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:

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: 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:

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 28, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are less than a month away from Revolution and that means the card needs to start being filled in. The top matches have already been announced but there are still some things that can be added in advance. TNA has been doing rather well in recent weeks and it would be nice to see that continue. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside vs. Ash By Elegance vs. Dani Luna vs. Alisha Edwards vs. Havok vs. Jody Threat vs. Masha Slamovich vs. Rosemary

For a Knockouts Title shot at Rebellion and this is an 8-4-1 match, meaning we start with an eight woman tag (Ash/Brookside/Rosemary/Luna vs. Havok/Threat/Slamovich/Alisha). The winning team then has a four way and the winner gets the title shot. Hold on though as Elegance has a toothache and is out. Therefore we have a replacement in the form of the returning Steph de Lander.

De Lander starts with Havok, who scares her over for an early tag to Rosemary. Havok is sent into de Lander so it’s off to Alisha, who is powered down by Luna. A bulldog gives Alisha two and Slamovich comes in to take over on Luna. Threat gets to fire off some clotheslines in the corner to Brookside, who is back with a running headscissors. Everything breaks down and Luna hits a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Slamovich.

They trade rollups for two each until Luna small packages her for the pin at 5:16. So now it’s Luna vs. Rosemary vs. Brookside vs. de Lander for the title shot. Hold on though as Slamovich jumps Luna and sends her into the post to leave her laying. Brookside is sent crashing into Ash (at ringside) so Ash posts her hard. That’s enough for an elimination and we go back to the ring where Matt Cardona runs in to hit Radio Silence on Rosemary. A sitout TKO gives de Lander the pin and the title shot at 8:10.

Rating: C. This is an interesting concept in theory but there is only so much that you can do with an eight minute match that runs two falls and had a bunch of stuff on the outside. The final four were only in the ring together for a staredown before three people interfered. De Lander and Cardona being back is a big deal, though I’m not sure if this was the best way to bring them back as the match was kind of all over the place and rushing through with the limited time they had.

We look at Chris Sabin and Steve Maclin getting into it earlier this week to set up a match tonight.

The Motor City Machine Guns and Kushida are in the back with Sabin being glad the tension is over. Alex Shelley gets offended by the idea of Sabin having issues over a singles match and leaves.

Ace Austin isn’t happy with Chris Bey going after the X-Division Title last week when they have a rematch for the Tag Team Titles coming up. Bey brings up Austin facing Frankie Kazarian so he’ll go find Kazarian too.

The Grizzled Young Veterans call out Deaner, who comes out to say he can face either of them right now. Deaner puts it up to the people and Zack Gibson gets the call. Well actually we’ll make that both so Deaner goes after both of them. Sure.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Deaner

Deaner slugs away to start and it goes as well as you would expect to start. Drake knocks him down and it’s off to Gibson, who is caught in an atomic drop. The Deaner DDT is broken up and it’s a cheap shot from Drake on the apron. Grit Your Teeth finishes Deaner at 2:22.

Nic Nemeth…is interrupted by Alex Shelley, who knows how to beat the System. Shelley praises Nemeth, who says he’d be honored to give Shelley the first title shot after he beats Moose. Shelley would rather do it tonight so they’ll try to get it set up.

Here is Josh Alexander who wants to get revenge on Hammerstone. He has an open contract for tonight and calls Hammerstone out but gets….Tracy Williams instead. Williams is ready to fight because he has been wanting his opportunity around here. If Hammerstone doesn’t want to fight, Williams will do it. Works for Alexander.

Josh Alexander vs. Tracy Williams

They both try a hold to start but it just leads to a standoff. Alexander loads up a suplex and they go over the top to crash out to the floor. Back up and Alexander hits his running crossbody to send Williams outside again and we take a break. We come back with Williams blocking a C4 Spike attempt and dropping Alexander instead. A butterfly superplex sets up an armbar on Alexander, who bails straight to the ropes.

Alexander is back with a Regal Roll into an ankle lock but Williams makes the ropes this time. That earns Williams a powerbomb backbreaker for two but he breaks up another C4 Spike. Williams DDTs him onto the turnbuckle and hits a Death Valley Driver into the crossface. They trade shots to the face until Alexander rolls into the C4 Spike to put Williams away at 10:24.

Rating: B-. This was the weekly good match of the show and that’s a nice tradition to have. Williams coming in, even for a one shot, is a fine addition and I could go for having him around more often. He’s the kind of wrestler who can work well with anyone and it gives Alexander another boost before his likely showdown with Hammerstone at Rebellion. Should Williams stick around, he should work out well as he has the skill to back up the pretty intense promo he had here.

Post match, respect is shown but here is Hammerstone (looking very Brock Lesnarish) to jump them both. Williams gets torture racked.

Mustafa Ali is happy to be on the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated but tells Santino Marella that he shouldn’t be defending the X-Division Title against Jake Something. Ali mocks the name, with Santino saying anyone with any name can be X-Division Champion. Like Rhino! Ali wants to know what kind of a name that is. Ali: “He’s behind me isn’t he?” Rhino pops in and gets an Old School Rules match with Ali next week.

Mike Bailey vs. Eddie Edwards

Trent Seven, Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are all here too. Bailey kicks away to start and knocks Eddie outside for the dive. Chopping ensues but a Myers distraction lets Edwards take over with some chops of his own. Back in and Bailey fights up with a kick to the chest but gets poked in the eyes for his efforts. A middle rope dropkick works a bit better for Bailey and he kicks Eddie down, setting up a running shooting star press.

Bailey kicks him outside for a corkscrew Asai moonsault, only to miss the tornado kick back inside. Eddie’s Backpack Stunner gets two but Bailey is back with the very rapid fire kicks. The moonsault knees hit Eddie but Myers offers a distraction. Seven cuts him off, leaving Bailey to kick Eddie in the head. Alisha’s distraction doesn’t work though the Ultimate Weapon misses anyway. The Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 10:56.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, though the ending was a bit weird as it looked like Eddie just beat him clean. I’m not sure how that makes me more interested in seeing the title match but at least it was a singles match rather than a tag match. That being said, seeing Bailey lose after doing all of his ridiculous kicks is often soothing and that was the case again here.

PCO wants Kon in a Monster’s Ball match.

The FBI is coming next week. For those of you keeping track, it is only a mere 23 years after ECW ended.

Frankie Kazarian is ready to end Eric Young for good but Chris Bey comes in to say he wants Kazarian next week.

We look at Rich Swann joining forces with AJ Francis.

Here are Francis and Swann for a chat. They are collectively known as First Class, with Francis getting to mock the Philadelphia Eagles. Swann talks about how he is a former World Champion but he has been in a slump lately. Francis was the only person there for him and he offered to take Swann to even higher heights than ever before.

Swann wasn’t sure, but then he was about to get his first win in a long time. Joe Hendry made that blind tag and stole the win though and Swann was crushed. Then he saw Francis again and the persistence impressed him. Swann won his World Title when there was no one around, so he doesn’t need these people. If you’re not First Class, you’re last.

Laredo Kid talks about his history in wrestling and making it up the ladder. He tries to have success everywhere he goes but after winning a big match over El Hijo del Vikingo, he had a serious internal injury and almost died. It made him want to work harder and now he is coming for Crazzy Steve’s Digital Media Title.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Steve Maclin

Sabin snaps off an armdrag to start and then does it again for a bonus. The wristlock doesn’t work so Sabin armdrags him into an armbar as the slow start continues. Maclin fights up and they go to the floor, where Sabin sends him shoulder first into the post. Back in and Sabin grabs another armbar, with Maclin not being able to roll his way out of trouble. Instead Maclin sends him into the buckle for the escape and we take a break.

We come back with Maclin loading up a superplex but Sabin breaks it up and hits a missile dropkick. A neckbreaker sends Maclin into the corner and a quick DDT gives Sabin two. Sabin stays smart with a crossface but Maclin gets out to the floor. Maclin knees him out of the air for two but the spear in the corner misses.

Instead Maclin grabs Mayhem For All for two and they’re both down. The Jar Headbutt misses as well and they slug it out until Maclin forearms him to the floor. Maclin’s Scud misses on the floor and they’re both down again. After barely beating the count, Maclin charges into a tornado DDT to give Sabin two. Maclin catches him on top though and now the spear hits in the corner. The KIA finishes Sabin clean at 15:23.

Rating: B. It’s strange to see Sabin losing clean like this but it does give Maclin the big win that he has been needing for more than a bit. I’m not sure what Maclin is being built up for but it doesn’t likely mean anything good for Sabin and company. Sabin is still capable of having a good match with anyone though and beating him is a big deal for Maclin, so well done if that is the direction things seem to be going.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this show a good bit as they advanced some things for Rebellion and had the good action to back it up. While there is still a long way to go before the pay per view, there are enough stories that have me wondering where things are going. Good show here, which is a pretty longstanding tradition around here.

Results
Steph de Lander b. Xia Brookside, Dani Luna, Alisha Edwards, Havok, Jody Threat, Masha Slamovich and Rosemary – Sitout TKO to Rosemary
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Deaner – Grit Your Teeth
Josh Alexander b. Tracy Williams – C4 Spike
Eddie Edwards b. Mike Bailey – Boston Knee Party
Steve Maclin b. Chris Sabin – KIA

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 21, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are getting closer to Rebellion and last week saw what will likely be the setup for two title matches on the show. The good thing about recent weeks around here is that there is a lot more going on than just the main event. That should help get us ready for the pay per view next month so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Leon Slater vs. Chris Bey vs. Alan Angels vs. Jason Hotch vs. Kevin Knight vs. Jake Something

The winner gets an X-Division Title shot at Rebellion so Mustafa Ali is on commentary. Knight sends Hotch outside for the big flip dive before everyone else goes after Something. The other three go at it inside until Hotch comes in to jump them from behind as we take a break. Back with Hotch and Angels double teaming Knight, much to Ali’s happiness. Bey is back in to pick up the pace but Something comes in to take over.

Knight, Hotch and Angels get together to take Something out, leaving Slater to come in with a powerbomb. Bey fights up and grabs a spinning tornado DDT on Something but Slater is back in for the dive. A high flip dive to the floor takes out some people on the floor (Ali takes credit for bringing this version of action to you), leaving Something to powerbomb Knight. Into The Void gives Something the pin on Hotch at 10:03.

Rating: B-. Good, fast paced match here, though as usual there is only so much you can get out of having this many people out there at once. Something continues to be a dominant monster when he is given the chance, though it is hard to imagine Ali losing the title so soon. Something needs to win something but for now he might just have to win a title shot in a scramble match.

Dirty Dango, with company, complains about how people only care about match ratings instead of promos. He has two anchors weighing him down so Oleg Prudius walks off.

AJ Francis says Rich Swann will give his explanation next week. Now go away.

Here is Deaner to say he has had a lot of failures in recent years and those failures are because of him. When he was a kid, he decided he loved wrestling and now he wants to get his passion back. Therefore, every decision he will make will belong to the fans. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans to say Deaner needs to listen to them because he is nothing. Now jog on! Deaner puts it up to the fans, who think he should stay. The people have spoken and the fight is on, with the Timesplitters (scheduled to fight the Veterans) to clear the ring. It’s a new thing for Deaner, but it’s still Deaner and that’s hard to overcome.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Timesplitters

Shelley runs Drake over to start and it’s off to Kushida, who gets taken down rather quickly. That doesn’t last long so it’s back to Shelley, who takes Drake down by the arm. Drake is sent cashing out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Shelley fighting his way out of the corner and taking out Gibson’s arm, including what might be seen as a cheap shot.

Gibson goes after Shelley’s knee though and they head outside, with the knee being dropped onto the apron. Back in and Shelley reverses into some kind of a leglock, only to have Drake make a save of his own. Shelley fights up and grabs a hiptoss of all things, allowing the tag back to Kushida. House is cleaned but the Veterans cut him off with an assisted Sliced Bread #2. Everything breaks down and Shelley comes back in with the Shell Shock. Kushida grabs the Hoverboard Lock to make Drake tap at 12:15.

Rating: B-. This is another example of a match where the talent involved was enough to carry them to a good result. Shelley continues to have an edge in there and the heel turn seems rather imminent. For now though we’re getting to see him do well with his other partner, which isn’t the kind of result you often see. At the same time, it would be nice for the Veterans to win something bigger than one fall in a series against the ABC.

We get a sitdown interview with Hammerstone, who talks about how he had a match here on Xplosion several years ago. He was told he wasn’t ready, and that gave him a big chip on his shoulder. Then he came back and attacked Josh Alexander, though Hannifan points out that Hammerstone lost. Hammerstone: “Are you an interviewer or commentary?”

Hammerstone says he showed he was smarter and holds up Alexander’s headgear as his trophy. If Alexander wants another shot, he can get beaten up. Hammerstone was quite the villain here, with little things like asking if Hannifan preferred Tom or Thomas and then calling him the opposite making it better.

Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. PCO

PCO is challenging and they go to the floor to start with PCO sending him into the apron. Steve sends him into the post though and hammers away back inside. Some more shots just wake PCO up though and he hits a Codebreaker out of the corner. A middle rope legdrop to the back of the head sets up the DeAnimator but cue Kon with a bunch of weapons.

Some of those weapons are thrown inside so PCO goes outside for the brawl. As Steve has the referee, the chairs are set up (the fans prefer tables) but PCO takes too long, allowing Kon to drop him onto the chairs. That’s enough for Steve to grab the pin and retain the title at 8:24.

Rating: C+. This was a two part match, with things being split between the match itself and everything between PCO and Kon. They needed a way to keep PCO strong and avoid him winning the title, which they managed to do (albeit with the referee looking rather incompetent). Steve’s nice run continues and that’s another name he can add to his wins list.

Decay wants their rematch with Spitfire but MK Ultra interrupt. They should get the first title match so a #1 contenders match is set up.

Here is Eric Young for a chat. Young says Frankie Kazarian should watch what he wishes for, because he has Young’s attention. The challenge is on for Full Metal Mayhem at Rebellion.

Ashe By Elegance vs. Seleziya Sparx

Sparx talks trash to start but gets punched/kneed in the face for her efforts. We pause for Ashe to have her hand checked on by her handler, setting up a handspring elbow in the corner. A rather long Rarefied Air finishes for Ashe at 2:35.

Post match Ashe stays on Sparx but Xia Brookside runs in for the save.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. He wants the World Title but he respects everyone in that locker room far too much to be handed a title shot. He proved that to Steve Maclin but Moose couldn’t wait, which has gotten Nemeth a title shot. Cue the System to interrupt, with Moose saying that if anyone knows Nemeth’s career, they know he can’t beat the system. And that’s it. Rather short here and it almost felt like they were rushed for time.

Knockouts Title: Tasha Steelz vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace is defending and knocks back a charging Steelz as we take a break less than thirty seconds in. Back with Steelz being dropped again, setting up a spinebuster to give Grace two. The Juggernaut Driver is blocked and Steelz grabs a triangle choke, which is broken up with a powerbomb for two.

The MuscleBuster is countered as well and Steelz hits Sliced Bread #2 for two of her own. Steelz sends her out to the apron so Grace goes up top, where she is kicked in the head. A hurricanrana brings her down but Grace is back with a discus lariat. The Juggernaut Driver is enough to retain the title at 11:15.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as Grace kept fighting back and never felt like she was in serious danger. Then again there was little reason to believe that Steelz was going to be a threat, as Grace is pretty far ahead of everyone else in the division. There is a good chance that Ashe By Elegance will be the next challenger, but Grace looked dominant here, with Steelz’s best stuff not getting her very far.

Overall Rating: C+. They covered a lot of things here and it made for a good enough show, though there was nothing worth going out of your way to see. At the same time, a lot of the big stuff at Rebellion is set and they enhanced some of it here. With so many weeks before the show, they have time to use a show like this, though the rest of the card needs to start being set up soon.

Results
Jake Something b. Leon Slater, Chris Bey, Alan Angels, Jon Skyler and Kevin Knight – Into The Void to Skyler
Timesplitters b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Hoverboard Lock to Drake
Crazzy Steve b. PCO – Rollup
Ashe By Elegance b. Seleziya Sparx – Rarefied Air
Jordynne Grace b. Tasha Steelz – Juggernaut Driver

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 14, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Sacrifice and the big stories coming out of the rather good show are both Tag Team Titles changing hands. The System and Spitfire picked up some gold and that could make things more interesting going forward. Other than that, it is time to get ready for Rebellion and we should be in for the start of the build this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Sacrifice if you need a recap.

Sacrifice recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Chris Sabin vs. Mustafa Ali

Sabin is challenging in his rematch from No Surrender, where he lost the title to Ali. Sabin jumps the security to start and atomic drops Ali into the corner. Ali gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some strategically placed standing, followed by a sliding dropkick to the face. Back up and Ali takes over on Sabin, setting up a quickly broken chinlock.

Ali pulls him back down into the chinlock before planting the countering Sabin with a DDT. It’s too early for the 450 and Sabin kicks him down for a breather. Neither can hit a powerbomb so they trade superkicks for a double knockdown. Ali avoids a charge in the corner and grabs the title but charges into a clothesline. Sabin picks up the title instead but the distraction lets Ali roll him up with feet on the ropes to retain at 10:00.

Rating: B-. This was a match that needed to be covered before they could both move on and it’s nice that they didn’t do anything ridiculous. Ali gets to cheat to retain and can move on to another challenger, while Sabin might be on the way to a showdown with Alex Shelley. The latter could be a long time in the making though and I’m not sure who would be coming for Ali next. Kushida maybe?

Nic Nemeth, Mike Bailey and Trent Seven are ready for the Rascalz and Steve Maclin. They might just want some gold as well.

Here is the headgear-less Josh Alexander for a chat. Alexander says he’s called the Walking Weapon because he knows no one is better than he is when he can be focused. He proved that when he beat Will Ospreay and when he set the record for longest World Title reign in history. Now he wants the title back, but he knows there are rungs on the ladder to get there.

This includes Hammerstone, who had to cheat and then take his headgear. Hammerstone was tapping too and now Alexander is ready for another fight. Instead here are Alpha Bravo and Oleg Prudius, with Alexander saying he wants Dirty Dango. Cue Dango, who is tossed out in a hurry, but Prudius jumps Alexander. Cue Santino Marella to make the match right now.

Josh Alexander vs. Oleg Prudius

Prudius jumps him to start but gets ankle locked for the tap at 50 seconds. Well that worked and Alexander looked like a killer.

Here is Crazzy Steve for a chat. Steve thought people knew who he was and more people, like Tommy Dreamer, Rhino and Joe Hendry have started to learn that. He is the only champion who defends his title every time he’s out there. No man alive can understand that so cue PCO for a staredown.

Ace Austin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Chris Bey is here with Austin and this is fallout from Kazarian talking trash after the ABC lost the Tag Team Titles at Sacrifice. Austin sends him into the corner to start and fires off clotheslines. Kazarian is knocked out to the floor but manages a neck snap across the top for a needed breather.

Back in and Kazarian pulls him off the top as we take a break. We come back with Austin hitting a springboard spinning kick to the head for two. Kazarian blocks the kick’s sequel and grabs an electric chair suplex for his own near fall. Fade To Black is blocked so Austin tries a rollup, only to get pulled into the chickenwing for the tap at 9:05.

Rating: B-. There’s no surprise in this being a good match as Kazarian is Kazarian and Austin has long since shown he can hang with anyone. I’ve always thought Austin could have been a breakout singles star if given the chance but he happened to get into a heck of a team with Bey. Maybe he goes his own way later, as he showed he can do it here.

Post match Kazarian keeps up the beating but Eric Young runs in for the save.

The System brags about their success.

The Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt Time Machine and Alex Shelley offers a match with the Time Splitters.

AJ Francis vs. Joe Hendry

This is fallout from Francis costing Hendry the Digital Media Title at Sacrifice. Before the match, Hendry talks about Francis showing his emotions and starts an AJ SUCKS chant. The opposite of that is WE BELIEVE but Francis jumps him from behind. Of course Hendry wants to go and he hammers away in the corner to put Francis in trouble.

A suplex drops Hendry though and we hit the chinlock. Hendry fights up and hits some clotheslines into a DDT and they’re both down. The big slam gives Hendry two but the referee gets crushed in the corner. Cue Rich Swann to chair Hendry down as we have a heel turn, which allows Francis to hit a chokeslam for the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. The action wasn’t the point here as Francis has never been anything important in the ring. What matters here is Francis antagonizing the crowd over and over, which is what they are going to be seeing going forward. Now Francis even has someone to do the wrestling for him and that should make for an interesting setup. Hendry is going to need some help too and that could go in a few ways.

Alan Angels, in a neck brace, is ready to have Ash By Elegance on the Sound Check but her handler isn’t happy with the setup. Angels gushes over how happy he is to meet Ash, who has a big announcement: she’s having her third match next week. And that’s it.

Spitfire vs. Beaa Moss/Vanna Black

Non-title and points for Black for having a creative name. Hold on though as here s MK Ultra to join us before the bell. And we’ll add Decay as well. Luna slams Moss to start and it’s off to Threat for a running shoulder. Luna comes back in and suplexes both of them, setting up an assisted sitout spinebuster to pin Black at 2:05.

Here is Tasha Steelz to say Jordynne Grace didn’t pin her so she wants a Knockouts Title shot next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rascalz/Steve Maclin vs. Nic Nemeth/Speedball Mountain

Nemeth and Wentz start things off with the former easily wrestling his way out of early trouble. Maclin comes in and is quickly Fameassered for two, meaning Speedball Mountain gets to come in for a double chop. Bailey’s running shooting star gets two but Maclin grabs a backbreaker for two of his own. It’s off to Seven for his sitout slam for two on Miguel and we take a break.

Back with Seven kicking his way out of trouble and sending Maclin out to the floor. The diving tag looks to bring in Bailey but Maclin pulls him to the floor in a move that will always work. Seven finally knocks Miguel down and brings Nemeth in to clean house. The Rascalz are sent outside and the running DDT hits Maclin. Everything breaks down and Maclin’s big dive hits Miguel by mistake. The Rascalz walk out, leaving Maclin to get triple teamed into the Danger Zone for the pin at 14:11.

Rating: B. Yeah you knew this was going to go well as they put a bunch of talented people out there and let them do their thing for a good while. Nemeth and Speedball Mountain seems likely to be in for the title shots at Rebellion and giving them a win over a successful enough team was a good way to set those matches up.

Post match the System runs in for the big beatdown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like the style that has been working for Impact in recent months, with nothing really standing head and shoulders above the rest but everything working well. Nothing on the show was bad and it felt like they had put effort into everything they were doing. Rebellion is starting to get a foundation built and that should be enough to get us ready for the show in time. You can probably see the two main title matches from here, with enough other stuff being started. Good, efficient show here as TNA is still doing very well.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Chris Sabin – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Josh Alexander b. Oleg Prudius – Ankle lock
Frankie Kazarian b. Ace Austin – Chickenwing
AJ Francis b. Joe Hendry – Chokeslam
Spitfire b. Beaa Moss/Vanna Black – Assisted sitout spinebuster to Black
Nick Nemeth/Speedball Mountain b. Steve Maclin/Rascalz – Danger Zone to Maclin

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: 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:

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

AND

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

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:

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 29, 2024
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re officially out of the Scott D’Amore era as the show he set up, No Surrender, has come and gone. That means we are on the way to Sacrifice and we should be in for a big showdown with Moose defending the World Title against Eric Young. Other than that, Mustafa Ali is the new X-Division Champion after beating Chris Sabin. The rest of the card will need to be built so let’s get to it.

Here is No Surrender if you need a recap.

In Memory of Ole Anderson and Mike Jones (Virgil).

No Surrender recap.

Opening sequence.

Mike Bailey vs. Steve Maclin

Trent Seven and the Rascalz are here too. Bailey firs off the bouncing kicks to start and they’re already on the floor for a strike off. Both of them have to dive back in to beat the count, where Maclin hits a clothesline to the floor. The Rascalz get in a chop block to put Bailey down and it’s Maclin working on the leg back inside. The spear in the corner only hits post though and Bailey kicks him in the face.

A springboard flip dive drops Maclin on the floor and shows you what Bailey thinks about selling a banged up leg. They strike it out on the apron until Bailey’s moonsault knees only hit said apron. Maclin spears him down to the floor and Mayhem For All gets two on Bailey. Seven offers a distraction of his own, allowing Bailey to fire off some kicks. The tornado kick is blocked though and Maclin hits a buckle bomb. Bailey shrugs that off and hits a poisonrana but misses the Ultimate Weapon. KIA gives Maclin the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. And that is the kind of Bailey match that drives me nuts. He had his leg worked on for a good bit and then started jumping around and doing all of his flips and kicks. It takes me out of the match every single time and that was certainly the case again here. The action was good but I didn’t enjoy it, with the blame being pretty firmly on Bailey.

Post match Maclin calls out Nic Nemeth, who pops up on screen to show off his new IWGP Global Title. The match is made for Sacrifice.

We look at Eric Young becoming #1 contender to the World Title by beating Frankie Kazarian at No Surrender. Then Kazarian beat the fire out of an official.

Earlier today, Frankie Kazarian was told he was suspended and couldn’t come in. This led to a threat to Santino Marella.

Laredo Kid vs. Jake Something

Something gets caught with an early headscissors to put him outside, where Kid’s dive is countered into a sitout powerbomb. Back in and Into The Void is blocked, allowing Kid to hit a missile dropkick. A running flipping DDT gives Kid one and a middle rope moonsault gets two. Back up and Into The Void plants Kid for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match and Something continues to feel like someone who should be a big deal if he was given the chance. For some reason that doesn’t ever actually take place but it’s nice to have another tease. At the same time, Kid is one of the better hands around and he made Something look rather good here.

Alan Angels is late to this week’s Sound Check, with special guest Kon. There is extra security around here but Kon isn’t impressed by Angels trying to be his friend. Kon isn’t scared of PCO, who shows up to wreck Angels and glaring at Kon, who isn’t scared. They both pull back punches and the camera cuts.

AJ Francis/Deaner vs. Joe Hendry/Rich Swann

Before the match, Hendry talks about how this is Francis’ in-ring debut and he won’t want to flop. We want this to be a good start, so Hendry doesn’t want anyone to chant AJ SUCKS. He knows the fans want to chant WE BELIEVE though and we’re ready to go. Francis knocks Hendry off the apron to start and we take a break less than a minute in.

Back with Hendry coming in for a double elbow to Deaner, followed by some rhythmic chops. Deaner knocks him into the corner though and Francis comes in to plant him hard. Hendry manages to get Francis onto his shoulders but can’t hold him up, instead settling for a DDT. Everything breaks down and Swann takes out Francis, leaving Hendry to hit Deaner with the Standing Ovation for the pin at 9:21.

Rating: C. The break didn’t help things here but there is only so much you’re going to get out of a team with Deaner and Francis. The good thing is TNA isn’t treating Francis as anything serious and at least he is losing when he gets in the ring. Hendry still needs something better to do, but I’ll take he and Swann getting on the show.

Decay are in New Orleans to get the Knockouts Tag Team Titles back.

Hammerstone has officially signed with TNA. Cool.

Josh Alexander is ready for his rematch with Hammerstone at Sacrifice. Dirty Dango and company interrupt to plug his wrestling academy, so Alexander says he’ll get the match made.

Here are the Good Hands to introduce Mustafa Ali (while thinking we’re in Mississippi) for his X-Division Championship celebration. Ali says the people have accepted change and made the X-Division great again. Cue Chris Sabin to interrupt, with Ali giving him the floor. Sabin talks about how they are both champions and that’s where the similarities end.

To Sabin, change is about making things better but for Ali, change is about himself. Ali says the Good Hands are here to support change, but at No Surrender, no one supported Sabin. That’s fine with Sabin, who is here to fight. The brawl is on, with Kevin Knight and Kushida running in to even things out and clear the ring.

Here is Ash By Elegance with a huge announcement: next week she is having her SECOND MATCH! You’re welcome.

Mustafa Ali is livid about what happened and promises consequences.

Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside

For a Knockouts Title shot at Sacrifice. Steelz takes her into the corner to start as Jordynne Grace is watching from the back. A headbutt puts Brookside down for two and Steelz stomps down in the corner. The chinlock goes on as they’re not wasting time here. Brookside fights up and makes the clothesline comeback, including Broken Wings in the corner. The Brooksie Bomb is blocked though, with Brookside settling with sending her outside. A running neckbreaker hits Steelz on the floor but they brawl for the double countout at 5:18.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go very far and odds are the ending sets up the triple threat at Sacrifice. The problem here was they billed it as a rubber match which is true, but it’s only so interesting when I don’t think the three matches added up to twenty minutes. That doesn’t make for the most interesting series and we didn’t even have a winner. Not exactly inspiring stuff.

Post match Grace comes out to say she’ll fight them both at Sacrifice.

Rhino promises to Gore Gore Gore Crazzy Steve.

Sacrifice rundown.

ABC/Eric Young vs. The System

Moose bails from Young to start so Young bites Myers’ arm. ABC comes in for a double armdrag for two on Myers, followed by Bey armdragging Edwards into an armbar. Edwards gets stuck in the corner for a series of running elbows to the face and a near fall but he manages to drop Bey. Now Moose is willing to come in and the villains start taking turns on Bey. Back up and Bey flips out of a suplex, allowing Austin to come back in for a dropkick. Moose cuts Austin off on the apron though and we take a break.

We come back with Moose coming in to stomp away before knocking the System off the apron. Austin gets over for the tag to Bey but the referee doesn’t see it (always works) so the beating continues. A front facelock doesn’t last long for Myers so Austin kicks him in the face, allowing the tag off to Young.

Everything breaks down and Bey gets to kick Moose out to the floor. Bey’s big running flip dive is pulled out of the air for a powerbomb but Young is right there with the suicide dive. Back in and ABC kick away at Moose, with the 1-2-Sweet connecting and Edwards making the save. Austin kicks Myers to the floor but Moose cuts him off. The Backpack Stunner hits Bey and Myers’ top rope elbow connects to finish Bey at 17:13.

Rating: B. This was a good example of having two feuds put together at once, assuming Myers/Edwards get the Tag Team Title shot at Sacrifice. That’s the kind of match that makes sense and does a lot of good, especially with such a quick turnaround between the big shows. The action worked well here too and they can still do more to set up Young vs. Moose next week.

Overall Rating: B-. They were walking quite the fine line here as they had this and one more show to set up Sacrifice. The show isn’t quite a sequel to No Surrender but it’s the next step in a lot of things. That didn’t leave them much time to get things ready, but thankfully a lot of the setup was already done. That left us with a pretty good show, with the main event as the highlight, as it often is. If you can get Bailey to sell his injuries a bit more, the show could be that much better, but this did what was needed.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Mike Bailey – KIA
Jake Something b. Laredo Kid – Into The Void
Joe Hendry/Rich Swann b. AJ Francis/Deaner – Standing Ovation to Deaner
Tasha Steelz vs. Xia Brookside went to a double countout
The System b. Eric Young/ABC – Top rope elbow to Young

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 22, 2024
Location: Osceola Heritage Center, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the go home show for tomorrow’s No Surrender and as usual, the card is mostly set. There are still some matches and stories that could use an extra boost though and that is likely to be the focus this week. This is also the last TV show under the command of Scott D’Amore, so get ready to say goodbye to an era. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Sabin vs. Jason Hotch

John Skyler is here with Hotch, who gets taken down to start and claims a hair pull. Sabin snaps him down with an armdrag before grabbing a middle rope sunset flip for two. A Russian legsweep into another cradle gets two and Hotch needs a breather on the apron. That lets him snap Sabin’s throat across the top rope but a chop hits post to give Sabin a breather. Back in and Hotch gets in a knee to the back of the neck for two as we slow down a bit.

Hotch uses the bad arm to chop some more, which really doesn’t seem to be the best idea. A rolling neckbreaker (ala Mustafa Ali) gives Hotch two more and we hit the neck crank. Sabin armdrags his way to freedom and hits a leg lariat, followed by a middle rope tornado DDT for another near fall. Cradle Shock is broken up though and Hotch grabs Rolling Chaos Theory for two of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Sabin is tossed outside. Hotch’s dive hits Skyler though and Sabin scores with a missile dropkick back inside. Cradle Shock finishes Hotch at 9:37.

Rating: B-. The Good Hands moniker does really suit Hotch and Skyler as they can be put in the ring with anyone and get at least something decent. It helps when you have Sabin on the other side, as he can do just about anything out there. Good opener here and a nice boost for Sabin before his title defense at No Surrender.

Mustafa Ali talks about how Chris Sabin has led the X-Division into an uncertain time and now it is time for new leadership. He approves this message.

The System is ready for tonight’s six man tag. Moose is ready for his No DQ match against Alex Shelley, but Santino Marella comes in to say both the System and Shelley’s friends are banned from ringside. Moose isn’t pleased.

Chris Sabin is ready for Mustafa Ali.

Simon Gotch vs. Jack Price

Josh Alexander comes out for commentary. Gotch easily takes Price down to start and the beating heads to the floor without much effort. Back in and Gotch hits some shots to the neck setting up a middle rope DDT and a Gotch Style piledriver. Gotch chokes him out for the win at 2:24.

Post match Gotch won’t let go so Alexander comes in for the staredown, though they’re not allowed to touch each other tonight.

The Grizzled Young Veterans want the Tag Team Titles because they are the best team in the world. The ABC has never been in water this deep and at No Surrender, they are going even deeper.

Video on PCO vs. Kon.

Steve Maclin vs. Trent Seven

The Rascalz are here with Maclin and Mike Bailey is here with Seven. They start fast with Seven hitting a crossbody into a legdrop for two before chopping away in the corner. Maclin clotheslines his way out of trouble and stomps Seven down with some rather basic (yet effective) offense. A hard right hand puts Seven down and we take a break.

Back with Seven firing off some chops in the corner but getting dropped with another clothesline. Maclin grabs a backbreaker and goes up, where Seven catches him with a superplex to put them both down. Seven grabs a DDT and clothesline Maclin outside, where Bailey has to take out the Rascalz. A top rope dive takes out everyone but Bailey and the Seven Star Lariat gets two back inside. Seven clubs away at the back and loads up what looks to be an abdominal stretch, only to have the people outside get into it again. Maclin knees Seven down and hits the KIA for the pin at 14:26.

Rating: C+. Good stuff here as Maclin gets a hard fought win on his way to a likely showdown with Nic Nemeth in the near future. Seven is another one in the good hands category as he is known enough to be a threat while not being likely to win any big matches. This was a nice match and boosted Maclin up, which he could use after a not so great last few months.

Gisele Shaw is ready to win the Knockouts Title but here is Gail Kim to interrupt. Kim likes that Shaw got rid of her friends but thinks Shaw could have done it with some more dignity. Shaw blows her off.

Mike Bailey and Trent Seven are ready for the Rascalz at No Surrender.

Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian

Well maybe not as Kazarian is here in street clothes with a chair. He’s not going to let Young call the shots here and brings out a ghost from Young’s past.

Eric Young vs. Big Damo

Damo was better known as Killian Dain in WWE as part of Sanity with Young. They start fast with Damo running him over and hitting a slingshot hilo for two. We’re already in the chinlock as Kazarian is watching from the stage. Damo grabs something like a seated abdominal stretch before missing a charge into the corner. The Death Valley Driver gives Young two, followed by a superplex to put Damo down. Young grabs the piledriver for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C. This felt like your standard “you have to beat this guy to get to me” match and as usual, it worked well. Young vs. Kazarian has been a good choice for the veterans feud and the likely No Surrender match should be a nice addition to the card. This was a fine enough setup as TNA does their usual simple yet effective build.

Post match Young issues the challenge for No Surrender.

Tasha Steelz is down for a rubber match with Xia Brookside. As tends to be the case with these things, it’s not like the first two matches were that memorable in the first place.

Jody Threat and Dani Luna want the next Knockouts Tag Team Title shot.

Ash By Elegance vs. Savannah Thorne

Ash’s handler does the big intro and has Thorne go outside. Ash offers a hand to kiss and then blasts Thorne with a clothesline. Choking on the ropes, with trash talk, ensues and a handstand splash hits Thorne as well. Thorne dares to throw a right hand and gets choked in the corner, setting up Rarefied Air (Swanton) to give Ash the pin at 2:32. Ash was the “I’m beautiful and better than you” villain here, complete with some nice gymnastics. I’m not sure how far that will take her, but it’s better than the generic stuff she did as Dana Brooke.

Post break, Ash By Elegance has left the building. I hope she got in a shower first.

System vs. Kushida/Alex Shelley/Kevin Knight

Alisha Edwards is here with the System. Moose backs Shelley into the corner to start but Shelley grabs the arm to escape. Knight comes in to work on Eddie’s arm and all three good guys get in a crank of their own. A crossbody into a backsplash keeps Eddie down and Knight adds a regular splash for two. It’s back to Moose, who knocks Kushida out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Kushida avoiding a charge to send Eddie and Myers outside but they cut off a tag attempt. Alisha gets in some choking before Moose misses a charge in the corner. Kushida knocks him down and brings Shelley back in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Shelley gets Myers and Eddie in a hold at the same time, with Moose having to make the save.

Myers gets caught in a neckbreaker/moonsault combination for two with Moose making another save. Knight hurricanranas Moose off the top for one and then sends him outside. Another hurricanrana drops Moose on the floor and the step up dive puts the System down as the fans are rather pleased. Back in and Knight’s Code Red gets two on Moose and something like the Dream Sequence hits Myers. Alisha offers a distraction though and Moose spears Knight for the pin at 17:51.

Rating: B. Fast paced, action packed main event here with Knight getting quite the showcase. He feels like someone who could turn into a star if he is given the chance and that was on display here. What mattered was Moose getting to look strong before going into the title match, though he’s going to have to do it on his own at No Surrender. Heck of a fun match here and a good main event.

Post match the beatdown is on but Shelley pulls Moose into the Border City Stretch with the rest of the System making the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the Impact that I’ve enjoyed for a long time now, as they had good matches combined with building things up for the important show. No Surrender is looking like a strong card and they did a lot of work for it here. I’m scared to know what the future holds around here, but at least they are ending their current era on a hot streak.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Jason Hotch – Cradle Shock
Simon Gotch b. Jack Price – Choke
Steve Maclin b. Trent Seven – KIA
Eric Young b. Big Damo – Piledriver
Ash By Elegance b. Savannah Thorne – Rarefied Air
System b. Kushida/Alex Shelley/Kevin Knight – Spear to Knight

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

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

AND

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

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:

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

AND

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