Hard To Kill 2023
Date: January 13, 2023
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s back to pay per view and Impact is actually on a heck of a roll right now. They are getting almost everything right at the moment and I’m wanting to see the show a lot more than I would have expected. We have a double main event as Bully Ray is challenging Josh Alexander in a Full Metal Mayhem match, plus Mickie James’ Last Rodeo continues as she challenges Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Title. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Kushida vs. Angels vs. Delirious vs. Mike Bailey vs. Mike Jackson vs. Yuya Uemura

This is a bit weird as the pre-show broadcast begins with most of the wrestlers in the ring, including the previously unadvertised Delirious (seemingly replacing Bhupinder Gujjar). Delirious misses (maybe) a charge at the returning Kushida to start and winds up on the floor. Uemura and Kushida are left in the ring to trade arm holds until Kushida hiptosses him into the basement dropkick.

Delirious comes back in to neckbreaker Kushida but it’s Jackson (73 years old) coming in to armdrag Delirious to the floor. Bailey moonsaults onto a pile on the floor, setting up Jackson’s suicide dive (Tom: “FOR THE LOVE OF AARP!”), because of course he does. Back in and Angels takes over but Jackson takes him down by the arm. We hear about Jackson debuting at this venue in 1989 at FORTY years old (Tom: “I was six months old.”) before he goes Old School around all four ropes and then dives on everyone else fighting in the ring. Angels is back up with a suplex to Jackson but Delirious pulls Angels down into a Boston crab.

With that broken up, Bailey comes in with the bouncing kicks to Delirious but Uemura dropkicks him down. The running spinning kick in the corner blasts Uemura, only to have Kenny King run in to break up the Ultimate Weapon. With a bunch of people in the corner, Kushida hits his running front flip kicks, setting up the cross armbreaker to make Angels tap at 7:28.

Rating: C+. As usual, it’s hard to stand out in any way in this kind of a match and, other than Jackson (because geez), no one exactly did. The good thing is that Kushida is back and can be a huge boost to the X-Division, if not its outright champion. I would have expected Bailey to win here so points for throwing in a fine curve.

Pre-Show: X-Division Title: Black Taurus vs. Trey Miguel

Taurus is challenging and Crazzy Steve handles his introduction (for a match originally on the main card). The chase is on outside to start, allowing Miguel to hit some running dropkicks back inside. Back up and Taurus misses a running knee in the corner, allowing Miguel to hit a dive to the floor. Taurus strikes away back inside but it’s too early for Destination Hellhole.

A pop up Samoan drop doesn’t work either as Miguel reverses into a crucifix bomb (sweet) for two of his own. Miguel goes to the ramp for a running charge, only to dive into a Samoan drop. Taurus shrugs off some strikes and hits a heck of a Pounce. The over the shoulder backbreaker gives Taurus two but Miguel backdrops a charge out to the floor. A Code Red on the floor rocks Taurus again and the top rope Meteora gives Miguel two more.

Miguel takes him back inside and tries a springboard hurricanrana, which is countered into a super gorilla press (awesome) but Destination Hellhole is countered into the Lightning Spiral. Miguel’s feet on the ropes are seen though, meaning it’s time for the spray paint. The referee takes that away (art hater) so Miguel whips out another can and blinds Taurus, setting up another Lightning Spiral to retain at 10:15.

Rating: C+. They had some pretty cool spots in there as Taurus can do all kinds of things, including mixing in some power. At the same time you have Miguel really finding his niche as a heel and the spray paint works well for him. Then again with Kushida around, that title could be in some serious jeopardy rather soon.

The roster is on the stage for a tribute to Don West. The show is dedicated to him and we get a ten bell salute (with what sounds like Josh Matthews directing the person ringing the bell).

The opening video talks about how eventually you hit rock bottom, but that doesn’t mean it is the end of you. People can fight back up and overcome everything, because you are hard to kill.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Bully Ray vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is defending in Full Metal Mayhem, meaning TLC with pins/submissions. Ray hides during the entrances and jumps Alexander from behind to start things fast. A belt shot to the face has Alexander in more trouble and Ray sends a table inside before the opening bell. Ray tosses him inside and demands the bell ring but the bloody Alexander has to say yes first. Sure he’s in, so the bell rings and Ray powerbombs him through a table for two to start fast.

We go old school (of course) as Ray whips out a cheese grater so Alexander gets smart by punching Ray in the face. The grater to the face sends Ray (bleeding as well) outside. Some trashcan lid shots tot he head have Ray in more trouble and there’s the grater to the head to draw the real blood. The thumbtacks are brought in but Alexander chairs him in the back first.

Alexander puts Ray on a table on the ramp and loads up a ladder, only to have Ray tip it over and send him into the ring, onto the tacks. The Bully Bomb is broken up and Alexander hits a German suplex to rock Ray again. A Regal Roll onto the tacks set up a middle rope knee (with chain wrapped around) to the head. The ankle lock goes on but Jason Hotch and John Skyler run in for the save. A 3D onto the tacks gets two on Alexander so the goons zip tie him to the top rope.

Cue Tommy Dreamer for the save with a trashcan shot to Ray. That earns Dreamer a spear through the table in the corner, leaving Alexander to get trash canned in the head. Cue Alexander’s wife Jade (not supposed to be here) to beg him for mercy (Ray: “I WANT TO SEE TEARS!”). Ray demands her wedding ring but gets low blowed instead. Sliced Bread onto the tacks (Jade is a former wrestler so it’s not insane) knocks Ray silly and Alexander is loose. Ray is put on another table and a splash from the ladder drives him through it for two. The ankle lock makes Ray tap at 17:02.

Rating: B-. This is a tricky one as the match wasn’t all that great, mainly due to a bunch of stalling and interference taking away from the action. That being said, I’ll absolutely take this over what would have been a pretty lame regular match between these two. Ray losing should get rid of him, at least at this level, for a good stretch. Alexander gets to retain again, but he needs a better challenger next time. What Ray did in the feud and here as well was far from awful, but it was really hard to get around the fact that it was Bully Ray in this spot at this time.

Victoria/Tara gives Mickie James a pep talk before her Knockouts Title match (now the main event) against Jordynne Grace. Raven pops in to say he wanted to be here in case it’s the end for James (since he was here at the beginning for her).

We recap the Tag Team Title match. All of the teams save for Bullet Club keep attacking each other and trading wins so now the titles are on the line.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club vs. Major Players vs. Heath/Rhino

The Guns are defending under elimination rules and it’s Ace Austin/Chris Bey for the Club. It’s a brawl to start (duh) before the bell as the referee can’t get this down to one wrestler from two teams to make things official. We finally get Rhino beating on Myers to ring the bell with Heath coming in to hammer away almost immediately. Myers gets out of trouble and brings in Cardona for a neckbreaker on Heath.

It’s right back to Myers for two off a knee drop and the lifting Downward Spiral gets two. Heath is back up with the super powerslam, which is enough for the tag back to Rhino to clean house. A quick distraction lets Cardona send Rhino into the corner, setting up the rollup pin to get rid of Heath/Rhino at 3:39.

Bey comes in to roll Cardona up as the pace picks way up. Myers comes in to snap a suplex for two on Bey but it’s back to Cardona for more neckbreakers. An enziguri gets Bey out of trouble though and it’s Austin coming in to kick away. Austin’s springboard missile dropkick sends Myers sprawling and Shelley tags himself in to start on Austin’s leg. A dragon screw legwhip gets two on Austin and we hit the Figure Four.

With that broken up, Austin manages an enziguri and kicks Sabin away, allowing Bey to come in and beat up the Major Players. An assisted Art of Finesse sets up the Fold to pin Myers at 10:23, leaving us with the Guns vs. the Bullet Club. Sabin takes out the Club on his own and it’s Shelley coming back in to double team Austin. Back up and the assisted Art of Finesse hits Sabin but Myers is still here for a distraction. Sabin suicide dives onto Bey and it’s the Dirt Bomb to retain the titles at 13:10.

Rating: B. This was about cramming as many people in there as you could get away with but the elimination rules held a lot. Getting rid of some of those people makes all of the difference in the world and the Guns feel like they won instead of surviving. I’m a bit surprised that they won, but more Guns is not a bad thing.

As the Guns go to leave, Frankie Kazarian comes out for a surprise chat. Kazarian talks about everything he has been doing lately and announces that he has signed a long term deal with Impact Wrestling, meaning he is done with AEW. If he isn’t doing anything in AEW, making the move makes sense for him.

We recap Joe Hendry defending the Digital Media Title against Moose. Hendry has been getting on Moose’s nerves so he’s coming after the title.

Digital Media Title: Joe Hendry vs. Moose

Hendry is defending and they start fast with Hendry elbowing him in the face and grabbing a spinning slam. Moose tosses him over the top and takes it to the floor for a posting. That doesn’t do much to Hendry, who loads up a suplex, walks halfway around the ring, and then drops Moose.

Back in and Moose kicks him down before stomping on various things. A slap to the face wakes Hendry up though and he fireman’s carry tosses Moose out to the floor. Moose is right back with a chokebomb out of the corner for two, followed by a top rope superplex for the same. They get back up and strike it out until Hendry hits a clothesline. The Standing Ovation doesn’t work as Moose hits a release Rock Bottom for two instead.

That’s enough for Moose, who goes to grab the title. With that taken away, it’s a low blow to set up the spear to give Moose the pin and the title. Hold on though as here is Santino Marella (by that name) to announce that he is the new Director Of Authority. Marella, with the thick accent and weird way of speaking, says he doesn’t like cheaters so we’re restarting this thing. Hendry grabs the Standing Ovation to retain at 14:05.

Rating: C+. Well so much for a lot of my enjoyment around this place. Santino has never been someone I particularly care to see and now we’ll have to see his WACKY (and repetitive) comedy every week because he was a thing about twelve years ago. As for the match, good on letting Hendry have a big win, as he is getting somewhere with this run and needed a bigger win to make it work. I’m curious to see how far this version can go, because he seems to have all of the tools.

We look back at Kenny King costing Mike Bailey the pre-show match.

King isn’t sure why Bailey is wrestling when they’re going into the Fight Pit next week. That’s the Bailey King wants and he better bring it.

Masha Slamovich vs. Killer Kelly vs. Taylor Wilde vs. Deonna Purrazzo

For a future Women’s Title match. Slamovich goes after Wilde to start and they fight to the floor, leaving Kelly to forearms Purrazzo. That doesn’t last long and it’s Purrazzo hitting a dive, followed by Slamovich hitting one of her own. Back in and Wilde chokes Kelly in the ropes until Purrazzo comes back in for the save.

Purrazzo and Wilde both grab a half crab on Kelly at the same time but both of them are broken up. After a series of knockdowns, Kelly grabs the Killer Klutch on Purrazzo. Wilde Crossfaces Slamovich at the same time but Slamovich fights up and Snowplows Wilde onto the other two for the pin and the title shot at 9:21.

Rating: C. This was a bit of a mess but it was also weirdly put together. You have Kelly, who was pushed hard for a few weeks and then more or less dropped. You have Wilde, who got a new gimmick about two weeks ago and already lost. You have Purrazzo, who could be slotted into any title match needed but has already had her time with the title. Then you have Slamovich, who lost both of her big matches, as well as a match to Wilde last week. That’s not exactly building her up, but at least she is getting another title shot.

We recap Rich Swann vs. Steve Maclin. While Maclin is all about violence and destruction, Swann is standing up to him and is ready to fight. Now it’s falls count anywhere so they can get more violent.

Rich Swann vs. Steve Maclin

Falls count anywhere and Raven is on commentary. Maclin jumps Swann in the back during an interview and the fight is on fast. A missed charge sends Maclin into a dumpster (Raven: “Yeah that was kind of dumb.”) but he’s right back with a bucket shot for two. They fight outside near the traffic, with Raven wanting to see one of them hit by a car.

Swann is fine enough to hit a cartwheel cutter but they stop to fight against a moving car, which is leaving the arena for some reason. Some shovel shots stagger Maclin and they come into the arena, where Maclin plants him onto the apron for two. They get inside for the first time with Swann hitting a running dropkick into the corner. It’s right back to the floor where Swann hits another cutter for two more.

Back in and Swann kicks away, only to get launched onto the ramp. Swann kicks him off the ramp and hits the splash for two. Maclin staggers up and counters a running hurricanrana off the apron into a Liger Bomb. A missed elbow lets Swann hit a superkick but Maclin hits him with a piece of barricade. The KIA on the ramp finishes Swann at 11:42.

Rating: C. I wasn’t wild on the match itself as it was such a brawl that the wrestling was barely a factor. The good things here were of course Raven on commentary as he has that riffing style that can be hilarious, plus the continued rise of Maclin. There is almost no way anyone else is the next challenger for the World Title and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him win the thing. Not a bad brawl, but what matters is Maclin racking up another win over another former World Champion.

We recap Jonathan Gresham vs. Eddie Edwards. Last year saw Edwards as part of Honor No More and Gresham is all about honor. Now Gresham is back for revenge so let’s have a fight.

Eddie Edwards vs. Jonathan Gresham

Feeling out process to start with Edwards bailing to the floor after getting out technicaled. Edwards brings Gresham outside with him, misses a clothesline, and gets frustrated at Gresham being back inside. Back in and Gresham sends him outside for a change, immediately followed by a fast dive. They get back inside again with Edwards snapping off an overhead belly to belly to take over.

Gresham grabs some armdrags and kicks at the arm before cranking away. Edwards manages a powerslam to escape and a hanging cutter gets two. A neckbreaker gets the same but Gresham is back up and cranks on the arm again. They strike it out until Gresham hits an enziguri into a standing moonsault for two of his own. A Blue Thunder Bomb gets Edwards out of trouble but his arm is all banged up.

The Backpack Stunner is broken up and Gresham sends him outside for the suicide dive. Back in and Edwards loads up a superplex, which is reversed into a choke with Edwards still on the ropes. Edwards is smart enough to drop straight down onto the buckle for the escape and a sitout powerbomb gets two. They go into a pinfall reversal sequence for two each until a tiger driver gives Edwards two more. The Boston Knee Party finishes Gresham at 18:49.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match as Gresham is a technical master but Edwards is good enough to hold his own against him. That left the idea of Gresham still fighting for honor and Edwards trying to prove he still had it. As a result, you had two guys trying to pick up the win wherever they could until Edwards finally knocked Gresham silly for the win. Good stuff here, which you had to expect from this combination.

Post match the lights go out and (as the chants give away the reveal), it’s the returning PCO, spitting sand out of his mouth. Edwards gets chokeslammed and the monster is back.

We recap Mickie James vs. Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Title. James wants to prove that she still has it by winning the Knockouts Title one more time. Otherwise, she is retiring, giving us the huge stakes.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Mickie James

James is challenging and some Native American dancers play her to the ring. As a bonus, her family (minus Nick Aldis) is in the front row. After the Big Match Intros, Grace powers her into the corner to start and James can’t even grab a rollup. James slaps her a few times before getting dropped with a heck of a slap from Grace.

Back up and Grace double stomps her out of the corner, meaning it’s time to start the real beating. Grace stomps away and tells James to stay down, only to pull her up in the corner. We’ll call that a mixed message as Grace misses a running knee in the corner and a super bulldog gives James a breather. They slug it out until James kicks her in the face before taking it out to the ramp.

The Thesz press drops Grace again but she blocks the MickDT. James settles for a guillotine but Grace muscles her to the top for a superplex floated into a Jackhammer for two more. James comes back with a flapjack into a nipup and now the Thesz press connects for another near fall. A spinebuster cuts James off and a sitout powerbomb gets two. Grace hits her in the neck of all things but a Tombstone is countered with a headscissors.

The Mick Kick is shrugged off so they hit a pinfall reversal sequence for two each. The Grace Driver is countered into a small package for two and another Mick Kick staggers Grace this time. The MickDT gives us the real near fall but Grace pulls her into a sleeper with a bodyscissors. Mickie powers up again though and Grace misses a charge into the post. That’s enough for Mickie to grab a tornado DDT for the pin and the title at 19:22.

Rating: B. This had the drama it needed but never quite got to the level of epic. What mattered here was having Mickie prove she can still do it against a top star. A lot of that comes from having Grace built up as a monster over the last several months, meaning James’ opponent meant something here in addition to the title. I’m glad this headlined the show as it was the better story all the way up to the show and they certainly delivered with what they were trying to do.

James’ family and Tara get in the ring to celebrate with her to end the show.

No word on why the Death Dollz vs. Gisele Shaw/Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans didn’t take place.

Overall Rating: B. The show was rather good for the most part with nothing bad, but there were some weak parts in the middle that dragged it down a bit. What mattered was the big matches delivered and I was into seeing Mickie get the title back to end the Last Rodeo. The important thing about Impact is that they aren’t doing anything horrible or even bad, and that is a huge step forward over their more infamous years. Overall, good show and they did what they needed to do to start the new year.

Results
Kushida b. Angels, Delirious, Mike Jackson, Yuya Uemura and Mike Bailey – Cross armbreaker to Angels
Trey Miguel b. Black Taurus – Lightning Spiral
Josh Alexander b. Bully Ray – Ankle lock
Motor City Machine Guns b. Bullet Club, Heath/Rhino and Major Players – Dirt Bomb to Bey
Joe Hendry b. Moose – Standing Ovation
Masha Slamovich b. Taylor Wilde, Deonna Purrazzo and Killer Kelly – Snowplow to Wilde
Steve Maclin b. Rich Swann – KIA
Eddie Edwards b. Jonathan Gresham – Boston Knee Party
Mickie James b. Jordynne Grace – Tornado DDT

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 5, 2023
Location: Charles F. Dodge City Center, Pembroke Pines, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re back after last week’s Best Of 2022 event with the first show of 2023. That means we are just over a week away from Hard To Kill and the card is mostly set. There is always room for a little more effort though and now we might be getting to do just that. If nothing else, getting some of the lower card built up should help so let’s get to it.

In Memory Of Don West.

Opening recap.

Masha Slamovich vs. Taylor Wilde

Deonna Purrazzo is on commentary. Wilde is in all black and apparently has a new attitude, as seen on Before The Impact. Purrazzo doesn’t think much of Wilde’s resume, asking how long it has been since Wilde was a champion. Fair enough really, as it was a long time ago. They grapple to the mat to start with Slamovich spinning out of a wristlock into an armbar.

Wilde avoids a charge in the corner though and some choking has Slamovich in trouble. As Purrazzo complains about Hannifan talking about everything else coming tonight, Wilde sends Slamovich face first into the apron. That earns hear a northern lights suplex and a forearm to the face, followed by a suplex to send Wilde into the corner for two.

Back up and Wilde strikes away at the ropes, setting up a double clothesline (ignore Slamovich seemingly forgetting to stick her arm out until they had already collided). Wilde is back up with a Codebreaker but Slamovich pulls her throat first into the top rope. Slamovich stops to yell at Purrazzo though, allowing Wilde to grab a small package for the pin at 8:20.

Rating: C+. What in the world happened to Slamovich? She was the unstoppable monster for so many months and then just doesn’t stop losing. You would have thought she would get the Knockouts Title at some point in there, but now it would seem almost sad to see this version of her as champion. As for Wilde, it’s almost weird to see her getting a win like this, but if they are going to do something with her, it makes sense to start after that kind of a change.

Post match Slamovich beats up security.

Sami Callihan wants the Design but isn’t sure if they want him.

We look back at Rich Swann and Steve Maclin brawling last week.

Swann challenges Maclin for Hard To Kill with no DQ, no countouts and falls count anywhere. Be ready to fight all night long.

Black Taurus vs. Anthony Greene

Crazzy Steve introduces Taurus, promising that he will crush Greene (you may remember him as August Grey in NXT) with his hooves. Greene starts fast with a running hurricanrana so Taurus hits him rather hard in the corner. A powerslam gives Taurus two but Greene sends him outside. Greene clothesline Taurus down and declares himself the best thing in wrestling as we take a break.

Back with Greene hitting a dropkick to the back for two, followed by a springboard spinning crossbody. A suplex into a German suplex gives Greene two more but Taurus grabs some Sling Blades. Taurus hits a pop up Samoan drop and Destination Hellhole finishes Greene off at 9:07.

Rating: C. Taurus wasn’t going to lose on his way to a title match at Hard To Kill so the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt. Greene did well enough in his debut and will probably be part of the X-Division for awhile, but I’m not sure how far he is going to go. He never became the biggest star on 205 Live but maybe he’ll fit in better around here.

Post match Trey Miguel runs in to jump Taurus and gives him the spray paint treatment.

Kenny King invaded Mike Bailey’s dojo and beat up his students as Bailey wasn’t there (Impact LOVES the school invasion angle.).

Bailey is ticked and wants King in a Pit Fight (anything goes, fists taped, knockout or tap out).

Jonathan Gresham vs. Ernest R. Anthony

Gresham shakes his hand to start and they wrestle to the mat in a hurry. A dropkick sends Anthony into the corner but he comes back with a shot to the face. That earns Anthony an ankle crank before tying up the arm and twisting the ankle around again. With Anthony helpless, Gresham stacks him up for the pin at 3:40.

Rating: C. There is something special about watching Gresham pick someone apart and completely destroy them. The limb twisting and cranking can be great as Gresham makes it look so easy. I could go with watching him pick people apart around here too, and that seems to be what we’ll be getting for a good while to come.

Tasha Steelz yells at Savannah Evans about their recent losses. Gisele Shaw, with Jai Vidal, comes up to offer herself to the team. This doesn’t go well for Steelz, but Evans is interested.

The Design says if Sami Callihan wants to join, he has to start by recreating himself. Callihan can start next week by shaving his head, if he’s interested.

Video on Josh Alexander’s Impact Wrestling World Title, now the longest on record.

Here is Moose for a chat. He does bad things to people and at Hard To Kill, Joe Hendry is getting a taste of that. Moose has done anything he needed to get here, going from hero to villain, but now he knows what he is supposed to be. On Friday 13, he’s going to be Hendry’s first adversity and take the Digital Media Title while knocking the smile off his face. Moose takes the jacket off and wants the fight right now, so he says Hendry’s name.

Cue Hendry, who says there is nothing worse than a grumpy Moose. The real Moose is inside this one, so tonight let’s let the Moose loose. Hendry has a new song for Moose, including various mistakes and clips of Moose dancing as part of IPWF. The fans chant for Dancing Moose, which has Moose saying he believes….that he’ll beat Hendry up at Hard To Kill. Moose: “NOW PLAY MY D*** MUSIC!” I Believe In His Dancing plays again and Moose is furious. Hendry’s songs are always great and this was no exception.

Mickie James gives us a long look at her career, going from training to TNA (as part of the Gathering) to WWE. We hear about the Trish Stratus feud before she came back to TNA as Hardcore Country. Then she met Nick Aldis (Mickie: “I’m a lookin and I’m a likin! Then he spoke with a British accent and MIND BLOWN!”) and he became the love of his life, leading to the birth of their son.

She thought her career was over but then she went back to WWE. It was great but she wasn’t done. That brought her back to Impact Wrestling and she had one more great run. Now she wants to do it one more time and give the fans someone to believe in. This was REALLY good and one of the best things Impact has done in a long time, as it was all Mickie, who told her story very well. I really have no idea what happens with her title match and that’s a nice feeling.

And now the other side of fun, with a retrospective on Don West, who passed away last week from brain cancer. There are some really cool old school TNA clips here, with West’s voice blasting over them, which makes them feel all the more special.

Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin

Brian Myers and Alex Shelley are here too. Sabin spins out of a wristlock to start and an armdrag makes him complain about some bicep pain. Another armdrag into an armbar keeps Cardona in trouble until he sends Sabin outside. The dropkick through the ropes drops Sabin again and we take a break.

Back with Cardona whipping him hard into the corner, setting up the neck crank. That’s broken up and Sabin’s sunset flip gets two, only to have Cardona blast him down again. Sabin fights up and this the Tree of Woe dropkick but gets sent shoulder first into the post. The Reboot takes too long though and Sabin backdrops him to the floor as we take another break. Back again with Sabin’s tornado DDT getting….nothing as Myers distracts the referee.

Sabin takes out both Major Players with a suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody for two on Cardona. A distracted referee is enough for Cardona to get in a low blow and Sabin gets cut off again. There’s a suplex into the corner, with Cardona nailing back to back Reboots. The middle rope missile dropkick wakes Sabin up for some reason and he nails an enziguri. The Cradle Shock finishes or Sabin at 18:07.

Rating: B-. This got a lot more time than I would have expected and that was kind of nice for a change. Cardona is best known for his antics but he is more than capable of having a solid match against a variety of opponents. Then you have Sabin, who is one of the better hands that you can find in Impact’s history. Good stuff here and better than I was expecting (certainly longer at least).

Bully Ray (not supposed to be here this week) interrupts commentary’s preview of upcoming shows and demands a mic. Ray wants Josh Alexander (also not supposed to be here) right now but gets Scott D’Amore instead. D’Amore finds it interesting that Ray is willing to deal with Alexander now after no showing Alexander’s challenge a few weeks back. He cuts Ray off from the “you brought me back” speech and brings up Ray calling him for a job, saying he was a changed man.

D’Amore left this industry twelve years ago and didn’t like what he saw when he looked in the mirror. Then he came back five years ago and wanted to write a new story. The hope was that Ray could do the same, but look at what he is now. D-Von won’t be in the same room as Ray without getting a big bag of money and Ray’s only friend, Tommy Dreamer, is in the hospital. Alexander is coming back to a locker room that respects him and family that loves him. No matter what happens at Hard To Kill, Ray is going home alone.

Ray says that doesn’t leave him sad or pathetic, but rather a three time World Champion. They yell at each other a lot until D’Amore is ready to fight. D’Amore says he built up this locker room (Ray: “A locker room full of nobodies.”) and then nails Ray. Cue Ray’s lackeys to grab D’Amore though and it’s a low blow into a powerbomb through a table to leave D’Amore laying to end the show. Commentary being aghast doesn’t quite hold up when D’Amore hit him first, but we have to continue the BULLY RAY IS THE MOST EVIL MAN EVER story somehow.

Overall Rating: B-. There were some very good parts in here (the opener, the main event and that awesome Mickie James video), which are enough to outweigh some of the weaker stuff. I really don’t care for Bully Ray being in the main event/title picture, but they are doing the right things to make fans want to see Josh Alexander take him out and save the company. Hard To Kill is a two match show and those two matches have been set up very well.

Results
Taylor Wilde b. Masha Slamovich – Small package
Black Taurus b. Anthony Greene – Destination Hellhole
Jonathan Gresham b. Ernest R. Anthony – Arm and leg trap cradle
Chris Sabin b. Matt Cardona – Cradle Shock

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 17, 2022
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It is the go home show for Overdrive and that means we need to find out the other finalist in the X-Division Title tournament. Other than that, we have what should be a violent match between Eric Young and Sami Callihan, where blood is required. It should be an eventful show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

A laughing Crazzy Steve is in the ring and asks if we can feel it. Brace yourselves for the barrage of brutality that is Black Taurus. Now that’s an entrance.

X-Division Title Tournament Semifinals: Black Taurus vs. PJ Black

They flip around to start with neither being able to get very far. A monkey flip sends Taurus into the corner but he blasts Black pretty hard. Black is fine enough to send him outside for a big dive. Back in and a moonsault misses for Black, allowing Taurus to powerslam him for two. A Sling Blade gives Taurus two more but Black is back with a pop up Meteora (that was cool) for two of his own. Taurus catches him on top, only to get pulled down with a super Spanish Fly. They slug it out with Black getting the better of things, only to get caught in Taurus’ spinning piledriver for the pin at 6:19.

Rating: C+. I don’t think anyone bought Black as having any real chance in a match like this but he can put on a good one if given the chance. That being said, Taurus is a monster who can move and that is a different way to go for the title. I’m curious to see where things go with the final, but Taurus winning the title would make a lot of sense.

We get the contract signing with Josh Alexander and Frankie Kazarian (with their wives next to them). They respect each other and Kazarian is sorry that he has to take the title from Alexander. The wives (Jade Chung and Traci Brooks) aren’t happy with what is being said but everyone splits before it gets violent.

Post break, Kazarian and Alexander say they’ll do it tomorrow and everything seems cool. Bully Ray says he’s coming for the winner, but Kazarian doesn’t believe that Ray will do it straight up. Ray doesn’t like that and leaves, with Alexander asking why it matters if Ray is honest or not. He’ll be ready no matter what.

Aussie Open vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club vs. Raj Singh/Shera

It’s Ace Austin/Chris Bey for the Club with Austin and Kyle Fletcher starting things off. Austin grabs the arm and brings Bey in for a running dropkick in the corner. The Club takes Fletcher down and poses on him but Singh tags himself in. Austin gets dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle and a Downward Spiral makes it worse.

We take a break and come back with the Guns bouncing Singh back and forth with right hands. Sabin cutters Austin and drops Bey, followed by the Dream Sequence on Singh. Shera comes back in to clean house but the Aussies double team him down. Austin crossbodies Fletcher down and clears the ring, only to have Davis do the same thing, but Aussier. An assisted top rope cutter drops Bey for two but he’s able to slip out of Coriolis. Bey is back up with a big dive onto the floor (while too sweeting Austin on the way over) before coming back in for an assisted Art of Finesse to pin Fletcher at 12:02.

Rating: B-. This was your wacky match of the week as everyone was flying around and hitting one big spot after another until the Club won. They needed a win like this to get back on track and I could go for them getting into the title hunt. Everyone did well here, with even Singh and Shera doing well as the power guys.

Rosemary yells at Taya Valkyrie about the missing Jessicka, who was told to go get a drink.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Masha Slamovich so let’s do Last Knockout Standing at Overdrive.

Tasha Steelz vs. Taya Valkyrie

Savannah Evans and Rosemary are here too. Taya kicks her into the corner to start and a clothesline gets an early two. The running knees in the corner get the same but another charge sends Taya shoulder first into the post. Tasha loads up the Black Out but gets reversed into the Road To Valhalla. That’s blocked as well only to have Taya sit down on it to pin Steelz at 2:20.

Post match the brawl is on but Jessicka, complete with one of those helmets with a beer can on either side, makes the save.

Josh Alexander asks Tommy Dreamer about Bully Ray, which Dreamer says is the last 25 years of his life. Dreamer believes that Bully is a changed man.

Trey Miguel was sore after last week’s match but he is ready to get his X-Division Title back.

Steve Maclin vs. Tommy Dreamer

Old School (Extreme) Rules. Dreamer starts fast with a hiptoss and a Cactus Clothesline sends them both outside. A cookie sheet shot to the head rocks Maclin and Dreamer peels back the floor mat. The piledriver on the floor is broken up (because it’s a piledriver on the floor) and Maclin gets in a posting. Maclin drops a Cactus Jack elbow off the apron and it’s time to bring in some chairs. That takes too long though and Dreamer gets in some kendo stick shots, setting up a crossbody to drive Maclin through a chair.

The White Russian legsweep drops Maclin again but he grabs an Angle Slam for two. Dreamer gets in another shot and grabs some water/popcorn, both of which go into Maclin’s face. A cutter gives Dreamer two and it’s table time (of course, albeit with help from a fan dubbed Mr. Impact). Maclin blocks the Death Valley Driver though and DDTs Dreamer onto a pile of chairs for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. This was in fact a Tommy Dreamer match from anytime in the last fifteen years or so, but thankfully Maclin won in the end. What matters here is getting Maclin over as a major threat, as I could easily see him as the next World Champion. Dreamer got in his, and by that I mean others’, usual stuff and thankfully he more or less has it down to a science at this point.

Post match Maclin loads up a Conchairto but Bully Ray comes in for the save. Moose runs in to beat down Ray but Josh Alexander makes another save and has a staredown with Ray. Then they put Maclin through a table and Ray very slowly hands Alexander the title.

In her first interview around here, Masha Slamovich (in Russian) insults the interviewer for asking stupid questions. No one wants to talk about her wins because she had one bad night. Her expectations for Overdrive: death. Well that got serious.

Laredo Kid vs. Rich Swann

Kid starts fast with a neckbreaker and they head outside with Kid hitting a big dive. Back in and some moonsault elbows hit Swann but a third only hits mat. Swann fights back but gets caught with a release German suplex. The frog splash gives Kid two but he charges into a superkick. The middle rope 450 finishes Kid at 3:41.

Rating: C+. That was a weird one as Kid was dominating and then Swann won out of almost nowhere. I’m not sure if this one was cut for time or what, but it felt like there was another four to five minutes missing. Swann winning is fine, though Kid getting a big breakthrough win feels like it has been coming for years now.

Mickie James isn’t happy with Taylor Wilde for getting involved last week but Wilde didn’t want interference to end Mickie’s career. See, Wilde should be the one to end it.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Frankie Kazarian, including how the X-Division Title has been wrecked along the way.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Eric Young vs. Sami Callihan

This is Death Machine Double Jeopardy, meaning your opponent has to be busted open before you can win by pinfall or submission. Violent By Design jumps Sami during his entrance and bust him open before he even gets to the ring. We take a break before the bell with Sami saying start it up. Young hits a quick Death Valley Driver for two but Sami reverses a suplex on the floor.

It’s weapons time with Sami cutting Young’s mouth with a picture of the Death Dollz. Young is back up and they fight on the apron, with both of them going after the eyes. Sami Death Valley Drivers him on the apron and we take a break. Back with Young busted open as well and the two of them posting each other. The piledriver on the floor is countered with a backdrop (this seems strangely familiar) and Sami throws a trashcan into the corner.

Back in and Young blasts him with a trashcan lid to the head before grabbing a kneebar. Sami reverses into something like a Figure Four but Young is out again. They fight up and slug it out until stereo headbutts put both of them down. Young is up first with a piledriver for two but another one is countered with a crotch grab. The Cactus Driver 97 gives Sami two of his own and another one finishes Young off at 17:38.

Rating: C+. This still isn’t my kind of match, but it was done a disservice by having Dreamer and Maclin do a lighter version of it less than an hour before. There were some spots here that were identical to Dreamer vs. Maclin (piledriver on the floor countered into a backdrop) and that took away some of the impact that this one had. Callihan winning is the way to go as it means Young loses, but I’m sure Young will be featured over and over again because reasons.

Post match Violent By Design comes out to stare down at Young to end the show. Oh come on don’t tell me it’s going to be Sami/Young vs. these goons.

Overall Rating: B-. They covered a lot on this show and there was nothing that would be called bad. There are some interesting stories going on around here and I want to see where they go. At the same time though, Overdrive continues to feel like an absolute nothing of a show and I have no desire to see what they do with it. Just get on with it so we can move on to the next big show.

Results
Black Taurus b. PJ Black – Spinning piledriver
Bullet Club b. Aussie Open, Motor City Machine Guns and Raj Singh/Shera – Art of Finesse to Fletcher
Taya Valkyrie b. Tasha Steelz – Rollup
Steve Maclin b. Tommy Dreamer – KIA onto a pile of chairs
Rich Swann b. Laredo Kid – Middle rope 450
Sami Callihan b. Eric Young – Cactus Driver 97

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

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Bound For Glory 2022
Date: October 7, 2022
Location: Washington Avenue Armory, Albany, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the biggest night of the Impact year and the show doesn’t look too bad. Honor No More is in a pair of title matches, including the show’s main event, so tonight might determine all of the group’s future. That could go in a few ways but there is enough other stuff to keep the interest up. Let’s get to it.

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

Myers is defending in an open challenge and it’s……Dirty Dango (Fandango) for a surprise. Feeling out process to start with Dango hitting a dropkick to put the champ down. A legdrop gives Dango two and it’s time for Myers to bail out to the floor. Myers wins the fight outside as we go to French commentary for a bit.

Back in and the chinlock goes on, with the fans trying to cheer Dango back up to his feet. Some stomping sets up another chinlock but Dango sends him outside for the slingshot dive. Dango slugs away back inside, setting up a Falcon Arrow for two. Myers manages a quick implant DDT for two but Dango is back with a superkick into a tornado DDT. Something off the top misses though and it’s a spear into the Roster Cut to retain the title at 7:05.

Rating: C. Just a quick match with a surprise to get the show started. I doubt Dango stays around for more than another show or two and there is nothing wrong with that. Let him show up, pop the crowd and then leave without getting too involved. Myers can hold the title as long as he needs to and eventually someone is going to get a nice boost when they take the title from him. Good enough for an opener here and that’s all it needed to be.

The opening video looks at the people on the card and talks about this being in the shadow of the City That Never Sleeps. I mean…..a two and a half hour drive away if that counts.

X-Division Title: Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey is defending and after a quick handshake, we’re ready to go. They trade some early rollups for two each before Bailey has to bail to the ropes to avoid the chickenwing. A dropkick sets up another failed chickenwing attempt so Bailey sends him outside for the moonsault to the floor. Back in and Kazarian knocks him off the top for a crash to the floor as the pace slows. Kazarian starts in on the leg, which is never a good idea for a Bailey match.

Bailey fights up and hits a kick to the chest, setting up the bouncing kicks into the running corkscrew shooting star press. Kazarian gets up this time and hits Back To The Future (electric chair bridged back into a rollup) for two before they knock each other down for a breather. Back up and Bailey kicks him in the face, setting up the standing moonsault knees. The Ultimate Weapon gets two and Bailey is stunned. The Flamingo Driver is countered into the chickenwing, which is broken up just as fast.

Kazarian misses a charge and falls to the floor, where Bailey is waiting on him with the top rope Asai moonsault. That’s shrugged off though as Kazarian comes back in with a slingshot cutter for his own near fall. The Flux Capacitor (super Spanish Fly) gives Kazarian two but another Back To The Future is countered into a poisonrana. Bailey goes up for another Ultimate Weapon but gets pulled into another cutter. The chickenwing gives Kazarian the title back at 12:34.

Rating: B-. This is what you want to go with in an opener as they were flying around the ring until one of them got caught. Thankfully Kazarian didn’t waste too long working on the knee before Bailey got up for his flips and dives, meaning the frustration levels weren’t as high here. Kazarian winning is a surprise as Bailey has been on a roll lately, but it is certainly a twist at the end of a fast paced match.

Mickie James is ready to deliver under pressure with her career on the line. She isn’t passing the torch because she is the torch (A pro wrestling torch?) and tonight, they’re burning Albany down.

We recap Mickie James vs. Mia Yim. They fought at the beginning of Mia’s career and now she wants to be the one to end Mickie’s career and finish the Last Rodeo.

Mickie James vs. Mia Yim

If James loses, she has to retire but there isn’t any personal animosity. The fans are split as we start with a rather aggressive lockup. They both try armdrags so neither can get anywhere, meaning Mickie has to grab a headlock. A headlock takeover puts Mia down so she shoves Mickie away, with Mickie coming up favoring her knee. Mia takes her down by the knee out of the corner and some hard kicks make it even worse. Back up and Mickie hits a neckbreaker for a breather but can’t immediately nip up off the flapjack.

Mia is right back up with a buckle bomb but Mickie….kisses her out of the corner and hits a middle rope Thesz press. The Mick Kick is countered into a stretch muffler though and Mia cranks away to slow Mickie right back down. Eat Defeat connects but James falls into the ropes. Mia is frustrated and misses the cannonball, allowing Mickie to hit the MickDT for the pin at 10:56.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t the biggest surprise and that’s not a bad thing. Mickie isn’t going to be losing until she’s in a major spot and while Bound For Glory is a big show, she wasn’t in a top match on the card. Mia was a good choice for an opponent here as they had a nice match, but the drama wasn’t there because of how it was set up.

We recap VXT vs. the Death Dolls. VXT took the Knockouts Tag Team Titles from Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie so now Jessicka is taking Rosemary’s place.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: VXT vs. Death Dollz

VXT (Deonna Purrazzo/Chelsea Green) is defending (ignore Taylor Wilde’s Twitter handle being show on the Dollz’s chyron for whatever reason). Jessicka and Green start things off with Green being sent straight into the wrong corner. Some splashes knock her down but she’s straight over for the tag off to Purrazzo. Valkyrie comes in and takes her down for a quick double stomp and Pandemonium makes it even worse. The champs get in some stereo kicks to slow Valkyrie down though and a double snap suplex gets two.

Valkyrie drives Green into the corner and makes the tag but the referee doesn’t see it to keep the champs in control. As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later and it’s Jessicka coming in to clean house. Purrazzo manages a Downward Spiral into a stomp to give Green two. I’m Prettier is loaded up but Valkyrie makes the save, setting up a kick to the head into the Sick Driver for the pin and the titles at 7:24.

Rating: C. Well ok then. I certainly didn’t see this one coming as you would think that VXT would have kept the titles at least for a little while longer. The Dollz stuff has gone on for awhile now and I’m kind of curious to see what this win means for Rosemary. Either way, it’s quite the surprising result but the titles aren’t just sitting there, so at least they’re doing something.

We recap Honor No More vs. the Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Titles. Honor No More won the titles to make the stable feel important. Then the Guns earned the title shot to set this up. Not that complicated of a story but the match should be good.

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

Honor No More (Mike Bennett/Matt Taven), with Maria Kanellis, is defending. Taven takes Shelley down to start and hits his catchphrase before it’s quickly off to Bennett vs. Sabin. Bennett takes him into the corner and stomps away, allowing Taven to come back in for an elbow to the head. Shelley comes in to kick Bennett off the apron though and it’s a kick to Taven’s arm to take over.

The Guns start taking turns on the arm, including stereo spinning kicks to both arms. That’s enough to draw in the illegal Bennett so he gets dropped as well. Taven misses a charge into the corner, allowing Bennett to get in a cheap shot from the apron so the champs can take over again. Some kicks to the head get two on Shelley and it’s a kick to the face into a backbreaker for the same.

Shelley is right back up and brings in Sabin to clean house, including the dropkick/tornado DDT combination to drop the champs. The Downward Spiral/missile dropkick to the back combination gets two on Taven but he’s right back up with Just The Tip for two of his own. Hail Maria (spike piledriver) gets two but the Proton Pack is broken up.

Something like a double Death Valley Driver plants Bennett and Taven gets tied in the Tree of Woe. Shelley launches Bennett into Taven but Taven breaks up something off the top. Bennett’s superkick accidentally hits Maria (BIG pop for that) but the distraction lets Taven grab a rollup (with feet on the ropes) to retain at 16:37.

Rating: B. Take two talented teams, give them over fifteen minutes, have a rather good match. This was one of the matches that looked like it was going to be among the best on the show and then they did just that. Granted the Motor City Machine Guns having a good match is like seeing the sun come up but it doesn’t make things any less entertaining. Honor No More looked like their usual talented selves and I’m glad that they’re getting to keep the titles, as they deserve the spotlight for a bit longer.

We look at Raven being inducted into the Hall of Fame on the pre-show, where he DDTed Tommy Dreamer one more time.

Video on the Call Your Shot gauntlet match. It’s basically a Royal Rumble for the Money In The Bank contract (for any title) with battle royal rules until the final two, when it’s a singles match.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

Twenty entrants, sixty second intervals (save for two minutes after the first two entrants), Eric Young is in at #1 and Joe Hendry is in at #2. Hendry spends a bit too much time posing and gets jumped from behind but he’s right back with a suplex. A spinebuster is loaded up but Steve Maclin is in at #3. Maclin loads Hendry up in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder to the ribs and it’s Rich Swann in at #4. House is cleaned until Hendry plants him with a tilt-a-whirl slam and PCO is in at #5.

Now it’s PCO getting to clean house, including a hanging DDT to Maclin. Savannah Evans is in at #6 and gets in PCO’s face, which doesn’t seem to be the most logical move. Everyone pairs off and it’s Johnny Swinger in at #7. Swinger slams Evans but hurts his back a bit, leaving Tasha Steelz to come in at #8. Evans and Steelz beat up Swinger until Killer Kelly is in at #9. Kelly goes after Evans so Steelz dumps both of them to clear out the ring a bit. Moose is in at #10, giving us Young, Hendry, Maclin, Swann, PCO, Swinger and Moose at the halfway point.

There goes Hendry, leaving Moose to slug it out with PCO, with the latter being sent out rather quickly. Sami Callihan is in at #11 and powerbombs Maclin as everyone pairs off again. Taylor Wilde is in at #12 and does very little until Gisele Shaw is in at #13. Young is in trouble so here are a bunch of guys in yellow hoodies to save him. One such hoodied guy, who reveals himself as Deaner, tosses Callihan. Bully Ray of all people is in at #14, for his first match in Impact in about eight years.

Ray tosses Steelz and it’s Tommy Dreamer in at #15 and we get the staredown with Ray for the ECW reunion (as mentioned by commentary). Rhino is in at #16 and we get the official ECW reunion, with Swinger joining in. Swinger is immediately tossed and it’s Bhupinder Gujjar in at #17. Dreamer gets tossed and it’s Heath in at #18. Heath and Rhino get to clean house until Bobby Fish (hometown boy) is in at #19. The ring is getting full and it’s even worse with Matt Cardona coming in at #20.

The final grouping is Young, Maclin, Swann, Moose, Wilde, Shaw, Ray, Rhino, Gujjar, Heath, Fish and Cardona. Hold on though as Cardona is cool with staying on the floor as Moose gets rid of Rhino. Heath is out as well and Cardona helps get rid of Moose, setting up a showdown with Ray. As commentary explains that this is a thing in the NWA and on Twitter, Wilde plays D-Von in a What’s Up to Cardona for a cool moment.

Wilde and Shaw fight on the ropes so Cardona throws them both out, only to be dumped by Gujjar. Young neckbreaker Gujjar on the apron for the elimination but gets kicked in the face by Swann to get rid of him too. We’re down to Swann, Maclin, Ray and Fish, with everyone else going after Ray, because he’s a monster you see.

With Ray breaking that up, Maclin gets rid of Swann and Ray gets rid of Fish, meaning it’s time for Maclin vs. Ray in a regular match for the title shot. Ray wins the slugout but gets caught in an Angle Slam for two. A Rock Bottom gives Ray the same and the Bully Bomb….finishes Maclin at 29:17. Meaning Bully Ray wins. A title shot. In 2022.

Rating: D. I know this show is designed to be the big historical event for Impact but did they really have to go back in time to BULLY RAY winning the title? Ray got his ECW reunion moment in the match and then wins the thing by pinning Maclin, who has been pushed around here for the last several months. Ignoring that a 51 year old Ray just came in and cleaned house before winning clean, it’s BULLY RAY. How low rent can you look with this stuff? But hey, he’s a name or something, and it isn’t like Impact has a reputation of going with old guys who wouldn’t get a push in a major company right? Awful call on all fronts.

As for the rest of the match, it was your usual gauntlet match. There were a lot of people coming in and going out rather quickly, with too many people in the ring at one time far too often. The sixty second intervals don’t work well for a match like this and it wasn’t even that good in the first place. Throw in the really dumb choice for a winner and this was a bad part of the show.

Eddie Edwards talks to Alisha Edwards and says it ends tonight with him winning the title. Their kids ask what happens if he doesn’t win, but Alisha says that won’t happen and leaves with them.

We recap Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich for the Knockouts Title. They’re both monsters and Grace is the last line of defense against the monster Slamovich. This has been treated as a big deal in the build to this show and it has been pretty interesting.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich

Grace is defending. They start very fast with Grace hammering her down in the corner and out to the floor, setting up a running kick through the ropes. Slamovich gets in a kick to the head on the apron and a belly to back piledriver on said apron knocks Grace a bit loopy. Back in and we hit the reverse chinlock to stay on Grace’s neck but Grace fights out without much effort.

A spinebuster out of the corner plants Slamovich again and they chop it out. Stereo spinning backfists put both of them down and the fans seem to approve. Back up and a Michinoku Driver gives Grace two more but the Vader Bomb misses. Grace hits a Jackhammer for another two but Slamovich slips out of the MuscleBuster and grabs a sleeper.

That’s shifted into a bulldog choke until Grave powers up and grabs the rope. Another driver drops Slamovich again and Grace slaps her in the face a few times. The Grace Driver gets two and Grace is stunned. She’s so stunned that Slamovich is able to hit an Air Raid Crash into the corner, setting up the Snow Plow for two more, as Grace gets a foot under the ropes. They go up top where Grace gets in a shot to the ribs, setting up something close to a super Grace Driver to retain at 15:57.

Rating: B. I’d call that quite the surprise, as Slamovich seemed primed to take the title here. Grave is a fine champion but it isn’t like she was on some legendary run. Unless this is setting up a rather eventual James vs. Grace showdown, I don’t know if I get this. They had a heck of a hoss fight, but this should have been Slamovich’s big moment instead of Grace retaining.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards for the World Title. Alexander has run through everyone but now it’s time to face Edwards, who is a former World Champion and the head of Honor No More. Edwards is more than a bit over the top though and his wife isn’t happy with what he is doing. Now Edwards needs to win the title to make everything ok.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards

Alexander is defending and Edwards sends Honor No More to the back. Both of their families are at ringside to make it more personal. They fight over a lockup to start as commentary breaks down the difference in the color of their gear. Edwards hits a chop, which is enough to make Alexander double leg him down and hammer away. Alexander knocks him outside for a breather before they switch places.

A slingshot dive drops Alexander for a change but he’s right back up with the crossbody to the back to send them both outside again. Back in and Edwards snaps off an overhead belly to belly before sending him right back to the floor. One might think they are filling in time here. The floor mats are pulled back, which takes long enough for Alexander to fight back. A German suplex from the apron to the floor is blocked so Edwards hits a Diehard Driver on the exposed floor.

Back in and Alexander seems to be favoring his leg and the Backpack Stunner takes him down. The half crab goes on but Alexander makes the rope. Back up and Alexander starts rolling some German suplexes, even going through the ropes and hitting another on the apron. That’s still not enough to break it up and they go outside with two more German suplexes, setting up another one on the ramp.

They head back inside with Alexander hitting a powerbomb onto the knee for two, only to have Eddie come back with Deep Six for two of his own. The Boston Knee Party is blocked and Alexander goes old school with a Styles Clash. Alexander puts on an ankle lock, which is broken without much trouble.

Edwards enziguris him off the top but the referee gets bumped. Cue Kenny King for a low blow before he is taken out by security, allowing a second referee to come in. The Boston Knee Party gets two on Alexander and a tiger driver gets the same, leaving both of them down. Alexander’s nose is busted but he comes up slugging, only to get rolled up for two. Another Boston Knee Party is blocked and the C4 Spike retains the title at 28:04.

Rating: B. Definitely a good match but this never hit that next level as it was bouncing pretty hard off the ceiling above it. Edwards is a strong challenger to Alexander and just like in the previous match, it felt like he should have won here instead of coming up short. What’s the point of Honor No More if Edwards loses in the biggest match the team has had? Anyway, solid main event, but I’m not sure if it was worthy of the final spot on the biggest show of the year.

Post match Honor No More is here for the beatdown. Cue Rich Swann and Heath for the save but the numbers take them out as well. Cue Bully Ray, who teases cashing in but helps Alexander take out Honor No More. Ray holds up the title at Alexander and they stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where the wrestling was good, the feeling was ok and the booking was out there. I’m not sure I get the thinking on a lot of these matches and while the quality can help, it doesn’t fix everything else that they did wrong. For tonight, it was certainly good enough but I don’t think I want to know the thinking that is going into the future around here. The Bully Ray stuff is just baffling and tells you a lot about what Impact thinks of their current crop of stars. Skip the gauntlet and you should like most of it, but my goodness there were some bad choices here.

Results
Brian Myers b. Dirty Dango – Roster Cut
Frankie Kazarian b. Mike Bailey – Chickenwing
Mickie James b. Mia Yim – MickDT
Death Dollz b. VXT – Sick Driver to Green
Honor No More b. Motor City Machine Guns – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Sabin
Bully Ray won the Call Your Shot gauntlet match – Bully Bomb to Maclin
Jordynne Grace b. Masha Slamovich – Super Grace Driver
Josh Alexander b. Eddie Edwards – C4 Spike

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

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AND

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

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

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

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

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

Mia Yim vs. Mickie James

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

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

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

In Memory of Antonio Inoki.

Opening recap.

Kenny King vs. Frankie Kazarian

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

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

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

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

Bound For Glory/tonight rundown.

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

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

Mia Yim vs. Gisele Shaw

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

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

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

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

Video on the Call Your Shot gauntlet.

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

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

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

Video on Masha Slamovich vs. Jordynne Grace.

Moose vs. Steve Maclin

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

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

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

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

Swingerellas vs. Death Dollz

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

VXT isn’t worried about the Death Dollz.

Matt Taven vs. Alex Shelley

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

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

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

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

Bound For Glory rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Bullet Club vs. Trey Miguel/Laredo Kid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bound For Glory/tonight rundown.

Digital Media Title: Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve

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

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

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

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

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

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

Delirious vs. Black Taurus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heath/Rich Swann vs. PCO/Vincent

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Masha Slamovich vs. Allie Katch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bangerz Only
Date: April 2, 2022
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Denise Salcedo, Sam Leterna, Veda Scott

This is from Mission Pro Wrestling, an all women’s promotion owned by AEW Thunder Rosa, from over Wrestlemania weekend. That means we should be in for a fun show which likely includes a fair few guest stars. I have no idea what to expect from this show and that is a nice feeling, as it could be a little bit of anything. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Shazza McKenzie vs. Janai Kai

Kai has been on AEW before. They go with the mat grappling to start as Scott can’t remember if she turned on McKenzie when they were teaming together or not (she did). The grapple off goes to Kai, who takes her to the mat for some kicks to the mat. Back up and McKenzie strikes away as well before kicking her in the face. Kai is right back with some kicks of her own to strike McKenzie down as commentary rapid fires what these two have been doing lately.

Something like a seated dragon sleeper has McKenzie in trouble until she fights up for stereo kicks and a double knockdown. McKenzie hits some running knees to the back and ties her in the ropes for kicks to the chest. Back in and Kai sweeps the leg for two but gets caught in the Shamission (seated crossface chickenwing), only to grab the rope. Kai is right back up with a spinning kick to the face for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced opener and it seems that they are going to be focusing on a lot of striking and submission stuff, making this in fact a modern independent style show. McKenzie has been around for a good while and I’ve seen some of Kai, so this wasn’t exactly a surprise. Good enough here, though I don’t know if it was quite a BANGER(Z).

Allie Katch vs. JP Harlow

So Harlow, with Ayla Fox (evil manager/agent), is a man and therefore a major heel around here. Katch goes after the arm to start and headlock takeovers him down. Ayla grabs a trip from the floor though and it’s enough for Harlow to kick the rope low to takeover. Corner stomping keeps Katch down but Harlow misses a charge, only to backdrop his way out of trouble.

A Death Valley Driver gets two more and it’s time to stand on Katch’s hair. Ayla gets in some choking from the floor but Katch is fine enough to jawbreak her way to freedom. The running hip attack in the corner sets up a Cannonball for two on Harlow but he’s right back with a DDT out of the corner. Back up and Harlow almost runs into an interfering Ayla, allowing Katch to grab a piledriver for the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C. Katch is someone who has been around this circuit for a long time and she does have the abilities to stay interesting in most of the matches I’ve seen from her. Harlow being around was more than a little weird but it does make for a good heel. Giving the fans something to cheer about is a good way to go as they’re continuing with the nice start.

La Rosa Negra vs. Jody Threat

Rosa is rather bubbly and dances to the ring. They go to the mat to start with Rosa rolling her up for two as we hear about Threat eating Big Macs and working out. Rosa’s headscissors keeps Threat in trouble but she reverses into a cross armbreaker, sending Rosa to the ropes. Rosa is right back with her own cross armbreaker, sending Threat to the ropes for her own break.

Threat is sent to the apron and manages to kick Rosa in the face to take over again. Back up and Rosa has to fight out of the corner before elbowing Threat down. An airplane spin and big kick to the head gives Rosa two, followed by a high crossbody for the same. Rosa knocks her to the floor for a suicide dive, then does it again for a bonus.

Threat elbows her way out of a fireman’s carry and hits a running flip attack off the apron. They both beat the count back in and slug it out until Threat’s neckbreaker gets two. Some kicks to Rosa’s face into a German suplex gives Threat two more but Rosa kicks her down. The frog splash connects but Threat rolls her up for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: C. This got a lot more time than the other matches so far and while it turned into a slugfest, a lot of it felt like two people just doing moves to each other until one of them got a pin. There wasn’t anything resembling a story or a flow to it and commentary’s main contribution was to say “that’s why they call Rosa” something in Spanish without actually saying what that means. Good power brawl, but it needed a lot of work.

The ring announcer thanks the fans for helping the show.

Bougie Reality vs. Bionic Kingdom

That would be Madi Wrenkowski/Rache Chanel vs. Jennacide/KiLynn King, some of whom you might know from AEW. Bionic King get guitared to the ring for a nice touch. King and Madi start things off with an exchange of shoulders going nowhere. The bigger King runs Madi over and it’s off to Chanel for a change. Chanel gets taken into the corner so Jennacide can chop away as everything breaks down.

Reality is whipped into each other and stereo facebusters give King an early two. Back up and Reality manages to get them both into the ropes, meaning laughing/choking can ensue. We settle down to Madi working on King’s leg in the corner and we hit the leglock. King fights up and hits some knees but hurts herself in the process, meaning Reality keeps her down in the corner.

A World’s Strongest Slam gets King out of trouble and there’s the much needed tag to Jennacide. Everything breaks down and something like an F5 gets two on Madi. A backbreaker plants Madi but she rakes the eyes to get out of an electric chair. Back up and a Codebreaker into a scissors kick Stomp (the Reality Check) finishes Jennacide at 11:25.

Rating: B-. I liked this one as you could tell a bit more of a story out of the whole thing. Both teams felt like people who had worked together before and they had a nice match at the same time. King and Chanel have both worked on bigger stages and it is easy to see that they are above a lot of the talent on this show. Good match here and the best part of the show so far.

Lindsay Snow vs. Masha Slamovich

Snow is back after a long absence and Slamovich is a monster. They go right to the slugout to start with Snow screaming as she hits a clothesline. Slamovich is sent outside where she kicks Snow in the back a few times before ramming her ribs first into the apron (which may or may not have been due to not being able to pull off an apron bomb). Back in and Snow grabs a kneebar to take over, which is broken up by a rake of the eyes.

Some heavy forearms keep Snow down but she is back up with a DDT for a double knockdown. Snow hits a running knee for two, followed by Slamovich hitting a German suplex for the same. Slamovich kicks her hard in the head for two more and heads up top, where Snow gets in a kick to the head. A MuscleBuster finishes Slamovich at 6:35.

Rating: C+. This was the slugfest match but it just ended all of a sudden. I’m not sure why they went home out of nowhere like that but it did seem like they were wrapping it up. I can go for that with a more physical match like this one but it was still rather quick. Snow is someone I’ve heard of before but never actually seen and she was good enough that I would take another look.

Renegade Twins/Jazmin Allure vs. The Hex/Laynie Luck

The Hex is Allysin Kay/Marti Belle (NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions) while the Renegades (Charlotte/Robyn) are the Mission Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions. They talk a lot of trash at each other to start until it’s Kay vs. Robyn to get things going. Kay takes her down into an early chinlock, which is turned into a slugout out the mat. That’s broken up so Kay grabs a rollup for two, with Allure making a save.

Everything breaks down and Luck dives onto the Renegades. Allure comes in and gets Three Amigoed by Belle, setting up some running shots in the corner by the Hex. It’s back to Robyn as everything breaks down again, with Belle getting taken down in the corner for a change. The villains (I think?) take turns stomping away, which sets up a Boston crab/camel clutch/running dropkick combination (didn’t quite get the timing right as the two holds weren’t on at once but it was a cool idea).

Belle gets stomped again but manages to counter a double suplex by sending Robyn’s leg into Charlotte. That’s enough to get over for the hot tag off to Kay to clean house with the expected shots to the face. Kay keeps slugging away despite having Allure on her back before handing it off to Luck. Everything breaks down again as Veda thinks this should just be a tornado tag match. Luck full nelson slams Allure for two and everyone is down. We get a crash off the corner, leaving Allure to faceplant Luck and put her feet on the ropes for the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B-. This was an entertaining match as you can see that the Twins and the Hex both work well together. Allure felt like someone who could be a star down the line so giving her the win was a nice way to go. Throw in some cheating for the finish and I liked what we got here, as everyone was putting in the effort and came off well.

Thunder Rosa vs. Trish Adora

Rosa’s AEW Women’s Title isn’t on the line. They fight over an armbar to start before heading to the mat with neither being able to get anywhere. Adora takes her down with a top wristlock so Rosa bridges off the mat over and over. With that not going anywhere, they’re up for a standoff until Rosa kicks her down for two.

Some elbows to the chest look to set up a Gory Bomb but Adora slips out and chops away. Adora takes her down and cranks on both arms, including some kicks to the back. Rosa is right back up with a Rocking Horse (something like a surfboard but with Rosa standing and swinging Adora back and forth) but since that can’t last long, Adora is back up with a running crossbody.

A Stunner rocks Adora and a sliding dropkick against the ropes gets two. Adora is back with a Samoan drop for two before grabbing Cattle Mutilation of all things. Rosa makes the ropes and grabs a Gory Bomb for two, followed by a DDT for the same. They trade rollups for two each until Rosa grabs….well it looks like the ending of a piledriver with Adora sitting on her head as Rosa cranks on the I think neck to make Adora tap at 16:20.

Rating: B. The ending was weird enough (with commentary saying it was a bit confusing) but they were beating on each other and trading big shots for a long time on the way there. It did feel like a big fight and it was billed as a first time ever showdown so it did live up to the hype, even with the kind of confusing finish.

Mission Pro Wrestling Title: Holidead vs. LuFisto

Holidead is defending and this is No DQ. Holidead starts fast by taking her down and dropping a leg for two. That’s enough for LuFisto to send her to the apron though, setting up a running kick to put the champ on the floor. Some hard kicks drop Holidead and it’s time for the first door to be brought in. Rather than use that though, LuFisto sets up a bunch of chairs on the floor instead.

A suplex onto the chairs doesn’t work as Holidead fights back up and forearms away but misses an apron legdrop. Back in and LuFisto elbows away before loading up the door in the corner. Holidead bites at LuFisto’s head and hits a dive onto…LuFisto and the members of the production crew that had been dragged in.

Back in and a swinging Downward Spiral gives Holidead two, only to be sent into the corner. LuFisto hits a Cannonball into a corner and a suplex through the door for two. Holidead’s Samoan drop onto the chairs for two but she can’t put LuFisto through another door. InHolidead kicks a chair into her head and hits a running spinebuster through the door to retain at 17:36.

Rating: C+. This had me worried about it turning into deathmatch and total garbage stuff but I can live with some chairs and doors. They beat on each other well enough and it turned into a good brawl. I’m not sure if that is enough to warrant it headlining over Rosa vs. Adora, but I get the idea of going with the title match/not the owner. Good enough main event, though I’m not sure why this needed to be No DQ.

Post match Holidead puts over LuFisto and thanks the fans. Mission Pro will continue to put on BANGERS ONLY.

Overall Rating: B. Another good but not blowaway show from the weekend, this time featuring a unique roster. It’s still kind of amazing that women’s wrestling has come far enough to be able to run a full on show like this without having anything that was bad, or really even close to it. There are some solid matches on here and the two hours and twenty plus minutes went by pretty fast. I liked this one and if you’re looking for a women’s promotion, you could certainly find worse.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 4, 2022
Location: Old Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re just over a week away from Emergence and most of the show has already been set. The World and Knockouts Title matches are ready to go but now we need to build up a little more of the card. That is what we can take care of over the next two weeks, as Emergence is already starting to look strong. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Honor No More’s issues, setting up a ten man tag at Emergence. If Honor No More wins, they get a Tag Team Title shot, but if they lose, they’re done.

Opening sequence.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rosemary

Taya Valkyrie and Jessika are here with Rosemary but there is no Chelsea Green for some reason. They glare at each other to start before Rosemary wins a test of strength. A bite to the face in the corner sets up a bulldog to drop Purrazzo again but she’s back up to wrap Rosemary’s arm around the rope. That doesn’t do much to the legs, meaning Rosemary is able to come back with the Upside Down.

Since that can’t last long, Rosemary goes up top but gets slammed down for a crash. Back up and stereo pump kicks leaves them both down but it’s Rosemary up first with a Sling Blade. The arm is bothering her though and Purrazzo pulls her into the Fujiwara armbar, sending Rosemary right back to the ropes. Rosemary hits a spear but for some reason Jessika gets on the apron, meaning there is no count. A rollup gives Purrazzo the pin at 7:11.

Rating: C+. These two work well together and it’s nice to see Purrazzo getting reheated just a bit. I’m not wild on the idea of the singles matches between the tag partners but that is about all you can get to set up a title match these days. The absence of Green is a bit weird here, though now Rosemary and Taya have to deal with Jessika so things might be a little more complicated anyway.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at Emergence.

Honor No More fires itself up before Emergence and wants to make sure that they have each others’ backs. Eddie Edwards doesn’t think much of PCO at the moment but Vincent tells PCO to go take out Doc Gallows tonight.

Gisele Shaw isn’t scared of Masha Slamovich and doesn’t like how her eyebrows look in the photo Slamovich gave her.

Digital Media Title: Brian Myers vs. Black Taurus

Myers is defending and Crazzy Steve is here with Taurus. The power game has Myers in trouble to start as he gets shoved outside, resulting in some yelling at Steve. Back in and Myers clotheslines Taurus down but gets elbowed in the face for his efforts. Taurus knocks him outside for a big running flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Myers grabbing a chinlock, followed by an elbow for two. Taurus fights up without much trouble and hits a missile dropkick for two of his own. Myers’ implant DDT gets two more but the Roster Cut is cut down with a spear. With nothing else working, Myers pokes him in the eyes and rolls him up (with trunks) to retain at 10;16.

Rating: C. Not a terrible match, but that’s the second match in a row that ended with a spear, shenanigans and a rollup. That’s the kind of thing that needed to be looked at in advance, as there are other ways to end a match than doing something so similar. Myers is a good weaselly champion and someone taking the title from him is going to be a good moment, whenever it happens.

Post match Myers tries to get away but gets sent back inside by Bhupinder Gujjar, who hits the Gargoyle Spear.

Jordynne Grace is going to treat Mia Yim as an obstacle at Emergence and you know what she does to obstacles.

We look at the Impact Wrestling World Title match at Ric Flair’s Last Match, with Josh Alexander retaining via DQ and Diamond Dallas Page making a surprise post match save.

Gisele Shaw vs. Masha Slamovich

Shaw bails to the ropes to start but gets taken to the mat. A spinning backfist connects but Shaw is back with a running knee to the face for two. Shaw misses a crossbody though and it’s a bridging German suplex to give Slamovich two more. The Snowplow finishes for Slamovich at 2:42. Slamovich has to be in the title match at Bound For Glory right?

Flashback Moment of the Week: Mia Yim wins the Knockouts Title on Impact in April 2016 with Maria’s help.

Madison Rayne interrupts Mia Yim to complain about Mia taking advantage of her back in 2016. Gail Kim, who lost the title to Yim, comes in to make Rayne vs. Yim next week.

Jessika and Taya Valkyrie come up to an upset Rosemary with Jessika apologizing and guaranteeing that they will retain the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Emergence. Rosemary is pleased.

Violent By Design vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Shelley and Deaner get things going but Joe Doering gets in a cheap shot from behind. That’s fine with Sabin, who comes in with a dropkick and cutter to get things right back to even. The missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Deaner but Doering interferes again, allowing Deaner to hit a clothesline for two of his own. Doering comes in legally for once and hits a slam into an elbow for two more.

Shelley manages to kick Doering away and it’s Sabin coming back in with a kick to Deaner’s face. Something pretty close to a Magic Killer plants Deaner but Doering makes the save. Everything breaks down and Doering clotheslines both Guns. The Revolution Bomb is broken up with Sabin’s enziguri and he dives outside onto Doering. Back in and Shelley crucifies Doering, setting up Sabin’s diving rollup for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C+. Gee, I wonder if they are going to have Eric Young get annoyed at the rest of Violent By Design and accuse them of doing something about the sickness before they keep doing the same things. The Guns were their usual very good selves, but there is only so much they can do with a lumbering monster like Doering. Just get rid of Violent By Design already because it is getting worse by the week.

Post match Violent By Design takes out the Guns because this must continues. Kushida runs in for the save but Eric Young runs in as well and takes him out.

Post break the Guns and Kushida challenge Violent By Design for Emergence. Josh Alexander comes in to say take these guys out. Alexander leaves and runs into Eddie Edwards, who suggests he’s coming for the title.

Raj Singh vs. Sami Callihan

Sami tells him to swing away and Singh’s one right hand seems to make him mad. Singh’s dropkick works a bit better but it’s a few right hands to put him into the corner. A clothesline sets up the Cactus Driver 97 and a crossface chickenwing finishes Singh at 2:01.

Post match Sami calls out Moose and Steve Maclin so Moose’s entrance starts. Cue Moose from behind so Sami jumps him, only to get taken down by Maclin from behind. Moose hits a spear (because we needed a fourth tonight) and Maclin plants Callihan to leave him laying.

Video on Killer Kelly’s debut last week. They’re doing a good job out of making her seem like a threat.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Bullet Club is ready to take out Honor No More.

Doc Gallows vs. PCO

Street fight and Vincent is here with PCO, while Karl Anderson only comes out to the stage with Gallows. PCO gets knocked to the floor to start but he’s fine enough to post Gallows. Some chairs are set up at ringside but PCO sends him back inside, only to be knocked backwards through said chairs in a crash you had to know was coming.

We take a break and come back with chairs being thrown in and one hitting PCO in the back. PCO hits him in the head with a chair (erg) and sets up some chairs back to back, which can’t end well. Gallows is laid over the backs of the chairs so PCO can chair him in the back (a popular word here). PCO takes too long going up top though and gets slammed onto the open chairs, which is such a stupidly dangerous spot.

They head outside again with PCO hitting a chokeslam through a table to take over again. A bunch of trashcan shots to the head put Gallows down and the mat is pulled up. Since that takes some time, Gallows hits the Gas Mask on the exposed wood for two but PCO hits him with a marching band drum (which they just happen to have sitting around).

The Deanimator takes too long to load up so Gallows chokeslams him off the top and through the ring (geez). Somehow PCO beats a ten count and wins a slugout, setting up a reverse DDT onto the wood. PCO whips out a glove, fills it with thumbtacks, and hits a middle rope fist drop. Gallows rolls into the hole and PCO steps on his chest for the pin at 15:30.

Rating: B-. This is one of those wacky matches where it was all about the violence and carnage, which was at least a bit different than they usually do. The ring breaking was a huge spot, but having that not end the match is a bit of a stretch. At the same time, some of these spots were more than a bit absurd and uncomfortable on occasion. PCO winning is a good thing, but egads this was rough in parts.

Overall Rating: B-. The show is still good, but this week’s show focused on just about everything but the World Title match. Since that is pretty much set, there was other stuff to work on but a lot of that stuff isn’t so interesting. Emergence is still looking good though and that is what matters most here. Pretty good show, though I’m not sure what they are going to do for Bound For Glory when the Emergence build is over.

Results
Deonna Purrazzo b. Jessika – Rollup
Brian Myers b. Black Taurus – Rollup with trunks
Masha Slamovich b. Gisele Shaw – Snowplow
Motor City Machine Guns b. Violent By Design – Rollup to Doering
Sami Callihan b. Raj Singh – Crossface chickenwing
PCO b. Doc Gallows – Middle rope fist drop

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 21, 2022
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re on a fresh taping cycle and on the way to the next special. That means we need a new #1 contender and thank goodness that means someone outside of Violent By Design. The main event of this week’s show is Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin for a shot at Josh Alexander and the World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the history of the Motor City Machine Guns, both together and against each other. They’re both ready for the chance to be #1 contender.

Opening sequence.

VXT vs. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace

VXT is Deonna Purrazzo/Chelsea Green, who were absolutely needing a team name. Grace and Purrazzo start things off with Purrazzo taking her to the mat but getting reversed into a headscissors for a standoff. Back up and Grace runs her over with a shoulder before sending Purrazzo into the top turnbuckle over and over. Yim comes in for some rollups to Purrazzo and armdrags to Green.

It’s already back to Grace but everything breaks down, with Purrazzo offering a distraction so Green can take over on Grace. Some rams into the corner get Grace out of trouble and the hot tag brings Yim in to clean house. Grace has to save Yim from a double suplex and there’s the big dive to drop VXT on the floor. Back in and Purrazzo Downward Spirals Yim to set up Green’s Stomp for two but Yim grabs a double Stunner. There is no Grace though and VXT hits a kind of double suplex for the pin on Yim at 9:12.

Rating: C. You have to establish the new team with a win here and they did just that by having them pin the #1 contender. Granted this might be more about issues between Grace and Yim, which is a story that needs to be told as well. Nice job on the two birds with one stone shot, and the match wasn’t half bad either.

Post match Yim isn’t pleased with Grace. Good thing they have a title match coming up in a few weeks.

Honor No More wants the Tag Team Titles and aren’t surprised that Impact keeps moving the goalposts on them. They’ll take out Heath instead, because he keeps attacking them one at a time. Eddie Edwards wants to know where PCO was when Heath was attacking Vincent last week. There is no more room for mistakes.

Here’s what is coming tonight.

X-Division Title: Deaner vs. Mike Bailey

Deaner is challenging and has Joe Doering with him. Bailey unloads on Deaner in the corner and kicks him in the chest for a knockdown. The Ultimate Weapon misses but Bailey is right back with a Boston crab instead. Deaner gets out and bails to the apron, only to get kicked in the face. Bailey gets caught in the ring skirt though and Doering runs him over with a shoulder as we take a break.

Back with Deaner sending him into the corner, setting up the running dropkick to the back of the trunks. Bailey fires off the rapid kicks to set up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two. Something like a powerbomb plants Bailey for two more and it’s time to chop it out. Bailey gets the better of things and kicks him in the chest and then the head, only to miss the moonsault knees onto the apron. Deaner’s running flip neckbreaker in the ropes takes Bailey down but he slides back in for a heck of a moonsault to drop Deaner on the floor. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon retains Bailey’s title at 12:24.

Rating: C+. Another pretty solid defense for Bailey, but I still can’t get into him with that cheesy grin and bow. You can tell that he’s being presented as a star though and that is more than a lot of the champions. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from him, but giving him a weekly match where he gets to show off a bit is not a bad idea.

Ric Flair Flashback Moment of the Week: Sting beats Ric Flair on Impact in 2021.

VXT wants in the Knockouts Title match so Gail Kim gives them just that: a Knockouts Tag Team Title match.

Eric Young confirms Violent By Design’s loyalties to him and tells them to eliminate the sickness.

Madison Rayne vs. Masha Slamovich

Gisele Shaw is here with Rayne. Slamovich rips the face mask off of Rayne and throws her down, setting up the Snowplow for the pin at 1:14. Total squash, again.

Post match Slamovich gives Shaw an envelope, with a picture of herself covered in what looks like blood.

Bhupinder Gujjar still wants a Digital Media Title shot against Brian Myers. That works for Myers, but apparently Vincent has been talking trash about Gujjar so they can fight each other instead.

Killer Kelly says she is always watching you. A man comes up and Kelly says no one knows when to shut the F up.

Bullet Club vs. Honor No More

That would be Ace Austin/Chris Bey vs. Matt Taven/Mike Bennett with Maria Kanellis. Taven and Austin start things off and fight over wrist control until Taven takes him down into a chinlock. That earns Taven a kick to the head and a legdrop, only to have him come back with a dropkick. Bey and Bennett come in to chop it off until Bey snaps off a dropkick for two.

Taven comes back in off a blind tag though and a middle rope dropkick takes Bey down. It’s back to Austin to kick people in the head before sending Taven outside for a shot from the apron. Taven is thrown inside, leaving Bennett to kick Austin down and take over again. The Purple Thunder Bomb gets two back inside and Bennett grabs the chinlock. Austin fights up and avoids a charge in the corner, allowing the hot tag off to Bey to clean house.

A torture rack neckbreaker gets two on Bennett as everything breaks down. Austin gets sent outside and Bennett brainbusters Bey, only to miss Aurora Boreallis. Maria gets on the apron for a distraction so Austin pulls her down, with the distraction letting Bennett get in a low blow to Bey. Cue Heath with a Wake Up Call to Taven though and Austin runs in with the Fold for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what there is to say about a match like this, as it is all over the place near the ending until one of them gets a pin. The Heath deal was a fine enough way to go and follows the story that they have been telling in recent weeks. Other than that, Honor No More loses again, which is almost a trend for them lately.

Steve Maclin isn’t worried about Sami Callihan but the lights go out and Callihan attacks him. Cue Moose to help with the beatdown but Callihan turns the lights out again and disappears. Sami actually having a device to turn the lights off makes this at least a bit more plausible than the normal light powers.

Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie can’t get Jessica to put the Havok mask on but she’s not down for it. Jessica has an idea and leaves, with Rosemary freaking out over her not being herself. Taya thinks it’s cute, which has Rosemary contemplating violence.

Josh Alexander is ready for Chris Sabin or Alex Shelley, but he knows there are a lot of people waiting on him after Emergence. This includes Rich Swann, who pops in and asks for a title match. That’s currently taken, so Swann gets the debuting Kushida next week in what might be a #1 contenders match but D’Amore isn’t quite clear.

Here’s what’s coming on future shows.

Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley

The winner gets the World Title shot at Emergence and somehow this is Shelley’s first ever #1 contenders match. They shake hands and hug to start because this is all about competition. It’s a technical off (as you might have expected) to start with Sabin’s rollup giving us a standoff. Sabin spins around him into an armdrag before another cradle gets two. Shelley needs a breather on the floor as Josh Alexander is watching backstage.

Another rollup gives Shelley two for a change and we take a break. Back with Sabin grabbing a neckbreaker and another one gets two. The neck crank goes on to keep Shelley in trouble and the chinlock goes on. Another neckbreaker gets another two as Sabin certainly has a target. Back up and Shelley takes the knee out and we go to another break.

We come back again with Shelley tying up the legs before working on the arm for a change. Shelley ties Sabin up so much that Sabin is hooking his own leg (that’s a new one) before going with a more basic leg crank. Sabin slips out and grabs a DDT for a needed breather to go back to the neck. A tornado DDT gives Sabin two more but Cradle Shock is countered.

Shelley kicks him in the knee and drives said knee into the mat to cut him down again. A belly to back sets up the Border City Stretch, with Sabin having to go to the ropes. Sabin is back up with a jumping enziguri and another kick drops Shelley for a double knockdown. The Clothesline From Hell, Michigan misses so they trade superkicks. Now the Clothesline can connect but the Cradle Shock is blocked again. Shelley hits Sliced Bread for two and Shell Shock is good for the same. The Border City Stretch goes on and Sabin taps at 24:13.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked, as it’s nice to have the kind of chess match that you get from people who know each other so well. You can have all of the flips and dives that you want, but this was more about the technical side of things as the two of them tried to pick the other apart until one couldn’t hang on. Shelley winning is an interesting way to go, but it isn’t like there was a bad choice from the pair.

Post match Sabin raises Shelley’s hand but Violent By Design runs in for the beatdown. Kushida comes out for the save and checks on the Guns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show here as they set things up for the future and did enough to make me want to stick around next week. Kushida debuting at the end was nice, though MY GOODNESS ENOUGH WITH VIOLENT BY DESIGN. They’re the weakest part of the show by a good while and there is nothing to suggest that they are going away anytime soon, which is hurting some of the good will Impact has had going for it lately. Fix that and Impact is one of the better weekly shows going, but there are still some holes to fix.

Results
VXT b. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace – Double suplex to Yim
Mike Bailey b. Deaner – Ultimate Weapon
Masha Slamovich b. Madison Rayne – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Honor No More – Fold to Bennett
Alex Shelley b. Chris Sabin – Border City Stretch

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

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