Impact Wrestling
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for the Multiverse of Matches but that doesn’t seem to mean much at the moment. Part of the issue is that we also need to build up Rebellion, which is less than a month away. That doesn’t leave Impact a lot of time, though maybe they can give this week’s show some attention of its own. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander vs. Moose as they are on their way to a showdown at Rebellion for Moose’s World Title. Just to crank it up, Moose SPEARED ALEXANDER’S WIFE at a show in Canada over the weekend.

Josh Alexander arrives and Scott D’Amore tells him that while Moose isn’t here, he has recommended that Moose be stripped of the title and fired. Alexander grabs him by the jacket and says he needs Moose in the ring so he can take the title from him, man to man.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King

Non-title. Before the match, Gresham mentioned that he will be facing Eddie Edwards at Rebellion, but King’s entrance cuts him off. King talks about how he sees a great wrestler but a puppet for Ring of Honor. Gresham should be part of Honor No More, but he is called the Octopus because he is all arms and no brains.

They get in each others’ faces to start and we have a rather aggressive lockup. As expected, Gresham goes after the arm to put King in trouble before sending him outside. King manages to snap Gresham’s throat across the top to take over though and a suplex on the floor makes it worse. Back in and Gresham grabs a dragon screw legwhip, only to miss a high crossbody and bang up his own knee.

We take a break and come back with King hitting a spinebuster for two but Gresham goes right back to the knee. A dragon suplex into a tiger driver gives King two more but King’s knee gives out again. You don’t have to ask Gresham twice to grab a hold so the Figure Four goes on. Gresham stands up to crank on it even more and that’s enough for the tap at 12:04.

Rating: C+. There is something so entertaining about watching Gresham take someone apart and put them in pin in a variety of ways. That is exactly what we got here, with that adjusted Figure Four being a nice twist on what you might have expected. King was good as usual, but this was more about Gresham, as it should have been.

Post match Eddie Edwards runs in to go after Gresham but Rocky Romero makes the save, meaning we probably have a tag match coming up.

Here’s what’s coming at Multiverse of Matches and later tonight.

The Motor City Machine Guns are ready for their rematch with the Bullet Club because Jay White should know what it means to get pinned.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready for another Champ Champ Challenge at the Multiverse of Matches and there are a ton of possible challengers.

Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice vs. ???/???

This is Swinger’s Chump Chump Challenger and the opponents are…the Good Brothers. Dice immediately starts panicking and Gallows sends him flying with a fall away slam. The Magic Killer finishes at 51 seconds. As it should have been.

Post match the Good Brothers say they are back to what they do best. They’re on the way to Rebellion and the eight team elimination match, plus the Multiverse of Matches against the Briscoes. We cut over to PCO in the parking lot, screaming for Jonah. Cue Jonah to jump him from behind and the brawl is on, using a variety of parking lot accessories.

Jonah powerbombs him onto some wooden pallets and then gets in a few shots with a sledgehammer (as you do). A brick is placed on PCO’s ribs and cracked with the hammer but he grabs Jonah by the throat. Jonah’s head is crushed in a car door and PCO buries him underneath some dirt. That’s just something he happened to have laying around right?

Josh Alexander vs. Madman Fulton

Ace Austin is here with Fulton. Alexander wastes no time in starting with the suplexes before knocking Fulton outside. Fulton is sent into the barricade but manages to fight out of the C4 Spike back inside. The chokeslam is countered into a powerbomb though and an ankle lock makes Fulton tap at 1:49. That was quick.

Post match Austin teases going after Alexander but gets scared off. Alexander cranks on Fulton’s ankle so hard that Fulton’s boot comes off.

Trey Miguel asks Mike Bailey about his relationship with Ace Austin. Bailey says expect the unexpected.

Last week, Mickie James ranted about Chelsea Green turning on her, making Green a sellout just like Matt Cardona. Nick Aldis will be at the Multiverse of Matches, where it’s the Midcardonas vs. Al-Dis.

Matt Cardona doesn’t want to talk about this but Chelsea Green doesn’t like the idea of Mickie James treating her like the little sister.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Madison Rayne, Tenille Dashwood, Lady Frost, Gisele Shaw, Jordynne Grace, Havok, Alisha Edwards, Rosemary, Savannah Evans, Jesse McKay

The winner gets a Knockouts Title shot against Tasha Steelz, on commentary, at Rebellion. It’s a brawl to start (battle royal and all), though the IInfluence has time to stop and pose. Edwards actually forearms away at Havok, only to have Rosemary cut her down with a spear. Havok tosses Edwards and saves Rosemary from Evans. Everyone gets together to dump Havok and McKay gets rid of Dashwood.

McKay gets knocked off the apron but Kaleb With A K catches her. Rayne is out as well as McKay is thrown in, where she gets caught in a Samoan drop from Evans. That’s it for McKay and it’s Evans vs. Grace in the power slugout. Grace is tossed but Shaw and Frost toss Evans too. That leaves with with Frost, Shaw and Rosemary with Shaw getting the better of things. The other two get together and dump Shaw, with Rosemary knocking out Frost as well for the win at 7:15.

Rating: C-. Rosemary is one of those women that you can throw right into the title picture and no one will think anything is out of the ordinary as she really is that good. She has the resume and the status so this should work out well. I don’t know if she wins the title, but she is someone who very well could and that is a good choice for a challenger.

Black Taurus b. Deaner on BTI.

Eric Young and Violent By Design is ready to retain the Tag Team Titles at Rebellion.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Aiden Prince

Brian Myers has his own commentary table again. Headlocks and shoulders don’t work for Prince to start as Gujjar knocks him to the floor. That’s enough for Price to try walking out, only to get tossed back in without much effort. A powerslam gives Gujjar two but Prince gets in a knee to the back to take over. Gujjar comes right back with a Sling Blade into a powerslam for two but Prince hits a suplex. Prince misses a 450 though and the middle rope spear gives Gujjar the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C-. Another week, another Gujjar match as he has a cool looking finisher which takes some effort to set up. Other than that though, there is still almost nothing about Gujjar that makes him interesting. He’s a guy in tights for most of his matches and it doesn’t make me want to see anything that he is doing.

Post match W. Morrissey tries to powerbomb Myers through the table but Prince gets in the way. That means Prince gets the powerbomb through the table instead.

Masha Slamovich vs. Abby Jane

Tiger suplex and Snowplow finish for Slamovich in 48 seconds.

We run down the Multiverse of Matches card again.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club

Chris Bey/Jay White for the Club here. White shoulders Sabin in the corner to start but Sabin is back with a middle rope spinning crossbody. Shelley tags himself in and a neck snap over the ropes sets up a legsweep to put White in trouble. A backsplash/knee drop combination sets up a chinlock as commentary goes over some of the possibilities for the eight team gauntlet match at Rebellion. Bey sneaks in with a shot off the top to drop Sabin and we take a break.

Back with Sabin not being able to crawl over to Shelley, meaning Bey can get in some smirking. White gets in some shots of his own but a pair of leapfrogs allows Sabin to get over to Shelley. The Motor City Stretch has Bey in trouble until White makes the save and Bey returns the favor by breaking up Thunder Express.

Back to back choking on the ropes has Shelley in more trouble and he gets tossed outside. Bey’s suicide dive hits White though and it’s back to Sabin for the flip dive off the apron. They head back inside with Sabin hitting a bunch of running dropkicks in the corner to both Clubbites, setting up Thunder Express for two on Bey. White is back up to clear the ring though and Bey hits a big running flip dive to the floor.

Bey’s top rope splash gets two with Shelley making the save, which the referee is fine with this time. That doesn’t go well with White but he and Shelley go outside. Sabin drops Bey to set up Skull and Bones for two, followed by the Dream Sequence to White. Made In Detroit is broken up so White hits Sabin with a half and half suplex. The Art of Finesse gives Bey the pin at 17:42.

Rating: B. I don’t think there was much doubt in the ending after the previous screwy(ish) ending but they had a heck of a match on the way there. The Guns aren’t going to be hurt by a loss and the Club needed the win a bit more here. Very good match between two talented teams and it is nice to see Bey getting the pin in a pretty high profile match. He has come a long way and now he is having some success to back it up.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case, they continue to have issues with building towards two shows at once, even though the Multiverse of Matches feels like a quick pit stop on the way to the important event. Still though, they had a good main event and I want to see where things are going with Rebellion, which is the main point of this show. The main event is worth seeing if you have the time and Multiverse of Madness looks good so…success?

Results
Jonathan Gresham b. Kenny King – Standing Figure Four Leglock
Good Brothers b. Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice – Magic Killer to Dice
Josh Alexander b. Madman Fulton – Ankle lock
Rosemary won a battle royal last eliminating Lady Frost
Bhupinder Gujjar b. Aiden Prince – Middle rope spear
Masha Slamovich b. Abby Jane – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Motor City Machine Guns – Art of Finesse to Sabin

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: March 3, 2022
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Somehow it’s already the go home show for Sacrifice and the card is mostly set. The big match on the show seems to be the Tag Team Title match as Moose defending the World Title against Heath is only so important. Odds are they will add one or two more things to the card tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin starts the brawl in the aisle and they slug it out, with Maclin hitting a running knee. They go inside for the opening bell and Maclin punches him right back to the floor, setting up a hard suicide dive. Back in and Eddie grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb to take over but they trade running forearms for a double knockdown. They slug it out until Maclin hits a running clothesline but Eddie catches him on top with a running boot. Maclin knocks him into the Tree of Woe and hits the spear in the corner to send Eddie outside. That means an apron elbow drop but Eddie has had it and blasts Maclin with a kendo stick for the DQ at 6:53.

Rating: C. They got clever here with the ending as you don’t want Edwards to get pinned in his first singles match as part of Honor No More but you also want to keep Maclin strong. The match was a fast paced fight too, which is where Maclin tends to do fairly well. I’m not sure where this story is going, but at least they have a bigger name on Honor No More now.

Post match Eddie keeps up the beating but Team Impact chases him off. Honor No More shows up with Maria mocking Team Impact for believing in honor. Heath calls her delusional but Vincent says that the real delusion is believing that Heath has a chance to win the World Title at Sacrifice. The challenge is on and let’s do that right now.

Vincent vs. Heath

The fans are split here as Heath grabs an early headlock. A shoulder puts Vincent into the corner as they’re still firmly in first gear. Vincent knocks him into the ropes for a change and it’s another standoff. Heath sends him into the corner and hammers away before a swinging neckbreaker gives Vincent a quick two. Matt Taven gets in a distraction from the floor and another neckbreaker drops heath again as we take a break.

Back with Vincent getting two off a Russian legsweep, which the fans declare as awesome. As I try to figure out what they define as awesome, Heath gets in a shot of his own for a breather. Vincent is right back with a guillotine choke, which is broken up with a suplex. Heath slugs away and kicks him in the face, only to get caught with a quick Redrum for two. Another Russian legsweep is loaded up but Heath reverses into the Wake Up Call for the pin at 13:03.

Rating: C. I’m not sure where the AWESOME description came from but this could have been worse. Heath gets a win for a little momentum going into his World Title shot and that was the point of this one. It is almost weird to see Heath doing well on his own, but there is something to him and he could be a fine enough singles guy for awhile to come.

Post match Honor No More comes in for the beatdown but Team Impact makes the save. With the ring mostly cleared out, Moose comes in to go after Heath but gets taken down by the Wake Up Call. Heath counts his own three.

Flashback Moment of the Week: the Motor City Machine Guns beat Beer Money and Team 3D in a triple threat.

Masha Slamovich vs. Raychell Rose

A running knee and the Russian Death Device finish Rose in 1:00.

The Guerrillas of Destiny declare it personal against Jay White. Violent By Design comes in and are ready for tonight’s main event. They want their Tag Team Title shot so the business offer is thrown out. The Guerrillas leave without saying anything.

Ace Austin, with Madman Fulton, talk to Mike Bailey, who seems interested in a partnership, but not with Fulton around.

Madison Rayne vs. Cassie Lee

Tenille Dashwood, Kaleb With A K and Jessie McKay are here too. Before the match, Dashwood puts blue tape on the floor in an X and tells Kaleb With A K to stay RIGHT THERE. Madison elbows her down to start and mocks the IInspiration’s pose. A northern lights suplex gives Madison two and we’re off to the chinlock. That’s broken up and Cassie is sent outside, where Dashwood drives her into the apron. McKay makes the save and gets sent into Kaleb With A K, who makes a nice catch. Madison isn’t happy so Lee kicks her in the head and finishes with the IInspiral (spinning suplex) at 4:15.

Rating: C-. There is something oddly charming about this story and I could go for seeing some more of it. I don’t know if the titles are going to change hands on Saturday, though that might not be the worst move. It’s almost a comedy version of Paul Heyman with Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, which has oddly been working for me.

Video on Jake Something, who promises to win the X-Division Title at Sacrifice.

Tasha Steelz vs. Chelsea Green

The winner gets a Knockouts Title shot at Mickie James, on commentary here, at Sacrifice and Savannah Evans is here with Steelz. An early headbutt rocks Green, who is back with a running kick to the face for two. Steelz grabs a Codebreaker and stops to rub her head before choking Green in the ropes. A running elbow cuts Green down again as James and Rehwoldt keep bickering on commentary.

Green fights up and backdrops her out to the apron before a double clothesline puts both of them down. The comeback is on with Green hitting a few clotheslines into a Backstabber but I’m Prettier is broken up. Instead the delayed Downward Spiral gives Green two but Steelz is back with a Stratusfaction, which has Mickie audibly rolling her eyes. Green gets sent outside so Evans can kick her in the face, which draws Mickie to her feet. Back in and Steelz finishes with a frog splash at 8:00 for the title shot.

Rating: C. That’s a bit of a surprise and makes me think that the title is changing hands on Saturday, perhaps with Green turning on James. Steelz isn’t exactly interesting, but the division needs someone to step up and take over the title scene. Either that or Slamovich takes the title from James at some point, but that might be a bit of a risky move. Not exactly a great match, but it seemed more about storyline advancement anyway.

Post match Mickie and Tasha yell at each other.

Matt Cardona is asked for his backstage pass because the big gold belt on his shoulder isn’t enough proof. He shows people some photos of his wins and says no one respects him.

Jonah vs. Johnny Swinger

Swinger goes to the eyes, gets slammed down for his trouble, and crushed with the Tsunami for the pin at 49 seconds.

Post match Jonah loads up another Tsunami but PCO comes in for the brawl and actually clears Jonah out.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to defend one of her titles at Sacrifice but Gisele Shaw interrupts. Shaw takes credit for Purrazzo beating Lady Frost but Purrazzo isn’t convinced. Frost comes in to say Shaw can’t answer the Champ Champ Challenge at Sacrifice because Frost vs. Shaw II is already set.

Sacrifice rundown.

Guerrillas of Destiny/Violent By Design vs. Bullet Club

That would be Deaner/Joe Doering for Violent By Design and Jay White/Chris Bey/Good Brothers for the Club. It’s a big brawl before the bell (makes sense) and the Club has to save White from a huge beatdown. Cue Scott D’Amore to say this match isn’t going to happen…as a regular match. Instead, we’ll make this No DQ so RING THE BELL! Note that D’Amore took about thirty seconds to make this announcement and not five minutes. It’s not that hard.

We take a break a few seconds after the bell and come back with Tonga Loa bringing in a chair to save his brother from the Good Brothers. Doering shrugs off White chopping away at him so White hits him in the head with a trashcan lid. The trashcan is loaded into the corner but then gets wrapped around Deaner so Bey can hit a double stomp. The brawling continues around the arena, with Tama Tonga hitting Gallows in the ribs with a baseball bat. White tries to choke Doering with a chain but gets flipped onto a trashcan.

We hit the parade of shots to the head back inside until the Guerrillas clear the ring. The Brothers save White again and the two tag teams (the brothers and the Brothers) fight to the back. We actually go split screen to watch both fights as Doering whips out a door (Tom: “Chris Bey is about to be introduced to the Forbidden Door.” Oh shut up.). Doering misses a charge into the door so Deaner makes the save with a chair. That just lets White hit a Bladerunner onto said chair to pin Deaner at 13:18.

Rating: C+. Sometimes you need to have a big brawl with people going all over the place, but at the same time, it is a little hard to get into this fight over stuff that mainly happened in Japan. Throw in the Good Brothers continuing to be such a focus and it isn’t exactly interesting material. Fun brawl, but this story needs to go somewhere, and by that I mean getting rid of Violent By Design and moving the titles already.

We cut to the back where the Guerrillas and the Brothers are still brawling, with the Brothers being chased off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Impact is in a weird place as they are trying to build up Sacrifice, but it just isn’t that interesting of a show. Nothing really stands out as the top match on the card, as Heath vs. Moose isn’t exactly a show stealer and more of the Good Brothers isn’t going to make it work either. There are some good pieces there and this show was far from bad, but it isn’t the kind of show that made me want to see Sacrifice any more than I did coming in.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Eddie Edwards via DQ when Edwards used a kendo stick
Heath b. Vincent – Wake Up Call
Masha Slamovich b. Raychell Rose – Russian Death Device
Cassie Lee b. Madison Rayne – IInspiral
Tasha Steelz b. Chelsea Green – Frog splash
Jonah b. Johnny Swinger – Tsunami
Bullet Club b. Violent By Design/Guerrillas of Destiny – Bladerunner onto a chair to Deaner

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: February 24, 2022
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s time for a fresh taping cycle as No Surrender has come and gone. The big story coming out of the show was Eddie Edwards turning on Impact Wrestling to join Honor No More, meaning he has a lot of splainin to do. Other than that, Moose needs a new challenger for Sacrifice on the way to Rebellion. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the rise of Honor No More and the big showdown at No Surrender, where Eddie Edwards turned on the company.

Opening sequence.

Here is still World Champion Moose for a chat. Moose isn’t happy that he has worked so hard and fought so much but now all everyone is talking about is Eddie Edwards. He fought to retain the World Title and nothing changed. Look what happened to people like Josh Alexander and Matt Cardona after he beat them. The Lord knows what is going to happen to W. Morrissey now that he lost.

Cue Heath of all people, to say this isn’t a joke. Eddie Edwards was a huge part of the Impact puzzle and Moose is out here making jokes. We’re at war and this is what the champion is doing. Heath worked hard to get here and yeah he was out for a year, but Impact Wrestling stuck by him. Now he is looking at a leader who is doing nothing.

Moose wants to know where Heath was for the last month but Heath says he has been out with Covid protocols. Now he’s clean though and he wants a World Title shot so the company can have a champion who will fight for its company. Moose doesn’t care about anything or anyone, including Heath and his ugly kids. The fight is on and Heath leaves him laying with the Wake Up Call. It’s just for their version of In Your House and that’s fine.

The rest of Team Impact is glad to see Heath when Scott D’Amore comes in. They’re not happy with Honor No More sticking around but they can deal with it in tonight’s six man tag. No one is putting their hands on Eddie Edwards tonight, but Rhino can take him apart at Sacrifice. Works for Rhino.

Post break Honor No More arrives and they get safe passage until the six man tag. D’Amore wants to know where Eddie Edwards is but here is Moose to interrupt. Moose says he has no problem with them, but stay away from his title. Honor No More leaves and D’Amore yells at Moose about him not being bothered by them. Moose can defend the World Title against Heath at Sacrifice.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Digital Media Title: Matt Cardona vs. Jordynne Grace

Cardona is defending and this is No DQ. Grace comes out swinging with a DVD player (complete with her social media info) and a shot to the shoulder knocks Cardona outside. Back in and Grace blocks a whip and backdrops Cardona to the floor again. That means a suicide dive and it’s time for some weapons as we take a break.

We come back with Cardona stomping away in the corner and hitting Grace with a keyboard. A shot to the head gets two and a neckbreaker is good for the same. With nothing else working, Cardona brings in a chair (which he hit her in the head with at Sacrifice) but Grace drops him ribs first onto the top of said chair.

Some shots with the pieces of a selfie stick keep Cardona in trouble and a running elbow in the corner sets up a Vader bomb for two. Grace whips out a bag full of…cell phones? Cardona loads up a mouse shot to the head but gets powerbombed out of the corner onto the phones for two more. A low blow connects but Cardona has an ALWAYS READY cup (which I believe he used at The Wrld On GCW). He tries to put it in Grace’s face but she kicks him low and does it to him instead. Cardona sends her face first into a chair in the corner though and a rollup with a grab of the rope finishes Grace at 12:12.

Rating: C+. The match was certainly goofy and the theme was as subtle as a boulder to the face but these two have chemistry together. I’m not sure how much damage the phones would have done, though I do appreciate doing something different than the kendo sticks and trashcans. Mix it up a bit and it might be a bit more memorable, which was the case here. Cardona is rolling as a heel too and this was more fun stuff.

The IInspiration and the IInfluence continue to argue over Kaleb With A K. Their Tag Team Title match is on for Sacrifice and Madison Rayne will face Cassie Lee next week.

We look at Ace Austin and Mike Bailey beating #1 contender to the X-Division Title Jake Something and X-Division Champion Trey Miguel on Before The Impact.

Something is annoyed but Miguel says it isn’t that big of a deal. That’s too far for Something, who doesn’t want his pity. Something needs Miguel to fear him, and that’s what he will do.

John Skyler vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Brian Myers is on commentary (with his own table). Skyler tries to jump him to start but gets taken down without much trouble. A top rope splash misses though and Skyler sends him shoulder first into the post. Some stomps to the arm set up an armbar as Skyler certainly knows how to focus on an injured limb. Back up and Gujjar hits something like a Sling Blade before superkicking Skyler down. Skyler goes right back to the arm but a superplex is broken up. Gujjar hits the middle rope spear for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C-. The match was short and to the point but it was a pair of guys who aren’t that interesting, with Skyler being a pretty standard heel. Gujjar on the other hand is the latest name whose character is almost completely defined as “hi, I’m from India”, which is only going to get him so far. It wasn’t a bad match, but it also wasn’t interesting and that’s a problem.

Post match W. Morrissey comes out and goes after Brian Myers but Skyler makes the save. That earns Skyler a chokeslam through Myers’ table.

Steve Maclin doesn’t care what Eddie Edwards has to say because next week, Edwards is answering to him.

Reina de Reinas Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Lady Frost

Purrazzo is defending in another Champ Champ Challenge, with Frost getting to pick the title she can win. An early lockup doesn’t go anywhere so Purrazzo goes with a headlock takeover instead. That’s broken up as well and Frost kicks her in the face, only to get pulled down into a surfboard for the double stomp to the calves.

Purrazzo starts in on the leg, including a good smash onto the apron. Frost flips over her though and hits a dropkick to the back, setting up a Cannonball in the corner for two. A trip to the top takes too long though and Purrazzo takes out the leg. Purrazzo grabs a Boston crab but Frost slips out, only to get pulled into the Venus de Milo to retain the title at 5:43.

Rating: C. This didn’t have much time as Purrazzo’s roll over the Knockouts division continues. I’m not sure who is going to be the big road block to finally cut her off but it is making for some interesting television, as it can be fun to find out who is coming through that curtain. Purrazzo is getting a lot out of this too and she could be on this kind of a roll for a long time.

Post match Purrazzo leaves and Gisele Shaw comes in to pose.

Bullet Club, now with the Good Brothers instead of the Guerrillas of Destiny, talk about having to shed dead weight. Violent By Design comes in to say they made a deal and now they should get a Tag Team Title shot. Violence is teased but the Guerrillas of Destiny run in to jump the Club. The Guerrillas and Violent By Design look at each other, with Eric Young saying “all right.”

Zicky Dice vs. Jonah

Dice tries a chop block but gets suplexed down. The backsplash into a powerbomb finishes Dice at 57 seconds.

Post match Jonah crushes him again. Jonah goes to the back, where Gail Kim tells him that he can’t do that again. He wants better competition, so it’s Jonah vs. PCO at Sacrifice. Jonah is happy and leaves, so here is Johnny Swinger to say he has been training with Bill Dundee and wants one more shot at Jonah next week. Sure.

Mickie James and Chelsea Green sit down with Gail Kim with Mickie wanting to give Green a Knockouts title match. Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans come in to yell about not getting a fair match. The result is Steelz vs. Green for the Sacrifice title shot next week.

Sacrifice rundown. It looks like a good show and I’ll be there live.

Honor No More vs. Chris Sabin/Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett/Kenny King for Honor No More, with the rest of the team, plus Rhino and Heath at ringside. It’s a brawl to start with Swann being left alone but Mack and Sabin are back in there for the save. We settle down to Sabin working over King but Bennett is in rather quickly. Bennett is kicked outside and kicked in the chest by Sabin so it’s Taven coming in for a neckbreaker to drop Sabin.

We take a break and come back with Bennett suplexing Sabin for two but Sabin sends him into Taven in the corner. That’s enough for the tag off to Swann to pick up the pace as everything breaks down. Mack helps Swann out with a 3D to Bennett and Mack hits Taven with a standing moonsault. A blind tag lets Bennett come back in for a cheap shot, setting up the Proton Pack to finish Mack at 9:09.

Rating: C+. Honor No More continues its roll as they now have their official spots around here. At some point they are going to need to do something a bit bigger if this story is going to really take off, but at least they got the important part out of the way. What used to be Team Impact is now a bit shaken up, but it isn’t like they were some long term serious team in the first place.

Post match Honor No More brings out Eddie Edwards for a chat. Post break, Eddie says you should be angry, but not at him. He bled and fought with and for Ring of Honor and it hurt him when he heard that they were taking a hiatus. Now Honor No More has found the corruption in this industry and it is time to clear everything out. Two years ago, the world changed and it was time to bring in as many outside stars as Impact Wrestling could find to make things better.

Then Rich Swann lost the World Title to Kenny Omega, an outside. Eddie knew he would get his shot and he even beat Omega in a six man tag. Who got the shot to bring the title back to Impact though? Josh Alexander. It was at that point that Edwards knew that Impact had honor no more and it was time to change things up.

Everyone is asking what Eddie did and it is because he gave everything to this company and got nothing in return. Cue Alisha Edwards to ask what Eddie is doing. He taught her to believe that anything is possible and to never stop believing. Eddie needs to be with his family, but he says that’s what he’s doing. Alisha asks if she is still his family but Eddie doesn’t know. Eddie leaves with Honor No More to end the show.

This was a long promo but we got an explanation from Edwards and his reasoning makes sense. It’s also nice to have someone with a long history in Ring of Honor joining the team, as it would be strange to have someone with no real reason to join the team other than it was the new heel faction.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing about Impact right now is how many things they are pushing. Honor No More is the top story, but it isn’t the only story and that makes a big difference. There are other important things going on as well and Impact is doing a good job of making those stories matter. They are avoiding the problem that so many promotions have of making one thing so much bigger than others that nothing else really matters. It’s a balanced show and that makes for some much better storytelling throughout. Good show here, as we’re now on the road to Sacrifice.

Results
Matt Cardona b. Jordynne Grace – Rollup with a grab of the rope
Bhupinder Gujjar b. John Skyler – Middle rope spear
Deonna Purrazzo b. Lady Frost – Venus de Milo
Jonah b. Zicky Dice – Powerbomb
Honor No More b. Chris Sabin/Rich Swann/Willie Mack – Proton Pack to Mack

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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 10, 2022
Location: Charles Dodge Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re almost up to No Surrender and the card is starting to look good. What makes things all the better is that the entire show has been working in the last few weeks. The Bullet Club is here and seems to be going after the Tag Team Titles, which is better than putting them near the top of the card. Other than that, Honor No More continues to look interesting and I want to know where they’re going in the long run. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at W. Morrissey attacking Moose on the way to their World Title match.

Opening sequence.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat, but first he has to soak in some WALKING WEAPON chants. He isn’t about to let Impact Wrestling go to war against Honor No More without him so he’ll be there at No Surrender. That isn’t the only match at No Surrender, as W. Morrissey is going for the World Title against Moose. While he’s going to war, he’s next in line for whoever comes out of No Surrender with the title. Cue Big Kon (Konner of Ascension fame) to interrupt so Alexander says he’ll do this right now. Kon didn’t even say anything. Maybe he wanted to sell some Girl Scout cookies.

Josh Alexander vs. Big Kon

Alexander beats him up in the corner and wins with the ankle lock in 40 seconds.

Post match the ankle lock stays on until Alexander lets go to beat up security. Cue Scott D’Amore for the save, but Alexander shoves him down too. Alexander knows he screwed up so D’Amore talks about their history together. D’Amore remembers him showing up at the Team Canada dojo as a kid still wet behind the ears. Then one of his best friends told him that she had met the one, and that was Alexander.

D’Amore has been there for almost every major event of Alexander’s life, including signing with Impact. Then he became the World Champion, so what does D’Amore want? Alexander gets serious and says he wants his coach instead of the boss. All he can think of is looking at his wife and son crying because he was never able to put the World Title on.

D’Amore says it’s a process to get back to his rematch but Alexander doesn’t want to hear that. That’s too far for D’Amore, who takes Alexander out of No Surrender and sends him home. Alexander: “I AM HOME!” Well that escalated quickly, but it’s amazing to see what kind of a star Alexander has become. At the same time, D’Amore is sounding ridiculous, as Alexander got to the World Title shot at Bound For Glory, lost to an instant cash in, and has run through everyone else since. Why isn’t he getting a title shot?

Post break, Steve Maclin offers to take Alexander’s place at No Surrender. Scott D’Amore says he’s letting Team Impact pick the replacement.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at No Surrender.

Deonna Purrazzo comes out and we have an open challenge for either of her Women’s Titles.

Ring of Honor Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Santana Garrett

Garrett is the surprise challenger. They trade the rollups to start but Purrazzo isn’t interested in a handshake. Instead, she sends Garrett to the apron and then knocks her into the barricade a we take a break. Back with Purrazzo staying on the arm but Garrett starts firing off some running forearms. Something close to a Muta Lock sends Purrazzo crawling to the ropes before she switches into a Koji Clutch. That’s broken up as well and Garrett kicks her in the face. Garrett goes up, only to dive into the Fujiwara armbar. She manages to spin out for half a second but Purrazzo pulls her into a rollup to retain at 9:33.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted, but you knew they weren’t going to have Purrazzo lose one of her titles to a newcomer here. Odds are she is in for a big showdown with James sooner than later and racking up wins is a good thing for her. Then there is Garrett, who keeps bouncing around from one company to another (including this one before her time in NXT) but never makes a big impact. I’m not sure why, but she was little more than cannon fodder here.

Team Impact wants to pick Jonathan Gresham, but they might want to talk to him first.

Mickie James vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title with Tasha Steelz on commentary. They fight over a lockup to start until Green works on a wristlock. Mickie does it again as commentary turns into an argument over the New England Patriots. A headlock frustrates Green but she slips out, meaning Mickie needs to bail outside. Steelz: “MAKE DONOVAN (Mickie’s son) PROUD!” Chelsea uses the distraction to hit a baseball slide, followed by a cutter back inside. Steelz says that is HER move and throws trash at Green. Cue Savannah Evans to trip Green for the DQ at 3:56.

Rating: C. This was little more than storyline advancement as Steelz continues to annoy James before their title match. I’m curious to see where Green goes in the story, which seems to have some legs after the No Surrender title match. They’re building something up here and that is a great thing to see.

Bhupinder Gujjar is proud to be here after leaving his family to come here. Cue Raj Singh but Gujjar walks away.

The IIconics come up to Kaleb With A K and try to get him to take their photos. Madison Rayne comes up and she isn’t happy. The IIconics leave so Madison yells at him.

Here is Bullet Club for a chat. Jay White says he is back and this time he has brought his friends. Tama Tonga brags about the Guerrillas of Destiny’s success and says they’re coming for the Impact Tag Team Titles. Then there is Violent By Design, because the Good Brothers want their own group.

Cue Violent By Design, with Eric Young saying this is a family instead of a bunch of guys trying to do what was cool ten years ago. White laughs off the idea and lists off everything he has done. Young can face him at No Surrender, but Young says let’s do a six man next week. The fight is teased for now but here are the Good Brothers to interrupt.

The Brothers would appreciate a thank you for everything the Club is enjoying but Tama Tonga laughs it off. Anderson says that they have dominated every company with letters that matters, but Tama says it’s because they keep getting fired. There were some bombs being thrown in there and it was pretty good stuff.

Jonathan Gresham has been attacked.

We look at Matt Cardona turning heel to take the Digital Media Title from Jordynne Grace last week.

Cardona talks about how he was screwed out of the World Title last month. No one apologized to him, so he knew he needed to do something different this year. He has been in the ring with everyone and Grace was his toughest opponent ever. She has a rematch for No Surrender, so she better be ready.

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett vs. Rhino/Rich Swann

The rest of Honor No More and Team Impact are here too, with Maria on commentary. Taven knocks Swann down to start as Maria lists off Taven and Bennett’s successes. Swann is sent outside, where the threat of a beatdown means Honor No More is ejected (Maria is not happy).

We take a break and come back with Team Impact gone as well as Taven hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Swann. Bennett’s brainbuster gets two more but the spike piledriver is blocked. Swann enziguris his way out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Rhino to clean house. Maria pops up to throw powder in Rhino’s face though and it’s the Climax to give Taven the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C. Honor No More continues to do pretty well around here as the numbers advantage from the unified team works over a thrown together group of Impact wrestlers. It’s hard to imagine the story ending at No Surrender and that is a good thing, as this has been one of the better things going in Impact. If nothing else, it is nice to have Maria in the role she plays best, because she is kind of perfect for what she is doing.

Post match Swann gets beaten down and former Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin isn’t happy. Cue Steve Maclin for the save and Rhino Gores the heck out of Bennett.

In the back, Maclin pitches himself for Team Impact but Eddie Edwards doesn’t buy it. Ian Riccaboni thinks Maclin is a good idea and Chris Sabin welcomes him to the team. The rest of the team doesn’t seem sure but Maclin appears to be in.

Gisele Shaw says she didn’t steal Lady Frost’s spotlight because Frost never had it in the first place. Shaw seems to be the latest stuck up/better than you woman.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

W. Morrissey vs. Brian Myers

No DQ and the Learning Tree is here with Myers. Morrissey takes the Tree out before the bell though and the destruction seems to be starting fast. The Tree comes back in so Myers can hit the Roster Cut. Instead of covering though, it’s time for a table. Zicky Dice is kicked through said table and another one falls down as soon as Morrissey is laid on it. Morrissey fights up again and chokeslams VSK off the top through a table leaned up against the ring.

We take a break and come back with Myers hitting Morrissey with a kendo stick and suplexing him on the ramp. Back in and more kendo stick shots keep Morrissey in trouble, but Myers makes it worse by duct taping him to the middle rope. Myers hits him with various things, including several trash can shots.

Coast To Coast drives the trash can into Morrissey and Myers untapes him for two. Another Roster Cut is blocked with a hard clothesline from Morrissey, who is rather fired up. The kendo stick is broken over Morrissey’s knee and there’s the powerbomb. The fans want one more so Morrissey obliges, albeit on some thumbtacks. A second powerbomb onto the tacks finish Myers at 14:41.

Rating: C+. I’m trying to get my mind around Morrissey as a face (albeit a VERY intense one) and it’s still hard to fathom. Either way, this made him look like a beast who could be a very serious threat to Moose at No Surrender. Myers needed the stipulation to have any kind of a chance here and even then the match was only so competitive. That’s how you make Morrissey look like a monster though and they have done a pretty good job so far.

Post match Moose runs in for the beatdown and wraps a chair around Morrissey’s throat. Another chair is used like a hammer to crush said throat to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. These shows are still rolling along and I’m almost tempted to watch No Surrender. Making me want to see another show that I had no interest in just a few weeks ago is a great sign for what they are doing and I could go for more of it. Good show here, as the World Title gets some more focus after lacking it for a little while now. I didn’t quite need the tacks in the main event, but the rest of the show made up for a lot of it.

Results
Josh Alexander b. Big Kon – Ankle lock
Deonna Purrazzo b. Santana Garrett – Rollup
Chelsea Green b. Mickie James via DQ when Tasha Steelz interfered
Matt Taven/Mike Bennett b. Rhino/Rich Swann – Climax to Rhino
W. Morrissey b. Brian Myers – Powerbomb onto thumbtacks

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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 3, 2022
Location: Charles Dodge Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are on the way to No Surrender and things are starting to pick up. The main event is already set with W. Morrissey getting his World Title shot against Moose, but there is another major match on the card in a different way. The other major match will see a team of Impact wrestlers facing off with Honor No More, which should boost the story that much more. Other than that, the Bullet Club seems to be here again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Digital Media Title: Matt Cardona vs. Jordynne Grace

Cardona is challenging and shoves Grace around a few times to start, which has Grace a bit surprised. Grace’s running shoulders don’t do much good so she trips Cardona down instead. Cardona misses a neckbreaker but Grace misses a Vader bomb, allowing Cardona to suplex her into the corner. A regular suplex drops Grace again and there’s a hard whip into the corner. Some elbows miss as Cardona doesn’t seem to want to go after her, only to hit a slightly reluctant clothesline.

Grace is right back with a spinebuster and it’s time to start in on Cardona’s leg. A kick to the leg takes Cardona down and now the Vader Bomb connects for two. Back up and Cardona kicks her in the face as the reluctance is starting to go away. The Reboot connects for two and there’s the shocked kickout face. Grace gets in a desperation kick to the floor, with Cardona winding up in front of the title. Cardona picks it up but gets it taken away, allowing him to blast Grace with a chair instead. Radio Silence gives Cardona the pin and the title at 9:51.

Rating: C+. This was a tricky balance to figure out but they managed to pull it off well enough. They had to come up with a way to make Grace look strong, have Cardona look unwilling to bring everything he could and then do the title change in the end. Putting all of that together is pretty impressive and they made it work out well here. Also, Cardona going heel and winning the title that he pioneered so long ago is a great thing.

W. Morrissey hunts for and finds the Learning Tree. Scott D’Amore and security breaks it up though and Morrissey gets Brian Myers next week, No DQ, just as he wants.

No Surrender/tonight’s rundown.

Jonah vs. Crazzy Steve

The rest of Decay is here with Steve. Jonah shoves him down to start and grabs a choke but Steve bites his way to freedom. That’s not cool with Jonah, who sends him flying with a fireman’s carry toss. The Tsunami finishes Steve at 2:06. Total dominance.

Post match another Tsunami is loaded up but Black Taurus gets in the way.

Matt Cardona is fired up about his win but is asked about what Chelsea Green will think. Cardona says to ask Jonathan Gresham what it’s like to be married to a loser (Gresham is Jordynne Grace’s husband).

Madison Rayne yells at Kaleb With A K when the IInspiration comes in. They have a present for him: a photo of the two of them. I’ve heard worse.

Steve Maclin vs. Jonathan Gresham

Non-title, Ian Riccaboni is on commentary and Cary Silkin is watching. Maclin drives him into the corner to start but Gresham goes for the knee to escape. A headlock takeover has Maclin down and he spins over Maclin to put it on again. More headlocking keeps Maclin in trouble and a crucifix gives Gresham two. Maclin drives him throat first into the middle rope for the escape though and we take a break.

Back with Maclin dropping a knee on the ribs before running him over with an elbow to the face. The Boston crab is broken up though and the slugout is on. Gresham actually gets the better of things but a springboard moonsault press is countered into a powerslam. Maclin gets frustrated and hammers away in the ropes, which is enough for the DQ at 11:12.

Rating: C+. Gresham continues to work well with just about anyone and that is the kind of person that is very valuable to have. The fact that you forget he is a smaller guy because his technical wrestling is so strong is all the more impressive. Maclin has cooled off a good bit, but he is hardly falling through the floor. Pretty good match too.

Post match Maclin puts Gresham in the Boston crab for the tap but here is Honor No More for the beatdown. The team tries to get Gresham to join them but he leaves alone.

Josh Alexander vs. Vincent

The rest of Honor No More is here. Alexander elbows him in the face to start and they’re on the floor in a hurry. Some distractions let Vincent get in a cheap shot on Alexander and it’s a running basement Downward Spiral inside. Some elbows set up a chinlock but Alexander is up pretty quickly. That gets broken up as well, with Vincent switching over to a guillotine choke.

Alexander hits a hard German suplex for two and the fans are way behind him. Vincent hides behind the referee and the distraction lets him hit a Russian legsweep. Redrum only hits knees though and it’s an ankle lock to put Vincent in more trouble. Honor No More offers a distraction so Vincent can get in a rollup for two of his own. Cue the rest of Impact’s No Surrender team to take out Honor No More, leaving Alexander to take out Vincent’s leg. The ankle lock gives Alexander the win at 8:56.

Rating: C. This was the way the match should have gone as Vincent was one of the lower names on the Honor No More lineup and he was against one of the hottest Impact stars in the last year. They didn’t have any other choice with this one and it isn’t like Vincent is going to be hurt by the loss. No Surrender is all that matter these days and now we should be in for a good showdown.

Post match Kenny King runs in to lay out Alexander and join Honor No More.

W. Morrissey finds Moose and jumps him in the back. He even puts Moose’s head in the freezer and slams the door on it over and over. That’s serious.

Honor No More is here to take over and are ready to fight at No Surrender.

John Skyler vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Skyler runs him over with a shoulder to start but Gujjar kicks the leg out to put Skyler on the apron. A Russian legsweep sets up a quickly broken chinlock with Gujjar hitting a powerslam. Gujjar’s slingshot elbow gets two but Skyler catches him on the middle rope. That’s broken up though and a middle rope spear gives Gujjar the pin at 3:48.

Rating: C-. You had two people and they had a match. There wasn’t much to see here, though Gujjar’s hair flip was rather good. This was designed to introduce us to Gujjar and he did well enough, but how much is there to get out of a cold match between two pretty low level names?

Post match Raj Singh comes out to applaud Gujjar, who walks off on his own.

We see a clip of Mickie James in the Royal Rumble, which is still bizarre to see around here.

Mickie James is happy with what she did but here is Tasha Steelz to interrupt. Steelz suggests, in song, that James is going to lose the title. James says she talks too much and here is Chelsea Green to stare down Steelz and Savannah Evans. James gives her a match next week.

Gisele Shaw is still coming.

Masha Slamovich vs. Kaci Lennox

Slamovich kicks her in the face to start and the Russian Death Device (scoop brainbuster) finishes at 43 seconds.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about storming out of the State of the Knockouts division last week because she IS the state of the Knockouts division. She talks about some of her accomplishments and needs an audience, so next week, it’s an open challenge for either of her titles.

Here’s what’s coming next week/at No Surrender.

Bullet Club vs. Mike Bailey/Jake Something/Ace Austin/Madman Fulton

Chris Bey/Jay White/Guerrillas Of Destiny for the Club here. Bailey backs White into the corner to start so it’s Bey coming in for an exchange of flips. Bey takes Bailey into the corner so White can start stomping away as the Club starts taking turns on Bailey. A quick escape allows the tag off to Fulton, who is quickly double clotheslined out to the floor by the Guerrillas. Fulton is fine enough to pull Bey’s out of the air though and we take a break.

Back with Austin suplexing Bey for two and Fulton choking him in the corner. It’s back to Austin for a kick to the head in the corner, setting up a cartwheel moonsault for two. Bey manages to duck a springboard kick to the face though and comes back with a Superman forearm for a needed breather.

Austin isn’t about to let that happen though as he pulls Bey down, allowing Fulton to knock the rest of the Club off the apron. Bey kicks Austin in the face though and it’s off to Bailey vs. White. Some rapid fire kicks give Bailey two but White’s big Rock Bottom gets the same. The double tag brings in Tama Tonga to face Fulton, with the Guerrillas hitting the Magic Killer for two.

The Guerrillas get to wreck the rest of the team for a bonus but Bey’s frog splash hits Austin’s raised knees. Austin refuses to bring in Something, who finally just slaps Austin’s chest for the tag. House is cleaned for a bit but the Club gets the numbers advantage on Something. With the Club holding Something in place, the Art of Finesse finishes for Bey at 15:38.

Rating: B-. This got some time and felt like the Club got to pick apart the other team, who couldn’t get along in the first place. The Club is already feeling like a big deal, but this time around they don’t seem to be taking over the entire company, which tends to happen when they are in America. Austin and Fulton not liking Something is interesting, but Bailey continues to leave a bit to be desired.

Post match Violent By Design and the Good Brothers run in for the beatdown on the Club to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There are a few things going on here, but the most important is that I want to see where these stories go. These stories are starting to make me want to see next week’s show and that is one of the best things that can be said about a wrestling show. Other than that, there are some good to pretty good matches, making this a rather easy two hours. Fairly solid show this week, and No Surrender is looking rather appealing.

Results
Matt Cardona b. Jordynne Grace – Radio Silence
Jonah b. Crazzy Steve – Tsunami
Jonathan Gresham b. Steve Maclin via DQ when Maclin attacked in the ropes
Josh Alexander b. Vincent – Ankle lock
Bhupinder Gujjar b. John Skyler – Middle rope spear
Masha Slamovich b. Kaci Lennox – Russian Death Device
Bullet Club b. Jake Something/Ace Austin/Mike Bailey/Madman Fulton – Art of Finesse to Something

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 20, 2022
Location: Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan

The march to No Surrender is on and that means it is time to start setting up a card. Impact continues to be doing fairly well, and the question now is what is next for Moose and the World Title. By that, I mean getting to defend against W. Morrissey. For once I’m actually curious to see how things are going here and that is nice to be able to say, at least partially because of the Ring of Honor invasion. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tasha Steelz vs. Chelsea Green

Mickie James is on commentary and Savannah Evans is here with Steelz. Green sends her into the corner to start but gets run over, allowing Steelz to hammer away. Some shouting at Mickie doesn’t seem to cause Steelz too many problems but Green blocks the crucifix bomb. A jumping cutter drops Green for two but she’s right back up with a lifting Downward Spiral for her own near fall. Back up and Steelz hits a crucifix bomb for the fast pin at 4:29.

Rating: C-. This was ok enough but it’s a little hard to buy Steelz as some big threat to James and the title. Having her beat Green, and probably some more women going forward, would be a good idea, but you’re only going to get so far with half of a long term tag wrestler. Also, I wouldn’t have bet on Green losing clean in less than five minutes though either, as she is usually presented as a pretty big deal.

Post match Steelz says it was nice for Mickie to retain the title at Hard To Kill but now it’s time to get savage. Spoiler alert: she’s going to make Mickie a failure. She’s going to send Mickie back to Empower a failure (Mickie: “Someone is mad she wasn’t booked.”) and she is going to send Mickie back to her son as a failure. That gets Mickie up but Evans gets in her way. Mickie gets in her face and the fight is on until Evans breaks it up. Green makes a save though and house is cleaned, likely setting up a tag match next week.

We look at Jordynne Grace retaining the Digital Media Title on BTI but Matt Cardona interrupted and seemed to be the next challenger.

Cardona says he didn’t win the World Title but there are other titles he can win. He invented the Internet Title so now he wants the World Wide Web Title. That’s a challenge.

Video on Charlie Haas, mainly featuring clips from his time in Ring of Honor.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Influence vs. Decay

Kaleb With A K is here with Influence, who jump Decay before the bell. Rosemary is down and holding her shoulder as Kaleb With A K takes the Influence’s pictures. Rosemary tells Havok to go it alone though and that seems to be the case.

Influence vs. Havok

Kaleb With A K joins commentary as the Influence double teams Havok down in the corner. The stomping ensues but Havok flips Rayne off her shoulders. A slam is broken up as Rayne crossbodies both of them at once for a big crash. The double Stroke finishes Havok at 3:34.

Rating: C-. This seems to be fallout from Rosemary getting hurt at Hard To Kill, as there wasn’t much else that could be done for her here. I’m not sure how long she is going to be out, but hopefully it isn’t that serious of an injury. At the same time, the Influence is on their way to a Knockouts Tag Team Title match against the IInspiration so they should be going over Havok, or even a full strength Decay.

The IInspiration pops up to say their star power will outshine Tenille Dashwood, who has a partner who retires every year. The shoes the Influence are trying to feel are three times too big.

We look at the King’s Daughter, the movie that is sponsoring the show.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton come in to see Speedball Mike Bailey and suggest that he makes the right kind of friends. Johnny Bravo makes a random cameo and Ace leaves Bailey with a playing card.

Learning Tree vs. W. Morrissey

Brian Myers is on commentary. They charge at Morrissey and get hit in the face for their efforts. A chokeslam to Dice and a powerbomb to VSK finish for Morrissey at 1:11.

Post match Morrissey says he’s coming for Moose and the World Title.

In the back, Scott D’Amore gives Morrissey a match with Moose at No Surrender.

The Ring of Honor guys are trying to come in and have tickets. D’Amore comes in and says they can be here to support Jonathan Gresham….in a luxury box, away from the ring. Then get out.

Ring of Honor World Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Steve Maclin

Gresham is defending and this is Pure Rules. Maclin isn’t interested in the Code of Honor before the bell so Gresham takes him up against the ropes for the first rope break. The Ring of Honor people are watching from the balcony as Maclin drives him up against the ropes for another rope break. Then Gresham makes Maclin use the ropes again, earning himself a right hand for the official warning.

Maclin gets two off a butterfly backbreaker and the threat of a hold makes Gresham burn through another rope break, leaving them with a break apiece. The Boston crab stays on Gresham’s back and he makes the rope for the last time. Maclin grabs a camel clutch and this time the rope has no impact. Gresham pulls his way to his feet so Maclin hits a pair of slams for two.

Back up and Gresham kicks him down, setting up a dropkick. Maclin ties him in the Tree of Woe though and it’s a running shoulder to the ribs for two. With that broken up, Gresham goes for the ribs, sending Maclin to the ropes for his final break. An exchange of forearms and clotheslines gives them an exchange of near falls. Mayhem For All is broken up though and Gresham grabs a Figure Four. They slap it out until Maclin rolls over….which means nothing, so Gresham stands up in the ropes to crank on the leg enough for the tap at 10:19.

Rating: C+. The rope breaks were a bit odd at the time but they were designed to set up the ending. Gresham is awesome in this role, as he digs himself into a hole and then finds a way out of it, often by means of some kind of a hold. Maclin was good for a foil here, but the Gresham/Ring of Honor stuff feels like it has a much longer way to go with bigger names being involved.

Post match, Maclin still won’t show respect.

Flashback Moment of the Week (They still do those?): Sarita/Taylor Wilde b. the Beautiful People for the inaugural Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

The Ring of Honor wrestlers leave. Right.

Doc Gallows/Joe Doering vs. Heath/Rhino

Karl Anderson is on commentary and Violent By Design is here too. Rhino takes Gallows into the corner to start and fires off right hands before the villains are knocked outside. We take a break and come back with Gallows getting the better of a slugout with Rhino. Doering comes in for some choking as Eric Young yells at the fans. Gallows headbutts Rhino down to set up a chinlock, which is broken up without much effort. The hot tag brings in Heath as everything breaks down. Young gets in a flag shot to Heath though and it’s a double chokeslam for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: C. This tag team stuff has been going on for what feels like ever now and it doesn’t seem to be getting anywhere. Odds are we are going to be seeing some big multi team match for the titles, though other than Heath and Rhino winning the titles, there is very little here that gets my attention. The Good Brothers have held the titles far too long over their two reigns and I had almost forgotten they were even the champions.

King’s Daughter trailer.

Charlie Haas vs. Josh Alexander

Chris Sabin is on commentary and thankfully Haas has some hair, as the bald look wasn’t working in the slightest. Believe it or not, they go technical to start with Alexander grabbing a hammerlock. With that broken up, Haas runs him over with a shoulder but Alexander boots him out to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Alexander jumping over him out of the corner but banging up his knee in the process. Haas is smart enough to go after the knee, which is wrapped around the post. The leg is tied up in the ropes for a running knee to the knee, setting up something like an Indian Deathlock. Alexander grabs a backslide for two but they trade rolling German suplexes. Back up and Haas mixes it up a bit with some running shoulders to the ribs in the corner (apparently knocking himself silly in the process). Haas goes back to the leg but gets reversed into an ankle lock 11:23.

Rating: B-. This was the grappling/submission clinic that you were expecting from the two of them, even though Haas’ injury might have screwed things up a bit. What mattered here was giving Alexander another win over a name and that’s what they did. I’m not sure when Alexander is going to get his World Title shot, but having him run through stars is a good way to fill in the time.

Post match, respect is shown…and here are the Ring of Honor guys to jump both of them. Sabin gets off commentary and gets beaten down as well. Some other wrestlers come in for a failed save attempt until Eddie Edwards, with Kenny, makes the real save. The Ring of Honor wrestlers bail back to the balcony, where Maria Kanellis-Bennett dubs them Honor No More to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t a great show but what worked well was good enough. That’s all you need in a situation like this, as you have some big stories coming together. The problem is that the lower level stuff is bringing the good down and that is a bit of an issue. Improve on some of the weaker stuff and the show will be that much better as a whole.

Results
Tasha Steelz b. Chelsea Green – Crucifix bomb
Influence b. Havok – Double Stroke
W. Morrissey b. Learning Tree – Double pin
Jonathan Gresham b. Steve Maclin – Figure Four
Doc Gallows/Joe Doering b. Heath/Rhino – Double chokeslam to Heath
Josh Alexander b. Charlie Haas – Ankle lock

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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The Wrld On GCW
Date: January 23, 2022
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Kendall Gill
Hosts: Lenny Leonard, Pollo del Mar

Every now and then a show catches my attention and I’ll add it to the schedule. That is the case here, as GCW has become the hottest indy around at the moment and I’m going to give it a shot. I am absolutely not a fan of the deathmatch stuff, but apparently that kind of wrestling is not allowed in New York so we get a bit of a reprieve here. Let’s get to it.

Note that I barely follow GCW so I am not going to know much in the way of storylines or characters so please bear with me if I miss something.

Kickoff Show: Blue Ribbon Battle Royal

Psycho Clown, Dark Sheik, Cole Radrick, Parrow, Hoodfoot, Ruckus, Charles Mason, KTB, Juicy Finau, Steve Scott, Nate Webb, Big Vin, Brandon Kirk, Janai Kai, Dustin Thomas, Marcus Mathers, Yoya, B-Boy, Lufisto, Thunder Rosa

Clown jumps Parrow before most of the entrances have taken place and we’re starting fast. The huge Parrow fights him off but Sheik hits a pretty awesome looking jump up to his shoulders into a double stomp to the chest (kind of like Cameron Grimes’ Cave In). Sheik isn’t done and hits a top rope spinwheel kick to drop Radrick. Back up and Radrick runs Sheik over as more people come in (Are these entrances timed? That hasn’t been mentioned.), giving us Parrow vs. Ruckus.

Entrants keep coming in one at a time but with maybe fifteen seconds in between, making me wonder why they started so fast. Scott (I think? Commentary is too busy to say who these people are.) is clotheslined out as Big Vin takes his place. Vin grabs Sheik from the apron and backflips in for a World’s Strongest Slam (that’s a new one) before having a big hug with Finau.

The ring (which isn’t very big in the first place) is WAY too full here as Kirk is tossed. Thomas (the wrestler with no legs) comes in and hits a tornado DDT on KTB. Mathers and Yoya are in as Radrick is out in a hurry (and actually gets named). Mason (in a suit) is in next as this is just a free for all of people hitting one move after another with nothing close to coherence.

Now it’s B-Boy coming in as Clown hits a superbomb on Mason. Mathers (I think) is out with Sheik and KTB following him. Lufisto makes a big surprise return and there go Clown and Thomas. Thunder Rosa is the big surprise and final entrant so we look at her beating up Parrow in the corner while everyone else brawls.

Lufisto gets rid of Webb and B-Boy and we’re down to Lufisto, Parrow, Rosa, Mason and Vin. Rosa hurricanranas Parrow out and the women beat up Mason in the corner. Vin gets beaten down in an opposite corner until Rosa and Lufisto slug it out. Mason sneaks up and tosses Rosa but Lufisto suplexes both of them. Vin puts Lufisto on the apron and Mason drives Vin into her for the elimination. A low bridge sends Vin to the apron but he chokeslams Mason out for the win at 16:04.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t a good start to the night as I’m still not sure who all was in the match. Commentary didn’t do a good job of explaining what was going on and the camera work made it even harder to keep track of the whole thing. I’m not quite thrilled with where things are going from here, but hopefully we get something a little easier to follow going forward.

Kickoff Show: Jack Cartwheel vs. Alex Zayne vs. Grim Reefer vs. Shane Mercer vs. Ninja Mack vs. Dante Leon

No tags and one fall to a finish. Zayne is billed as The Sauce and from the nearest Taco Bell. The fact that he is from Lexington makes it even better. Mercer starts fast with a pop up powerslam on Reefer (that looked good) and there’s a big flip dive to drop some people on the floor. Cartwheel and Mack hit their stereo running flip dives to the floor, followed by dives from Zayne and Leon.

Reefer goes up, lights one up, and hits a big springboard flip dive to drop the pile. Back in and Mack punches away at Reefer before hitting the People’s Moonsault. Leon comes in for a cutter on Mack but gets powerslammed by Mercer. A super fireman’s carry flapjack drops Leon but Zayne clears the ring. Cartwheel takes him down for a slingshot hilo but Mercer is back up with a gorilla press drop.

Reefer kicks Mercer down and spins him into a Crossface with Leon making the save. Leon’s big cutter hits Reefer but Mercer plants Mack with a super backflip World’s Strongest Slam. Zayne is held in the ropes for a shooting star press from Cartwheel, driving Zayne into the apron. A chair is brought in but Reefer counters Mercer’s….something into a DDT onto the chair for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C+. This was slightly easier to follow than the opener but that isn’t saying much. The thing to remember about a match like this is that it is all about getting your stuff in with nothing resembling a story being told. The match may be fun, but this is all about setting things up for the real card. Not exactly good, but a lot of fun and rather exciting, as is kind of the point.

Owner Brett Lauderdale comes out to hype up the crowd and talks about how hard it has been to get here. They were ready to take over the world but then the pandemic hit. He was told that a million GCW’s have come and gone but now they are here with the roster to make it work.

We get the entrances for the opener, which will start when the show goes on the air. This company has some AEW influences.

The opening video, which is rather quiet, shows a bunch of wrestlers in the empty building with their voiceovers talking about how they have no business at this level. Now they’re here to prove that they belong. Right on point here.

AJ Gray vs. PCO vs. Alex Colon vs. G-Raver vs. Tony Deppen vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Jordan Oliver

Ladder match, with the winner getting any title match they want at any time. AJ Gray is a surprise entrant as his scheduled opponent, Eddie Kingston, is out with an injury. They start fast (I’m not sure I heard a bell) with Deppen hitting a springboard dropkick to drive the ladder into Lloyd and Oliver.

Gray buckle bombs Deppen into the ladder in the corner and blasts him with a lariat before going up. His ladder is WAY too short though, meaning G-Raver does him a favor by throwing a ladder at Gray’s ladder for the save. PCO comes in, allowing Colon to lift up G-Raver for a Doomsday Device, albeit with a ladder shot instead of a clothesline to make it even worse. Colon hits PCO in the face with the ladder but Oliver dropkicks the ladder down to break up the double climb.

Oliver kicks Lloyd in the face and hits a dive to the floor. PCO hits his own running flip dive through the ropes. Deppen adds a double springboard flip dive to take out everyone, sending them walking up the aisle. As luck would have it, Gray is ready with his own running flip dive off the stage at the exact same time. PCO chairs Gray down and moonsaults off the top onto the big pile again.

That means PCO can climb, but he’s actually smart enough to drop down and beat up anyone trying to make a save. Deppen brings in a bigger ladder and bites PCO on the face but Jordan Oliver is there to cut him off. Lloyd breaks that up too but gets kicked down by Oliver. PCO chokeslams Oliver off of the ladder though and there’s a package piledriver onto the ladder to make it worse.

G-Raver and Colon break that up, with Raven putting Colon onto two chairs with a ladder over his back. Raver goes up, shoves the ring out of the way, and drops down onto the ladder onto Colon. Well that was dumb. Lloyd gives Raver a running Razor’s Edge over the top and onto a big pile of stuff on the floor. Gray goes up on a ladder on the floor and tries to dive into the ring, only to crash hard onto another ladder (the fact that I’m not sure who he was aiming for is a bad sign). Cue John Wayne Murdoch to take out Colon on the floor, leaving Gray to take the ring down at 15:11.

Rating: C-. The spots were good, but this was a very indy style ladder match, which is not meant as a compliment. There was too much going on between all of the people and it didn’t work so well. At the same time, you had a person shoving the ring out of the way to hurt someone else. That’s about as bad of a level of ladder match logic as you’ll find, making this quite the mess.

Gringo Loco/Demonic Flamita/Arez vs. Bandido/ASF/Laredo Kid

Lucha rules (duh) and it’s Arez starting with Kid. The trade early misses until Kid’s hurricanrana is easily blocked. An armdrag sends Kid outside so it’s Bandido coming in for Three Amigos. That means the Eddie dance as it’s a headscissors to send Arez outside. Loco comes in to hammer on Bandido, who is sent outside so ASF can come in. A wristdrag sends ASF outside for a change and it’s Flamita coming in to take his place.

The 619 in the corner looks to set up something off the top but Flamita flips off the crowd and drops down to flip the fans off instead. ASF is left alone in the corner, with Flamita and Arez hitting stereo moonsaults to the floor (that was sweet). Bandido and Kid get caught in stereo surfboards on the floor for the big running flip dive from Loco. ASF is sent outside as well, only to get launched over the top for the crash back inside (cool).

Flamita follows him back in for two, with ASF climbing Flamita to armdrag Loco. Bandido’s team is back in with stereo superkicks into stereo headscissors to the floor. The not quite stereo dives take out Loco and company but ASF and Kid miss missile dropkicks back inside. Flamita and Bandido are left alone for a big staredown, with Flamita kicking him down and hitting a huge frog splash.

ASF hits a 450 but Arez makes a save of his own. A dropkick breaks up Arez’s cover and a Death Valley Driver gets two on Flamita. It’s Bandido vs. Loco for a strike off until Bandido hits a heck of a tornado DDT. Back up and Bandido and Loco grab double electric chairs (as in Arez is on Flamita’s shoulders on Loco’s shoulders while ASF is on Kid’s shoulders on Bandido’s shoulders), leaving ASF and Arez to slug it out rather high in the air.

ASF snaps off a Canadian Destroyer (egads man) while Loco and Bandido hit powerbombs on the other two. Loco catches a charging Bandido in a Spanish Fly and everyone is down. Back up and Bandido LAUNCHES ASF over the top and into a hurricanrana on Loco. Flamita hits a dive, then Bandido hits a dive, then Kid Spanish Flies Arez off the top onto the pile. ASF and Loco seem to load up a super Canadian Destroyer but can’t get the timing right, leaving Loco to hit a regular piledriver for the pin at 14:10.

Rating: A-. The double electric chair was good enough to make this about as fun as it could have been and the rest was a bunch of insanity that you can only get in a match like this one. This kind of a match is designed to have a bunch of people flying around with one crazy spot after another and they made it work like only they can here. Bandido’s awesomeness has long since been established and it was on full display again with this one. Check this out, which you should always do with something involving these people.

Ian Riccaboni joins commentary.

Ring of Honor World Title: Blake Christian vs. Jonathan Gresham

Christian is challenging…or at least he would be if Gresham was here but we need to make a last second change. Worry not though, because we have a replacement.

Blake Christian vs. Lio Rush

Rush offers a handshake but Christian looks at him instead. They do shake left hands though and it’s an armdrag to take Rush down. Back up and Christian offers a handshake, which allows him to sunset flip Rush for two. Rush bails to the floor for a breather before heading back inside to avoid some charges.

Christian heads outside, only to pull Rush outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl gutbuster gives Christian two, setting up a roll into a crucifix hold. That’s broken up and Christian misses a charge into the corner, allowing Rush to hit a spear for two. Christian is fine enough to catch him with a kick to the face on top but Rush kicks him down.

A ripcord Spanish fly drops Rush again though and a springboard 450 gives Christian two. Rush is right back with a twisting DDT and the Final Hour gets two more. They go to the apron where Rush can’t hit a German suplex to the floor. Instead they drop down, with Christian hitting a Tombstone. Back in and a 450 double stomp finishes Rush at 12:39.

Rating: B-. Take two guys and let them do their thing for about twelve minutes, which is all you needed to do here. Christian gets the win to keep him strong until he can get his title shot. Gresham being gone is rough to see but having someone like Rush as the backup worked as well as anything else. Good match, but they weren’t about to follow that six man.

We recap Matt Cardona vs. Joey Janela. Cardona married Chelsea Green but Janela faked some pictures of the two of them by a pool together, sending Cardona over the edge. The interesting thing is that Cardona is the huge heel who is mocking all things indy and trying to turn it into WWE. This has been one of the better things going on the independent scene and Cardona has had one awesome stunt after another.

The IF CARDONA WINS WE RIOT sign is a great touch.

Joey Janela vs. Matt Cardona

Chelsea Green is here with Cardona….who comes out to Enter Sandman entrance (or at least a cover), turning the crowd completely upside down in about three seconds. The “IF CARDONA WINS WE RIOT” shirt is an even greater touch. He also has a red flannel shirt with f*** Mick Foley on the back, while Green (with the Internet Title) is in the Zack Ryder half trunks/half tights. Cardona asks what’s up GCW Universe and takes credit for the sellout. Joey Janela didn’t do it, so tonight he’s ending Janela’s career before Tony Khan can fire him.

Cardona jumps him at the bell for two and flips off the fans. The fans get in a “F*** CARDONA/WOO WOO WOO!” chant so Janela hits a Death Valley Driver through the door. The suicide dive takes out Cardona on the floor and it is time for Janela to chair him down. A top rope flip dive sends Janela crashing through the chair though and Cardona gets to chair him down. Green pulls the chair away though and kicks Cardona low for a big surprise.

Janela goes up, only to get crotched by Green because it was a ruse. Cardona shows off the cup he was wearing but Janela is fine enough to hit a superplex to put them both down. Janela grabs the title, but here is Smart Mark Sterling (of AEW fame) to say that if Janela uses the title, he’s disqualified. Commentary: “But it’s GCW!” He brings out someone who is very influential in Cardona’s career, so here is someone in a Vince McMahon mask. It’s Vincent/Virgil though, and the distraction lets Sterling grab Janela.

The belt shot takes Sterling down by mistake though and a Death Valley Driver sends Cardona into the ring frame. Cue Swoggle to post Janela but here is a huge guy named Sam Stackhouse to take Swoggle out. Now it’s Marko Stunt to throw a chair at Swoggle’s head but Cardona takes him down as well. Janela brings in a pair of doors, with Swoggle and Cardona being put through one each.

Green hits Stunt with the belt and gives him a Canadian Destroyer, leaving Cardona to AA Janela through an open chair for a near fall. Cardona loads up two doors, which really does take too long so Janela takes him out. Green’s latest interference earns herself a piledriver so here is a guy in a motorcycle helmet. That would be Brian Myers, who decks Janela and helps Cardona hit a middle rope Radio Silence through the door for the pin at 19:39.

Rating: B-. It was a bit long, but this was a lot of fun with Cardona playing a perfect troll. Cardona knows how to make these people nuts by doing everything they don’t like and now he gets to take out another one of their heroes. The big flaw here is that the match went too long and you could have cut out a good portion in the middle which was more about several other people other than Janela vs. Cardona. This was all about Cardona putting together something else to get people to care about him though, as he continues to be one of the more creative people in wrestling.

Post match Sean Waltman of all people comes in and takes out Cardona before posing with Janela. I’m sold on getting to hear The Kings again.

Here is the injured Mance Warner for a chat. He talks about how awesome GCW’s locker room and entire crew is and thanks the fans for getting them here. Cue Atticus Cougar (pronounced Co-Gar) to say 44OH are the real outlaws around here. Cougar doesn’t like Warner’s Second Gear Crew so Warner is ready to fight.

44OH comes in for the beatdown, with Matthew Justice (Warner’s partner) coming in for the failed save attempt. The lights go off (BECAUSE WRESTLING!) and it’s Bill Alfonso and Sabu making the save. Chairs to the head put 44OH down and we actually get a pin, with Fonzie counting. Pantera’s Walk plays because ECW.

Video on Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho. Katch talks about divine destiny, meaning that if something is meant to happen, it will happen no matter what. That seems to be the case with this match, as she runs into SOHO painted on a wall. Katch was billed as a big deal during Brett Lauderdale’s pre-show speech so she means something. I don’t remember her being much more than someone who did cat-esque things as Allie Kat but maybe things have changed.

Allie Katch vs. Ruby Soho

They shake hands to start and Soho armdrags her down early on. The threat of the Riott Kick is blocked early on but so is Katch’s piledriver. That’s fine with Allie, who hits a basement dropkick for an early two. Soho is sent into the corner and it’s a running hip attack into a Cannonball for two more.

They trade kicks to the face with Soho getting rocked, only to be able to come back with a German suplex for the double knockdown. Katch takes too long going up top though and gets armdragged back down for a quick two. The Riott Kick connects for two on Katch but she’s right back with a knee into the piledriver for two of her own. With that not working, Katch loads up a super piledriver, which is countered into a Riott Kick from the middle rope to give Soho the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C. I’d hope that Katch can do more than this as it felt like any other match. This came off like a match where a star was making a guest appearance in the territory with the story of the popular star getting a shot. It wasn’t bad, but there was absolutely nothing special to this and it just came and went.

We recap Jeff Jarrett vs. Effy. Jarrett doesn’t like GCW calling themselves outlaws because he is the Last Outlaw. There has to be a huge stable out there of people who have been THE LAST OUTLAW. There have also been guitar shots to show you how serious this has been.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Effy

Effy pulls $20 out of his trunks, which the referee throws to the floor. They go with the basics to start, with Jarrett powering him into the corner. Effy’s spins to get out of a wristlock don’t work so Effy drops to his knee, which freaks Jeff out for a bit. Some shots to the ribs set up a modified Tarantula but Jarrett is back with a clothesline. They head outside with Jarrett whipping him with the belt (which seems to draw a DADDY LIKES IT chant).

Back in and it’s time for more whipping and choking, which seems to make Effy smile. Jarrett uses the belt to tie Effy in the corner, which doesn’t exactly last long. Effy is back with more rights and lefts, setting up a faceplant for two. Now it’s Effy getting to whip away but he misses a Blockbuster. The guitar takes too long for Jarrett though so Effy pulls off his fishnets for some choking. That’s too much for Jarrett, who hits him with the guitar and grabs the Stroke for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: D+. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Effy and I’m going to assume that a lot of it is due to his promos and character work, because he wasn’t doing much in the ring here. All he had was a bunch of punches and a missed Blockbuster, which isn’t exactly stealing the show. That being said, Jarrett winning is a good bit weird, as he is the second outsider in a row to beat a signature GCW name on their biggest night ever. Not a great match, but you can see how much bigger of a star Jarrett is than most of the roster. If nothing else, seeing someone who seems like he knows how to put a match together is almost a rarity around here.

GCW World Title: Homicide vs. Jon Moxley

Homicide is challenging after winning a Rumble last month. The fans chant F*** BULLY RAY to start, which has to make Moxley smile a bit. They forearm/slap it out to start before going face to face. Homicide sends him outside but the dive is cut off with a shot to the face. The fight heads outside with Homicide biting away, only to get sent shoulder first into the post.

Moxley cranks on the fingers and hits a piledriver for two For some reason Moxley goes up but it’s a super cutter to bring him back down. They trade clotheslines until Moxley grabs the Paradigm Shift for two. Moxley hammers away and Homicide seems to lose a tooth. A chair is wedged in the corner but Homicide cuts him off and strikes away. The chair is on the mat and it’s another Paradigm Shift onto said chair to give Moxley two more. Homicide flips him off and bites Moxley’s face, only to get blasted with a lariat. The lifting Paradigm Shift onto the open chair retains Moxley’s title at 11:32.

Rating: C. That’s it? This was so short that I thought I missed part of the match, as I would have bet on it going a good bit longer than Jarrett vs. Effy. Maybe that is the result of ring rust from Moxley, or just time constraints from the pay per view, but this wasn’t exactly great. It worked while it lasted, but it just didn’t last very long.

Video on the Briscoes, who are issuing an open challenge for the Tag Team Titles. Most signs would suggest that this is going to be FTR, but you never know around here.

Tag Team Titles: Briscoes vs. ???/???

The Briscoes are defending against….Nick Gage/Matt Tremont. Well you knew Gage would be on here somehow. Gage puts Nick through the door in the corner to start and it’s time for a duel of the chairs. Mark and Nick trade pieces of door shots to the head but Jay breaks up the pizza cutter. Tremont gets beaten down and the Froggy Bow onto a door gets two on Gage. Back up and Tremont hits a release Rock Bottom to plant Jay and Gage hits a middle rope piledriver on Mark. The chokebreaker gives Gage the pin and the titles at 5:35.

Rating: D. That was a Nick Gage match alright, but this time he had a huge partner to do some really basic stuff too. I know why Gage had to be on the show but it isn’t like his matches are much to see. It’s the feel good moment of the show, though having it come in a five minute match didn’t do the show many favors.

Post match Gage swears a lot and puts over his gang while bragging about how far GCW came. The locker room comes in to celebrate and we’re out.

Overall Rating: D+. One of the shows you are probably going to see this compared to is Barely Legal. While it is nowhere near that important (or good), there is one thing that does stand out. My biggest issue with Barely Legal was the lack of an explanation of why Sabu and Taz hated each other. It was the “Grudge Match of the Century” but we were never told why they were fighting. The ECW fans knew, but Barely Legal wasn’t just a show for the ECW fans.

Now do that for three hours and you have this show. There was barely anything explaining who these people were, what they were doing here, why they were fighting or ANYTHING about them. Cardona vs. Janela had a bit of backstory, but this felt like the game plan was “just keep doing what we’ve been doing (minus the deathmatch stuff, which isn’t their fault)”. It was a show that you either got or didn’t get, with GCW not offering much in the way of guidance.

On top of that, the wrestling was hit and miss at best. Everything felt rushed and very little really stood out. The lucha match was great, but you could get one of those a week on Ring of Honor. Cardona is excellent at riffing on independent wrestling, but then he won, just like Soho over what seems to be the big female star around here. This show didn’t do a thing to make me more interested in GCW and as the big debut on the national stage, it was a pretty hard miss.

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.

Hard To Kill 2022
Date: January 8, 2022
Location: The Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, D’Lo Brown

The company is back on pay per view for one of only four times this year. The show has some big matches set, including Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey challenging Moose for the World Title in a three way, plus Knockouts Champion Mickie James defending against Deonna Purrazzo in a Texas Deathmatch. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Madman Fulton vs. Jake Something

Fulton forearms him to the floor to start but can’t chokeslam him off the apron. Instead, he settles for knocking Jake into the ring and unloading in the corner. A neckbreaker gets two on Jake and a high crossbody gives Fulton two. Jake fights up in a hurry and clotheslines him outside though, setting up a big dive. Back in and a Batista Bomb gets two but Fulton grabs him by the throat and nips up from the mat (that was cool). The chokeslam gets two but Fulton tries it again, allowing Jake to slip out. Into the Void gives Jake the fast pin at 5:26.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine way to warm up the crowd as Fulton was getting to show off and Jake pulled off a come from behind win. That being said, Fulton was getting to showcase himself even more here and continues to look like a star. He’s fine as Ace Austin’s enforcer, but that ceiling could break rather soon.

Pre-Show: Mike Bailey vs. Ace Austin vs. Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid

One fall to a finish and this is Bailey’s debut. Bailey offers handshakes to start but only Kid accepts. Bey and Ace are kicked out to the floor, leaving Kid and Bailey to run the ropes. Kid clears the ring of Bailey and the returning Bey but Austin dropkicks Kid out of the air. Bey comes back in and kicks Kid’s leg out but Bailey dropkicks Bey and Austin down at the same time.

Bailey and Kid hit stereo dives to the floor but Bey, not to be outdone, flip dives onto all three. Austin Fosbury flops onto everyone too, only to have Kid catch Bailey on top with a springboard Spanish Fly onto Austin and Bey (because of course he can do that). Back in and Kid hits two moonsaults on Bailey but Austin breaks up the third. Bey cutters Austin down and Kid adds a springboard splash but Bailey is back in to kick Bey down. A running spinning kick catches Austin in the face and shooting star knees to a standing Austin’s back gives Bayley the pin at 8:10.

Rating: B-. This was your get to know Bailey match and he showcased himself rather well. Sometimes you need to let someone go out there and show what they can do, which is what you got here with Bailey. Pinning Austin is a big deal so Bailey should be fine going forward. Kid continues to look like a star while Bey is doing well too. The X-Division continues to look good, so get one of these guys after the title.

The opening video features a bunch of people (Eddie Edwards, Rosemary, Rich Swann etc.) talking about various horrible injuries they have suffered. All of them have come back though, because they will never forget and are hard to kill.

Chelsea Green vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Lady Frost vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Alisha vs. Rosemary

It’s the first ever women’s Ultimate X match and the winner gets a Knockouts Title shot. Alisha is a last minute addition, replacing Rachael Ellering for no given reason. Everyone stares at each other for a bit before Steelz and Grace go straight for the X. That’s broken up of course and it’s time for a bunch of quickly broken climbs. Grace and Rosemary are left alone in the ring as Savannah Evans (Steelz’s partner) comes to the ring.

That doesn’t matter as Havok gives Rosemary a boost towards the X, only to have Green break it up with a missile dropkick. Green and Alisha climbs the same structure but then dive down onto everyone else instead of going after the X. Frost hits a dive of her own but Grace is right there to cut off a climb. Grace goes for the X instead so Frost jumps on her…to no avail as Grace hangs on. Well of course she’s that strong.

Rosemary’s powerbomb to Frost is countered into a hurricanrana though, meaning Steelz has to pull Grace down instead. Green goes for the X this time but falls, landing on Steelz for a scary crash. Alisha whips out Kendra and beats up a variety of people before going up herself. Rosemary cuts that off with a spear, which winds up being a flapjack as Alisha lands face first.

Steelz goes up but Grace goes with the chase to pull both of them down at the same time. With everyone else down, Frost goes up and moonsaults off the structure onto a bunch of people (who can be seen checking on each other). Back up and Grace, Steelz and Green all go up, with Grace falling down in a crash. The X is pulled down but it’s Steelz crashing down with possession for the win at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This was about making history and having the women get the chance to do something like this for a change. The spots were big, but there are only so many things you can do in a match like this one. Steelz winning is a big of a surprise, but she could be fine as a one off challenger on a monthly special. They had a good first time here though and it’s cool to see the women getting a chance in a match like this.

Trailer for the movie Free Fall, the show’s sponsor.

We run down the rest of the card.

Mickie James is ready for the Royal Rumble (this continues to be weird) but tonight, she is ready to put Deonna Purrazzo down for ten.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to walk out as the Knockouts Champion because she has a plan B. Cue Gail Kim to say if Matthew Rehwoldt (presumably plan B) interferes, he’s fired and Purrazzo loses.

X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin is challenging in his final shot at the title and dives on Miguel in the aisle. Miguel manages a dropkick though and gets inside for a suicide dive DDT. They get inside for the opening bell, with Miguel getting tied in the Tree of Woe. That doesn’t really matter as he escapes in a hurry and hits a heck of a suicide dive to the floor, landing in the crowd on the crash.

Maclin isn’t having this and sends Miguel hard into the barricade. Back in and a Rock Bottom backbreaker has Miguel in more trouble, setting up a running clothesline to knock him silly. Another Rock Bottom out of the corner gets two and Maclin is getting confident. There’s a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two on Miguel, who rolls outside, allowing Maclin to hit an elbow off the apron.

Back in and Miguel manages a quick headscissors into a double stomp to the ribs to get a breather. A springboard Downward Spiral sends Maclin onto the apron but he ties Miguel in the ropes for a heck of a spear to the banged up ribs. Mayhem For All is loaded up but Miguel reverses into a headscissors driver. They slug it out on the apron with Miguel getting the better of things. That’s enough to let Miguel go up top for a crazy Meteora out to the floor in the huge crash. Back in and a brainbuster sets up the top rope Meteora to retain Miguel’s title at 12:55.

Rating: B-. This was a nicely played formula, as Miguel got beaten up but held on and fought back for the win. It’s a good way to wrap up Maclin’s time as the main challenger as there are probably half a dozen wrestlers ready to come after Miguel’s title. Maclin is someone I could go for more of, as he is a perfectly fine midcard hand, which can always be used in some way.

The Influence say the IInspiration not showing up for their Tag Team Title match isn’t very professional. The title match can happen, but it is only going to be on January 27 in the company’s debut in Fort Lauderdale.

Ian Riccaboni joins commentary for the next match.

Ring of Honor World Title: Chris Sabin vs. Jonathan Gresham

Gresham is defending and it is under Pure Rules, meaning each wrestler only gets three rope breaks, closed fist punches are not allowed (warning for the first, DQ for the second) and 20 counts on the floor. Gresham flips out of a wristlock to start as they’re going technical early. Sabin flips him over and that’s good enough for a handshake. A takedown lets Gresham work on the leg but Sabin pulls him into a cradle for two.

You don’t do that to Gresham, who ties up the arms and cranks on the leg at the same time. Back up and Sabin sends him outside, setting up a hard kick to the chest to drop Gresham hard. They get back inside and fight over a backslide until Sabin plants him with a DDT for two. A hanging swinging neckbreaker drops Gresham again so he uses his first rope break to escape.

Gresham is fine enough to moonsault Sabin down and stomp on the arm, setting up the armbar with elbows to the head. Sabin has to use his first rope break to escape an armbar so Gresham slaps on the Octopus. That’s broken up as well and Sabin hits the Cradle Shock for three….but Gresham’s foot is underneath the rope for the second break. After the premature celebration ends, they lock hands to trade a bunch of chops. Make that overhand chops to the chest before they exchange enziguris. Sabin tries another enziguri but Gresham pulls him down into something close to a European Clutch to retain the title at 12:40.

Rating: B. That’s the kind of match you can expect from Gresham and it was another good one. He can work with anyone and the fact that it was someone like Sabin, who can hang in there with that style very easily made it even better. It’s so nice to see the Ring of Honor World Title sticking around, though I’m still not sure what the future holds for the whole thing. This was quite good though and a nice bonus for the pay per view.

Respect is shown post match.

Tasha Steelz is proud of her win and is ready for either Deonna Purrazzo or Mickie James.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Jonah. Alexander won the World Title at Bound For Glory but lost it to Moose the same night. That sent Alexander into a rage but Jonah debuted and attacked him, leaving Alexander injured. Then Jonah did it again to leave Alexander laying again.

Josh Alexander vs. Jonah

They stare each other down until Alexander kicks him in the face to start. Alexander hammers away in the corner but gets knocked down for his efforts. Jonah’s backsplash misses so Alexander knocks him outside, where Jonah scores with some hard chops. Alexander ties the leg in the ropes and stomps down to take over, sending Jonah back outside. That goes badly for Alexander again, as Jonah drives him ribs first into the apron.

Back in and Jonah drops him ribs first onto the top turnbuckle before tossing Alexander around with ease. Neither of them can get a backslide so Jonah drops him ribs first across the top rope instead. The over the shoulder backbreaker stays on the ribs but Alexander slips out to chop away. Some slaps to the face earn Alexander a heck of a forearm, but he’s fine enough to start kicking at the leg.

Alexander dumps him over the top, with Jonah landing on his leg again. A hard right hand knocks Jonah into the front row and Alexander hits a huge dive to take him down again. That’s only good for a nine so Alexander goes right back to the knee. Alexander takes way too long going up so Jonah crotches him down.

One heck of a top rope superplex drops Alexander again before a powerbomb plants him hard. Jonah’s clothesline turns Alexander inside out and a brainbuster gets two more. Some headbutts have Alexander busted open but he’s able to avoid a moonsault. Alexander manages a powerbomb before stomping on the ankle. The ankle lock makes Jonah tap at 17:07.

Rating: B. This was the best way to have the match go, as Alexander fought through an injury to overcome the monster. Alexander needed this win after dropping the World Title in about five minutes, so while it’s annoying to see Jonah lose so soon, it is probably the best outcome. Alexander vs. Moose is going to happen at some point and this should clear the path for the April pay per view. Good match too, as Alexander can do no wrong at the moment.

Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Eddie Edwards, Rhino and Heath are ready for their Hardcore War against Violent By Design and the Good Brothers.

We recap the Hardcore War. Everyone is sick of Violent By Design but the Good Brothers see a chance to get rid of two tag teams. Eddie Edwards is here because he has nothing else to do.

Violent By Design/Good Brothers vs. Rhino/Heath/Eddie Edwards/Rich Swann/Willie Mack

This is basically WarGames with one ring and no cage. Two men start for three minutes and every ninety seconds, someone from the winning team (Violent By Design/Good Brothers) joins in for an advantage. Ninety seconds later, someone from Team Edwards ties it up, with the teams alternating until all ten men (or eight according to the graphic) are in. After that, first pin or submission wins.

Deaner and Rich Swann start things off with Swann missing an early chair shot. Instead Swann punches him down and hits his rolling splash. The chair is wedged in the corner but Deaner gets in a trashcan shot. Swann is sent face first into the chair in the corner and it’s a Russian legsweep with a flag pole to drop him again. Karl Anderson, with a golf club, gives the villains the advantage but Swann kicks him in the face. The golf club goes into Anderson’s ribs but Deaner is back up with a chair shot.

Willie Mack ties things up and it’s time to bridge a door between two open chairs. Something close to a 3D sends Deaner through the table but Doc Gallows gives the villains another advantage. Deaner is back up to pelt a piece of door at Swann’s head and they do it again for a bonus. Eddie Edwards ties it up again and it’s time for some rapid fire suicide dives to the villains. Everyone heads outside to pick up the brawling and a table is set up.

Cue Eric Young with trashcan lid shots to Eddie though as the advantage is back. Edwards gets group choked in the corner and a trashcan lid to the head makes it worse. Heath comes in to even it up again, complete with a pipe to take over. Mack’s moonsault with a trashcan only hits trashcan and here is Joe Doering to complete Violent By Design and company. Mack and Swann get powerbombed off the top at the same time and the bloody Eddie gets a chain raked across his face.

Rhino completes the field and cleans house with the chain on his hand. Everyone gets up for the big NXT WarGames style standoff as the last seventeen plus minutes are completely forgotten. Edwards is left alone in the ring with Young so he breaks Kenny the kendo stick over Young’s head. Young is sent to the apron, where he manages a piledriver to send Edwards through a table.

It’s time for the barbed wire board, because that’s always a good idea. That’s fine with Doering, who hits a running Death Valley Driver to send Swann through said board. Rhino is back up to clean house with his chain though and Heath adds a mini Dallas Cowboys helmet shot to Anderson. The Gore gives Heath the pin on Anderson at 23:27.

Rating: B-. Your mileage is going to vary on this as it was a wild brawl, as promised, but the short intervals and huge crowd hurt it a lot. This is a match that would have been much better off with eight, or even six people, but bigger means better is the motto of modern wrestling. There is a good chance that this is the beginning of the end of Violent By Design and that might be for the best, as they have kind of run their course. What we got was good, but this needed to be trimmed down a bit.

Post match the winners celebrate….but Mike Bennett and Matt Taven from Ring of Honor jump them from behind. Cue Ring of Honor’s Vincent and PCO to decimate the winning team. A spike piledriver plants Mack and PCO flip dives off the top to drive Swann into the apron. Maria Kanellis comes in to pose with the Ring of Honor guys as we have an invasion (and an interesting one at that).

Scott D’Amore didn’t know that was coming and is off to call Baltimore (Ring of Honor’s headquarters).

We recap Moose defending the World Title against Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey. Cardona earned the title shot by pinning Moose in a tag match while Morrissey attacked Moose to say he wanted in too. It’s about Cardona proving he belongs and Morrissey wanting the title.

Impact World Title: Moose vs. Matt Cardona vs. W. Morrissey

Moose is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Cardona gets sent outside to start and Morrissey boots Moose down for an early two. Everyone winds up outside, with Moose powerbombing Cardona onto the apron. Back in and Morrissey hits some running splashes in the corner until Moose crossbodies him down. The middle rope chokebomb gives Moose two, with Cardona making the save. A bunch of Reboots rock the giants so Cardona goes up, meaning it’s a Tower of Doom for the big crash.

Moose takes Cardona outside for a hard whip into the barricade but here is Chelsea Green to dive onto Moose for a save. They head back to ringside where Morrissey runs them over and sends Cardona back inside. Cardona manages a Codebreaker to send Morrissey outside so Moose takes his place. For some reason Moose goes up top but gets shoved down hard through a table at ringside.

Someone sends in a prosthetic leg and Morrissey beats on Cardona with it. A quick Radio Silence gives Cardona two but he walks into a chokeslam to give Morrissey two. Cardona is right back up and hits a quick middle rope Radio Silence for another near fall. Moose is back in and gets rolled up for two but the referee gets bumped. Back in and Morrissey hits a powerbomb on Moose for no count so let’s bring in some chairs.

Moose hits Morrissey low for a breather and chairs him down, but Cardona is back in with chair shots of his own. Cardona gets caught by a chair shot from Moose though, drawing Green in to protect him. That lets Cardona get up and nearly chair her down again, only to have the replacement referee get bumped as well. The spear cuts Cardona down and the original referee counts the pin to retain Moose’s title at 15:57.

Rating: B-. This was about as good as it could have been as it was kind of hard to imagine a title change. Cardona was trying and they were going for the Cinderella story, but that is only going to get you so far when you have a dominant champion. Morrissey was just kind of there and this would have been a little more interesting as a one on one match, but it was still fine for a co-main event.

Rebellion is April 23.

We recap Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mickie James for the Knockouts Title. James won the title in an upset at Bound For Glory and Purrazzo isn’t handling it well. It’s time for a rematch, but in a Texas Deathmatch.

Knockouts Title: Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Mickie is defending in a Texas Deathmatch, meaning Last Woman Standing, but a fall has to be scored to start the ten count. They lock up and go to the mat to start with James grabbing a very early rollup for two as the mind games are on. A hot shot cuts Mickie down and the Venus de Milo goes on, so Mickie taps out in a hurry to escape (that’s smart). It’s time to throw in some chairs (because doing that in the last two matches wasn’t enough) and Mickie manages to chair her across the back.

The golf club from earlier is brought out for a shot to Purrazzo’s ribs but she posts Mickie for a breather. They fight up the ramp with Purrazzo hitting a suplex on the stage, allowing her to roll an anvil case into Mickie’s face for the pin. Mickie is busted open but beats the count and they head back inside. A half crab sends Purrazzo to the ropes, which means nothing, but Mickie lets go and dropkicks her to the floor.

Mickie takes her chaps off so she can hit Purrazzo in the face with her braced knee. A table is brought in but Purrazzo sends her face first into it instead. It’s time for thumbtacks, because those are required these days. Mickie gets dropped onto the tacks for the loud screaming portion and some choking with the chaps are good for a submission. Purrazzo isn’t waiting on Mickie to get up and dives off the apron to take her down again.

Back in and Purrazzo gets smart by chairing Mickie in the legs over and over. For some reason Purrazzo goes up top, allowing Mickie to blast her in the head with a chair (though Mickie collapsing into the tacks takes away some of the positives). A Thesz press off the apron pins Purrazzo but here is Matthew Rehwoldt to help her up, which doesn’t count as cheating (I guess?).

Back in and Purrazzo hits the Queen’s Gambit through a table for the pin but Mickie is up at 8. Mickie is fine enough to grab a guitar….so Purrazzo hits her low, allowing Mickie to the Wrestlemania XXII finger lick. Ok then. The guitar hits Rehwoldt and the MickieDT plants Purrazzo for the pin. Just to be sure, Mickie covers her with a table and chair for the ten count to retain at 19:45.

Rating: B+. They got extra violent here and it played up their hatred, though the quick falls and submissions were a little strange (logical, but strange). Mickie retaining makes sense as you want your best going into the Royal Rumble, which really will be the best exposure the company has had in a long time. This was a heck of a fight and the right choice for the main event, though Last Woman Standing might have been a better call (as would dropping the finger lick thing, which was a weird callback).

Overall Rating: A-. I’m not sure if I should be surprised but Impact just put on one heck of a great show. There is nothing bad on the entire card with one very good to great match after another. Impact tends to be at its best when they cut out all of the nonsense and just go with the straight wrestling. The show isn’t perfect as it went a bit too hard with the violence during the last hour or so, but this is absolutely worth a look as they nailed this one on almost all counts. The Ring of Honor stuff has me intrigued too, which is more than I can say about almost anything Impact has done in a long time. Great job.

Results
Tasha Steelz won Ultimate X
Trey Miguel b. Steve Maclin – Top rope Meteora
Jonathan Gresham b. Chris Sabin – European Clutch
Josh Alexander b. Jonah – Ankle lock
Eddie Edwards/Heath/Rhino/Willie Mack/Rich Swann b. Violent By Design/Good Brothers – Gore to Deaner
Moose b. Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey – Lights Out to Cardona
Mickie James b. Deonna Purrazzo – MickieDT

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 6, 2022
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re back after two weeks off for the first show of the year but it is also the go home show for Hard To Kill. Last year ended with Matt Cardona accidentally hitting his fiance Chelsea Green in the head with a chair, thanks to Moose. That is not going to sit well and now it might be time for revenge. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at the contract signing when Matt Cardona accidentally chaired Chelsea Green down.

Opening sequence.

Tasha Steelz/Lady Frost/Chelsea Green vs. Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace/Rosemary

Well I guess Green is ok. Savannah Evans and Havok are the seconds here. Ellering headlocks Steelz to start before taking her down without much trouble. A gutwrench toss into the corner brings Frost in so Ellering shoulders her down in a hurry. It’s off to Rosemary vs. Steelz, with the latter being knocked into the corner in a hurry. A sliding clothesline gives Rosemary two and the Upside Down goes on.

The seconds get in a bit of a fight on the floor but it doesn’t seem to matter as Ellering beats up Steelz even more. It’s off to Frost, who gets beaten up again so Green comes in for a change. Green kicks Ellering to the floor and that means a big dive onto the pile. Frost dives onto all of them and it’s Ellering and Green going back inside. Ellering can’t get a fireman’s carry so Green hits the Unprettier for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: C. This was pretty much one sided until Green came in and more or less dominated. That made it a great showcase for her, but there is only so much you can do in a six woman tag without much time. Also, I’m assuming we are going to get something else about her chair shot, because that’s kind of a big thing to leave hanging.

Video on Moose and his path of destruction on the way to the World Title.

Moose is ready to hurt Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey to stay champion. He isn’t going to complain about the numbers game because he is too awesome to do that.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Trailer for The Free Fall, a movie sponsoring Hard To Kill.

Jonah vs. Jake Something

Jonah powers him into the corner to start before grinding away on a headlock. Jake is back with some shoulders, including a flying one to drop Jonah as we take a break. Back with Jonah working on a waistlock but Jake fights out and shoulders Jonah to the floor. The big dive takes Jonah down and they head back inside so Jake can hammer away. Jonah isn’t having that and blasts him with a hard clothesline. The top rope splash (Striker: “Like a Tsunami!”) finishes Jake at 6:37.

Rating: C+. There is something to be said about two strong wrestlers hitting each other really hard for a few minutes. Jonah could be a big deal around here, with that splash alone being worth a look. Other than that, you have Jake, who hasn’t been around long and could be something if he had a name that actually sounded good.

Post match here is Josh Alexander to go after Jonah but Jonah runs him over. Jonah grabs a table and drives it into Alexander’s already bad ribs, setting up the top rope splash to put Alexander through said table.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mickie James in a Texas Deathmatch at Hard To Kill.

Masha Slamovich vs. Sandra Moore

Slamovich strikes away and finishes with a scoop brainbuster at 43 seconds. Well that was an effective debut.

Steve Maclin is ready for his one on one X-Division Title match at Hard To Kill. Gail Kim comes in to say if Maclin loses, he never gets another shot.

We get a sitdown interview between Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona. Green says she is fine after the chair shot because she is a wrestler and has taken worse. She is worried about how it is going to impact Matt’s chances at winning the World Title. Green talks about how great Cardona is and knows she is looking at the next World Champion. Cardona seems happy.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Mickie James is on commentary and Matthew Rehwoldt is in Purrazzo’s corner. Purrazzo jumps Martinez during her entrance and we start in a hurry. The beating is on in the corner and Purrazzo stomps away while working on the arm. Martinez fights up but gets taken right back down without much effort.

Purrazzo stays on the arm before going off to a chinlock. That’s broken up and Martinez snaps off a spinebuster for two and they head to the apron. Something like a spear takes Purrazzo down and we go to a break. Back with Martinez forearming away and snapping off a half and half suplex. Some knees to the face give Martinez two more and the Air Raid Crash connects….only to have Purrazzo reverse into the Venus de Milo for the tap at 13:39.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going and Martinez only got to do a little bit near the end. That being said, Purrazzo needed to win here as she has the big title match coming up on Saturday. At the same time, Martinez has been signed to AEW and doesn’t need to win here, so this was about as logical of a path as they had.

Post match Purrazzo and James have the big staredown because they still can’t make contact.

The IInspiration are ready for their new talk show, All About II, with Jai with an I. They mock the Influence, who come in to accuse them of ripping off their talk show. Yelling and hair pulling ensues. The Influence goes after the belts but that’s too far and the IInspiration leave.

Josh Alexander is pretty banged up after Jonah attacked him earlier.

Madman Fulton/Ace Austin vs. Hernandez/Johnny Swinger

Austin and Fulton jump them from behind to start and the beating is on in a hurry. Hernandez takes Swinger into the corner and the villains start taking turns beating him up. Swinger finally crawls through Fulton’s legs and brings in Hernandez with the slingshot shoulder. That’s about it for the offense though as Fulton hits a swinging Downward Spiral, setting up an assisted splash to give Austin the pin at 3:26.

Rating: D+. This was short and to the point as it is easy to watch Swinger getting beaten up. Swinger is one of the best comedy goofs on the show and you can have him do this over and over. Austin and Fulton are a fine team, though it would be nice to see Austin winning something here or there.

Post match the beating stays on, with Swinger leaving as Hernandez’s arm is crushed with a chair.

W. Morrissey says he didn’t have anyone to help him get back from rock bottom. He doesn’t know why he wanted to be partners with Moose because he is better on his own. He doesn’t need fans or friends, because on Saturday, he will be winning the World Title alone. Just like he likes it.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Heath vs. Karl Anderson

The winner’s team gets the advantage in Saturday’s Hardcore War and the rest of the teams are all here too. The brawl on the floor is teased at the bell so the referee ejects everyone but the two inside as we take a break. Back with Anderson being sent into the corner and out to the floor, where Heath is sent into the steps.

They head back inside with Heath’s arm being sent into the buckle so Anderson can grab the armbar. That’s broken up and Heath slugs away, setting up an atomic drop for two. Anderson uses a referee distraction to take Heath down by the arm again. The Gun Stun finishes Heath at 10:42.

Rating: C-. Not much of a match here and the ending isn’t exactly the biggest surprise. That’s a fine way to go and the villain getting the win is the right way to go. At the same time though, you’re only going to be able to get so much out of Anderson vs. Heath in a ten minute match. It wasn’t terrible, but at least they did what they needed to do.

Post match everyone else comes in and the big brawl is on with all of the weapons coming in. Striker runs down the card again as the fight is still on to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. They got through their stuff here and it was an acceptable enough way to set up Hard To Kill. The show is going to be good enough and that’s what matters. It was weird to not get more of a build towards the main event, but that has been covered enough in recent weeks. Mostly skippable show, though I want to see Hard To Kill so they have done something right.

Results
Tasha Steelz/Lady Frost/Chelsea Green b. Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace/Rosemary – Unprettier to Ellering
Jonah b. Jake Something – Top rope splash
Masha Slamovich b. Sandra Moore – Scoop brainbuster
Deonna Purrazzo b. Mercedes Martinez – Venus de Milo
Ace Austin/Madman Fulton b. Hernandez/Johnny Swinger – Splash to Hernandez
Karl Anderson b. Heath – Gun Stun

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: December 23, 2021
Hosts: Josh Matthews, Scott D’Amore

We’ve reached a holiday weekend and that means it is time for a special show. In other words, Impact is putting the brakes on the build to Hard To Kill and showcasing the Best of 2021 instead, which should make for a good night. The company has been doing well this year and they have some solid stuff to pick from, so let’s get to it.

Of note: if a match is included, I’ll posting the full version rather than a clipped version.

Opening sequence.

From Hard To Kill.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Rich Swann/Moose/Chris Sabin

Don Callis is here too and handles Omega’s entrance (which Striker says is a moment fans will be telling their children about). Omega has a Bullet Club shirt (the Halloween edition for some reason) on, because we need to know New Japan history to understand the AEW World Champion’s reference in Impact Wrestling. Anderson drives Sabin into the corner to start and a shot to the face has Sabin in some trouble. An armdrag gets him right back out though and we have a standoff.

Moose and Gallows get in for the big man showdown with Moose knocking him around. Omega comes in, with Striker making both a hockey reference and saying that the Bullet Club reunion on Dynamite reminded us why we all love wrestling. It’s off to Anderson vs. Swann in a hurry with the latter snapping off a headscissors. Gallows and Omega are knocked to the floor and it’s a double dropkick to Anderson.

Moose adds a standing moonsault, with Striker saying that Moose now is the sport, a few seconds after talking about how amazing it was that the two World Champions are in a match together. Sabin gets taken into the corner so the villains can take over, including Omega hitting a backbreaker for two. Striker asks Brown if Omega is the best in the world and Brown seems to think so. There is NO MENTION AT ALL of the Impact Wrestling WORLD CHAMPION, who is in this same match, in case you needed an illustration of why Impact’s benefit from this Omega deal is rather limited.

Anderson grabs a chinlock on Sabin but the comeback sets up a double clothesline, allowing the tag to Omega and Swann (thankfully with Striker bringing Swann’s name in for the best wrestler in the world discussion). Everything breaks down and some assisted DDTs send the Brothers outside. Swann dives onto Omega but the frog splash is blocked back inside. Anderson adds a slam (with Sabin flipping him off), allowing Striker to talk about wrestling being a universal language.

The Kitaro Crusher gets two and a triple splash gets two on Swann. Back up and Swann manages a Pele to Omega and the hot tag brings in Moose. House is cleaned and the Omega BANG is mocked, setting up a triple boot to Omega in the corner. The discus lariat gets two on Omega (Striker: “HISTORY MADE TONIGHT!”) and now it’s Sabin in trouble in the corner for a change. Omega hits a Doctor Bomb for two on Sabin, who is right back up with a missile dropkick to Anderson.

Omega is up with the V Trigger to Swann but Moose catches him on top with a super Spanish Fly. Everyone is down again until Omega gets over for the hot tag to Gallows. The Boot of Doom gets two on Sabin with Swann making the save. Swann and Omega get the double tag for the big slugout with Omega getting the better of it. The other four fight outside until Moose pulls Omega off the top and into an electric chair.

Something close to a Doomsday Device gets two on Omega, with Callis teasing the save. Striker: “Some people think Callis has betrayed Impact Wrestling.” I actually had to sigh at how stupid that was so we’ll move on to Omega hitting the V Trigger on Swann. Some kicks put Omega down and the 450 gets two. The Magic Killer plants Swann and Moose has to make the save. Another V Trigger hits Moose and another V Trigger hits Swann, setting up the One Winged Angel for the pin at 20:26.

Rating: B. The wrestling itself was good, as expected, but it’s rather difficult to care about Impact when their World Champion is being presented as someone lucky enough to have Kenny Omega knee him in the face. Commentary here was a big love letter to AEW, which is being treated as the greatest thing ever as it reaches down to the unwashed masses of Impact. That may be true from a business standpoint, but why in the world is IMPACT acting like that is the case? It’s a good match and I think you know where this is heading, but could we act like Swann is close to Omega’s level? For five minutes maybe?

Chris Sabin gives Jordynne Grace advice on the Ultimate X match: develop upper body strength. This results in 30+ minutes of pullups with Sabin losing track of the count. Grace doesn’t mind.

We look at some debuts/returns over the course of the year.

From Rebellion.

Tag Team Titles: FinJuice vs. Good Brothers

The Brothers are challenging with Doc Gallows looking rather Jesse Venturaish during their entrances. Finlay takes Anderson down to start and Robinson gets dropped onto him for two as the champs take over early. Anderson shrugs off the arm cranking and it’s off to Gallows for the rights and lefts in the corner. A double bulldog gets two on Gallows but he’s back up to power Finlay into the corner.

Gallows hits a kick to the head for two and we hit the chinlock. Some hammer elbows keep Finlay down until Gallows puts him on the middle rope. That’s fine with Finlay, who scores with the middle elbow elbow to the jaw. The hot tag brings in Robinson to clean house, including a backsplash to Gallows. A dive to the floor takes Gallows down again and the jabs put Anderson down as well.

Everything breaks down, with Striker talking about FinJuice being influenced by the Hart Foundation, Demolition and….the Smoking Gunns? Gallows is knocked to the floor so FinJuice can load up a Doomsday Device, only to have Gallows break it up. The belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination gets two on Robinson but Finlay is back in to break up the Magic Killer. A small package Anderson to retain at 10:32.

Rating: C+. And with that, we have proof of which team is the most Japan of all time. I’m rather surprised at the lack of a title change but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Young Bucks being brought in to become the bestest tag team ever in the history of ever. Good enough match, but hearing all of the Japan references and having FinJuice leave for a month didn’t help my interest.

It’s time for our first award with Tag Team of the Year. The nominees are:

Good Brothers
FinJuice
Violent By Design
Bullet Club
Rich Swann/Willie Mack

The winners are….the Good Brothers, which they kind of hard to be given their dominance of the Tag Team Titles.

From Rebellion.

Impact Wrestling World Title/AEW World Title: Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega

Title for title, Eddie Edwards, Willie Mack and Tony Khan are here, Mauro Ranallo is on commentary, there is a referee from each company and Don Callis does an amazing over the top introduction for Omega, listing off every legend he can think of, all of whom are beneath Omega. Swann gets knocked down to the floor in a hurry but is right back with a dropkick to the floor. There’s the big flip dive to take Omega down again but he is right back with a belly to back suplex onto the apron.

They head back outside with Swann loading up the handspring cutter onto the apron but loses momentum and lance on his head instead. Back in and a buckle bomb rocks Swann again, meaning it’s time to work on Swann’s back injury. Various shots to the back, including some rather big knees, keep Swann in trouble. The Kitaro Crusher is avoided though and Swann kicks him in the head. Ax handles to the back are shrugged off and it’s a hurricanrana to drop Omega again.

A super hurricanrana gets one on Omega and he goes up again. This time Swann follows but has to backdrop his way out of a superbomb (with Omega almost landing on his head). The Phoenix splash gives Swann two but Omega is back with the Dr. Willy Bomb. The V Trigger looks to set up the One Winged Angel, with Swann escaping in a hurry. Another V Trigger connects in the corner, followed by another into the snapdragon. Another snapdragon connects but Swann is back up with the handspring cutter.

Swann tries it again but Omega pulls the Impact referee into it instead. Omega grabs a chair, which the AEW referee takes away. Swann hits the handspring cutter into la majistral for one, with Omega reversing into a cradle of his own for two. Another V Trigger misses and a spinning Michinoku Driver gets two on Omega. The Phoenix splash misses and it’s a V Trigger into an electric chair dropped into a German suplex for two more (ok that was cool).

Omega hits a Jay Driller for another near fall so, after some trash talk to Eddie Edwards, it’s another V Trigger. Swann gets fired up and manages a suplex for a breather but the Phoenix splash misses. Another V Trigger sets up the One Winged Angel to give Omega the pin and the title at 22:57.

Rating: B+. It’s a very good match, even with the ending that you knew was coming. Omega was always winning the title so he can do the belt collector deal, though I could have gone with at least trying for a little more drama. This match was built up as “Swann can’t beat Omega so watch Omega win the title” and that’s exactly what happened. They had some good action and tried, but this was all about getting to the ending that you knew was coming. That being said, points for not going too insane with everyone out there, even including the completely unnecessary ref bump.

We rapid fire the rest of the World Title history for the rest of the year.

Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt aren’t happy with the Texas Death Match against Mickie James at Hard To Kill. Purrazzo is ready anyway.

Time for another award with Knockouts Match of the Year:

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mickie James – Bound For Glory
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Thunder Rosa
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Masha Slamovich – Knockouts Knockdown
Mercedes Martinez vs. Tasha Steelz – Knockouts Knockdown
Tasha Steelz vs. Jordynne Grace – Before The Impact – May 13
Fire N Flava vs. Havok and Nevaeh – Hard To Kill

And here’s the winner, from Bound For Glory:

Knockouts Title: Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Mickie is challenging and is in full on cowgirl gear here, while Purrazzo appears to be some kind of royalty. Purrazzo gets knocked outside before the bell and Mickie hits the Thesz press off the apron to hammer away. They fight up the ramp as Striker lists off various legends in women’s wrestling history. Purrazzo takes it back to the floor and kicks Mickie in the face to put her down at ringside.

Back inside and we get the opening bell with Mickie getting stomped down in the corner to keep her in trouble. A lot of stomping puts Mickie on the floor but she scores with an elbow to the face back inside. Something like a powerbomb gets Purrazzo out of trouble though and Mickie is right back down. They trade crossbodies and it’s a double knockdown as a few fans think this is awesome.

Mickie gets the better of a slugout and hits something like a Regal Cutter. The top rope Thesz press gives Mickie two, followed by the MickieDT for the same, with Purrazzo getting in the ropes for the save. Purrazzo sends her into the corner and grabs the Fujiwara armbar, sending Mickie into the ropes this time.

The Queen’s Gambit gives Purrazzo two and she isn’t happy with the kickout. Purrazzo goes outside for a chair, allowing Mickie to go back up. The top rope Thesz press hits the referee by mistake, so Mickie gets in a chair shot of her own for two. Purrazzo catches Mickie on top with the Fujiwara armbar but Mickie slips out again. This time it’s the tornado DDT to plant Purrazzo for the pin and the title at 13:18.

Rating: B. This was about the big moment in the end but it helps that they also had a heck of a match. Mickie can still go in the ring and works well with anyone, which works even better if she is in the ring with someone as good as Purrazzo. I’m not sure how long James will hold the title, but it was cool to see her win here, as she certainly still has it.

Trey Miguel goes to find out what he is doing at Hard To Kill so Gail Kim gives him an X-Division Title defense against Steve Maclin. That’s just what he wanted.

A Russian woman is coming.

We go back to the end of last week’s Impact:

It’s time for a contract signing between W. Morrissey, Matt Cardona (with Chelsea Green) and Moose. Cardona is about to sign but Morrissey takes the contract away and says he’s ready for Hard To Kill right now. Morrissey signs and leaves so Cardona promises that he has never been more ready. Cardona signs as well, leaving Moose to ask if Cardona really wants to do this. That makes Cardona think Moose is scared but Moose asks again. Cardona says sign it, which Moose does, though he still can’t believe that Green stays with someone so average.

Moose asks if she’ll stay with Midcardona after he leaves, or if she leaves like the w**** that she is. That’s enough for Cardona to jump the table, which he is promptly put through. Moose goes to leave but comes back and shoves Green down to get to Cardona again. The chair is wrapped around Cardona’s head but Green grabs another chair away. That’s enough for Cardona to get up….and accidentally chair her straight in the head. Panic ensues to end the show. The angle was fine on paper, but there’s no need for a chair shot to the head like that. It didn’t feel like a big moment as much as “we’re really doing that?” and that’s not good.

Matt Cardona talks about everything being in his way and how this is his one chance after a long career. You’re not getting the Woo Woo Woo guy, but just him.

From Rebellion.

X-Division Title: TJP vs. Ace Austin vs. Josh Alexander

Austin, with Madman Fulton, is defending. Alexander and TJP go after the champ to start with Austin kicking Alexander in the head. TJP gets taken down so Alexander goes for the ankle lock on Austin. That’s broken up so Alexander gets caught in TJP’s Octopus hold. With that not lasting long either, TJP sends them both outside where Austin bails out of a Lionsault. Striker goes into a speech about how Ace Austin isn’t in the new Micro Brawler series while TJP is, which will have Austin wondering why a kid is playing with TJP and not him. Brown: “Actually Austin is in the series too.” And we move on.

With Alexander on the floor, Ace loads up the (special edition) playing card on TJP’s hand but the referee takes it away. Alexander comes back in and captures Austin’s arm for something close to a German suplex as Striker talks about how we don’t need two referees. Everyone is back in and Austin monkey flips TJP into Alexander’s powerbomb but kicks Alexander in the ribs, allowing TJP to snap off a hurricanrana instead.

TJP is back up with a running boot to Austin in the corner, setting up a superplex/Russian legsweep combination to put everyone down at the same time. Back up and Alexander goes for the ankle lock on Austin but gets pulled into TJP’s kneebar. That’s fine with Alexander, who grabs an ankle lock on Austin at the same time.

Everyone escapes as I try to get my head around the odds of holds like that only happening in TJP matches. With that broken up again, we get another triple submission with the same result. The Fold is broken up so Alexander hits Divine Intervention on TJP with Austin making the save. Alexander locks Austin’s ankle but TJP comes in with the Mamba splash. Fulton breaks up the cover, leaving Alexander to hit Divine Intervention to pin Austin at 11:11.

Rating: B. That’s all this should have been and it worked out well. Above all else, they didn’t stop with the action and that is how they set the match up over the last few weeks. I like Alexander winning the title as he has needed to show that he can do something without Ethan Page. Now he can go and have one good match after another with just about anyone so I’m certainly pleased with the result. Now hopefully they can come close to living up to this level.

The Good Brothers and Violent By Design are ready for their hardcore war at Hard To Kill.

From Countdown To Glory.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Madison Rayne vs. John Skyler vs. Chelsea Green vs. Crazzy Steve vs. Fallah Bahh

One fall to a finish for the inaugural title, which will be defended on online shows, kind of like a modern TV Title (that’s a good thing). Rayne is replacing Tenille Dashwood for reasons that are not clear. Before the bell, we get a countdown clock, showing about 7:40 to go before Bound For Glory, just in case you thought this match might get some substantial time.

Skyler poses in the middle of the ring to start and is promptly beaten down by everyone else. Bahh clears the ring save for Grace, who actually drops him with a running shoulder. A running Vader Bomb gives Grace two but Skyler runs her over. Green knocks Skyler off the top (to a strong reaction), followed by Rayne tornado DDTing Steve. A double stomp crushes Rayne to give Green two but Grace loads her up in a MuscleBuster.

While still holding Green on her shoulder, Grace clotheslines Rayne and then plants Green for two. Grace piles up a bunch of people in the corner, but Bahh throws her in as well for the big running splash. Skyler catches Steve with a super Regal Roll with Green making the save this time. That’s enough for Grace, who picks Skyler up for the Grace Driver for the pin and the title at 5:02.

Rating: D+. This was kind of a mess and they didn’t get much time, which is always a problem in a match like this one. You can only get so far with so many people in the match at the same time, but at least they went with an interesting winner. That being said, the whole point of this was to have people in the ring to warm up the crowd and that went well enough, though it wasn’t exactly quality.

The final award of the week is Knockout of the year, with the nominees being:

Deonna Purrazzo
Mickie James
Mercedes Martinez
Jordynne Grace
Tasha Steelz

The winner is Purrazzo, who isn’t surprised, as she shouldn’t be since she ran circles around everyone else.

From Bound For Glory to wrap it up.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Christian Cage vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is challenging. Feeling out process to start and they lock up to shove each other around. Christian takes him to the mat and grabs a headlock as Striker talks about drums. Alexander catches him up top and gets in a big shove to the floor as things get a bit more physical. Back in and Christian has to backdrop his way out of a double underhook and they’re right back on the floor.

Alexander gets sent into the barricade and it’s right back inside where Christian grinds him down again. This time Alexander comes up with a wristlock, only to get sent into the corner for two. Christian strikes away in the corner but Alexander flips it around and hits him in the face. A release German suplex into the corner rocks Christian hard (that looked painful) and a running big boot puts him down again.

Christian punches his way out of a powerbomb attempt but Alexander drops him down for two more. It’s too early for the ankle lock though as Christian kicks the leg out and puts on a choke. Alexander backflips his way to freedom and the middle rope knee to the back of the head gets two. Christian is back up with a tornado DDT (Striker: “Geez.”) but Alexander pulls him down into a Crossface.

We keep up the Canadian violence with a Sharpshooter but Christian makes the rope in a hurry. Alexander misses a moonsault and gets speared down for two, meaning it’s a double breather. The Killswitch is broken up so Christian snaps the back of Alexander’s neck over the top rope. The frog splash gives Christian two but he misses a charge into the post and gets caught in the ankle lock. Alexander cranks away to keep Christian in the middle and the gets really clever by stepping onto Christian’s hand to hold him in place. That’s too much for Christian, who taps out to make Alexander champion at 18:57.

Rating: B+. They had an awesome match here with a great story throughout, as Christian was doing his best but got reeled in by Alexander. The ending was about Christian getting trapped by a submission machine as Alexander was just the better man. Alexander also knew what Christian would be trying because he has watched Christian for so many years. This was a heck of a main event and felt like a true passing of the torch, which is exactly what it should have been.

Alexander’s family gets in the ring to celebrate with him…and here’s Moose to cash in.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Josh Alexander

Moose is challenging and hits the spear for the pin and the title at 7 seconds, because Money in the Bank is the greatest idea in the world and must be copied as often as possible.

Overall Rating: A-. This was a good example of what a “Best Of” show should have been. They went though their options for the year and picked out some rather awesome stuff for two hours. Impact had a pretty awesome selection at times and it’s nice to see them celebrate it. They have come such a long way and now it seems they might be able to go a little further next year. Keep that stuff up and improve the other stuff that might not be so strong. Very good show here, though it helps when you can pick the gems.

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