team Champions against after a not so thrilling main event. We’re on the way to Turning Point next week, which could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it.

Here is Bound For Glory if you need a recap.

The show opens with a graphic showing a statement from Chris Bey, thanking fans and the medical staff helping him with his recovery. He knows it will be a long and challenging recovery process. The voiceover talks about the GoFundMe and asks for donations to help him. That does not sound good in the slightest but at least he’s here to make such a statement.

Bound For Glory recap.

PCO wishes us a Happy Halloween.

Opening sequence.

Here is Frankie Kazarian, in a heck of a Joe Hendry cosplay, for an even better Hendry impression, to mock everything about Hendry. This includes the clapping, but here in the real thing to chase him off. Hendry calls this the first entertaining thing Kazarian has done in 47 years, but the reality is that Kazarian took something away from Hendry and the people.

What matters is that there was a conspiracy against him, with Kazarian, John Layfield and Nic Nemeth all being in on it. Cue Nemeth to say he didn’t know what Layfield did and Hendry deserves a rematch. Nemeth wanted to give Hendry a rematch tonight but Santino Marella said no. Cue the System, with Nemeth insulting them and a tag match seemingly being set up for tonight.

Post break Alisha Edwards and Tasha Steelz are still in the ring to say Masha Slamovich’s Knockouts Title reign is on borrowed time. Cue Slamovich to mock Alisha’s catchphrase and say she’s looking for a fight tonight. The double teaming is on so here is Jordynne Grace for the save. Cue Santino Marella to make a tag match between the women for next week, as well as Nemeth/Hendry vs. JDC/Eddie Edwards.

First Class vs. Rascalz

Miguel and Navarro start things off and a wristdrag has Navarro down, meaning Wentz can come in for a rolling snapmare out of the corner. AJ Francis low bridges Wentz outside though and adds a running knee in the corner back inside. Navarro’s double stomp gets two, followed by a big boot to give Francis the same. A backsplash misses though and it’s back to Miguel to pick up the pace. That means a series of quick strikes into a Swanton for two before Wentz and Navarro crash out to the floor. Navarro is fine enough to get in a cheap shot though and the Down Payment finishes Miguel at 7:03.

Rating: C. First Class getting a win to put them back on track is nice to see, as Francis’ bragging is still good enough. Other than that, not much to this one as they only had so much time, though the Rascalz are dropping quite a bit after their big feud with Wes Lee over in NXT. I’m not sure what they can do, but it might be a bit before it gets better.

Josh Alexander/Good Hands vs. Eric Young/Jonathan Gresham/Steve Maclin

The Good Hands are here because the Northern Armory had visa issues. We’re joined in progress with Gresham getting triple stomped in the corner and Skyler dropping a leg for two. Gresham fights up and gets in a shot to the arm, followed by a dropkick for the tag off to Young. Alexander goes after the knee though and it’s Maclin coming in to chase Alexander outside. That’s enough for Alexander to leave and the spear in the Tree of Woe into KIA finishes Skyler at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Well yeah, of course the villains lost here. You had Alexander and two guys literally described as being there as helpers against two former World Champions and a former Ring Of Honor World Champion. This would have been the same thing if the Armory had been involved so at least it wasn’t shaken up very badly by something out of their control.

We look at the last few minutes of Mike Bailey vs. El Hijo del Vikingo at Bound for Glory. I’m assuming this was going to be the Vikingo match where he got hurt.

Mike Bailey gives Trent Seven a pep talk after losing the Call Your Shot gauntlet but Seven isn’t happy. The System interrupts, with Moose saying he might just take the X-Division Title. Works for Bailey.

Dani Luna vs. Ash By Elegance

Jody Threat, Heather By Elegance and the Personal Concierge are here too. An exchange of shoulders goes to Luna but a Heather distraction lets Ash send her into the steps to take over. Back in and Ash grabs a chinlock, with Luna fighting up without much effort. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Luna two but the Concierge offers a distraction, allowing Heather to get in a broom (witch’s costume) shot. Rarefied Air finishes Luna at 6:02.

Rating: C. Giving Ash an entourage of people to help her steal some wins is a fine idea, as it would stun me if she isn’t at least a serious challenger for the Knockouts Title sooner than later. She’s too good to leave in the middle of the pack for that much longer and has been treated as a big deal. For now though, it looks like By Elegance is coming for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, as this was the required “beat a champion in a singles match”.

Lei Ying Lee vs. Maggie Moore

Moore works on a wristlock to start but Lee headscissors her down and gets in a stomp. A pump kick staggers Lee but she hits a crossbody out of the corner. Thunderstruck finishes Moore at 2:51. That was certainly a Lee match.

Post match Savannah Evans returns and lays Lee out.

Mike Santana is proud of his win over Moose and says the World Title is a matter of when.

Nic Nemeth/Joe Hendry vs. The System

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Hendry takes Edwards down in a hurry to start and we take an early break. Back with Nemeth being knocked outside thanks to an Alisha Edwards distraction and JDC hitting a slingshot elbow for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit before JDC heads up, only to miss a flipping legdrop. Hendry comes back in to clean house and a double clothesline puts the System down. Everything breaks down, leaving Hendry to accidentally hit Nemeth. The Boston Knee Party finishes Nemeth at 10:02.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to go very far and was mainly about the arguing among the good guys. The System gets another boost and there is a chance that we’ll be seeing Eddie get a shot at Nemeth in there somewhere. Throw in Kazarian lurking around and Hendry needing a rematch and Nemeth has his plate full for the time being.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was tasked with getting things going in the new direction after the biggest show of the year, but the Chris Bey stuff was hard to get around. Between the opening announcement and constantly mentioning him all night (and of course there is nothing wrong with that), it was hard to get focused on the show, as it’s hard to not think about how bad things might be for him. All that aside, the main event felt like it was setting up more stuff in the World Title picture, but a lot of the rest felt like it was just continuing from Bound For Glory. There was no big new moment, but that’s not something required.

Results
First Class b. Rascalz – Down Payment to Miguel
Eric Young/Jonathan Gresham/Steve Maclin b. Josh Alexander/Good Hands – KIA to Skyler
Ash By Elegance b. Dani Luna – Rarefied Air
Lei Ying Lee b. Maggie Moore – Thunderstruck
The System b. Nic Nemeth/Joe Hendry – Boston Knee Party to Nemeth

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 26, 2024
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are about a month away from Bound For Glory and this week will see the announcement of the show’s main event. Frankie Kazarian and Joe Hendry will face off in a #1 contenders match for the pay per view title shot against Nic Nemeth. Other than that, we’ll need to find out what else is happening at the show and the build should start here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Jordynne Grace/??? vs. Wendy Choo/Rosemary

The mystery partner is….NXT’s Sol Ruca, a surfer with an insane finisher. It’s a brawl before the bell to start and the villains are sent into each other, setting up a pair of dives to the floor. Back in and Rosemary takes Ruca down to choke away on the ropes before stomping away in the corner.

Ruca reverses a double suplex into a double neckbreaker though and it’s Grace coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Sol Snatcher (Ruca runs the corner and does an inverted flip into a cutter. You kind of have to see it to see how impressive it is.) sets up the Juggernaut Driver but Tasha Steelz runs in to jump Grace for the DQ at 4:20.

Rating: C. The match was pretty much nothing but a way to get Ruca in the ring and show the fans her awesome finisher. Other than that, it would seem that Steelz is the next challenger to Grace, which is better than nothing as Grace is so far ahead of almost everyone else in the division. There wasn’t much time for action here but it did check two boxes in that short of a match.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Masha Slamovich runs in for the save.

Frankie Kazarian is ready for Joe Hendry tonight.

Laredo Kid vs. Jonathan Gresham

Gresham powers him into the corner to start and armdrags him back out of the corner. Another armdrag into a rollup gets two before they flip up into a standoff. Gresham actually goes for the mask but gets knocked outside for an anklescissors. Kid takes him down again and hits a running forearm in the corner back inside.

The middle rope moonsault hits raised knees though and Gresham grabs a Boston crab. For some reason Gresham switches that to a half crab but Kid makes the rope for a break. Kid’s back is good enough for Two Amigos into a brainbuster but Gresham is back up with a springboard moonsault. Gresham stomps on the leg and drives it into the mat until Kid taps at 6:58.

Rating: C+. In recent weeks, Gresham has been getting some wins in surprise ways and that’s a good way to go. It sets up the idea that Gresham can win with something other than a signature move and that makes things all the more interesting. As usual, Kid looked good in defeat, which is about all you can expect from him at this point.

Mike Santana storms the System’s locker room and noise is heard.

ABC/Zachary Wentz vs. Kushida/Leon Slater/Mike Bailey

Bailey and Wentz start things off but everything breaks down and we get the big six way staredown. We take a break and come back with Slater fighting out of a chinlock, allowing the tag to Kushida. The double tag brings in Bailey and Wentz for the face to face staredown. Wentz hits a dropkick and everything breaks down again with all six brawling. Slater hits a high crossbody to take out the ABC, setting up the big lip dive over the corner. Back in and the Swanton 450 misses, allowing Wentz to hit the UFO to pin Slater at 8:29.

Rating: B-. The more I see from Bailey, the less I understand why he is the champion again. Wentz was at least something fresh in the title picture but he just lost it back to Bailey a few weeks later. Odds are we get some kind of a showdown for the title at Bound For Glory, but it’s kind of hard to take Wentz seriously as a challenger when he lost clean in his first major title defense.

Cody Deaner interrupts Jake Something’s workout and tells him to not listen to Hammerstone, who is here too. Hammerstone offers to shut Deaner up.

Mike Santana wants Moose.

Lei Ying Lee vs. Hyan

Lee is better known as Xia Li. Hyan gets knocked down to start but rolls outside before Lee can dive off the top. Back in and Hyan fires off some kicks but Lee isn’t pleased. A spinning torture rack faceplant sets up a running spinning kick (Thunderstruck) to finish Hyan at 4:04.

Rating: C. This was your get to know you match for Lee, who looked fine enough in her debut. The striking and the kicking will always be worth at least a look as she knows how to do them, with the big spinning kick working fine as a finisher. Another short match, but it did what it needed to do.

Leon Slater apologizes to Mike Bailey for the loss but Bailey gives him a pep talk.

ABC wants the Tag Team Titles back. The Hardys come in and say they want the titles as well. Finger gestures and noises ensue.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat. Alexander admits he deserves to be booed but now he believes in Joe Hendry. Alexander gave him the toughest fight he could and then went out on his shield. When Alexander was saying some stupid things, Eric Young tried to talk some sense into him so he would like Young to come out here right now.

Cue Young to say this is the real Walking Weapon, which Young seems to appreciate. Young is glad to have the real one back and he is glad that Alexander can admit that Hendry was the better man. Everything seems ok…and then Alexander suplexes him. Steve Maclin runs in for the save but Sinner & Saint helps beat the good guys down.

Santino Marella talks to Steph de Lander when Matt Cardona interrupts. Santino doesn’t care for this and puts Cardona in a Monster’s Ball match against PCO at Bound For Glory.

Heather Reckless vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside has a cowgirl theme this week. Reckless starts fast and chokes on the ropes as here is Ash By Elegance, also in cowgirl attire, to watch. Brookside fights out of a double arm crank and makes the clothesline comeback for two. The running knees connect in the corner so Reckless bails out to the floor. A snap suplex on the floor has Reckless in more trouble and they head back inside, where Reckless gets in a neck snap over the ropes. Rarefied Air finishes Brookside at 6:02.

Rating: C+. Reckless is someone who is becoming a bigger deal in a hurry and that is a good thing for the division. She is still relatively brand new and is already feeling like someone who could wind up becoming something. At the same time, Brookside losing again isn’t a great sign, as she hasn’t felt important in a good while.

Post break Reckless comes in to see Ash, whose concierge wants to give Reckless elegance.

Joe Hendry vs. Frankie Kazarian

For the Bound For Glory shot against Nic Nemeth, who is on commentary. Before the match, Hendry says Kazarian looks like the dad from Spy Kids and the brawl is on. Hendry fights out of the early beating and we take an early break. Back with Hendry slamming him down, setting up a springboard spinning legdrop for two.

Kazarian grabs a mic and shouts about how he DOES NOT believe in Joe Hendry while stomping away. Hendry is right back up with the fall away slam but the Standing Ovation is blocked. Kazarian’s chickenwing is broken up so Hendry grabs the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well, with Kazarian’s Fade To Black not working either. Hendry goes to the ankle lock, with Kazarian making the rope.

Back up and Kazarian hits the slingshot DDT, only to be sent outside in a heap. A suplex on the floor hits Kazarian but he gets in a cheap shot with…something for the quick pin at 9:50. Hold on though as Nemeth protests and Santino Marella comes out to say restart it. Kazarian knocks him down again but walks into a quick Standing Ovation to give Hendry the pin and the title shot at 12:43.

Rating: B-. Despite the fact that Kazarian has been pushed, it was hard to believe that Hendry was in any real danger of losing here, even when he did. Hendry has been the hottest thing in TNA for a long time now and it makes all the sense in the world for him to get the World Title shot. That’s the money match and this wasn’t so much about would he get here, but rather how he got there.

Nemeth applauds Hendry to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was all about setting up the main event of Bound For Glory and it worked out well enough. The rest of the show was perfectly acceptable but there was almost nothing that you needed to see. It was a rather run of the mill show, but what matters is setting things up for next month and this show took care of the biggest piece of that puzzle.

Results
Jordynne Grace/Sol Ruca b. Rosemary/Wendy Choo via DQ when Tasha Steelz interfered
Jonathan Gresham b. Laredo Kid – Gresham rammed Kid’s knee into the mat
ABC/Zachary Wentz b. Kushida/Leon Slater/Mike Bailey – UFO to Slater
Lei Ying Lee b. Hyan – Thunderstruck
Heather Reckless b. Xia Brookside – Rarefied Air
Joe Hendry b. Frankie Kazarian – Standing Ovation

 

 

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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