Impact Wrestling – December 27, 2018 (Best of 2018 Part 2): These Fans Need Lessons

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 27, 2018
Host: Josh Matthews

It’s the second half of the Best of 2018 after last week’s show was about as easy of a sit as you could find. There’s enough stuff from the year to fill in four hours but I didn’t see anything all that great last week. There’s enough solid stuff to fill out the card though and that’s enough for something like this. Let’s get to it.

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

As usual I’ll be posting the full versions of the matches.

Opening sequence.

Josh welcomes us to the show and promised the top matches of the year tonight, as voted on by the fans.

Fenix talks about being considered the best in the world and how he can’t wait to face LAX at Homecoming.

From Impact, July 5.

Rich Swann vs. Fenix

This could be good. Feeling out process to start with Swann doing about eight nipups in a row to get out of a wristlock. That’s fine with Fenix who bounces on the top rope to send Swann outside. You wouldn’t be able to do that. The fans chant for both these guys as they miss kicks and trade forearms for a standoff. Swann gets kicked to the floor but avoids a dive, setting up a dropkick off the apron to put Fenix down.

Back in and Fenix gets caught on top, banging up his knee in the process. The knee is fine enough to moonsault into an armdrag though as these two just don’t stop. There’s the big flip dive to the floor but Fenix misses a moonsault back inside. Of course he keeps backflipping though and cutters Swann for another close two.

Fenix’s Lethal Injection is countered with Swann standing on his hands (of course) so Fenix has to try it again, this time connecting for a double knockdown. Back from a break with a chop off until Swann gets two off a fisherman’s buster and a middle rope 450. Fenix is right back with an over the shoulder sitout Tombstone for two of his own, followed by a Muscle Buster spinning into a driver for the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B. Well that was awesome. They didn’t try to do anything else here other than taking two high fliers and have them throw out one cool move after another. Fenix is as good as anyone right now and Swann could hang with him, making this a very entertaining match. The four way at Slammiversary should be a blast.

Video on LAX vs. the OGz.

LAX can’t believe how far they went against each in the street fight.

From Impact, August 16.

LAX and the OGz meet in the actual streets (or maybe a parking lot) with a bunch of people behind both teams. Konnan and King agree that just the wrestlers themselves fight and the OGz lay the belts down. Since this isn’t an actual match, I’m assuming the belts aren’t on the line. Hernandez gets sent into a fence and beaten with a plastic sign by Ortiz but King sends one of the unnamed goons in with a fork.

Homicide and Santana fight with the fork but Santana gets out of a Gringo Killer on the concrete. Ortiz breaks a broom over Hernandez’s back and Santana hits Homicide with something King accidentally throws him. Hernandez comes back in with what might have been a bottle and Border Tosses Santana onto the pile of people.

King throws in a rope to hang Ortiz but Santana is back in with some kind of club and LAX takes their belts back. With the OGz down, King gets in Konnan’s face and shouts that he’s leading LAX down the wrong path. He yells about Konnan doing something to him fifteen years ago and begs Konnan to knock him out. Konnan swears and does exactly what King requests to end the show.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t taking anything else from Taya Valkyrie. Taya may be a lot of things, but she’s nothing more than Johnny Impact’s wife.

Now we get to the Top 5 Matches of the year with #5 from Bound For Glory.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya is challenging and has new gear, making her look like an old school Natalya cosplayer. Tessa works on a wristlock to start and the fans are behind the champ. A headscissors takes Tessa down and Taya kicks her in the head in the corner. Taya gets in a not great spear to put Tessa on the floor but a neckbreaker onto the apron has Taya in trouble. Back in and a Codebreaker out of the corner gives Tessa two but it’s way too early for the Buzzsaw DDT.

Taya is right back with some Spanish shouting and running knees in the corner. A guillotine choke with a bodyscissors has to be broken up by a Tessa dead lift and the fans chant something in Spanish that is completely ignored. They slug it out and the Buzzsaw DDT is broken up again but Taya can’t hit Road to Valhalla. Instead Taya chokeslams her down to set up a moonsault.

A stomp sets up the STF but Tessa is too close to the ropes. The referee stops to FIX THE RING SKIRT, meaning there’s no count off the Road to Valhalla. It’s a delayed two, meaning Tessa is right back up with the Buzzsaw DDT for two of her own. Taya is back up again so Tessa sends her face first into the middle buckle, setting up Magnum to retain the title at 10:44.

Rating: C+. Nice power brawl here with Tessa finally having someone who can go move for move with her. The ending was the only way to go as Taya hasn’t been around in the better part of six months so changing the title was almost out of the question. Now you can build someone else up to challenge Tessa for the title, because the division has been all but cleaned out at the moment.

#4. From Redemption.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix

Aries is defending. We hit the trash talk to start (well duh) and it’s Aries starting fast with a bunch of chops all around. Remembering that they’re brothers, Fenix and Pentagon send him outside but Pentagon is right back up with a Sling Blade. Aries is back in and getting kicked in the face soon thereafter, followed by a jumping cutter to Pentagon.

A smart Aries steals the near fall and grabs the Last Chancery, only to have Fenix springboard in with a missile dropkick for the save. Pentagon heads outside and it’s Fenix chopping the heck out of Aries. For a change of pace, Aries chops the head out of Fenix. Aries gets two off a forearm as it sounds like one of the announcers is opening a can. Pentagon comes back in and gets bulldogged for two, followed by the Last Chancery with Fenix making another fast save.

That sends Pentagon outside so Fenix throws Aries at him, earning his brother a hurricanrana. Fenix isn’t about to be shown up though and busts out a corkscrew plancha to the floor to drop them both again. Back in again and Fenix drops a Swanton for two on Pentagon, who pops up to German suplex both guys. He can’t quite break Aries’ arm though as Fenix makes a save. Now why wouldn’t he want the World Champion taken out?

Pentagon beaks up Aries’ running corner dropkick and Backstabs his brother for two. This time it’s Fenix getting back up with a superkick to Aries but Pentagon’s Fear Factor (package piledriver) gets two with Aries making another save. Pentagon is fine enough to block a suicide dive so Aries sends him into the crowd instead.

Back in (again) and the 450 hits both challengers, including Pentagon taking some hard knees. That’s enough for the two of them and it’s time for the brother double teaming, including a double superkick. Pentagon lays Fenix out though and snaps Aries’ arm. The Fear Factor gives Pentagon the pin on Aries and the title at 16:15.

Rating: B. Good match here and that’s all you can ask for in a big time main event. The surprise title change isn’t shocking enough to be too far and you can probably pencil in Pentagon dropping it no later than Slammiversary. That being said, it’s really cool to see Pentagon getting some more exposure like this as he’s been a gem to watch down in Lucha Underground. Strong main event here.

LAX wants to go back to the hallowed grounds for Homecoming to face the Lucha Bros.

#3. From Slammiversary.

Tag Team Titles: OGz vs. LAX

Street fight and LAX is defending, though I thought this was non-title. LAX comes through the crowd and Konnan meets them on the ramp to say go to it. Hernandez shrugs off the beating but can’t hit the Border Toss to the floor. Instead Santana dropkicks Homicide off the apron and it’s some dives (with the camera missing one) to drop the OGz. A pair of tables are set up in the corner while Homicide puts up one on the floor against the barricade.

Hernandez starts cleaning house and Ortiz gets choked with a chain. The big dive over the top has Santana rocked as Hernandez flashes back to the SuperMex days. More metal shots to the head put Hernandez down and Homicide actually walks into a suplex. Yes that was in fact a wrestling move. The OGz take over again without much effort but Santana superkicks his way out of trouble.

Back in and Hernandez pulls Santana out of the air, followed by a heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. Ortiz is back up with the trashcan lids to the head and it’s ladder time. A flip dive into a Lionsault onto Hernandez onto the ladder has Hernandez down and the Street Sweeper gets two on Homicide. Santana hits a big flip dive to put Homicide through a table at ringside but they’re not done.

Back in and a running Death Valley Driver puts Homicide through a table. It works so well that Ortiz loads it up but Hernandez gives him a Border Toss through the other table. Santana is back up this time with a superkick as Konnan goes after King. Homicide loads up the Gringo Killer but stops to spit at Konnan. The distraction lets Konnan throw a bag of tacks to Santana, who THROWS THEM AT HOMICIDE for what could be a terrifying result. A slam and frog splash put Homicide away at 13:55.

Rating: B. This was exactly the kind of match it should have been, meaning it was barely wrestling and was instead the wild weapons brawl that showed off the violent hatred. You can almost guarantee a rematch and the OGz getting the titles at one point, as they certainly should. I liked the match a lot, though it didn’t hit the level I was hoping it would reach.

Johnny Impact wants to beat up Brian Cage in Nashville. As usual, this company doesn’t know how to make World Title matches personal.

#2. From Bound For Glory.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Austin Aries

Aries is defending, Taya, Moose (in the King outfit again) and Killer Kross are here and we get Big Match Intros. Johnny goes for a takedown but gets caught in a guillotine choke with Aries grabbing the ropes for some illogical reason. Aries gets taken down by a choke as well and the fans chant 205. Impact changes plans by slugging away and knocks him to the floor with a dive to follow.

Back up and Aries tries to whip him into the barricade but Johnny jumps up with one foot on the barricade and the other on the apron for a moonsault. You know, because he can just do that. They head back in with Aries pounding away and glaring over at Taya. That earns him a rolling slap to the face but Aries knocks him down again and lays on the top rope. Some hard knees in the corner look to set up the Flying Chuck, only to have Aries knock him out to the floor. A springboard corkscrew crossbody gives Impact two but Aries is right back up with a Last Chancery attempt.

That doesn’t work either so Impact hits the Flying Chuck for two more. Impact takes him up top but gets shoved down, setting up a middle rope hurricanrana. The neckbreaker over the middle rope connects but Aries takes way too long going up (out of character for him) and gets caught in a super Spanish Fly.

The Countdown to Impact misses (Does it ever hit?) so they fight to the apron with Aries hitting a Death Valley Driver for a sick crash. Aries’ 450 gets two so it’s time to yell at the ref. A superkick sets up Starship Pain for two as Aries has to grab the rope. The roaring elbow sets up the corner dropkick and the brainbuster to knock Impact silly but he’s still fine enough to get a boot on the ropes.

Taya celebrates so Aries yells at her, allowing Impact to grab a backslide for two. The Last Chancery is broken up and they slug it out until Aries hits a suicide dive to send Taya into the barricade. That’s too far and Impact kicks Aries in the head (with the camera on Moose laughing) and gives him a brainbuster of his own. Starship Pain is good for the pin and the title at 21:00.

Rating: B. The ending was the right call and they beat the heck out of each other, making this a rather strong main event. Now the problem here is the Taya stuff, which while making it feel personal, came off as forced. It was like they didn’t have enough in the story to make it work so they wedged that in there at the last second, almost like Aries’ heel turn against Jeff Hardy in 2012. It worked for the match, but it would have been better as part of the build over a few weeks, not a few days.

Sami Callihan knew his match would be #1 and then he’ll do it again at Homecoming.

#1. From Slammiversary.

Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr.

After some yelling, they get to the kicking each other in the face. Pentagon scores with a Sling Blade for the first real offense and it’s time for the chops. Sami opens his vest and wants the best shot. The ensuing chop brings Callihan to his knees and a face that says how bad of an idea that was. He’s fine enough to take it outside for a water bottle to the head but they both chop the post.

Pentagon slaps him down as the announcers mention that this has relaxed rules. I know that’s expected and understood, but it’s nice to be officially told. Callihan posts out some spikes of all things and starts gouging at the head, drawing some much needed blood (just kind of necessary in a match like this). That’s fine with Pentagon, who knocks a spike back into Callihan’s head. With nothing else working, both guys grab a chair and beat the fire out of each other, earning a FIGHT FOREVER chant.

There is blood everywhere and Pentagon chairs him down again. The armbreaker is broken up so Pentagon chairs him down for the second time in a few seconds. Cue the Crists to take a shot each, allowing Callihan to throw some powder. Pentagon breaks the ref’s arm instead so there’s no one to count the Pentagon Driver.

Rating: B-. This needed to be a few minutes shorter but it also needed to be a little away from the previous match as having two violent brawls in a row wasn’t the best idea. Pentagon winning was really the only call here given how big of a star he is on the indy scene at the moment so it’s hard to argue with the ending. Give Sami something to bring him back to earth and OVE can go insane again.

Overall Rating: B. That was #1? Really? The match wasn’t all that great and the fans think that it’s the best of the year? There were some odd choices on this show but there’s only so much complaining you can do about something like this. The wrestling was good and the LAX vs. OGz stuff is as good as it got all year and the Homecoming card looks great. Hopefully they can get in a good go home show, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they don’t quite make it. Anyway, good 2018, though it wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Impact Wrestling – November 8, 2018: One Up, The Other Way Down

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 8, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s a big show this week with Final Hour, which includes World Champion Johnny Impact defending the title against Killer Kross. That could make for an interesting match as Kross has been the unstoppable monster and is getting a pretty early title shot. It’s hard to say what else we could see tonight and that makes things interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video focuses on the title match, with Impact talking about how scary Kross is and Kross saying he just wants to hurt Impact. Makes sense from both sides.

Opening sequence.

OGz vs. Lucha Bros

They start shoving each other before the bell and it’s Fenix starting with Hernandez as Homicide and Pentagon slug it out on the floor. A big shoulder drops Fenix, leaving Homicide trying to stab Pentagon with a fork. Hernandez gets two off a backbreaker to Pentagon and it’s time to crank on the neck. Some superkicks get Pentagon out of trouble but King breaks up a springboard. That just means Fenix has to dive onto Pentagon, King and Homicide so Hernandez adds a big dive of his own.

Back in and Homicide rolls Fenix with some suplexes before handing it over to Hernandez for a sitout powerbomb. Everything stays broken down as Pentagon comes back in for a kick to Hernandez, followed by What’s Up to Homicide (with a double stomp instead of a headbutt). More superkicks set up a splash for two on Hernandez so King throws in his slap jack. That goes nowhere either and with Homicide knocked off the apron, it’s an Alberto double stomp into the Swanton. Pentagon adds a top rope double stomp and the wheelbarrow slam into a splash finishes Hernandez at 7:21.

Rating: B-. Geez do you think they did enough to Hernandez at the end? The Lucha Bros are crazy good and a match against LAX, which almost has to be coming, where they let it all just hang out sounds incredible. Just let them have the kind of match that only they can and it’s going to be awesome.

Post match Konnan congratulates the Bros on their win when LAX comes up and gets invited to a victory party. Oh this is going to be awesome.

Katarina vs. Jordynne Grace

Jordynne is making her debut and is rather thick, with some incredibly large thighs (Not overweight by any means. It’s muscle and she looks incredibly strong.). Katarina hammers away in the corner and chokes with the long leg but Grace slams her off the top. The sunset flip is blocked but Grace’s right hand only hits the mat. Grace is right back up with alternating forearms to the chest and back until Katarina hits a springboard tornado DDT. That’s only good for two and Grace slaps on a bearhug to make Katarina tap at 2:35.

Grace looked good for a power wrestler, but Katarina got in more offense than she should have. This should have been more of a squash rather than Katarina beating her up until Grace caught her with a hold for the win. That being said, the bearhug looked good and could work for a solid finisher.

Brian Cage arrives at Rock Star Pro Wrestling in Dayton, Ohio and wants Sami Callihan. After a break, Cage comes into the ring and calls Callihan out for a fight. He’ll even put the title on the line right now.

X-Division Title: Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan

Cage is defending and starts fast with the rapid fire clotheslines in the corner. Callihan sends him to the apron though and nails a springboard clothesline to knock Cage outside. That’s fine with Cage, who powerbombs Callihan into the post and then throws him into the crowd. Back in and Cage counters the Cactus Piledriver with a sitout Alabama Slam, drawing in the Crists for the DQ at 2:23.

Post match Cage German suplexes both Crists at the same time. Some other wrestlers from the promotion run in and get dropped as well. Six guys get together and hold Cage in place for a belt shot from Callihan. The big beatdown is on with everyone hitting something to a huge face reaction. Sami caps it off with the Cactus Piledriver. Good segment here with Sami’s cult idea working far better in his own promotion.

Taya Valkyrie says we’ve seen the real Tessa Blanchard, who knows she’s a beaten woman. She’s coming for the title and Tessa can step up anytime.

Classic Clip of the Week: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Naruki Doi/Masato Yoshino from Impact in 2008.

Moose is ready to destroy Eddie Edwards because Eddie used to be his brother. Tonight, he’s going to destroy Eddie and be done with this. Kross is ready to huge Impact and become the new champion.

We see more fan auditions for Scarlett Bordeaux’s talent search. Yeah.

Fallah Bahh and KM come to see Scarlett and want to be at the front of the line for the talent search. She’s not impressed, even by Bahh’s dancing. Next week, they’re going to Las Vegas and maybe they can win her something and get lucky.

Moose vs. Eddie Edwards

Eddie hits a suicide dive and then a slingshot dive to take Moose out before the bell. They head inside with Moose running right back to the floor for another suicide dive. Eddie throws a bucket of beer at Moose’s head but Moose kicks him low on the way back in. Moose stomps away on the floor and catapults him face first into the bottom of the ring. Since that’s not enough, Moose puts the bucket on Eddie’s head for a bicycle kick and Eddie is in even more trouble.

They head inside for the opening bell and Moose rips at Eddie’s face. Eddie gets up (not a fan of having his face ripped it seems) and hits a suplex but gets dropkicked off the top, right back to the floor. Moose misses a charge at the post though and Eddie wraps the leg around the steel. Back in and Eddie gets two off the Blue Thunder Bomb before putting Moose on top, only to get caught in a top rope chokebomb.

Somehow that only gets two but Eddie is right back with a spear. The tiger driver gets two more but Moose plants him with a spinebuster to send us to a break. Back with the slugout and Eddie telling Moose to hit him harder. The chop exchange goes back and forth and they trade running shots to the face until Eddie scores with a lariat.

Eddie is down as well though and has to pull himself up, allowing Moose to powerbomb him over the ropes and onto the ramp. Alisha Edwards comes out to check on Eddie, who somehow gets up. Back in and Moose hits the No Jackhammer Needed spear (clever, though I’m not sure if it’s necessary) for the pin at 15:35.

Rating: B-. They were a few steps away from hitting a great match but it didn’t quite connect. It felt like they needed to have a big fight that got thrown out and then needed to do the big hardcore brawl, but instead they went with a weird combination of both. Still though, entertaining enough and Alisha coming in was a nice touch. There will probably be more of this and that’s a good thing.

Allie runs into James Mitchell in a stairwell where he tells her that she has to fulfill her half of the deal. He’s been in her place before and she just has to embrace the darkness. Mitchell extends his hand but Kiera Hogan runs in to say no. Allie agrees to go with him to save her friends. Su Yung appears as well and Allie leaves with them.

Eddie has a concussion but wants to go fight Moose again anyway.

Here are Eli Drake and Joseph Park to discuss their lawsuit against the company. Eli isn’t happy with the new generation who thinks they can get in the ring for thinks like death matches. He’s the last of a dying breed so this company is trying to hold him down. The Open Challenge is dead and now he’s suing the company. Park explains things and explains that this is an unsafe working environment. He lists off some issues at Bound For Glory and says there are some others who are joining the lawsuit.

Drake jumps him from behind and stomps away while shouting about Park ruining the business, just like Abyss. A bunch of chair shots leave Park laying and Drake chokes him with the coat. I know I’ve asked this before but I still need an explanation: are we supposed to forget that Abyss was unmasked as Park? Drake seems to be the only person who acknowledges that Abyss and Park are the same person and it can get a little confusing. Anyway, Drake getting a push out of this is a good thing.

Impact says if Kross wanted a title shot, he just had to ask. His calling card is Starship Pain.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Killer Kross vs. Johnny Impact

Impact is defending and Moose is here with Kross. Johnny starts fast and goes up but has to wait on a Moose distraction. That means an early ejection so it’s a slugout with Johnny actually getting the better of things. A charge in the corner is swatted away though and Kross starts in on the knee. There’s a dragon screw legwhip to stay on the leg but Impact counters what looks like a powerslam into a tornado DDT which is reversed into a northern lights suplex. A Shining Wizard staggers Kross and a piledriver gives Impact two. The neck work continues with a DDT and the Moonlight Drive for two more.

They head up the ramp with Kross taking over and hitting a Razor’s Edge over the top rope and back inside. A Liontamer without enough cranking has Johnny going to the ropes and he’s able to kick Kross to the apron. Countdown to Impact gets two but Kross is right back up with a gutwrench powerbomb. The Krossjacket choke is escaped and Impact hits a superkick. There’s a hurricanrana into the corner and Starship Pain retains the title at 12:09.

Rating: C. Well so much for Kross as the big monster. He came in a few months ago and was no selling shots from a former World Champion and now he loses completely clean in twelve minutes. It’s good for Impact to get a win like this, but Kross lost a lot more than Impact gained. It wasn’t even a great match as Impact went move for move with him, taking away a lot of the drama and build that they could have had.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show for the most part, though the main event left a lot to be desired. I have no idea why this needed to be billed as a special as the first hour was nothing that you wouldn’t see on any other given week. LAX vs. the Lucha Bros sounds outstanding though and if they build that up well, we’re in for quite the feud. It’s an entertaining show and it flew by, but they have to do something about this time slot. Finishing at midnight on a week night isn’t going to work, no matter what you’re putting on.

Results

Lucha Bros b. OGz – Wheelbarrow splash to Hernandez

Jordynne Grace b. Katarina – Bearhug

Brian Cage b. Sami Callihan via DQ when the Crist Brothers interfered

Moose b. Eddie Edwards – No Jackhammer Needed spear

Johnny Impact b. Killer Kross – Starship Pain

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling – October 25, 2018: There’s Always One Thing

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 25, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

This show is still in a bit of a strange place as we’re less than two weeks removed from Bound For Glory, meaning there aren’t many major stories going on at the moment. There is however a World Title match tonight in the form of Fenix challenging for the World Title against Johnny Impact. That and I’m sure something else about Tommy Dreamer. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video recaps last week’s events.

Opening sequence.

Scarlett Bordeaux comes out to scout talent.

Sami Callihan vs. Trevor Lee

Sami jumps him to start as Callis drools over Scarlett (fair enough). Trevor gets sent into the ropes so Dave Crist can kick him in the back. A kick to the back of the head staggers Sami but he’s right back with a Death Valley Driver for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Callihan grabs a neckbreaker out of the corner. With almost everyone looking at Scarlett, she takes a walk as Trevor elbows Sami down and dives onto the Crist Brothers. Jake is up in time to shove him off the top though and the Cactus Piledriver finishes Lee at 5:50.

Rating: C-. I wouldn’t have believed it possible but Sami has completely turned around for me. When you get him away from wrestling regular matches and let him be the far more naturally violent brawler, he can be entertaining. The lack of shouting about Ohio all the time does wonders for him too.

Post match Cage comes out and wrecks OVE. Sami’s bat shot is swatted away and Cage offers him a free shot. That’s blocked as well and the Crists save Sami from the Drill Claw.

King yells about not being able to touch Konnan. He has an idea of how to get around the bosses though and the OGz are with him.

Rohit Raju helps Gama Singh warm up before their match tonight. Sweet goodness put ANYTHING ELSE on this show.

Preview for the rest of the show.

Eli Drake invades the commentary booth and threatens Callis for bringing up the lawsuit Drake is filing.

Heavenly Bodies vs. LAX

Non-title. The Bodies are Desirable Dustin and Gigolo Justin. Santana chops away at we’ll say Dustin as the match is ignored to talk about the lawsuit. Ortiz lets Santana springboard off of him for a moonsault but the Bodies come back and knock Ortiz into the corner to take over. A missed charge allows the hot tag to Santana as Drake tries to remember wrestling on a show with the Bodies.

Everything breaks down and a reverse DDT/powerbomb combination gets two on Justin but a Michinoku Driver into a top rope splash gets the same on Santana. The Bodies put Santana on top but Ortiz powerbombs one of the down, leaving Dustin to take the Street Sweeper for the pin at 5:57.

Rating: C. Totally watchable match here as the Bodies may come off like a rather old school team but if they work like this, they could be regulars around here. The tag division is almost non-existent at this point so even having an average team added to the roster would do it some good. Drake was really entertaining on commentary here, even if he talked about the match for about thirty seconds.

Tessa Blanchard comes into Taya Valkyrie’s locker room and yells at her for the things she’s been saying. Blanchard is even willing to put the title on the line next week. Taya says see you next week then.

Matt Sydal and Ethan Page come up to LAX with Sydal not liking the way he’s treating his boys. Konnan doesn’t seem to care.

Moose is ready to beat up Fallah Bahh. Killer Kross says KM and Bahh are like two dogs chasing a car. Tonight, they’re both his. Kross: “Good talk. Tick tock.”

Video on Fenix, talking about his rise in the American wrestling scene, including his time in Lucha Underground.

Rich Swann and Willie Mack are glad to be here and Mack wants him to be his opponent for his debut match next week. Swann is cool with that.

Gama Singh vs. Rohit Raju

Singh introduces himself and lists off his resume. Gama shoves him away as the fans already start chanting YOU STILL GOT IT. A rake to the eyes has Raju in trouble and Gama slaps him for good measure. Cue someone from the back for a fireman’s carry gutbuster on Raju for the DQ at 1:50.

Post match Singh and the new guy beat Raju down but they all pose together because this seems to be the new Desi Hit Squad. I’m so thrilled.

Johnny Impact praises Fenix, who he says is like family. Some families fight though and tonight they’ll fight for the World Title. May the best man win.

Scarlett is in a bath to watch fan submitted applications for her talent search. They’re as bad as you would expect.

Killer Kross/Moose vs. Fallah Bahh/KM

KM and Moose start things off with KM shouldering him down in a bit of a surprise. Some right hands keep Moose in trouble but it’s off to Kross, who is a bit more skilled on the mat. KM actually takes him down as well, allowing Bahh to hit a corner splash. Moose comes back in and puts a People’s….foot on the face for your comedy of the match. It’s back to Kross, who just gets angry at being clotheslined. The beatdown is on with Bahh in trouble, mainly due to Moose not liking having toes in his mouth.

A lot of yelling ensues, with Moose calling Bahh fat. You don’t do that to Bahh, who hammers away and hits a crossbody. Kross will have none of that and starts dropping knees on Bahh to take over. Moose slugs away and Bahh shouts a lot, setting up a belly to belly suplex to cut him down. A Samoan drop takes Kross down as well but here’s Eddie Edwards to choke Moose with a kendo stick. As they fight to the back, Kross chokes KM out at 9:23.

Rating: C-. Remember how I said the tag division was basically non-existent? That’s even more frustrating when you consider how many teams there could be at the moment. Would you be interested in seeing Kross and Moose vs. LAX in a long brawl? You even have KM and Bahh as the resident comedy goofs. There’s a division there, if it was actually put together.

Post match Moose and Eddie fight all the way up to the roof with Eddie being tossed into the wall. Eddie gets in a stick shot to save himself from flying over the edge.

Classic Clip of the Week: Samoa Joe and AJ Styles vs. Sting and Kevin Nash from Impact in 2008. It’s very nice that they’ve cut these down to short clips instead of almost full matches.

Jordynne Grace is coming.

Eddie talks to his stick when Alisha comes in, panicking over what just happened. He kisses her and says she drives him crazy before leaving.

Kiera Hogan vs. Su Yung

Kiera goes straight at her on the ramp and hits a sliding kick to the face in the corner. A hurricanrana out of the corner gives Kiera two but Yung snaps her across the top rope by the hair. Kiera gets caught in the Tree of Woe so Yung charges, only to have Kiera sit up. That’s fine with Yung, who takes her down with a neckbreaker in a sweet counter.

The Mandible Claw is loaded up but Kiera gets a powerbomb where she nearly drops Yung. They fight onto the apron but here’s Allie to save Kiera from a Panic Switch on the ramp. Allie says she can’t help Kiera now though and leaves, only to have Yung hit a hanging Pedigree. The Panic Switch finishes Hogan at 4:52.

Rating: C-. This was energetic while it lasted and I’m wondering where the Allie story is going. A lot of it is built on the return of Rosemary, which could take some time and therefore allow this story to build up properly for a change. Hogan is becoming a star by association and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Next week: LAX vs. Sydal/Page for the Tag Team Titles and Blanchard vs. Valkyrie for the Knockouts Title.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Fenix

Impact is defending. Feeling out process to start as they exchange a few grapples. Fenix’s big kick misses but Impact’s doesn’t, only to have them flip into a standoff. They’re certainly nailing the battle of athleticism so far. Fenix grabs a nip up but Impact nips out of it for a second standoff. Impact tries a springboard inside but Fenix dives underneath it and lands on the ramp.

They both run for the same buckle but it’s Fenix shoving Impact off, setting up a spring springboard into a spinning crossbody for two, even though he nearly overshot Impact. A Russian legsweep takes Fenix down and the Flying Chuck takes us to a break. Back with Impact putting on a crossface (with the other arm pinned down for a little change of pace) but Fenix slips out.

They lock hands and somehow manage to jump to the middle rope without breaking their grip (geez) until Fenix springboards up into a huge hurricanrana for a near fall of his own. Fans: “THIS IS IMPACT!” Yeah and that’s Fenix. A quick Spanish Fly gives Impact two of his own and he drives Fenix into the corner for some shoulders.

Fenix backflips over him into a German suplex but the running knee into the standing shooting star gives Impact two more. The Countdown to Impact misses (of course) so Impact settles for the flipping neckbreaker instead. A springboard spinning headbutt takes Johnny down for two more but it’s too early for the Black Fire Driver as Johnny reverses into a DDT. Starship Pain retains the title at 14:23.

Rating: B. It’s not great as a technical exchange but you’re missing the point here if that’s what you’re looking for. This was all about an athletic spectacle and there’s nothing wrong with that. Just let two incredibly talented guys going in there and doing cool looking stuff. What more can you want from a fun match like this?

Impact shakes his hand and leaves, allowing the OGz to run in and beat down Fenix. Pentagon makes the save.

Kross talks about being crazy and trying to make change. He leaves, revealing Impact out cold to end the show. It was this or the Tag Team Titles so I’m fine with going here.

Overall Rating: B-. You know, if you cut out a few of the really bad things, you have a heck of a show here. The Desi Hit Squad is horrible and some of the wrestling could have been a lot better but the storytelling is there and I want to see where some of this stuff goes. That’s what matters most as the wrestling can catch up later on. Good show, and I want to see more like this.

Results

Sami Callihan b. Trevor Lee – Cactus Piledriver

LAX b. Heavenly Bodies – Street Sweeper to Dustin

Rohit Raju b. Gama Singh via DQ when an unnamed man interfered

Killer Kross/Moose b. KM/Fallah Bahh – Krossjacket Choke to KM

Su Yung b. Kiera Hogan – Panic Switch

Johnny Impact b. Fenix – Starship Pain

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Bound For Glory 2018: Sometimes You Need A Person To Shake You

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Bound For Glory 2018
Date: October 14, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s the biggest night of the year and the card is looking pretty good this time around. The main event is fairly lackluster with Johnny Impact challenging Austin Aries for the World Title, but the better built match is LAX vs. the OGz, in a match that could go either way. You never can tell with this company though so let’s get to it.

The opening video shows shots of the streets of New York with the pictures of the matches on walls and clips of the build towards the matches. LAX walks the streets, talking about how this is a reload instead of a rebuild.

The camera is facing the entrance and the ring looks a bit smaller than usual.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann vs. Ethan Page/Matt Sydal

Interesting choice for an opener. Swann strikes away to start and it’s Sydal telling him to open his third eye. Instead it’s off to the Mack for a heavy flying tackle to drop Sydal, meaning Page comes in to try his luck. Swann headscissors him down but a backdrop gives us a 450, sending Swann face first into the mat. Sydal comes back in to start on the arm, including a Fujiwara armbar.

A big boot from Page and a kick to the face from Sydal send Swann outside, where there is barely any room between the ring and the barricade. It doesn’t seem to bother Mack, who cannonballs down onto the other three. That’s still not enough for the hot tag though as Sydal cranks on something like a cobra clutch back inside. A side slam cuts Swann off again but he rolls over and brings in Mack to clean house. That means a Cannonball in the corner and a German suplex to set up a standing moonsault on Page.

Swann comes back in for a flapjack/bulldog combination before taking Page to the top. That’s not the best idea, as Page slams him down and hits a Swan Dive for two more. Sydal knees Mack in the face and hurricanranas Swann off the top, only to have him land in a hurricanrana to send Page flying instead for a cool spot. Everything breaks down and it’s a series of kicks to the face to put everyone down. Page kicks Sydal by mistake and takes a Stunner, leaving Swann to hit a Lethal Injection. The Phoenix splash is good for the pin on Sydal at 12:34.

Rating: C+. Good choice for an opener here with the fans loving Mack and Swann being his usual charismatic self. IT makes sense to have Sydal take the pin as well with Page being the newcomer and full of potential. As usual, Sydal is much easier to watch when he’s in the ring instead of talking about the third eye stuff. Just stick to what you do best.

Post match the fans seem to like Mack, who grabs a mic and says there are two empty seats in the front row. Therefore, whoever cheers the loudest is getting an upgrade courtesy of the show’s sponsor. Nothing wrong with that.

The announcers plug swag from the sponsor.

Earlier this week Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie were on TMZ because Austin Aries made some jokes about Taya’s size. This led to a near fight at Abyss’ Hall of Fame induction.

Konnan has been attacked. LAX comes in and Konnan says it was some of King’s guys.

This does NOT go over well with the fans starting a DELETE chant. Ellsworth tries to suck up to New York but Drake points out that he’s not even from New York. That’s true, but he did date a girl from Staten Island (ERG) and lived in her basement for a bit. Fans: “PIZZA!” They also have some very mean things to say about Ellsworth so let’s do this, though after a Sweet Chin Music joke.

James Ellsworth vs. Eli Drake

Ellsworth tries a cheap shot but gets caught in a flapjack as the fans are all behind Drake. Sweet Chin Music is countered with a spinebuster, which earns a thank you from the crowd. Ellsworth loads up a Styles Clash but gets countered into the Gravy Train. The fans want one more so Drake obliges before the pin at 2:12. Just….push Drake to the moon as a huge face already. Please. It’s WAY overdue, even as a former World Champion. And keep Ellsworth out. That felt like the old days of TNA and that’s not a good thing.

Post match Drake says he wants better competition so here’s Abyss to destroy him. A Black Hole Slam sets up a chokeslam through a table for Abyss’ Hall of Fame moment. Nothing wrong with that, but he couldn’t beat up someone other than Drake?

Earlier today, Tessa Blanchard said she’s the real wrestling royalty.

We recap Blanchard vs. Valkyrie. Basically Blanchard was out of challengers so Valkyrie is back to come after the title. It does at least tie into Blanchard facing a bunch of luchadoras and Taya saying she’s lucha royalty.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Earlier today Moose, wearing what looks like an African king outfit, says he’ll show why he’s a legend.

We recap Moose vs. Eddie Edwards. Moose was put on the shelf with a concussion but came back and joined forces with Austin Aries. This includes helping to beat down Edwards, who never even visited him in the hospital. Moose is now part of the evil trio along with Aries and Killer Kross, so Edwards is out for revenge due to a series of beatdowns.

Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

Post match Tommy Dreamer runs in for the save so let’s have a No DQ tag match. BECAUSE WE NEEDED TOMMY FREAKING DREAMER ON THE SHOW!

Tommy Dreamer/Eddie Edwards vs. Moose/Killer Kross

No DQ and it’s a brawl to start (of course) with Dreamer spitting something into Kross’ eyes. That’s not enough though as he takes another drink, spits it into Edwards’ mouth, and then has Edwards spit it into Moose’s eyes. That’s a visual I really didn’t need. Moose and Dreamer slug it out inside with Moose shouldering him down but missing the backsplash. The fans chant for Low Ki (fair enough) as Kross makes the save, only to get elbowed down.

Dreamer pulls back the padding on the floor, leaving Moose to dropkick Eddie off the middle rope. Moose follows him out and hits a running….I have no idea actually as the camera switched angles. Or did Eddie do something to him? Either way it’s bad camera work and Eddie comes back in to chop Kross. A middle rope hurricanrana drops Kross but Moose hits the Game Changer on Dreamer.

Moose and Eddie chop it out with Eddie hanging in there until he can hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. Dreamer cutters Kross and grabs the kendo stick, only to get caught with the Doomsday Saito. A clothesline puts Kross on the floor and Moose gives Eddie a pop up powerbomb. It’s time to get the stick again, but Eddie rolls Moose up for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: D+. I’m split on this one as there was no need to put Dreamer on the show, but there was a need to put Kross on there. That being said, if you want to do the tag match, just announce it as a tag match. Advertising Moose vs. Edwards as a featured match on the card and then switching things up is rather annoying and something that shouldn’t be happening. On top of that, it wasn’t even a very good brawl as Dreamer should NOT be going move for move with either of these monsters. At least the ending went well enough.

Post match Kross and Moose wreck Edwards, including an assisted apron bomb.

OVE is ready to take a bite of the Big Apple and spit it in the Machine’s face. They’re the ratings draws and are going to put Ohio on the map.

We recap OVE vs. Brian Cage/Lucha Bros. Sami Callihan and Pentagon have been feuding for months and since Sami has the Crist Brothers, Pentagon brought in his brother Fenix and then Cage just joined in as a bonus. You have to get Cage on the show so this makes logical sense. I’d certainly take that over a nothing X-Division Title defense.

OVE vs. Lucha Bros/Brian Cage

OVE rules, meaning anything goes, for the second match in a row. Fenix is introduced as “The Mexican”. Cage has a taped up leg coming in so he might need some repairs. Everyone else is cleared out in a hurry and it’s Pentagon vs. Callihan in the big showdown. They trade shots to the face until Pentagon scores with the Sling Blades to take over. Cage comes back in but gets sent shoulder first into the post.

Fenix replaces him and speeds things up but a tiger suplex takes him down as well. Callihan kicks away at various people and Jake posts Cage head first. The Bros are back up with Pentagon holding the ropes open for a dive from Fenix, leaving Cage to toss Jake over the top off a fall away slam. The dead lift superplex gets two on Callihan and everyone is back in. Double superkicks get two on Dave and the Alberto double stomp gets two. Callihan has to save Jake from the Drill Claw but Callihan sends Cage outside.

That means Fenix runs down the ramp for a diving cutter for two more on Callihan. The Pentagon Driver gets the same on Dave and it’s time for a parade of people knocking each other down. Cage throws Callihan into the corner to set up the spike Fear Factor but the Crists make the save. The fall away slam/Samoan drop combination takes Jake and Dave down, followed by a Codebreaker to Dave.

Fenix gets on Pentagon’s shoulders but it’s Jake springboarding in for the All Seeing Eye. Ok so he slipped a bit but it still looked good enough. Callihan piledrives Pentagon on the apron but Cage is all fired up again. House is cleaned but a series of kicks rock Cage. The All Seeing Eye only makes him adder so OVE kicks him in the face about a dozen times, setting up the Cactus Piledriver for the pin on Cage at 13:28.

Rating: B. Easily the match of the night so far and the ending was a nice surprise. It also sets up Callihan as the next challenger to the X-Division Title, which is hopefully turning into the midcard title that it should have been a long time ago. Cage got to stay strong in defeat, as it took three people unloading on him at once to finally put him away. That doesn’t hurt him in the slightest and this was an entertaining fight throughout.

Aries came back to this company to turn it into something special. Impact shows up when he has time and that’s not cool with the champ. Now that Impact’s reality show is airing, he’s back to make something out of it. Impact has Boone the Bounty Hunter and all the last names in the world. Aries says after last night at the press conference, his boys will be at ringside wit him. More good stuff from a recently inspired Aries here.

King says LAX can learn what they grew up with because it’s 3-2.

We recap the OGz vs. LAX. The teams have been warring for months now but their bosses have ordered a ceasefire. That ends tonight, with the OGz wanting to show LAX what it really means to fight in the streets.

LAX vs. OGz

Non-title. This is a Concrete Jungle Death Match, meaning all turnbuckle pads are off and the mat itself has been removed, leaving only the boards. It’s also a handicap match to start with King teaming with the OGz but Konnan being laid out. A band plays LAX to the ring and says this is for Konnan. You do know he was awake and talking after being attacked earlier right? LAX starts swinging trashcan lids to start and Hernandez is busted open less than thirty seconds in.

King breaks up a dive and Rock Bottoms Santana onto the wood as the referee tries to keep the boards together. Ortiz is back in with another lid shot but the numbers game takes him down, allowing Homicide to bash his head in with lid shots of his own. Some painted tables are sent in but Santana is sent outside. King dives out onto him but slams face first into the barricade for a bad looking crash.

Rating: C+. It was good, but they’ve done these violent brawls multiple times now. This time around, the OGz even had an advantage for most of the match and were even at best until Konnan came in. Once the old guy who can barely move came in, he beat the trio up almost on his own. There is zero reason for this feud to continue, though I have no idea who is supposed to take the titles from LAX anymore.

We look back at Allie making a deal with James Mitchell to go into the Undead Realm to save Kiera Hogan.

Allie, looking like she’s a Buffy the Vampire Slayer cosplayer (I think we have a theme tonight), walks into a room and shuts herself inside a coffin. The Bray Wyatt freaky images montage comes up and she gets out, with Mitchell waiting on her. Allie can go up to the chapel to find Kiera, but her soul stays here. Carrying a hatchet, Allie is attacked by an undead bridesmaid, who is HACKED TO DEATH, complete with blood splattering up onto Allie’s face. Well this just got a little more serious.

Another bridesmaid attacks and gets hacked (in the neck this time) but Allie finds a third….which is her with black eye shadow and lipstick. Allie walks away and finds the chapel, which has another coffin. Kiera is inside but here’s Su Yung with an ax for another fight. The ax is dropped so Su hits her a few times with a ball bat and knocks her out with the Mandible Claw.

Allie pops back up though and hatchets her in the neck. She runs over and awakens Kiera but can’t open the casket they used to get in the first place. A laughing Mitchell appears and says he never promised them a way out. Su is back and Allie and Kiera are surrounded so here’s the returning Rosemary (Rosemary: “Hi buddy!”) to punch the villains in the face.

They pry the coffin open but here’s Su with energy balls coming out of her hands. Rosemary has lightning coming out of hers, but the Bridesmaids pull her down as Allie and Kiera escape. Back in the real world, Kiera is happy to escape but Allie, sounding like a demon, says that was NOT ok.

So…..yeah this happened. The idea they were going for was fine (though it doesn’t work as well when Yung is losing as often as she’s winning) and it fit the Halloween time period, but having these things on an otherwise serious show (like the one with the Mexican mafia bossing people around) makes it stick out very badly. It’s not even a bad idea, but it doesn’t fit with the rest of the show. Now can we have Allie dressed as Buffy more often?

The next pay per view is Homecoming in Nashville on January 6.

Johnny Impact says maybe Aries would have been on TMZ if he wasn’t such a jerk. This isn’t all about Aries so Impact is going to take away what matters most to him.

We recap the World Title match. Aries has been the dominant champion and Impact is the one who has never won the big one. Impact wants to be the wrestler, but Aries thinks Impact doesn’t take anything seriously. Some of the promos for this have been outstanding, with Aries doing some of the best mic work I’ve ever seen from him.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Austin Aries

Aries is on his feet before Impact and flips off the crowd as he leaves. Hopefully that’s just him being a jerk and not some bad angle about the office going with the wrong guy. Impact helps Taya up and celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Best Bound For Glory in a few years, though that’s really not a high bar to clear. I know it’s their biggest show of the year, but I don’t remember the last time that Slammiversary didn’t beat it. This show was definitely more good than bad and was worth seeing, though it needed a few more tweaks. One of Impact’s biggest issues has always been creating the big moment on the big stage and this show again failed to deliver in that area. The title change just felt like a thing that happened rather than a changing of the guard and that’s been the case for a long time now.

I liked the show well enough and the wrestling was good, but it still just wasn’t anything great. There was no big blow away match or moment and stuff like Ellsworth and Dreamer made me roll my eyes hard. It felt like a show that needed someone to stop them and say “no, we’re not doing that” when their ideas got a little too far out of hand. That being said, I’ll take a show like this over some of their wretched efforts by a mile.

Results

Willie Mack/Rich Swann b. Ethan Page/Matt Sydal – Phoenix splash to Sydal

Eli Drake b. James Ellsworth – Gravy Train

Tessa Blanchard b. Taya Valkyrie – Magnum

Eddie Edwards b. Moose via DQ when Killer Kross interfered

Tommy Dreamer/Eddie Edwards b. Moose/Killer Kross – Rollup to Moose

OVE b. Brian Cage/Lucha Bros – Cactus Piledriver to Cage

LAX b. OGz – Street Sweeper to Homicide

Johnny Impact b. Austin Aries – Starship Pain

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Bound For Glory 2018 Preview

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

I had almost forgotten what these things look like. Impact Wrestling doesn’t put on a lot of pay per view events, but in a way that’s a good thing. They’ve turned the events that they have into something special and nothing they do is bigger than Bound For Glory. It really has turned into their WrestleMania and if they do it right, we could be in for a heck of a show. Let’s get to it.

Allie vs. Su Yung

We’ll start things off with an interesting one here as Allie has made a deal with the devil (James Mitchell, close enough) to go into the world of the dead and rescue Kiera Hogan from Yung’s casket. I have no idea what that is going to mean but it could be anywhere between stupid and a lot of fun. Allie has been a very entertaining character over the last few months while Yung….did I mention Allie was cool?

I’ll take Allie here, as there’s little reason to put much into Yung at the moment. She’s not clicking and they’ve had her lose so many times now that it doesn’t mean anything anymore. Just let Allie win and save her friend so she can go on after the Knockouts Title, which she shouldn’t have dropped to Yung in the first place.

Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

This has been an underrated feud as Edwards has toned down the insanity stuff and turned into someone more aggressive, which is what made the character interesting in the first place. Moose is someone who always seems ready to break through to the next level but I’m not sure they’re willing to pull the trigger. Edwards has had the trigger pulled before and is in good standing, but where do they go this time?

I think they go with Edwards winning, perhaps with Alisha helping him as the Johnny Gargano road to redemption story continues. There’s a reason to go with Moose as well and it wouldn’t shock me if they did, but there comes a point where the company needs a big name on top. I don’t know if Edwards is that person (he’s not the most attention grabbing guy in the world) but he’s someone with the experience and credibility to move up so I’ll say him here.

Matt Sydal/Ethan Page vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann

Egads I don’t care about Sydal. This isn’t a match that has interested me in the slightest but thank goodness they went with the tag match here as I’d much rather watch the other three than Sydal. Mack and Page are making their debuts (Page is for all intent and purpose) so this is as good as you’re going to get for this match. That’s not exactly high praise but I’ll take what I can get.

I’ll go with Mack and Swann for the win here as you can cancel out the two wrestlers who are debuting here, leaving you with Swann and Sydal. For some reason Impact is loving Sydal, no matter how lame the third eye thing really is. Swann is someone with more than enough charisma to carry himself a long way and a win on a show like this is a good idea.

Eli Drake vs. ???

This is the latest Drake Open Challenge and that might not be Drake’s best idea as the previous versions haven’t gone as well as some others. It’s an idea that you can go with for a little while but you need someone special to pay it off on a big stage like this. So what do you do in a situation like Bound For Glory? Well the catch this time around is that the challenger has to be from New York. And who is from New York you may ask?

Well that would be Chris Jericho and I’ll take the chance and say that he answers the challenge. If that’s the case, it would be a heck of a moment, even if it’s just a one off. The idea of Jericho showing up in Impact Wrestling could be fascinating as it would lend them some credibility, even if Jericho is popping up in so many places anymore. With the Jericho Cruise featuring Impact talents though, it’s hard to imagine that there won’t be some kind of appearance just to promote the thing.

LAX vs. OGz

You could make a real case that this is the main event of the show as it’s been one of the better feuds for a long time now. That being said, the idea of a Concrete Jungle match suggests that it might be one of those overly gimmicky matches that could mess with the flow they have going. Putting Konnan and King in there adds a change of pace though and that’s where things should get better.

I’ll take the OGz here as LAX has won coming up to this point and King’s promos have been more than good enough to warrant the big win here. If the OGz are willing to stick around for a little while, they should get the titles pretty soon (like here, which would have made more sense) and there’s not much of a reason to have LAX win every match in the whole feud. I’ll probably be wrong with this, but the OGz deserve this more, assuming they’re sticking around of course.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard(c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

This is a situation of Blanchard having no one left to beat other than Allie and some others who aren’t ready to challenge at that level yet. Valkyrie has been a big name in the division for a good while now and she has the abilities to make something out of the whole story. It also makes sense to have her be the next person to face Blanchard after the matches in Mexico.

That being said, there’s no reason to take the title off of Blanchard, who is getting better and better every single day. She’s young, she’s good, and she knows she is, which is a heck of a combination. Hopefully the match is entertaining, because there’s little reason for drama in what we’ll be seeing here. They can hit each other rather hard, but Blanchard should retain and go on to fight a challenger who is around more often.

OVE vs. Lucha Bros/Brian Cage

I’m not sure this match needs to happen in this format as we already have a violent six man tag on the card. That being said, I’d rather Cage be involved in something interesting than a nothing X-Division Title match with five other people and one spot after another. The OVE vs. Lucha Bros feud really needs to end though as it’s been going on for months and has already seem matches that could and should have been the blowoffs.

I’ll take the Lucha Bros and Cage to win, as Callihan can cancel one of them out but the Crist Brothers haven’t been viewed as threats in a long time, especially against people on the level of Cage and Pentagon. The match should be really entertaining as the Crists have figured out the balance between the boring characters and the fast paced matches, making them far more fun to watch than they were before. But yeah, too much star power on the other side.

Impact World Title: Austin Aries(c) vs. Johnny Impact

And then there’s this, which is another match that doesn’t feel like the biggest match of the year. That’s been an issue for the company for a very long time now and while the new regime has fixed a lot, it hasn’t fixed this. Impact just coming out and saying the match was on didn’t help things and while Aries’ awesome promo from last week helped, there’s very little fire to this match.

I’ll take Impact to win the title as there’s no reason to keep it on Aries at the moment. Impact has been the guy who gets close for way too long now and I think they’ll go with the big crowning moment to end the show. With Aries’ goons not being around, there’s the chance that a new goon debuts or some other form of cheating occurs, but the title change is the right move.

Overall Thoughts

This show has had some time to build but it still feels like they’re throwing some of it together at the last minute. Hopefully we get a good night out of them as the potential is certainly there. If everyone is on their game, we could be in for a heck of a show, though there’s always the chance that it could underwhelm. The path is there, as long as they can actually walk it.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Impact Wrestling – October 11, 2018: Someone Get The Ascension

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 11, 2018
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s the go home show for Bound For Glory and that means we’re needing to add some stuff to the card. You should probably have more than six matches (with one participant not being announced) set for the show with three days to go. There’s a lot going on at the moment but I’d expect a good deal of talking this time around. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of almost every major feud going on at the moment.

Opening sequence.

Trevor Lee vs. Jack Evans vs. Puma King vs. Petey Williams

Good grief can we have Petey detained at customs next time or something? This is fallout from Scarlett Bordeaux hitting on all four of them last week. They stare at each other to start until everyone goes after Lee. Puma and Petey are left alone in short order with Petey putting him in 619 position for a dropkick to the back.

Petey gets faceplanted as the announcers talk about how he tries the Canadian Destroyer far too often. Thanks for finally catching up on that one guys. Lee gets back in to replace Puma and stomps Petey down in the corner. A whip into the corner gets two as the commentary is far less chatty than usual here. Petey hits a Russian legsweep but the Destroyer is broken up with ease.

Evans comes back in with a dropkick on Puma but the standing moonsault hits Lee’s knees. It’s Puma getting back up to clean house and diving outside onto Evans. That doesn’t last long though as Evans comes back in and cartwheels into a kick to knock Puma off the ropes. The 630 hits Puma but Lee stomps Evans down. Not that it matters as Petey hits the Destroyer for the pin on Lee at 7:02.

Rating: C+. This was perfectly fine, but my goodness I’m completely over seeing Petey in any way, shape or form. He’s one move and I’M CANADIAN, end of anything remotely unique about him. The wrestling was fine but this felt like a way to fill in time on the show where they don’t want the bigger names wrestling. I mean, that’s what it was, but it shouldn’t feel like that.

Rich Swann has a partner: Willie Mack, better known as the Mack from Lucha Underground.

Grado vs. Maximo

Maximo is rather effeminate and his shirt says KISS ME so I think you know where this is going. They finally lock up after nearly a minute and it’s time for some chest rubbing. Switching places lets Maximo bend over in front of him but Grado blocks a kiss attempt. Grado drops a headbutt for two and snaps off the right hands, only to have Maximo headbutt him in the ribs. Another kiss is blocked so Maximo dropkicks him to the floor for a dive. The Bionic Elbow drops Maximo but he’s back up with a kiss into a cradle for the pin at 5:16.

Rating: D-. This stuff has never been funny to me and that’s not going to change anytime soon. It’s a one note joke and it’s a very bad sign when Grado is the higher level of comedy between the two of them. It’s another match that doesn’t go anywhere for Sunday, but at least they kept it short(ish).

Post match Grado shakes his hand and kisses Maximo. Ok then.

Johnny Impact, Fallah Bahh and Eddie Edwards are ready for Aries, Kross and Moose. Or maybe Bahh is impersonating a sheep.

Video on LAX vs. the OGz. I’m worried about that match not coming close to the hype.

Classic Clip of the Week: Four way Knockouts match from Bound For Glory 2010.

Video on OVE vs. the Lucha Bros/Brian Cage.

Eli Drake isn’t happy with La Parka bringing in a chair last week. That’s why he’s issuing an open challenge to anyone from New York at Bound For Glory. I think I know where this is going and it could be rather interesting.

Gursinder Singh vs. Rohit Raju

The battle to determine the weak link of the team, which you were totally dying to find out. Gama Singh says that the loser is out of the team and has to go back to India. Can we get a three way draw? Raju stomps him down in the corner to start but gets caught with a Backstabber for two.

They fight over some arm holds with no one getting anywhere so Raju smacks him in the head a few times, only to get rolled up for two more. A suplex into a sitout gordbuster gets a third two as I fight to stay conscious. Gama gets Gursinder’s attention and it’s a jumping knee to the face into a jumping Downward Spiral to give Raju the pin at 5:05.

Rating: F. Good for them. I didn’t think they could manage to come up with a match this uninteresting and boring but they managed to pull it off. These guys are making me long for more of Ascension vs. Bobby Roode/Chad Gable, which I thought was the least interesting story that I could have seen. Oh but how I was wrong. I know there’s worse wrestling out there (like in the previous match) but reaching this level of boring and making me care so little about anyone involved is a failure in every sense of the word.

Gama won’t let Raju celebrate. Whatever gets them out of there faster.

Johnny Impact/Fallah Bahh/Eddie Edwards vs. Moose/Austin Aries/Killer Kross

This should be better, just due to the better charisma and bigger star power. Aries and Impact start but let’s go with Kross instead. Kross suplexes him without much effort so it’s off to Bahh, who isn’t about to be suplexed. Instead it’s a shoulder to run him down and let’s hand it off to Moose vs. Edwards for the violent slugout. Eddie opens his shirt to get chopped even harder, but is smart enough to chop Moose while he’s warming up. Now why does it take a semi crazy person to figure that out?

A top rope hurricanrana takes Moose down but he dropkicks Eddie to the floor so the villains can take over. That means a bunch of stomping, because that’s what heels do in spots like this. Aries actually gives up the hot tag off a chop though and it’s off to Bahh for a big belly to belly. Moose crotches him on top though and it’s time to start stomping on Bahh’s rather large legs. It’s off to Kross to drive some knees to the face in the corner and we take a break.

Back with Aries chopping in the corner and taking Bahh down with a drop toehold. Kross goes shoulder first into the post though and a Samoan drop plants Moose. The hot tag brings in Impact for the slugout and a leg lariat sets up the sliding German suplex in the corner. The Countdown to Impact (minus the countdown and the impact) misses, allowing Aries to slap on a quick Last Chancery.

Impact escapes the brainbuster and gets two off a superkick as everything breaks down. Eddie superkicks Moose to the floor and hits a dive but Aries prevents Bahh from doing the same. The Flying Chuck into Starship Pain gets two with Kross making the save. Kross suplexes Impact on the floor and it’s a brainbuster to give Aries the pin at 18:04.

Rating: B-. Good main event style match here and a match that this wretched show really needed. The ending would suggest that Impact win the title on Sunday but this company has made some questionable decisions regarding the end of their pay per views. Moose vs. Edwards should be a heck of a fight as well, though I don’t need to see Kross vs. Bahh again.

Pay per view rundown with Su Yung vs. Allie being confirmed.

Father James Mitchell is playing the organ when Allie of all people comes in. She needs help dealing with Su Yung and wants to go to the undead realm. Mitchell realizes that Allie is half body and half soul and needs to leave her soul behind to take care of Yung and save Kiera Hogan. He’s willing to help her, but she’ll owe him. They shake on it.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Keyra

Non-title. They slug it out with forearms to start until a Michinoku Driver into a middle rope moonsault gives Keyra two. Tessa wisely bails to the floor so Keyra kicks her down, only to have a hurricanrana countered into a powerbomb to the post. Back in and an abdominal stretch doesn’t last very long as Keyra slips out and starts chopping in the corner. A running basement dropkick gets two but Tessa is right back with a hanging Downward Spiral. The Buzzsaw DDT is good for the pin on Keyra at 3:58.

Rating: C. It was certainly fun while it lasted as I’ve liked this Tessa vs. Mexico stuff that they’ve done over the last few weeks. There aren’t a lot of women left around here for Tessa to beat up so giving her some more seasoned outside opponents has been a good idea. The Taya match should be good, though I can’t picture a title change.

Here are the OGz and LAX for a big showdown to end the show. King gets in Konnan’s face and says the myth ends on Sunday. Konnan has held him back for years but King wouldn’t stop. Now Konnan is using these young marks and needs to be put down Old Yeller style. That’s why King brought in the original LAX and on Sunday (King: “ORDER IT! ORDER IT!”), it ends in King’s city.

Konnan comes back with some Spanish, that seems to call King an idiot. He’s nice enough to throw in a translation that says the fans will come in here at the drop of a hat to take King down. These teams already had a street fight where the OGz lost. That never happened under Konnan’s leadership so maybe King is the problem. Then here in Mexico City, King burned Konnan’s mask in the ultimate show of disrespect. Konnan was the father that King never had and King knows the bosses are watching. They have a message for King: the ceasefire is over right now. The fight is on and we’re off in just a few seconds.

One last Bound For Glory interview wraps things up, with Aries talking about having to raise the bar one more time, which Johnny Impact has never been able to do.

Overall Rating: D+. This one depends on how you look at it. The wrestling wasn’t much to see here and I kind of like the build to Sunday, but this was quite the mess for the most part. The six man tag saved the show almost on its own but you need something a little more than than in the course of two hours. Sunday’s show could be entertaining, but there’s a good chance that it’s going to be the standard Impact show that keeps the roof firmly on top of the building.

Results

Petey Williams b. Puma King, Jack Evans and Trevor Lee – Canadian Destroyer to Lee

Maximo b. Grado – Rollup

Rohit Raju b. Gursinder Singh – Jumping Downward Spiral

Austin Aries/Killer Kross/Moose b. Johnny Impact/Eddie Edwards/Fallah Bahh – Brainbuster to Impact

Tessa Blanchard b. Keyra – Buzzsaw DDT

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Impact Wrestling – August 16, 2018: I Don’t Think I Get It

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: August 16, 2018
Location: Rebel Sports Complex, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

The main event scene took a surprising turn last week with Killer Kross revealing himself to be working for/with Austin Aries. I’m not sure what the point of that is when Kross has been one of the better villains for a few weeks now and really doesn’t need to be affiliated with Aries. You can imagine Eddie Edwards won’t be happy about what went down last week. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jim Neidhart.

The opening video looks at the recent goings on around here, including the LAX war, Kross and the Knockouts.

Sami Callihan vs. Fenix

Sami goes straight at him to start so Fenix gets in a dropkick to the floor, followed by the big flip dive. A Swanton gets two back inside but Jake Crist pulls Fenix’s foot. What looked like a half nelson drop on Fenix’s head gets two and a clothesline takes Fenix’s head off. They head outside with Sami’s spit chop setting up a Russian legsweep into the ropes for two.

Sami ties the arms behind the ropes for a hard forearm to the back of the head as the fans think Ohio suck. Some right hands to the head have Fenix in more trouble and we hit the chinlock. Fenix tries to fight up and goes to the top, only to be shoved off onto the ramp. Sami loads up the Cactus Piledriver but Fenix escapes and hits a Lethal Injection of all things. A springboard twisting cutter (freaking sweet) gets two back inside and we take a break.

Back with Fenix winning a slugout but getting powerbombed for two. It’s off to an STF on Fenix, which is switched into a Crossface as Sami channels his inner Samoa Joe. The hold is broken and as usual, Sami spends too long talking trash, allowing Fenix to run the ropes for a super hurricanrana. Fenix gets the better of an exchange of kicks to the head but OVE gets up on the apron. Cue Pentagon Jr. for the save, allowing Fenix to hit his spinning Muscle Buster driver for the pin at 18:27.

Rating: B. Callihan is starting to grow on me and when he’s putting in the effort, he’s more than capable of putting on a good match. I mean, having Fenix out there with you kind of helps a lot given that he’s one of the hottest stars in the world at the moment. Pentagon is that much better though and he’s giving the story another level of credibility. They were rocking out there and that’s a great way to open a show.

The announcers preview the rest of the night.

Video on LAX vs. the OGz, who already fought in a street fight at Slammiversary where LAX won. Now they’re having another street fight, which is different because….I have no idea actually. Still though it should be great.

Fenix is fired up at getting an X-Division Title shot in two weeks. Cage comes in and holds up the title without saying anything.

Classic moment of the week: the insane 32 man brawl from Impact in 2009.

Allie is ready to fight Su Yung tonight and Kiera Hogan has her back. Tonight is for Madison Rayne and Rosemary.

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Johnny Impact

Before the match, Jimmy says that just because he’s a princess, people think he’s soft. Tonight, he’s the monster. Speaking of the monster, Kongo Kong jumps Impact from behind before the bell and the referee is fine with starting the match. Jacobs gets a quick two but Kong comes in for the DQ at 55 seconds.

Post match Jacobs and Kong load up the steps but Impact DDTs Kong on the ramp. Jacobs tries to bail but Impact flips in front of him. With Impact stalking him, Jacobs trips over the steps and Impact (“Eye for an eye Jimmy!”) blasts him in the face with them. Jacobs is out cold.

Josh: “Up next, Austin Aries and Killer Kross will be in the middle of the ring. But next, Scarlett Bordeaux and the Smoke Show debut!”

KM and Fallah Bahh fight over champagne to try and woo Bordeaux. They run into her and the fight continues. She doesn’t like the champagne but asks them to explain their issues. KM yells at Bahh but she suggests KM try things his way. KM doesn’t buy it but teases kissing her, only to have Scarlett tell him to try things her way. That means matching gear apparently and KM leaves. Bahh says his name and gets slapped, with Scarlett saying that’s disgusting.

I’m not sure on this idea. They’re not hiding what they’re going for with Scarlett and she plays the character well, but I’m not sure what kind of a shelf life this is going to have. She would be great as a manager but just having talking segments in the back like this isn’t going to work for very long. If I just have to have Bordeaux on my screen every week though, so be it.

Here’s Aries to explain last week. It’s a great day to be great but a lot of people have been asking him what’s up with Killer Kross. Well Kross, who Aries refers to as his new insurance policy, can speak for himself so here he is, now in a suit. Kross comes out and says he and Aries see things the same and are both here to change everything. You can like it or not, but the change is being shoved down your throat.

Aries talks about getting rid of Anthony Carelli, who showed how important it is to surround yourself with the right people. That’s why Aries picked the best man possible to have his back. Aries calls out Eddie Edwards for not handling his stick as well as his wife would like, which is why she left him. Cue Eddie so Aries lies across the top rope as Kross isn’t phased by stick shots. A shot to the knee slows him down though and a cutter puts him down. Eddie takes way too long going after Aries though, allowing Kross to get up and choke him out.

During the break, Eddie freaked out about what just happened when his wife Alisha came in to check on him, even though they’re still not good. Eddie yells about everyone thinking he’s crazy.

Eli Drake vs. Joe Hendry

Drake has the Cult of Lee with him and Hendry has Grado/Katarina. Hendry also has a new video, showing him wearing a Drake mask and singing about how Drake is joining the Cult to get his revenge. As usual, the song is hilarious and well done as Hendry has a rather unique set of skills. Hendry wristlocks him down to start but Drake flips out and points at the crowd a lot.

A shoulder puts Drake down but he’s right back with the jumping neckbreaker and right hands to the head. Hendry starts his comeback with clotheslines and a DDT as Grado takes care of Caleb Konley. Unfortunately Grado doesn’t know when to get off the apron and Drake shoves Hendry into him, setting up the rollup pin at 4:25.

Rating: D. Hendry isn’t anything great in the ring, but those videos and songs are going to carry him for as long and far as he wants to go. It’s a special talent and that’s almost a guaranteed job, especially when you throw in a good look. The Grado story seems to be progressing, which is at least a step in the right direction. I still don’t get his appeal (at least not in the US) and the faster he’s gone, the better.

Post match Katarina seems to have nearly had it with Grado.

Matt Sydal meditates on his recent losses until his eyes pop open, seemingly having figured something out. Good for you.

Callihan wants a Mexican Death Match with Pentagon to finish this once and for all.

Su Yung vs. Allie

Non-title with the Undead Bridesmaids and Kiera Hogan at ringside. Yung jumps her to start but Allie slugs right back and sends her throat first into the ropes. For some reason Allie heads outside and gets distracted by the Bridesmaids. Yung takes off the dress and hits a dive onto Allie but gets headbutted in the chest. Allie screams a lot until Yung palm strikes her down. A missed charge sends Yung into the buckle and a dropkick to the back makes it worse. Kiera dives onto the Bridesmaids and the Panic Switch is countered into the Backstabber. Cue Tessa Blanchard to jump Allie for the DQ at 5:36.

Rating: C-. This was more about the big circus of interference but it never became too much to handle. There’s a good chance this sets up a triple threat title match in the near future and that’s what makes sense storyline wise at the moment. They’ve put together a story here where all three are involved instead of having a champion and two challengers. That’s a rare thing and they’ve done it well.

Post match Tessa loads up the hammerlock DDT but gets the Mandible Claw from Yung. Allie superkicks Yung and stands tall.

Overall Rating: C+. Good show here, though I’m still not sure about Kross being Aries’ muscle. The shows and angle are still working for the most part and I’m liking what we’re getting. There hasn’t been a show that has been a chore to sit through in a long time and for Impact, that’s a minor miracle. Another perfectly watchable show and that’s becoming the norm, which is taking some getting used to.

Results

Fenix b. Sami Callihan – Spinning Muscle Buster driver

Johnny Impact b. Jimmy Jacobs via DQ when Kongo Kong interfered

Eli Drake b. Joe Hendry – Rollup

Allie b. Su Yung via DQ when Tessa Blanchard interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Slammiversary 2018: Now Do It Again

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Slammiversary 2018
Date: July 22, 2018
Location: Rebel Entertainment Complex, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

Believe it or not this actually looks like a great show. Impact Wrestling has been on a roll as of late with one very good show after another, but now they need to pay that off with a strong pay per view. It’s not impossible either as nothing on the card looks bad. Just please deliver for once. Let’s get to it.

Here’s the preview so you can see how badly I did.

The opening video features the amazing voiceover guy (Barry Scott) that does this show every year, talking about how great things have been around here in the last year. This show is treated like the biggest show of the year in a way and this voiceover helps a lot.

Petey Williams vs. Johnny Impact vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. Fenix

Williams is replacing an injured Rich Swann. After a quick staredown, everyone is sent into the corner with Ishimori getting a very early advantage. Impact sends Williams to the floor for the big showdown with Ishimori. Both of them miss standing flips and that means a staredown. Fenix comes back in and bounces off the ropes for, of course, a staredown.

A series of bounces on the ropes send Impact to the floor so Petey comes back in with a flying headscissors. There’s O Canada to Fenix but Ishimori comes back in with a hurricanrana on Fenix and Williams making a save. Impact hits a big dive onto Fenix and Williams so Ishimori hits an even bigger one onto the other three. That gets a rare IMPACT WRESTLING chant, which doesn’t have a great cadence but it’s a nice idea.

Everyone comes back in with their series of springboards, capped off by Petey getting the Sharpshooter on Ishimori. Fenix is back in with a 619 on Impact before rolling through the ropes for a cutter. Ishimori knees Fenix in the corner and a Tombstone gets two. Impact uses the ramp to flip into the ring and it’s a circle of strikes for a four way knockdown. Ishimori hits the 450 on Impact but gets caught in the Canadian Destroyer. The springboard double knees drop Petey for two more but it’s Impact with a superkick and Starship Pain for the pin on Fenix at 12:27.

Rating: B. That’s how something like this should have gone as it was four guys going nuts and getting to showcase their talents. That’s how you want to open a show: fast, getting to the point, not putting the big match on first and just letting the fans have a good time. Impact will be a big player again soon, just for the presence that he brings to the matches.

King rants to the OGz about how much he hates Konnan. They’re ready for tonight and want the LAX name back.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Allie. Tessa is here to show how great she is and doesn’t care who she runs over in the process. Allie doesn’t care for that so Tessa is ready to teach her a lesson.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Allie

Allie gets the hometown pop and is in a hybrid of her two gears. They talk a lot of trash to start and Allie kicks her down, followed by a basement crossbody. Tessa isn’t happy with this getting beaten up thing and forearms her down, only to have Allie come back with a spinning crossbody to the floor. A hot shot onto the barricade rocks Allie though and Tessa is getting the swagger going.

More forearms and right hands to the head have Allie in more trouble but she manages a hurricanrana to the floor. Tessa comes up limping a bit so Allie hits a Death Valley Driver on the floor to put them both down. They do the double slide back in and it’s time for the slow motion slugout.

Tessa gets the better of it again and chokes Allie down followed by a scary super hurricanrana to drop Allie on her head for two more. Allie avoids a top rope backsplash and the running Codebreaker sends Tessa outside. The Best Superkick Ever gives Allie a near fall of her own and frustration is setting in. Another Death Valley Driver is countered into the hammerlock DDT to give Tessa the pin at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Tessa is as good of a Charlotte clone as you can get and that’s not a bad place to be. The win is the right call and a suggestion that Madison Rayne actually picks up the title later on. It’s not like there’s anyone else to challenge for the title and Tessa has history with Madison already. Allie will be fine as she’s charismatic enough to make anything work. Shame about losing in her hometown, but it makes sense.

We recap Eddie Edwards vs. Tommy Dreamer. Edwards has gone insane thanks to Sami Callihan so Dreamer stepped in to reminisce about ECW and talk about his feud with Raven. Eddie accused Dreamer of sleeping with his wife (Dreamer’s “LOOK AT ME” defense was funny) and tonight it’s a hardcore match with blood promised.

Eddie Edwards vs. Tommy Dreamer

House of Hardcore rules. Dreamer isn’t going to wait and starts the brawl in a hurry. They fight to the floor with a water bottle going off Eddie’s head and the metal weapons being brought out. Dreamer trashcans him in the head and we get the ECW chants because this is somehow about the promotion that ended seventeen years ago. Eddie gets in a shot to the head and busts out the staple gun.

You don’t do that to Dreamer, who easily takes it away but can’t get in a shot either. Eddie tries a hardcore sunset flip and gets stapled, meaning it’s time to chant for another promotion again. Someone hands Dreamer an ECW Title for the shot to the head and we’ve got some blood. That just fires Eddie up even more and he hits Dreamer in the head a few times to take over. Back in and some kendo stick shots rock Dreamer again with Eddie declaring himself the new Innovator of Violence.

A stick shot to Edwards rocks him again and a super Death Valley Driver through a pair of chairs gets two because Dreamer isn’t allowed to win anything (as he shouldn’t). It’s time for a table, lighter fluid and a lighter (I’ll let you figure out the combination) but Eddie hits him low. The fans want fire but Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party to drive a chair into Dreamer’s head for the pin at 11:12 instead.

Rating: D+. I’m not a fan of the ECW stuff but they kept it short enough and Dreamer lost as everyone knew he would. Edwards has been a great psycho and if they can keep that up, there’s potential there. Just don’t turn him into a Dreamer tribute wrestler and we should be fine. That and if we can stop the ECW chants, but that ship sailed many years ago.

Post match Eddie starts sobbing and yells to Tommy (not in anger). Alisha Edwards comes out as Dreamer hands Eddie the kendo stick in a passing of the torch. That torch has probably been passed more often than an ECW check. Alisha leaves on her own and Eddie holds the stick.

Matt Sydal is ready to use his mind and third eye to get past the Machine Brian Cage and all those muscles.

We recap the X-Division Title match, which is pretty much exactly what Sydal said. Cage is unstoppable so Sydal is trying to use his mind and spirit to beat him instead of the physical aspect.

X-Division Title: Matt Sydal vs. Brian Cage

Cage is challenging and tosses the champ around in a hurry. A standing moonsault gives Cage two as Callis says Hulk Hogan beat the Iron Sheik in 3-4 minutes. Not really but for a title change it was rather short. Sydal kicks at the knee and gets in a suplex as Cage has already lost a bunch of his explosiveness. Another kick to the knee brings Cage off the top and it’s back to the knee.

Sydal gets two off a standing shooting star but Cage is right back up and throwing Sydal around. The knee gives out though and Sydal kicks away, only to get turned inside out off a pumphandle slam. Sydal speeds things up with some more kicks and a snap modified Angle Slam rocks Cage again. The shooting star misses though and Cage blasts him with the discus clothesline for two.

Cage tries the Drill Claw but gets reversed into a snap hurricanrana and another near fall. Another Drill Claw is countered into a small package for a near fall I actually bought. The shooting star hits a raised boot (and the ropes on the way down, which thankfully didn’t lead to a much worse result) though and now the Drill Claw makes Cage champion at 9:48.

Rating: C+. Cage winning was the only result that made sense and it’s not like Sydal was doing much with the title anyway. I’m not a fan of the third eye stuff but they got the title off of him as they should have and that’s the best result. That being said, I have no idea how they get the title off of Cage outside of a triple threat or a climbing match but we can worry about that later on.

Austin Aries says he’s ready to perform at his best with the lights on bright because it’s one on one.

Madison Rayne is trying to make history by becoming a six time Knockouts Champion. She wants to hand the title to her daughter so her daughter can know Madison has made it. Su Yung is the latest evil crazy zombie bride (there are a million of them) and it’s time for her next big title defense, this time against non-scary/evil Madison.

Knockouts Title: Su Yung vs. Madison Rayne

Madison is challenging and continues the trend of starting fast. Yung gets knocked down but here come the undead bridesmaids. They’re dropped as well, allowing Madison to forearm Yung in the face for two. Yung neckbreakers her out of the corner though and ties Madison in the Tree of Woe for a running dropkick. The red mist hits a bridesmaid though and Madison has an opening. A ripcord cutter gets two on Yung, who is now wearing a bloody glove. The Rayne Drop gets two more but a quick Mandible Claw with the glove knocks Rayne out to retain the title at 6:58.

Rating: C. Madison looked rather good here but I’m not sure where they go with the title from here. Unless they do Tessa vs. Yung (which they won’t/shouldn’t), I have no idea who can challenge for the title. How nice is it to have a reason to believe they could pull it off though? That’s not something I’m used to around here but maybe it can work this time.

Post match Rayne is put in a coffin.

We recap the LAX civil war. Konnan was the manager of the original LAX (Homicide and Hernandez) and then eventually returned with Santana and Ortiz as the new version. The team had its ups and downs but Konnan was eventually attacked. This brought in King, who turned the team back around. Konnan returned and said King took him out, so Santana and Ortiz sided with Konnan against their new boss. King brought in Homicide and Hernandez as the OGz and we’re having a street fight. This is a remake of the Midnight Express feud from thirty years ago and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Tag Team Titles: OGz vs. LAX

Post match King comes in and distracts Konnan so Hernandez can beat him down. King whips Konnan in the back and the titles are spray painted. Must be time for yet another set of new belts.

Sami Callihan doesn’t like being the underdog in the fans’ eyes. Tonight, Pentagon loses his mask.

We recap Callihan vs. Pentagon. Callihan and OVE started going after luchador masks because they’re a little nuts so Pentagon stood up for his friends and brother. Tonight it’s mask vs. hair in the big lucha de apuesta match.

Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr.

Post match OVE jumps Pentagon until Fenix makes the save. Sami has his head shaved and cries throughout.

Bound For Glory is October 14 in New York.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries vs. Moose

Aries is defending and Curtis Granderson of the Toronto Blue Jays is holding the title. Feeling out process to start with Aries’ headlock getting shoved away with no trouble. Aries gets in a hard elbow to put Moose down so Moose nips up with no trouble. He sends Aries outside in a heap and the champ collapses on the floor.

Moose’s big dive sends him sailing over the barricade though and Aries is already trying for the countout. Back in and Aries gets one off a slingshot hilo but Moose shrugs off the shots to the chest. A headbutt has Aries sprawling into the corner and there are some rapid fire chops in the corner.

One heck of an elbow drops Moose but he’s fine enough to hit the discus lariat. The spear is countered into the Last Chancery (cool) and Moose takes a long time making the rope. Moose can barely move so Aries hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron, setting up the big suicide dive.

With nothing else working, Moose wins a slugout and throws him over the barricade. Another dive misses though and Aries gives him a brainbuster on the floor. Somehow that’s only good for nine so Aries grabs the belt. Granderson takes it back and Aries gets rolled up for two, only to have him grab the brainbuster to retain the title at 15:55.

Rating: B+. That’s the kind of main event they needed with Moose fighting as hard as he could but coming up short. It didn’t seem likely that he would actually win the title so seeing him get this close and make you believe he could pull it off was quite the accomplishment. Aries is going to lose the title in a big deal down the line and this was the kind of win that is going to make it seem that important.

Overall Rating: A-. Now that worked. They didn’t have the big blow away match but they had about six good to very good matches and that’s more than I would have ever guessed for them about six months ago. The company needed a great show tonight and they got about as close as you can get, so we’ll call this one a big time success. Now follow up on it and make this consistent and it can go somewhere.

Results

Johnny Impact b. Petey Williams, Taiji Ishimori and Fenix – Starship Pain to Williams

Tessa Blanchard b. Allie – Hammerlock DDT

Eddie Edwards b. Tommy Dreamer – Boston Knee Party into a chair

Brian Cage b. Matt Sydal – Drill Claw

Su Yung b. Madison Rayne – Mandible Claw

LAX b. OGz – Frog splash to Homicide

Pentagon Jr. b. Sami Callihan – Fear Factor

Austin Aries b. Moose – Brainbuster

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Slammiversary 2018 Preview

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Now I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up about this show but really, it’s kind of hard not to in this case. Believe it or not, Impact Wrestling has actually put together a heck of a card and built it up quite well over the last few weeks. I want to see what they have for Slammiversary and there’s a good chance it’s going to be an awesome show. If nothing else, it’s not like they have a high benchmark to beat in order to have their best pay per view in years. Let’s get to it.

Allie vs. Tessa Blanchard

The more I see of Blanchard, the more impressed I am. She’s been in the promotion for all of a few months and they’re already pushing her to the moon. If Su Yung wasn’t Knockouts Champion, Blanchard probably would have won the thing weeks ago. Allie is a good test for her as she’s one of the most popular members of the roster and can go in the ring. This should be fun, especially with Allie being more serious as of late.

I’m going with Blanchard here, as while there’s nothing for her to do in the title hunt right now, a win is a lot more valuable to her than Allie. That being said, Allie needs a win to get her back on track. She took a bad hit when she lost the title to Yung and a win over Blanchard would help. Blanchard has lost enough already though so I’ll go with her to win here, as she should.

Pentagon Jr. vs. Sami Callihan

This is mask vs. hair and they’ve started to book Calliah the way he needs to be booked. He’s not the best in-ring worker and the shouting about how great Ohio is still doesn’t do much for me, but at least they’re booking him as a crazy brawler/lover of anarchy instead of going against his better characteristics.

However, Pentagon almost has to win here as he’s WAY too big of a star pretty much everywhere at the moment to lose one of his trademark things. Callihan’s hair isn’t exactly famous or anything and can be grown back in pretty short order. The match should be a good, violent brawl and with the roll that Pentagon has been on in recent months, there’s a good chance it’s going to be better than I’m expecting.

Eddie Edwards vs. Tommy Dreamer

I’m torn on this one. Edwards’ heel turn and descent into madness has been outstanding….but it’s Dreamer. The guy who has spent probably twice as long talking about ECW than he was actually in ECW. I respect what he did and how he came from nothing to become a nice something in wrestling, but he just doesn’t do anything for me. The whole “I’ve given everything to this business and don’t want you to end up like me” has been done and Dreamer playing the sad old man who can still be violent has lost its charm.

Of course Edwards wins here but the more interesting question is where does he go from here. There’s a ton of potential in that character and if Impact uses him properly, he could be a heck of a star. Just having him target someone new (say Pentagon for getting to hurt Callihan instead) and going all psycho on them could be great, as Edwards has knocked this thing further out of the park than I ever would have guessed.

Knockouts Title: Su Yung(c) vs. Madison Rayne

You can call this one another surprise as Rayne has done far better with the one more run story than I ever would have expected. The problem though is they’ve built her up to the point where she almost has to win the title to validate going over so many others but I don’t think they want to (or should) take the title off of Yung, even if it’s just for a short reign for…well for Rayne.

I’m going to go with Yung retaining through some shenanigans, which is the best way possible to keep things from getting in trouble. Yung can feud with Allie or someone else for the title going forward, though giving it to Rayne and having her drop it to Blanchard isn’t the worst idea in the world either. I’ll stick with Yung retaining though, as it makes more sense at the moment.

Fenix vs. Johnny Impact vs. Rich Swann vs. Taiji Ishimori

It should be noted that Swann suffered a concussion on Thursday and may not be able to work the show. That being said, this has the potential to be a heck of a match. Just throwing a bunch of people who can fly around out there is an idea that usually works and that’s what we’re getting here. Having Impact back is a big positive as well as he has the star power to lend some more credibility to a match like this.

In what isn’t likely to happen, I’ll take Fenix to win. He and his brother are two of the biggest stars Impact has at the moment and having him pin Ishimori, who is cool but not exactly around very often, would be a good way to give him a boost. If you have someone as popular as Fenix at the moment it would make sense to push the heck out of him and a win here would help do that.

X-Division Title: Matt Sydal(c) vs. Brian Cage

It’s another title match where they seem to have booked themselves into a bit of a corner. Cage is on fire at the moment and seems ready to be pushed to the moon. The problem is the X-Division Title isn’t on the way to the moon, nor is having him drop it eventually or having Sydal escape with the title through more shenanigans. That’s a problem here and I’m not sure how they’re going to get out of it.

My guess is they’ll solve it by giving Cage the title and then moving on from there. It’s no secret that Cage is seemingly being fast tracked for the main event scene and this would be a good way to start that process. I mean, a better way would have been to sidestep the X-Division in general and move on to the main event scene but it’s a bit late for that. Having a monster like Cage as champion could be interesting for a change so this seems like the right way, or at least the least painful way, to go.

LAX vs. OGz

Now this is the one that I’ve been wanting to see as Impact FINALLY has a hot story to run on. It’s a retelling of the Midnight Express vs. Midnight Express feud from 1988 and that’s not the worst place in the world to be. If they can do something with the kind of energy they potentially have here, this could be a heck of a match that easily steals the show. At worst, it should at least be pretty good.

As for winners, you almost have to go with LAX, but it entirely depends on how long Homicide and Hernandez are sticking around. If they’re staying then they should win, but if this is a one off appearance then LAX wins easily. Either way, it should be a heck of a brawl and King vs. Konnan on the floor should be interesting as well. The street fight idea is the right call here and they could easily steal the show.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries(c) vs. Moose

This has been a very odd build as Moose and Aries have only been in the ring together once in recent weeks. The idea has been to have Moose off training for the biggest match of his life, which is a fine way to write off what was likely a case of Moose not being available for most of the tapings. The match is as interesting as it can be, but Impact has a long history of not having the best main event builds in the world.

I’ll go with Aries retaining here, as the idea has been that Moose has to win the title at some point in the year. There’s a lot of time left in the year for him to pull that off and Aries fighting off some of the other big stars of the promotion is an interesting concept. Also I’m not sure if they would want to switch the title again so soon after having done the Pentagon reign at the last pay per view.

Overall Thoughts

I’m excited. This show looks very good on paper with nothing that feels like filler or a bad match. Don Callis has turned this promotion around (though that’s been said before to less than stellar long term results) and for now, they have a pay per view that I want to see. This is a near miracle for them and if they can pull off a great show, I’m certainly not going to be complaining for once.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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