Impact Wrestling
Date: April 25, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Rebellion and now it is time to start the fallout. The big story was the return of Broken Matt Hardy, who seems to want the World Title back. I’m not sure how well that is going to go but it seems like we have at least a general direction for Under Siege next month. Let’s get to it.

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

Long Rebellion recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Nic Nemeth to get things going. He appreciates the welcome but thought he would be here as World Champion. There are no excuses because he left it out there in the ring and he failed. His family was right there in the front row and he let them down. Right now he doesn’t know what to do next and he feels broken inside…which brings out Broken Matt Hardy to interrupt.

Matt had a pre-mo-neetion that he would be in the ring with the World Champion at the end of Rebellion, which he was hoping would be Nemeth. We look at the end of the match, where Nemeth’s shoulder was clearly up. Hardy wants the World Title and says Nemeth can have a shot down the line, but here is the System, including World Champion Moose, to interrupt.

Moose says Hardy thinks he is the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which is why the team is so bad. You can’t challenge a play in wrestling but Nemeth says come say this to their faces. Eddie Edwards says Nemeth is here to be the next Kurt Angle but he might not even be Eric Angle. Nemeth challenges Edwards for tonight. This was shorter than I thought and set up a main event, plus pointed us in the direction for some other stuff. That’s not too bad, unlike Hardy, who is rather bad.

Santino Marella oversees the ballot box for crowning a new #1 contender to the X-Division Title. Jordynne Grace comes in for some glaring.

We look at some of the insanity in the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion, with PCO interfering and Sami Callihan returning before Jordynne Grace retained over Steph de Lander.

Grace is glad she had PCO on standby but didn’t know Callihan was coming. Next week, the title is on the line again Miyu Yamashita, who comes in to say she’s winning the title.

Mike Santana vs. Myron Reed

The Rascalz are here with Reed and offer an early distraction so Reed can jump him to start. A slingshot Codebreaker gives Reed two but Santana is back up with some chops. Santana is knocked to the ramp but manages to block the jumping cutter. The Buck Fifty drops Reed and a running Blockbuster takes out the Rascalz for a bonus. Back in and Spin The Block finishes for Santana at 2:57. They packed a lot in there and Santana continues to look good.

Post match here is Steve Maclin (who Santana beat in his return at Rebellion) to ask the Rascalz to go after Santana. That’s a negative, so Maclin tries it alone and has to run from a Spin The Block attempt.

Steph de Lander and Kon issue the challenge to Jordynne Grace and PCO for Under Siege.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat. He declares it a good day because he is in a TNA ring. At Rebellion, he showed what this place meant to him and you can call him the gatekeeper around here. The one thing he hasn’t been called around here in far too long is World Champion, but here is Frankie Kazarian to interrupt.

Kazarian won at Rebellion too so he should be getting that World Title shot. Alexander is down for a #1 contenders match but Kazarian says he’s too banged up after Rebellion. That’s fine with Alexander, who is cool with being #1 contender without a match. That doesn’t work for Kazarian (yes he says brother) so the match is on…right now.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Josh Alexander

For a future World Title shot, with Kazarian in street clothes and Alexander in a track suit. Kazarian throws a jacket at him to start and chokes in the corner but Alexander makes the clothesline comeback. We take a break and come back with commentary saying this is NOT a #1 contenders match, despite it being kind of perfect to be one.

Alexander misses the running crossbody on the apron and Kazarian hits a slingshot legdrop for two. A running Russian legsweep gives Kazarian two more and a fisherman’s suplex is good for the same. Alexander fights back and hits a Regal Roll for two of his own but Kazarian pulls him into the chickenwing. That’s reversed into the ankle lock but Kazarian slips out and hits the apron Fameasser.

Fade To Black and the C4 Spike are both blocked so Alexander goes with the ankle lock again. With that broken up, Alexander snaps off a German suplex for two more. Frustration is setting in so Kazarian sends him to the apron for a slingshot cutter. Kazarian brings in a chair and a chain, with the former being taken away so he grabs the latter. Cue Eric Young to take the chain away, allowing Alexander to grab the ankle lock for the tap at 12:52.

Rating: B-. This was the weekly “let two good wrestlers have a wrestling match” match and as usual, it went pretty well. Alexander getting back into the title hunt is a good thing, but egads Young vs. Kazarian needs to either be over or take a long break. They just had a big bloody match over the weekend and they’re already back at it? That’s a bit much.

Santino Marella says Jake Something can’t have another X-Division Title shot. Hammerstone comes in and wants to talk about Rebellion, but gets in Something’s face instead. Santino makes the match at Under Siege.

Here is First Class, with hip hop legend Bun B, for a chat. AJ Francis tells the fans to make some noise for B before telling them to shut up. B praises the first class accommodations with First Class before Rich Swann brags about beating Joe Hendry. Cue Hendry, to say he suffered an injury after the match but he knows he owes Francis an apology. That comes next week.

Ash By Elegance vs. Xia Brookside

They glare at each other to start before slugging it out, with Ash getting the better of things. Ash stomps away in the corner and gets two off a suplex. They go to the ramp where Ash drops her again, setting up a chinlock back inside. Brookside fights up and sends her into the corner for some running knees to the back. A high crossbody gives Brookside two but Ash sends her crashing out to the floor. Back in and Ash loads up a foreign object, which is quickly taken away, allowing Brookside to roll her up for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C. That one surprised me as I wouldn’t have bet on Ash losing anytime soon. The good thing here is it was presented like Brookside catching her rather than flat out beating her which leaves Ash looking a bit stronger. You can pretty much guarantee a rematch, maybe as soon as Under Siege, but for now, it was an intriguing enough twist.

Trey Miguel has won the election for an X-Division Title shot but there are allegations of BALLOT BOX STUFFING! Mustafa Ali says he shouldn’t defend the title at all, but Santino Marella says we can have a run off, in the form of a #1 contenders match next week.

Here are the Good Hands to complain about Sami Callihan attacking them at Rebellion. They wanted a match with Callihan, who wants to fight both of them.

Sami Callihan vs. Good Hands

Sami jumps them to start and uses a picture of PCO to paper cut their fingers. Skyler manages a quick spear off the apron and Hotch adds a moonsault off the apron. Back in and Callihan knocks Hotch out of the air, setting up the Cactus Driver 97 for the pin at 2:40.

Steve Maclin offers an alliance with Frankie Kazarian so they can deal with Eric Young and Mike Santana. Kazarian seems to be pondering.

Here’s what’s coming at Under Siege.

Eddie Edwards vs. Nic Nemeth

Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are here with Eddie while Nic’s brother Ryan is in the front row. They go to the mat to start with Nic getting a headscissors into a headlock. Eddie reverses into a headlock of his own but Nic slips out. The superkick is cut off by an Alisha distraction though and Eddie hammers away on the ropes.

Eddie whips him chest first into the chest for two, followed by a snap suplex into a knee drop for the same. Nic fights up and hammers away but Myers offers a distraction so Eddie can knock him out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Eddie kneeing him in the ribs for two, setting up the chinlock. Nic fights up and hits a neckbreaker out of the corner, setting up the rapid fire elbows.

The running DDT gives Nic two but Eddie rolls outside to avoid the superkick. Back in and Nic gets crotched on top, setting up a superplex into a tiger driver for two. Eddie takes too long setting up his own superkick, allowing Nic to superkick him into an Angle Slam. They slug it out until a double clothesline leaves both of them down. The referee has to yell at Ryan and Myers for fighting on the floor, allowing Moose to run in with a belt shot. The Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 16:30.

Rating: B-. Much like the other long match, you know you’re going to get at least pretty good stuff out of these two because they’re both polished veterans. They had a good match here and the ending should set up something at Under Siege. It’s not a classic, but it worked well for a first time TV main event.

Post match Moose wraps a chair around Nic’s neck and smashes it with another chair. Speedball Mountain runs in to chase the System off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the kind of show that the company needed with only eight days to go before Under Siege. They set up a bunch of the show’s matches in a hurry while giving us a pair of rather good one off matches here. As usual, TNA knows how to get things done when they need to and they did just that right here.

Results
Mike Santana b. Myron Reed – Spin The Block
Josh Alexander b. Frankie Kazarian – Ankle lock
Ash By Elegance b. Xia Brookside – Rollup
Sami Callihan b. Good Hands – Cactus Driver 97 to Hotch
Eddie Edwards b. Nic Nemeth – Boston Knee Party

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Rebellion 2024
Date: April 20, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re back to the main pay per views and that should make for an interesting night. The big main event is Moose defending the World Title against Nic Nemeth, but we also have Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone in a Last Man Standing rubber match. Other than that we have the usual array of title matches so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Rascalz vs. Leon Slater/ABC

Slater takes Miguel down to start and runs him over without much trouble. It’s quickly off to Wentz vs. Austin with the former dragging Austin into the Rascalz corner. Austin fights out of trouble and brings Slater back in but Wentz drops him in a hurry. The standing moonsault gives Slater two but Austin fights up without much effort. It’s off to Bey (hometown boy) to clean house, including a springboard spinning kick to the head.

Everything breaks down and Reed hits a double cutter on ABC, setting up the big flip dive over the post. Slater hits his own big dive, only to miss a 450 back inside. All six get inside to slug it out with the Rascalz getting the better of things. Reed hits his running diving cutter to the floor and we hit the parade of strikes to the head. Bey cutters Reed and Slater’s Swanton 450 is good for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: B. Take six talented stars and let them go insane with one spot after another for the sake of warming the crowd up. It was good stuff for what it was supposed to be and the ABC gets back on track. I had a good time with this and that’s not bad for a makeshift team of heroes against the established villains.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. Laredo Kid

Kid is challenging in a rematch after getting disqualified in his first shot. Kid starts fast and takes him into the corner for an early two. Steve gets smart by going for the mask (how he got under Kid’s skin last time) and the Upside Down makes it worse for Kid. That’s broken up and Kid sends him outside for the middle rope moonsault to stagger Steve.

Back in and Steve hammers away but misses a charge into the corner. Kid strikes away and hits a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. Steve catches him up top for a superplex but goes up top, only to get caught with a bite to the head. A super Spanish Fly gives Kid the pin and the title at 6:45.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here but the important part is that Kid FINALLY won something. Kid has been treated as the guy who might be able to do something around here for a very long time though he had never actually won anything of note. This isn’t the most important title in the world, but it’s him accomplishing something and that will help going forward.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Decay vs. Spitfire

Spitfire is defending and has Lars Frederiksen with them. Rosemary and Luna start things off with Rosemary taking her into the corner for some biting. The Upside Down has Luna in more trouble but it’s off to Threat for a front facelock. With that broken up, Havok comes in for an exchange of shoulders with Luna. Some kicks to the leg put Havok down and a basement clothesline drops her again.

Havok pops back up and hits Luna in the face, allowing the tag back to Rosemary. That doesn’t last long either as the tag brings Threat back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Threat hits a big flip dive onto Decay at ringside. Lars tells Threat to do it again but Havok cuts her off. A double powerbomb brings Havok down and it’s an assisted sitout spinebuster to finish Rosemary and retain at 10:34.

Rating: C+. These teams have traded the titles so it’s nice to see the champs retain for a change. They got a bit of time to work with here and Spitfire continues to work well together despite not being a team for very long. I’m not sure what is next for Decay, but given the lack of depth in the division, they probably won’t be away from the titles for very long.

Lars poses with the champs.

DJ Ashba plays a rock version of the national anthem.

The opening video shows the people on the card walking through the streets of Las Vegas before shifting to looks at the people in the arena. Nic Nemeth: “F*** the System.”

X-Division Title: Jake Something vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with his secret service is defending and gets shoved down by the much larger Something to start. Something cranks on the hand and tells Ali to bring it before running Ali over. They go to the corner, with Ali being laid on top and kicked in the ribs and Something catching him on the shoulder in an impressive feat. A hard clothesline gives Something two and they head outside, where his big chop only hits steps.

Back in and a rolling neckbreaker hits Something, followed by another on the ramp. Something crawls back in and gets caught with another neckbreaker for two. A DDT sets up the standing moonsault but Something wakes up and counters a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb.

Something gets two off a Rack Attack so he loads up a superbomb. That’s broken up with a hard shot and Ali German suplexes him onto the apron. The secret service’s distraction lets Ali hit the 450 for two. Something dives onto Ali and the goons and grabs Into The Void for two, with Ali putting his foot on the rope. The desperate Ali goes to the eyes to escape a powerbomb and grabs a rollup, and the rope, to retain at 11:37.

Rating: B-. Ali continues to be a nice mixture of talent and cheating and it’s making for a good title run. TNA has turned him into quite the featured attraction and he feels like a heck of a star. There is a good chance that Ali is going to hold onto the title for a good while and that is not a bad thing. On the other hand you have Something, who is another name who really needs to win something at some point. He shouldn’t have won here, but it needs to happen sooner or later.

We recap First Class coming together and Joe Hendry not being thrilled with them. Therefore, it’s time for Hendry vs. Rich Swann.

Joe Hendry vs. Rich Swann

AJ Francis is here with Swann. Hendry’s video features First Class doing his arm wave, which is proof that the team are fans of his. Swann tries to start fast but gets caught in a fireman’s carry drop for a big crash. They head outside where a Francis distraction lets Swann send Hendry into the steps to take over.

We get violent with Hendry’s eye being sent into the corner of the steps and Swann tears away at it back inside. Swann grabs the double arm crank until Hendry fights up for the comeback. Hold on though as Francis low bridges him and is handed a chain by a “Tik Tok legend”. Former NFL star Shawne Merriman cuts that off and gets in the ring for a staredown with Francis…before decking Hendry. Swann’s frog splash is enough to finish Hendry at 7:26.

Rating: C. Other than the Merriman stuff, this could have been on any given episode of Impact. What matters here is getting First Class a win as the team hasn’t been around very long and needs to do something to establish themselves. If nothing else, major points to Francis for turning his career from a joke into something resembling decent. That’s more than I would have expected and he deserves the credit. Throw in Swann to do the wrestling and it’s a nice combination.

We recap Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian. They were partners for a bit before breaking up and getting in a feud. Young got a World Title shot but Kazarian cost him the match and gave him a beating. Now it’s time for Full Metal Mayhem for some violence.

Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian

Full Metal Mayhem, meaning TLC but with pins/submissions. They start fast and head outside, with Young taking over and dropping a ladder onto him. Kazarian catches Young setting up a table but can’t hit Fade To Black. They get up onto the apron, where Young bites the hand but gets caught with a Fameasser over the middle rope. A slingshot DDT gives Kazarian two so he throws a ladder at Young for a nasty knockdown.

Young is back up with a hard whip into the ladder in the corner and various metal objects to the head have Kazarian in more trouble. Janice (the board with nails) is whipped out but the big swing misses, as does Kazarian trying to drive him face first into the nails. A spear off the apron and through the table at ringside doesn’t miss for Kazarian though and they’re both down on the floor.

They pull themselves up so Kazarian can get two back inside and it’s time for a slugout. We get a nasty exchange of cookie sheets to the head (those things are dented) until Young grabs a Death Valley Driver for two. Kazarian is back up with a chain to choke away in the corner before tying Young up for the chickenwing.

That’s broken up and Young puts him in a trashcan for the top rope elbow and a near fall. Kazarian’s Unprettier onto a bridged ladder gets the same and it’s time for a table. That takes WAY too long and Young fights off of it and catches him on top but Kazarian grabs a Flux Capacitor. They land in the general area of the table, with Young’s head slamming into the edge (and busting him open) for the pin at 15:17.

Rating: B. They beat the living daylights out of each other here and it was a violent brawl, though that ending was absolutely cringe inducing. Hopefully Young is ok, as you could see the blood flowing immediately. Other than that, it felt like two people wanting to hut each other and Kazarian gets a big win to hopefully end the feud once and for all.

Nic Nemeth is ready to be World Champion.

Here is Steve Maclin for a chat. He has a new contract and got everything he wanted, except for a match tonight. Cue Santino Marella to say we have a new star who just signed in the back. It’s time for his debut match.

Steve Maclin vs. Mike Santana

As in Santana of AEW/LAX fame. Santana strikes away to start and knocks Maclin outside rather quickly. The big flip dive takes Maclin down again but he sends Santana face first into the apron. We hit the chinlock back inside, followed by a running clothesline for two on Santana. The chinlock goes on again before Santana gets tied in the Tree of Woe.

The running shoulder misses and Santana grabs a rolling cutter. A Death Valley Driver gives Santana two but Maclin runs him over. The Jar Headbutt gives Maclin two and a Falcon Arrow gets the same. Now the running shoulder in the corner gets two but Santana is back with Spin The Block (discus lariat) for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C+. Nice return for Santana here as he looked in good shape and was hitting some nice stuff. That being said, he felt like he was doing the same moves you see in almost every match and that isn’t likely to make him feel like a major star. Maybe he has something else, but at least he won and looked strong in his debut.

We look back at Spitfire retaining the Knockouts Tag Team Titles on the pre-show. Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich came out for the staredown.

The System is ready to retain their titles, with Moose bringing in NFL star John Abraham to have his back.

Tag Team Titles: The System vs. Speedball Mountain

The System, with Alisha Edwards, is defending. Myers and Bailey start things off with Bailey firing off the kicks so Myers brings in Edwards. That’s fine with Bailey, who kicks him down as well and hands it off to Seven. They head outside where Seven is sent knee first into the steps as the champs take over for the first time. Myers works on the bad knee back inside but Seven gets in a shot of his own, allowing the tag to Bailey. House is cleaned but Myers shoves Bailey off the top.

Seven hobbles over to chop Myers on top and a superplex sets up Bailey’s shooting star press for two. The tornado kick is broken up by Edwards, who sends Bailey into a table at ringside to cut him off. Edwards takes out Seven’s knee again and hits a tiger driver into a half crab. Bailey superkicks Myers down but his kicks to the chest can’t break the hold.

The bouncing kicks finally break it up, allowing Bailey to hit the springboard moonsault to Myers on the floor. Back in and a spinning kick to the face knocks Edwards into a dragon suplex for two. Seven’s knee gives out on the Birminghammer attempt though and Seven is sent into Bailey.

The Backpack Stunner/top rope elbow gives Edwards two on Seven and everyone needs a breather. Seven is back up with the Seven Star lariat to put Myers on the floor, leaving Eddie to get caught in the Birminghammer/top rope knee combination. Myers makes another save and spears Bailey out of the air on the floor. Back in and the Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party to Seven retains the titles at 12:57.

Rating: B. This got some time and the champs get a win to keep establishing their reign. Edwards and Myers are a good example of a combination that was throwhen together and happened to win. It wasn’t a great match but it did well enough and had some strong action while it lasted.

We recap Hammerstone vs. Josh Alexander. While Alexander beat him the first time, Hammerstone came back and cheated to win while stealing Alexander’s headgear. Now it’s about revenge and violence in a Last Man Standing match.

Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone

Last Man Standing. Alexander starts fast and drives him into the corner but Hammerstone uses the power to take over. A German suplex drops Hammerstone though and Alexander plants him on the apron. Hammerstone isn’t having that and does the same thing to Alexander, leaving him down for a change.

They slug it out on the floor with Hammerstone getting the better of things but it’s way too early for a ten count. Hammerstone picks him back up on the apron, where Alexander grabs a half and half suplex to put them both down again. Alexander gets smart by going after the leg and even grabs a Hartbreaker around the post.

With that broken up, Hammerstone grabs the headgear and blasts Hammerstone in the face for a rather near ten. Back up and Hammerstone grabs the torture rack to slow him down, only to reverse into the ankle lock to put Hammerstone down for a change. That’s broken up so Alexander hammers away but can’t hit the C4 Spike.

With nothing else working, it’s time for the thumbtacks and they go up top. Hammerstone Nightmare Pendulums Alexander into the tacks for nine and let’s grab the headgear. They fight to the ramp where Alexander hits another half and half, followed by the C4 Spike for the win at 20:07.

Rating: B. Another match where two guys beat the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up. That is something that works rather well most of the time and I wanted to see Alexander get his revenge. At the same time, Hammerstone feels like someone who could be a big deal around here and losing a series to Alexander is only so much of a good start. That being said, all he has to do is wreck some people and he should be fine sooner than later. Solid fight here.

Jonathan Gresham is still in therapy but seems to accept the octopus mask as his other side.

We recap Jordynne Grace defending the Knockouts Title against Steph de Lander. Grace needed a new challenger and de Lander, as a replacement, won the 8-4-1 match to get the title shot. De Lander’s friend Matt Cardona helped put Grace through a table but now Cardona is out with a torn pectoral muscle, so it’s one on one.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Steph de Lander

Grace is defending and Ash By Elegance is watching in a box. De Lander has the Good Hands to uneven things a bit more. Grace charges at her to start but the much taller de Lander drives the champ into the corner. Some shots to the ribs don’t do much to Grace so they head outside, with de Lander staggering away. Back in and a TKO onto the top rope cuts Grace off and de Lander hammers away to keep Grace down. De Lander picks her up but Grace slips into a sleeper.

That’s broken up as well so de Lander sits her on top for a running big boot. Another whip into the corner has Grace in trouble but she comes back with another sleeper. This time de Lander can’t break it up and they go to the mat but the Good Hands offer a distraction. Grace lets go and accidentally hits the referee, allowing de Lander to get in a hard shot for…no cover as the referee is still down. Jon Skyler takes the referee’s shirt and puts it on for two…and the lights go out.

PCO is here to block the three count (ignore that Grace and de Lander have both moved away so there’s no cover, and apparently Skyler just laid there with his arm up until PCO appeared) and take out the Good Hands without much trouble. De Lander hits on PCO but gets grabbed by the throat, only to have Kon run in for the save (because this feud is still going).

Grace kicks Kon low and lifts him up but the Good Hands make the save this time. Kon goes after Grace’s neck but the lights go out again (come on already) and Sami Callihan is back. The Good Hands are cleared out and the Juggernaut Driver connects, with another referee coming in to count the pin at 12:40.

Rating: C. I have no idea what to think of this but when my first reaction is “WOW” because everything was so nuts, it’s probably not a great sign. They had that much interference and screwiness and not only did the referee just stay out for all of it, but then another referee just runs out there for the count? Total insanity and the match stopped about halfway through. De Lander overpowering Grace was a different way to go as I could go for getting the title off of Grace for a bit. I know she hasn’t been champion long, but she feels like she has been champion so often that it is hard to care about what she is doing again.

Slammiversary is in Montreal on July 20.

We recap Moose vs. Nic Nemeth for the World Title. Nemeth debuted back in January and wants to shake things up. Moose doesn’t care for that and is ready to keep his title.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Moose

Moose, with the System and John Abraham, is defending. Nemeth takes him down without much trouble but Moose powers up. They go outside with Nemeth being sent into the post, followed by a pump kick back inside. Moose gets backdropped onto the ramp though and Nemeth fires back, including the running DDT for two. Alisha Edwards breaks up the superkick, which is enough for the System to be ejected and even things way up.

Nemeth grabs a sleeper but gets driven into the corner a few times. That doesn’t break things up, so Moose goes up and crashes back down to finally get out. They head back outside with Moose loading up the steps but Nemeth manages a Fameasser for a much needed breather. A neckbreaker puts Moose down back inside and Nemeth drops the series of elbows.

The top rope elbow gets two but Moore is back with a Sky High for the same. Nemeth rolls him up for some near falls until Moose plants him with a powerbomb for two more. They go to the ramp, where Moose hits a heck of a powerbomb for a nine count. Back in and Moose tries a moonsault so Nemeth loads up a superkick…but Moose leaves it WAY too short so Nemeth doesn’t even throw the kick.

A Rough Ryder (not a Fameasser Tom) gets two and Moose tries to flip out of a clothesline but can’t quite stick the landing. An actual Fameasser gives Nemeth two and a spear hits Moose for the same. Nemeth misses a superkick so Moose hits a spear (and flips forward, despite Nemeth standing still, giving us another weird visual) for the pin (while picking Nemeth’s shoulder up during the cover) to retain at 17:25.

Rating: C-. I don’t know what was going on here but they were on different planets at times, with some of those spots feeling like they were designed to be jokes rather than attempts at getting them right. Maybe it was bad chemistry or something but this really did not work. Not a good main event, though at least it wasn’t crazy long like Moose vs. Eric Young.

Post match the System comes out to celebrate but a weird video starts playing. It keeps saying LIGHTS OUT and the lights go out (might be a bit more effective if it didn’t happen three or four times tonight)….and it’s Broken Matt Hardy. He takes out Moose and poses with the title to end the show. Oh sweet goodness that’s not a good way to end the show. Bringing back the TNA name was one thing, but bringing back this stuff, which was known for being so campy and ridiculous, just makes my head hurt. It’s ok to move on and do something else, and Matt Hardy is the definition of NOT moving forward.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was going along pretty well but those last two matches did not do this any favors. The Knockouts Title match was a circus and the main event didn’t click at all, but the real story here will be the returns. You had three returns, with Santana doing just fine, Callihan being back and doing the same hardcore stuff he always does, but the focus here is on Hardy.

There is a really good chance that he is going to be a big time player in TNA going forward and…egads can we not? The Broken stuff was fun for about five minutes but then it took over TNA and became the Hardys’ playground. I know it has its audience, but after seeing TNA come a VERY long way, it’s really disappointing to see the chance of Hardy getting even more attention and doing his wacky stuff as he approaches 50 years old.

Overall, this was a pretty good show with some high points, but it was so up and down that it was hard to really like it. You know the people who are going to give you good action in TNA and that was the case here, but some of the decisions and moves that are made around here are just hard to sit through. That very well may be the case with the Hardy return and I’m almost scared of where this is going.

Results
ABC/Leon Slater b. Rascalz – Swanton 450 to Reed
Laredo Kid b. Crazzy Steve – Super Spanish Fly
Spitfire b. Decay – Assisted sitout spinebuster to Rosemary
Mustafa Ali b. Jake Something – Rollup while holding the rope
Rich Swann b. Joe Hendry – Frog splash
Frankie Kazarian b. Eric Young – Flux Capacitor through a table
Mike Santana b. Steve Maclin – Spin The Block
System b. Speedball Mountain – Boston Knee Party to Seven
Josh Alexander b. Hammerstone when Hammerstone couldn’t answer the ten count
Jordynne Grace b. Steph de Lander – Juggernaut Driver
Moose b. Nic Nemeth – Spear

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

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AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 18, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the last show before Rebellion and the show is mostly set. As tends to be the case around here though, there is a good chance to add in something at the last minute, perhaps on the Kickoff Show. In addition, the Motor City Machine Guns are getting a Tag Team Title shot against the System. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Hammerstone vs. Guido

The rest of the FBI is at ringside and Josh Alexander is on commentary. Hammerstone throws him into the corner to start and easily blocks a single leg attempt. Guido cuts off a charge with a raised boot but Hammerstone runs him over again. The rest of the FBI offer a distraction so Guido hammers away, only to get launched to the floor off the kickout. Back in and Hammerstone puts Alexander’s headgear on Guido, setting up the torture rack for the win at 4:09.

Rating: C-. Nothing to see here as Hammerstone, who is looking more and more like Brock Lesnar every week, gets to smash through someone before his match with Alexander. It’s as simple of an idea as you can ask for and they made it work. Guido isn’t going to be hurt at all by a loss to a monster and doing it in the ECW Arena makes it that much better.

Ash By Elegance is going to be ringside for the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion. Xia Brookside comes in to say she’s got a match with Ash next week, which doesn’t please Ash.

We look back at Steph de Lander, with help from Matt Cardona, putting Jordynne Grace through a table last week.

Grace has heard that Cardona has hurt but she knows de Lander will have a trick up her sleeve. Grace will have one too.

Joe Hendry vs. LSG

Before the match, Hendry promises to make Rich Swann say uncle at Rebellion. As in Uncle Phil, where did you get that hideous gear? They fight over arm control to start until Hendry powers him up for a fireman’s carry drop. The Standing Ovation finishes for Hendry at 1:46.

Video on the Motor City Machine Guns vs. the System for the Tag Team Titles later tonight. The Guns have been having tension and it’s time to show they can still do it. The winners get Speedball Mountain at Rebellion.

Grizzled Young Vets/Mustafa Ali vs. Jake Something/Cody Deaner/Rhino

Rhino is a mystery partner after Deaner polled the fans on if it should be 3-2 or 3-3. Something powers Gibson around to start and it’s off to Rhino to stay on the arm. The villains are sent to the floor and we take an early break. Back with the Vets double teaming Deaner, including a spinwheel kick to the face. A backbreaker gives Drake two and we hit the chinlock. Ali comes in for his neckbreaker and the chinlock sequel goes on.

It’s back to Drake but Deaner slips over to Rhino to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Something launches Deaner onto Gibson with Ali having to make the save. Drake has to save Ali from Something and it’s a bunch of dives to take Something down. All three go after Deaner and stomp him down in the corner, only to have Rhino make the save. Deaner fights up and catches Ali on top but gets sunset bombed down. The 450 gives Ali the pin at 12:13.

Rating: B-. This is one of the areas where TNA tends to shine: taking some wrestlers and putting them out there for some perfectly watchable wrestling. Ali gets a win over someone with very little to lose and they had a good match all the way through. Something needs some more juice for the title shot, but Ali losing is hard to fathom anyway.

Steve Maclin promises to make his mark at Rebellion despite not being on the card.

Eric Young talks to the Sickness version of himself and thinks he might need him at Rebellion. Young is scared of what he’ll become if gives in to the violence. The masked man takes the mask off to reveal Young and violence is promised.

Rosemary vs. Jody Threat

Havok and Dani Luna are here too. Threat slugs away to start and knocks her into the corner for some early clotheslines. Rosemary is back up with a dropkick, setting up the Upside Down. A German suplex sets up a Last Chancery but Threat is out in a hurry. The pump kick rocks Rosemary and a hard clothesline gets two. Something like an STO puts Rosemary down but she pops right back up. The other two get on the apron for a distraction and Rosemary hits a spear for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: C. I’ve lost track of how many times TNA has had one member of a team beat half of the Tag Team Champions to set up a title match. It’s a simple story but it is something that has been done so many times now. That is something they might need to work on, along with getting some more teams into the Knockouts tag division.

We get more from Jonathan Gresham’s therapy session where he talks about hiding behind his mask. Everyone makes him do it, but the group leader doesn’t want him to. Then he sits next to someone in the octopus mask.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. System

The System, with Alisha Edwards, is defending. Shelley ducks a chop to start so Eddie grabs a headlock instead. With that going nowhere, it’s off to Myers vs. Sabin, with the Gunns quickly taking over. Stereo kicks to the chest have Myers down and we take an early break.

Back with Eddie sending Shelley into the corner, only to get sent into the other corner. The Gunns take turns working on the leg, with Sabin tying it in the ropes for a dropkick to the knee. Shelley grabs the Figure Four and Sabin gets one on Myers at the same time. Both of them are broken up and Alisha gets in a distraction, allowing Myers to take over on Shelley. The chinlock goes on for a bit and we take another break.

Back again with Eddie grabbing a front facelock as the slow beating continues. Eddie gets up and knocks Sabin to the floor, just as Shelley gets over for the attempted tag. Said tag goes through a few seconds later, with Sabin coming in off a high crossbody. Everything breaks down again and Sabin hits a heck of a suicide dive.

Back in and Sabin superkicks Shelley by mistake, allowing Myers to hit the running knee to leave everyone down. The Backpack Stunner/top rope elbow combination gets two on Sabin but the Roster Cut is countered into a rollup for two. The Skull and Bones is loaded up but Alisha offers a distraction, meaning it’s the Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party to retain at 22:06.

Rating: B. This was a good, long match with both teams working hard until the end. The Gunns having issues does not exactly bode well for their future and it might be better to give them a break at the moment. Other than that, it’s good to give the System a huge win over one of the biggest teams in the history of TNA, even with some shenanigans. Rather strong mach here with the right ending.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. Nemeth talks about going to Las Vegas to face the System…and here is Moose to interrupt. They argue over whether or not Nemeth is going to be able to finally win the big one, but Nemeth has heard this far too many times. Nemeth promises to win the title and they glare at each other to wrap it up.

A big Rebellion package wraps up the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the show to get you ready for the show and it went well enough. What mattered here was getting the announced matches primed up and they didn’t have very far to go. With only a few things added and a big main event set up, this show did a nice enough job to make me want to see Rebellion without rocking the boat. Nice show here, but Saturday is what really matters.

Results
Hammerstone b. Guido – Torture rack
Joe Hendry b. LSG – Standing Ovation
Mustafa Ali/Grizzled Young Vets b. Jake Something/Cody Deaner/Rhino – 450 to Deaner
Rosemary b. Jody Threat – Spear
System b. Motor City Machine Guns – Boston Knee Party to Sabin

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 11, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

There have been some rather good wrestling matches around here lately and that has been great to see. This time around isn’t going to have anything to do with that, as the main event is a Monster’s Ball match between PCO and Kon. That should be enough to carry things but we also have just over a week before Rebellion. Let’s get to it.

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

We are joined in the arena with Hammerstone brawling with Josh Alexander. Security tries to break it up but Alexander hits the big flip dive onto everyone. Cue Tommy Dreamer to be the voice of reason and he actually manages to get the bleeding Alexander to leave. Dreamer gets in the ring and talks to Hammerstone about how Alexander is the face of this company.

Dreamer is the reason Hammerstone is here and now Hammerstone is taking a shortcut. Hammerstone doesn’t need to go down that path because his legacy is not set yet. The fans chant ECW at Dreamer because it’s his legacy, so go have the best match at Rebellion and tell everyone to top that. Dreamer tells the fans that this will be a great show and goes to leave, only to be jumped by Hammerstone. Alexander runs back in for the save before saying the match at Rebellion will be Last Man Standing. Good way to go, as seeing Dreamer in pain is always fun.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Digital Media Title: Laredo Kid vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve is defending and goes right for the mask. Kid lunges at him and Steve knocks him into the corner to take over. A springboard something is broken up, with Steve nailing a clothesline to the back of the head. The neck crank goes on, with Steve switching it into something like an Octopus hold on the mat. Kid fights up and knocks him into the corner to start the comeback, setting up a pair of moonsaults. The top rope version is broken up and Steve pulls him down to start with the stomping. Steve goes for the mask again so Kid jumps him. The referee tries to break it up and gets shoved down, with Kid getting DQ’d at 8:34.

Rating: C. I continue to be confused by Laredo Kid, who feels like he should be a big star but he never actually wins anything. That was the case again here, but odds are we are going to be seeing this match again. At some point Kid needs to win a title of some kind and he seems to be potentially having another chance soon.

Alex Shelley apologizes to Chris Sabin and Kushida, who seem cool with things.

ABC vs. First Class

Austin grabs a headlock on Francis to start and is powered into the corner for his efforts. Swann comes in but Austin trips him down for a kick to the back. It’s off to Bey for a double dropkick but Francis gets in a cheap shot as we take a break. Back with Austin still in trouble as everything breaks down. Francis hits his world’s strongest slam/fireman’s carry drop on both of the ABC (that’s nuts) to take over. We settle down to a double kick to Swann, followed by a big flip dive to Francis on the floor. The 1-2-Sweet is broken up though and Swann grabs a rollup with tights for the pin at 11:02.

Rating: C+. ABC is a team who can work well with anyone but it was cool to see Swann and Francis working well together. Francis might not be the biggest star in the world but he is getting somewhere with this new stuff. The power/speed team works for First Class and they can be annoying enough to back it up. Not bad, assuming they can keep it going.

Post match here is Joe Hendry to explain the problem with First Class. This results in a slightly changed version of the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air theme, including Francis being called a fat Uncle Phil. At Rebellion, it’s Hendry vs. Swann.

Ash By Elegance and her handler think Ash should get the Knockouts Title shot at Rebellion because Steph de Lander was filling in for her. No.

Mustafa Ali complains to the Grizzled Young Veterans about Jake Something getting an X-Division Title shot. Something comes in to say the match is happening.

It’s time for the contract signing between Jordynne Grace and Steph de Lander, with Santino Marella running things. Cue de Lander, with Matt “Qdoba” and Grace, with Cardona hyping de Lander up. De Lander signs but Grace says she’s not laying down that easily. Grace lists off her resume, with Cardona bringing up that he beat her for the Digital Media Title. Grace asks if de Lander is going to say anything or just let Cardona talk for her.

De Lander says her resume is too long to list and thinks Grace is too focused on other things. Like the Royal Rumble! With that odd reference to a one off match two and a half months ago, Grace talks about how she’s beaten Cardona, de Lander and Cardona’s wife. Grace: “I’m the juggernaut b****.” Cardona: “DON’T YOU TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!” Grace: “I wasn’t talking to her, b****.” With that, Grace signs and the brawl is on, with Cardona getting in a cheap shot. De Lander chokeslams Grace through the table. Of all the contract signings I’ve seen in wrestling, this was the most recent.

The System interrupts Masha Slamovich and ask her about teaming with Alicia Edwards again. Masha answers in Russian and no one knows what that means.

Jonathan Gresham is still in group therapy and talks about wearing three different masks. One of them is never seen, with the group leader saying that’s the truest reflection of who he is. We see the octopus mask, with a voice talking about seeing a tree and being told to cut it down.

Moose vs. Trent Seven

Non-title and the System is here with Moose, while Mike bailey is here to counter them. Seven fires off chops in the corner to start and is promptly release Rock Bottomed down. Some hard whips into the corner have Seven in more trouble but he chops his way to freedom. A DDT plants Moose again and Bailey cuts off Eddie Edwards’ interference. Bop and Bang puts Moose down but he escapes the Birminghammer. The spear finishes Seven at 3:55.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and that’s what it should have been. Moose is on his way to a huge title match next week and there is no reason to have him get into a long match here against Seven. It was far from a squash and they did a nice job of making Seven look good in short order.

Post match the beatdown is on but Time Machine makes the save.

Post break the System yells at Santino Marella, who makes the System vs. the Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Titles next week. The winners of that face Speedball Mountain at Rebellion. With all of those people gone, Decay comes in to say they want their rematch for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Rebellion. Works as well.

Jake Something vs. James Drake

Zack Gibson is here too. Something powers Drake into the corner to start but Gibson gets in a cheap shot to take over. The chinlock goes on but Something fights up with a hard forearm. Gibson offers another distraction though, allowing Drake to hit a running dropkick in the corner. Cue Deaner to cut off Gibson so Something can hit Into The Void for the pin at 3:52.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but Something setting the win on the way to the title match is what matters most. At the same time they kept Deaner vs. the Grizzled Young Veterans going, though I’m not sure where they’re heading with that. Not a great match here, but an efficient one.

Post match Mustafa Ali comes out to rant about how the X-Division need limits and Something defies those limits. Something goes after him but the Grizzled Young Veterans make the save. Deaner’s save attempt is broken up as well and the villains stand tall.

Kon vs. PCO

Monster’s Ball, meaning street fight/anything goes. PCO grabs the kendo stick so Kon uses a chair as a shield in a smart move. With Kon sent outside, PCO loads up a dive but gets knocked out of the air with a trashcan. We take a break and come back with PCO in a trashcan so Kon can beat on him with a chain. A table is set up at ringside but PCO fights back and puts Kon on it, setting up the big flip dive from the top.

Back in and Kon gets in some more shots but goes up top, allowing PCO to knock him through another table at ringside. That’s not enough to keep Kon down either, as he gets up and sends PCO face first into a bridged ladder. An Iconoclasm sends PCO through the ladder and now it’s time for thumbtacks. Kon puts the tacks into PCO’s mouth, which just wakes him up for a chokeslam onto the tacks. The PCOsault onto Kon onto the tacks finishes for PCO at 14:15.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you need to have two people beat the fire out of each other to blow off a feud and that is what they did here. It was a good way to wreck Kon for good, though he’ll be fine in a bodyguard role sooner than later. Good main event here as it felt like a clash of the titans, though PCO needs to do something fresh rather soon.

Overall Rating: C+. Good enough show here with the main event being the highlight. It was a show that added a few things to Rebellion while also cranking up some of the matches that were already made for the pay per view. In other words it was another efficient Impact, which is where they tend to shine.

Results
Crazzy Steve b. Laredo Kid via DQ when Kid shoved the referee
First Class b. ABC – Rollup with tights to Bey
Moose b. Trent Seven – Spear
PCO b. Kon – PCOsault

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: April 4, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwold, Tom Hannifan

We are just a few weeks away from Rebellion and the card is starting to come together. At the same time though, the Motor City Machine Guns are not having the best times as of late and the question becomes where they go from here. That every well could be down but we might see some more of it this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Rhino

Non-title and this is Old School Rules, meaning anything goes. Rhino starts fast by sending him outside before going with the more simple beating back inside. Ali is backdropped out to the floor as commentary debates what a real X-Division star is. A hard whip sends Ali into the post so it’s time for the weapons, with the ECW chants beginning. Rehwoldt: “IT’S BEEN TWENTY YEARS!” Twenty three actually but who’s counting? Ali fights back and grabs the book of a former Philadelphia Flyer, who happens to be in the front row.

Instead Ali grabs a cardboard cutout of his Pro Wrestling Illustrated cover, allowing Rhino to fight back. After rescuing the book (and posing with its author), Rhino goes back inside but gets caught with a Coast To Coast. For some reason Ali tries his own Gore but is cut off with a trashcan. The fans want tables, though they have to settle for the one that Rhino sets up in the corner. A spinebuster puts Ali down again but his security cut off the Gore. Rhino fights them off and the Gore…hits the table to give Ali the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C+. There is a formula to these matches and they followed it just fine, which is all it needed to be. The fans are always going to respond to the ECW stuff and Rhino can still have a perfectly acceptable match. This worked out well and I had a good time with the whole thing, so nice choice for an opener.

Post match Jake Something comes in and lays Ali out.

People are excited for Alex Shelley vs. Nic Nemeth tonight.

Here is Hammerstone for a chat. He’s down for one more match with Josh Alexander and they can do it at Rebellion. Then he beats up a cameraman and puts Alexander’s headgear on him.

Here are the Rascalz, with Trey Miguel running down various ECW legends that he can’t remember. Bring out some ECW guys right now.

Rascalz vs. FBI

Make that the NEW FBI, with Zack Clayton and Ray Jazz (?), as managed by Little Guido. Jazz, an All-American wrestler, takes Miguel down to start but Miguel sends him into the buckle. Wentz comes in so the Rascalz can kick him down, setting up a quick shooting star press for two. Jazz fights his way out of trouble rather quickly and it’s off to Clayton to clean house. Everything breaks down and cue Myron Reed to spray paint Guido. That’s enough for the Rascalz to hit a quick backbreaker into a middle rope elbow for the pin on Jazz at 3:21.

Rating: C. Major points for having a fresh team using the old ECW name instead of having the same old guys come out for one more ECW reunion. It wasn’t a great performance or anything but at least they did something new. Guido is fine as the manager to tie things back to the old days, but they didn’t go with the expected idea here and I’ll certainly take that.

More wrestlers are excited for Alex Shelley vs. Nic Nemeth.

Jonathan Gresham is at his group therapy session, where he says you have to lie to get people to listen to him. The group’s therapist says lying is over.

Trent Seven is cut off by the System and gets a non-title match with Moose as a result.

Chris Bey vs. Frankie Kazarian

Ace Austin is here with Bey. The bell rings and Kazarian insists that he be recognized as the King of TNA. Bey uses the distraction to jump Kazarian from behind (the bell had rung so that’s hardly cheating) and an elbow to the back gets two. Kazarian pulls him down from the middle rope for a crash and sends things outside as we take a break.

Back with Bey slugging away against the ropes and hitting a spinebuster for two. Kazarian can’t hit the slingshot DDT but Bey’s connects for two more. The Art of Finesse misses though and the slingshot cutter gives Kazarian two more. They go to the floor where Kazarian grabs a chain, which Austin takes away. Kazarian pretends to get decked with it so Austin gets tossed, only for Bey to hit a quick dive. A low blow on the way back in drops Bey though and Fade To Black finishes Bey at 12:02.

Rating: B-. TNA has long figured out the value of putting two good wrestlers in the ring and letting them have a match with some time. There was almost no way these two weren’t going to do something at least decent and that’s what we got here. Nice match as Kazarian gets another win and the ABC doesn’t do so well on their own.

MK Ultra have been having issues in recent matches.

Masha Slamovich isn’t happy when Alisha Edwards cuts her off. Killer Kelly is gone and they both want the Knockouts Tag Team Titles so they could be a team. Masha can think about it.

More people are still excited about Alex Shelley vs. Nic Nemeth.

Kon is ready for PCO in Monster’s Ball.

Xia Brookside vs. Ash By Elegance

They argue to start with Brookside chasing her to the ropes early on. Brookside grabs a hurricanrana out of the corner and it’s already time for a breather on the floor. A distraction from the concierge lets Ash get in a posting to take over and they head back inside. Stomping in the corner gives Ash two but Brookside is back up with a crossbody for the same.

Ash is back up and sends her outside for a crash, only to have Rarefied Air broken up back inside. The Brooksie Bomb is broken up as well but Brookside makes the comeback anyway. A ram into the corner and a neckbreaker get two on Ash, meaning it’s time for the concierge to throw champagne in Brookside’s face. That and a rollup give Ash the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C. Ash is already more interesting than Dana Brooke was for a very long time and that was the case again here. You can see the character rounding into form as the weeks go by and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her getting into the title scene sooner than later. Not a great match or anything, but it suited Ash well.

The ABC aren’t happy with each other but First Class interrupts. They seem to recruit Chris Bey, who isn’t interested in that but is interested in beating up First Class soon. Deal.

We look at Steph De Lander becoming the new #1 contender to the Knockouts Title, albeit with an assist from Matt Cardona.

Cardona and De Lander are ready to win the Knockouts Title.

Nic Nemeth vs. Alex Shelley

This is billed as the Generational Class. They go to the mat to start with Nemeth grabbing a bodyscissors as commentary goes through their accolades. The threat of a cross armbreaker sends Nemeth over to the ropes and it’s time to go back to the mat. Shelley kicks the arm away to take over and the arm goes into the post to make it worse.

We take a break and come back with Shelley hitting a baseball slide before driving the knee into the arm. A cross arm choke with a backbreaker has Nemeth down again and Shelley sends him back to the floor. Nemeth manages to counter a ram into the post though and we take a break. Back with Nemeth in control on the mat and starting away on the arm to even it up a bit.

The dropkick cuts off Shelley’s comeback attempt but Shelley goes after the leg to put Nemeth down again. Shelley twists the leg around in the corner and we hit the Figure Four. Nemeth makes the rope and enziguris his way to a needed breather. A neckbreaker sets up the rapid fire elbows but the jumping version hits raised knee.

There’s a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle, setting up a tornado DDT for two. The Border City Stretch stays on Nemeth’s arm but Nemeth makes the rope again. Back up and Nemeth hits a running DDT for two, followed by a superkick for the same. The Border City Stretch is blocked so Shelley tries Shell Shock, which is reversed into the Danger Zone to give Nemeth the pin at 24:56.

Rating: B+. Remember the Kazarian vs. Bey match being good because the people involved are that good? That was the case again here but on a bigger scale. These two had a long match that was given the chance to be built up as Shelley loses, just like Chris Sabin did last week. It seems that TNA is moving forward and that may well be a good thing, though it’s still weird to see the Guns losing like this.

Overall Rating: B. There was a nice mixture of solid wrestling and quick stuff to set up future shows and that is a nice way to go. While the Scott D’Amore firing still feels rather unnecessary, the company is still rolling along with good television. That was the case again here and it went rather well with one of the better shows they’ve done in a bit.

Results
Musafa Ali b. Rhino – Pin after a missed Gore
Rascalz b. FBI – Backbreaker/middle rope combination to Jazz (3:21)
Frankie Kazarian b. Chris Bey – Fade To Black
Ash By Elegance b. Xia Brookside – Rollup
Nic Nemeth b. Alex Shelley – 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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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 7, 2024
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are one day away from Sacrifice and as such, most of the show is ready to go. The main event will see Moose defending the World Title against Eric Young, plus Jordynne Grace defending the Knockouts Title against Xia Brookside and Tasha Steelz. We might get a little bonus this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Kevin Knight

Non-title and Ali’s goons are here with him. Knight shoves him down to start and then hits a hard running shoulder. Ali tries a leapfrog but gets dropkicked out of the air in a nice looking counter. There’s a rolling splash for two but Ali sends him throat first into the middle rope. A DDT gives Ali two, only to have him take too long going up, allowing Knight to snap off a super hurricanrana. The no look crossbody gives Knight two and he stomps away in the corner.

Knight goes up top and gets brought down with a super Backstabber of all things for two. Back up and Knight clotheslines him to the floor, setting up a heck of a springboard dive for the big knockdown. Cue the Good Hands but Chris Sabin and Kushida run in to take them out. The distraction lets Ali hit another DDT but he misses the 450. A Sky High gives Knight two and the other guys keep brawling to distract the referee. That’s enough for a belt shot to knock Knight silly and give Ali the pin at 8:40.

Rating: B-. The messy ending didn’t help this but dang Knight is fun to watch. He doesn’t break any new ground with the high flying but he does it really well and that is always going to work. Ali cheating to win and the bragging about it is good old fashioned heel stuff and it made for a nice balance here.

Post match Ali hits a 450 onto Knight’s arm. Alex Shelley runs in for the save.

Video on Xia Brookside and Tasha Steelz trading wins and then splitting the third match but both get a Knockouts Title shot at Sacrifice anyway.

Kevin Knight’s arm is really banged up and there is no way he can compete at Sacrifice. Alex Shelley will take his place but also gets in a jab at Chris Sabin for not wanting him there at No Surrender.

Ash By Elegance vs. Angel Blue

Blue is from Alaska, which you don’t see very often. The bell rings and Ash tells Blue to kiss her boot, which isn’t happening. Instead Ash hammers away in the corner as Rehwoldt describes her as “the best there is, the best there is and the best there ever is.” More right hands on the mat have Blue in trouble and a backsplash gets two. A suplex sets up Rarefied Air to pin Blue at 2:43.

Steve Maclin, from his hotel room, says he has been right about Nic Nemeth from the day Nemeth debuted. Maclin was waiting for him in Puerto Rico and saw fear in Nemeth. He’ll be at Sacrifice…and then the feed gives out. We can hear a fight and then Nemeth looks into the camera.

Good Hands vs. Time Splitters

Kushida and Skyler fight over wrist control to start until Kushida takes him down into an armbar. Everything breaks down and the Splitters clear the ring without much effort. Shelley comes in to stomp on Hotch’s arm and Kushida snaps it over the top for a bonus. The Hands get in a double Russian legsweep to take over on Kushida and we take a break.

Back with Kushida fighting out of the corner and diving over to Shelley for the tag. The house cleaning doesn’t last long though as Shelley is knocked into the corner so Skyler can come in with a slingshot spear for two. Hotch’s rolling neckbreaker (a Mustafa Ali move) gets two but Shelley sends the Hands into each other. Kushida gets in the real house cleaning and the basement dropkick hits Skyler in the face. Shelley takes out Hotch and the Hoverboard Lock finishes Skyler at 11:32.

Rating: C+. I say it almost every week but the Good Hands name is appropriate, as the team can work well with anyone and that is especially the case with a good team like the Time Splitters. Shelley and Kushida were on the same page here but it feels like we could be heading for a Shelley heel turn, which certainly has potential. Like a Shelley vs. Chris Sabin showdown for example.

Dirty Dango and company are ready to dominate, like Monty Brown, Crimson, Jerell Clark and the Naturals. They want all of the best opponents with less than a year’s experience. Oh and Josh Alexander’s head gear looks weird but facing him in the main event will make people want to join their wrestling school. It’s only $60 a person.

Mustafa Ali thinks he needs a new strategy for the six man tag at Sacrifice, so he’ll be teaming with the Grizzled Young Veterans instead. The Good Hands are stunned.

Masha Slamovich vs. Dani Luna

Killer Kelly and Jody Threat are here too. Luna takes her down into an early front facelock, followed by a basement clothesline for two. Luna’s suplex gets two so Kelly kisses Slamovich on the head. That seems to work as some hair mares bring Luna down a few times, setting up a camel clutch.

Slamovich switches into a seated abdominal stretch, followed by some quick clotheslines. Luna fights up and hits a quick running dropkick, setting up a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Slamovich’s Snow Plow is countered so she settles for something of a Russian legsweep for two of her own. Luna isn’t having that though and grabs the Luna Landing (fireman’s carry slam into a powerbomb) for the pin at 7:09.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much more interesting the Knockouts tag team division is compared to the WWE women’s tag team division. There aren’t exactly many teams in the division, but it still feels like these women are being treated as something that matters compared to pure filler. I still don’t know how necessary the Knockouts Tag Team Titles are, but they do at least come off as somewhat important.

We look at Kon and PCO teasing a big fight last week.

PCO vs. Alan Angels

Angels slugs away to start but has to kick his way out of a chokeslam. A DDT puts PCO down but he sits up to avoid a frog splash. PCO hits a heck of a clothesline and the PCOsault finishes at 1:34.

Post match Kon comes out with a chair for the brawl with PCO, meaning a chair duel ensues. They brawl to the back rather quickly.

Crazzy Steve retained the Digital Media Title over Rhino on Xplosion.

Crazzy Steve talks about being an artist, a champion and a teacher. It doesn’t matter who he is defending against, but he is ready for Laredo Kid at Sacrifice.

Here is Eric Young for a chat. Young talks about everything he has given to this company and now he is looking at Moose. He sees someone big and strong who might go on to become one of the best ever but he’s giving it his all at Sacrifice. Cue Moose to say he can’t believe the fans are believing what Young is saying. Moose is ready to see everything Young is willing to sacrifice but Moose is leaving as champion. He offers a street fight right now and Young is game, but the System runs in to beat Young down. Alisha Edwards brings in a chain but the ABC makes the save.

Dirty Dango vs. Josh Alexander

Dango has Alpha Bravo and Oleg Prudius with him. Alexander wrestles him down to start and Dango actually takes over with a front facelock. That’s broken up with a flapjack into an ankle lock, with Dango bailing to the floor. We take a break and come back with Dango kicking away from another ankle lock, with Alexander grabbing his knee on the way down.

A dragon screw legwhip on the floor keeps Alexander in trouble, followed by a leglock back inside to stay on the leg. Said leg is wrapped around the post but Alexander uses the good leg to pull Dango face first into the post. Alexander hits a middle rope dropkick for a breather and there’s a Regal Roll.

A knee to the neck gives Alexander two but Dango avoids a charge in the corner. The Falcon Arrow gets two but Alexander is right back with the rolling German suplexes. Alexander shoves him off the top onto the goons and there’s a flip dive onto them. Back in and Dango hits a DDT but misses Down And Dirty, allowing Alexander to grab the ankle lock for the win at 14:47.

Rating: B-. They had a good match but I wouldn’t expect Alexander to be so egregious about ignoring the leg injury. Dango worked on the thing for more than five minutes but then Alexander was back up doing dives and flips, which are out of his wheelhouse in the first place. The rest of the match was rather entertaining, as Dango is getting to show the talents that he really has, which are fairly substantial.

Overall Rating: C+. TNA was in a weird place here as they had to set up another pay per view less than two weeks after the previous one, but they have somehow made it work. Young vs. Moose might not be the biggest match in the world but the rest of the show should be enough to make up for it. This show did a good job of making me want to see Sacrifice, even if it is a fairly low level pay per view.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Kevin Knight – Belt shot
Ash By Elegance b. Angel Blue – Rarefied Air
Time Splitters b. Good Hands – Hoverboard Lock to Skyler
Dani Luna b. Masha Slamovich – Luna Landing
PCO b. Alan Angels – PCOsault
Josh Alexander b. Dirty Dango – Ankle lock

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

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AND

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Sacrifice 2024
Date: March 8, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are two weeks removed from No Surrender and that means it is time for another monthly special event. In this case we are back in Canada with a Canadian getting a shot at the World Title, as Eric Young challenges Moose. Other than that, there are some tensions in the Motor City Machine Guns but Alex Shelley will team with Chris Sabin and Kushida against Mustafa Ali and the Grizzled Young Veterans anyway. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Joe Hendry vs. Crazzy Steve

Hendry, a replacement for Laredo Kid (travel issues), is challenging. Before the match Hendry talks about how Steve has not always been crazy. At various points he has been (and yes he has funny photos): a baby, lazy and obsessed with the 80s. What matters is that Hendry is here to win the title but cue AJ Francis to sit in on commentary. Hendry dodges and poses a bit to start, only to get caught in the corner where Steve can stomp away.

Back up and Hendry hits the fall away slam but Steve’s hangman’s neckbreaker gets two. A powerbomb and discus lariat drop Steve but the Standing Ovation is broken up with an elbow to the back of the head. Hold on though as Steve is favoring his knee, which is enough for Francis to post Hendry. Belladonna’s Kiss retains the title at 4:01.

Rating: C. This was just a way to move Hendry vs. Francis forward as Francis is going to have to get in the ring at some point. For now though, it’s a way to give Hendry something to be angry about, which should set up their match rather well. Steve has lost a bit of steam but he still works as the villain that no one can quite figure out. It should be a fairly big deal when someone beats him and someone needs to be built up for that role.

Pre-Show: Rascalz vs. Speedball Mountain

Miguel is quickly sent outside, leaving Mountain to chop both of the Rascalz down at once. Seven DDT’s Wentz, setting up some raining punches (rights for Bailey, lefts for Seven) in opposite corners. With that broken up, a chop block brings Seven down though and Miguel starts in on the bad knee. Miguel grabs a DDT onto the leg and the Rascalz follow it up with a double DDT on both legs.

Seven is back up with a left hand into a dragon suplex though and the tag brings in Bailey to clean house. The bouncing kicks sent Wentz outside and he kicks Miguel down, only to miss the running shooting star press. Bailey is fine enough to stack the Rascalz up for a standing moonsault double knees. Wentz is knocked outside and it’s Miguel put on top for a superplex from Seven.

Bailey misses the Ultimate Weapon though and Seven knocks him down for two. A Blockbuster/powerbomb combination gets two on Bailey, even with Seven being knocked to the floor. The referee gets dropped, allowing Wentz to spray paint Bailey in the face. Miguel’s faceplant driver gets two with Seven making another save. Wentz spray paints Miguel by mistake, meaning Bailey can kick Miguel into a dragon suplex for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: B-. Good, fast paced match here which would have served rather well as the sole pre-show match. Bailey and Seven are an example of a team who have been thrown together and happen to do fairly well. That’s not a bad thing and it gives them both something to do. If it just happens to work out, why not see what they can do with the whole thing?

The opening video talks about the importance of Sacrifice and looks at the card.

Nic Nemeth vs. Steve Maclin

They argue a lot to start until Maclin elbows him down. The threat of KIA sends Nemeth bailing out to the floor before coming back in to work on the arm. Maclin isn’t having that and sends him shoulder first into the post, followed by a backbreaker for two. Maclin yells at him by saying “COME ON DOLPH! I’M SORRY, NICK!” A hard whip sends Nemeth into the corner, setting up another backbreaker and a knee into Nemeth’s back.

That’s broken up and Nemeth hits an Angle Slam, followed by a neckbreaker for a breather. The nine straight elbows, set up the top rope tenth for two on Maclin. A Fameasser and the KIA are both countered so Maclin backdrops him outside in a heap instead. Back in and Maclin misses the Jarheadbutt, allowing Nemeth to hit the Fameasser for two. Maclin is right back by catching him on top for the Tree of Woe, but the spear misses Nemeth and sends Maclin FLYING into the timekeeper’s table.

It takes Maclin a good while to get back in, where he catches Nemeth with a running knee to the face. One heck of a Tombstone gives Maclin two and KIA connects, only for Nemeth to fall out to the floor…and TNA+ loses its signal. We come back with Maclin hitting his own Danger Zone for two, giving us a loud F*** YOU from Maclin to the crowd. Nemeth is right back with his own KIA for two (swearing not included), followed by a pair of superkicks into the Danger Zone to finish Maclin at 14:28.

Rating: B. This got going to start and while it slowed a bit later on, it was a heck of an opener that made Nemeth feel like a big deal. Fighting from behind and then winning in the end over a former World Champion is something that will make Nemeth feel like a star around here. Well more of a star that is, as he is already one of the biggest names in the company, but now he has a big win under his belt.

We run down the card, which always feels odd for a low level show airing on the company’s streaming service.

The System is ready to win the Tag Team Titles and keep the World Title, because they work.

Tag Team Titles: ABC vs. The System

The System, with Alisha Edwards, is challenging. Myers takes Austin into the corner for a shot to the ribs to start but it’s Bey coming in to help Austin with a kick to the head. Eddie comes in and gets armdragged into an armbar as the System can’t get going to start. The champs stomp away in the corner before sending Eddie outside, with Bey nailing a 619 on the apron. A spear cuts off Austin on the floor though and Alisha cuts off the dive, allowing Eddie to post Bey and take over.

Back in and Myers elbows Bey in the face for two as the fans get behind the champs. It seems to work as Eddie misses a charge in the corner, only to have Myers cut off the tag attempt. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Bey DDT’s his way to freedom and now the tag can bring Austin back in. A running clothesline puts Eddie on the floor and there’s the big dive to drop him again. Back in and the springboard spinning kick to the head gets two on Eddie, followed by a belly to back suplex/top rope elbow combination for the same.

Everything breaks down and Myers knees Austin down, only to get caught with the Art Of Finesse. Hold on though as Alisha offers a distraction so Bey flip dives onto the System instead. Bey is sent outside and it’s the System Overload to Austin, with Bey having to dive back in and make a save. Back up and Austin kicks Myers in the head, setting up a rollup for two on Eddie. Alisha grabs the leg though and the Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party gives us new champions at 13:18.

Rating: B. Another solid match here and it was the right time to change the titles. ABC is long established as one of the better teams in TNA and having the System get some more gold is the right way to go. The company has a good division and having the System running things for a bit is about as TNA as you can get.

We recap PCO vs. Kon. They’re big and having a fight with no rules.

PCO vs. Kon

No DQ and before PCO comes to the ring, Kon burns off some time by beating up the timekeeper. Kon talks about being a monster and calls out PCO, who happily (I think?) obliges. There are already some trashcans in the ring as the slugout is on to start. PCO runs him over and loads up some chairs next to each other on the floor (the fans, believe it or not, want tables).

As usual, that takes too long and Kon knocks him off the apron and onto said chairs for a nasty crash. They chop it out until PCO manages a ram into a trashcan to take over. There’s the running flip dive through the ropes, with PCO taking a pretty nasty landing on his head. PCO is fine enough to grab a metal sheet (just like Kon) and they trade shots to the head on the way up the ramp.

Kon release Blue Thunder Bombs him onto the stage, followed by a second, with PCO bouncing. PCO is right back with a metal sheet to the head, setting up a chokeslam off the stage and through a table. That means it’s time for more chairs instead of going for a win, allowing Kon to pull himself up. Back in and Kon is planted onto the chairs, setting up the PCOsault onto Kon onto the chairs to give PCO the pin at 8:21.

Rating: B-. This was a rather fun weapons brawl and that’s what it should have been. They knew exactly what they were going to do here and it was pretty much exactly as advertised. PCO having to deal with another monster is a simple use for him and it makes sense for him to go over, as I can’t imagine Kon was going to be the next big thing around here. If he’s sticking around, make him a bodyguard/enforcer and leave it at that.

We look at AJ Francis costing Joe Hendry on the pre-show.

Francis talks about how Hendry is fake but he is real. His goal is to make sure that Hendry never has any success again. Cue Hendry to suggest a fight, with Francis shoving him away. Santino Marella comes in to make the match for Impact.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Spitfire vs. MK Ultra

Spitfire (Dani Luna/Jody Threat with a new name) are challenging but the champs jump them with their chains from behind. Luna fights back but gets Snow Plowed on the floor. Threat is willing to fight on her own but walks into Slamovich’s superkick. Another comeback is cut off by a spinning elbow to the face, setting up a sitout powerbomb for two. The Snow Plow is escaped so it’s off to Kelly, with Luna getting up for a distraction. That’s enough for Threat to grab a rollup for the pin and the titles at 2:36. That almost has to be either an injury, a cut for time, or one heck of a unique way to change the belts.

Post match Slamovich shoves Kelly in frustration.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone. They had a heck of a fight at Hard To Kill and now it’s time for a rematch with Hammerstone as an official part of the roster.

Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone

Hammerstone misses a pump kick to start but gets taken down with a headlock takeover. That’s broken up so Alexander grabs the ankle lock, which is broken up a bit more quickly. They chop it out with Hammerstone getting the better of things, with Alexander falling out to the floor.

Back in and Hammerstone starts in on the back, including one heck of a backbreaker. Hammerstone kicks him into the ropes for a nasty crash, followed by the driving shoulders in the corner. We hit the bearhug, followed by an overhead belly to belly as the dominance continues. A reverse chinlock keeps Alexander down and there’s a hard backbreaker to make it even worse.

Alexander finally gets a boot up in the corner and hits a middle rope knee to the back of the head for a much needed breather. Another strike off is on until Alexander rolls some German suplexes (at least a dozen), leaving Hammerstone a bit gassed. They go outside with Alexander dropping him onto the apron for a nine count. Hammerstone gets knocked to the floor again and there’s the big running flip dive.

Back in and the ankle lock goes on but Hammerstone is out again. The referee gets bumped and the ankle lock goes on again, with Hammerstone tapping but no one to see it. Like any schnook, Alexander lets go and gets kicked low, allowing Hammerstone to hit the Nightmare Pendulum (suplex swung into a Side Effect) for the pin at 18:22.

Rating: B. This was a good, hard hitting fight and Alexander did a great job of fighting back into it after taking a beating. Hammerstone is someone who feels like he could be a big plus for TNA and this is the kind of win that could get him off on the right foot. Beating Alexander is still a big deal and he was even protected in the loss. This likely sets up a trilogy match and that should be rather good.

Post match Hammerstone steals Alexander’s headgear.

Time Machine is ready for Mustafa Ali and the Grizzled Young Veterans, though Alex Shelley doesn’t seem so thrilled.

Mustafa Ali/Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Time Machine

Ali and Sabin start things off but we’ll have Gibson face Sabin instead. They fight over wrist control with neither getting anywhere, so Drake comes in and gets taken down by the arm. Shelley, who isn’t even looking, accepts the tag and drops Drake with a running shoulder. The Veterans and the Guns have a standoff and now Ali is willing to come in, this time to face Kushida.

That means a quick armdrag into an armbar to put Ali down, only to have him DIVE into the corner to avoid Sabin. Gibson gets caught in the wrong corner and it’s a triple dropkick in the Tree of Woe. A cheap shot puts Sabin down though and of course Ali comes in to hammer away. The Veterans cut Sabin off again and hit some stereo running corner clotheslines to keep him in trouble.

Ali gets two off a neckbreaker and yells a lot but Gibson has to come in and cut off another comeback attempt. Sabin fights up and brings in Kushida to start cleaning house. The basement dropkick hits Ali and everything breaks down with Shelley taking out the Veterans. Kushida’s Hoverboard Lock is broken up so he kicks Ali down for two. Another Hoverboard Lock is broken up and a Doomsday Device gives Drake two on Kushida.

Sabin comes back in to slug away on Ali, followed by a tornado DDT to Drake. One heck of a dive takes Ali out on the ramp but here are the Good Hands. Sabin fights them off before dropping Ali with a clothesline, allowing Time Machine to take over with a triple Dream Sequence on Gibson. Ali breaks up what looked to be some version of Skull and Bones, leaving Sabin to accidentally kick Shelley in the face. Grit Your Teeth sets up Ali’s 450 to finish Shelley at 14:08.

Rating: B. This show is on a roll and they continued it here, with the ending furthering the Guns’ issues. Ali is still feeling like a huge addition to the roster and while he has to defend against Sabin, Kushida getting a shot feels like a probably way to go. Other than that, they had a fast paced and well done six man tag which advanced a few stories at once. Nice job.

We recap the Knockouts Title match. Xia Brookside and Tasha Steelz went to a double countout in a #1 contenders match so Jordynne Grace will fight both of them at once.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Xia Brookside vs. Tasha Steelz

Grace is defending and here is Ash By Elegance to watch (and drink expensive champagne). Steelz is quickly sent outside and Brookside makes the mistake of trying to whip Grace into the ropes. A headscissors takes Grace down but Steelz pulls Brookside outside. Brookside gets knocked off the top as well, leaving Steelz to elbow Grace down for two. Grace is back up to run both of them over with a clothesline and hits a quick MuscleBuster for two on Steelz.

Grace picks Brookside up but Steelz is back with a middle rope bulldog to bring them both down. Steelz knocks Grace down again but Brookside gets in a running kick for the save. Back up and Grace catches them on top, setting up a double swing (Brookside on the back, Steelz in the front), because of course she can do that.

We get a double submission attempt but everything breaks down and they all need a breather. The fight goes to the floor and Brookside is sends Steelz into Ash, ruining the champagne. With Ash gone, Brookside hits a tornado DDT on Grace and then Brooksie Bombs Steelz onto Grace for two. Steelz is back up to drop Brookside and then armbar Grace, who reverses into a rollup for two of her own. Grace has finally had it and runs over Steelz, setting up the Juggernaut Driver to finish Brookside at 12:36.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as it felt like Grace could have finished them whenever she wanted, which is more or less how the match ended. Grace was in trouble and then winning about ten seconds later and that doesn’t make the match feel that interesting. This felt like it was more about setting up something with Ash By Elegance, who is likely going to be getting into the title picture sooner than later. Not a bad match, but the ending wasn’t the best.

We recap Moose defending the World Title against Eric Young. Moose is defending and Young beat Frankie Kazarian at No Surrender to earn the title shot. There’s really not much more to it than that.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Eric Young

Moose is defending and Young’s arm/ribs are taped up. An early spear attempt misses for Moose and Young hammers away in the corner. Young sends him face first into the buckle over and over before taking Moose outside to keep up the beating. Moose finally gets smart and slams Young’s bad ribs onto the ramp to cut him off. Back in and a knee to the same ribs keeps Young in trouble and it’s time to untape the ribs.

Stomping to the ribs sets up some bending around the post and they head to the floor. Moose’s big chop hits the post but the hand is fine enough to drop Young ribs first onto the top rope. Young gets creative by biting the hand that hit the post, only to get release Rock Bottomed for two, though Moose couldn’t hook the leg because of the hand. The bearhug goes on but Young fights out…and is promptly put into a waistlock.

Young fights out again and hits a German suplex, only to have Moose catch him on top. The top rope superplex connects but Young rolls through into a suplex of his own. They slug it out until Young grabs a Death Valley Driver for two as the come back is on. Moose gets knocked off the top and the elbow gives Young two. Young goes up again but gets Sky Highed down for another near fall.

They slug it out until the spear is countered into a piledriver attempt, which is countered into a backdrop. Moose kicks him in the face but Young hits a discus lariat. There’s the piledriver for two as Moose gets his foot on the rope. A charge is cut off and Moose drops him onto the top rope, setting up the spear to give Moose two more.

They fight out to the floor and Young manages a piledriver on the apron to leave them both down. Young hits another piledriver on the floor and they get back inside but here is the System. They’re dispatched but the Canadian Destroyer connects for….two as the System pulls the referee out. The System is ejected, leaving a crew member (Frankie Kazarian) to jump Young. Now the spear can finish Young at 22:01.

Rating: C. As soon as they recapped the match, I could pretty much picture Kazarian (who hasn’t been on TV since losing to Young) coming in to cost Young the match. Young wasn’t exactly a top level challenger in the first place and then the match was mostly spent on Moose’s slow paced rib work. I wasn’t looking forward to this match coming in and I don’t think it could have been much flatter. Young’s comeback was at least trying to do something, but Young didn’t feel like a threat in the least and the ending was rather uninspired stuff.

Overall Rating: B+. This show was on an absolute tear and was looking like one of the best TNA shows in a VERY long time until the last two matches brought it back down. For what felt like TNA’s version of an In Your House, I would call this a huge success as I had no expectations coming in and they had one heck of a show. The show is definitely worth a look, though you might want to fast forward parts of the main event.

Results
Crazzy Steve b. Joe Hendry – Belladonna’s Kiss
Speedball Mountain b. Rascalz – Dragon suplex to Miguel
Nic Nemeth b. Steve Maclin – Danger Zone
The System b. ABC – Boston Knee Party to Austin
PCO b. Kon – PCOsault onto a pile of chairs
Spitfire b. MK Ultra – Rollup to Kelly
Hammerstone b. Josh Alexander – Nightmare Pendulum
Mustafa Ali/Grizzled Young Vets b. Time Machine – 450 to Shelley
Jordynne Grace b. Xia Brookside and Tasha Steelz – Juggernaut Driver to Brookside
Moose b. Eric Young – Spear

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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No Surrender 2024
Date: February 23, 2024
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s a special event her and the last which will have been set up under Scott D’Amore’s watch. That means we should be in for a good night, with a main event of Moose defending the World Title against Alex Shelley in a No Surrender match. In addition, Mustafa Ali is making his in-ring debut to challenge Chris Sabin for the X-Division Title. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Trent Seven/Mike Bailey vs. Rascalz

They don’t waste time in getting started as everyone goes out to the floor with Seven and Bailey taking over. The stereo dives take the Rascalz down again as commentary runs down the pay per view card. We settle down to Wentz going after Bailey’s leg inside and it’s Miguel coming in for some alternating kicks to the chest. A double stomp to the back gives Wentz two but Bailey is able to get over to Seven. House is quickly cleaned, with Miguel being suplexed onto Wentz, followed by a spinning slam for two.

Wentz breaks up a superplex attempt but Bailey breaks up the breakup, meaning the superplex can go through. A picture perfect shooting star press gives Bailey two, followed by the Seven Star Lariat for the same. The Rascalz are back up with the top rope stomp into a backbreaker for two but Seven makes the save. Bailey kicks Miguel down but it bangs up his knee, allowing Steve Maclin to come in with a chop block. A kneebar makes Bailey tap at 8:31.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice opener here with Bailey and Seven becoming something more than a makeshift team but not being good enough to take out a longtime established team like the Rascalz. The knee work, including Maclin’s interference, was a story throughout and that’s always nice to see. Throw in that gorgeous shooting star press and this was a good start to the night.

Pre-Show: System vs. Kushida/Kevin Knight

It’s a brawl to start with the villains being cleared out with dropkicks. Myers gets in a shot on Knight though and hands it off to Edwards, who is quickly armbarred for his efforts. Kushida comes in and gets taken out to the floor to start the beating. Back in and we hit the chinlock from Myers, followed by one from Eddie to continue the villains’ balanced offense.

Edwards lets go to drop Knight, meaning there is no one for an escaping Kushida to tag. The tag goes through a few seconds later though and Knight dives in to pick up the pace. A middle rope hurricanrana gets two on Myers as everything breaks down. Myers hits the implant DDT but Knight is back up to clean house. The backpack Stunner into a top rope elbow gets two on Knight but Kushida comes back in. Kushida takes the Roster Cut for Knight, leaving the Boston Knee Party to finish Knight at 8:47.

Rating: C+. This isn’t the best start to the night for the heroes and hopefully it gets better for them. They had another nice match here, with Knight being a crazy high flier who can make those things look so effortless. Kushida can work well with anyone and that makes for a good combination to give the System a boost. The team just kind of showed up one day so they need to do something like this to establish themselves.

The opening video talks about the importance of tonight and how the roster can overcome anything.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Eric Young

For the World Title shot at Sacrifice. The bell rings but we pause because Kazarian wants to be acknowledged as the King Of TNA. They go with the grappling to start, with Kazarian grabbing a front facelock. Back up and Young elbows him in the face before a double clothesline lets them go nose to nose. Kazarian is back with a shot to the face and a running Russian legsweep of all things for two.

A suplex sets up a slam but Kazarian misses the springboard spinning legdrop. Young hits some clotheslines into a Death Valley Driver for two but Kazarian catches him up top. The Flux Capacitor is blocked so Young drops the top rope elbow for two more and they need a breather. Kazarian hits his Fameasser over the ropes but it’s still too early for the chickenwing. A nice cutter gives Kazarian two and a Backstabber into Fade To Black gets two more. Kazarian goes to yell at the referee…and gets crucifixed for the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. I was surprised this was the opener as the #1 contenders match between two long established veterans isn’t what I would have expected to start the show. That being said, Young getting a title match is a fine way to go as he is a former multiple time World Champion, meaning there is always the chance that he could pull off an upset. At the same time though, the match was only so good as it was mainly Kazarian beating Young up until Young got a fluke rollup. That’s not great, but at least the match felt important.

Post match Kazarian yells at the referee and beats the fire out of him, with no one approving.

We run down the card, in case you forgot what you’re watching.

The Grizzled Young Veterans promise to beat ABC to win the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles; Grizzled Young Veterans vs. ABC

ABC is defending in the third match of a best of three series. Gibson and Austin start things off and we get a nice staredown. They go with the grappling until Austin gets him into the corner for some stomping. Everything quickly breaks down and ABC hits their rapid fire double kicks and Click Click Boom gets two. We settle down to Bey getting dropped onto the top, allowing Gibson to catapult him throat first into the rope.

Drake adds a top rope ax handle to the back as the pace stays slow early on. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Gibson comes in for a distraction, allowing Drake to choke away with the scarf. Gibson comes in for some trash talk and his own chinlock but Bey fights up for the hot tag. Austin gets to come in and clean house, including a heck of a big dive to the floor. Everything breaks down and the Veterans get stereo holds until Bey backflips into one of his own.

The Veterans are right back with a diving Doomsday Device to drop Austin. Bey tells the Veterans to bring it and hits a brainbuster on Gibson but the Art of Finesse is broken up. The Veterans quickly take over and it’s a hanging DDT in the corner, with Drake diving in with a missile dropkick to break everything up. Austin shoves Drake off the top though and chokes Gibson with the scarf for a bonus. A double Art Of Finesse sets up the Fold for the 1-2-Sweet to finish Drake and retain at 17:38.

Rating: B. I’ve liked this series since it started and this was another good reason why. These guys had a heck of a match and they continue to work well together. They had a match that could have gone either way and that is always going to make things more interesting. ABC retaining the titles means they are going to need new challengers and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it being the System. Then you have the Veterans, who could go in a few ways from here, which means it should be interesting to see where they go.

We look back at Steve Maclin costing Trent Seven and Mike Bailey a match on the pre-show.

Maclin and the Rascalz are happy with the win and say Nic Nemeth is done. Cue Bailey and Seven to yell at them a lot.

Kon vs. PCO

The fight starts in the aisle with PCO getting the better of things as the bell rings. Kon knocks PCO down but PCO is right back up to knock him to the floor. The big flip dive is knocked away though and PCO is sent into various things. PCO gets in a shot of his own back inside but a Cactus Clothesline leaves them back on the floor. The Deanimator misses though as PCO crashes down onto the apron. Kon grabs a chair and blasts him for the DQ at 4:00.

Rating: C. They didn’t waste time here and that is the right way to go. With a match that is designed to be little more than two monsters hitting each other over and over, there is no need to have it go long. Let them do their thing and set up something for later, as Kon’s unlikely push continues.

Post match Kon stays on him with chair shots before wrenching PCO’s neck on the stage.

We recap MK Ultra challenging Decay for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Decay won the belts at Hart To Kill in an impromptu match and now we have something more scheduled.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Decay vs. MK Ultra

MK Ultra is challenging and the fight starts fast with Havok taking over on Slamovich in the corner. Some splashes set up an exploder suplex to give Rosemary two but some biting gets Slamovich out of trouble. Kelly comes in to hammer on Rosemary before slamming Slamovich onto her. Rosemary clotheslines her way to freedom and crawls onto Kelly, who shoves her back and screams in her face for a change.

They slug it out until Slamovich makes a save and a high/low puts Rosemary down. The kick to the chest gives Slamovich two but the Snow Plow is countered into something close to an Edge-O-Matic. Havok comes in to clean house, including a hip attack on both challengers. A Death Valley Driver gives Havok two and the chokebomb/hair slam connects. Slamovich makes the save and gets the tag though, allowing her to cut off Rosemary’s spear. Now the Snow Plow can connect to get the titles back at 7:21.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have a title change to make an event seem important, even if it’s the least important title on the show. They’re at least setting something up with some more regular teams fighting over the belts though, with Dani Luna and Jody Threat making the save. Not a great match or anything, but the title change was a welcome addition.

Post match MK Ultra goes for the beating but Dani Luna and Jody Threat make the save.

The System gives Moose a pep talk before the main event. Moose seems ready.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Simon Gotch. Alexander was on a roll when Gotch jumped the barricade and took him out. Gotch wanted revenge for Alexander getting a run to the top while Gotch was forgotten.

Simon Gotch vs. Josh Alexander

Gotch takes him to the mat to start before working away on the arm. Alexander reverses into a headlock takeover but Gotch rolls out of a headscissors. That doesn’t last long as Alexander pulls him right back into the chinlock. The threat of an ankle lock sends Gotch straight over to the ropes and it’s time to strike it out. Gotch gets the better of things and takes Alexander outside to drop him again.

Back in and Alexander manages to roll some German suplexes to really rock Gotch. A grab of the ropes gets Gotch a breather though and he kicks Alexander in the head. Gotch drops a backsplash but does not like Alexander rolling him up for two. They trade some rather hard shots until Alexander scores with a middle rope dropkick.

The slugout heads to the apron, where Alexander drops him with a big boot, only to have Gotch kick him in the leg. Gotch misses another backsplash and gets caught with the running crossbody to the back to leave them both on the floor. Both of them have to dive back in to beat the count and the slugout is on again. Alexander gets the better of things with time, including a running big boot.

An exploder suplex gives Alexander two but he can’t get the C4 Spike. Gotch tries to pull him into the bulldog choke and goes creative by using the headgear to get it locked in. That’s reversed into the ankle lock with Gotch needing some time before he rolls through. Alexander hits a backbreaker though and the C4 Spike finishes Gotch at 16:41.

Rating: B. Alexander continues to be one of those dependable hands that feels like a big deal and doesn’t need the title. He held the thing for so long that another reign is pretty unnecessary given his past success. Gotch did well here, even if it is going to be rather difficult to take him seriously given his previous style in WWE.

AJ Francis says even though he and Rich Swann are fighting on Impact, they can work together before then.

We recap Moose defending the World Title against Alex Shelley. Moose won the title at Hard To Kill but hasn’t been done with Shelley. This is the rematch and can only end when your corner man throws in the towel.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Alex Shelley

Shelley (with Kushida/Kevin Knight) is challenging Moose (Eddie Edwards/Brian Myers) and you can only win when one of your seconds throws in the designated towel. It’s also No DQ, but interference from a corner man will end the match. Shelley goes right after him to start and the brawl starts fast with Shelley working on the arm. The Fujiwara armbar goes on but Moose manages to block a cross armbreaker.

They head outside where Moose hits a big boot and an apron powerbomb and Shelley is in trouble. He’s good enough to slip off of Moose’s shoulders though and a chop block takes Moose down. Shelley posts the shoulder for a bonus before tying Moose’s fingers in the turnbuckle. That’s not enough either though as Shelley whips out a wrench and REALLY cranks on the fingers.

Moose slips out and ties Shelley’s hand in the buckle instead, setting up some rather hard chair shots. Back in and Shelley grabs a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes before doing it again for a bonus. It’s time for some kendo stick shots to Moose’s bad leg and we hit the half crab, complete with said stick. Edwards pulls the stick out (doesn’t count as direct contact) and Moose manages a release Rock Bottom.

It’s time for a trashcan to keep Shelley down, but let’s put in a table as well. The System throws in some brass knuckles but Moose throws them away….and misses a spear through the table. Shelley whips out a chain and uses it for the Border City Stretch. Alisha Edwards offers a distraction to break it up though and Moose scores with a spear. Shelley is barely up so Moose wraps the chain around his shoulder and hits another spear. Kushida is ready to throw in the towel to save Shelley, who says don’t do it. Moose teases another spear with the chain and Kushida throws in the towel for Shelley’s protection at 20:01.

Rating: B. Good stuff here with Moose getting his second win over Shelley, who already had a big title reign. The stipulation was a good way to protect Shelley and he might not be happy with Kushida for throwing in the towel. I’m a bit surprised this wasn’t higher on the card but TNA doesn’t always follow the norm with this kind of thing. Hard hitting, violent match here and it was a nice change of pace with a unique stipulation.

Post match Moose spears him instead.

We recap Gisele Shaw challenging Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Title. Shaw is cashing in her Ultimate X win and is fighting without her friends because it’s time for her to win. Grace is on a roll though and Shaw has had trouble winning the big one.

Ash By Elegance, with a full entrance, comes out to watch from ringside.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Gisele Shaw

Shaw is challenging and runs away to start but Grace catches up with her for a hard toss. They get inside, where Shaw pulls the referee into the corner to prevent a splash and then starts in on Grace. Shaw gets caught in the corner though and some slams have her in trouble. Some shots to the face keep Grace staggered and they fight out to the apron. A powerbomb to the floor is countered though and Grace hits a backsplash on the apron for a big crash.

The Juggernaut Driver off the apron is blocked though and Shaw grabs a Spanish Fly onto the floor to leave them both laying. They barely beat the count back inside, where Grace reverses a running knee into a spinebuster for two. Back up and now Shawn’s knee can connect, with Grace having to grab a rope to escape. They trade rollups for two each until Grace slugs away and hits the Juggernaut Driver to retain at 10:34.

Rating: B-. I was thinking they were going to change the title here as Shaw needs to win something at some point. At the same time, Grace has already been such a dominant champion with that Royal Rumble appearance making her that much bigger. Then again that might make TNA want to keep the title on her, which does make sense. The match could have been better with some more time though and that made them rush a big as a result.

Post match Ash storms off.

We recap Mustafa Ali challenging Chris Sabin for the X-Division Title. Ali has been teasing taking the division in a new direction and Sabin is not taking it well.

X-Division Title: Chris Sabin vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with security, is challenging and they take their time to start. A test of strength goes to Ali, who uses his feet to take him down but Sabin rolls into a stalemate. Ali’s running shoulder doesn’t work and stereo dropkicks give us another standoff. Sabin seems frustrated that he can’t figure Ali out so he grabs a headlock takeover.

With that broken up, Sabin pulls him into a surfboard but Ali flips out of that as well, this time kicking some dirt onto Sabin. That’s not cool with the champ, who hammers away at Ali’s jaw and takes him to the apron. There’s the running headscissors to take Ali down again and we hit the chinlock. The fans are behind Ali, who jawbreaks his way to freedom. Ali goes up top and hits a 450 onto the arm to put Sabin in real trouble.

An STF and Border City Stretch stay on the arm and Ali cranks back on both. Sabin back and gets in a kick to the head, only to have Ali hit a similar kick and leave them both down. Sabin goes up top and, after shoving Ali down, hits a middle rope DDT for two and they both need a breather. Ali tries a crucifix but gets pulled into a crossface for his forts. The rope is finally grabbed but Sabin isn’t letting go immediately.

Sabin’s springboard is broken up and he falls outside, where Ali sends him back inside. The 450 misses but Ali takes a NASTY whip into the buckle and they’re both down. Back up and Sabin sends him to the floor, where the high crossbody hits the security instead. Sabin grabs Cradle Shock for two and the kickout has him stunned. A basement superkick lets Sabin take him up top but a super Cradle Shock is blocked. Instead Ali hits a sunset flip bomb into the 450 for the pin and the title at 20:28.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was really good and they nailed the big moment at the end. Ali has been built up as a huge deal and now he has FINALLY won something to make it feel validated. It helps that he beat the best X-Division Champion ever and the fans were behind Ali for most of the match. Rather awesome main event here with a feel good moment to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This started off a little weak and then got way better as it went along, with the main event being a highlight as Ali gets the clean title win. Nothing on here was bad, save for maybe PCO vs. Kon, which felt like it was there to set up something down the line. TNA is doing rather well with these In Your House style shows and this was no exception, though now we have to see what the new regime brings.

Results
Rascalz b. Trent Seven/Mike Bailey – Kneebar to Bailey
System b. Kevin Knight/Kushida – Boston Knee Party to Knight
Eric Young b. Frankie Kazarian – Crucifix
ABC b. Grizzled Young Veterans – 1-2-Sweet to Drake
PCO b. Kon via DQ when Kon used a chair
MK Ultra b. Decay – Snow Plow to Rosemary
Josh Alexander b. Simon Gotch – C4 Spike
Moose b. Alex Shelley when Kushida threw in the towel
Jordynne Grace b. Gisele Shaw – Juggernaut Driver
Mustafa Ali b. Chris Sabin – 450

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 15, 2024
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We have just over a week to go before No Surrender and the card seems to be all set up. In this case that means we should be focusing on building towards everything that is already set up. There are still some spots that could be filled on the No Surrender card though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Jake Something

Kazarian strikes away to start but Something hits a jumping body block to send Kazarian outside. Back in and a running clothesline puts Kazarian right back on the floor but he’s able to snap the throat across the top rope. A neckbreaker gets two on Something and Kazarian feels the need to slap him in the face a few times. The chickenwing is blocked with a ram in the corner though and something hits a heck of a running forearm.

Something’s powerbomb is countered with a shot to the face so he grabs a Michinoku Driver for two. Kazarian blocks Into the Void and grabs a slingshot DDT for a rather near fall. Back up and Something’s charge hits post as we see Eric Young watching. Something blocks the super Flux Capacitor but Kazarian pulls him off the ropes with a crash. A rollup while grabbing the rope finishes for Kazarian at 9:16.

Rating: C+. Kazarian is on the rise around here and is becoming one of the bigger heels in the company. The big showdown with Eric Young (based on their team which lasted….maybe a week) is on the horizon and that should make for a good match at Rebellion. As for Something, he still feels like someone who could have a nice breakout run, but he has to win a few big matches to get there.

Post break Young wants Kazarian to meet him in the ring to settle this like men.

Jordynne Grace vs. Savannah Evans

Non-title. Evans drives her straight into the corner to start and snaps off a suplex as Grace can’t get anything going to start. A running shoulder connects for Evans but a second hits Grace’s raised boot. The running Vader Bomb gives Grace one but the MuscleBuster finishes for Grace at 2:38.

Post match Gisele Shaw runs in with the big red X to the face, followed by a running knee to leave Grace laying.

Ash By Elegance’s handler gets rid of Gia Miller and introduces Ash, who says she’ll be making her in-ring debut next week. The handler is pleased but the returning Gia isn’t sure what to think.

It’s time for Alan Angels’ Sound Check with Simon Gotch, who debuted last week to attack Josh Alexander. Gotch talks about Alexander’s path to TNA but now it’s not the same Alexander. Gotch says he helped bring Alexander here but his name is edited out. We see a clip of Alexander beating Gotch (then known as Simon Grimm), though now Gotch is back from the dead. Alexander storms in but they’re kept apart.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. ABC

This is both a title match and a non-title match, as it’s the second match in a best of three series. If the Veterans win, they are the new champions but if ABC wins, we go to a third match. Bey and Gibson get things going with Bey dodging a bit before hitting a Thesz press with right hands. Austin (with his injured shoulder) comes in for some rapid fire stomping in the corner before it’s back to Bey to hammer on Drake.

We go back to Austin, who gets caught in the wrong corner for a running dropkick to the back arm to put the Veterans in control. Back from a break with an assisted shoulder breaker getting two on Austin as the Veterans have a target. Austin manages to duck a clothesline though and the hot tag brings Bey back in.

Bey cleans house, including a dive to Gibson and a double kick to his head. The bad arm gives out before the 1-2-Sweet though and it’s a Doomsday Device for two on Bey, leading to much frustration. Bey manages a kick off the ropes and the one armed Austin comes in to start the comeback. Drake gets smart by going after the bad arm but Bey breaks up grit Your Teeth. That leaves Austin to roll Drake up for the pin to tie the series at 13:44.

Rating: B. Like I said when the series started, there was almost no way that this wasn’t going to work. You have two talented teams and they have shown more than enough chemistry together to put on a heck of a series. The first two matches have been good but the third has the potential to be a classic, especially if the champs are fighting from beneath due to the bad arm.

Dirty Dango mocks the idea of star ratings or PWI rankings being important and says they’re looking for tag teams to beat up.

Mustafa Ali talks about how the X-Division has been going through a bunch of changes. Does it have the right leadership to work though? Ali approves this message.

The Good Hands seem to offer Ali (not here) their services when Chris Sabin comes in and loses it a bit.

Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. Rhino

Steve is defending and Rhino runs him over hard to start. They go outside so Rhino can get an early table but Steve slides it back under the ring. Rhino drops him back first onto the apron and adds a suplex on the ramp as commentary points out the lack of a DQ. Back in and Steve tries to bring in the title but gets it taken away, allowing Rhino to hit a clothesline for two. The Gore is loaded up but Steve knees him in the face. Steve pulls out the fork for a distraction, allowing him to get in a belt shot for the pin to retain at 4:41.

Rating: C-. They got in there, they did some stuff, Steve cheated to win. This isn’t quite the same monster that Steve had been before but I’ll take him adding another win. Steve could do this for a good while and someone getting to take the title from him should be a good moment. That wasn’t going to be Rhino, though beating him means a bit for Steve.

PCO wants Kon.

Deaner vs. Joe Hendry

Hold on though as AJ Francis interrupts with a rap about Hendry and dubs himself TNA J Francis. Hendry says this has him off guard because he usually does this to people. And never mind as he has a new music video for Francis, talking about how Francis can’t dive and set to AJ Styles’ Get Ready To Fly in a brilliant addition. Deaner jumps Hendry and Francis comes in for the chokeslam. Rich Swann makes the save and there’s no match.

We look at Steve Maclin attacking Nick Nemeth in Puerto Rico.

Maclin and the Rascalz are happy with what happened but Mike Bailey and Trent Seven interrupt. Trent vs. Maclin is set for next week.

Killer Kelly vs. Dani Luna

Masha Slamovich and Jody Threat are here too. Kelly takes Luna down to start and hits a running kick to the chest, followed by some trapping headbutts. The Angel’s Wings are blocked though and Luna runs Kelly over. Slamovich tries to cheat but Threat cuts her off, allowing Luna to grab the rollup pin at 2:47.

Post match the brawl is on until Decay comes in to stare at everyone.

No Surrender rundown.

Moose vs. Kushida

Non-title and everyone is banned from ringside. Moose starts fast by powering him into the corner but a low bridge sends Moose outside. The slingshot dive is pulled out of the air though and Kushida is dropped onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Moose hitting a dropkick and they head outside, where Kushida gets slammed on the floor.

The apron bomb is broken up and Kushida grabs the cross armbreaker on the apron. With that broken up, Kushida’s moonsault press gets two back inside. The Hoverboard Lock sends Moose bailing to the ropes so Kushida goes with a Code Red for two. Kushida loads up the handspring elbow but walks into a spear to give Moose the pin at 9:51.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have time here but it’s another case where you know these two are going to have a solid match based on the talent alone. That was the case here, as Moose is feeling it as the athletic monster and Kushida is…well Kushida, meaning he is going to work well with anyone. Good main event here and I could go for a longer version.

Post match the System comes in to beat Kushida down until Alex Shelley and Kevin Knight run in for the big brawl. The System is cleared out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. As you might have expected, they didn’t cover a bunch of new stuff here, save for maybe the second match of the series. As you also might have expected, they made the whole thing work with the show being rather efficient throughout. I kind of want to see No Surrender, but I’m almost scared to see what happens with Scott D’Amore gone soon.

Results
Frankie Kazarian b. Jake Something – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Jordynne Grace b. Savannah Evans – MuscleBuster
ABC b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Rollup to Drake
Crazzy Steve b. Rhino – Belt shot
Dani Luna b. Killer Kelly – Rollup
Moose b. Kushida – Spear

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 11, 2024
Host: Tom Hannifan

We’re almost back to normal shows for the first time in months, but for now it’s time for one more Best Of show. That can be quite hit or miss, but the question becomes what constitutes “Best Of” this week. Hopefully they get to the right part of the vault this week so let’s get to it.

Hannifan welcomes us to the show and talks about this being a preview for Saturday’s Hard To Kill.

From Hard To Kill 2022.

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

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

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

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

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

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

We look at ABC retaining the Tag Team Titles at Final Resolution but getting jumped by the Rascalz after their win.

Later in the night, the ABC cost the Rascalz a match against Trent Seven and Mike Bailey.

The Grizzled Young Veterans are debuting at Hard To Kill and they’re already in a four way Tag Team Title match. Cool. As Zack Gibson talks to the camera, someone bumps into James Drake so he goes off to pummel them. Cool as well.

From Impact, November 9, 2023.

Digital Media Title: Tommy Dreamer vs. Crazzy Steve

Dreamer is defending. They lock up to start and fight out to the floor before Steve takes it back inside for some chopping. A neckbreaker and knee lift get Dreamer out of trouble but Steve knocks him right back down and sings him a lullaby. Dreamer shrugs off some ripping at the face and slugs away.

A reverse DDT gives Dreamer two but the Dreamer Driver is broken up. Steve hits a Cannonball and goes for the fork but Dreamer bites the arm. Dreamer hits a cutter and stabs him with the fork instead. More stabbing has Steve running away and cackling as the match just kind of ends at about 7:15. I’d assume it was a DQ but I didn’t actually hear a bell.

Rating: C. Well, at least Dreamer didn’t win. I would hope that we are going to be seeing a rematch where Steve wins the title as there is no reason for Dreamer to be a long term champion. Dreamer going violent to even things up is fine, but he needs to drop the title to Steve, who is doing some good stuff right now.

Video on El Hijo del Vikingo.

From Impact, August 10, 2023.

Mike Bailey vs. Kushida

Kushida drops to the mat and tries to pull Bailey down before settling for a wristdrag. A kick to the chest drops Bailey again but the fans are split. The bouncing kicks don’t do much to Kushida, who sends Bailey outside. Back in and we hit the surfboard to keep Bailey in trouble a bit longer. They chop it out until Bailey is knocked outside for a shoulder first ram into the post.

We take a break and come back with Kushida tying up the legs and cranking away with an Indian deathlock (with commentary pointing out that since Kushida had taken out the arm, Bailey would start using his legs so Kushida is staying ahead of him). Back up and the leg is fine enough to hit a springboard moonsault (of course), only to miss something off the top.

Bailey strikes him down and tries the standing moonsault but gets caught in an armbar. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker but Kushida makes the rope. Bailey kicks him in the face so Kushida hits him in his, only to have Bailey knee him in the face for two. The tornado kick looks to set up the Ultimate Weapon but Kushida pulls him down and hits Back To The Future for the pin at 17:55.

Rating: B. This is one of those setups where you know it is going to be at least good give all of the circumstances. That being said, Bailey’s knee nonsense continues as Kushida worked it over and then bailey was right back up with the springboard moonsault. Other than that, Kushida seems to be on the road to an X-Division Title showdown and that should be very good whenever it happens.

From Hard To Kill 2022.

Josh Alexander vs. Jonah

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

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

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

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

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

From Slammiversary 2022.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Mia Yim vs. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Chelsea Green

Steelz, with Savannah Evans, is defending in Queen Of The Mountain and Mickie James is guest enforcer. Steelz has Mickie themed gear describing herself as “The Greatest Who Beat The Greatest” for a nice touch. The bell rings and Steelz bails to the floor to grab a table with Evans. Yim takes both of them out with a dive and Green hits her own flip dive (thankfully not breaking her arm for a change).

Purrazzo adds her own dive and Green rolls Steelz up to become eligible and send her to the penalty box for two minutes. Mickie sends Evans into the box as well, leaving Grace and Yim to beat up Purrazzo. Steelz and Evans are out with Steelz getting to strike away. Evans gets back inside and is ejected by Mickie, leaving Steelz to kick green down. Yim makes the save and suplexes Green for the pin/eligibility/penalty box time.

Green isn’t happy and hits Mickie with the door as Purrazzo has to cut off Yim from hanging the title. With Yim going up anyway, Steelz comes off the top with a cutter to pull her back down. As Purrazzo armbars Steelz, Green is released and takes Grace down with a spear. Steelz taps so Purrazzo can be eligible but it’s time to go after Grace. A Backstabber sends her outside as Green sends Yim into the corner for two. Green holds up the title as Steelz is released from the box.

The ladder is laid up against the ropes and it’s Yim coming off the penalty box to dropkick Green into said ladder. Yim hits a big dive to take out a bunch of people, setting up a package piledriver on the floor to pin Grace (remember Yim was already eligible). Green headbutts Steelz down and goes up but James is back in to break it up in an act of rather unprofessional revenge.

Purrazzo powerbombs Yim onto a ladder and goes up at the same time as Green. As Grace is released, Yim shoves the ladder over to put both Green and Purrazzo through the table. Yim gets dropped and double pinned by Grace and Steelz, meaning everyone is eligible. Steelz goes up but Grace hits her with a MuscleBuster for the pin, allowing Grace to hang the title for the win at 18:24.

Rating: C+. What do you say about a match like this? It’s total insanity and the rules are such a mess that it is quite the chore to keep track of everything that is going on. Grace was the monster throughout the match and it makes sense to have her win, as she hasn’t been around the title in a long time. Granted Masha Slamovich seems to be waiting on whoever won the title, but Grace winning is nice to see.

We look at Moose winning his first World Title by cashing in on Josh Alexander at Bound For Glory 2021.

We look at Alex Shelley winning his first World Title by defeating Steve Maclin at Against All Odds 2023.

We get a face to face sitdown interview between Moose and Alex Shelley before Moose challenges Shelley for the World Title at Hard To Kill. Shelley is feeling confident going into the title match but Moose says he’s coming in as Moose and leaving as World Champion. We get some questions from various members of the media, with the first being if Shelley is facing more pressure than usual. Shelley says he’ll do the same thing he’s been doing, while Moose says he doesn’t need to scare anyone.

The next question is about the rebirth of TNA, with Shelley saying Moose wasn’t around for the original so should be Shelley on top. Shelley is ready to be the champ who defends the title around the world, while Moose wants to be the first champion in TNA as everything changes to the new era.

Another question for Moose: he brought back the TNA World Championship, but did he ever think he would really hold the title? Moose says the company needed someone but Shelley wasn’t there. They go face to face and both say they should be champion to end the show. This was a good idea, but it went on one or two questions too long. I’ll certainly take some hype over the title match over none though so this was at least something.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a theme here and it made the show feel more important. It was still kind of all over the place with its match choices, but at least they were getting to the build for the big return. Hard To Kill is going to be in a weird place, though things will be back to normal starting next week. This was a glorified preview featuring previous matches to set things up, so for what they were trying to do, we’ll call it a good enough success.

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