Impact Wrestling
Date: May 15, 2025
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re just over a week away from Under Siege and the cards has mostly come together. The company has quite a few things going on at the moment, including World Champion Joe Hendry defending the title against NXT’s Trick Williams later this month at NXT Battleground. That should make for a good match on that show, but they both need something to do at Under Siege. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Sabu.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford vs. Masha Slamovich/Nikkita Lyons

Lyons misses a kick to Blanchard to start but is able to send her into the corner for some hip drops. Slamovich comes in and hair mares Crawford a few times, followed by a kick to the chest for two. It’s back to Blanchard to knock Slamovich down and hand it back to Crawford. Slamovich fights up but Blanchard is right there to pull Lyons off the apron. Blanchard slides Crawford a chair but Slamovich takes it away and nails Crawford for the DQ at 4:14.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as Crawford isn’t bad but feels WAY over her head compared to Blanchard and Slamovich. Lyons isn’t much better, as she seems to be there for whatever star power she allegedly has. Other than that, this was more about Crawford and company getting under Slamovich’s skin, but I’m still not buying Crawford as having a chance at Under Siege.

Post match Slamovich takes out Blanchard as well but Santino Marella comes out to restart the match…but Robert Stone says no and the winners are Blanchard and Crawford. As in the TNA wrestlers rather than the team with an NXT wrestler, because this storyline doesn’t need to exist.

Cody Deaner is nervous about getting to wrestle in such a big match so close to his hometown. His family means the world to them and they will get to be there. His lack of a singles win in over a year is brought up but apparently he does a lot of things backstage and helps with the younger wrestlers. A loss can’t happen. Sweet goodness it’s CODY DEANER. TNA has treated him like nothing for the better part of ever now but suddenly I’m suppose to feel bad that he might be leaving?

Great Hands vs. Rascalz

Skyler gets punched in the face to start and sent to the floor, followed by some rapid fire kicks back inside. Hotch low bridges Miguel to the floor though and Skyler gets to take over. Miguel comes back with a pretty awesome Sling Blade backbreaker and everything breaks down. The Rascalz hit a string of running elbows in the corner but cue Mustafa Ali for a distraction. The Favor finishes Miguel at 4:18.

Rating: C. Another acceptable enough match here with Ali’s continued issues causing troubles for various people. The Great Hands aren’t exactly a top level team either but they’re good enough as lackeys. The match again didn’t have much time, and that’s not doing it many favors.

Post match Ali runs in to hammer on Miguel but Ace Austin runs in for the save.

During the break, the Great Hands jumped Austin, who is scheduled for a four way match.

Matt Cardona vs. Elijah vs. Ace Austin vs. Mance Warner

For a future International Title shot, Steph de Lander is here with Warner and Austin has a bad leg. Austin sends Cardona outside and takes Warner down but hurts his leg again trying a nip up. Back in and Cardona gets backdropped out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Warner going after Austin’s leg and sending Cardona shoulder first into the post. Warner’s superplex to Austin is turned into a Tower Of Doom and Elijah knees Cardona out of the air.

Cardona grabs a chair but Warner takes it away and uses it for a springboard DDT. Elijah gives Warner the Highwayman’s Farewell onto the open chair but Cardona breaks it up. Austin is back in and can’t hit his springboard kick due to the leg, allowing Cardona to grab a rollup for two. The Fold attempt doesn’t work either and Cardona hits Radio Silence to pin Austin at 11:11.

Rating: B-. Austin’s leg was the story here and it went fairly well, as that is going to give him a reason to want some revenge on Mustafa Ali. Cardona is a good next challenger for the title, as he’s an established name and offers something fresh. The other two were just kind of there, but that’s often going to happen in a four way match.

Tessa Blanchard yells at Ariana Grace, who argues back. That earns Grace one heck of a slap.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse with First Class bragging about their celebrity connections and mock the city. They bring out their guest O’Shea Jackson Jr., who didn’t like the Los Angeles insult. Jackson says AJ Francis looks like Uncle Phil so Francis threatens to treat him like Jazz. Cue Mike Santana to chase First Class off.

Indi Hartwell vs. Kelsey Heather

Heather doesn’t want anything to do with a handshake and grabs a headlock instead. As commentary runs down Hartwell’s career resume, she fights out and drives Heather into the corner, followed by a big boot. A spinning full nelson faceplant finishes for Hartwell at 2:29.

Post break Hartwell is talking about her win but Mustafa Ali’s Cabinet takes over the camera to talk about how unfair things have been to Ali. Hartwell isn’t happy but the Cabinet doesn’t care.

Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside

Rosemary bails to the floor to start and gives Brookside a mischievous look before snapping Brookside’s throat across the rope. Back in and Rosemary chokes on the rope, only to offer Brookside some brass knuckles. That doesn’t make Brookside go evil so Rosemary grabs a quickly broken crossface. Brookside fights up and hits the Broken Wings for two before she picks up the knuckles. A headbutt drops Rosemary again and she wants Brookside to use the knuckles. When that doesn’t work, Rosemary loads up the mist, only for Brookside to hit her in the throat. Brookside snaps a bit and the referee is shoved for the DQ at 5:30.

Rating: C+. Another storyline advancing match here as Brookside continues to show aggression, even if it comes after she is being pushed by Rosemary. In theory this is what Rosemary wants, but I really don’t need another “and now this person is evil” story. I’m sure we’ll get more of this, and I’m a bit curious about where it is going to go.

Post match the brawl stays on and Lei Ying Lee runs in to break it up, with Rosemary bailing.

We look at Trick Williams and Joe Hendry’s contract signing on NXT.

Ariana Grace asks Santino Marella to make a match with Tessa Blanchard at Under Siege. Robert Stone comes in to say it’s a great idea.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for a chat. He hates this town and complains about things going badly at Rebellion. Kazarian hates Joe Hendry and her fans, but there is one person who gets what he means. That would be his tag partner at Under Siege, Trick Williams. Cue Williams, who says they don’t like each other but they’re here to be respected. Williams mentions Hendry so here he is. Cue Elijah to help Hendry clear the ring. Cue Santino Marella to say let’s do the match tonight but Robert Stone runs out to say we’re not doing this here, as this story needed to be done multiple times in the same show.

We look at Sabu vs. Rob Van Dam from Hardcore Justice 2010.

Jeff Hardy vs. Nic Nemeth

Matt Hardy and Ryan Nemeth are here too. Jeff hits a quick dropkick to start but walks into the running DDT. That’s fine with Jeff, who sends him to the floor for a big dive. We take a break and come back with Jeff sending him into the corner and dropping a splash for two. A neckbreaker gets Nic out of trouble and he starts in on Jeff’s knee. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the Shot to the Heart for two. The chinlock goes on again and we take a break.

Back with Jeff avoiding a charge into the post and hitting the basement dropkick. Jeff hits the Whisper In The Wind for two but misses a charge of his own. Nic hits the Fameasser for two but Jeff is back with the Twisting Stunner. The Swanton is blocked though and Nic hits a superkick for two. The Danger Zone is blocked as well and it’s a Twist Of Fate into the Swanton to give Jeff the pin at 10:59.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match where you know it’s going to work just based on who is involved. That’s not a bad thing at all and they made it work well. Having Jeff beat one of the champions when he won’t be involved at Under Siege is kind of a strange choice though, as you would normally want the Nemeths to be presented in a stronger way.

Post match Ryan jumps the Hardys but Leon Slater (Matt’s partner at Under Siege) makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a nice push towards Under Siege, but my goodness the Stone vs. Marella stuff is killing the show. I have no idea why I’m supposed to like Marella in the first place when Stone is being proven right about everything he does. At the same time, I have no interest in seeing a battle of the bosses, especially from these two. The rest of the show was the usual building towards the pay per view, but dang that one big story is hurting things.

Results
Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford b. Masha Slamovich/Nikkita Lyons via DQ when Slamovich used a chair
Great Hands b. Rascalz – Favor to Miguel
Matt Cardona b. Ace Austin, Elijah and Mance Warner – Radio Silence to Austin
Indi Hartwell b. Kelsey Heather – Spinning full nelson faceplant
Rosemary b. Xia Brookside via DQ when Brookside shoved the referee
Jeff Hardy b. Nic Nemeth – Swanton

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 8, 2025
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re getting closer to Under Siege and that means we should be in for a card being set up sooner rather than later. One of the bigger matches is likely going to involve NXT’s Trick Williams, who has been going after TNA World Champion Joe Hendry. Other than that, there are a lot of holes to fill in so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Trick Williams, the #1 contender to the TNA World Title at NXT Battleground on May 25, to get things going. After bragging about his attractiveness, Williams brings up taking out Joe Hendry last week. He isn’t bothered by the booing and yells at a fan, before saying that Hendry wants to be liked while Williams wants to be respected. Williams is ready to take everything from Hendry, who comes to the ring for the brawl. Security breaks it up so Hendry beats up a guard to blow off some steam (that’s a bit out of character for him).

Robert Stone complains to Victoria Crawford about tonight’s card, because Santino Marella is bad at his job.

Rosemary vs. Lei Ying Lee

Xia Brookside is on commentary. Lee starts fast with a running crossbody for two but Rosemary takes her down and hammers away. A fall away slam gives Rosemary two and she bites the hand to cut off some chops. The Upside Down makes it worse for Lee, with Brookside thinking Rosemary is doing this to prove a point. Lee fights back and hammers away in the corner (Brookside approves) so Rosemary tries some brass knuckles. Brookside takes them away though and Thunderstruck gives Lee the pin at 4:29.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here and Brookside continuing to stay on the good side, much to Rosemary’s chagrin, continues to set up their eventual showdown. That opens up a nice possibility, as Brookside has been needing something interesting for a long time now. It would be nice to see that go somewhere, and Lee is getting a bit of a rub of her own on the way.

Trick Williams and Mike Santana cross paths backstage. After a staredown, Santana moves on to Sami Callihan and a guy in a goblin mask. Santana appreciated the barbed wire massacre a few weeks ago, which gets a handshake from Callihan. First Class comes in and says they’re here to talk to Callihan. They want him in First Class but he leaves with the goblin instead. Santana doesn’t seem impressed.

By Elegance gives Maggie Lee a makeover. Full results coming later I’m assuming.

Great Hands vs. Aztec Warriors

Before the match, the Great Hands say Mustafa Ali has changed since Rebellion. They’re sorry for what happens next. Kid and Hotch run the ropes to start until Kid slaps him in the back of the head. Octagon comes in for a spinning high crossbody and a rather springboardy wristdrag.

Skyler gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and a neckbreaker gets two on Octagon. That doesn’t last long as Octagon rolls over and gets the tag off to Kid to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and the Warriors hit some dives to the floor. Back in and a driver puts Hotch down, setting up a handstand springboard moonsault to give Octagon the pin at 4:16.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, with the Warriors being the local lucha team. That is something which is going to work no matter what and that was the case here. At the same time, the Great Hands are a team who can make anyone look good, which suits their name rather well. I can’t imagine the Warriors get to go very far, but at least they’re doing something in the short term.

Post match Mustafa Ali runs in to jump the Warriors but the Rascalz make the save.

Trey Miguel vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali forearms away to start and rolls over into a powerbomb to plant Miguel. An uppercut drops Miguel again but he sends Ali to the floor. The baseball slide is countered into a hanging DDT onto the floor though and they head back inside. A standing corkscrew moonsault gives Ali two and a bridging suplex gets the same. The rolling neckbreaker is cut off with a cutter though and Miguel gets to strike away.

The top rope Meteora gives Miguel two but Ali knocks him outside. That lets the seconds get in a brawl, with Wentz hitting a moonsault onto the Great Hands. Ali posts Wentz to take him out but the distraction lets Miguel come back with a diving tornado DDT. Tasha Steelz offers a distraction though and the Great Hands cut Miguel off. Ali’s swinging Downward Spiral is good for the pin at 7:19.

Rating: B. As usual, TNA knows how to use its talented wrestlers to put something good together. That’s what we got here, as Ali is one of the best talents on the roster and Miguel can hang with anyone. I could have gone with a bit less in the way of shenanigans, but it’s rather easy to watch these two in the ring together.

We look at Mustafa Ali successfully defending the X-Division Title against Ace Austin at Under Siege 2024. A little over half of the match, which ran 16 minutes in full, is shown.

Steve Maclin is ready to face Eric Young in a dog collar match for the International Title. It’s time to finish this.

Indi Hartwell talks about everything she has done to get here, including how much she loved TNA Wrestling. She doesn’t want to be a Knockout, because she wants to be THE Knockout. Not a bad line. I can go with giving Hartwell a try, as she never really got one on the main WWE roster.

Here are the Hardys for a chat. They lost the Tag Team Titles to the Nemeths and it makes them feel like they let the fans down. That doesn’t work for them, but now it’s time to fight, scratch and claw their way back to the titles. They are on the Hardy Soul Train and it’s time to DELETE the new champs’ title reign.

Cue the Nemeths to say they are going to make this fast because they have a plane to catch. They think the Hardys are legends but sometimes legends fall. The rematch can take place at Under Siege and they can make it a ladder match…but never mind because Jeff can’t go to Canada. This brings out Santino Marella to make Jeff vs. Nic next week and Matt/a partner of his choice vs. the Nemeths for the titles at Under Siege. If nothing else, I’ll take this over another Jeff beatdown just before the Canadian excursion.

We look at Nic and Jeff in a hardcore match years ago on Raw. Next week is their first regular singles match.

Victoria Crawford vs. Brittnie Brooks

Robert Stone is on commentary. Crawford knocks her into the corner to start and hits her always good bridging northern lights suplex for two. A headscissors out of the corner sets up the ax kick to give Crawford the pin at 1:27. Keeping this short might have been a good idea.

Post match Masha Slamovich comes out to brawl with Crawford but Tessa Blanchard comes in to drop Slamovich. Santino Marella comes out to make a tag match for next week but Stone is going to pick Slamovich’s partner: Nikkita Lyons from NXT. Uh, yay.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Arianna Grace tries to calm things down between Robert Stone and Santino Marella. Tessa Blanchard comes in to yell at her about the proper way to build on your family’s legacy.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Eric Young

Young, with the Northern Armory, is challenging in a dog collar match and Matt Cardona is on commentary. They pull each other closer with the chain and Young gets the better of a brawl. Maclin is already busted open and Young chokes away in the corner as Elijah is watching backstage. The blood is GUSHING and the Armory rubs it on their white shirts as Young chokes with the chain on the post. Young hammers away and throws Maclin back inside, where Maclin cuts them all off with a dive.

Back up and Young uses the chain to pull him throat first into the post and we take a break. We come back with Young choking away on the incredibly bloody Maclin as Ace Austin is now watching with Elijah. Maclin fights up with the clothesline comeback and whips Young with the chain. An Angle Slam gives Maclin two and a running knee drops Young again. Mance Warner and Steph de Lander are watching from the stage as the fight heads outside.

Maclin has to fight off the Armory again though and Young pulls him off the apron for a crash. Back in and Maclin catches Young on top and beats up the Armory. The distraction lets Young (either also bleeding or covered in Maclin’s blood) hit a piledriver for two but Maclin uses the chain to pull him off the top. KIA retains the title at 14:26.

Rating: B-. Your taste in blood may vary here, but it was more about violence than insanity like the Barbed Wire Massacre a few weeks back. Hopefully this lets Maclin move on to someone else, because there are a lot of possible challengers out there. Maclin looked good in surviving here, even with all of the blood, which was excessive even by TNA standards.

Maclin celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. For a show that had a lot going on and a lot to set up, almost everything was working here. The action was good, with the main event looking and feeling very important. Other than that, you had some things set up for Under Siege, which could use the boost given how much has been blown off recently. Solid show here, which is something TNA has been needing.

Results
Lei Ying Lee b. Rosemary – Thunderstruck
Aztec Warriors b. Great Hands – Handstand springboard moonsault to Hotch
Mustafa Ali b. Trey Miguel – Swinging Downward Spiral
Victoria Crawford b. Brittnie Brooks – Ax kick
Steve Maclin b. Eric Young – KIA

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 1, 2025
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Rebellion and the show only had so much going on. Joe Hendry is still the World Champion but it seems that he has a Trick Williams (from NXT) sized problem. That could make for something going forward in the coming weeks and it may start with this week’s show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rebellion if you need a recap.

We open with a long Rebellion recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Joe Hendry, who is happy to still be the World Champion, but first the fans give him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY chant. After thanking the fans, Hendry recaps his recent escapades and calls out Trick Williams, who pops up…on the video screen. Williams isn’t going to come out here, which is fine for Hendry, who is ready for his six man tag main event.

The Rascalz are ready for Zachary Wentz to win the X-Division Title tonight.

Sami Callihan comes up to Santino Marella but Mance Warner and Steph de Lander interrupt. Callihan and Warner had a violent match and they aggressively shake hands to wrap up their feud. Callihan: “For now.”

Mike Santana vs. Isaiah Moore

Moore strikes away to start but charges into a shot in the corner. A Liger Bomb finishes for Santana at 1:01.

Post match Santana says he finished Mustafa Ali and now he wants Joe Hendry and the World Title.

We look at Steve Maclin beating Eric Young but getting beaten down by the Northern Armory after the match.

Here is Maclin for a chat but the Northern Armory jumps him from behind. Maclin gets hung with the chain again.

Post match Santino Marella yells at the Northern Armory when Steve Maclin comes in to yell too. Marella makes Maclin vs. Eric Young for next week.

X-Division Title: Zachary Wentz vs. Moose

Wentz, with Trey Miguel, is challenging while Moose has Alisha Edwards with him. Moose powers him into the corner to start but Wentz takes out the leg and sends things to the floor. A dive takes Moose out again and we take a break. Back with Wentz striking away to knock Moose outside, setting up a moonsault to drop him again. They get back in where Moose hits a heck of a pop up powerbomb into a high crossbody of all things. Another powerbomb is countered into a Code Red for a very near fall, followed by an X Factor to drop Moose again. The Spiral Tap gets two but Moore is back with a spear to retain at 6:32.

Rating: C+. The ending of that Ultimate X match at Rebellion makes it seem like Leon Slater is very likely going to be the person to take the title off of Moose. That means we need to wait to get to that match, and that’s where boosting Moose up here makes sense. Beating another former champion is a good thing and it worked well enough here, even in a short match.

We get a new injury report from Rebellion, with only Tasha Steelz out of action.

A disheveled Mustafa Ali has nothing to say but the Great Hands seem ok with everything.

Here is Cody Deaner for a chat. His contract expires very soon and he isn’t getting a new deal because he hasn’t won a match in over a year. He grew up in a tiny town and now he can say that he has had a 25 year career. Now he can say he is a proud husband and father to four children. Only one company gave him a chance though and because of the fans, no matter what, he feels like a winner.

Cue Santino Marella, who is willing to give Deaner an extension until Under Siege, and if he can get a win over Eddie Edwards, it might be enough for a new contract. Cue NXT’s Robert Stone (formerly Robbie E) and Victoria Crawford (formerly Alicia Fox), with Stone saying that Marella is officially under review. This company needs a new boss with a new vision, so Stone is going to be supervising him. The Deputy Director of Authority, Crawford will be assisting him in the process, as well as getting a Knockouts Title shot at Under Siege. Oh sweet goodness not battling authority figures. And also, it’s still just Deaner.

Post break, Marella and Stone argue, with Tessa Blanchard coming in to throw her support behind Stone.

Maggie Lee vs. Jody Threat

Dani Luna is here with Threat. They go with the grappling to start until Threat runs her over with a shoulder. A top rope seated senton gives Threat two but Lee kicks her in the ribs. Lee pulls her down by the hair for two and we hit the double arm crank. A bow and arrow keeps Threat in trouble but she fights up and fires off some chops. Lee catches her on top though and hits a Tower Of London for two but Threat is back with corner clotheslines. Pop Shove It finishes Lee at 5:20.

Rating: C. This Knockouts tag division stuff still isn’t clicking for me and Spitfire isn’t doing much. Threat and Luna have been together for a good while now but they haven’t done much that draws me in. Having them feud with By Elegance and their friend Lee going forward is still not going to fix it, but that’s been an issue for the division for years now.

By Elegance yells at Maggie Lee after her loss. The solution? MAKEOVER!

Here is Indi Hartwell for her Impact debut. Hartwell talks about her history watching TNA in Australia and now she is ready to be THE Knockout.

Under Siege rundown.

KC Navarro vs. Leon Slater

AJ Francis is here with Navarro. They run the ropes to start and Navarro jumps over him for some posing. That doesn’t go well as they’re quickly on the floor, where Slater hits a 619 on the apron. Francis gets caught interfering though and gets ejected, allowing Navarro to grab a tornado DDT. Slater is quickly out of a chinlock and hits a suplex neckbreaker for two. Navarro rolls outside so Slater tries the running flip dive, only to stick the landing when Navarro moves. Slater knocks him back again though and the Swanton 450 finishes Navarro off at 4:21.

Rating: C+. These guys having an entertaining match isn’t a big surprise at all as they’re both rather good. As was the case earlier in the show, it seems like we are going to be seeing Slater getting the next big shot at Moose. Therefore he needs some wins, and that’s what he got here, with the cool finishing move being included.

Masha Slamovich is ready to prove why Victoria Crawford is in over her head.

We look at Darkstate attacking Joe Hendry on NXT, setting up a six man tag for next week.

Ryan Nemeth/Nic Nemeth/Frankie Kazarian vs. Hardys/Joe Hendry

The good guys have a customized theme saying I BELIEVE IN JEFF HARDY. It’s a brawl at the bell to start and the good guys clear the ring as we take an early break. Back with Matt in trouble in the corner as the villains get to take turns beating him up. Kazarian grabs a cravate but Matt fights out and brings Jeff in to clean house.

The Twist Of Fate is countered into a rollup to give Nic two and everything breaks down. Hendry snaps off the fall away slams and we hit the parade of finishes. Cue Trick Williams to send Hendry into the steps though, allowing Ryan to break up the Swanton. The Danger Zone finishes Jeff at 6:48.

Rating: C+. This was mainly about Williams coming in at the end and that’s a fine way to wrap up the show. It wouldn’t shock me to see Williams getting a title shot at Battleground or whatever the next big NXT show happens to be. Other than that, the Nemeths vs. the Hardys gets to continue, though I’m not sure I can imagine that going on for a long time.

Post match Williams lays Hendry out again to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Not their most thrilling show here, but the ending did help things a good bit. You can see some of the bigger matches coming and I’m rather curious about Mike Santana jumping into the main event scene. If TNA wants to push someone who feels like a mostly homegrown star, he’s a great choice and that very well may be where they’re going. Other than that, it was only a good enough show, but they often take a bit of a breather after a major pay per view.

Results
Mike Santana b. Isaiah Moore – Liger Bomb
Moose b. Zachary Wentz – Spear
Jody Threat b. Maggie Lee – Pop Shove It
Leon Slater b. KC Navarro – Swanton 450
Ryan Nemeth/Nic Nemeth/Frankie Kazarian b. Hardys/Joe Hendry – Danger Zone to Jeff

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

Joey Janela’s Spring Break 9
Date: April 18, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Jordan Castle, Veda Scott

Here we have the first half of what has become the biggest independent event of the weekend, featuring the wacky cast of GCW. That can mean just about anything in the way of oddball matches, but this time around the main event will see Joey Janela facing Sabu in the latter’s retirement match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is set to an old Rat Pack style song with various hardcore clips. That’s quite the dichotomy.

Tag Team Titles: Violence Is Forever vs. Alec Price/???

Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini/Kevin Ku) is defending and Price’s normal partner, Cole Radrick is injured and he needs a replacement. For now though, Price is fighting by himself and dives onto the champs to start fast. They go inside with Price hitting a top rope leg lariat and some running shots in the corner. A Blockbuster hits Garrini but Ku is back up with a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle.

Garrini kicks Price into a reverse capture suplex and Chasing The Dragon gets two. The titles are brought in but here is Cole Radrick (still injured) to bring out Jordan Oliver to be Price’s partner. The diving tag brings Oliver in to clean house and Radrick sends in the crutch. Everything breaks down and Oliver hits a kind of reverse powerbomb out of the corner to pin Garrini at 6:54.

Rating: C+. This was kind of two matches in one as Oliver was brought in the middle to change everything around. Before he showed up it was Price getting beaten up but after Oliver showed up it was basically a fast paced win. It’s a good way to open the show with the feel good return and title change so well done.

We recap Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego del Sol, which is quite the blood feud and now it’s mask vs. career, loser leaves GCW.

La Familia Wagner vs. Los Desperadoes

That would be Dr. Wagner Jr./El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr./Galleno del Mal vs. Arez/Gringo Loco/Jack Cartwheel. Hijo and Cartwheel start things off with Hijo spinning out of a wristlock to take him down. A basement crossbody puts Cartwheel down and they have a cartwheel off. Galleno and Arez (he’s weird) come in to run the ropes until the much bigger Galleno shoulders him down. With that going nowhere, it’s off to Loco vs. Wagner Jr. but first we need a hug between the Wagners.

They trade armdrags to no avail so Loco gets in some hip gyrations. Wagner Jr. takes off his mask and everything breaks down, with Cartwheel hitting a big flip dive to the floor. Galleno gets triple teamed in the corner and a double suplex puts him down. Loco drops the split legged moonsault for two but Galleno fights out of the corner. Hijo is in for the save as Wagner Jr. grabs a trashcan to start cleaning house.

Arez takes it away and hits Wagner Jr. instead, followed by an enziguri to drop him. Hijo hits Three Amigos (yes with dance) on Arez, setting up the frog splash for two. A running Codebreaker gives Arez two but Galleno makes the save. Loco catches him on top with a super Spanish Fly but Arez is right there for a running shooting star (one foot) onto the pile on the floor. Back in and Wagner Jr. powerbombs Cartwheel into la majistral for the pin at 17:04.

Rating: B-. This was a bunch of people having a good match with a family fighting three other stars. Wagner Jr. is an older guy but he certainly hasn’t lost it by any means. This is the kind of variety that can make a show feel more interesting and fun, which is what GCW seems to want to do. And it worked.

Bozilla vs. Megan Bayne

This is whatever the female version of a hoss fight would be. Bozilla powers her into the corner to start but Bayne tells her to run the ropes. That’s what Bozilla does, with a big shoulder running Bayne over. Bayne kicks her to the floor and a suicide dive connects. Back in and Bozilla catches her with a Samoan driver for two and the bearhug goes on. Bayne fights out and hits a running dropkick, followed by a belly to belly for two.

Bozilla comes back with a German suplex, only for Bayne to drop her with a clothesline. They go up top with Bozilla hitting a super fall away slam as something weird comes over the audio (seemed to be a glitch). A powerbomb puts Bayne down but she gets up for a sitout powerbomb of her own. They strike it out until Bozilla drops her with a clothesline into three straight powerbombs for two. Bozilla’s moonsault misses though and Bayne hits a flip dive off the top. Fate’s Descent and a tombstone finish Bozilla at 12:13.

Rating: B. There is something fun about two big, strong people beating the fire out of each other until one of them can’t get up. That’s exactly what we got here and it’s cool to see a hoss fight between two women for a change. Bayne felt like she was out to prove herself here and that made for a good story from the bigger star.

We recap 1 Called Manders vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Manders has finally started having some success, winning the WXW World Title. Now he wants to prove himself against Sabre (in theory, as there isn’t any talking).

1 Called Manders vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Non-title. They start slowly and go to a test of strength, which goes nowhere. An exchange of shoulders goes badly for Sabre but Manders makes the mistake of extending his arm. That’s all Sabre needs and he starts stomping away but gets dropped ribs first across the top rope.

Sabre starts in on the arm again and Manders bangs it up again on a chop. The arm is bent around the rope and a big kick to the chest gets two. Manders tries a comeback but gets spun around by the arm again. A single chop gives Manders two and the lariat, albeit a weakened one, gets two. Sabre pops back up and grabs the European clutch for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C+. This is a match that probably should have been better but just wasn’t. For one thing, they didn’t have a ton of time and it hurt things a good bit. How much can you do when you don’t even have eight minutes? Manders seemed to be trying to prove that he had gotten so much better, but that doesn’t have much of an impact when Sabre picks him apart, survives a finisher and then wins.

We recap Atticus Cogar vs. Fuego del Sol. Cogar doesn’t like del Sol for wearing the mask and thinks he’s hiding something. They have fought a few times now and this is mask vs. career.

Fuego del Sol vs. Atticus Cogar

Fuego comes to the ring with a bunch of masked people. They go right after each other to start and Cogar is already bringing in the weapons. Fuego gets in a chair shot for a breather and it’s time to bridge a door between the chairs. Cogar whips out some scissors to cut at the mask and stab at the head, because that’s something you see done. An Air Raid Crash off the stage sends Fuego through the doors to really leave him down.

They get back inside with Cogar bringing in more weapons but getting kicked down. Fuego gets crotched on top and Cogar bites the forehead. Cogar is tied in the Tree of Woe though, only for Cogar’s brother Otis to run in. Cue Fuego’s friend Sam Stackhouse for a (rather large) suicide dive to the Cogars. Atticus fights back with the chairs but Fuego Sun Fire Drivers him through the chair structure.

A German suplex sends Fuego onto an open chair and it’s time to jab some skewers into Fuego’s head. Otis chairs Stackhouse down for Fuego kicking out and it’s time for a 2×4 with gusset plates. Fuego uses the breather to hit a moonsault DDT for two and Stackhouse is back up to take out Otis. Fuego’s 630 sends Atticus through the door at ringside for two more, meaning it’s time to skewer Atticus. The 2×4 hits Atticus in the arm but he whips out a tazer to blast Fuego. A Brain Hemorrhage (bulldog driver) onto a trashcan finishes Fuego at 17:44.

Rating: B. This is a good illustration of what a story can do. The match itself was pretty much a garbage brawl, but I wanted to see Fuego beat Cogar. The story they had told set Cogar up as an evil that wanted to destroy Fuego for the simple reason of “Cogar doesn’t like him”. Fuego has done nothing wrong and that makes me want to see Cogar get what is coming to him. I was disappointed when Fuego lost and that’s a sign that they did something right. Nothing match, great storytelling, and the latter is more important.

Post match Fuego has Stackhouse remove the mask and he hands it to Atticus. That gives us a victory lap from Atticus who puts on the mask then throws it on the stage and steps on it. Fuego takes his boots off and leaves, seemingly ending his career.

We recap Matt Tremont vs. Minoru Suzuki, which is basically “two monsters are going to fight”.

Matt Tremont vs. Minoru Suzuki

They yell a lot and then strike it out with both of them wanting it brought. For some reason Suzuki thrusts his hips before they fight outside, where he bents Tremont’s fingers. Tremont is rammed into various things and is already busted open, which isn’t going to be a good thing. Suzuki slowly hammers away and bends the finger before going back inside to bend the finger even more.

More blood flows but Tremont manages a clothesline for two. The Death Valley Driver gets two but Suzuki comes back with a choke. They get to the ropes so the referee tries to break it up, earning himself a piledriver from Suzuki. More referees come out as the fight goes into the crowd. They both grab their titles for a staredown and it’s no contest at around 10:45.

Rating: D. So they had Suzuki do his thing, Tremont do his thing, and then they brawled off rather than have one of them do a job. Suzuki has had a rough stretch of matches over the weekend and this was another one on the pile. I’m sure this was a match that was supposed to sound great on paper but that didn’t exactly play out. It was more an extended brawl than a match and that’s not quite much to see.

Video on Joey Janela vs. Sabu, with Janela getting the Sabu that he wanted for Sabu’s final match.

JCW Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Suzu Suzuki

Slamovich is defending. Suzuki wins an early exchange of shoulders and a running knee to the back gets two. Back up and Slamovich grabs some hair mares to set up a seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Suzuki hits a spear, followed by a missile dropkick for two.

Slamovich is back up with some running strikes in the corner but the White Knight Driver is broken up. Suzuki kicks her down again but stereo kicks to the head leave them both down. Back up and they trade more kicks to the head, with Slamovich’s being a bit more effective. The White Knight Driver retains the title at 9:48.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have a ton of time here but it felt like a hard hitting fight and that’s what this needed to be. Slamovich has been working hard throughout this weekend with one of the busiest schedules of anyone. You can see why as well, as she hasn’t had anything close to a bad match all weekend, which is more than a lot of people can say.

We recap Gabe Kidd vs. Mance Warner, which is a rematch from earlier this year when they brawled so much that it had to be stopped.

Mance Warner vs. Gabe Kidd

Warner comes out swinging a screwdriver to start and gets knocked down, allowing Kidd to get said screwdriver. Veda Scott: “Are we going to have a shoot murder?” Warner is already busted open and it’s time to stab him in the head even more. The comeback is on in a hurry and Warner goes to get more weapons.

Back in and Warner gets the screwdriver, which he licks and uses to comb his hair, and then stabs Kidd. Naturally after the whole double stabbing thing, they sit in chairs and slug it out. Kidd drops him back first onto some open chairs, followed by a discus lariat for two. The (bloody) door is set up but Warner is back up with a springboard tornado DDT to send Warner through the door in a crash.

The big lariat gives Warner two and they both need a breather. Warner sets up a bridged door but Kidd is back up with a piledriver through said door. They trade forearms until Kidd hits a big right hand to knock Warner cold, with Kidd collapsing on top of him for the pin at 14:39.

Rating: C+. This was the violent spectacle that you knew was coming at some point on a GCW card, even though the barbed wire main event is still to come. What mattered here was having the two of them beat each other senseless, with the ending being more about both of them looking equal as Kidd just got lucky. Odds are that sets up a rematch, and I’m almost scared of what happens when they try to get more violent.

Senior Scramble

They’re all old and they’re having a match. We have Ricky Morton (68), Mike Jackson (75), George South (62) Damien 666 (63) and Robert Gibson (66). It’s a brawl to start (oh dear) and here is Kerry Morton (Ricky’s son) to complain about the collective erectile dysfunction he sees in the ring. He couldn’t get on the show because of “these old f******” and wants “Uncle Hoot” (Gibson) to get out of his ring (ignore that Gibson is on the floor).

Gibson chairs Kerry in the back and he gets inside for the big group beatdown. Jackson even goes Old School and Ricky adds a Canadian Destroyer. A triple team powerbomb sends Kerry through a door and it’s a quintuple pin at 6:15. Kerry: “I’M NOT A F****** JOBBER!”. Ok that was funny.

Rating: B. This was barely a match but dang I had fun with it. There’s something funny about a whiny young guy getting what is coming to him, especially with a bunch of veterans getting to give him a beating. It was the silliness that a show like this needs and found a way out of having a bunch of older people lose. On top of that, they even had a hot start, which made me wonder just how far they were going with this.

We recap Joey Janela vs. Sabu. Janela agreed to face Sabu in his retirement match but then got hurt. Then Janela started talking about how he wanted to give Sabu his Independent Wrestling Hall Of Fame induction plaque but that Sabu, the one that Janela grew up idolizing, was dead.

This brought out Sabu to stab Janela with his spike, which made Janela say he would face Sabu at Spring Break no matter what. Janela actually cut a heck of a promo, talking about how he got the Sabu that he wanted and promised to kill Sabu’s career. Then it was time to make it a bared wire match because that’s what Sabu likes to do.

Sabu vs. Joey Janela

The ropes have been replaced with barbed wire and there are various barbed wire accessories around the ring. Janela jumps him during the entrances and hammers away but Sabu fights back. A whip into the wire has Sabu in trouble but he comes back with the spike. Cue Bill Alfonso (with the whistle) as Sabu is sent into a barbed wire box. The already bleeding Sabu loses his jacket and is thrown through a barbed wire board. Cue the Cogars to beat up Janela and Alfonso…and the lights go out.

The Sandman does his full entrance through the crowd with the fans singing along (of course) and (of course) the Cogars just kind of stand around while Sandman takes his sweet time. Sandman comes in and clears out the Cogars with some one armed cane shots, leaving Sabu to send Janela through a barbed wire board. Sabu sends him into the barbed wire box before they take turns throwing chairs at each other. Janela gets planted onto a chair and the Arabian Facebuster gives Sabu the pin at 17:07.

Rating: D. Yeah what else were you expecting here? This was never going to be a quality match, but even then it wasn’t very good. The match was a bunch of violence with interference and about a five minute Sandman entrance. Those things were there to extend the time, mainly because there was pretty much no way Sabu could do much other than get thrown into things. Of course he won on his way out and I’m sure Janela would have it no other way, but dang this was not an easy watch. And Sabu couldn’t do this in Philadelphia the year before?

Post match Janela gives Sabu his Hall Of Fame plaque, even though he knows Sabu will probably sell it. Janela thanks Sabu for the house to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: B-. You can definitely feel the effort on this show and they put together a good overall presentation. There is good action and only two bad matches, with Suzuki vs. Tremont and the main event not really working. On the other hand though, you had a nice selection of quality, plus the shockingly engaging Fuego vs. Cogar fight. Another solid show here, as GCW might not be my thing, but they know what they’re doing with a show like this.

Results
Alec Price/Jordan Oliver b. Violence Is Forever – Reverse powerbomb to Garrini
La Familia Wagner b. Los Desperadoes – La majistral to Cartwheel
Megan Bayne b. Bozilla – Tombstone
Zack Sabre Jr. b. 1 Called Manders – European clutch
Atticus Cogar b. Fuego del Sol – Super Brain Hemorrhage onto a trashcan
Matt Tremont vs. Minoru Suzuki went to a no contest
Masha Slamovich b. Suzu Suzuki – White Knight Driver
Gabe Kidd b. Mance Warner – Right hand
Ricky Morton/Mike Jackson/George South/Damien 666/Robert Gibson b. Kerry Morton – Triple powerbomb through a door
Sabu b. Joey Janela – Arabian Facebuster

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

TJPW vs. DDT vs. GCW
Date: April 19, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Veda Scott

So I think the title of this one kind of speaks for itself, as we’ll be seeing three different promotions come together for something of a three way dance. That offers a variety of different options, with some of the names being a bit less than familiar. These shows have done well before, even if they’re as standalone as you can get. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Hyper Misao/Jada Stone/Mizuki/Raku/Yuki Aino (TJPW) vs. Arisu Endo/Miu Watanabe/Shino Suzuki/Suzume/Yuki Arai (TJPW)

So this isn’t so much three promotions against each other as all ten of these women are from TJPW. Before the match, Misao (the resident superhero) says they are all friends and requests a clean fight. That earns her a kick in the ribs and we’re ready to start fast. Suzume dropkicks Stone down for two and then rolls her up for the same. A springboard armdrag takes Suzume down but she sends Stone into the corner.

It’s off to Endo, who is dropped with a sitout gordbuster but we pause for Raku to put Endo on her pillow for a nap. Then Raku and company run over her in some improper napping etiquette. A five woman cover gets two with all of Endo’s partners making the save. Arai comes in to kick Raku in the face a few times, followed by a running clothesline for two. It’s off to Misao for a heroic running crotch attack against the ropes but Arai gets in a big boot. Misao’s high crossbody gets two and it’s off to Aino for something like a spinning Vader Bomb.

Arai dropkicks her way out of trouble and it’s off to Watanabe, who catches Aino in a giant swing. An over the shoulder backbreaker is escaped and they trade shoulders until Aino grabs a suplex. A Polish hammer drops Aino and it’s off to Suzuki vs. Mizuki to pick up the pace. Mizuki wastes no time in sending her against the ropes for a running dropkick, followed by a high crossbody for two.

Arai comes in with a full nelson slam and everything breaks down, with Suzume grabbing a sleeper on Mizuki. That’s broken up and they trade rollups for two each. A double reverse DDT puts Arai down and a pair of top rope bulldogs connect. Stone hits a Lethal Injection on Suzume but Watanabe slams Stone and Misao at the same time. Yeah she’s time but she thinks she’s a monster so she’s strong. Or something. Mizuki is back up for her tabletop suplex (the Cutie Special, because of course) to pin Suzuki at 10:14.

Rating: B-. They did a nice job of getting this many people into the match when they had so much going on. It’s always hard to get ten people active in a match and they only had so much time to start. It was a nice way to get all of these people onto the card and as usual, Misao is just so likable. Good opener here, with quite a bit of fun to be had.

Kidd Bandit/Shota (GCW/DDT) vs. Antonio Honda/Rika Tatsumi (TJPW/DDT)

Bandit and Tatsumi start things off with Tatsumi snapping off an armdrag and then avoiding some spinning kicks. Honda comes in and gets his leg caught in the ropes on the way in, which seems to be par for the course for him. Shota comes in and drops down, with Honda almost falling over him. Some bad looking Steve Austin tributes (Honda is bald so….he’s a klutzy Austin?) have Shota down but Honda gets sent to the floor.

Shota rakes Honda’s back, causing Honda to steal a woman’s hat (making him about the fourth person to do so this week, with commentary mentioning the hat’s history). Back in and Bandit kicks Honda down for two as commentary says the plan is to keep beating Honda up and the team will win.

A rake to the back of the head puts Honda down again but he gets a boot up in the corner. Naturally Honda takes too long going up top and gets punched out of the air but he does manage to bring Tatsumi back in. A flying hip attack drops Shota and a running elbow gets two. Shota’s neckbreaker gets him out of trouble and it’s back to Bandit for an airplane spin. A hard knee gives Bandit two but Tatsumi fires off a jumping hip attack.

Honda comes in, trips again, and then trips over Bandit as well…so he needs the mic? Honda says his retirement is near and he can’t do this anymore, but first he wants to tell us a fairy tale. He holds up a Too Sweet sign and says he wants to meet a famous TikTok influencer. Apparently he called said influencer but found out that it was d*** talk and then pokes Tatsumi in the eye (I’m going to assume I missed something in that joke). Everything breaks down and Honda goes up, only to dive into some raised feet. Bandit rolls Honda up for the pin at 10:02.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of this but I hadn’t seen Honda before and he amused me enough. I’m really not sure what the point of that story/joke thing was and I think that might be the best for me. Another goofy comedy match and that’s perfectly fine on a show like this one.

Bandit and Shota dance in celebration.

Starboy Charlie/Yuni (GCW/DDT) vs. Los Desperados (GCW)

Los Desperados are Arez/Gringo Loco, likely in search of 1 Called Manders. Loco and Charlie start things off with the fans rather behind the former. They go to a test of strength with the bigger Loco getting the better of things and they take turns diving over each other. Charlie backflips over him and hits a spinwheel kick, setting up some hip swiveling. Yuni and Arez come in to trade wrist control until they switch to the flips.

Arez gets taken down with a headscissors and then a spinning armdrag, with commentary thinking Arez underestimated him. Loco comes in with a gorilla press into a sitout powerslam (that looked good) for two and we settle down so Arez can hit a loud chop. The Falcon Arrow sets up a flipping Fameasser (cool) so Charlie comes in for the save. That’s fine with Arez, who dives onto Loco and they roll over until Arez can hit a tornado DDT on Charlie.

A nice Swanton crushes Yuni for two but it’s time to open his shirt so the chops are even worse. Arez loads up another chop but flips the fans off for daring to ask for ONE MORE TIME. Nice guy. Charlie gets chopped as well but manages to get some feet up in the corner. A top rope headscissors takes Loco down and stereo moonsaults to the floor drop Arez and Loco.

Back in and a double bulldog gets two on Arez, followed by Charlie’s double Pele. A poisonrana plants Loco and Yuni’s hurricanrana gets two. Charlie’s shooting star hits raised knees though and a pair of powerbombs (including a top rope helicopter bomb to Yuni) gives Los Desperadoes the double pin at 11:22.

Rating: B-. This was a much more story based match and I got into it well enough. Charlie and Yuni were outmatched but fought from underneath like a pair of underdogs are supposed to do. It worked well and was a more serious match than most of what we’ve seen on the show so far.

We look at Atticus Cougar beating Fuego del Sol yesterday at Joey Janela’s Spring Break to take Fuego’s mask and seemingly end his career.

Wanaka Uehara/Yuki Kamifuku (TJPW) vs. Brooke Havok/Sandra Moone (GCW)

Yuki has some rather long legs. Uehara and Havok start things off with a battle over arm control. Havok knocks her back and hits a middle rope dropkick for two, only to get dropkicked into the corner. Yuki is in for a Helluva Kick for two but Havok grabs a facebuster into a neckbreaker.

That’s enough for Moone to come in and kick away, only for Yuki to grab something like an Octopus. That’s broken up and everything breaks down, with Moone hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Yuki is back up with an STO into a leg lariat. The middle rope Fameasser finishes Moone at 7:02 (appropriately enough, the area code for Las Vegas).

Rating: C+. Pretty simple and to the point tag match here and that’s a fine way to go. Sometimes you can just slow things down a bit and let them do their thing, which is what they did here. I don’t believe I’ve seen much of Havok and Moore before but they did a nice job here, even against what seemed to be a more experienced team.

Marcus Mathers/Shoko Nakajima/Super Crazy (TJPW/GCW) vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Ilusion/Dark Sheik (DDT/GCW)

It’s a brawl to start with Mathers leapfrogging Ilusion before he can even take his ring jacket off. A spinning high crossbody gives Mathers two and he slams Sheik down for a bonus. Mathers goes up top but dives into a low blow to cut him off in a hurry. Ilusion missile dropkicks Mathers down and it’s off to Sheik to hammer away. Sasaki drops a leg between the legs but Mathers would rather slug it out than tag.

That earns him another knockdown due to general stubbonrness but he gets over to Nakajima for the tag anyway. Nakajima comes in with a running boot in the corner and a springboard kick to the Sasaki’s head. That just earns her an escaped crossface so it’s off to Sheik for a suplex. A way too long guillotine legdrop misses and it’s off to Crazy vs. Ilusion. Crazy gets to clean house, including a sitout powerbomb for two. Something like a lifting abdominal stretch matches Ilusion tap out at 8:50.

Rating: B-. Mathers is starting to show me something on these shows and that’s a good sign for his ID future. He’s a talented guy who can do some impressive stuff in the ring. At the same time you have Nakajima being fine enough and Crazy somehow still being good enough to overcome his gain in size.

1 Called Manders/Maki Itoh (GCW/TJPW) vs. Microman/Yukio Naya (GCW/DDT)

Itoh has a cowboy hat on and does part of Manders’ Dead Or Alive entrance. Microman and Itoh start things off and the fans are very impressed. They trade the cute poses and Itoh isn’t sure what to make of this…so she kicks him down. The ten right hands in the corner don’t work because Itoh can’t reach his head (that’s funny).

Microman hits a right hand of his own into a dropkick for two, earning himself a facewash in the corner. It’s off to Manders to knock Naya off the apron and Microman gets stomped down. Manders and Itoh take turns biting his fingers but Manders misses a basement lariat. A rake to the eyes lets Microman hit a 619 and a legsweep suplex puts Manders down. Naya comes in for a running splash in the corner and loads up a chokeslam but Manders….points finger guns into his chest.

That makes Naya drop to his knees so Manders can drop him, allowing Itoh to come in with a high crossbody. Naya scares Itoh, who tells her to bring it on and yells her back into the corner. That makes Itoh break down in tears…and Microman is crying too. Even Manders cries and we get a group hug, with Naya having to cry too.

They all hug (the fans approve), and then the fighting is on again. Itoh puts her hat back on for a double cover on Naya but Manders accidentally lariats her down. Naya plants Manders and Microman adds a bottom rope splash. An assisted splash from Microman pins Itoh (who was begging him not to do it rather than rolling away) at 11:29.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of goofy fun and that’s all it needed to be. They clearly weren’t trying to do anything serious with this match and it still went fine enough. The crying spot was funny and it’s not like most of these people are supposed to be taken seriously in the first place. Goofy comedy can be fun and that’s what they had here.

We look at part of Sabu vs. Joey Janela at Spring Break. There was A LOT of barbed wire.

John Wayne Murdoch/Matt Tremont (GCW) vs. Mance Warner/Shunma Katsumata (GCW/DDT)

Hardcore and the weapons are in the ring before they get going. Murdoch and Katsumata slug it out to start and it’s already time for the skewer sticks…which they use to stab themselves in the head. Tremont and Warner come in and it’s time for a door, which is slingshotted to Tremont’s head to bust him open. The fight heads outside (commentary is shocked) and Warner gets crotched on the post. Katsumata hits a crossbody onto Murdoch and Tremont and they actually go back inside.

Murdoch chairs Katsumata down and then throws him head first into a chair in the corner for two. Some rams into the steps give Tremont two but Katsumata dropkicks a chair into Murdoch’s face. Warner gets the tag (because a match with this many weapons need tags) and sets up four chairs so they can sit down and hit each other in the face. Warner and Katsumata are sent through doors and a Death Valley Driver finishes Katsumata at 9:36.

Rating: C-. Yeah I’m never sure what to make of a match like this, as you had people spiking themselves to start the show. That doesn’t exactly make for my kind of match and I’m not wild on what I had to see. Trying to have actual tagging was a bit of a relief but that’s about all there was here. Just not my thing at all.

Konosuke Takeshita/Masha Slamovich (DDT/GCW) vs. Miyu Yamashita/Shinya Aoki (GCW/TJPW)

Slamovich and Aoki get things going with Aoki getting two off an early rollup. That’s not going to work for Slamovich, who gets to kick Yamashita down without much trouble. It’s off to Takeshita and Aoki for some grappling on the mat with Aoki getting two off a cradle. The fans are behind Aoki as they trade rollups for two each. Aoki’s Figure Four is turned over and they’re quickly back up again.

They trade European clutches for two each and then take turns escaping chokes. Yamashita comes in to forearm away at Takeshita to no avail. Everything breaks down and Slamovich and Takeshita slam their way out of chokes. Takeshita forearms Yamashita out of the air but can’t hit Raging Fire.

Yamashita manages a skull kick and they’re both down. Slamovich comes back in for an exchange of kicks and everything breaks down again. Aoki’s dive onto the floor is pulled out of the air for a brainbuster, leaving Yamashita to hit an AA for no cover. Slamovich is back up to kick her down, setting up the White Knight Driver for the pin at 11:10.

Rating: B. Pretty easily the best match of the night and that’s not surprising seeing who was in there. I’m not overly familiar with Aoki but he held his own in there with someone as good as Takeshita. It was an entertaining match and well done without much in the way of screwiness so we’ll call this a win.

We look at the GCW Tag Team Title match from Spring Break with Alec Price and Jordan Oliver winning the titles.

BZW Tag Team Titles: Mao/Yoshihiko vs. Alec Price/Jimmy Lloyd vs. Jack Cartwheel/Kazuma Sumi

Mao/Yoshihiko (the latter of whom is a doll and sporting a taped up head after getting busted open at a recent show) are defending (from BodyZoi Wrestling, a Belgian promotion). We start with a three way test of strength between Yoshihiko, Lloyd and Cartwheel and I don’t like where this is going. Naturally Yoshihiko takes over and grabs a hurricanrana but they all throw dropkicks for a standoff.

A triple tag brings in Price, Sumi and Mao, with Sumi getting chopped down over and over. Sumi grabs a pop up hurricanrana on Price but Mao grabs Yoshihiko to trip Cartwheel down. A double hurricanrana drops Cartwheel again and it’s time to hammer away in the corner. Mao and Yoshihiko hit some double Cannonballs in the corner but Price is back up with a kick to the head, forcing Yoshihiko to poisonrana Mao.

Yoshihiko gets launched into the crowd for the big crash and Lloyd Lionsaults Cartwheel and Sumi. Mao is back up with a double northern lights suplex to Price and Lloyd but gets caught with a double moonsault. Yoshihiko makes the save and everything breaks down, with Mao bringing Yoshihiko in off the tag. Yoshihiko is spun around into a hurricanrana and everyone is down. A string of DDTs leave Yoshihiko to suplex Cartwheel and Sumi at the same time.

Price takes Yoshihiko up and naturally we get a Tower Of Doom. Mao’s top rope splash gets two on Price and everyone is down again. The big brawl is on and it’s Yoshihiko getting to fire off some superkicks and most of the people wind up on the floor, meaning it’s time for some dives. This includes a multi flip dive from Yoshihiko who mostly overshoots the pile. Back in and Mao gives Sumi a reverse superplex faceplant (that’s cool) to retain at 13:48. Commentary complains about Yoshihiko not having a Cagematch profile because wrestling is weird.

Rating: C+. I never know what to make of the Yoshihiko stuff but it certainly has an audience. The biggest thing here though is that the match went fairly long and the joke started to get old. You can only do so much when you have to wrestle yourselves and that can make for a tricky situation. The rest of the match was fine enough, but this was just wasn’t my thing (again).

And we’re off the air really fast.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the kind of show that can be a lot of fun as it wasn’t meant to be anything more than a bunch of people getting together and having matches. That’s all it needed to be and it worked well enough. The good thing is they had a big mixture of styles instead of doing the same stuff over and over. I had fun with it and that’s the idea of a show like this one.

Results
Hyper Misao/Jada Stone/Mizuki/Raku/Yuki Aino b. Arisu Endo/Miu Watanabe/Shino Suzuki/Suzume/Yuki Arai – Cutie Special to Suzuki
Kidd Bandit/Shota b. Antonio Honda/Rika Tatsumi – Rollup to Honda
Los Desperadoes b. Starboy Charlie/Yuni – Double pin
Wanaka Uehara/Yuki Famifuki b. Brooke Havok/Sandra Moone – Middle rope Fameasser to Moone
Marcus Mathers/Shoka Nakajima/Super Crazy b. Daisuke Sasaki/Ilusion/Dark Sheik – Lifting abdominal stretch to Ilusion
Microman/Yukio Naya b. 1 Called Manders/Maki Itoh – Splash to Itoh
John Wayne Murdoch/Matt Tremont b. Mance Warner/Shunma Katsumata – Death Valley Driver to Katsumata
Mao/Yoshihiko b. Alec Price/Jimmy Lloyd and Jack Cartwheel/Kazuma Sumi – Reverse superplex faceplant to Sumi

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

Unbreakable 2025
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

This is the second half of a double shot from TNA this week as we just got done with a regular Impact and now it’s a Wrestlemania Week special. This show is going to be in a weird place as it is only a little over a week away from the much bigger Rebellion show, which should make for quite the tricky rope to walk. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the famous Unbreakable triple threat from 2005, which is the inspiration for tonight’s triple threat for the inaugural International Title.

International Title Tournament First Round: Eric Young vs. JDC vs. Zachary Wentz

Young and JDC agree to go after Wentz to start so Wentz bails out to the floor in a smart move. Back in and Wentz dances a bit before diving onto both of them to take over. A high crossbody puts the villains down again but Young is up to go after Wentz. Young shoves Wentz at JDC, who gets dropped with a Stunner.

Wentz and Young go out to the floor with Young taking over, but he isn’t happy with JDC going after the pin. A DDT drops Young but Wentz is right there with a double missile dropkick. Wentz hits a running shooting star on JDC and an RKO on Young, the former of whom pops back up with a Falcon Arrow for two. JDC is sent outside so Young hits a Death Valley Driver on Wentz, with JDC running back in for the save. Young piledrives JDC for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here and this could have been on any given edition of Impact. That being said, they needed something to fill in the time so having two of the three first round matches isn’t a bad idea. Young moving forward isn’t the most interesting choice, but there is a good chance he doesn’t win anyway.

We run down the rest of the card.

International Title Tournament First Round; Ace Austin vs. Steve Maclin vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Austin takes over to start and the other two clothesline each other to the floor. Eddie drops Austin onto the apron to take over but the Backpack Stunner is broken up. Maclin is back in with an Irish Curse to Eddie and he fires off some running clotheslines in the corner. The KIA is broken up and Maclin is knocked to the floor, leaving Austin to roll Eddie up for two.

A jumping double stomp to the back gives Austin two as Maclin is back in for the save. Eddie is sent outside and Austin tries his apron handstand, only for Maclin to break it up with the Scud in a nice sequence. Back in and Austin hits a Tower Of Doom for two each but Alisha crotches him on top. Eddie gives Austin a spider superplex but gets caught with the spear in the corner. Alisha’s interference doesn’t work as she slaps Eddie by mistake, setting up the KIA to send Maclin to the finals at 9:55.

Rating: B-. This was a more action packed match than the opener and it worked well, with the still popular Maclin going on to the title picture. While I could have gone for Austin winning the title in Chris Bey’s honor, this was a good way to go as well. If nothing else, the System losing is always worth a look as Alisha can throw some good fits.

Frankie Kazarian is fired up for the mixed tag tonight. Tessa Blanchard says she’s coming for Masha Slamovich tonight, but at Rebellion she’s coming for the title.

Earlier today, the System interrupted the UNLV men’s ice hockey national champions. We don’t know what else they did or said, but they did in fact interrupt them.

Moose vs. ???

Non-title open challenge with former NFL star Sean Merriman on commentary and…Sidney Akeem (formerly Reggie in TNA) answering. Moose wastes no time in whipping him hard into the corner to start but Akeem kicks him in the face. That’s broken up but the chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana. Some dropkicks stagger Moose, who throws him outside without much trouble.

Akeem is back with a dive as the UNLV hockey team is in the front row. Moose powerbombs Akeem onto the apron but yells at the hockey players, allowing Akeem to cut him down. A crossbody gives Akeem two and he snaps off a hurricanrana on the floor. Back in and Moose misses a crossbody, allowing a backflip into a cutter to put Moose down. Alisha Edwards makes the save and gets ejected, but the distraction lets Moose hit a low blow. The spear finishes Akeem at 9:02.

Rating: C+. This is how Akeem can be best used, as he got to do his high spots and flips before losing to the bigger star. Moose cutting down a traditionally flippy guy is a good way to go for his title reign and that’s the direction they seem to have been going. It’s working well, and if Akeem stays more serious like this, he’s fine for an occasional appearance.

Steve Maclin tells Eric Young it’s may the best man win tonight.

We get injury updates on Joe Hendry and Sami Callihan, both of whom are ready to go. This is one of those “make it feel like a real sport” thing and that’s fine.

Mike Santana/Hardys vs. Mustafa Ali/Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth

It’s a brawl to start with the good guys clearing the ring until Santana drives Ryan into the corner to get things going. Ryan fights back but gets caught in a powerbomb faceplant. Matt comes in to send Ali face first into the buckle over and over until Ali flips over him. Ali trips him into the ropes and it’s Matt getting caught in the wrong corner.

Nic comes in with a neckbreaker and the chinlock goes on. Matt fights up and breaks out but a distraction means the referee doesn’t see the tag to Santana. The referee does see a tag to Ryan, sending Hannifan into a rant about the referee being stupid. Ali cuts Matt off again but gets caught in the Side Effect, allowing the tag to Jeff.

A double Whisper in the Wind takes the Nemeths down and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Santana grabs Ali and turns the rolling neckbreaker into a Death Valley Driver. The two of them brawl to the back but Santana comes back with Spin The Block to Nic. The Twist Of Fate into the Swanton finishes Ryan at 12:36.

Rating: B-. I love seeing two feuds combined like this and it worked rather well here. The Hardys beating the Nemeths is a fine way to go and the tease of Santana vs. Ali makes things that much better. Both of the big matches will take place next week and I’m curious to see how they go, making this a perfectly fine preview.

The System jumps Zachary Wentz.

Victoria Crawford (Alicia Fox) and Debbie Gibson (Debbie Gibson) are here.

Joe Hendry/Masha Slamovich vs. Tessa Blanchard/Frankie Kazarian

The men start things off but we pause for Kazarian to be announced as the King Of TNA. Hendry whips him into the corner and hits a jumping knee, with Kazarian bailing to the floor. Slamovich knocks him right back inside (before glaring at Blanchard), where Hendry’s bad shoulder is good enough for a delayed vertical suplex.

Kazarian gets smart by going after the arm and stops to mock the rhythmic clapping. It’s off to Slamovich, who sends Blanchard outside. A quick suicide dive drops Blanchard again but she’s right back with some choking back inside. Kazarian hits the jumping Fameasser on the middle rope and Slamovich is in trouble again. Blanchard hits a cutter on Slamovich as Kazarian taunts Hendry with the Call Your Shot trophy.

Slamovich manages a shot on Kazarian but Blanchard is in for an exchange of basement dropkicks. That’s enough for the tag off to Hendry and house is quickly cleaned. Fade To Black is countered into an Angle Slam to give Hendry two but the shoulder is starting to bother him. The chickenwing is countered into a rollup for two but Blanchard is back in to grab Hendry. Kazarian clotheslines her by mistake and the Standing Ovation finishes Kazarian at 14:10.

Rating: C+. This was the same idea as the previous match, as they tied two feuds into one match and even gave us some intergender matches. That’s not a bad way to go and the ending leaves me curious about a title change, as Kazarian losing is something of a red flag. Blanchard vs. Slamovich feels like a huge match and I’m really not sure where it goes, which is a nice feeling to have.

Mike Santana wants Mustafa Ali at Rebellion and Santino Marella seems interested.

Here is Ace Austin….who brings out Chris Bey for a special appearance in his hometown. Bey walks out, with Austin shouting ON HIS OWN TWO FEET! Bey says he IS the Ultimate Finesser and 172 days ago, he broke his neck in the ring. It was embarrassing him because he wanted to finish the match for the fans. He was able to quickly have surgery and learned to walk again.

Austin was there with him every day and Bey had to remember who he was. Thanks to the fans at home and the people in that locker room, he is able to walk again. Bey had to remind himself that he is unbreakable, just like TNA. This is the greatest story ever told and thank you. They get to do their pose and the show needs to just end now, because nothing is topping this. That’s absolutely incredible and one of the coolest things I’ve seen in wrestling in a long time.

We recap Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan. They’ve been fighting for weeks so now it’s Barbed Wire Massacre. As it tends to be.

Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner

There are all kinds of barbed wire items around ringside and Steph de Lander is here with Warner. Callihan, dressed as Mankind, sends Warner through a barbed wire board to start and then hits him with a barbed wire bat. A barbed wire Nintendo 64 controller goes to Warner’s head (must be Strong Grapple + Down + B) but he comes back with a door shot.

Warner uses a barbed wire chair to drive the board into Callihan but he sends Warner back into the barbed wire around the ropes. A barbed wire ball to the head has Warner bleeding even more and a low blow makes it worse. The Cactus Driver 97 through a barbed wire door is countered into a spinebuster and Callihan is in trouble again. They shout at each other from their knees until Callihan Stunners him onto the barbed wire, which shouldn’t make much of a difference.

The wire is wrapped around Warner’s arm and it’s time for a bag of salt. We’ll hold onto that for a second though as Callihan would rather staple Warner’s tongue to a board. Then he uses a barbed wire chair to the head to break it up. The salt shot is broken up with a low blow so Warner throws the salt into Callihan’s face instead. Warner grabs a screwdriver but Callihan is back with a spike and they stab each other in the head. Callihan whips out a sock for a barbed wire Mandible Claw. The Cactus Driver 97 onto the barbed wire finishes Warner at 19:23.

Rating: D+. Yeah ok. This was as advertised and in this case that’s not the best thing to see. It’s fine for what it is, but having that much barbed wire and over the top violence isn’t my thing. It only works so well and having Callihan dressed as Mankind only made me want to watch him do a hardcore match at a much higher level. I get that this has an audience, but it’s not for me.

We run down the Rebellion card.

Here is Elijah for a chat. Well a song actually, as he talks about his open challenge at Rebellion. In TNA, we walk this way.

We look at the first round of the International Title tournament.

International Title: AJ Francis vs. Steve Maclin vs. Eric Young

For the inaugural title. Francis is knocked to the floor, leaving Young to elbow Maclin in the face. Another forearm takes Francis down but he’s back in for an Alabama Slam to send Young onto Maclin. Francis gives Maclin a running knee in the corner and goes for a walk outside, where he cuts off Maclin’s dive. Young gets powerbombed onto the apron and, after tying his shoe, Francis sends Maclin back inside for a Death Valley Driver.

Maclin manages a running knee into an Angle Slam for two on Francis, who is back with a powerbomb for two of his own. Young is back in to slug it out with Maclin on top so Francis gives them a double AA for two each. Francis’ moonsault misses though and Young is sent outside. Maclin ties Francis in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder, setting up the KIA for the pin and the title at 13:39.

Rating: C+. It was a fine enough match, but this really didn’t feel like any kind of a special showdown. I get trying to tie it into the original Unbreakable, but the second you start bringing that match up, you’re putting yourself in an unreasonable circumstance. That’s what we had here, and it made for a match that while entertaining, never lived up to its hype.

Maclin celebrates.

The Nemeths get a note from Matt Hardy, who appears via hologram to invite them to the Hardy Compound for DELETION. Can we please just NOT DO THIS AGAIN?

Overall Rating: C+. A lot of this is going to depend on your taste in Callihan vs. Warner, which went on far longer than anything else on the show. That dragged things down, but Bey’s return was one of the best things I can remember seeing in wrestling (or anywhere) for a long time. For a bonus show, this was perfectly fine, but Rebellion is going to have a bit more pressure on it now and that’s not a great thing. That being said, I do like having TNA getting involved in Wrestlemania Weekend, as they’re more than big enough to warrant a spot there.

Results
Eric Young b. JDC and Zachary Wentz – Piledriver to JDC
Steve Maclin b. Ace Austin and Eddie Edwards – KIA to Edwards
Moose b. Sidney Akeem – Spear
Hardys/Mike Santana b. Mustafa Ali/Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth – Swanton to Ryan
Joe Hendry/Masha Slamovich b. Tessa Blanchard/Frankie Kazarian – Standing Ovation to Kazarian
Sami Callihan b. Mance Warner – Cactus Driver 97 onto barbed wire
Steve Maclin b. Eric Young and AJ Francis – KIA to Francis

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

WrestlLiving Proof
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Ethan HD

This is from Defy Wrestling, a promotion based out of the Pacific northwest. The promotion has been around for a long time and I’ve liked most of their stuff that I’ve seen over the years. This show is likely going to include the usual array of guest stars that you see in Wrestlemania Week so that should be a nice bonus. Let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow the promotion so I apologize in advance for any plot or character points I miss.

Some women, possibly Vert Vixen and Rhio, get in a fight backstage.

Bollywood Boyz/Galeno del Mal vs. C4/Negro Casas

The Boyz and C4 (Cody Chhun and Guillermo Rosas) have been feuding for a good while now. The bell rings and we pause for a Bollywood dance off, because, well, that’s what the Bollywood Boyz (Harv and Gurv) do. We settle down to Harv small packaging Chhun for two before handing it off to Gurv. The bigger Rosas comes in to run Gurv over with a shoulder and a double dropkick sends Harv outside. Casas (65 years old) comes in to chop away at the far bigger del Mal, who drops him with a single chop.

We settle back down to Rosas working on Gurv’s arm and it’s back to Casas for some chops of his own. Del Mal comes in and Rosas gets crushed in the corner with some splashes. The Bollywood Blast hits Rosas and it’s back to del Mal for a very big running splash. Harv’s chinlock is broken up with a chinlock and it’s back to Chhun to clean house. A double suplex drops del Mal but the Boyz are back in with stereo Sharpshooters to C4. Casas breaks those up and, along with C4, grab stereo la majistrals for a triple pin at 10:09.

Rating: C+. This was right out of the modern six man tag playbook and that only made for such an interesting match. It was a bunch of people running in and doing various spots until the ending. What we got wasn’t bad and the fans were into the dancing at the beginning, but this never got to a very high level.

Here is Ravenous Randy Myers (the Weirdo Hero) for a surprise chat, though he does kiss some fans on the way in. He welcomes the darling fans to the 11am show and says we should make some magic. Myers parades around the ring a bit and here is Evan Rivers to go after him. Myers fights back and chases him through the crowd.

Amira/Vert Vixen/Viva Van vs. Liiza Hall/Nicole Matthews/Rhio

Vixen and Rhio start things off but Hall tags herself in to make us wait for what seems to be the big fight. They fight over wrist control and get nowhere until Vixen takes her down for an elbow to the back. Van comes in for a double basement dropkick for two on Hall, who pulls her down to work on the arm for a bit. Rhio comes in to trade rollups for two each with Van, who comes back with a spinwheel kick.

It’s off to Amira, who charges into a raised boot in the corner, allowing Matthews to come in. A quick armdrag takes Matthews down but she’s right back with a quickly broken rear naked choke. They trade kicks from the mat with Matthews getting the better of things, meaning it’s off to Hall for some kicks to the back. A double knockdown keeps Amira in trouble but she counter’s Hall’s kick to the head into a powerbomb for a needed breather.

Now we get the big showdown between Vixen and Rhio with an exchange of kicks to the head. The fight gets intense enough that Amira and Matthews come in to try and pull them back to the corners. Instead everything breaks down, with Vixen and Rhio slugging it out on the floor. They fight into the crowd, leaving Hall to suplex Van. Amira gets taken up to and crashes back down off a spider suplex. Van and Matthews kind of fall out of the corner (not sure what they were trying there) before Van hits an Ocean Cyclone suplex (ah that’s what they were trying) for the pin on Matthews at 14:07.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one as they made Rhio vs. Vixen feel like a showdown between people who wanted to hurt each other. That’s what it needed to be and it made for a good match. The other four were doing their thing as well and I got into a match between people I don’t particularly know. I’ll call that a good sign, as you should be able to tell that kind of a story.

Michael Oku vs. Evil

Amira (not the one from the previous match) is here with Oku. Of note: during the entrances we get a graphic for upcoming events, including the one we’re currently watching. Evil goes for a cheap shot off the handshake to start (because of course) and grabs a headlock. Oku sends him to the floor for a suicide dive though, only for Evil to be ready for the Fosbury Flop.

It’s already time to choke with the tag rope (and Evil even ripped it off to be extra ev…well you get the idea) and Evil gets some near falls. A rake to the eyes has Oku in more trouble but he comes back with a quick middle rope dropkick. Oku plants him down for some near falls but it’s way too early for the half crab. Evil throws the referee at Oku and gets in a low blow, setting up a suplex neckbreaker (with an assist from the referee) for two.

Amira won’t let Evil bring in a chair though and Oku sends him to the floor for the flip dive. Back in and a frog splash high crossbody gets two on Evil and the half crab goes on. That’s broken up rather quickly and another low blow sets up a fisherman’s suplex for two on Oku. Back up and Oku’s running knee sets up a spinning frog splash for two more. Another frog splash hits raised knees though and Evil hits a hard clothesline for his own near fall. A fireman’s carry into a sitout powerbomb gets two more on Oku, followed by Everything Is Evil (STO) for the clean pin at 10:10.

Rating: B-. Oku has changed just enough of his style that I’m liking him a bit more and it’s nice to see someone with his skills in the ring. On the other hand you have Evil, who isn’t exactly worth seeing most of the time. I was a bit surprised to see Evil get a clean win as Oku is a fairly big star, though I guess he isn’t annoying New Japan stable big.

Post match Evil puts on a Scorpion Deathlock, with Amira helping the referee to break it up.

Tag Team Titles: Lykos Gym vs. Susumu Yokosuka/Hyo vs. Sinner And Saint

Sinner And Saint, with Evan Rivers, are defending. We pause for Hyo, who seems to be a male stripper, to get money stuck into his gear. Hyo and Kid Lykos II (partner of Kid Lykos) with Hyo missing a dropkick, allowing Lykos to grab a quick rollup for two. Icarus (Sinner) comes in and gets caught with a basement dropkick but Williams (Saint) cuts off a whip into the corner.

Lykos comes in to take over on Williams and a double back elbow sets up a basement dropkick for two. Williams is back up to take over on Lykos II’s arm and it’s back to Icarus for a clothesline. Lykos II gets in a shot of his own though and it’s off to Hyo and a double stomp to Williams. Rivers gets on the apron for a cheap shot so here is Randy Myers to get some revenge from earlier and chase Rivers into the crowd.

Yokosuka remembers that he’s in the match but can’t get a powerbomb on Icarus. Instead Icarus is sent into the corner but it’s Lykos II getting suplexed down. Hyo takes down the suspenders and hits a middle rope backsplash, with Sinner and Saint making the save. The Lykoses hit something like a Motor City Machine Guns Skull & Bones and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Williams sends Hyo into a low blow, setting up Ode To The Fallen (Angel’s Wings/kick to the head combination) to retain the titles at 11:07.

Rating: B-. It was a pretty wild match where they gave up on the tagging about halfway through. That’s what happens most of the time in matches like this and while it was still entertaining, it turned into a bunch of near falls and saves. Sinner And Saint still don’t do much for me, though it was certainly not a boring match.

Kenta vs. Mance Warner

Kenta is trying to get back to the top after losing the World Title and this is one of his big steps. They forearm and then slap it out before going outside for Kenta’s kicks to the chest. Kenta even steals a fan’s hat, though he is nice enough to give it back. Warner gets in a few shots of his own, only to get kicked in the face for his efforts. Commentary tries to pinpoint Bucksnort, Tennessee as Warner and Kenta go to the stage for a chair duel. Then they sit in the chairs and trade slaps, as wrestlers tend to do.

Warner gets the better of things and takes the chairs back to the ring, with Kenta joining them shortly thereafter. Kenta powerslams him through an open chair but Warner is back up with the running lariat for two. They trade shots to the head until Kenta grabs a Falcon Arrow, followed by a top rope double stomp for two. The GTS is broken up and Warner hits a rather hard chokeslam for two of his own. Back up and they trade forearms until Warner drops him with a right hand. That’s shrugged off though and a quick GTS finishes Warner at 13:11.

Rating: B-. This started good good and then slowed down a bit, with things thankfully not getting too far into the hardcore/violent stuff that Warner tends to do. Instead it was more of a straight fight and Kenta felt like he earned the win. This was a nice change of pace after having so many tag matches thus far.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Midnight Heat

Midnight Heat is Eddie Pearl/Ricky Gibson (not Robert Gibson’s former partner). For the sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to Robert Gibson as “Robert”, Ricky Gibson as “Ricky” and Ricky Morton as “Morton”. The fans really do not like Midnight Heat and Ricky makes it even worse, saying that the fans are here to see if the Express are still actually alive. They are for now, but this match hasn’t started yet. The Express has the chance to take their boots off and get out of here right now.

Morton mocks the Heat for taking so long to say anything. Yeah the Express is old but in their day, the Heat couldn’t beat either one of them. Morton thanks the fans for always being there for them and it’s time to get it on. Robert sends the Heat into each other to start and a double right hand sends them outside for a needed breather.

Back in and Morton hits a running knee lift to Pearl before taking him into the corner. Pearl manages to knock Morton into the corner and it’s off to Ricky for an assisted kick to the ribs. Morton avoids a charge in the corner though and Robert comes in (ignore that he was half in before the tag) as everything breaks down. Gibson hits Pearl by mistake and Morton busts out a Canadian Destroyer. Robert’s right hand of all things finishes Gibson at 7:34.

Rating: C. The thing to remember about the Express is that they aren’t going to be the fast paced stars like they were forty years ago. The point of having them around is getting to show off their charisma and the nostalgic, which is not a bad idea. That’s what they did here, and they still look good enough in the ring to get by. They’re a fun team and it was nice to see that they still have enough of it to be entertaining.

Defy World Title: Clark Connors vs. El Phantasmo vs. Man Like DeReiss

Connors is defending and DeReiss raps his way to the ring, as is his custom. The challengers yell at each other to start so Connors flips both of them off and bails to the floor. Back in and Connors stomps away on DeReiss but Phantasmo is back up to hammer on Connors in the corner. Phantasmo bends Connors’ finger back but the long form Old School is broken up.

Instead Connors is knocked out to the floor, where DeReiss gets beaten up too. Connors teases chopping a fan who is sitting on Phantasmo’s lap but then just pokes Phantasmo in the eyes instead. Back in and Connors grabs a chinlock on Phantasmo but DeReiss comes off the top with a Blockbuster to take Connors down. The Tower Of Doom brings DeReiss crashing down and Connors gets two each.

DeReiss and Phantasmo get sick of Connors and superkick him down before Phantasmo drops DeReiss with a forearm. Phantasmo misses a kick to the face and a cutter drops him for a change. DeReiss’ 450 connects but Connors comes back in to steal the near fall. Phantasmo is back with a superkick each and something like a Pedigree gets two on Connors. DeReiss tries another 450 but hits Connors’ raised knees. Connors hits a spear each and No Chaser (implant DDT) pins DeReiss to retain the title at 12:38.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if there was some kind of a personal issue here, but it never felt like they were really angry at each other. Maybe that’s not what they were going for, but it didn’t make for the most exciting match. All three of them did look good in the ring, though Connors is still relatively early in his title reign so having him keep the belt is a good move. Let him get a nice win and move on, which is what he pulled off here.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case with Defy that I’ve seen, this was a perfectly fine wrestling show without anything really standing out. The action was good and it felt like there was enough of a history that I got some of the points of the matches. While there will be better independent shows over the weekend, there are going to be far worse picks. Nice enough show here.

Results
C4/Negro Casas b. Bollywood Boyz/Galeno del Mal – Triple pin
Amira/Vert Vixen/Viva Van b. Liiza Hall/Nicole Matthews/Rhio – Ocean Cyclone suplex to Matthews
Evil b. Michael Oku – Everything Is Evil
Sinner And Saint b. Lykos Gym and Hyo/Susumu Yokosuka – Ode To The Fallen to Hyo
Kenta b. Mance Warner – GTS
Rock N Roll Express b. Midnight Heat – Right hand to Gibson
Clark Connors b. Man Like DeReiss and El Phantasmo – No Chaser to DeReiss

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 10, 2025
Location: St. Joseph Civic Arena, St. Joseph, Missouri
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are a week away from Unbreakable and that means it is time to start getting ready to set up the International Title match. That means some triple threat matches, but other than that, we need some more matches set up. That’s on top of setting up Rebellion, which is coming up next month. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Ethan Page to get things going. He is surprised to be back but doesn’t care about the hillbillies here in the crowd. At Rebellion, it is time for him to FINALLY become the World Champion. He’s already beaten Joe Hendry and he’ll do it again. Cue Frankie Kazarian to interrupt but the fans tell them that they BOTH suck. Kazarian finds him arrogant and self centered and that’s something he can’t stand. The reality is that Kazarian earned his shot while Page just sucked up to Santino Marella. Cue Santino to say Hendry will be out here to address his status for Rebellion later tonight. That needed an announcement?

Steve Maclin is ready to deal with the System on the way to the International Title. Eric Young and the Northern Armory comes in to say they’ve got Maclin’s back but he wants nothing to do with them.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ace Austin

The Great Hands and Tasha Steelz are here with Ali. An early distraction lets Ali get in an early cheap shot, setting up the rolling neckbreaker for two. Austin is back up with a faceplant for two and Ali is sent outside, where a big dive takes out all of the villains. Ali isn’t having this and chairs him down for the DQ at 3:41.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do anything here as this was more about Ali snapping and getting violent than the match. Ali and Mike Santana are on their way to a big showdown sooner than later and that should be a heck of a fight. Austin doesn’t lose anything by getting taken down here so this could have been a lot worse.

Post match Ali loads up the chair but Mike Santana makes the save.

Post break Ali and company get to the car, where Santana is behind the wheel. Everyone but John Skyler get out as Santana drives away.

Moose vs. Cody Deaner

Non-title and JDC and Brian Myers are here with Moose. Hold on though as JDC offers Deaner a spot as a young boy in the System. It’s not like he’s winning matches so his children could probably use the security. Deaner puts it up to the people, who want him to fight. The other option is to him to win the X-Division Title, so Moose makes him an offer: if Deaner can last two minutes with Moose, he can have a title shot. We get a two minute clock and we’re on, with Moose planting him down. A Last Ride gets two, with Moose pulling him up. The spear misses though and Deaner runs away, setting up a dropkick to send Moose outside as time expires at 2:00.

The title match is now.

X-Division Title: Moose vs. Cody Deaner

Moose is defending and hits a spear to retain at 28 seconds.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Rascalz run in for the save.

Rascalz vs. The System

The Rascalz send Myers outside and stomp JDC down in the corner, setting up a Bronco Buster. Myers comes in to take over on Miguel and we hit the chinlock. JDC hits a hard clothesline for two and the front facelock keeps Miguel in trouble. That doesn’t last long and it’s back to Wentz to clean house. A cartwheel kick hits Myers and a dive takes him out on the floor. Everything breaks down and Myers gets suplexes back in, only for JDC to sweep/hold the leg to give Myers the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C. This was a fast enough paced match with the System getting to cheat to win in the end. That is what they are best known for doing and having them steal a win is a good way to go. The Rascalz can get some revenge later, as they aren’t likely to be happy with losing like this.

International Title Tournament First Round: AJ Francis vs. Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan

Callihan busts out a turnbuckle hook and threatens Warner to start but Francis takes both of them down. The Down Payment is broken up though and an unpleasant alliance sends Francis outside. Callihan uses a poster to cut Warner’s hand but Francis won’t let him do it to Warner’s eye. Francis is taken down as well so Warner grabs a chair, only to lose a duel. Steph de Lander grabs Callihan’s foot, allowing Warner to chair him down. Callihan goes for Warner’s eye but Francis spears him down for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. Francis winning is a good way to go, as Callihan vs. Warner can likely be a big grudge match, either at Unbreakable or Rebellion. If nothing else, Francis getting to brag about even getting close to another title is a good thing to see and suits him well. Francis is getting better at being the big monster wrestler and it’s working well.

Post break Callihan wants a Barbed Wire Massacre with Warner and the match is set for Rebellion.

Leon Slater vs. Ryan Nemeth

Slater chops away to start and knocks him to the floor but Nemeth gets in a cheap shot on the way back in. Nemeth stomps away and mocks the Hardys’ middle rope elbow. A Twist Of Fate attempt is broken up and Slater hits a handspring back elbow for two. Slater hits a 619 on the floor, followed by a slingshot dive. Nemeth grabs a chair but the Hardys come in to take it away. Slater is back with a kick to the face into a Twist Of Fate, setting up the Swanton 450 for the pin at 5:54.

Rating: C. Even though it’s over Nemeth, it’s nice to see Slater getting a win for a change. He puts over just about everyone he faces so having him win something is a necessary move. I’m not sure if this is going to lead somewhere else for him, but it’s certainly better than yet another loss.

We take a look at the Unbreakable three way from 2005 with AJ Styles beating Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe in still possibly the best match in company history.

Mike Santana has kidnapped John Skyler and threatens him with violence while suggesting that Mustafa Ali will leave him. Santana teases hitting him with a shovel but pulls up.

Eddie Edwards vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin starts fast and fires off clotheslines in the corner. They head outside where Maclin keeps up the beating but Alisha Edwards offers a distraction. Back in and Eddie hammers away as we take an early break. We come back with Maclin fighting out of a chinlock and being put in an armbar.

That’s broken up and so is the Backpack Stunner, with Maclin hitting an Angle Slam for two. Alisha offers another distraction though and Eddie runs Maclin over. Maclin catches him on top though and a super Angle Slam connects. Cue the System so Eric Young and the Northern Armory come down to cancel them out. The distraction lets Eddie get in a shot with the System ring and the Boston Knee Party finishes at 8:04.

Rating: C+. This was basically a preview of their match in the Unbreakable tournament which doesn’t do either of them a ton of favors. The System gets to continue their hot streak tonight and that’s about the extent of the whole thing. Maclin and Young might need each other, meaning their story gets to continue for reasons I do not quite fathom.

Here is Joe Hendry who says he has a bad rotator cuff injury. If you can’t defend the title, you shouldn’t be champion so…..he’s defending the title at Rebellion. Cue Frankie Kazarian to say he’ll win the title because Hendry is stupid enough to care about what the fans think. He could beat Hendry right now, which is fine with Hendry, because there will be a tag match at Rebellion: Kazarian/Tessa Blanchard vs. Hendry/Masha Slamovich.

Overall Rating: C. This was a show designed to build up next week’s Unbreakable as fast as possible. That worked in theory, but Unbreakable isn’t looking like the most thrilling show. It’s nice to have a card together though,, even if it’s just a big preview for Rebellion. Overall, not their strongest show as the wrestling was just ok for the most part and Unbreakable isn’t looking like that great of a show.

Results
Ace Austin b. Mustafa Ali via DQ when Ali used a chair
Moose vs. Cody Deaner went to a time limit draw
Moose b. Cody Deaner – Spear
The System b. Rascalz – Splash to Wentz
AJ Francis b. Sami Callihan and Mance Warner – Spear to Callihan
Eddie Edwards b. Steve Maclin – 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:

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 3, 2025
Location: St. Joseph Civic Auditorium, St. Joseph, Missouri
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re less than two weeks away from Unbreakable and the show is going to need a card. There are a few matches you can probably guess from here but there isn’t much that is actually ready for the show. Hopefully we get some build towards the event this week because there is work to do. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Elijah

Joe Hendry is on commentary. Kazarian slugs away to start but Elijah is right back up with a quick Old School. Elijah takes it to the floor where he gets sent into the post, allowing Kazarian to go after Hendry. That results in an accidental collision with Elijah and Kazarian rolls him up for the pin at 2:16.

Post match Hendry and Kazarian get in a brawl with security breaking it up. Hendry comes up favoring his shoulder.

Post break, Hendry’s shoulder is examined and it’s not clear how bad things are right now.

We see a digital exclusive of Eddie Edwards yelling at and walking out on the System.

Here is Edwards for a chat but the fans don’t want him to talk. Last week, he gave the System an ultimatum: either you’re on board with his vision or you’re out of the team. Cue the System to interrupt, with JDC saying he’s in with Eddie. Brian Myers and Alisha Edwards are in too (one of them kisses Eddie) and that leaves Moose.

Eddie asks if he’s in or out….but Cody Deaner interrupts. Deaner was waiting to see someone fired from the System and didn’t hear an answer from Moose. Deaner thinks Moose should listen to the people, who think he should leave. Moose says the people are right and decks Deaner before reaffirming his allegiance to the team. Normally I would ask what the point of that segment was but anything involving Deaner taking a beating works for me.

Masha Slamovich, Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee are ready for their six woman tag later. They find it interesting that Tessa Blanchard couldn’t find any friends in TNA and had to go to NXT. Tonight, they’ll send her new friends back where they belong.

Santino Marella comes up to the System in the back and announces that Moose’s first competitor in Ultimate X at Rebellion will be Leon Slater. Matt Cardona is announced in the graphic for the match and Marella says the System will all have matches next week.

Spitfire vs. Meta Four

Arianna Grace is on commentary and Luna starts with Jakara Jackson. They fight over wrist control to start until Jackson grabs a wristdrag out of the corner. Threat comes in for a basement clothesline and it’s off to Lash Legend (the tall powerhouse) vs. Luna. Legend runs into a boot but manages to faceplant Luna and Threat at the same time in a nice display.

Threat’s middle rope crossbody gets two but it’s back to Jackson, who is quickly taken into the wrong corner. That’s broken up and Legend comes in to ram Luna’s head into the mat, setting up a drop toehold into the corner. Luna kicks her way to freedom though and it’s back to Threat for some corner clotheslines.

Everything breaks down and Threat hits a delayed Jackhammer for two on Jackson. Legend breaks it up and helps Jackson take Luna out with a dive to the floor. Threat fights both of them off and Legend decks Jackson by mistake. That doesn’t last long though as Jackson is back up for a cutter to go with Legend’s wheelbarrow faceplant (MKO) to pin Threat at 9:31.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how they’ll get there but Meta Four is being built up for a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot. That is something that could go a long way for them, as the team needs to win something sooner or later. At the same time, Spitfire seems to be on the down swing, which is not the biggest surprise as I never quite got their appeal in the first place.

Mike Santana arrives with a friend named Derek, who he leaves with Santino Marella. There is no way this will end well.

Here are the Hardys for a chat. They talk about how they have seen the real Nic Nemeth, who left a scar on Matt’s nose. That scare means Matt is still BROKEN and it is time to DELETE the Nemeths. Jeff has heard that the Nemeths are comedians and their greatest joke ever is that they are going to take the Tag Team Titles. Cue the Great Hands to say it’s not 1999 anymore because it is 2025 and the Hardys aren’t so good anymore. The Hands want the titles so here is Santino Marella to make the match, albeit non-title.

Hardys vs. Great Hands

Non-title and Tasha Steelz is on commentary as Matt shoves Hotch down to start. Some cranking on the arm has Hotch in more trouble and it’s already off to Jeff. A basement dropkick to the back and the legdrop between the legs has Hotch in more trouble as it’s back to Matt.

Some double teaming doesn’t last long and Jeff comes back in, only to get crotched on top to break up the Whisper In The Wind. The chinlock goes on but Jeff fights up and hits a Whisper In The Wind to both Hands. It’s back to Matt to clean house and Poetry In Motion sets up the Side Effect for two on Skyler. The Plot Twist into the Swanton finishes Skyler at 6:16.

Rating: C. This was short and to the point with the Hardys getting a win over a team with a bit of a name. It’s not a bad way to go as the Hands aren’t worth much but it let the fans see the Hardys in action. Like them or not, they’re some of the biggest names TNA has to offer so letting them win a quick match makes sense.

Leon Slater and Ryan Nemeth get in a fight in the back.

Joe Hendry has a rotator cuff sprain and it isn’t clear how long he might be out.

Here are Steph de Lander and Mance Warner for a chat. They brag about their success and promise that no one is tougher or meaner than them. Kissing ensues but Santino Marella interrupts. Marella says they aren’t the Digital Media Champion anymore, so the title is retired. Therefore, at Unbreakable, there will be a tournament for the TNA International Title. In a tribute to the famous three way at the original Unbreakable, every match in this tournament will be a three way. Cue Sami Callihan to jump Warner and throw him off the stage. Makes sense and gets the title away from de Lander.

Mustafa Ali’s cabinet kidnaps Mike Santana’s friend Derek and throw him in the trunk of a car (where a camera is waiting). Later, Derek is sat in a chair for a face to face meeting with Mustafa Ali. He congratulates Derek on his sobriety but brings up Derek causing an accident that injured a young girl. Ali has him taken away. That intensified quickly.

The Personal Concierge says Ash By Elegance is on a needed vacation but the team has their eye on someone named Maggie Lee. She needs some guidance though, like say from Heather By Elegance.

Santino Marella (he’s busy tonight) draws the first names for the International Title tournament: Eddie Edwards, Ace Austin and Steve Maclin

El Hijo del Vikingo is back at Rebellion in Ultimate X.

Tessa Blanchard/Fatal Influence vs. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich/Xia Brookside

Fallon Henley is here with the villains. Slamovich takes Blanchard down to start and hammers away before knocking her outside. Everything breaks down and the dives connect to drop the villains as we take a break. Back with Ying working on Jacy Jayne’s arm before raining down some right hands in the corner. Jayne slips out of a fireman’s carry though and sends Ying into the corner to start choking away.

Ying breaks away and hands it off to Brookside, who headscissors Jazmyn Nyx without much trouble. Rosemary is watching from the crowd as Brookside hits Broken Wings and a DDT for two on Nyx. Back up and Nyx sends her to the floor for a cheap shot from Jayne, who comes in for a Cannonball in the corner. The chinlock is quickly reversed into a monkey flip and Slamovich comes in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Slamovich’s piledriver is broken up, allowing Blanchard to give her the Buzzsaw DDT for the pin at 12:06.

Rating: B-. This was another win for Blanchard as she continues to set up the big showdown with Slamovich down the line. That very well could headline Rebellion, which would be a risky yet logical way to go. The other women were just kind of there, but I do like bringing in the women from NXT, if nothing else for the sake of keeping things a bit different.

Santino Marella draws another tournament match: Sami Callihan vs. Eric Young vs. JDC.

Mike Santana finds Derek and wants revenge.

One more tournament match: Zachary Wentz vs. Mance Warner vs. AJ Francis. Sami Callihan comes in and says he wants Warner so Santino Marella makes it happen.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for a chat. Kazarian brings up Joe Hendry’s injury and is sorry…that it didn’t happen sooner. However, he has a better announcement: he is cashing in his title shot at Rebellion. The lights go out though and NXT’s Ethan Page makes a surprise return.

Page: “This place has changed a lot since I was here. There are actually people in the building!” Page likes the idea of Kazarian cashing in on an injured Hendry, but brings up an idea he threw to Santino Marella. The thing is Page is already getting a World Title shot at Rebellion, so Kazarian charges…right into a kick to the head. Page poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t the most thrilling show but they did a nice job setting up their upcoming big events. The announcement of the new championship was fun and they set up either a singles match or a triple threat for the Rebellion main event. That’s something TNA needed to do, though I could have gone with some better action on the way there.

Results
Frankie Kazarian b. Elijah – Rollup
Meta Four b. Spitfire – MKO to Threat
Hardys b. Great Hands – Swanton to Skyler
Tessa Blanchard/Fatal Influence b. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich/Xia Brookside – Buzzsaw DDT to Slamovich

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 27, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are coming up on Unbreakable and that show has some open spots on the card. World Champion Joe Hendry doesn’t seem to have an obvious challenger for the title, with Elijah being one of the only people in his orbit at the moment. Other than that, we seem to be on the way to a Hardys vs. Nemeths showdown. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Tatum Paxley/Gigi Dolin vs. Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance

Non-title and the Personal Concierge is here with By Elegance. Dolin takes Ash down without much trouble to start and it’s Paxley coming in for something like a Dream Sequence. Meta Four is watching from behind as Paxley gets the reverse surfboard on Heather. The Concierge breaks up a dropkick though and Ash stomps away, both on the ropes and in the corner. That’s broken up and Paxley comes back in to clean house. The Concierge shoves Paxley off the top though and Rarefied Air finishes at 4:58.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time to go anywhere and it didn’t exactly make Paxley and Dolin feel like the biggest team. By Elegance did need a win though as they aren’t the most established team in the world. Meta Four might be the ones to get the titles from them, as some titles have to cross over to another promotion at some point.

Post match, By Elegance’s cake is brought out but a double noggin knocker lets Dolin and Paxley send Ash into it.

Leon Slater promises a fight with Nic Nemeth tonight.

Ash By Elegance panics over the cake.

First Class/Frankie Kazarian vs. Aztec Warriors/Chavo Guerrero

Chavo and Kazarian start things off with Chavo grabbing a headscissors. Navarro comes in and gets dropkicked down before it’s off to Laredo Kid for an even harder dropkick. We take a break and come back with Octagon Jr. kicking Navarro down, only to be sent outside. Navarro’s big running flip dive connects and it’s Francis coming in for a change.

Octagon’s forearms don’t do much good as Francis crushes him in the corner and bends the neck around the rope. Francis plants both Warriors with the World’s Strongest Wasteland and it’s Navarro coming back in for a chinlock on Octagon. That’s broken up as well and it’s back to Laredo to pick up the pace. The real hot tag brings in Chavo to clean house and we get Four Amigos before Francis gets the traditional Three. The Warriors hit nice dives to the floor and Chavo adds a Gory Bomb into the frog splash to pin Navarro at 15:08.

Rating: B-. Chavo looked a good bit better than I was expecting here and he more than held his own rather than just being there as the hometown star. The Warriors are the latest lucha tag team and that’s not a bad way for them to be used. I’m not sure what kind of a future it has, but this was a good showing from everyone. That being said, Kazarian being in there was kind of a weird call as he should be near the World Title sooner than later.

Rosemary is all evil and wants Xia Brookside to be evil too. I think.

Santino Marella has a sitdown with Mance Warner, with Steph de Lander, and Sami Callihan. They argue over their recent issues, with Callihan saying Marella is going to have to fire one of them. Callihan insults Steph, who throws a drink in his face, which is a bit more impactful than you might expect.

Jacy Jayne vs. Masha Slamovich

Non-title. They fight over a lockup and go against the ropes to start until Jayne pulls her down by the hair. Back up and Slamovich sends her to the floor for a corkscrew dive. They get back in but Jayne is smart enough to roll away from something off the top. Jayne knocks her down back inside and hammers away in the corner, setting up a running shot for two.

A knee to the face and some right hands have Slamovich down again and we hit the reverse chinlock. That’s broken up and Slamovich hits a rolling kick to the head but Jayne knees her down for two more. More kicks to the head send Slamovich outside, where she drops Jayne face first onto the apron. Back in and Jayne superkicks her into a running neckbreaker, only for Slamovich to grab the Snowplow for the pin at 8:43.

Rating: B-. Jayne was trying here and those kicks got her further along than I was expecting. Slamovich certainly didn’t squash her, but there wasn’t much doubt about this one. Tessa Blanchard is waiting for Slamovich and that is going to be a heck of a showdown for the title when we get there.

Post match Tessa Blanchard runs in and beats Slamovich down. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee make the save.

Video on Mike Santana vs. Mustafa Ali, with Ali cheating to escape multiple times.

Eric Young vs. Ace Austin

The Northern Armory is here with Young. An early arm crank has Austin down so Young turns his back and the Armory comes in. That’s broken up so Austin takes Young down and kicks him in the head. They strike it out until Young grabs a spinebuster for two. The neck crank goes on but Austin fights up and hits a Russian legsweep.

A springboard spinning kick to the face gives Austin two but Young knocks him off the top. The top rope elbow gives Young two but Austin is right back up. The Fold is loaded up, only for Austin to have to go after the Armory. Young uses the distraction to grab a piledriver for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Nice enough match here with Austin getting in some offense before the numbers game got the best of him. Austin is going to need some help if the feud continues and the Rascalz would seem to be a good choice for the spot. Young winning again isn’t a surprise, but hopefully he doesn’t go much further up the card.

Here is Joe Hendry for a chat. Hendry is glad to be back in Texas and now he’s willing to defend the title against anyone from any company. Cue Elijah, who makes it clear that he is not the next challenger. Actually he’s here for a song, which is about how the two of them are friends. Cue Frankie Kazarian with his own (bass) guitar, saying it’s time for his own concert. We get a few notes but the fans think he sucks. Kazarian’s song is about how much he hates El Paso so Hendry issues some threats of violence. That’s enough for Kazarian to leave, complete with the Goodbye Song.

Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater

Ryan Nemeth is here with his brother. Nic wastes no time in wrestling him down and getting in a little hip gyration. Back up and Slater knocks him down, which earns an eye rake over the ropes. A handspring elbow sends Nic outside, setting up the big running flip dive as we take a break. Back with Nic raking the eyes and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Slater hits a running boot to the face into a suplex for two.

Back up and Slater slams him down for two but the Fameasser gives Nic the same. Nic’s sleeper is broken up so he takes Slater up top. Slater knocks him away but gets crotched, setting up a superplex to bring Slater crashing down. A quick Twist Of Slate looks to set up the Swanton 450 but Nic blocks it and gets two off a rollup. The Danger Zone is blocked as well but Ryan grabs Slater’s foot. A superkick into the Danger Zone finishes Slater at 15:06.

Rating: B-. Another solid performance from Slater here as he is getting more and more established in the main event scene. He’s not all the way ready for that kind of a spot yet, but he’s also managing to hang in there against bigger and more experienced opponents. Losing to Nic isn’t a big shot against him and they had a good match on the way there.

Post match the Nemeths go after Slater but the Hardys return for the save. Matt issues the challenge for Rebellion to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to think of this one, but it did keep me invested for the most part. You can see things coming together for Unbreakable and probably even Rebellion, so at least the things are going in the right direction. Other than that, we had some nice enough matches, with Slater again doing well for himself in a big spot.

Results
Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance b. Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley – Rarefied Air to Paxley
Aztec Warriors/Chavo Guerrero b. First Class/Frankie Kazarian – Frog splash to Navarro
Masha Slamovich b. Jacy Jayne – Snowplow
Eric Young b. Ace Austin – Piledriver
Nic Nemeth b. Leon Slater – Danger Zone

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