Impact Wrestling
Date: August 29, 2024
Location: Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the show before Emergence and the pay per view card is looking rather good. Since the show is mostly set, this week could be in a weird place as I’m not sure what more they need to do for tomorrow’s card. Odds are we get the final push in a lot of ways this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

X-Division Title: Rich Swann vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey is defending and AJ Francis is on commentary. They fight over wrist control to start as we look at the Rascalz watching, which gives us an NXT No Mercy plug, which is still so strange to see. Swann gets sent to the floor for a running hurricanrana through the ropes but a Francis distraction lets Swann take him down. Back in and Swann takes the leg down with the dragon screw legwhip before grabbing a spinning toehold. That sounds like working on the leg, which is the call for Bailey to fight up with his series of kicks.

Bailey misses a standing moonsault and they both block kicks to the head before kicking each other down for a double breather. Swann sends him outside for a cutter on the floor, setting up a frog splash for two. Bailey kicks him down and hits the moonsault knees for two of his own, only for Trent Seven and Francis to get into it on the floor. The distraction lets Swann avoid the Ultimate Weapon, meaning a Lethal Injection gives Swann two. Bailey is right back up with a running Spanish Fly to retain at 9:30.

Rating: C+. Bailey continues to be one of the most frustrating wrestlers around. He obviously has natural talent and can do some impressive things, but again, what in the world is the point of a wrestler working on his leg if it just makes Bailey do more flips and kicks? It’s incredibly annoying and takes me out of his matches every single time.

Jordynne Grace doesn’t care what a Match By Elegance is because she’s going to win anyway.

Brian Myers vs. Joe Hendry

Eddie and Alisha Edwards are here with Myers. Before the match, Hendry references his “Edge’s B****” song about Myers, who the fans don’t believe in anyway. Myers jumps him to start but gets caught with a jumping knee, setting up a delayed suplex to give Hendry two. They go outside where Alisha’s interference is cut off, meaning both she and Eddie are tossed.

The distraction lets Myers ram Hendry into a few things though and we take a break. Back with Myers dropping and elbow and grabbing a chinlock. A kick to the face gives Myers two and we hit the double arm crank. That’s broken up and Hendry hits the fall away slam and the Standing Ovation finishes Myers off at 6:37.

Rating: C. This was the next step in Hendry working his way up through the System, likely to an eventual match with Moose. That being said, it wouldn’t shock me to see the team cost Hendry the NXT Title on Sunday at No Mercy. It would give him a more personal feud around here, though I’m not sure how much longer Hendry can be kept out of the World Title picture.

Post match Eddie runs back in for the beatdown but Mike Santana makes the save. And now let’s do this (as scheduled).

Mike Santana vs. Eddie Edwards

Santana starts fast and elbows him in the face before firing off right hands in the corner. A backdrop puts Eddie on the floor but cue Alisha Edwards for a distraction, allowing Eddie to send Santana into the apron. We take a break and come back with Santana hitting a flapjack for a needed breather. Santana’s frog splash gets two but Eddie’s tiger bomb gets the same. Back up and Santana spits at him but avoids the Boston Knee Party. Instead Santana is back up with a quick Spin The Block for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: B-. Santana continues his rise up throughout the System, though he seems most likely to have the big match with Moose, likely at Bound For Glory. That should make for a good showdown when we get there, though there are still some names for Santana to get through first. What matters is that the road has started, with Santana getting a lot out of it so far.

Matt Cardona says he isn’t cleared to face PCO at Emergence but he’ll have a mystery monster in his place. Santino Marella is not pleased.

Hammerstone vs. Eric Young

Steve Maclin is on commentary. Hammerstone wins an exchange of shoulders to start and fires off some shoulders to the ribs in the corner. Young is back up with a spinning middle rope crossbody but Hammerstone takes him to the floor for a whip into Maclin. Back in and Young scores with some right hands into the Death Valley Driver for two but Hammerstone’s powerslam gets the same.

A sitout powerbomb gives Hammerstone two more, only for Young to avoid a big boot and punch Hammerstone down. Young makes the mistake of going after Maclin though and gets kicked in the face, setting up the Nightmare Pendulum to give Hammerstone the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C. These two just aren’t that interesting together, though at least Hammerstone won here. Hammerstone continues to feel like an absolute beast who could be a big deal if he is given the chance, which isn’t what I would call feuding with Eric Young for so long. Young vs. Maclin is just kind of there as well, though this didn’t make me want to see them fight.

ABC vs. Cody Deaner/Jake Something

Non-title. Before the match Deaner does his usual talking to the people, but Something says this is about getting a place in the tag division. Something shoulders Austin into the corner to start and then powerbombs him into another corner for the tag off to Deaner. The armbar goes on to put Austin in early trouble but he’s easily off to Bey for the tag. House is quickly cleaned but Something knocks the heck out of Bey. A double clothesline puts ABC down until Something and Austin go to the apron. With Something being sent into the apron, the 1-2-Sweet can finish Deaner at 4:45.

Rating: C+. Sometimes you need to just give the champs a quick win over a middle of the road team to remind you that they can still beat just about anyone. Deaner and Something aren’t much of a team but at least they looked good in defeat here. ABC need a fresh team to challenge them so this was more about keeping them warm on the way there.

Post match First Class runs in to take out the ABC.

Ash By Elegance’s personal concierge is talking to Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich but we can’t hear what is being said.

We look at Rosemary going to NXT earlier this week.

Emergence rundown.

Knockouts Title: Ash By Elegance vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace is defending in a By Elegance match, meaning hardcore with themed (meaning pink) weapons. Elegance jumps her from behind to start and hits a bulldog onto a chair for an early two. Grace gets in a shot on top though and hits her with a trashcan, setting up a slam for two of her own. They head outside where Elegance gets in a pink trashcan lid shot before putting Grace in a chair for some shots to the face.

We take a break and come back with Grace pulling a high crossbody out of the air and planting Ash for two. Grace pours out a bag of diamonds but gets hit in the head with a champagne bottle for two more. The personal concierge loads up some shoes but cue Rosemary to chase him off. A package piledriver gives Ash two but here are Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich to go after Grace. Spitfire cuts them off though and it’s a MuscleBuster from the apron through a table to retain at 11:39.

Rating: C+. So that’s it for these two right? While it felt like Ash was ready to move up to the next level and possibly even win the title, there is only so much more she can do when she has lost both a regular match and her “signature” match to Grace. We’re going to need a new challenger for Grace and while there are a few options, including Gisele Shaw, no one is really standing out with about two months to go before Bound For Glory.

We get a sitdown interview between Nic Nemeth and Josh Alexander with Matthew Rehwoldt moderating. Alexander says everything is on his time now but Nemeth says he thrives on this kind of pressure. Sure Alexander is a great wrestler but Nemeth isn’t going to lose the title. Why is Alexander so great yet not so well known? Alexander wanted a shot and all he had to do was ask. Alexander insists he’s still the best and points out the records he has as champion.

Nemeth stands up and talks about how Alexander never changes but being champion is about what you have done lately. Nemeth says this is his match but Alexander says the next “lately” thing he’ll do is take the title That has them going face to face, with Nemeth saying Alexander used to be the best, which is why Nemeth is the champion. This got intense near the end, but going from a thirty minute draw to an Iron Man match feels like something of a leap.

Overall Rating: C+. The ending segment was the best thing on the show, but this only did so much to make me more interested in Emergence. That is always going to be a tricky thing to pull off when the show is already set, so this could have been worse, but it didn’t really change much. Emergence still has a lot of potential though and I was jazzed for the show coming in, meaning this was pretty much playing with the house’s money in the first place.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Rich Swann – Spanish Fly
Joe Hendry b. Brian Myers – Standing Ovation
Mike Santana b. Eddie Edwards – Spin The Block
Hammerstone b. Eric Young – Nightmare Pendulum
ABC b. Cody Deaner/Jake Something – 1-2-Sweet 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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Emergence 2024
Date: August 30, 2024
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re back on TNA+ with another special and in this case we have a stacked card. Granted it’s not stacked that high as there are only about five matches on the main show, mainly due to the main event being a sixty minute Iron Man match as Nic Nemeth defends the World Title against Josh Alexander. Other than that, Ultimate X is back for the X-Division Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Frankie Kazarian vs. Kushida

Kazarian begs off to start and yes we have to pause for his official introduction as the King Of TNA. Kushida doesn’t care for that and sends him outside, setting up the knee off the apron. A Shotei palm strike gets two on Kazarian and Kushida starts in on his arm. Back up and Kazarian elbows him in the face, allowing him to do his own Time Splitters post. A powerslam into the springboard spinning legdrop gives Kazarian two more and he sends Kushida into the buckle to cut off the comeback attempt.

The chinlock goes on but Kushida fights up and sends him into the buckle buckle to even things up. The basement dropkick staggers Kazarian again but Kushida has to slip out of a chickenwing attempt. Back up and the handspring elbow is pulled into the chickenwing, which is broken up again. Kushida hits him in the face and a flipping kick to the head connects on top. A dive to the floor sets up a cross armbreaker on Kazarian but the referee breaks it up because of the whole outside deal. That lets Kazarian kick the rope for a low blow on the way back in though and Fade To Black finishes Kushida off at 9:56.

Rating: B-. There is a very simple concept of “let talented wrestlers have a match” and that’s what they did here. Neither of these two feel like they are going to be in the World Title picture anytime soon, but they are both more than capable of doing something like this. Good stuff here and a fine choice to warm the crowd up.

Kickoff Show: Digital Media Title/International Heavyweight Wrestling Title: Shera vs. PCO

PCO, with Steph de Lander, is defending and Shera is replacing an injured Matt Cardona. They start fast with PCO beating him up around ringside but Shera gets in a shot of his own. Shera yells at de Lander and they go inside where Shera hits a spinning spinebuster for two. More yelling at de Lander just fires PCO up though and he hits a DDT out of the corner. Shera rolls outside so there’s the big dive to take him down again. The DeAnimator connects as commentary tries to figure out what kind of strange things PCO and de Lander do together. The PCOsault retains the titles at 6:02.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but this wasn’t the match advertised anyway. Cardona not being here took away any heat that it might have had and thankfully they didn’t treat Shera as anything more than a glorified workout for PCO. The big story will be the Cardona vs. PCO match, likely at Bound For Glory, so this was just a quick stop on the way there.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the major matches and talks about how it isn’t about where you start, but where you emerge, while looking at the show’s major matches.

X-Division Title: Riley Osborne vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Laredo Kid vs. Jason Hotch vs. Hammerstone vs. Mike Bailey

Ultimate X, meaning you win by pulling down the title and with your feet hitting the mat while holding the belt (meaning shenanigans can ensue after the title comes down) and Bailey is defending. For those unfamiliar, Osborne is from NXT. Hotch makes an early climb attempt and gets nowhere, leaving Hammerstone to wreck some people. Kid is tossed at Hammerstone for a hurricanrana to the floor as commentary points out how hard it is to get the title. Hotch hits a big dive to the floor and the fans are impressed to start.

Back in and Bailey kicks away at Hammerstone, who runs him over without much effort. Hammerstone cuts off a dive to the floor, leaving Kid and Hotch to slug it out on the apron. Something like a Tower Of Doom onto Hammerstone leaves just about everyone down. Back in and Wentz hits a super cutter on Osborn and everyone is down again. A bunch of people go up the structure but Bailey moonsaults off onto a bunch of people. Wentz makes the first serious attempt at the belt but is joined by everyone but Bailey.

Hammerstone kicks the rest of them down, only to be pulled off the cables just in time. We hit the parade of strikes to the face until Kid goes up, with Hammerstone gorilla pressing him down onto the pile at ringside. Hotch cuts Hammerstone off with a torture rack bomb but gets taken down by Kid. Osborne goes up and shooting stars down onto a bunch of people before they can pull him down. Bailey hits the Ultimate Weapon to Osborne before going up on the cables with Wentz. They kick it out and Wentz actually kicks him down to win the title at 10:25.

Rating: B. Points for a surprise finish there as I would not have bet on a title change here. There is a good chance that this sets up Wentz’s match with Wes Lee at No Mercy as a title match and that could go in a variety of directions. For now though, heck of a match here with some big time spots and Hammerstone looking like a monster despite not winning. You kind of know what you’re getting with this match and that’s ok, as it wound up being a pretty cool spectacle, as usual.

Josh Alexander says he is the standard of the main event and the Iron Man match is his thing. He’s going to show Nic Nemeth that he doesn’t belong here because the title is all he needs. Tonight, he has Nemeth for sixty minutes and after this, Nemeth will be lucky to be alive. Rather fired up promo here.

Eric Young vs. Steve Maclin

They stare at each other to start and fight over a lockup, which goes nowhere. After some more staring, Young starts slugging away in the corner until Maclin reverses into an Angle Slam. Young does his slide between the legs into a sunset flip for two though before knocking Maclin down. The moonsault is broken up and Young winds up in the Tree of Woe, meaning the running shoulder to the ribs can connect for two. It works so well that Maclin does it again for two before hammering away.

Back up and they hit stereo crossbodies for the double knockdown. Young sticks out his chin so Maclin can hit him…which is exactly what Maclin does. That just makes Young happy and he punches the chin that Maclin sticks out at him. Maclin knees him outside but the Scud only hits floor. Back in and Young’s top rope elbow gets two, followed by a piledriver (after a struggle) for the same. Another piledriver is loaded up but Maclin reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:54. Even commentary points out how sudden it was.

Rating: B-. Neither of these two have much going on but Maclin has more of an upside out of the two. Maclin needed a nice win to boost himself up a bit and beating a former multiple time World Champion is a good way to go. Much like the opener, this wasn’t going to steal the show but there are far worse things that could be added to a card.

Post match Young offers and receives a handshake.

Nic Nemeth knows what Josh Alexander can do and Alexander has had the only sixty minute Iron Man match in TNA. He knows what Alexander can do but Nemeth can get up and kick him in the mouth to come out on top, like he always does.

Jordynne Grace/Spitfire vs. Alisha Edwards/Masha Slamovich/Ash By Elegance

It’s a brawl to start and Threat hits a big flip dive to the floor to take out the villains. Luna hits a dive of her own and Grace teases one…but we pause because Alisha is apparently banged up. Grace takes Ash inside for a cover but the referee is with Alisha. Tommy Dreamer and medics check on Alisha who is still down as Threat clotheslines Ash in the corner and hits an exploder suplex for two. Dreamer carries Alisha to the back (for some nice applause) and an assisted powerbomb gets two on Ash.

Luna gets caught in the wrong corner but suplexes her way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Grace to clean house. Threat hits a running crotch attack to the back of Slamovich in the ropes but Ash cuts her off again. Rarefied Air misses though and Pop Shove It gives Threat the pin on Ash at 7:54. Alisha did not appear again after being taken out.

Rating: C+. This is on a completely sliding scale as they were likely having to make a lot of that up on the fly. There was only so much that could be done if that was a legitimate injury and doing a match 3-2 in favor of the heroes is only going to get so far in the first place. They did what they could here and hopefully Alisha is ok.

Tag Team Titles: ABC vs. First Class

First Class (AJ Francis and KC Navarro, the latter of whom is replacing a suspended Rich Swann) is challenging. The much taller Francis offers Austin a test of strength to start, earning himself a slap to the face. Bey comes in and kicks Francis in the head but has to escape the Down Payment. Navarro gets in a cheap shot from behind though and Francis scores with a big boot to take over. A trip sends Bey throat first into the ropes but he grabs a heck of a back breaker and a hecker of a clothesline for two.

Austin comes in for a chop in the corner as Rehwoldt gets on the fans for only knowing ABC instead of the rest of the alphabet. A quick distraction lets Navarro take Austin down though and another kick puts Bey down so the villains can take over. Francis comes in for a YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chant, which has Rehwoldt going on about the Kentucky public education system (as a product of that system, I would say Rehwoldt can keep talking). Bey kicks his way to freedom and it’s off to Austin to pick up the pace on Navarro.

A brainbuster drops Navarro but a fireman’s carry to Francis is just a bad idea. The second attempt works a bit better as Francis is planted with an AA, leaving Austin to drop Navarro for two of his own. A belly to back suplex/top rope clothesline combination connects on Navarro but Francis is back in with a double suplex. The Down Payment connects on Bey but Francis isn’t legal so there is no count. Austin grabs the Fold and a small package to Navarro gives Bey the pin at 11:41.

Rating: B-. For a match that was thrown together on the show earlier in the night, this could have been a lot worse and I had a good time with what we got. ABC doesn’t really have a top team coming for the titles right now and since the regular First Class was unavailable, this was about as good as it could have gone. Nice match here and another good addition to the card.

We recap the System vs. the Hardys/Mike Santana/Joe Hendry, which is the top heel stable vs. the plucky team of opponents, all of whom are sick of the villains.

The System/JDC vs. Joe Hendry/Mike Santana/Hardys

Hendry’s special entrance talks about how he believes in the Hardys, which leads to Hendry doing the DELETE pose. Santana and Moose start things off but Moose hands it off to JDC instead. That’s fine with Santana, who knocks JDC into the corner and then into the buckle. Santana drops him again and asks who wants the Hardys. Matt comes in for a running corner clothesline and lets Santana play Jeff for Poetry In Motion.

The real Jeff gets to play Jeff as well but JDC gets in a shot to Matt and Eddie comes in to hammer away in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Jeff as everything breaks down, meaning it’s a big group suplex to take the System down. The Hardys and Hendry all do Hendry’s pose and the fans start to sing. We settle down to Santana in the wrong corner but avoiding Moose’s charge, allowing Santana to hit a middle rope double dropkick.

JDC gets tossed over the top and onto the pile, setting up Santana’s big dive. All eight get inside to brawl at once but Matt’s Twist of Fate is broken up. Not that it matters as it’s already back to Jeff as everything breaks down again. Jeff hits the Twist of Fate on Myers but JDC breaks up the Swanton. That lets Eddie come in and hammer away before Moose grabs a chinlock. JDC’s hard whip into the corner gets two on Jeff, with the fans singing about how THEY BELIEVE IN JEFF HARDY.

Moose gets caught in the Twisting Stunner though and that’s enough for the tag off to Hendry. Eddie’s middle rope crossbody misses (almost Samoa Joe style) and Myers spears JDC by mistake. Moose tries a top rope cutter but Hendry walks away instead, setting off more singing. A pop up powerbomb gets two on Myers but Eddie and Hendry clothesline each other. Santana hits Spin The Block on Moose, setting off the parade of finishers. Moose pulls Matt off the cover from the Twist of Fate, earning himself one on the floor. Eddie kicks Matt low back inside and the Boston Knee Party finishes at 19:17.

Rating: B-. This was one of the bigger matches of the night and it wound up going well enough. That matters here is the System gets a little momentum back and now it’s time to get them into their big matches at Bound For Glory. Odds are you’ll be seeing Santana vs. Moose and Eddie/Myers vs. the Hardys, but I have no idea how you could put Hendry in anything but a main event spot. There is still time for that though, and this match helped set up a few things for the future.

Impact preview.

We recap Nic Nemeth defending the World Title against Josh Alexander in a sixty minute Iron Man match. They went to a time limit draw in a thirty minute match so let’s do it again here, with sudden death an option if necessary.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Josh Alexander

Nemeth is defending in a sixty minute Iron Man match. They go with the grappling to start with Nemeth grabbing something like an abdominal stretch. That’s reversed into a front facelock, with Nemeth going straight to the ropes. They go to the mat for more grappling with Alexander having to bail into the corner.

Alexander throws him down so Nemeth reverses into a cradle for two before Alexander grabs a headlock. With that going nowhere, they get up again and the grappling continues with Alexander getting a standing armbar. Alexander takes him to the mat in a hammerlock, with Nemeth reversing into a cradle for two.

With that broken up, Alexander grabs a headlock as the fans are split here. Back up and Nemeth tries a dropkick, which is countered into the ankle lock to send Nemeth straight to the ropes. The headlock goes on again so the fans entertain themselves with an I BELIEVE IN NIC NEMETH chant. Back up and Alexander tries the ankle lock but Nemeth reverses into a cradle for the pin at 12:21.

Nemeth – 1
Alexander – 0

Alexander knocks him down again as they’re certainly not in a hurry here. A whip into the buckle makes it even worse for Nemeth and there’s a German suplex to send him flying, with a turnbuckle pad coming off at the same time. The chinlock with a knee in the back keeps Nemeth down before Alexander sends him chest first into the corner. A rather delayed vertical suplex drops Nemeth again but he grabs a rollup for two and a breather.

They go outside with Alexander slowly slugging away, though being smart enough to break the count at the same time. Nemeth sends him shoulder first into the steps, followed by the right hands in the corner. A top rope elbow connects but Alexander rolls him up for two. The C4 Spike is blocked and they trade rollups for two each until Nemeth hits a Fameasser for two more. The Danger Zone is loaded up but Alexander slips out, only to get Danger Zoned for the pin at 24:30.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 0

Nemeth sends him into the corner and slowly stomps away, setting up the jumping elbow for two. The armbar is countered into Alexander’s ankle lock but Nemeth breaks out rather quickly. Nemeth knocks him to the apron as they finally put the clock back up, because a countdown clock is too much to ask for in a match based on time. The clock goes away again with about 30:00 to go and Alexander cranks on the leg.

Alexander rolls some German suplexes, getting all the way into double digits, before slowing down to mock the fans. Nemeth uses the breather and rolls some German suplexes of his own before letting go, allowing Alexander to grab his own German suplex. A double knockdown leaves them both laying and some more time gets burned off. They get up at nine and Nemeth headbutts him so hard the headgear comes off. Alexander gets the ankle lock for a good while and adds the grapevine but Nemeth crawls over to the rope.

Alexander slowly kicks at the ankle and cranks on it some more as this is dragging horribly. Back up and Nemeth tries the running DDT but gets shoved into the referee with 20:00 to go. Alexander drops the referee and it’s time to load up a table. The C4 Spike onto the apron is countered with a scary looking backdrop to the floor but Alexander is back with a spinning Tombstone for two. Alexander grabs a chair but the referee takes it away, allowing Alexander to break off a piece of his knee brace to knock Nemeth cold. The C4 Spike finishes Nemeth at 43:52.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 1

Another C4 Spike ties it at 44:35.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 2

Alexander covers what’s left of Nemeth for two as we have less than 15:00 to go. Nemeth is back up with a sleeper and jumps on Alexander’s back, with the two of them falling out to the floor for a crash. They both get back in and then fall outside again, with Alexander hitting a toss powerbomb to knock Nemeth silly again. Nemeth beats the count back in and counters a C4 Spike with a backdrop over the top and through the table (which Nemeth didn’t know was there).

Alexander is down on the floor as we have 10:00 left. He count is beaten and Alexander hits a quick C4 Spike for….two, as Nemeth gets his foot on the rope. They strike it out on the floor until Nemeth grabs the running DDT back inside for two. They go up top with Alexander knocking him back down as we have 6:00 left. Nemeth’s top rope superplex sends both of them crashing down and a very delayed cover gets two on Alexander as we have five minutes left. Fans: “FIVE MORE MINUTES!”

Nemeth hits a superkick for two more and Alexander’s straps are down. A release German suplex sends Nemeth flying as we have 3:00 left. Alexander lawn darts him into the exposed buckle and grabs what is supposed to be Danger Zone for two, because Nemeth is freaking Superman in this thing. Another C4 Spike is escaped with 1:00 left and Nemeth hits the Danger Zone. Nemeth is back up with his own C4 Spike for the lead at 59:39.

Nemeth – 3
Alexander – 2

And time expires as Nemeth retains at 60:00.

Rating: C-. Oh sweet goodness what was that? This wasn’t a bad match but rather all kinds of boring save for a few nice spots here and there. I never once felt like Nemeth was in any danger of losing the title (he never even trailed) and some of the kickouts and near falls were just ridiculous.

It’s ok to give up a fall to a multiple time World Champion in an Iron Man match, as Nemeth was only really giving anything up for about five minutes out of the hour. I was losing interest about twenty minutes in and it just kept going. This absolutely should have been thirty minutes max, but instead we got this mess. Really dull stuff and a big disappointment.

And then John Bradshaw Layfield shows up. He whispers something to Nemeth, who nods, as JBL leaves. Nemeth celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Shows with a huge main event like this are always going to be weird because one match takes up so much of the match time. Unfortunately in this case that one match was not exactly great, but the rest of the show was more than good enough to balance a lot of it out. It’s not a show that lived up to its hype, but as a show included with TNA+, it could have been worse. Just fix the main event and the show leaps up in quality, but that was a really lame way to spend a third of the show.

Results
Frankie Kazarian b. Kushida – Fade To Black
PCO b. Shera – PCOsault
Zachary Wentz won Ultimate X
Steve Maclin b. Eric Young – Piledriver
Jordynne Grace/Spitfire b. Alisha Edwards/Masha Slamovich/Ash By Elegance – Pop Shove It to Ash
ABC b. First Class – Small package to Navarro
The System/JDC b. Hardys/Joe Henry/Mike Santana – Boston Knee Party to Matt
Nic Nemeth b. Josh Alexander 3-2

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

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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 22, 2024
Location: Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matt Rehwoldt

We’re a little over a week away from Emergence and with most of the card set, there is only so much more that needs to be one. One of the biggest parts would be the final members of the Ultimate X match, meaning we have more qualifying matches. Other than that, we’re likely to be in for more of a build towards the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Hammerstone vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Kushida

Ultimate X Qualifying Match. Hammerstone powers Kushida into the corner for the shoulders to start but gets sent outside, leaving the other two to trade rollups for two each. They trade standing switches until Hammerstone dropkicks them both down. A suplex sends Kushida flying and Kazarian makes the mistake of jumping Hammerstone.

Kushida gets in a double knockdown but gets dropped by Kazarian for two. Hammerstone is back in but Kushida catches him in a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up by Kazarian, who can’t quite hit Fade To Black on Hammerstone. Instead Kushida knocks Kazarian outside, only to get caught in the torture rack. Hammerstone’s Nightmare Pendulum is enough to end Kushida at 6:08.

Rating: B-. The action here was good (as good as it could be in such a short match) but what helped here was you could see any of them winning. Kushida is a former champion and Kushida is a legend, while Hammerstone is the kind of hoss who could do some interesting things in Ultimate X. This was a good choice for an opener and I had a good time while I was wondering who would win.

Post match Hammerstone leaves so Kazarian hammers on Kushida, including Fade To Black.

Eric Young is ready for Hammerstone. Steve Maclin comes in to say he’ll be watching.

Santana knows he has to be an animal around here and wants to cut the head off the snake that is the System.

Alisha Edwards vs. Rosemary

Masha Slamovich is here with Edwards, who makes the mistake of poking Rosemary in the chest to start. Rosemary knocks her into the ropes and grabs the Upside Down, only to get kicked down for two. The Figure Four necklock mat slams has Rosemary in more trouble and a splash gives Edwards two more. Rosemary is back up with the spear for two of her own but Slamovich offers a distraction. That’s enough for Edwards to hit a Downward Spiral but Spitfire comes out to cut Slamovich off, meaning the referee is distracted. Rosemary is right back up with As Above, So Below for the pin at 4:46.

Rating: C. Rosemary continues to be in a weird place as she’s a big star in the division but can only go so far because of how complicated and intricate of a backstory she has. You could easily put her into the Knockouts Title picture and that still might be where they are going with this win. I’d rather she do that than have another weird partner, as that has kind of been covered.

Post match Rosemary gives the out cold Alisha a black rose.

Ash By Elegance agrees to face Jordynne Grace in a match…by Elegance.

Xia Brookside/Rhino/PCO vs. Steph de Lander/Kon/Madman Fulton

Matt Cardona was supposed to be on the de Lander team but isn’t medically cleared to compete. PCO and Kon start things off, with PCO chasing Cardona at the bell as we take an early break. Back with Rhino brawling with Fulton out to the floor with Fulton getting the better of things and choking on the rope.

Kon does the same and Cardona gets in a cheap shot, with de Lander not being pleased. Fulton’s splash gets two and we hit the chinlock for a breather. Rhino fights up and hits a quick Gore, allowing the tag off to PCO to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Brookside manages a Brookside Bomb on Fulton. The Gore sets up the PCOsault to finish Fulton at 8:28.

Rating: C+. This was a fun match, even if de Lander didn’t do much. While it’s hard to imagine that de Lander and Cardona don’t reunite later, there is something different with the de Lander/PCO stuff for the time being. Kon and Fulton are fine muscle/monsters, and that’s all it seems they’re being presented as here.

Video on Nic Nemeth vs. Josh Alexander in an Iron Man match at Emergence.

Jordynne Grace is down for Ash By Elegance’s challenge.

Laredo Kid vs. Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Jai Vidal

Ultimate X Qualifying Match and Vidal is quickly sent outside. The other two slug it out until Vidal sends Kid outside, only to get caught in a hurricanrana from Gujjar. Kid is back in and chops away on Vidal in the corner but gets low bridged to the floor. Gujjar hits a big dive to take both of them out on the floor but Kid does just the same. Back in and a pair of moonsaults gives Kid two on Vidal with Gujjar making the save. Vidal stomps Gujjar in the corner but gets planted by Kid, who hits a 450 for the pin at 6:41.

Rating: B-. More action packed and perfectly good stuff which didn’t have the chance to do much due to the time situation. Kid hasn’t been around much lately but he is more than good enough to warrant a spot in a match like this. It isn’t like Gujjar and Vidal have been doing anything anyway so the loss isn’t hurting them.

First Class yells about how Rich Swann should have been in Ultimate X. Mike Bailey comes in to offer him a title shot to make up for it. That’s quite the reward.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Jonathan Gresham

They fight over wrist control to start as commentary just says Gresham “forgot” about the whole black ink thing. The technical off goes to the mat with Gresham getting the better of things and working on the arm to limited avail. Dempsey reveres into a leglock and bridges back into a neck crank at the same time (think a reverse STF) for a nasty visual.

Back up and Gresham hits a running shoulder before they fight over a test of strength. They keep their hands lock as they go to the mat, with some near falls each as both have to bridge up. Gresham ties the legs up and tries to pin the arms down…..which actually gets the pin at 9:07!

Rating: B-. This was a very different kind of match as it was all technical and grappling. The ending was downright stunning too as that has been a nothing spot in a match for years. Instead though, it makes sense that someone would get a fluke pin on it at some point, even if I never actually expected to see it happen. I was genuinely surprised by the finish and I often like that feeling so well done.

Post match Dempsey swings at Gresham, who punches him to the floor without much effort.

We look at Joe Hendry becoming #1 contender to the NXT Title and Zachary Wentz jumping Wes Lee on NXT.

Moose/JDC vs. Hardys

Jeff chases JDC around with a chair before the bell and is quickly knocked down by Moose, all before the opening bell. They get in for said bell and Jeff sends Moose into the corner for the tag off to Matt. Moose cuts that off and hands it off to JDC for a clothesline, meaning it’s time to choke in the corner. Matt Russian legsweeps his way out of trouble and hits the Twist of Fate but Jeff’s Swanton is broken up.

We take a break and come back with Matt hitting a middle rope elbow for two. Everything breaks down and JDC stomps on Matt on the floor, allowing Moose to hammer away back inside. JDC grabs a rather aggressive chinlock before handing it back to Moose for some choking. Matt manages a quick suplex and it’s back to Jeff to clean house. It’s quickly back to Matt for the Side Effect on Moose and they slug it out. Moose goes up top but dives into a cutter, with JDC having to hit Down And Dirty for the save. JDC goes up again but gets crotched down, meaning it’s the Twist Of Fate into the Swanton for the pin at 14:36.

Rating: C+. The Hardys aren’t anything close to what they were before but it was nice to see them getting to turn back the clock a bit here. They are still capable of having a good enough tag match, especially against a team with someone like JDC, who is there to take the fall. If nothing else, the match felt big because the Hardys made it feel more important. Just don’t do it too often.

Post match the beatdown is on so Mike Santana runs in, only to get taken out as well. Joe Hendry comes in for the real save and the good guys stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I was digging this show and it is making me want to watch Emergence, which is quite the good sign. The Ultimate X qualifying matches were both entertaining and the more times I hear the explanation of “yeah the black ink thing was stupid and we just dropped it”, the happier I’ll be. Emergence could be a heck of a show if the good building continues, and this was another nice step on the way there.

Results
Hammerstone b. Kushida and Frankie Kazarian – Nightmare Pendulum to Kushida
Rosemary b. Alisha Edwards – As Above So Below
PCO/Xia Brookside/Rhino b. Steph de Lander/Kon/Madman Fulton – PCOsault to Fulton
Laredo Kid b. Bhupinder Gujjar and Jai Vidal – 450 to Vidal
Jonathan Gresham b. Charlie Dempsey – Arm pin
Hardys b. Moose/JDC – Swanton Bomb to JDC

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 8, 2024
Location: Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re back stateside and Nic Nemeth is still the World Champion after dispatching Mustafa Ali last week. The bigger story coming out of last week’s show though was the return of Matt Cardona, who actually didn’t get to leave with Steph de Lander. That could open up a few interesting doors, with PCO knocking on several of them. Let’s get to it.

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

Steph de Lander says she’s married, even though it didn’t go the way she was planning. Tonight, we’re welcome to join us on her honeymoon. Now, does PCO want her in black or red?

Here is the System for a chat. Alisha Edwards is sick of the stupid fans running down the System but she also isn’t happy with those fans booing her. Eddie Edwards says the team losing their titles was nothing more than a fluke and they will do anything to get those titles back. Brian Myers says nothing has changed and they are still the greatest faction in wrestling today. Moose promises that Nic Nemeth is never going to be the face of the franchise and he’ll get the World Title back. For now though, Moose wants to challenge Mike Santana for next week.

Jonathan Gresham, looking rather normal, says he is here and ready to go. Kushida comes in but won’t shake his hand.

Santino Marella is with Mike Bailey, who is ready to defend the X-Division Title in Ultimate X at Emergence. He’s so ready that he wants to win a qualifying match.

Trent Seven vs. Jake Something vs. Mike Bailey

Non-title Ultimate X Qualifying Match, though if Bailey loses he isn’t in the title match at Emergence anyway. They all lock up to start with Something powering the other two away. Bailey backslides Seven for two but Something sends Seven outside. Bailey’s moonsault hits Seven by mistake but Something counters a diving hurricanrana to swing Bailey around.

Bailey dives back in to take both of them down and fires away the kicks at Something. A running shooting star press gives Bailey two on Something but Seven grabs a DDT for two. Back up and Something clotheslines both of them down, only to get caught with Bailey’s poisonrana. Seven grabs the swinging slam for two on Bailey, who is back up with a choke on Something. That’s broken up and Into The Void plants Seven, with Bailey making a save. The Ultimate Weapon gives Bailey the pin on Something at 7:04.

Rating: B-. It was fast pace while it lasted and thankfully they didn’t bother doing anything zany with the title. Just let Bailey move on to the title match and go where it needs to from there. With the second reign starting fairly well, Bailey is turning into more of a special champion and that is a good sign for the future of the title.

We look at Tasha Steelz cheating to beat Gisele Shaw on Xplosion.

Steelz wants the title back but Shaw comes in and wants a rematch. Santino Marella makes a rematch for next week with extra referees.

Hammerstone wants in on the X-Division Title match so Santino gives him a qualifying match. Eric Young comes in to say he and Hammerstone have unfinished business.

Kushida vs. Jonathan Gresham

Kushida is still not interested in a handshake to start (fair enough) so he grabs a headlock to start instead. That’s broken up and neither of them can get very far on the mat. Another headlock lets Kushida grind away again but Gresham fights up and hits an elbow to the face as we take a break. Back with Gresham hitting a dropkick before they trade chops.

Gresham muscles him over with a suplex for two but Kushida dives to the ropes to escape an armbar. A dragon screw legwhip takes Gresham down and Kushida dropkicks him in the arm. Kushida hits a Pele kick and another kick to the arm but Gresham blocks the Hoverboard Lock. The second attempt works a lot better though and Gresham taps at 10:27.

Rating: B-. I’m not usually a fan of just dropping a story out of nowhere, but I wouldn’t be complaining if the whole poison/evil stuff was dropped cold. It was one of the dumbest things in wrestling over the last few months and wasn’t doing anyone any good. Thankfully Gresham wrestled this match totally normal, which gives me hopes that things are turning around for him.

The ABC are proud to be Tag Team Champions when Mike Bailey comes in to ask if they will be in Ultimate X qualifying matches. They’ll think about it.

Steph de Lander is in the hot tub but can’t get hold of PCO.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. ???

Grace is defending in an open challenge and will be facing….Rosemary. Well that’s a big one. Rosemary starts fast and knocks her into the ropes for a basement clothesline, setting up some choking. Back up and Grace grabs a gutwrench suplex into a World’s Strongest Slam into a Vader Bomb for two.

Back up and Rosemary misses a spear before hitting one, only for Grace to come back with a Death Valley Driver for two more. Grace muscles her up for a delayed superplex but Rosemary fights up for a German suplex to leave them both down. Cue Ash By Elegance with her personal concierge with the latter distracting the referee so Ash can unload on both with a kendo stick. The referee sees the aftermath and throws the match out at 6:10.

Rating: C+. In a way I’m glad they went with that ending as this is a big enough showdown to warrant a bigger spot. There is a good chance that we’ll see them do this again, which is not the worst idea in the world. For now, I can go with a nice tease of a match before Ash gets involved. Ash almost has to win the title at some point, and this could be helping to set that up.

Bound For Glory is in Detroit on October 26.

Here is Josh Alexander with another chance to explain his actions at Slammiversary. The reality is that the people are the ones who changed, because now they believe in Joe Hendry. The reality is that Hendry is a meme who can’t lace Alexander’s boots. Alexander talks about the things he has done around here and now he wants the World Title back. Nic Nemeth said he’s a fighting champion so get out here right now so he can make Nemeth what he was in WWE: a transitional champion. Cue Nemeth to drop Alexander with a poke to the eye and a superkick. The title match is on for next week.

Post break Frankie Kazarian says he wants a World Title shot and says he’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Zachary Wentz vs. KC Navarro vs. Dante Chen

Ultimate X Qualifying Match and Trey Miguel is here with Wentz. The three of them (including NXT’s Chen) trade armdrags to start until Navarro sends Wentz outside for the dive. Back in and a DDT gets two on Chen but he’s back up to sent both of them together for two on Navarro. A Blockbuster to Navarro makes Navarro DDT Chen but Wentz is back up with the UFO Cutter to pin Navarro at 4:50.

Rating: C+. This was fun while it lasted but there is almost nothing that can be done in a three way match that has less than five minutes. Navarro or Chen going over wouldn’t have been the biggest shock as a match like that often has a surprise entrant, though Wentz going in as the Rascalz representative works well. Nice match, but dang they didn’t have much time.

Steph de Lander opens the door for PCO but finds Matt Cardona, who she throws out. We cut to PCO being held down so Cardona can tell him to stay away from his property. Cardona stomps his head.

We look at Joe Hendry beating Joe Coffey on NXT.

Wolfgang vs. Joe Hendry

Wolfgang is from NXT where he teams with Joe Coffey (and Mark Coffey) as Gallus, but the Coffey’s aren’t here. Hendry does his usual entry and then stomps away at Wolfgang in the corner to start. We take an early break and come back with Hendry fighting up to strike away. Wolfgang gets in a shot to the back though and they go outside, where Hendry is dropped back first onto the apron.

Hendry’s back is fine enough to muscle him up for a suplex into the fall away slam and a nip up. The Standing Ovation is countered though and Wolfgang hits a Widowmaker into a Vader Bomb to the back for two. The Howling (Swanton) misses for Wolfgang and Hendry hits the Standing Ovation for the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. This worked perfectly well as a match designed to give Hendry a win on TNA TV. It shows him beating an NXT star, even if Wolfgang isn’t that high level up on the totem pole. Hendry still feels like the hottest thing in TNA but he doesn’t have anything going on at the moment. That needs to change before Emergence and thankfully they have time to get there before the show in a few weeks.

Mike Santana and the System are fighting in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was another show where it was more about setting things up for later. You had the Ultimate X qualifying matches, Grace/Ash/Rosemary being set up and Mike Santana becoming the System’s next target. It’s not really a show you needed to see, but the wrestling was ok enough and it wasn’t boring, which isn’t bad for a show that is there to set things up rather than do (almost) anything major.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Jake Something and Trent Seven – Ultimate Weapon to Something
Kushida b. Jonathan Gresham – Hoverboard Lock
Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary went to a no contest when Ash Elegance interfered
Zachary Wentz b. KC Navarro and Dante Chen – UFO Cutter to Navarro
Joe Hendry b. Wolfgang – Standing Ovation

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 1, 2024
Location: Verdun Auditorium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re still in Montreal and in this case we have a pretty stacked show. First up, the World Title is on the line as Nic Nemeth is defending against Mustafa Ali in a match that feels like it could use more than a week of build. We also have a wedding, as PCO and Steph de Lander are having a rapid fire wedding, which feels ripe for interruption. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Rascalz vs. Mike Bailey/Kushida/Trent Seven

Kushida wristlocks Miguel to start and takes him down with a wristdrag. That doesn’t work for the Rascalz, who start the fast paced comeback, only for Bailey to come in for the bouncing kicks. It’s off to Seven for the step up flipping backsplash and a near fall as the fast start continues. Lee sends Seven into the corner and it’s Wentz coming in with a rather extended Bronco Buster.

Seven chops Miguel out of the air though and hits a DDT for a double breather. Kushida comes back in for the basement dropkick into the Hoverboard Lock, with Wentz having to make the save. Lee is back up with the Cardiac Kick but Seven pulls him down from the top with the swinging slam for two. The Seven Star Lariat looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon to Miguel but Wentz makes the save. Miguel takes out Bailey and Kushida, leaving Hot Fire Flame to finish Seven at 8:13.

Rating: B-. This was billed as a tribute to the first match in TNA history and…I guess? It was a fast paced six man tag and that’s about it, which is didn’t exactly feel like some kind of an homage. Not a bad match at all, but it wasn’t exactly some great showcase or anything we haven’t seen done multiple times.

Jordynne Grace doesn’t think much of Ash By Elegance and issues an open challenge for next week.

Campaign Singh is on the phone with Mustafa Ali, who questions his loyalty. Singh will figure out a way to prove it.

Rosemary vs. Kristara

Rosemary has a butcher knife before powering Kristara into the corner to start. The Upside down has Kristara in more trouble but she’s back up with a fisherman’s suplex for two. Not that it matters as Rosemary grabs As Above So Below for the pin at 2:10.

Post match Rosemary puts a black rose on her chest.

The System says they’ll be back after a terrible night.

Mike Santana doesn’t want the System to forget their unfinished business. Campaign Singh is ready to prove his loyalty by facing Santana tonight. Santana will go make it happen.

Josh Alexander is introduced but we go to him in the back, where he says he doesn’t owe anyone an expectation. He is the greatest Canadian wrestler today and he opened doors so Joe Hendry could walk through them and so you could believe in Nic Nemeth. He’s done caring about the people.

Ryan Nemeth vs. Frankie Kazarian

The bell rings and Kazarian goes to the ring announcer to insists that he is introduced as the King Of TNA. Somehow Nemeth is knocked down anyway but starts working on the arm to take over. A dropkick puts Kazarian down but he’s back up with suplex into the corner as we take a break. Back with Nemeth firing off right hands and hitting some clotheslines, setting up a neckbreaker for two. Kazarian is right back with a shot of his own but Fade To Black doesn’t work. The slingshot cutter does though and Nemeth is done at 8:20.

Rating: C+. This was the right way to go as there was no reason for Nemeth to be a major threat to an established veteran like Kazarian. Sometimes you just need to give a star a nice win and that’s what Kazarian got here. There is a good chance that Kazarian will get the shot at Emergence and I’ve heard worse ideas.

Post match here is Josh Alexander to give Nemeth a C4 Spike.

Ultimate X is back at Emergence.

Masha Slamovich vs. Jody Threat

Alisha Edwards and Dani Luna are here too and this is a rematch from Bloodsport, where Slamovich won. Luna runs her over to start and hits a quick shoulder for two. Edwards grabs the leg though and Slamovich pulls Luna down by the hair to take over. The chinlock is broken up and Luna sends her into the ropes for some running knees to the back. Slamovich is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two so Alisha puts a title around the turnbuckle, ala at Slammiversary. As expected, Slamovich goes into it instead and Shove It finishes for Luna at 4:50.

Rating: C. I’m guessing this is the way to set up another Knockouts Tag Team Title match because that’s how almost all of the title matches are set around here. They set this up at Slammiversary and it makes Luna look good to catch Slamovich with the same thing that cost her at the pay per view. Not much of a match, but they made it work in the limited time they had.

Video on Joe Hendry’s rise.

Mike Santana vs. Campaign Singh

Singh jumps him to start but gets knocked into the corner for a dropkick to the back of the head. Santana puts him down again and hits Spin The Block for the pin at 1:52. That’s about the only way this should have gone.

Post match Santana promises to win the World Title, but he’ll start with Moose.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Mustafa Ali

Nemeth is defending and grabs a headlock to start. They trade shoulders until Nemeth dropkicks him out to the floor without much trouble. Back in and they run the ropes until Nemeth hits a hard clothesline before hammering away in the corner. Ali sends him chest first into the corner to take over, only to have Nemeth send him face first into the buckle. They go outside where Ali hits a quick electric chair drop and we take a break.

Back with Ali fighting out of a chinlock and getting two off a backslide. A neckbreaker puts Ali down again and the ten elbows keep him in trouble. Nemeth’s top rope DDT connects but Ali kicks him down to block the superkick. Nemeth backdrops him out to the floor and there’s a slingshot into the post. Cue the Secret Service for a distraction, allowing Ali to grab a Sharpshooter. That’s broken up and Nemeth hits a superkick into the Danger Zone to retain at 14:28.

Rating: B-. What we got was good, but I was expecting more from these two. Ali was presented as a major deal in the X-Division for a long time and feels like one of the bigger names in the company. Then their title match was set up on a week’s notice and doesn’t even get fifteen minutes. This felt like it could have headlined a monthly special but instead it’s just here. Certainly not bad at all, but it could have been a lot more.

Post match Josh Alexander comes out for a staredown.

It’s time for the wedding of PCO and Steph de Lander with Santino Marella officiating. Rhino (wearing a tie over his gear in a funny visual) is the best man and Xia Brookside is the maid of honor (in black of course). Naturally de Lander has the Bride of Frankenstein hairdo and they have a rather odd set of vows, including never complaining when the electricity bill is too high. Marella calls the groom Pico, with PCO screaming instead of saying any vows. They exchange rings (one of them still has a finger) but cue First Class to interrupt.

Or never mind as they say get your freak on. They kiss….and Matt Cardona is back, complete with a gift. That would be…part of a brick, which he uses to knock out PCO. Cardona says the Digital Media Title is his and tells de Lander to come with him…but she screams at Cardona instead. PCO gets up and Cardona leaves on his own, shouting about how it’s not supposed to be this way. De Lander cries to end the show. Points for a good double surprise there, but I can’t imagine this ends with anything but Cardona and de Lander together.

Overall Rating: B. This was a good mixture of action and a big moment at the end, with Cardona’s return being timed rather well. Throw in a World Title match that felt big and they had a solid show here. It could have been better with a bit more, but what matters most is that I’m curious to see where some of these stories go. That’s a good sign going into Emergence and beyond, with Bound For Glory looming way off in the distance.

Results
Rascalz b. Trent Seven/Kushida/Mike Bailey – Hot Fire Flame to Seven
Rosemary b. Kristara – As Above So Below
Frankie Kazarian b. Ryan Nemeth – Slingshot cutter
Dani Luna b. Masha Slamovich – Shove It
Mike Santana b. Campaign Singh – Spin The Block
Nic Nemeth b. Mustafa Ali – Danger Zone

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: July 25, 2024
Location: Verdun Auditorium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Slammiversary and the big story is Nic Nemeth won the TNA World Title. Yes Nic Nemeth rather than Joe Hendry, who has his own issues with a freshly evil Josh Alexander. Odds are we’ll deal with the fallout from that this week, plus a really bad night for the System. Let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

Long Slammiversary recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Nic Nemeth for his big celebration as the World Champion. He fought hard to get here but what matters the most is that Moose is no longer the champion. Moose was protected but Nemeth will fight anyone, anywhere, anytime. Cue Campaign Singh to introduce Mustafa Ali, for a certainly sincere handshake. Nemeth winning the World Title was important, but not as important as what happened to him.

Slammiversary saw the biggest screwjob in the history of wrestling and THESE PEOPLE CHEERED! Nemeth believes him, which calms Ali down a bit. Nemeth shakes his hand for boosting up the X-Division….but then Mike Bailey kicked his a**. Ali: “BAILEY SCREWED ME!” Nemeth doesn’t think that’s any of his business but the fans think Ali deserved it.

Ali doesn’t like this but now it’s time to make the TNA World Title great again. That doesn’t work for Nemeth, who says all Ali has to do is ask for a shot. We can do it right now, but Ali says we’ll make it next week. Ali tries a cheap shot but Nemeth ducks and superkicks Singh instead. That’s a pretty big match to burn off with a week’s build.

We run down tonight’s card.

Matt Hardy and the ABC are ready for the System in tonight’s main event. A Joe Hendry tease is included.

Frankie Kazarian comes up to Nic Nemeth in the back and says he wants the title. Nemeth says he pinned Kazarian so it’s to the back of the line. Ryan Nemeth is here though and wants to fight, so Santino Marella gives Kazarian Ryan next week.

Steve Maclin vs. Cody Deaner

Before the match, Maclin talks about how he has been trying to turn over a new leaf but he got carried away at Slammiversary….AND THESE PEOPLE CHEERED. They even sang the Goodbye Song! Maclin can’t stand these Canadians so he sings the same song to them, with an expletive thrown in. Deaner was talking to his fellow Canadian Santino Marella backstage, and he has been given the chance to come face Maclin right now. The people make the decision for Deaner and we’re ready to go.

Deaner starts fast and hammers away before knocking Maclin out to the floor. Maclin is back in with a running knee into an Irish Curse to take over. Choking on the ropes sets up another backbreaker but Deaner fights up with a bulldog. Deaner’s DDT is cut off though and the spear in the corner sets up KIA to give Maclin the pin at 4:22.

Rating: C+. I can go for more of Maclin as he is getting to the point where he knows what he’s doing out there and making it look pretty good. This wasn’t exactly a competitive match but Deaner was trying well enough. Maclin gets a nice little boost though and that could be the start of something a bit better for him.

It’s time for Death Machine TV, with Sami Callihan giving us BREAKING NEWS: he’s going to beat up AJ Francis.

Joe Hendry will be in concert on NXT. That’s still so bizarre to see.

AJ Francis vs. Sami Callihan

Josh Bishop and Rich Swann are here with Francis. Callihan sends him to the apron to start and hits a forearm to the chest (he’s no Sheamus) but a Bishop distraction lets Francis get in a shoulder. Francis knocks him down again and it’s time to choke on the ropes as we take a break.

Back with Francis missing a charge in the corner and crashing out to the floor. Back in and Francis sends him into the corner where a running knee connects this time around. The Down Payment (chokeslam) is blocked but Francis falls on him in a slam attempt. Callihan is back up with a shoulder and now the slam works. Francis boots him in the face but misses the leg (because Hogan), only to have Swann offer a distraction. The Down Payment finishes Callihan at 10:11.

Rating: C+. The matches aren’t great but they are going hard with Francis no matter how he does. This was a bit more entertaining than I was expecting, but that might be because they are letting Francis be his obnoxious self. Callihan didn’t get to do his hardcore stuff here and it’s amazing how much easier it is to watch when he is toned that far down.

Rosemary talks about how evil she is but doesn’t know what she is supposed to do. She spoke for the Hive but now there is no Hive.

Jordynne Grace/Eric Young vs. Hammerstone/Ash By Elegance

The women start things off with Ash wanting respect on her name but getting a chop instead. A spinebuster puts Ash down but it’s too early for the Juggernaut Driver. It’s off to Young vs. Hammerstone with the former grabbing a swinging neckbreaker for two. Hammerstone misses a charge into the corner but Ash cuts off a tag attempt and hammers on Young for a weird visual.

It’s Hammerstone coming right back in to keep up the beatdown, including throwing Ash onto Young for two. Young manages a quick knockdown though and it’s back to Grace to pick up the pace. A quick Vader Bomb gets two on Ash but again the Juggernaut Driver is blocked so Ash can escape.

Everything breaks down and we get a Grace vs. Hammerstone staredown. Grace manages a fireman’s carry but Hammerstone slips out, allowing Ash to hit a Meteora to cut Grace of. Young is back up to Death Valley Driver Hammerstone, only to have the Personal Concierge break it up. Hammerstone’s torture rack finishes Young at 7:39.

Rating: B-. The ending tried to write the insanity of having Young beat Hammerstone on Saturday but I’m not sure how much good it did. At the same time, Ash has already gotten beaten so I’m not sure how much I need to see either match happen again. I’m glad Hammerstone won, but he shouldn’t be playing catch up in the first place.

Alisha Edwards, the only member of the System to still be a champion, is fired up. The rest of the team, not so much.

Here is Josh Alexander for his big explanation. Alexander says the fans are making this easy and he can’t wait to go back to a real city like Toronto. You want an explanation? Nah. And he leaves.

We look at the Rascalz winning a six man tag on NXT.

Mike Bailey is excited to have won the X-Division Title. The Rascalz come in to challenge him to a six man tag, saying get Trent Seven and Trent Eight if he needs partners. Bailey seems interested.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

System vs. ABC/Matt Hardy

Hardy starts with JDC, who runs away and hands it off to Myers instead. That means Hardy gets to start in on the arm, setting up the running bulldog out of the corner. Everything breaks down in a hurry and we take a break. Back with Myers still in trouble as Austin comes in to hammer away. Bey comes in for some strikes of his own but here is Moose for a distraction.

Said distraction lets Myers get in a shot on Bey, only to have JDC miss an elbow. Hardy comes back in but the System cuts him off….and Joe Hendry is here to even things up. We pause for his full entrance and take a break, coming back with Austin in trouble and Myers grabbing a chinlock. Austin fights up without much trouble and hands it off to Bey, who gets knocked right into the corner as well.

JDC stomps away in the corner and cranks away on the arms to keep Bey down. The slow beating continues with Kazarian coming in, only to get enziguried down. It’s back to Hardy for a powerbomb for two on JDC, setting up a stunner/DDT combination. Everything breaks down and the good guys get a triple near fall. Moose tries to interfere but Hendry cuts him off, meaning it’s the Twist of Fate into Bey’s top rope splash for the pin on JDC at 18:24.

Rating: B. This got some time and the energy was there, which granted might have been more to do with Hendry showing up than anything else. It was a match that felt big, which is more than you can ask for most of the time. If nothing else, it’s more of the System’s downfall, which had to happen sooner or later. Good match here, with Hendry’s star continuing to rise. Just not entirely in TNA.

Overall Rating: B-. This is the kind of show that you had to expect after a major event like Slammiversary. It was a show that dealt with some fallout and set up a few things for the future, but at the same time, there was a lot that felt like it was just kind of skipped. The lack of an Alexander explanation and a not exactly eventful main event didn’t help. Overall though, entertaining enough stuff and that’s all it needed to be after the major weekend show.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Cody Deaner – KIA
AJ Francis b. Sami Callihan – Down Payment
Hammerstone/Ash By Elegance b. Jordynne Grace/Eric Young – Torture rack to Young
Matt Hardy/ABC b. The System – Frog splash to JDC

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: July 18, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the last show before Slammiversary and the card is mostly set. As you might expect, the big story is the World Title match, but we also have the return of the Hardys. Not only are they back, but they are getting a shot against the System for the Tag Team Titles. That sounds shenanigansy so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Kushida/Rascalz vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

Dempsey and Miguel fight over wrist control to start until Dempsey takes him into the corner for some right hands from Borne. A slam puts Miguel down again and it’s off to Heights, who gets wristlocked by Kushida. Heights is fine enough to grab a fireman’s carry drop and Dempsey comes in for a backbreaker. Kushida handspring elbows his way to freedom though and it’s off to Wentz to clean house.

Everything breaks down and a triple dropkick puts Dempsey on the floor. The good guys hit a big triple flip dive, setting up a Hoverboard Lock on Heights. Dempsey puts Kushida in one to break that up but the Crew gets caught in triple stereo submissions. Those are broken up as well, leaving Dempsey to get triple kicked in the corner. Cue Jonathan Gresham to draw Kushida to the back though and it’s a series of suplexes, including Dempsey bridging butterfly suplex to Wentz, for the win at 9:40.

Rating: B. They let all six guys go nuts here and that’s what it should have been. The good thing is that this should set up the proper six man blowoff with the full Rascalz fighting against the Crew, likely at Slammiversary. It’s the way this story seems set to go and if this was any indication, we should be in for a heck of a blowoff.

Post break the Rascalz sit down in a circle and, after establishing that Wes Lee isn’t a hologram, seem to agree to unite to face the No Quarter Catch Crew.

Alisha Edwards vs. Xia Brookside

Masha Slamovich is here with Edwards, who works on a wristlock to start. A backstabber out of the corner rocks Brookside and a powerslam puts her down again. Brookside fights up and grabs a Russian legsweep for two. A crossbody gives Brookside two but she gets knocked outside. Slamovich goes after Brookside but cue Spitfire to cut her off. That lets Brookside hit the Brookside Bomb for the pin at 5:36.

Rating: C. This was more about the stuff on the floor at the end as a means to boost up the Knockouts Tag Team Title match at Slammiversary. Edwards dominated most of the match but it is nice to see Brookside getting a win. I don’t know if it means anything or leads anywhere, but I’ll take it over another loss.

Mike Santana doesn’t like JDC interfering with him last week and revenge is promised.

Mike Bailey attacked Mustafa Ali earlier today.

Here is Bailey to call out Ali for a fight right now. Ali pops up on screen and says Bailey has to run the Secret Service Gauntlet for a shot at him tonight.

Mike Bailey vs. Secret Service

Bailey kicks two of them down for wins in about thirty seconds before knocking the third to the floor. The big dive connects for Bailey and we take a break. Back with Bailey having beaten the fourth member so here is Campaign Singh to say Bailey has to beat him too. Some trash talk allows one of the agents to jump Bailey from behind, allowing Singh to come in with a Rock Bottom for two. A backbreaker puts Bailey down again but he’s right back with the Tornado Kick into the Ultimate Weapon for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C. This was barely a match as Bailey ran through the first four and then only had to beat up Singh for the win. Having a villain through obstacles in front of his opponent is wrestling 101 and this was a nice way to make Bailey look good going into the title match. I can’t imagine we get anything serious between Ali and Bailey tonight and that’s ok with three days before the title match.

Post match some riot squad guards come in and one of them is Ali, who jumps Bailey and has the referee count an unofficial pin.

Post break Ali says the match with Bailey is off because he just beat him. Santino Marella comes in to say of course the match is still on. Either that or Ali is fired.

Tag Team Titles: The System vs. Hardys

The Hardys are challenging. Matt shoves Myers down to start and hands it off to Jeff to clean house. Poetry In Motion connects and the champs are sent outside fast. We settle down to Edwards taking Jeff into the champs’ corner so the beating can commence. Matt jawbreaks his way out of trouble and hits the Side Effect. Myers is back with a spear for two as we take a break.

Back with Matt fighting out of a chinlock but getting pulled back down. A neckbreaker puts Edwards down but Myers is back up to cut off a tag attempt. Matt finally manages a Side Effect and the tag brings in Jeff to clean house. The Whisper In The Wind gets two on Myers and Matt adds the Twist of Fate. Jeff loads up the Swanton but JDC runs in for the DQ at 12:42.

Rating: C+. Pretty run of the mill match here with a screwy finish, which they almost had to have to protect the titles as well as the Hardys. While I fully expect the Hardys to win the titles at some point in this run, they didn’t need to do it here. Throw in Jeff’s legal issues with the upcoming Canadian dates and changing the titles here wouldn’t have made much sense.

Post break the System jumps Matt, leaving JDC to wrap a chair around Jeff’s neck and send it into the post. Jeff is stretchered out, continuing his incredible streak of bad luck just before this company goes to Canada.

JDC vs. Mike Santana

We come back from a break with this (scheduled match) starting fast. Santana goes right after him to start and the fight heads outside with Santana hammering away. We cut to the back, where Rebecca Hardy has been attacked as well, saying JDC did it. Back in the ring and JDC sends Santana shoulder first into the post and then sends him into the buckle.

We hit the chinlock but Santana fights up rather quickly, only to get kneed out to the floor. A big chair shot misses for JDC and they’re both down. They both beat the clock back in and slug it out as Santana seems to be busted open. A quick Death Valley Driver gives Santana two but Spin The Block misses. JDC’s Air Raid Crash gets two and a super Falcon Arrow gets the same. JDC goes for a chair but gets posted, allowing Santana to hit him with the chair for the DQ at 8:24.

Rating: C. I was expecting this to end with a DQ but not the way they went about it. Instead I was waiting for Matt to run in and jump JDC, but points for letting Santana have the spotlight for a change. Santana’s nice run in TNA is still working, though I could go for him getting a nice pin on his own sooner than later.

Post match Santana lays him out with Spin The Block.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Ash By Elegance and still can’t believe she was in the Women’s Royal Rumble. Then she went to NXT and the crazy times in wrestling continued. Ash screwed that up though and now it’s time for the consequences.

Ash’s personal concierge promises to have everything ready for Slammiversary but Rosemary stalks behind him.

Here is Santino Marella or the six way World Title match contract signing. Cue Josh Alexander, Steve Maclin, Frankie Kazarian, Moose and Joe Hendry, but no Nic Nemeth. Instead we get a video from Nemeth, saying he has a partially torn labrum but is going to fight at Slammiversary anyway. Back in the arena and most of them sign without saying anything, though Kazarian wants to look at things more closely.

Moose doesn’t want to sign either but here is First Class of all people to interrupt. They’re the real main event of Slammiversary and Francis respects everyone in the ring, save or Hendry. They can thank him for the house at Slammiversary after he and PCO have the real main event. Cue PCO to brawl with Francis, leaving everyone else to fight. Alexander hits Moose in the face and Hendry gives him the Standing Ovation through the table. Hendry signs as well and we’re ready for Sunday. This was about what you would have expected, though the PCO/Francis addition was a nice touch.

A video on the World Title match takes us out.

Overall Rating: B-. This show needed to wrap up the build to Slammiversary and it did so well enough. What matters is I’m somewhat more interested in seeing the show more than when I came in and if they can deliver on the hype, we should be in for a good pay per view. The World Title match is going to carry the show, but when you have that much of your roster tied up in one match, it almost has to. Good stuff here, even if it didn’t add much new.

Results
No Quarter Catch Crew b. Kushida/Rascalz – Bridging butterfly suplex to Wentz
Xia Brookside b. Alisha Edwards – Brookside Bomb
Mike Bailey b. Secret Service – Ultimate Weapon to Singh
Hardys b. The System via DQ when JDC interfered
JDC b. Mike Santana via DQ when Santana used a chair

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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Slammiversary 2024
Date: July 20, 2024
Location: Verdun Auditorium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

This is one of the biggest shows that TNA presents every year and we should be in for a good one as the show is fairly stacked. The main event will see Moose defending the World Title against five challengers at once, along with hometown boy Mike Bailey challenging Mustafa Ali for the X-Division Title. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Faby Apache vs. Gisele Shaw vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside

We get a loud TNA chant as Shaw and Brookside kick the other two down. A celebration is cut off as Steelz shoves them into each other though and the villains take over. Apache drops Steelz though and grabs an early surfboard. Shaw is back in with Shock And Awe for two as commentary talks about everything else on the card. Steelz Codebreakers Apache to the floor and hits a suicide dive, followed by Shaw diving onto both of them.

Brookside dives onto all three of them (show off) and throws Steelz back in for two. The Brookside Bomb is broken up so Shaw Samoan drivers both Steelz and Brookside at the same time (geez). Apache goes up but dives into a powerbomb, leaving Shaw to spear Brookside. Shaw’s running knee hits Brookside but Steelz grabs the pin at 6:37.

Rating: C+. This was a fine choice to get the show going and warm the crowd up a bit but I really do not get that ending. This felt like it was Shaw’s to win and instead it’s Steelz, who hasn’t really been doing much lately. It’s weird to go with something that will deflate the crowd a bit, but at least the action was good.

Pre-Show: Kushida vs. Rich Swann

Kushida is in Hakushi cosplay because….I have no idea really. Swann is replacing an ill Jonathan Gresham. Kushida is slow to start before grabbing a wristlock but it’s too early for the Hoverboard Lock. They take turns flipping away from each other and Swann is knocked into the ropes. Swann chokes on the ropes and kicks him in the back but Kushida….stops to mediate, earning himself another kick.

A dragon screw legwhip into a Tajiri handspring elbow staggers Swann but he’s right back with the poisonrana. Swann’s Lethal Injection gets two but the middle rope 450 misses. Kushida punches him down, only to miss the moonsault, allowing Swann to kick him in the face for two more. Swann takes too long going up though and gets pulled down into the Hoverboard Lock for the tap at 6:43.

Rating: C+. I’m guessing this was Kushida’s response to Jonathan Gresham being all evil and corrupted. All that did is make me remember how horrible the Gresham stuff has been and that’s not the best way to get things going. Other than that, it was the kind of quality you would expect here, albeit with Kushida’s stuff not really fitting his usual style.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Alisha Edwards/Masha Slamovich vs. Spitfire

Spitfire is challenging. Threat and Slamovich start things off with Threat cranking on the arm. Luna comes in to shove Edwards down without much trouble so Threat adds a basement clothesline for two. Slamovich slips in for a double suplex to Threat and a trip to Luna makes it worse. A hard kick to the chest gets two on Luna and a snap suplex is good for the same.

Luna manages to kick her way out of the corner and it’s back to Threat to pick up the pace. A double running crotch attack against the ropes connects on the champs and Edwards is Michinoku Drivered onto Slamovich for two. The Hart Attack gets two but Luna is sent outside, leaving the Snowplow to hit Threat for a rather near fall. With nothing else working, Slamovich distracts the referee so a belt shot can knock Threat silly. A Steiner Bulldog retains the titles at 8:48.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better Knockouts tag matches I’ve seen in a bit as they were given some time and didn’t have a commercial in the middle. That makes for a nice improvement and the action was there to back it up. The division still lacks depth, but at least this felt like part of a story rather than just a one off match.

Here is Santino Marella to say he used to live here and thanks the fans for their biggest show in over ten years (nice job). He even has a bonus match for us.

Pre-Show: Eric Young vs. Hammerstone

Nice to see Hammerstone back. Hammerstone wastes no time in knocking him outside where a hard posting ensues. Back in and a missile dropkick gives Hammerstone two as the fans chant something in French. Young is back up with his slide between the legs and a lariat but the top rope elbow takes too long. The breaking up is broken up as well though and Young drops the elbow for two. The piledriver is cut off with straight power but Young slips out of the torture rack….and grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:26.

Rating: C. I’m sorry what now? You have the return of a beast like Hammerstone and he loses to Eric Young? That’s one of those things that feels like it is straight out of the TNA playbook: when your company is feeling a bit stale, it’s time to go with the guy who has been around for the better part of twenty years. I’m fine with Young getting a win because he’s someone the fans will get behind, but you can’t put some low level villain out there instead of Hammerstone?

Post match Young thanks the fans for supporting the company and says this is TNA.

And now, the show proper.

Annie St-Onge sings O Canada.

The opening video looks at recent events and talks about how big of a show this is. We also get the normal looks at the bigger matches.

Matt Hardy vs. JDC

Matt is Broken and out for revenge after JDC took out Rebecca Hardy on Impact. The beating is on outside before the bell and JDC (in his American flag pants) has to get in a quick flag shot to take over. Now the bell rings and JDC sends him chest first into the corner, meaning it’s time for some dancing.

Hardy is draped over the top rope for a running boot to the head and two, followed by an elbow to the face. The bodyscissors works on Hardy’s ribs for a bit but Down And Dirty on the apron misses for JDC. Hardy sends him into the corner over and over, setting up a middle rope elbow. The Side Effect gets two but Dango is back with a Falcon Arrow. Another Down And Dirty is broken up and a middle rope Twist Of Fate gives Hardy the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C. This would have been short on Impact but it gave the fans a nice moment while Hardy gets some revenge. The stuff before the match felt like someone wanting to get back at JDC but the rest was just a normal match. I’ll take this over Hardy being all weird though so this could have been worse.

Post match Hardy hits two more Twists Of Fate to blow off some steam.

The System, in their matching American flag track suits, is ready to dominate tonight.

We run down the card.

Tag Team Titles: ABC vs. The System

The System, with Alisha Edwards, is defending. Austin strikes away at Eddie to start and it’s Bey coming in for a double Japanese armdrag. A Hart Attack (with ABC in pink and black) gets two on Myers but a running knee to the face hits Bey for the same. Alisha gets in some choking from the floor but Bey ducks a double clothesline and brings Austin back in (the fans are REALLY pleased).

Bey is back up with a big running flip dive, only to have Alisha distract Austin so Eddie can send him into the apron. Back in and Eddie’s snap suplex gets two, which causes some frustration to set in. Myers’ reverse chinlock doesn’t last long so Eddie catapults Austin throat first into the middle rope for a nasty impact. Austin fights up and makes the tag….but Myers has the referee for the classic misdirection, meaning no tag. The chinlock goes on for a bit, though Austin is ready for the Roster Cut.

That’s enough for the hot tag off to Bey so house can be quickly cleaned. Eddie is sent outside but Alisha is right there to cut off a dive. They all wind up on the apron, with Bey hitting cutter to set up Austin’s big Fosbury flop. Back in and Bey’s frog splash gets two on Eddie but the 1-2-Sweet is broken up. Myers’ spear gets two on Bey so Austin comes back in for a Magic Killer to Myers for two more. Alisha comes in and accidentally gets caught in the Art Of Finesse, leaving Myers to get caught in the 1-2-Sweet for the pin and the titles at 16:44.

Rating: B. ABC is a heck of a team and they are becoming one of the most decorated teams the company has ever seen. This was treated as a big deal, even if it ends a mostly mediocre run from the System. They were milking those near falls near the end too and I was into it for most of the time. Solid opener here.

Mike Bailey is so serious about winning the X-Division Title that he speaks French.

Jake Something vs. Mike Santana

The fans are way behind Santana here. We start with a fight over a lockup until Santana cranks on a headlock. Something tells him to bring it with the running shoulders before knocking a Thesz press out of the air. Back in and Santana hits a heck of a springboard flip dive to drop Something and a German suplex gets two back inside. Santana’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Something fights up and grabs a slam.

Something stomps away in the corner until Santana scores with a kick to the head. The rolling Buck Fifty connects for Santana and a middle rope dropkick sets up a Cannonball for two. Another Cannonball is pulled out of the air for a sitout powerbomb but Santana runs the corner for a release German superplex (dang that looked nasty). They slug it out with Santana knocking him down, only for Something to tell him to bring it. Spin The Block gives Santana the pin at 11:32.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you just need two strong guys beating each other up until one of them gets the pin. That’s exactly what we got here and it was a nice addition to the card. Santana continues to be someone that TNA is interested in promoting and that is not a bad idea when he is putting in a string of solid work. Something continues to feel like a prospect but after all of these losses, it’s hard to imagine he goes anywhere.

We look at Eric Young pinning Hammerstone on the pre-show.

Young talks about how big of a win that is and says he’ll be watching the World Title match.

We recap the No Quarter Catch Crew invading TNA and the Rascalz getting NXT’s Wes Lee to help them fight back, setting up a six man tag.

Rascalz vs. No Quarter Catch Crew

The Rascalz have Buzz Lightyear style gear and….yeah it’s really not working. Lee’s in particular looks like he is trying to wear the sexy Halloween version of the costume and it’s kind of a disaster. Borne and Miguel start things off with Miguel working on the arm. Dempsey comes in and gets anklescissored by Lee and Wentz adds a Bronco Buster for two. It’s off to Heights for a release German suplex and a gutwrench suplex for two on Wentz.

Back up and Wentz brings in Miguel to send Borne into the corner, meaning Dempsey needs to grab a suplex of his own. One heck of a clothesline gives Heights two and it’s a suplex into the chinlock. Miguel fights up and ducks a clothesline, setting up a needed enziguri. The tag brings in Lee to clean house but the Crew takes his partners own and triple teams Lee.

Dempsey’s dragon suplex connects but Lee breaks it up with a frog splash. Lee hits the big dive and Wentz has to break up a double submission. Back up and Heights gets caught in the Soup Kitchen (Dominator/top rope double stomp combination) and Hot Fire Flame finishes for Wentz at 14:07.

Rating: B-. This was the way the match needed to go as it gives us the feel good moment of the Rascalz not only coming back together but also getting the win. You had to have the villains come in from outside and lose, as there is no reason to have them win. Perfectly nice match here, which was more about the feeling than the wrestling.

We recap PCO challenging AJ Francis for the Digital Media (and unofficial Canadian National Heavyweight Champion) Title. Francis won the title and messed up PCO’s date with Steph de Lander, so it’s time for revenge.

Digital Media Title: PCO vs. AJ Francis

Francis, with Rich Swann and some rappers) is defending and this is a street fight. Before the match, Francis mentions that PCO has been attacked, so here is a casket, which is struck by lighting to let PCO out. The brawl is on to start with Francis getting in some chair shots. PCO shrugs that off and hits a moonsault to the floor, meaning it’s time for a table. That takes too much time so Francis is back with some shots of his own.

A bunch of chairs are thrown in, with Francis putting a trashcan over PCO’s head and then unloading on him with a chair. A legdrop onto the trashcan gives Francis two but PCO fights back with a clothesline. PCO goes up top but gets pulled back down with an electric chair onto the chairs. That’s shrugged off as well, as PCO sends him through the tables at ringside.

Josh Bishop (of Francis’ entourage) is up with some chair shots and a toss Razor’s Edge onto some open chairs (GEEZ). Sami Callihan comes in for a failed save attempt but Rhino comes in for the save and the Gore to Swann. PCO is back up to drop Francis and the PCOsault gets two. Francis hits a Tombstone with the Undertaker cover for two but PCO chokeslams him onto the chairs. Another PCOsault gives PCO the pin and the title at 13:50.

Rating: C+. You can pretty much chalk this one up to an obvious result, as there was no reason to believe that a local legend was going to lose in his kind of match against a loudmouth heel. This was tailor made for PCO to win in a feel good moment and that is exactly what we were given.

Post match here is Steph de Lander….who proposes to PCO, who accepts. Well that escalated quickly.

We recap Jordynne Grace defending the Knockouts Title against Ash By Elegance. Ash says she deserves the title and cost Grace the NXT Women’s Title. Grace wants revenge.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Ash By Elegance

Ash, with her Personal Concierge, is challenging and flips out of some early suplex attempts. Grace chops her down and hits a spinebuster for an early two as we see a lurking Rosemary. The interfering Concierge is ejected so Rosemary whips out a knife to chase him off. Ash uses the distraction to get in a cheap shot and take over with some shots to the back. A sleeper is broken up with a drop down, setting up some not so snappy powerslams.

Grace’s MuscleBuster gets two but Ash is back with a running tornado DDT for the same. They go up top, where Grace grabs a superplex and rolls into a Jackhammer for two. With nothing else working, Grace just tackles her and hammers away. Ash comes back with a Canadian Destroyer of all things but Rarefied Air hits raised knees. Back up and a quick Sliced Bread gives Ash two so she hammers on the back again. Grace pulls her into a quickly broken sleeper and then reverses a kick to the face into the Juggernaut Driver to retain at 12:09.

Rating: B-. I thought they might change the title here as Ash had been pushed fairly strong coming into this. That being said, Grace has been presented as the biggest star in the division in a long time so this is only so surprising. The division has some depth to give Grace some trouble and that might make for some interesting results. For now though, good match, with Ash holding her own.

We recap Mustafa Ali defending the X-Division Title against Mike Bailey, another hometown boy. Bailey was granted a title shot but Ali took it back before attacking Bailey’s partner Trent Seven. Now it’s about revenge and the title.

X-Division Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Mike Bailey

Ali, with Campaign Singh, is defending and they fight over a headlock to start. Ali snaps off a running hurricanrana for two but Bailey kicks him down. The threat of the Tornado Kick sends Ali out to the apron and a quick shot has Bailey in early trouble. Bailey is right back to knock him to the floor for the middle rope moonsault, with the fans greatly approving. The Secret Service offers a distraction though, allowing Ali to come back with a middle rope tornado DDT.

Back in and Ali’s rolling neckbreaker gets two, setting up the chinlock to slow things down. A spinning Downward Spiral gives Ali two and he is already looking frustrated. Back up and Bailey hits a Falcon Arrow into a shooting star press for two of his own. The moonsault knees only hit apron so Ali hits a hard superkick. They both go up, where Bailey manages a super Spanish Fly onto the Secret Service/Singh for the big knockdown.

Back in and they trade rollups for two each (Ali’s cheating doesn’t help) so Bailey knocks him down. The Ultimate Weapon is knocked out of the air though and a Cheeky Nandos dropkick rocks Bailey again. Bailey scores with another kick into the Ultimate Weapon for the pin…but Ali’s foot was on the rope. The referee accidentally gets kicked down so the Secret Service and Singh come in to lay Bailey out.

Cue Trent Seven to break up the cover and take out Ali’s crew. Ali gets in a cheap shot though….and Earl Hebner comes in to referee. Ali grabs a Sharpshooter and Hebner teases calling for the bell but can’t do it. The frustrated Ali gets a chair, only to have Bailey kick it away. The Sharpshooter gives Bailey the title back at 20:24.

Rating: B. This was more or less the amped up version of PCO’s win with the more important title. Ali had held the title for a long time and Bailey had to put in the work to get there. That being said, naturally we just had to do the Montreal Screwjob stuff because nothing else has ever happened in the history of wrestling in this city.

the Personal Concierge yells at Santino Marella about what happened. Hammerstone comes in to yell as well and the Concierge seems interested.

We recap Moose defending the World Title in a six way and qualifying matches ensued. There isn’t much more to it than that, but Joe Hendry is the hottest thing in the world and has his shot here.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Nic Nemeth vs. Steve Maclin vs. Joe Hendry vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Josh Alexander

Moose is defending and this is elimination rules. Moose tries to get the early alliance with Kazarian, who bails to the floor…and then comes back in to stomp on Moose in the corner. Kazarian is sent outside as well and the other four pair off to start fast. Hendry throws Nemeth onto Moose and follows him to the floor, leaving us with Alexander, Kazarian and Maclin inside for a weird three way.

Kazarian gets beaten into the corner before Alexander and Maclin can fight again, as is their custom. Alexander starts snapping off the German suplexes to just about everyone, including the rolling editions to Maclin for two. A double German suplex sends Maclin and Kazarian flying but Moose is back in to take over. Nemeth cuts that off and drops the ten elbows but Moose rolls outside, meaning it’s a jumping elbow to hit him as well.

Back in and Kazarian gets to hit some slingshot cutters for two on Moose, leaving everyone down. Hendry comes back in but Maclin is right there to send people outside, setting up the series of Scuds. Back in and Maclin loads up the KIA on Kazarian, only to get speared by Moose for the pin and the elimination at 10:43.

The fans sing Maclin off so he flips them off on his way out. Moose release Rock Bottoms Kazarian, powerbombs Hendry and Buckle Bombs Nemeth. Another powerbomb gets two on Alexander and another powerbomb onto the apron hits Kazarian. Hendry jumps Moose though and Alexander hits the crossbody on the apron to put everyone on the floor. They all fight up to the stage, where Moose has to backdrop his way out of a C4 Spike attempt.

Nemeth escapes the Fade To Black as well and superkicks Kazarian off the stage and through a table. Most of them go back to ringside, where Moose chokeslams Nemeth onto Alexander. Hendry comes up behind him though and cutters Moose for two. The fall away slams hit everyone else around and Hendry is rolling. Moose spears Alexander and Nemeth but Hendry reverses into a backslide. Back up and Moose kicks Hendry in the face but gets dropped with a hard clothesline. The Standing Ovation finishes Moose for the elimination at 21:37 and the fans believe that much more.

Then Alexander kicks Hendry low and hits him with the C4 Spike for the elimination at 22:51 and the fans are GONE. Alexander sits on Hendry and slaps him a bunch before going after the referee. Nemeth breaks that up but gets caught with a powerbomb backbreaker for his efforts. Alexander hammers him own and poses a lot before going after Nemeth’s bad shoulder. That’s broken up though and Nemeth grabs a running DDT for a needed breather. Another C4 Spike is escaped and Nemeth hits a superkick to get rid of Alexander at 28:44.

We’re down to Nemeth vs. Kazarian, the latter of whom hasn’t been seen since going through the table. Kazarian comes back in with a Fade To Black for two, followed by the chickenwing. That’s broken up and Nemeth hits a superkick for two more. A Backstabber rocks Nemeth but he’s right back with a superkick into the Danger Zone for the pin and the title at 30:51.

Rating: B. It was an action packed match and I got into it, but the ending didn’t have much in the way of drama. The bigger problem here though is the fact that it isn’t Hendry winning. Nemeth winning isn’t a bad way to go, but ultimately this is likely to be seen as the latest instance of the hot homegrown star being passed over in exchange for the older former WWE star. It’s still a good match and Hendry could win the title (I’ll give him until the end of Bound For Glory) but there are going to be some annoyed fans and they might have a good point.

Ryan Nemeth and a bunch of champions come out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The show was good with nothing overly bad and some nice moments, but it didn’t have that one big match or moment to carry it to the next level. It felt like the end of the System’s dominance and that’s a big step, but the next round of feuds should be interested. I was expecting a pretty awesome show and only got a good one. That’s not a terrible way to go, but they need to follow up on this rather well.

Results
Tasha Steelz b. Faby Apache, Gisele Shaw and Xia Brookside – Running knee to Brookside
Kushida b. Rich Swann – Hoverboard Lock
Alisha Edwards/Masha Slamovich b. Spitfire – Steiner Bulldog to Threat
Eric Young b. Hammerstone – Rollup
Matt Hardy b. JDC – Middle rope Twist Of Fate
ABC b. The System – 1-2-Sweet to Myers
Mike Santana b. Jake Something – Spin The Block
Rascalz b. No Quarter Catch Crew – Hot Fire Flame to Heights
PCO b. AJ Francis – PCOsault
Jordynne Grace b. Ash By Elegance – Juggernaut Driver
Mike Bailey b. Mustafa Ali – Sharpshooter
Nic Nemeth b. Moose, Frankie Kazarian, Josh Alexander, Steve Maclin and Joe Hendry – Danger Zone to Kazarian

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: June 27, 2024
Location: Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are closing in on Slammiversary and the big story is the Road To Slammiversary tournament/competition, which will see five challengers lined up to challenge Moose for the World Title. Josh Alexander is already in but he is going to need some fellow challengers. Odds are we find out at least one of them tonight so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Sika.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Jordynne Grace for a chat. She knows Ash By Elegance has been watching her for months, so the title match can be on tonight. Cue the person concierge to introduce Ash, complete with security. The match can indeed happen, but we’re going to do it at Slammiversary while Ash goes to the Bahamas for a breather. Security goes after Grace, who wipes them out without much trouble until Santino Marella breaks it up. Masha Slamovich comes to the ring for her match and has a staredown with Grace.

Masha Slamovich vs. Xia Brookside

Alisha Edwards is here with Slamovich. They fight over wrist control to start with Brookside taking over, only to have Edwards offer a distraction. Brookside fights up and hits a quick Broken Wings. The Brookside Bomb is broken up by another Edwards distraction, meaning the Snowplow can finish Brookside at 5:21.

Rating: C. Slamovich getting a shot at Grace, perhaps after Slammiversary, is not the worst idea and it isn’t like Slamovich and Edwards feel like a long term team. It’s interesting to see where this could be going, though I could also go for more from Brookside. She has the talent, but for some reason she is never given much of a significant spot.

We look at First Class breaking up Steph De Lander and PCO’s date last week.

First Class brags about their win and as a bonus, AJ Francis has bought a title from a Montreal promotion. PCO has long since wanted that title, but since Francis bought it, he’s the new International Champion.

Lars Frederiksen gives Spitfire a big pep talk before they have to face each other.

Campaign Singh introduces Mustafa Ali for his state of the union. Ali talks about the video where he degraded the X-Division Title and put out an investigation into the video. The reality is that the video was AI GENERATED and officially fake news. He loves Chicago and it is #1, albeit partially in crime, but it’s time to move on to the next challenger. That means a SPEEDBALL chant but Ali is looking at both the TNA and other locker rooms.

Ali is cut off by more fans chanting for Speedball, which earns them an ejection from the champion. One of them doesn’t want to leave and throws a drink in Ali’s face, meaning the brawl is on. The fan is dragged inside to keep up the beating, with Mike Bailey and Trent Seven running in for the save. Ali isn’t happy with this and issues the challenge to Bailey for Slammiversary. Good enough stuff here, as the election stuff is tying into Ali’s slow downfall.

Post break, Bailey says of course he’s in for the title match.

ABC vs. Rascalz vs. Cody Deaner/Jake Something

Before the match, Deaner and Something say they want a title shot if they win but the Rascalz say they should just be #1 contenders by default. ABC dives onto them to start the fight before the bell and we take a break. Back with the match joined in progress and Deaner fighting back against the Rascalz.

Deaner flips out of a suplex into the corner for a tag off to Austin to start the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and it’s Something coming in to clear the ring. A sitout powerbomb gets two on Austin and Something shrugs off a dive. Something cuts off Austin’s handstand on the apron and drops him onto Wentz for a nasty crash. The ABC takes out Something though and it’s the 1-2-Sweet to pin Deaner at 5:28 shown.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of action match that you would have expected and they’re doing a nice job of rebuilding the ABC for what is likely one more big title shot at Slammiversary. The Rascalz are always going to be fine but hopefully this helps split up Something and Deaner. Something just deserves something better than that and hopefully that is where he goes next.

The System isn’t worried about Santino Marella because Moose has a plan.

Video on Sami Callihan vs. Steve Maclin.

Road To Slammiversary Qualifying Match: Sami Callihan vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin hits a running knee at the bell but misses the Jar Headbutt. The Cactus Driver 97 gives Callihan two as we’re about thirty seconds in. Back up and Maclin slugs away until he knocks Callihan outside. The Scud is knocked out of the air so Maclin settles for a knee to the face back inside. The Jar Headbutt gets two and there’s an elbow off the apron to hit Callihan again.

Callihan is right back up with a t-bone suplex on the floor and they’re both down again. They both beat the count back in and Callihan hits another t-bone into the corner. The middle rope Cactus Driver 97 is blocked so Callihan settles for a middle rope Death Valley Driver. A regular Cactus Driver 97 gets two and they fight to the apron to keep up the brawling. Callihan gets caught in the ropes for a running knee, setting up the hanging KIA to give Maclin the pin at 8:46.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure I can imagine Maclin winning but much like Alexander, it makes all the sense in the world to have him in the match. Putting a former World Champion in the match makes it feel that much more important and it was made even better by having a solid match on the way there. It isn’t easy to make that happen with Callihan but it worked here.

Alan Angels vs. Kushida

Angels tries to jump him to start and gets cut off as Kushida sends Angels out to the apron. Back in and a neckbreaker gives Angels two as commentary talks about Jonathan Gresham. Angels grabs the chinlock but Kushida fights up, only to get dropkicked out to the floor. Kushida is fine enough to snap the arm on the floor before he punches a springboarding Angels out of the air. The Hoverboard Lock finishes Angels at 3:57.

Rating: C. Thankfully they kept this short as there is little reason for Kushida to have any serious trouble against someone of Angels’ caliber. At the same time through, that means he is a step closer to dealing with Jonathan Gresham again, which isn’t good for anyone. Not much of a match, but that’s to be expected given the circumstances.

Post match Jonathan Gresham comes in to go after Kushida and tries to pour the ink into his mouth. Security makes the save as the worst thing in TNA (if not wrestling right now) continues.

The Hardys vow revenge on the System. This was right back to Broken Matt after last week’s step back to reality.

Video on Rich Swann vs. Nic Nemeth.

Road To Slammiversary Qualifying Match: Nic Nemeth vs. Rich Swann

AJ Francis and DJ Who Kid are here with Swann. Nemeth works on the arm to start but Swann takes him down and swivels his hips. Back in and Nemeth takes him to the mat and we hit the rather aggressive headlock. That’s broken up so Kid offers a distraction, allowing Francis to get in a cheap shot. The referee tosses out the seconds and we take a break.

We come back with Nemeth fighting out of a chinlock but getting kicked in the head for his efforts. Nemeth fights up but gets clotheslined down for two more. Back up again and Nemeth grabs a sleeper, which is broken up so Swann can knock him down for another near fall. The middle rope Phoenix splash is blocked but Swann connects with the handspring cutter for two. They trade superkicks until Nemeth hits a DDT into the Danger Zone for the pin at 15:02.

Rating: B-. As has been the case before, there are matches where you know the quality will be there based on the people involved. That was the case again as you had two talented stars getting to do their thing for awhile. Swann might not be the star that he was before but he can still have a good match with just about anyone, including someone as talented as Nemeth.

Overall Rating: B. You can see most of Slammiversary coming from here and this show was designed to get us towards a lot of the expected card. That might not make for the most thrilling show, but it makes for a quality one, which is what needed to happen here. Good show, with the main event probably being the best part of the night.

Results
Masha Slamovich b. Xia Brookside – Snowplow
ABC b. Rascalz and Cody Deaner/Jake Something – 1-2-Sweet to Deaner
Steve Maclin b. Sami Callihan – Hanging KIA
Kushida b. Alan Angels – Hoverboard Lock
Nic Nemeth b. Rich Swann – Danger Zone

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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GCW/JCW vs. The World
Date: April 4, 2024
Location: Penns Landing Caterers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Nick Knowledge, Veda Scott

As tends to be the case over Wrestlemania Weekend, we have some promotions going to battle for one night. In this case it’s GCW and it’s secondary promotion JCW vs….well everyone else. That could make for quite the series of options, but odds are it’s just anyone who happens to be in town for the weekend. Let’s get to it.

Dig the WCW vs. the World Playstation theme.

Opening sequence.

Jordan Oliver (GCW/JCW) vs. Aigle Blanc (The World)

The fans are rather happy to see Oliver, even as Blanc grabs a hammerlock on him to start. Oliver’s monkey flip is blocked and we get an early standoff. Oliver knocks him out of the air but Blanc anklescissors his way out of an Acid Bomb attempt. Blanc tries a springboard but gets dropkicked out of the air, allowing Oliver to grab a bridging German suplex for two. A tornado DDT is broken up so Oliver goes with a superkick.

Blanc flips out of a German suplex and now the springboard crossbody connects. There’s a suplex for two on Oliver and we slow down a bit. Back up and Oliver strikes away, setting up a springboard tornado DDT for two of his own. Blanc manages to tie him in the ropes for a superkick into a hurricanrana driver. A Coast To Coast and a tombstone give Blanc two and he can’t believe the kickout.

Blanc gets caught on top but fights out of another Acid Bomb, with Oliver getting caught in a twisting superplex instead. Oliver is sent outside but manages to counter a dive into a brainbuster onto the floor. Since this is modern wrestling, Blanc is right back with a lariat to knock Oliver silly.

The Cloud Cutter (middle rope diving cutter) gives Oliver two and now the Acid Bomb (which is a Blackout into a faceplant rather than a flip) gets the same. Back up and Blanc sends Oliver face first into the buckles, setting up a springboard DDT onto the apron. A 450 gives Blanc two but he dives into a cutter, allowing Oliver to hit a super Acid Bomb for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: B. I’ve seen a bit from Oliver before and he’s not bad when he’s getting a chance to show what he can do. That was the case here as this was a rather fun match with both of them getting to do a bunch of stuff. Blanc (whose name means White Eagle) held up his end here too and these guys had a rather entertaining match (assuming you can ignore/accept the lack of selling in a lot of places).

GCW/JCW – 1
The World – 0

Blanc gets a nice ovation.

Griffin McCoy (GCW/JCW) vs. Session Moth Martina (The World)

Before the match, McCoy mocks the fans because he’s a big star but he’s not happy for facing a drunken woman. That’s enough to bring out Martina, complete with the rather energetic entrance to Every Time We Touch. This is more impressive when you consider that this show started around midnight after the first show in the building started at 11am.

Martina passes out during her entrance (it happens occasionally) and is brought back to life thanks to a beer. The bell rings and Martina seems to find McCoy attractive, but would rather do some WRESTLING. They trade waistlocks with Martina gyrating from both directions, earning a slap in the corner. Martina sends him into the buckle and hits a rather long Bronco Buster but accidentally bumps the referee.

McCoy uses the distraction to send Martina into the corner and hammer away, setting up a Helluva Kick. Martina’s come back attempt is cut off by a kick to the chest, followed by another for two. The STF goes on, with Martina crawling towards the corner for a rope…and a beer.

The spitting to the face has McCoy in trouble and a twisting suplex gives Martina two. Back up and McCoy blocks a diving Codebreaker but Martina reverses a belly to back superplex into a sunset bomb. With McCoy on the floor, Martina hits a suicide dive, followed by the Jager Bomb for two back inside. Another middle rope Codebreaker is blocked and McCoy rakes the eyes for the win at 7:48.

Rating: C. This was more about the comedy than anything else and it only kind of worked. I get the idea of putting Martina in a match that is more designed to be fun but this wasn’t exactly funny at times. It didn’t help that the ending was more than than a little weird, with McCoy actually winning with a rake of the eyes. Not a terrible match, but it didn’t click.

GCW/JCW – 2
The World – 0

JCW World Title: Syuri (The World) vs. Masha Slamovich (GCW/JCW)

Slamovich is defending and the referee drops the title as he displays it before the bell. They fight over a lockup to start and then go to the mat with Syuri getting the better of things. Slamovich gets in a takedown of her own and Syuri is a bit impressed. Arm cranking ensues until Syuri reverses into a headlock. They trade armdrags and legsweeps until Slamovich runs her over.

A kick to the back seems to wake Syuri up as she kicks Slamovich down, only to drop down and let Slamovich kick her. That’s fine with Slamovich but Syuri reverses one of the kicks into a dragon screw legwhip. Syuri grabs a sleeper for a good while until Slamovich is able to roll free. Slamovich slams her down out of the corner for two before grabbing a seated abdominal stretch.

The rope gets Syuri out of trouble but Slamovich kicks her down a few times. Syuri fights up and they slug it out, with both of them screaming a lot. The fight goes to Slamovich again and she grabs a half crab, with Syuri having to make the rope. That’s broken up as well and Syuri is back with a faceplant into a sitout bulldog for two. Syuri manages to get to a Disarm-Her but Slamovich makes the rope as well.

Back up and they slowly strike it out, with the forearm exchange going on for a good while. The kicks don’t drop either of them so they both hit running shots against the ropes. Syuri hits a Codebreaker but Slamovich scores with a Shining Wizard and they’re both down. Slamovich goes up so Syuri pulls her down by the arm and grabs a Disarm-Her. That’s broken up so Syuri kicks her in the arm and hits a DDT for two.

A kick to the head gives Syuri two more and the Disarm-Her goes on again. This time it’s Slamovich reversing into a cross armbreaker, which is reversed into a sleeper to put Slamovich back in trouble. With that escaped as well, Slamovich invites some kicks to the chest, one of which she reverses into a kneebar.

We get the ten minutes remaining call as they slug it out from their knees. Slamovich gets the better of things and Air Raid Crashes her into the corner for two. Something like Sister Abigail (complete with kiss) gives Slamovich two and frustration is rapidly setting in. Slamovich grabs a double armbar, with Syuri making it over to the ropes almost immediately.

Back up and Syuri kicks her in the head a few times for two before grabbing the stretch that Dan Severn used to injure D’Lo Brown’s chest. Slamovich makes the rope again and we have less than five minutes to go. Back up and they slowly slug it out, with Slamovich seemingly getting stronger. Slamovich gets the better of things and rolls her around the ring into a near fall.

We hit two minutes left as Syuri gets her own two off a rollup. Slamovich grabs a Fujiwara armbar and cranks on the other arm at the same time to make it even worse. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker from Syuri as we have thirty seconds left. Syuri gets two off a bridging German suplex so Slamovich does the same. A kick to the head drops Slamovich but time expires at 30:00 (or 30:04 but close enough) for the draw.

Rating: B. They beat the heck out of each other and it was a rather physical fight, though it was pretty clear where they were going about fifteen minutes in. That being said, this made Slamovich feel like quite the star as Syuri’s reputation is more than enough to give Slamovich a rub. Pretty awesome match here, with Slamovich more than holding her own.

Respect is shown post match.

Los Desperados (GCW/JCW) vs. Team Dragon Gate (World)

That would be Arez/Gringo Loco/Latigo vs. Dragon Kid/Shun Skywalker/Yamato. Skywalker and Latigo start things off, with the evil Skywalker not being interested in a handshake. Instead Skywalker grabs a headlock but has a monkey flip attempt countered into a rollup for two. They trade rollups for two each and the fans approve. Latigo flips him off so we’ll try Arez vs. Yamato instead.

A shoulder puts Arez down but he slowly nips up and rolls into an armdrag to put Yamato down. Loco and the Kid come in, with the fans rather approving, including as Loco flips out of an armdrag attempt. Kid grabs a headscissors for some more success and it’s back to Yamato to work on the arm. We cut to Skywalker sitting in the crowd so Yamato hands it off to Kid and goes outside to yell. The distraction lets Loco fight up and Los Desperados get in some stomping.

Skywalker comes back in and gets kicked down, with Arez’s splash giving Latigo two. Kid gets draped over the top for a superkick from Loco, followed by a Liger Bomb for two more. Arez gets to chop Yamato rather hard, before Latigo tries something like Shattered Dreams. Kid manages to fight up and bring Yamato back in as everything breaks down.

Skywalker is willing to come in since everyone is down, with a powerbomb getting two on Arez. Latigo comes back in with a super headscissors to Skywalker and Loco adds a super Vader Bomb for two with Yamato making the save. We get a chop off between Yamato and Arez, with the latter needing a second to shrug off some stinging. Arez comes back with his own chops and Yamto needs a breather for a change.

The chops keep going (we’re a few minutes in now) until Arez hits a Pele Kick. Kid is back in with a tornado DDT for two on Arez and a hurricanrana gets the same on Loco. Latigo makes a fired up comeback and Loco no sells an enziguri from Yamato. A powerbomb/neckbreaker combination puts Yamato down and the spinning moonsault gives Logo the pin at 14:04.

Rating: C+. It picked up near the end but egads there were a lot of slow moments here and they dragged things down. They played up the idea of Los Desperados being a regular team while Team Dragon Gate just happen to work together, which is a fine way to go. Not a great match, but the last few minutes (once the eternal chop off ended) helped a lot.

GCW/JCW – 3
The World – 0

Astronauts/Rina Yamashita (The World) vs. 1 Called Manders/Gahbage Daddies (GCW/JCW)

The Astronauts are Fuminori Abe/Takuya Nomura and the Daddies are Alec Price/Cole Radrick. We get the traditional exchange of middle fingers before the bell and it’s Radrick taking Abe to the mat to start. Abe reverses into a headlock so Radrick reverses into a headlock, only to have Abe kick him in the back.

Rina comes in but the triple knees miss a screaming Radrick. It’s off to Price for a springboard high crossbody to take the Astronauts down. A step up Swanton hits Rina and it’s already off to Manders. A hard kick to the back wakes Rina up but Manders kicks her down again. Manders misses….well commentary calls it “an adorable attempt at a springboard elbow”, which is more than I could tell from whatever he did) before opting to just forearm Rina in the face.

Rina’s testicular claw is blocked so she settles for a slam to the much bigger Manders. Nomura comes in for the kicks in the corner but Manders reverses for some rather loud chops. Nomura’s dropkick gets two but the running kick to the chest is blocked for another hard chop. It’s back to Abe vs. Price, with the former kicking Price down for two. An exchange of shots to the head leave them both down so it’s off to Radrick vs. Rina for the slugout.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Radrick two but Rina rises up for a double middle finger and a kick to the head. We get a triple submission, which is broken up so Rina can claw Manders low. Some superkicks put Rina on the floor and Manders hits a dive, with the Dahdies hitting a (rather delayed) dive of their own. Some chairs and a board are brought in but Rina is back in to make a save. Rina’s over the back piledriver gets two on Radrick, who is then Splash Mountained through the board for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: B-. It was more energetic than the previous match and that made things that much better. What mattered here was giving the fans something to energize them a bit more, which is necessary when it’s nearly 2am local time. The Astronauts were a fun team and felt like two guys who knew each other rather well. The Daddies kind of did the same, though it felt more like a makeshift team than anything else.

GCW/JCW – 3
The World – 1

Team GCW/JCW vs. Team World

GCW/JCW – Calvin Tankman, Charlie Tiger, Marcus Mathers, Mike Bailey, Mr. Danger, Terry Yaki, Tony Deppen
The World – Ho Ho Lun, LJ Cleary, Lou Nixon, Mizuki Watase, Ricky Knight Jr., Shota, Yusaka Ito

I’m sure I’ll be able to keep track of this perfectly well. Veda Scott isn’t happy that Bailey, her husband, isn’t wearing his mouthpiece. It’s a brawl to start, with Knowledge accurately calling this a battle royal early on. Cleary and Yaki are left alone in the ring and we’ll go split screen for the sake of sanity. Yaki gets sent into the corner so the World can crush him with various shots.

Cleary’s splash misses though and now it’s his turn to get crushed in the corner, with the rather large Tankman making it worse. Mathers kicks Cleary in the face in the corner for two as this is breaking down into something close to a match. Cleary fights up but opts to fire up the crowd rather than tagging, allowing Danger to dropkick him down. The World comes in to clear things out a bit and it’s Knight tagging himself in for a wishbone on Danger.

A delayed suplex drops Danger again and it’s off to the rather large Nixon for a chop to the back. Lun kicks him in the back for two before Ito comes in to crank on the arm (and scream a lot). Watase drives a top rope knee to the back as the rapid tags continue. Danger strikes his way to his feet though and a double clothesline gives him a breather. Tankman and Knight come in for the slugout, with Knight managing a Samoan drop to put Tankman down.

Bailey dropkicks Knight silly though and it’s a slugout with Watase. We get the required group suplex (it doesn’t really work) with the World getting the better of things. Bailey gets the parade of shots in the corner until Nixon’s GTS sets up Watase’s top rope double stomp for two.

Team GCW/JCW comes back in to clear the ring though and naturally the big dives ensue. A bunch of people huddle on the floor so Tankman can throw Yaki onto them…and then Tankman hits a big flip dive (with rope but close enough) to take everyone down again. Back in and Bailey hits his tornado kick on Watase, leaving Danger to hit a crazy flip dive to the floor. The Ultimate Weapon gives bailey the pin on Watase at 10:54.

Rating: C+. What is there to say about something like this? There were fourteen people in the match at once and it only had ten minutes. There is only so much you can get out of any of this, especially when there was a heat segment on Danger. They did what they could to get that many people included, but it only worked out so well.

GCW/JCW – 4
World – 1

Video on Joey Janela challenging Blake Christian for the GCW World Title at Spring Break. This was some random filler.

Los Macizos (GCW/JCW) vs. Mao/Yoshihiko (World) vs. Boisterous Behavior (GCW/JCW) vs. Norman Harras/Robert Dreissker (World)

Los Macizos are Ciclope/Miedo Extreme and Boisterous Behavior are Leon Slater/Man Like DeReiss. The affiliations here are kind of educated guesses but I can’t imagine it makes that big of a difference. We pause for some dancing, with Yoshihiko patting Slater on the head to start the mind games. Mao carries Yoshihiko around ringside for a bit before chilling on the apron. Dreissker, a rather large man, is not thrilled with any of this and locks up with DeReiss for the first important contact over two minutes in.

They forearm it out until DeReiss manages a knockdown so it’s off to Harras to hit DeReiss in the face. Slater tags himself in for the neckbreaker half of a belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination. Los Macizos come in to take over on Slater in the corner, with Miedo’s top rope double stomp to the back of the head making it worse. Mao comes in and uses Yoshihiko to trip Ciclope but Harras breaks up the big dive.

Harras slaps Yoshihiko, who is launched hard out into the crowd. Back in and Harras takes over on Los Macizos as Mao brings Yoshihiko back to ringside. Ciclope gets beaten aup as Mao is now giving Yoshihiko CPR. Dreissker hits a splash for two on Ciclope as the fans are only kind of reacting because they’re waiting for the Yoshihiko stuff. Or they’re dead tired because it’s almost 2:30 in the morning.

Ciclope manages a spinebuster on Dreissker though and Miedo comes in with a high crossbody on Dreissker and Harras. Los Macizos hit back to back dives but Mao and Yoshihiko are back in. They’re taken down just as fast but Boisterous Behavior wants in on this too. Behavior is suplexed onto Yoshihiko onto Mao, only to have Behavior get into a fight with Los Macizos. Slater’s big flip dive to the floor takes out Harras and Dreissker and it’s a 3D to Yoshihiko.

A Doomsday Blockbuster gets two on Ciclope but Mao is back in to hit people with Yoshihiko. Ciclope gets taken down with a double hurricanrana and then Yoshihiko is spun around and tossed onto the pile at ringside. Back in and Dreissker powerbombs Yoshihiko and Harras adds a moonsault, only to have Mao come in with a 450 for the save. We get the required Tower Of Doom, with Slater getting the worst of everything.

That leaves Mao to stare DeReiss down and they trade kicks to the head. DeReiss gets Mao in an electric chair and a German suplex brings him down hard. Back in and Los Macizos hit a modified Doomsday Device for two on DeReiss but Harras and Dreissker come in to clean house. Mao and Yoshihiko put Dreissker down with a Rainmaker but Harras German suplexes both of them. Harras only gets one on Yoshihiko so it’s time for some spitting. Yoshihiko makes a comeback and is swung around, knocking down a bunch of people like Terry Funk with a ladder back in the day. Yoshihiko’s hurricanrana pins Harras at 16:34.

Rating: B-. The match was fun for the most part but I’m rather over the Yoshihiko stuff. I know the fans want to see it but after seeing it on multiple shows over multiple days, the joke wears thin rather quickly. That was certainly the case here, as the action would get good but then it had to stop for the sake of that stuff. The rest of the match worked, but egads enough with the same joke already.

GCW/JCW – 4
World – 2

Overall Rating: B. For a show that had a bunch of people crammed onto it and nothing in the way of grudges or storylines, I had a pretty nice time. This show did have a rather awesome mixture of styles and action, thankfully without a lot of the goofy stuff that GCW can be known for. It’s not something I would want to watch every week, but for a special event like this, it went much better than I had been expecting.

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