There is something cool about the idea of an anniversary show. If nothing else, it reminds you just how long a promotion has been around, which can often be lost when you don’t think about it very often. Impact Wrestling has somehow been around nineteen years this month and it very well may be around for a lot longer to come. They tend to make the most of their anniversary shows so maybe there is some optimism here. The fans are back in person too so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Fire N Flava(c) vs. Rosemary/Havok

It’s another thrown together team challenging for the titles but at least there is a theme this time. Fire N Flava have been together for a good while now and feel like they have held the titles for the better part of ever, so it is certainly time for some fresh blood in there. Granted that has been the case several times before as Impact has yet to pull a trigger that lasts.

We’ll go with a title change to start things off hot. The pre-show is often where you put a change like this so maybe they have something here. It’s an idea that has worked before and Rosemary/Havok winning the titles would be a nice moment. Just go with something fun to energize the crowd in their first match back. It has worked before and it can work here too.

Matt Cardona/??? vs. Tenille Dashwood/Brian Myers

We might as well start with this one as it is going to be the underlying theme of the show: a bunch of people coming over from WWE. The idea here is a mixed tag and the tease is that Cardona’s partner is a “hot mess”. Assuming no shenanigans, you should know what that means and it could make for a fun moment, though I’m not sure how long such a change would last.

Since this should be an easy one, I’ll take Cardona and Chelsea Green/Laurel Van Ness. They’re engaged to be married so putting them together in a mixed tag match should be pretty much a layup. Green never got a chance in WWE and it would make sense to have her go back to the place where she had her greatest success. I’m not sure if she is going to stick around, but for a one off moment, it should work out well.

Eddie Edwards vs. W. Morrissey

Awful name aside, Impact has done a heck of a job with Morrissey, who has gone from a cross between a joke and a cautionary tale to a pretty good power monster. That is hard to do but they have managed to pull it off, so well done with the career rehab. Morrissey has done his part as well and I’m curious to see what is going to happen when he has his first major match.

When I say curious, I mean how well will his first win go, as Morrissey should win here in pretty dominant fashion. Edwards knows how to make a comeback and get the fans behind him, but ultimately this is going to be Morrissey dominating and then winning in the end with Edwards getting in a few flurries. That’s how it should be, as Edwards has been a made man in Impact for years now.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo(c) vs. ???

This is one of those where it is hard to make a pick because I don’t even know what to expect. It could be just about anyone who used to be in WWE, or someone we haven’t seen before, or someone from Impact’s past. That leaves you with quite a few options and it could go in a bunch of directions. I’m not sure what to do with this because it isn’t an easy pick to make, so a guessing we will go.

I’ll take……oh why not Mickie James to return and win the title. James is certainly a legend and she was teased for a return a few weeks ago. It isn’t like there are that many big names available for Impact, and it would be weird to have someone come in as a mystery opponent for a title shot and lose. The new reign might not last long, but it would be a good spot for James to return and put Purrazzo over down the line.

Chris Sabin vs. Moose

Here we have a grudge match as Impact squeezes everything they can out of the Motor City Machine Guns. Sabin is indeed a former World Champion and a tag team legend, but this feels like a heck of a downgrade for Moose, who was challenging for the World Title last month. Moose seems ready to be at the top of the company, but that has been the case for years now so it isn’t like anything changes.

Of course I’ll take Moose here because why in the world would you take Sabin? Moose needs a rebound win and it isn’t like Sabin has been a singles star in the better part of ever anyway. Much like Morrissey vs. Edwards earlier, Sabin gets in some offense before losing to the monster with the (maybe) brighter future. It’s an easy match and story to set up and the people are talented enough to make the execution work.

X-Division Title: Josh Alexander(c) vs. Petey Williams vs. Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin vs. Rohit Raju

We’ll continue the theme of matches where you cannot begin to guess who is going to win with any certainty as this is the Ultimate X mess. It is a great way to get the title off of someone who is ready to be rocketed up the card, but at the same time, a champion retaining here is considered a huge feather in their cap (or headgear in Alexander’s case). It could go in a lot of ways and that is good….I think.

That being said, I’ll throw in a bit of a curve here and say Bey wins. He has been featured multiple times in the build to the match and other than Alexander has stood out more than anyone else in recent weeks. I’m not sure about this whatsoever, but at least there is something here to get the crowd hyped. Alexander may very well retain, but he seems ready to move on to the main event scene.

Tag Team Titles: Violent By Design(c) vs. Good Brothers vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Fallah Bahh/???

Now this has some possibilities, as they have a few different ways to go. Violent By Design is getting a big push, but I could easily see then non-Bahh teams walking out with the titles. That makes things all the more interesting and hopefully Impact goes with something that keeps the interest going. That does not necessarily mean a title change, but I don’t think I would be complaining about one.

As much as I want to take Swann and Mack to win here, ultimately I think the titles go back to the Good Brothers because….well because they need to do something to validate their existence on two shows. The team is going to be every bit as annoying as they were before, but they are treated as the biggest team in Impact today and it would make sense to put the gold back on them. Oh and since TJP is out, we’ll go with Hernandez as Bahh’s partner. Why Hernandez? Eh why not?

Impact Wrestling World Title: Kenny Omega(c) vs. Sami Callihan

That leaves us with this as the Omega Saga continues. Omega is the World Champion of what feels like everything outside of WWE these days and now he gets to defend his second most well known title. Callihan has been treated as the big threat to the title in the last few weeks and Omega seems a bit shaken by what is waiting on him. Your tastes on Callihan may vary, but they have made him feel like a real threat to the title.

I’m still going to take Omega to retain though, as I think it’s too soon for Omega to start dropping titles. He is coming up on the title defense against Hangman Page (unofficially but come on) and I can’t imagine him taking a loss before we get to that one. Omega needs to be seen as invincible heading into that match and AEW has done a good job of making that the case so far. Dropping this title to Callihan isn’t what is best for AEW and ultimately, that is what is going to matter.

Overall Thoughts

While nothing really jumps off the page here, I’m interested enough by what they are offering to make this show intriguing. It is ultimately going to come down to how well the matches are executed and who they have coming in as a surprise, but this could wind up being another quality Slammiversary. If they can avoid the post-Slammiversary decline from last year, we could be in for the start of something good around here.

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The calendar has been changed around a bit this year so the October show is now in June and the show’s namesake match took place on the Smackdown before the show because….I’m assuming a ratings ploy. We still have two matches inside the Cell for Sunday though, because having three of them in about seventy two hours is perfectly acceptable. Let’s get to it.

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

The eternal feud continues as these two somehow aren’t inside the Cell, despite it being something that would make sense. Owens has been banged up by Commander Azeez as of late and Zayn thinks it’s pretty funny so of course it’s time for these two to fight again. Granted I’m not sure if they needed that much thought put into it, as these two could probably have a fight over a stale sandwich.

For once I’ll take Zayn to win here, as he lost at Wrestlemania and Owens is coming in banged up after Friday. Owens would seem to be a likely challenger for the Intercontinental Title so Azeez and/or Apollo Crews interfering would make sense. Or they might both go into Money in the Bank (more likely probably) and that means this match has very little consequence whatsoever. But still, Zayn wins.

Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler

Do we have to? I mean do we really, really have to do this match? This is currently the dumbest thing going in wrestling and that is covering a lot of ground at the moment. The only thing that gives me a glimmer of hope is that Lily wasn’t around on Monday, but odds are they’re saving her for a special appearance here, because that’s how WWE thinks these days.

Of course Bliss wins here, because there is zero reason for Baszler to win despite the fact that she isn’t the one with an evil doll backing her up. I’m really hoping that they’re getting this out of their system before the crowds come back, because I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. At the same time, I’m not sure how much Baszler’s career can take, but that ship sailed a pretty long time ago.

Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins

It’s another Wrestlemania rematch because this show is more or less Wrestlemania Part III. These two have been going at it for months but somehow the match wasn’t made until this week on Smackdown. I’m not sure if it makes that big of a difference as the match has all but been set up in advance since Wrestlemania. It’s also the match where I’m the least sure of a winner, so there are some options here.

As much as I want to go with Cesaro so the upper midcard can be a bit more solidified and Cesaro’s Wrestlemania win doesn’t look like a fluke, I would be surprised if Rollins lost here. WWE likes to go back to him pretty frequently (fair enough) and he hasn’t won anything important in a pretty long while. I’m not sure if Rolling needs the win more, but I think he needs it enough to go over here.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Charlotte

Here we go again, as these two are another pairing that is getting joined at the hip. Thankfully they had a nice pull apart brawl on Raw to make up for the lacking….well everything else about the feud. Charlotte is back in the title picture because of course she is and Ripley is hanging on to any credibility that she has. There is a way to fix that, and hopefully it is what we get here.

I’ll go with hope and say that Ripley retains here, as she absolutely needs to win this one. Charlotte beating her at Wrestlemania last year was a club to the stomach of her career so hopefully she has recovered enough to win this time. There is really no reason for her not to, though that has never stopped WWE before. Ripley retains here, mainly because she needs to for the sake of her career.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Bayley

This would be the annual “Really? This is in the Cell?” match inside the Cell as Belair goes from winning the title in April to defending it inside the Cell two months later. They have something kind of interesting with the last laugh deal but going from a regular match to Ding Dong Hello to this is a stretch. That being said, it would be weird if this show didn’t have a Cell match that was a stretch so it’s not even worth the complaint.

Belair retains here, as this seems much more designed to give her the big win on her way to a likely Summerslam rematch with Sasha Banks. The feud has been pretty good so far and Bayley vs. Banks in the Cell last year was great so there is potential for something awesome here. I’m hoping that they can live up to the hype, because there is a lot of pressure being put on someone as untested as Belair.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley(c) vs. Drew McIntyre

This is back in the Cell and it’s McIntyre’s LAST shot against Lashley, as this feud should finally draw to a close. It’s a good example of WWE’s inability to wrap something up, as this is the third pay per view in a row where McIntyre has challenged Lashley. I get why they stretched it out to here, but it’s a good example of having a match in the Cell because the calendar says so, as this should have wrapped up last month.

I’ll take Lashley to retain here and FINALLY put this one to bed, with McIntyre likely moving on to the Money in the Bank chase. He doesn’t need the briefcase, but hopefully Jinder Mahal doesn’t interfere in either match to start their rumored summer feud. Either way, McIntyre should go down on his (possibly literal) sword here with a heck of a fight, but Lashley retains here and move on to something new, thank goodness.

Overall Thoughts

This show couldn’t be more of a B show if it included Bruce Buffer introducing a match between the B Team and the Killer Bees. The wrestling will be fine enough, but it isn’t likely to be anything more than a show which takes place and then sends us into Money in the Bank/Summerslam season. There’s a good chance that this show is completely watchable and I’m not dreading it, but I wouldn’t expect anything major.

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It’s that time again as NXT is taking over….well Peacock again, but that might work out just as well. This time feels different though, as I have forgotten that the show is taking place more than once now. This has not felt like the kind of build you get for a Takeover and that is a shame, as the show has earned its amazing reputation. There are matches on the card that look good though so let’s get to it.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li

We’ll start with the only non-title match on the show because NXT has become a promotion that is awash with titles, just like almost every other. Martinez is mostly a monster and Li is running through the entire division. You need to run over some people on the way there though and Li has marked Martinez as her next target. That might be easier said than done.

Or maybe not as I’ll take LI to win here. There is little reason to think that Martinez is going to win as, simply put, she doesn’t win matches around here. I’m not sure how long Martinez is going to stick around NXT, but at least she is getting some high profile matches. This should be a heck of a fight as Li has gotten that much better, and odds are she is going to win here.

North American Title/Tag Team Titles: Bronson Reed/MSK(c) vs. Legado del Fantasma

This is one of those things that can work out rather well, as you have all of the titles on the line in a winner take all match. That is something I could go with seeing, as it combined a pair of matches into one but it also opens up a bit more drama, which is not something you might be able to get out of a single match. It means you could see a surprise, and it would be two at a time.

As tempting as a pair of title changes would be here, I think the champs retain, as Reed winning the North American Title felt like a big deal. I could see MSK dropping the belts to Legado sooner rather than later, but I don’t think it happens here. There is an idea here though and that is a good thing, but actually pulling the trigger on the changes is a bit hard to imagine.

Million Dollar Title: Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight

Hey look, a ladder match. As in another ladder match, just like they had at the last Takeover. This time around it is for the revived Million Dollar Title, which has oddly turned into an interesting feud. Granted that might have something to do with how great Grimes has been on the mic in the build to the match. Knight is one of my favorite talkers today though and I could go for seeing the match.

That means I have to pick a winner though and egads I’m not sure where this is going. I’ll take Grimes just because the story has been built up so long, but I’ll say that with a grand total of no confidence. This could go either way and that is a great way to build up some drama. Knight needs the win, but it isn’t like losing a ladder match would hurt him at all. Granted the same thing could be said of Grimes, and that is why the whole thing should work well.

Women’s Title: Raquel Gonzalez(c) vs. Ember Moon

Moon has come back a very long way and that is quite the relief. She has been back in NXT for a good while now and nothing has really come together for her just yet. That has finally started getting better and Moon is starting to feel a little bit more like a star who could pull something like this off. I’m not sure if she will, but it is something I could believe and that is a good thing to see.

With that being said, I can’t imagine Moon winning the title back here so we’ll go with Gonzalez retaining. Gonzalez is someone who could be champion for a very long time to come and a win over Moon is going to be a good start. Moon has the bigger weapon with the Eclipse and that is something you have to account for, but ultimately Gonzalez is going to retain, likely with the lifting powerbomb.

NXT Title: Karrion Kross(c) vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne

Then we have this, which is the majority of the main event scene thrown together into one huge main event. This is the kind of thing you don’t see very often in NXT and that might be a good idea in this case. What we are likely to get here is one big mess with everyone going nuts for twenty plus minutes with a bunch of near falls after another. You can get a lot of entertainment out of that if the match is structured right, which is where NXT shines.

As for a winner….egads where are they going here? I think I’ll go with my usual train of thought here and pick Kross to retain. I’m not sure I can imagine him having two pretty short title reigns, but there is always the chance that he is getting hotshotted up to the main roster. I would not be stunned to see him lose the title, but I’ll go with Kross retaining here in a prediction likely to be wrong.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about this show, the more hope I have for it. There are a lot of good pieces to the card and just a few should be enough to carry a five match card. NXT knows how to do these big shows as well as anyone else and if they can pull this one off, they might be even more impressive than I thought. The potential is there, even if the interest might not be, and that could be enough to get it across the goal line.

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I always get a bit excited for an AEW pay per view because they have earned the reputation of putting on good shows. Aside from their misfire with the exploding ring fiasco at Full Gear, AEW has not had a truly bad pay per view or even that many bad pay per view moments in their history. They are getting another chance to keep that record strong and hopefully they can pull it off. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: NWA Women’s Title: Serena Deeb(c) vs. Riho

There is a bit of history here as Riho beat Deeb in the #1 contenders tournament a few months back. The title has been kind of a weird addition to AEW as it only pops in every so often and there are rarely any interesting stories involved. Riho has not been around so often lately, but she is always presented as one of the bigger stars in the company. Deeb is awesome at what she does though and now gets the chance to showcase herself.

I’ll take Deeb to retain here as it is almost hard to fathom the NWA title changing hands on an AEW show. This feels like a match being added for the sake of adding something in and that is a fine enough excuse for a pre-show. The action will be good and that is about all you can ask for from a match like this. Deeb retains, though I’m not entirely sure where that leaves Riho.

Hangman Page vs. Brian Cage

This one has my interest up a bit and that is because of Page. For months now, the theory has been that Page is the one to take the AEW World Title off of Kenny Omega, but there has been nothing to suggest that is actually going to happen. Page has been toiling with the Dark Order for a good while now and doing little more than comedy stuff. This week’s Dynamite saw him get a lot more serious and that is a good sign for his future.

I think it’s a good sign for him in this match too as he’ll beat Cage. As much of a monster as Cage is, there is no reason for him to win here. Page is possibly being primed to go after the World Title so a win over someone of Cage’s stature should help. Throw in that Cage is having issues with the rest of Team Taz and it is hard to imagine him having much of a chance here.

Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks(c) vs. Jon Moxley/Eddie Kingston

I usually save the bigger matches for later but let’s have some fun. This is the match that interests me the most on the card as I really could see it going either way. The main catch here is that, assuming another title match goes a certain way, we very well could be looking at all heel champions in AEW. Someone would have to break through that wall and balance things out a bit and that might be Moxley and Kingston.

That being said, I don’t think the titles change hands here. It seems more likely that the Bucks and Omega get to hold their three titles at once because that is what AEW finds interesting. I very well may be wrong on this and the title change would not shock me in the least, but I think the Bucks hold on here, likely through some sort of overthought shenanigans.

Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo

Then we have this one and it might be the most discussed match on the entire show. Rhodes is becoming the American Dream for one night only and is fighting one of those evil foreign….uh….British guys. The patriotism aspect has felt rather forced in this story as it seems to come out of the 1980s rather than a modern wrestling company. Ogogo doesn’t have much experience either, but here he is anyway.

I’ll go on a limb here and pick Ogogo, which is where this story should head if they want to make a bigger star for a change. Ogogo has only wrestled a handful of matches and it would be a huge deal to beat Rhodes. I’m not completely sold on the idea that Ogogo wins as Rhodes has a tendency to get some questionable victories, but I’ll take Ogogo here and hold AEW rolls the dice.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega(c) vs. Pac vs. Orange Cassidy

Omega has been mentioned enough so far that we might as well just knock his match out. This match does not grab my interest very well and I can’t believe that I’m alone in that. It came out of nowhere as suddenly these two were top contenders and the match was set as a result. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to buy Omega as being in danger here but that is what AEW is asking.

Of course I’ll take Omega to retain here as I can’t imagine either Pac or Cassidy getting the title. This match feels like a token title defense for Omega as I can’t fathom him losing the title anytime soon. Cassidy feels way over his head here and while Pac is great, I don’t think he’s going to get the title. Omega retains here in a match that has as much drama as a screwball comedy.

AEW Women’s Title: Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Britt Baker

This would be the one title match standing in the way of likely total heel dominance and I’m not sure how much you would bet on the good guys. Of all of the matches on the card, this one might have the least drama to the whole thing and I’m not sure if there is even a point in suggesting otherwise. I think you know where this is going and that is what is best for all of us.

In a moment that is a very long time coming, Baker finally breaks through the glass ceiling and wins the title here. Shida has held the thing for over a year now and is pretty far past the point of being ready to lose. Baker is one of the best things going in AEW and has been for a long time now. It is time that she claims her destiny and holds the title for a long time, so go with the only logical option here.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page/Scorpio Sky

AEW has made a big deal out of this being Sting’s first regular match in five years and that is not exactly drawing me in. Sting and Allin make a fine mentor/student pairing, but I really don’t have any interest in seeing Sting wrestle again. It doesn’t help that the villains have been pretty tacked on, to the point where they feel like bad guys of the month for Sting to beat without breaking a sweat.

That being said, I’ll go with Sky and Page to win here as there is no need for Sting and Allin to beat them. If AEW wants Sky and Page to mean anything, it would be fairly ridiculous to have them beat someone who isn’t going to his status no matter what. Allin should not be taking the fall, but his team should be taking the loss so the two new villains can have something to brag about for a bit.

Casino Battle Royal

Man alive this company loves these gambling themes. I never know what to do with a match like this because there are so many options out there. You could probably bet on one of the favorites but with at least one spot being open, it really could go in multiple directions. The announced lineup looks pretty deep, but that TBA spot has my interest up a little higher.

Based on who is currently announced for the match, I’ll take Christian Cage to win. The rest of the field is mainly a bunch of midcarders, with Cage as the only one I could see (outside of maybe Dustin Rhodes) having a real chance. That being said, I do think there is a possibility of Andrade winning here and there is little reason to have someone of his stature debut if he wasn’t winning the match. So Cage if no Andrade, but Andrade if Andrade.

TNT Title: Miro(c) vs. Lance Archer

Sidenote: just make it the TV Title already. Dynamite is moving over to TBS later this year so just go with the logical move. With that out of the way, this should be a heck of a hoss fight and that is all they have advertised it as being. Miro has come a very long way in a short amount of time as getting rid of Kip Sabian and all of the gaming stuff has worked wonders for him, which should not surprise anyone.

Based on that alone, Miro retains here, as Archer seems to be heading for a split with Jake Roberts. At this point that is the right idea too, as Archer can cover anything Roberts can do for him. Miro is looking like he could be the breakout star around here and that is why he was brought in in the first place. Go with what makes sense here and have Miro retain after a heck of a battle.

Stadium Stampede

This almost has to end the show due to the magnitude and the stakes, as the Inner Circle has to split up if the Pinnacle can beat them. The original version was complete insanity and very memorable, which is what I’m expecting this time around too. The Inner Circle is coming in banged up after Dynamite so the writing is starting to look like it is on the wall here.

I’m going with what should make sense and say Pinnacle wins, though I can’t shake the idea of a fast one being pulled. The Inner Circle has had a great run, but there isn’t much left for them to do. Spitting them up does not mean we can’t see MJF vs. Chris Jericho, so maybe that is where we go for All Out. Either way, the match should be good and insane, which is all you could want from this.

Overall Thoughts

This is a heck of a stacked card and has me more interesting in a show than I have been in a long time. The top of the card is loaded and the rest is not bad at all, meaning we could be in for a pretty awesome night. AEW knows how to set things up but more importantly they know how to deliver on them, which is what I’m counting on here. The show looks great and that excited feeling is always nice to have.

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

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It’s time for the followup to Wrestlemania and this time they are making that as obvious as possible by calling the show Wrestlemania Backlash. WWE has run Backlash for years but this time around, WWE does not exactly seem to be putting much effort into the Raw side of things. Smackdown is a different story, but egads Raw is not exactly inspiring me here. Maybe the show can wind up going a bit better in action. Let’s get to it.

Raw Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley(c) vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte

There is no word on if WWE is going to do what they want to do and bill this as Charlotte vs. the world, as Asuka and Ripley, the champion, have felt like afterthoughts in the whole thing. That is not exactly a shock but unfortunately it is reality, as Ripley already beat Asuka at Wrestlemania so now it is time to bring Charlotte in. Why? Well because it’s always time to bring Charlotte in.

I’ll take Ripley to retain here though, as I think WWE knows they can’t just put the title right back on Charlotte as soon as possible. Ripley absolutely needs the win more, though it isn’t going to matter all that much if Charlotte continues to get all of the focus. Asuka is probably taking the fall here, setting up the rematch from Wrestlemania XXXVI so Charlotte and Ripley can have their showdown. I’m not sure where it goes from there, but Ripley holds onto the title here to keep things moving.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler(c) vs. Rey Mysterio/Dominik Mysterio

The fact that I sighed as soon as I typed that out says a lot about the match. Ziggler and Rey had a match on Smackdown which had me wondering how much longer I could keep my eyes open. The tag format should be a little bit better and the idea of the father and son going after the titles works fine. The problem is Ziggler and Roode have defended the titles twice in four months, which isn’t the right way to make the fans care about them or the titles.

I think the Mysterios get the titles here, though it seems to be a matter of time before the reunited Usos get the belts back. There is zero point to keeping the titles on Ziggler and Roode at the moment, though they have been around for a long time now and them retaining would not stun me. I’ll go with the title change here though, if nothing else for a nice moment.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Bayley

This is Belair’s first major defense after winning the title at Wrestlemania, which should tell you where this is going. I’m curious to see how Belair does in a slightly less high pressure situation which is still a pretty high level match. Bayley is a good person to put her out there with though, and hopefully everything winds up working well. Belair is the future though and I think you know what that means.

Belair retains here, as we get to find out where she can go as the long term champion. If nothing else, they aren’t taking the title off of her before they get to the big rematch with Sasha Banks. Bayley is the right kind of opponent to boost up Belair’s stock and we could be in for a pretty good match as well. There shouldn’t be much doubt here, so being able to create some is going to be a nice challenge.

Damian Priest vs. The Miz

Yeah this is still going and I’m not sure I get why either. It isn’t a fresh match and it isn’t an interesting one, but above all else it isn’t something that is going to help Priest in the long run. Priest is already in his late 30s and I’m really not sure why he is wasting even more time facing Miz, who he has beaten before. This really needs to be it, but that was the case with Wrestlemania too.

I’ll go with what makes sense here, as there is no reason for Priest to lose or come close to it. They seem to be teasing the idea of splitting up Miz and John Morrison in the near future, which wouldn’t be the greatest thing in the world but right now, Priest needs to win. He doesn’t have the big singles win on his own yet and while Miz isn’t that, a win could be a nice stepping stone to his future.

Raw World Title: Bobby Lashley(c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Drew McIntyre

Egads I don’t care. I really just do not care. Strowman is being added to the whole thing to keep this from being a rematch from Wrestlemania/this week’s Raw and….my goodness I don’t know why that is supposed to be interesting. Strowman has not been interesting in a long time and adding him in isn’t going to make fans care about this match any more than they already do. That’s what we’re getting here though and hopefully we are done soon thereafter.

In theory, Lashley should retain here as there is almost no reason for anything else to happen. Strowman getting the title back is not going going to happen and McIntyre doesn’t need it again. The match is going to be the hoss fight and should be entertaining enough, but my goodness it has been a rough build, and that is not the kind of thing that makes me want to see the match.

Smackdown World Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Cesaro

We’ve finally gotten to Cesaro’s title shot, though honestly that might be what qualifies as making it for him. Reigns is on another planet at this point and no one should be taking the title from him for a LONG time, so Cesaro just getting to this spot after all these years is pretty impressive. It would be an amazing match to see with fans in person, especially if Cesaro gets to Swing him, but I think you know how this is ending.

Of course Reigns retains here, because there is no reason for anything else to happen. There might be a rematch set up and they might do it again at Money in the Bank, but Reigns could lose a pair of limbs and still wind up retaining the title here. Cesaro might win the title one day, but that day is not going to be Sunday, because Reigns is going to be champion for a long time to come.

Overall Thoughts

This feels more and more like the May pay per view that is taking place because we have to have a May pay per view, which isn’t exactly keeping my interest up. That being said, the six match card probably means they are likely to be out in less than three hours. That’s quite the relief, as this does not feel like anything resembling a major pay per view. If they can get in, get out and be done, this could be a lot worse. I’m not overly thrilled to see the show, but I’ve seen worse cards.

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We haven’t been around for one of these in a little while. Impact Wrestling is back with another of its quarterlyish pay per views with Rebellion, and this time it is al about the guest star. The big main event is AEW World Champion Kenny Omega vs. Impact Wrestling World Champion Rich Swann in a title for title match. Impact has done everything it can to make this interesting and it has gone about as well as you would expect. Maybe the rest of the show can make up for it. Let’s get to it.

Tag Team Titles: FinJuice(c) vs. Good Brothers

Let’s get this out of the way to start: FinJuice is not very interesting. They’re talented in the ring, but their characters in Impact boil down to “we’re from New Japan and like wrestling.” Unless I’ve missed something, there isn’t much more to them than that. I understand why it’s a big deal to have the titles defended in New Japan for Impact but it doesn’t do much for the champs. The Good Brothers aren’t much better, but at least they’re around.

Without much drama, the Good Brothers win the titles back here, ending the quick excursion title reign. That way we can have the titles on Dynamite as well as the Good Brothers get to speak in insider terms and hang out with Omega even more while making young boy jokes. It worked so well the first time so why not let them do it again since they’re having so much fun?

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Fire N Flava(c) vs. Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace

The titles go more and more in the same vein as the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles as we have another thrown together team getting a title shot. Ellering debuted on Impact as a replacement for the retired Jazz so sure let’s have a title match. These titles have not exactly gone well, though Fire N Flava are rather good as the annoying heels who talk WAY too much.

I’ll go with the champs retaining here, just for the sake of not dealing with someone who wasn’t in the promotion three weeks ago becoming a champion. I’m still not sure how necessary these titles are, but there are enough women on the show that it makes some sense. I just wish they would do a better job setting up teams, especially given how many options they have. But yeah, the champs retain here, as they should.

Trey Miguel vs. Sami Callihan

This is Last Man Standing and hopefully this wraps up their feud before they suddenly become best friends who kind of hate each other but work together anyway. It’s a tired trope and you see it enough today all over the place but you know it’s probably coming. They should be able to have a good match though as Miguel can do anything and Callihan is made for this kind of a brawl.

I’ll take Miguel to win here as it would pay off the idea of him having no heart, especially if he can survive a package piledriver or two. Callihan is already a former World Champion so the loss isn’t going to do much damage. Go with what makes sense here, which hopefully means they go in different directions after the match. Miguel is someone with a lot of potential and he doesn’t need to be bogged down with Callihan as his partner.

Matt Cardona vs. Brian Myers

I’m not sure what to think of this one as they have done a decent enough job of keeping this from being Zack Ryder vs. Curt Hawkins, but what we’re getting still isn’t all that great. These two are just kind of there in the ring, though they do their things well enough. I don’t know if I really need to see the match, but this is the logical way to go for both of them.

I think I’ll go with Cardona winning here, as I don’t think Impact is ready for the devastating power of a guy with a running clothesline as a finisher. Cardona is more interesting than Myers, who can stick around as a gatekeeper for the midcard, which is where he fits in best. The match itself should be fine, though I’m scared about how annoying Matt Striker is going to be.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo(c) vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood really is one of the weirdest cases in all of Impact, as she should be the top star given all of the potential she has, but for one reason or another it has never clicked. It feels like it has taken forever to get us to her having a big time title match and I’m really not sure if she is actually going to win the title. This could go either way, but what should be a coronation is feeling more like an obligation.

I’ll go with Purrazzo to win here as she seems like someone who could be champion for a very long time to come. There is not much of a reason to put the title on Dashwood here other than “hey maybe we should make Dashwood champion”. Hopefully they figure that out, because Purrazzo is being turned into quite the champion. I don’t know who takes it off of her, but hopefully they have some time before they need to figure it out.

Violent By Design vs. Chris Sabin/Eddie Edwards/James Storm/Willie Mack

I’m curious as to how this one is going to go as Eric Young has a torn ACL. He is capable of having a decent match even on one leg, but I’m not sure if this match has been taped in advance or not. This is a match that has been set up fairly well so hopefully the match goes as good as it could. The match should be a solid one, assuming they don’t do anything nuts, which they should be able to pull off here.

This could go either way, but with Young hurt and going away for a pretty long time, there is little reason to have Violent By Design here. Therefore, I’ll take the motley crew to win here, which makes sense given the situation. Above all else, they could have a way to write off Young here, which could go in a few different directions. Just have a violent match with the right people going over and everything should be fine.

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

This is the first Impact match in a good while that I have been looking forward to this much. These guys are all talented and capable of coming up with something awesome. They have been feuding over the title for a little over a month now and this is the logical way to go. As long as they are given time and the chance to have a great match, this is all but destined to steal the show.

I’ll go with a hunch here and say Alexander wins. You really could go in any of the three ways to walk out with the title. Madman Fulton can help Austin out a bit but I think someone winds up tapping to Alexander to give him the title for the first time. The good thing about this match is that you really could go with any of them, meaning that if the match is given the chance to shine, we should be in for an awesome match no matter what happens.

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

And now we have the match that Impact has treated as the biggest match of all time and AEW casually acknowledges if they have nothing else to do because Lost In Space was a rerun this week. This seems to be part of AEW’s grand plan to make Omega the champion of all things, meaning you should be able to see how this one is going. Granted you should have been able to see that from the second Omega showed up in Impact.

Omega could win this match if he showed up to work without his pants, so of course he is walking out with the titles. This is what AEW thinks is some kind of amazing story and if they just have to make Impact look weak to do so, I’m sure Impact will go along with it because that is what they do. The match will be good, but Swann has as much of a chance at winning as I have of being Miss Nevada 1972.

Overall Thoughts

The more I look at this card, the less interested I am in the show. The main event and Tag Team Title match don’t do much for me as the endings are just about obvious. There are interesting parts on the show, but I’m not sure how many of them are going to live up to the hype. Then again, Impact has a great record of having good shows with bad builds, so maybe they can pull it off again here.

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

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AND

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

It worked for Bryan before.

E pluribus gads where do I begin with this? You could go any way here and I’m not sure which path WWE is going to choose. Reigns should be the champion for the better part of ever, Bryan might never get another run with the title and Edge has been set up as the big winner out of the whole thing. Each idea could work, and I’m not sure where they are going here.

As much as I think Reigns needs to win and retain here, I think Edge winds up with the title. Despite the fact that the wrestler with the most titles in WWE history who just came back after nine years away and won the Royal Rumble while entering first needing ONE MORE BIG FEEL GOOD MOMENT is pretty stupid, I think they’ll go with Edge here. Bryan is fine in his role of putting people over and Reigns can get the title back later. He shouldn’t lose it and I hope he doesn’t, but I think that’s where we’re heading.

Not bad for a (second) debut.

I’m not sure how well the match is going to go, but the fact that Ripley is now on the main roster (and not having to deal with Charlotte) makes me smile. She is as potential of a main roster breakout star as you can get and I would love to see her become some kind of a huge deal. That very well may start here, and since Asuka feels like she has been champion for the better part of ever, this should be a layup.

In what I hope is the easiest move of the entire show, Ripley should win the title here and hold it for a good while. There is no reason whatsoever for Asuka to retain the title here by taking Ripley’s legs out from under her as she is just starting to get on the main roster. Asuka needs to lose the titles already and let Ripley become the new star, as it isn’t like Asuka is going to lose anything by putting her over.

The mystery match portion.

Remember a year when Baszler was a sure thing to take the Raw Women’s Title from Becky Lynch and then she didn’t for whatever reason and never won the titles and is now stuck with this reign with Jax? Just an observation. Anyway, this is coming off of the previous night as the winners of the Tag Team Turmoil match get the shot here. Since we already know for sure who is getting the shot, we know where this can go.

Alas, I’ll take Lana and Naomi going over for the titles here, because the world is looking forward to Lana winning a title and hearing about how she has overcome so much. Jax and Baszler aren’t interesting as champions and as much as I would love to see Naomi pushed as a star, this would be all about Lana, which is about as brilliant of an idea as you could have, because reasons.

Bang the drums properly.

This is a Nigerian Drum Fight, because WWE needed another name for hardcore and thirty plus writers couldn’t come up with anything better. Crews’ gimmick isn’t exactly brilliant, but it is slowly starting to grow on me as he is actually making the ridiculous thing work. At the same time, Big E. has been champion for over three months and hasn’t really done anything but feud with Crews. That could go a few ways, but I’m not sure which way it will be.

As worried as I am about what a Nigerian Drum Fight is going to entail, Crews needs to win the title here. He can drop it back to Big E. in the future but what matters here is giving Crews some momentum, because he hasn’t actually won anything of note since his heel turn. Big E. winning wouldn’t surprise me, but it probably needs to be Crew going over here, just for the sake of his future.