Impact Wrestling
Date: July 22, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We are finally done with Slammiversary, which wound up being a heck of a show with a lot of surprises. Kenny Omega retained the World Title by defeating Sami Callihan but New Japan’s Jay White showed up to end the show in a big surprise. It’s time to start the long form crawl towards Bound For Glory so let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of the title matches at Slammiversary.

Opening sequence, with a new version of the theme song. Dang the other one was catchier.

Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju

Shera is here with Raju and this is fallout from both of them losing Ultimate X. Feeling out process to start with Raju grabbing a headlock. That goes nowhere as Bey takes him down, followed by both of them catching a boot to the ribs at the same time. Back up and they run the ropes until Raju sweeps the leg to take him down. Raju is sent to the apron, where he manages to snap the back of the neck over the ropes.

Back in and Raju faceplants him into a basement clothesline to the back of the head. A snap suplex gives Raju two and the chinlock goes on. That doesn’t last long so Raju takes him into the corner, where he misses a Cannonball. Bey is back with a Fameasser and a kick to the head in the corner. Raju’s jumping Downward Spiral gets two and he counters the Art of Finesse into the Crossface. That’s broken up so Bey hits him in the back of the head, setting up the Art of Finesse for the pin at 6:39.

Rating: C. Bey continues to feel like a star, but he needs to win something of note again sooner rather than later. He has been in a bit of a holding pattern since he lost the X-Division Title so maybe he can get somewhere else. Raju continues to stun me as I still can’t get over how far he has come in such a short amount of time. That’s very impressive and deserves some attention.

Post match, Bey runs into Jay White, who has sent him a message. White, the leader of the Bullet Club, says the team is always looking for talented guys. Bey says he has always been about himself, but White asks how that has been going for him.

Don Callis brags about Kenny Omega’s win and mocks Tommy Dreamer and Scott D’Amore over being more powerful than they are. Callis isn’t happy that Jay White is here, but the title is more valuable anyway.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here is Mickie James for a chat (Striker has already called her beautiful and a wonderful human being). Mickie is glad to be back and hear that song one more time. She is here to change the business and make it better, so she would like Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo to come out here right now.

Cue Purrazzo, who isn’t happy that Mickie kicked her in the face at Slammiversary. Mickie offers her a match at NWA Empowered, but Purrazzo thinks Mickie is in this for herself. Cue Gail Kim, to say everyone wants this to be the biggest, and thinks Purrazzo should accept. Mickie talks about how Purrazzo needs to cement her legacy, and it can start with this. Purrazzo shakes her hand so the match is on.

The Drama King is coming.

Jake Something/Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green vs. Tenille Dashwood/Sam Beale/Brian Myers

Kaleb With A K is here with the villains. Jake throws Beale around to start and works on the arm before Cardona comes in for the flapjack. Cardona hammers on Myers in the corner but a Beale distraction lets him drop Cardona onto the buckle. The beating doesn’t last long though as Cardona gets over to Green to beat up Dashwood. A Backstabber plants Dashwood but Kaleb With A K breaks up the Unprettier. Cue the returning Taylor Wilde to take care of Kaleb With A K, leaving Green to hit the Unprettier for the pin on Beale at 4:04.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here with Green getting a win on Impact now that she is back. It’s fine enough to have her pin Beale too as he’s there to be a lackey and nothing more at the moment. The quality wasn’t the point here and it managed to keep a few matches going at the same time. Throw in Wilde being back and this was completely adequate.

We look at W. Morrissey using a chain to beat Eddie Edwards.

Eddie Edwards isn’t done with W. Morrissey and he’ll be waiting in the parking lot.

Post break, Morrissey heads to the parking lot and the fight with Edwards is on. Eddie cracks him in the back with a trashcan but Morrissey is back with an ice chest. Choking ensues and there’s another ice chest shot. Eddie manages to find a pair of Kenny the Kendo Sticks and some shots have Morrissey running away.

Brian Myers says he and Tenille Dashwood are ready for the homecoming tournament because she is under his learning tree. Just like Sam Beale, which has Dashwood pointing out the obvious problems. Dashwood is done with the tournament, so Beale promises to find a new partner. He even gets to talk to a girl! Beale: “Hi Gia.” Gia Miller is not impressed.

Here is Jay White for a chat. After we see a clip from after Slammiversary, with White being attacked by FinJuice but taking David Finlay out with the Blade Runner (swinging Downward Spiral), White introduces himself and lists off his nicknames and accomplishments. He is the real belt collector and he is here for one man: David Finlay. They have a match on August 14 and Finlay is trying to fix his family name. White: “Daddy must not be very proud.” Finlay already beat him in the New Japan Cup and that is never happening again. While he’s here though, he wants to see the Bullet Club fans, meaning the Good Brothers.

Those two have only ever mattered since they have been able to attach themselves to the Club’s name. Their application to rejoin the team is turned down, but if they want to appeal….and here is the Elite to interrupt. Don Callis talks about how the real Bullet Club went, and it was when these people were in it. We hear about White being a young boy and how this Bullet Club is a bunch of midcarders. If White was smart, he would be wanting to join the Elite.

White points out that he beat Kenny Omega the last time they faced each other but the Good Brothers say they have this. The Brothers take credit for the Bullet Club’s success, including heading to America so White and his friends could make a living. All they want is a thank you, but White says this is all the Brothers ever did.

White knows Anderson’s career peaked when he lost the 2012 G1 Climax. He is what they want to be, so the beatdown is on…..with Striker explaining the differences between the versions of the Club rather than talking about the fight taking place in front of his eyes. Chris Bey runs in for the save, with Striker babbling about how if you invert the initials of Bullet Club, you get CB, for Chris Bey! GET JOSH MATTHEWS BACK ALREADY!!! As for the segment, it was the latest example of “Japan is AWESOME” piece theater.

Josh Alexander says nothing is changing for him, because he’ll knock down the next challenger. Kenny Omega pops up to say he doesn’t think so.

The Good Brothers rant about Jay White, who is ungrateful. How about a tag match next week?

Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. FinJuice

Austin shoulders Finlay down to start but Finlay is back up with some arm cranking. Robinson comes in for a delayed vertical suplex, setting up the posing. Finlay’s backsplash misses though and it’s Fulton coming in as we take a break. Back with Finlay not being able to fight out of the corner as Fulton tosses him back in. Austin kicks him in the face for two and we hit the chinlock. A backdrop gets Finlay out of trouble though and it’s back to Robinson to clean house. The big left hand drops Austin but Fulton pulls the high crossbody out of the air. That’s fine with Robinson, who reverses into a sunset flip for the pin at 8:05.

Rating: C. This was another “hey we’re back” win from FinJuice. They’re growing on me as they do work well together when they get in the ring. Fulton and Austin losing again is a bit much, but at least they lost to a good team. The match itself wasn’t the point here, but rather reminding you that FinJuice is pretty snazzy, which worked well.

Post match, FinJuice fends off a beatdown but Shera and Rohit Raju run in for the real beating.

Rich Swann and Willie Mack don’t like Violent By Design blaming them for losing the Tag Team Titles. They know what it’s like to lose titles so if they want a fight, come see them next week. The lights go out and Violent By Design comes in for the beatdown.

Moose demands Scott D’Amore give him a rematch with Chris Sabin. Cue Sabin to say he’s in, with D’Amore making the match for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Fire N Flava vs. Rosemary/Havok

Rosemary and Havok, with the rest of Decay, are defending after winning the titles on the Slammiversary preshow. Kiera Hogan yells at Rosemary to start and gets taken down without much effort. Rosemary misses a spear though and Hogan shakes a finger at her. A side slam gives Rosemary two and it’s off to Havok for the power.

Havok crushes Tasha Steelz in the corner and hands it back to Rosemary. That means Hogan needs to offer a distraction to break up the Upside Down so the champs can be in trouble for the first time. Steelz hits some not very loud chops before stomping Rosemary down, setting up the camel clutch.

Rosemary pops up with the Sling Blade but doesn’t tag, allowing Hogan to take her back into the corner. The slugout is on until a double crossbody puts Rosemary and Hogan down. Havok comes in off the tag to clean house again until Steelz’ distraction lets Hogan get in a choke. It’s already back to Rosemary, but Steelz superkicks Hogan. A spear/Russian legsweep combination finishes Hogan at 11:32.

Rating: C. Another perfectly fine match which got a little time. Fire N Flava didn’t need to win here, though it seems like they might be done in the near future. What we got here worked out well enough though, as Rosemary and Havok needed a first defense. Who else were they supposed to beat?

Overall Rating: C. They hit the ground at least jogging after Slammiversary and that is something Impact does not do well most of the time. White felt like a huge star, but you’re only going to get so far with the Good Brothers. It seems like we are heading for another Bullet Club story, which may or may not have your highest level of interest. I get why Impact is doing this, but it would be nice to drop the outsiders for a little while. They won’t (and probably shouldn’t), but it would be nice.

Results
Chris Bey b. Rohit Raju – Art of Finesse
Chelsea Green/Matt Cardona/Jake Something b. Sam Beale/Brian Myers/Tenille Dashwood – Unprettier to Beale
FinJuice b. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Sunset flip to Fulton
Rosemary/Havok b. Fire N Flava – Spear/Russian legsweep combination to Hogan

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Slammiversary 2021
Date: July 17, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

This show has become the highlight of the Impact Wrestling calendar as I have had a better time with it than Bound For Glory for a long time now. With some luck, that can continue this time around as the show is pretty well stacked. We have the main event of World Champion Kenny Omega defending against Sami Callihan in a No DQ match, plus a few mystery spots to be filled. Let’s get to it.

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

Fire N Flava are defending and commentary talks about how nice it is to have fans back. Havok misses a charge at Steelz to start but is right back with a swinging sitout Rock Bottom for two. Hogan comes in to slap Havok in the face and shout a lot, which goes as well as you might expect. It’s off to Rosemary for a t-bone suplex into the Upside Down, much to the fans’ delight.

Hogan sends Rosemary outside and dances a lot as Striker laughs about knowing one of the debuting wrestlers. Back in and Rosemary finally runs Steelz over to hammer away, only to be taken down for more dancing. Hogan hits a running shoulder in the corner as commentary reminds us that the pay per view starts in about seven minutes. In other words, don’t worry about the chance that this match is going long.

Rosemary avoids a charge and brings in Havok to clean house. Steelz’s running hurricanrana is countered with a buckle bomb but Havok misses a charge into the post. That lets Hogan hit a running kick to the face, leaving Steelz to dive onto Rosemary and Decay at ringside. Rosemary comes back in to distract Hogan, allowing Havok to get back up. The choke doesn’t work on Havok, who pulls Hogan into the Tombstone for the pin and the titles at 8:10.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable opener here and nothing more than that. What matters here is getting the titles off of Fire N Flava, who have held them quite a while already. Rosemary and Havok might not be the long term solution as champions but it is nice to see someone new getting a shot. Good way to get the crowd warmed up too so well done.

The opening video features Sami Callihan looking off as we see clips of the company’s history. I know Impact is kind of a joke in wrestling, but they do have a rather deep history, including Sami winning the World Title. He wants it back tonight.

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

Alexander is defending in Ultimate X, with commentary saying that wrestling skill has little importance here. It’s a big brawl to start (as it should be) with Bey going for the belt early and getting caught just as fast. Alexander is left alone so Austin comes back in and gets German suplexed. Raju goes up top and jumps for the belt, only to crash down. Bey comes in and hits a big running flip dive back to the floor. Williams follows with the slingshot hurricanrana and Miguel hits some kind of a running DDT.

Raju and Austin go up at the same time until Austin gets shoved down onto the pile for the huge moonsault crash. That leaves Raju to bust out a grappling hook and climbs up, taking WAY longer than it would have had he just gone as usual. Williams makes the save, sending Striker into a more complicated than necessary metaphor about Williams being the foundation of the division. After Williams clears Raju out, here is Bey to take Williams down as well. Bey and Miguel wind up going for the belt at the same time, though Miguel is a lot further away.

An attempt at a hurricanrana doesn’t quite work so Miguel kind of spears Bey down instead to drop everyone. A Tower of Doom is loaded up but they have to stop to prevent Raju from pulling the title down with a hook. Everyone else is down so Raju grabs a chair and tries the hook again, only to get dropkicked down by Miguel. Williams comes back in for a Sharpshooter on Miguel, with Raju adding a Crossface for the tap. That means nothing so Alexander goes up, only to get caught hanging upside down with the belt behind him.

Therefore, Bey is fed up to him for an ankle lock as Alexander is still hanging from the X. It makes no sense but DANG that is an awesome visual. At the same time, Bey chokes Austin, who headlocks Williams, who still has Miguel in the Sharpshooter. Raju lets go and chairs Alexander down to get everyone a needed breather. Austin goes up and tries for the belt but slips a bit, allowing Bey to dive off the top with a cutter to put them both down again. Williams is back up with the Canadian Destroyer on Raju and a running version drops Miguel.

That lets Williams go up but Bey Bey get son Alexander’s shoulder to cut him off…and gets planed with another Canadian Destroyer. Well that worked. Alexander isn’t having any of this Destroyer stuff and gives Williams the C4 to knock him silly. Raju breaks up Alexander and Miguel’s slugout, meaning it’s a Downward Spiral to plant Miguel off of Alexander’s shoulders. That lets Raju go up but Miguel makes the save and takes him down.

Alexander superplexes Miguel down though, meaning he and Bey can go up at the same time. They wind up hanging upside and pull the belt down at the same time, only to have Austin springboard in and…completely crash without grabbing the title. The distraction lets Alexander knock Bey down and retain at 15:46.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was pretty awesome with everyone trying something and a bunch of insane spots. The match isn’t supposed to have much of a story or flow to it and that’s perfectly fine. This is the company’s version of the ladder match and they nailed it here, though I have no idea who takes the title from Alexander at this point. Whoever does is going to let him move up to the main event scene though, as there is nothing left for him to do.

We run down the card, which still does not feel necessary at a pay per view.

Don Callis rants about how unfair it is for Kenny Omega to be put in a No DQ World Title match. Callis goes on about how Omega is great enough to beat Sami Callihan and how he has been around for everything Omega has done. He’ll be here tonight for the One Winged Angel that beats Callihan and then his work here will be done.

We recap Matt Cardona and a mystery partner vs. Brian Myers/Tenille Dashwood. This is really Cardona vs. Myers with the women being added to prevent it from being another singles match.

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

Oh of course it’s Chelsea Green, which they didn’t actually try to hide in the first place. Sam Beale and Kaleb With A K are here with Myers Dashwood. Green is still in the arm cast but she’s going anyway. It’s a brawl before the bell until we settle down to the guys starting fast. A faceplant staggers Myers and Cardona clotheslines him to the floor. Cardona misses the dropkick through the ropes but clotheslines Kaleb With A K and Beale anyway.

That lets Myers grab a Downward Spiral onto the ramp to knock Cardona silly though and the villains take over. Back in and Dashwood adds some choking, allowing Beale to get in a right hand from the floor. We pause for a heel photo op and Myers slaps on the quickly broken chinlock. Instead Cardona reverses the suplex into the neckbreaker, only to have Dashwood break up a potential tag.

The Roster Cut is cut off by a spear though and it’s off to Green to beat up Dashwood. Green has to stop to slap Myers though and gets neckbreakered over the middle rope. Dashwood tries to hit Cardona low….but hurts her arm because she he is wearing a cup. Said cup goes onto Myers’ face, allowing Green to hit her own Canadian Destroyer. Cardona flip dives onto the guys, leaving Green to hit Dashwood low for a change. A jumping Unprettier gives Green the pin at 5:57.

Rating: D+. Not much to this one, though it wasn’t like the surprise was really supposed to be a surprise. Impact all but flat out said it was going to be Green and she was the only option that would have made sense here. Green is going to be a fine addition to the division, especially if she is going to be working for Ring of Honor at the same time.

We recap W. Morrissey vs. Eddie Edwards. Morrissey is a monster who hurt Edwards’ partner Satoshi Kojima and Edwards is the heart of the company who is standing up to him. That needed a full recap video?

W. Morrissey vs. Eddie Edwards

Eddie isn’t about to be shoved down by a much bigger Morrissey so the slugout is on. A fall away slam sends Edwards flying and it’s already time to choke on the ropes. One heck of a big boot puts Edwards on the floor but he counters another big boot and sends the leg into the post. Back in and Eddie hits a Stunner over the ropes, only to have Morrissey send him hard into the barricade. A reverse curb stomp plants Eddie back inside and there are some forearms to the chest in the ropes.

Eddie manages a suplex and starts chopping away in the corner. They head outside, where Morrissey catches a suicide dive, setting up a chokeslam onto the apron. Morrissey takes him up the ramp but gets backdropped, setting up the Boston Knee Party to rock Morrissey again. Back inside and Morrissey is fine enough to hit a release F5. Morrissey takes him up top for a superplex but gets reversed into a sunset bomb.

Eddie finally has an opening and catches Morrissey with a running knee, plus the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. Morrissey is back with a kick to the chest for two but a jackknife rollup gives Eddie another two. A missed charge sends Morrissey outside, where he unlaces his boot, allowing him to pull out a chain. One shot to the head rocks Eddie and a powerbomb gives Morrissey the pin at 11:01.

Rating: B-. I’m not surprised that this was good but I’m surprised that Morrissey is working well as a monster. Morrissey did not have the best reputation coming into Impact and it is nice to see him far exceeding what was expected of him. He really is feeling it at the moment and this is a good sign for his future. Beating a former World Champion makes anyone look better and it certainly does with Morrissey.

Moose talks about making mistakes which cost you in the end. It might be driving a hundred miles an hour without your seat belt on or going all in with a bad hand, or it might be asking to face him on the big stage. Chris Sabin made a mistake and tonight he faces the consequences.

We get a vignette for the Drama King, which is the former nickname of Aiden English.

A fan has won a contest to be here and is excited for the rest of the show, but here are Shera and Madman Fulton to interrupt. Cue Scott D’Amore to say normally he would be upset by this, but let’s have a match instead.

FinJuice vs. Shera/Madman Fulton

We start fast with Robinson hammering away on Shera. A hard clothesline drops Robinson but Fulton tags himself in. Arguing ensues and it’s a double flapjack to drop Fulton. Shera is sent outside so an assisted Stunner can put Fulton down for the pin at 1:18. Well that was quick.

We recap Moose vs. Chris Sabin. Moose is a bully who wants to show that he is the big star but Sabin is standing up to him.

Moose vs. Chris Sabin

Sabin starts fast to start and strikes away but gets caught with a running elbow in the corner. That doesn’t seem to make much of a difference as he is right back with some dragon screw legwhips. Moose’s leg is slammed into the apron but he is fine enough to catch Sabin on top. Sabin snaps off another dragon screw legwhip and the Figure Four makes the leg even worse. A grab of the throat gets Moose out and he is right back with Snake Eyes for a breather.

Moose tosses him outside with ease and he sits Sabin on the apron for some loud chops (egads). The third chop is teased but Moose flips off the crowd instead. That wakes Sabin up but Moose knocks him right back down and takes it back inside. Moose rips at Sabin’s face so Sabin bites his way to freedom in a smart move. The fall away slam cuts Sabin back down but he avoids the middle rope moonsault.

Sabin sends him outside for a drive into the barricade and the tornado DDT connects for two back inside. With nothing else working, Sabin goes up top, only to have Moose run the ropes for a super fall away slam with a floatover to land on top of Sabin. They head outside again with Sabin charging into an apron bomb, followed by some swings into the barricade to knock him silly. That’s good for nine but Sabin is right back in with a victory roll for the surprise pin at 11:58.

Rating: B. Now this was about all you could ask for. They knew the story they were telling coming in and then had good execution on the rest of the stuff. They didn’t need to do anything complicated here as Moose is a monster and Sabin was fighting from underneath. The match was well put together and both guys were feeling it. Rather well done.

We recap the pre-show title change.

Rosemary is VERY happy with the title win and says Decay is family. Some things fade away, but eventually, all things decay. DECAY! DECAY! DECAY! I think we got it after the second DECAY.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Violent By Design have the titles and everyone else wants them, meaning it’s a bunch of four way brawls to set up the title match.

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

Violent By Design (Joe Doering/Rhino) are defending and Bahh’s mystery partner is….No Way, minus the Jose but with the Conga Line (mainly made up of Swinger’s Palace). Swann and No Way start things off and, after a quick show of respect, they shout a lot. Anderson isn’t having this and tags himself in to run No Way over. Bahh comes in to run Anderson over and drop No Way down onto him for a bonus.

Mack and Swann take No Way’s place for a double back elbow. That doesn’t make much of a difference as Anderson takes Swann into the corner so Gallows can come in and hammer away. The big boot gets two and we’re already in the chinlock. An elbow drop gets two and Anderson comes back in to mock the fans (which must be nice after such a long time). Gallows hits a fall away slam into the corner and more posing ensues.

The beating continues as Anderson grabs a quickly broken chinlock. It’s already back to Gallows, who knocks Bahh and Mack off the apron but misses an elbow. An enziguri puts Anderson down and Swann reluctantly brings No Way back in. House is cleaned, including a lifting Downward Spiral for two on Anderson. The spinebuster cuts that off though and it’s Doering making the save, even wisely dragging Anderson to the corner for the tag.

The slugout with Gallows is on (again) but everyone else comes in to make it a big brawl. Swann is left alone to kick Bahh in the head but Doering comes back in to clothesline No Way for two. It’s back to Rhino but Anderson hits a quick Gun Stun, setting up the Magic Killer to give the Brothers the pin and the titles at 10:34.

Rating: C. You can only get so much out of a match with this many people and so little time. Throw in the debut of No Way being its own thing and the limits are even harder. The Good Brothers winning the titles might not be the most pleasant thing, but it does make the most sense. Violent By Design was fine, Swann and Mack will get the titles eventually, and No Way and Bahh were thrown together. The Good Brothers are a main event team and they should be champions as a result.

We recap Deonna Purrazzo’s reign of amazingness. She has run through everyone in front of her and that means she needs a fresh challenger. It’s mystery opponent time.

An Invicta FC (MMA) champion is here.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. ???

Purrazzo is defending against…..Thunder Rosa, who is a heck of a surprise. We get the THUNDER ROSA/VIRTUOSSA dueling chants to start and they lock up hard to no avail. The technical exchange on the mat doesn’t work either and we have our second standoff. Both try armdrags and glare at the other for daring to go for it. Rosa counters a Gory Stretch into a sunset flip for two and Purrazzo isn’t pleased.

Two more quick near falls have Purrazzo backed into the corner, where she sends Rosa to the apron. Purrazzo comes back with Divorce Court to put the arm in trouble, but Rosa’s feet are fine enough to hit a middle rope missile dropkick. A running dropkick in the corner sets up a butterfly suplex for two on Purrazzo, who pulls her into a quickly broken Fujiwara armbar. Purrazzo grabs it again but has to settle for a quick suplex instead.

Rosa comes back with an AA for a delayed two, followed by a top rope double stomp to the back (EGADS) for the same. They slug it out and trade kicks to the head until Purrazzo grabs a victory roll for two. Back up and Purrazzo knocks her down again, setting up the Queen’s Gambit (cradle piledriver) to retain at 10:47.

Rating: C+. This felt like it was becoming a great match but it didn’t get the chance to go that far. What we got worked but there is a good chance that this was a one off for Rosa. It was smart to get one of the biggest available names for Purrazzo rather than going with what would have felt like a predictable (yet good) Mickie James match. Nice stuff here, but it could have been better with more time.

Post match Mickie James is back to a big WELCOME BACK chant (and Striker saying “THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING” because he has to be a pest every time). Purrazzo says this is her division, but Mickie invites her to NWA Empower (their version of Evolution). Purrazzo: “Why don’t you do everyone a favor and grab your trash bag and go home?” Mickie kicks her in the head to send Purrazzo running.

Bound For Glory is October 23 in Las Vegas, featuring wrestlers from New Japan, AAA and more.

We get a long video on Kenny Omega defending the World Title against Sami Callihan. Omega is the evil champion but Callihan is taking away the rules, which scares Omega and Don Callis. Impact is sick of Callis and Omega and are allowing the crazy Callihan to have a shot. Callihan is ready to make this a violent fight and the match is No DQ.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan

Omega, with Don Callis, is defending and it is No DQ. Callis lists off Omega’s greatness, including saying he is the King of the Deathmatch and better than Terry Funk. Callihan jumps Omega to start and hits the Cactus Special for an early two. As Callis joins commentary, Callihan sends in a bunch of chairs but Omega blocks a fork to the head. Omega’s sunset flip is blocked and Callihan busts out a pizza cutter to slice Omega open.

Another rake across the head makes it even worse and a Death Valley Driver sends Omega outside. Callihan follows but gets caught with a trashcan to the head, allowing Omega to grab some weapons of his own. More shots put Callihan down and the moonsault with a trashcan onto the leg keeps him in trouble. The chair is wedged in the corner so Omega loads up….the One Winged Angel, which is countered into a rollup. The kickout sends Callihan head first into the chair though and he’s busted open too.

Omega grabs a fork to stab the head, as well as the inside of the mouth. They head outside with Callihan chopping the post, meaning Omega can load up the table. The Snapdragon off the apron is broken up, as is the piledriver from the apron. Instead, Callihan piledrives him through the table and throws in a piece of plywood. A trashcan to the head rocks Omega again and a side slam onto the top of the open can makes it worse.

Callihan sends him hard through the board in the corner for two and it’s time for a chair wrapped in barbed wire (Callis: “Never would have happened when I ran this place!”). Omega manages a V Trigger though and another one gets two. A bunch of stuff is piled up in the middle of the ring and Omega hits a superplex through all of it. Another V Trigger sets up a failed One Winged Angel attempt and Callihan Tombstones him onto the barbed wire chair for two.

Omega rolls outside and throws salt in Callihan’s eyes, causing Callihan to take the referee out. The blind Callihan gets belt shotted and piledriven but there is no referee. Cue the Good Brothers but Eddie Edwards and Chris Sabin cut them off. Callihan hits a package piledriver for two so it’s time for the bag of thumbtacks. Callis gets up for a distraction so Omega can throw tacks in Callihan’s eyes. Another V Trigger connects, followed by another V Trigger with tacks on the knee. Omega puts the tacks in Callihan’s mouth for another V Trigger and the One Winged Angel onto the tacks retains the title at 27:33.

Rating: B. I’m never sure what to give something like this but the violence was good, as it was supposed to be. The match didn’t feel like the nearly half an hour it got, but the V Triggers and the easy kickoff off the Tombstone onto the chair were a bit much. I liked what we got and while there wasn’t much drama, I’m not sure how much there could be in something like this.

Post match the lights go out and we’ve got New Japan’s Jay White (Bullet Club leader) to stare down Omega. Striker: “Social media is exploding right now!” Omega and the Good Brothers throw up Too Sweet as FinJuice runs out…and the show ends. White would beat down David Finlay and leave to end the night.

Overall Rating: B+. I tend to say this every time but it tends to be the case every time: Impact is at its best when it focuses on the in-ring product instead of everything else going on. This has been the case for a long time now and it is not a bad thing. They can make this stuff work well as they did here and they have some momentum going forward into the new TV cycle. Keep this up and they might be able to get somewhere, though I have no reason to believe it will last. Heck of a show here and worth a look if you have the chance.

Results

Josh Alexander won Ultimate X – Alexander pulled down the title

Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green b. Brian Myers/Tenille Dashwood – Unprettier to Dashwood

W. Morrissey b. Eddie Edwards – Powerbomb

FinJuice b. Shera/Madman Fulton – Assisted Stunner to Fulton

Chris Sabin b. Moose – Victory roll

Good Brothers b. Fallah Bahh/No Way, Rich Swann/Willie Mack and Violent By Design – Magic Killer to Rhino

Deonna Purrazzo b. Thunder Rosa – Queen’s Gambit

Kenny Omega b. Sami Callihan – One Winged Angel onto thumbtacks

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 8, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We’re almost up to Slammiversary and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. The Elite got to stand tall at the end of last week’s show but they are going to have to get what is coming to them sooner rather than later. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them lose a bit of ground here, but you never can tell with them. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis are here for the contract signing between Omega and Sami Callihan, who doesn’t have them worried.

Opening sequence.

Brian Myers vs. Jake Something

The loser has to admit the other is a professional and Sam Beale is here with Myers. Something slugs away to start and they’re on the floor in a hurry with Myers being sent face first into the steps. They head back inside where Myers is clotheslined straight back to the floor in a hurry.

This time Myers gets in a shot of his own, setting up a suplex onto the ramp. Josh: “Jake Something experiencing what it is like to get suplexed onto the ramp. You fans can experience what it is like to see Impact Wrestling live!” Points for a good transition. Beale gets in a cheap shot from the floor but Something is back with a powerbomb. Myers grabs a DDT for two and goes up top for the elbow and a rather near fall. The Roster Cut is countered into the swinging Black Hole Slam to give Something the fast win at 5:19.

Rating: C. Ignoring the stupid Something name, this could have been worse and the ending was clean. It had a personal story behind it and that is about all you can ask for in something like this. They only had about five minutes so they did what they could, which is a little bit more than I was expecting.

Post match Something tells Myers to say it but Myers stalls until Beale can get in a cheap shot. Matt Cardona comes in for the save, likely setting up the tag match.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to keep the Knockouts Title without Kimber Lee and Susan. She is so confident that it’s open challenge time. I still need a moratorium on those things already.

Sami Callihan is ready for the contract signing when he is arrested for assaulting Don Callis. Sami: “I DID NOTHING THIS TIME!!!”

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. ???

Purrazzo is defending against….the debuting Lady Frost (Dave Penzer: “From somewhere cold!”). Purrazzo doesn’t seem overly intimidated and takes Frost into the corner to stomp away. A roundhouse kick takes Purrazzo down but Frost misses a moonsault, injuring her ankle in the process. With Frost down, the Fujiwara armbar makes her tap at 2:35.

Post match Purrazzo calls Frost another brick in the age of the Virtuosa. She is the greatest Knockouts Champion of all time but here is Gail Kim to interrupt. Kim is here to talk about Slammiversary but she is NOT challenging for the title. Instead, Kim and Scott D’Amore have found a challenger for the title at Slammiversary and Purrazzo isn’t finding out until the show. Be ready for the fight of your life.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Mickie James retains the Knockouts Title over Angelina Love at Slammiversary 2011.

Chris Sabin comes in to the empty Swinger’s Palace but Johnny Swinger isn’t there. Sabin asks one of the Swingerellas about her cat’s surgery but here’s Moose to jump both Sabin and Hernandez.

Chris Bey has made his decision about his side in the X-Division war, but he isn’t friends with anyone on his side.

W. Morrissey vs. Jason Page/Manny Smith/Deontay Evans

Before the match, Morrissey accepts Eddie Edwards’ challenge for Slammiversary and promises to demonstrate what is coming for him. Clotheslines and splashes set up a chokeslam and a powerbomb to put all three down at once. The release F5 lets Morrissey stack them up for the pin at 1:54. Well that was effective.

Video on the Knockouts division and how awesome the whole group is.

Don Callis is rather serious about the assault and isn’t taking this lightly. He even has footage of what happened and we see “Callihan” (mostly from behind and with his face covered) hitting him. Scott D’Amore says the contract signing is taking place tonight anyway.

Susan/Kimber Lee vs. Rosemary/Havok

Susan panics at having to start with Rosemary and it’s off to Havok for a double clothesline. Lee comes in and hammers away to no avail before being screamed down. Havok tosses Lee around with ease so Rosemary comes back in. This time Lee actually manages to do something of her own, with a series of kicks to the head. Susan and Lee start taking turns on Rosemary in the corner, which lasts all of ten seconds before she gets away for the tag off to Havok. Everything breaks down and Havok knocks Lee off the top to the floor. Rosemary spears Susan for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: D+. Remember when Susan was Su Yung, the indestructible monster of the division? Well now she’s losing in a mostly one sided tag match in about four minutes. At least they turned her into some kind of a joke with the pants suit, because that’s what you should do with someone as unique and talented as Yung. As usual, this company makes some really strange choices from time to time.

We go to the locker room for It’s All About Me, with Jazz (in a Shad Gaspard shirt) as this week’s guest. She gets to ask Tenille Dashwood a question, but Dashwood asks her about Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace’s instead. With that not working, Kaleb With A K asks what it means for Dashwood, who blames Jazz for everything falling apart. Dashwood thinks that sounds like Jazz’s career before backing away. Jazz gets shoved into the camera to wrap it up.

Post break, Grace and Ellering come in to check on Jazz. Revenge is sworn, with Ellering not being happy with Jazz being treated like this. Seems like a mixed tag is set for next week.

Here are Rich Swann and Willie Mack for a chat. Swann talks about how they like to fight straight up but Violent By Design jumped them last week. The challenge is sent out for the Tag Team Title shot but TJP and Fallah Bahh interrupt instead. The line starts behind them in the same promo you’ve heard a hundred times. Cue Violent By Design for the showdown but the Good Brothers come in as well, with both guys talking about how great they are in a southern preacher style. Cue Tommy Dreamer to announce a four way tag at Slammiversary. Great. Speaking of great, it’s time for a four way.

Deaner vs. Rich Swann vs. TJP vs. Karl Anderson

We start fast after with the partners on the floor and everyone else brawling inside. Swann and TJP are left alone in the ring and it’s time to start running the ropes in a hurry. TJP gets sent outside but Deaner is right there to jump Swann from behind. The chinlock goes on but here is TJP to kick Deaner down in the corner. Deaner reverses and hits a running dropkick to drive TJP’s neck into the corner for two. Back up and TJP sends Deaner and Anderson to the floor, only to be sent outside by Swann. That means a huge flip dive from Swann and we take a break.

Back with Swann running into Deaner’s knee to the ribs as Anderson gets back in. Deaner jumps him rather than agreeing to an alliance before Swann is back in. Everyone knocks each other down until TJP kicks Anderson into the corner for the boot wash. The Detonation Kick is blocked but so is the Gun Stun, leaving TJP to hit the Detonation Kick on Anderson. The Mamba Splash misses though and a Deaner DDT gets two on Swann. TJP is sent outside, leaving Anderson to Gun Stun Deaner for the pin at 13:21.

Rating: C+. The match was as energetic as you would have expected, despite one of the Good Brothers winning to make me roll my eyes. I’m not expecting them to get a title shot but there is always that chance. That alone should be a scary thought and I’m not sure what to expect at Slammiversary.

Post match the Good Brothers have their big staredown with Violent By Design, with everyone else getting involved.

Kimber Lee has a backup plan for Susan, revealing James Mitchell (yeah he’s great but HOW MANY TIMES ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS THING), who is going to help things out.

Slammiversary rundown.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan.

Scott D’Amore is in the ring for the Omega vs. Callihan contract signing. Since there is no Callihan, here are Omega and Don Callis, with the latter bragging about Callihan not being around. D’Amore says they have nine days to get Callihan to sign so Omega signs. The lights go out though and we see footage of Callis being slapped by the fake Callihan and praising him for doing it well.

Cue the real Callihan with the baseball bat to Omega, who is back up nine seconds later for the brawl. Callihan plants him with the package piledriver and then signs the deal. Omega is put through the table to end the show. This was contract signing 101, but if Callihan can’t keep him down for ten seconds with a baseball bat, why bother with the match?

Overall Rating: C-. They did a few things that make me want to see Slammiversary more and that is what matters the most. The wrestling here wasn’t great but it also wasn’t the point of the show. What mattered here was making me want to see the pay per view and job well done enough. The show still isn’t great, but they have found their rhythm and seem to be sticking with it and that’s a good thing.

Results
Jake Something b. Brian Myers – Swinging Black Hole Slam
Deonna Purrazzo b. Lady Frost – Fujiwara armbar
W. Morrissey b. Jason Page/Manny Smith/Deontay Wilder – Triple pin
Rosemary/Havok b. Susan/Kimber Lee – Spear to Susan
Karl Anderson b. Rich Swann, Deaner and TJP – Gun Stun to Deaner

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 1, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Josh Matthews

We are less than three weeks away from Slammiversary and things are starting to pick up. The main event is already set with Sami Callihan vs. Kenny Omega, but there is still time to change things up. That is still a possibility this time around as Callihan faces Moose, with the chance to make the match a triple threat. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Satoshi Kojima

They’re cool with each other but Edwards wanted to face Kojima before he went back to Japan. Hold on though as here is W. Morrissey to say that Kojima is alone, just like Edwards was when Morrissey jumped him in the parking lot. Cue Brian Myers with Sam Beale, who Myers refers to as his young boy. Myers says Beale can’t learn anything from Kojima and calls out Jake something, but Kojima doesn’t care for that. The beatdown is on with Something running out for the save. The tag match is on.

Jake Something/Satoshi Kojima vs. Sam Beale/Brian Myers

Jake runs Something over to start and sends him flying off a toss suplex. Myers comes in and gets hit with a jumping knee to the face. A knee puts Something down as well and it’s back to Beale for some driving shoulders in the corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Beale hits a short clothesline for two. That means another chinlock for a bit, followed by Myers hitting a suplex for two of his own.

With that out of the way, the chinlock goes on again, setting up some forearms to the face. Something flips out of a belly to back suplex and hits a double clothesline, allowing the hot tag off to Kojima. House is cleaned in a hurry, including the top rope elbow for two on Beale. A DDT connects but Myers breaks up the Koji Cutter. Something takes care of Myers though and the Koji Cutter into the lariat finishes Beale at 9:25.

Rating: D+. The chinlocks didn’t make this better, much like the Kojima/Something pairing feeling like a Battlebowl reject. Beale taking the fall to a legend like Kojima isn’t going to hurt him and Myers has actually done a nice job of establishing himself as a midcard villain. Not a great one mind you, but he’s there.

Scott D’Amore can’t talk about Tommy Dreamer because he has to go answer a phone call. Decay pops in to say they should get a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot. D’Amore is too busy for that right now and says to talk to him normally next time.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Rachael Ellering

Kaleb With A K and Jazz are the seconds. Dashwood jumps her at the bell but gets taken down by a running shoulder. A backsplash gives Ellering two but she has to kick Kaleb With A K off the apron. We take a break and come back with Dashwood choking on the ropes and getting two off a suplex.

A clothesline gets the same and Dashwood is already getting frustrated. Hair pulling around the ropes ensues and a butterfly suplex gives Dashwood two. Ellering comes back with a Sling Blade but a neckbreaker over the ropes cuts her off again. Dashwood goes up for a middle rope sunset flip but Ellering sits down on it for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C-. Another match that was just kind of there, but neither of these two have had the greatest spark in most of their matches. It was a good example of a match that was just kind of there without really doing anything different. Certainly not awful, but they didn’t do anything that is going to leave much of an, pun intended, impact.

Post match the beatdown is on with Jazz running in for the save. Jordynne Grace makes the real save though and we get a big reunion, as this team has now formed, split and reunited in less than ten weeks.

Chris Bey is sick of hearing about the X-Division war when the villains come in to suggest he join up.

TJP/Fallah Bahh vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann

A lot of dancing ensues before the match until Swann and TJP start things off. Everything breaks down in a hurry and we get a four way staredown and it’s off to Mack vs. Bahh. The big slugout is on with neither being able to hit their finisher. Swann and TJP come back in with Swann clearing the ring but here is Violent By Design for the double DQ at 1:50.

The big beatdown is on with Violent By Design standing tall.

Fire N Flava want Rosemary and Havok to earn their shot and are off to talk to Scott D’Amore again. D’Amore agrees so they can have a #1 contenders match next week. This isn’t what the champs want.

Tommy Dreamer talks about how he and Raven worked well together despite hating each other. That’s how Team Dreamer will be tonight against the Elite.

Chris Bey vs. Petey Williams

Williams snaps off a headscissors to start and there’s a running dropkick to the back for an early two. Bey gets tied in the Tree of Woe for O Canada but comes back with a kick to the face. A clothesline gives Bey two and it’s off to the Figure Four necklock. Williams is back with a snap German suplex into a running knee to the face. That’s fine with Bey, who grabs a torture rack neckbreaker for two of his own.

The Art of Finesse is countered into the spinning Russian legsweep but it’s too early for the Canadian Destroyer. Williams settles for the Sharpshooter, with Bey making it over to the rope in a hurry. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence with the Canadian Destroyer being countered again. Bey grabs a cutter though and the Art of Finesse is good for the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C+. Williams is fine as a nostalgia act who can still go well enough and he put Bey over rather well here. That’s all a match like this is supposed to do, though it is all going to be thrown out the window for the sake of Ultimate X at Slammiversary. Bey would seem to be the likely winner, but you never can tell with that kind of a match.

Post match here are the X-Division villains and Williams gets beaten down in the corner. Bey walks off but Trey Miguel and Josh Alexander run in for the save. Bey finally comes in to help the good guys clean house.

Deonna Purrazzo beat Kimber Lee on Before The Impact.

Susan is freaking out over Purrazzo beating her and Kimber Lee but Lee has two ideas: the Tag Team Titles and Su Yung.

Jake Something doesn’t like Brian Myers making fun of his name but it’s worse to make fun of him. The challenge is on and the loser admits the winner is a professional.

Steve Maclin vs. Manny Smith

Maclin takes him down with a front facelock, followed by a quick facebuster. Smith gets tied in the Tree of Woe for a running spear. Some right hands in the corner set up some heavy elbows to the chest. The sitout reverse implant DDT finishes Smith at 3:43.

Rating: C-. Total and complete squash here as Maclin continues to look like quite the force. He has a long way to go to get anywhere, but it is nice to have someone getting a chance in a new place after WWE didn’t do anything with him. He’ll need to go somewhere eventually, but it is working well enough for now.

Brian Myers accepts Jake Something’s challenge so Sam Beale can see success up close.

Slammiversary rundown.

Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Chris Sabin/Moose/Sami Callihan

That would be Team Tommy Dreamer, because of course it’s Tommy Dreamer. Don Callis handles Omega’s entrance as he validates his paycheck. Sabin crucifixes Anderson to start and it’s a very early standoff. An annoyed tag brings Moose in but Callihan comes in to scare Omega off as we take a break.

Back with the good guys working on Anderson’s arm but Moose and Sabin stop to jaw at each other again. The distraction lets Anderson send Sabin outside to start the stomping and now Omega is willing to come in and hammer away. It’s already off to Gallows for those weird punches to the ribs in the corner and the triple splash gets two on Sabin. Anderson grabs a chinlock, followed by another from Gallows.

Sabin gets away and rolls over to Moose, who isn’t interested in a tag. Instead it’s off to Callihan to clean house but Anderson punches him low. Sabin tags himself in and avoids some charges in the corner. A Shining Wizard connects with Omega but NOW Moose will tag himself in….and pulls Sabin back in, which counts as another tag. Sabin and Moose brawl on the ramp before Sabin comes in again, earning himself a snapdragon. The Magic Killer finishes Sabin at 15:12.

Rating: C. This was following a formula we’ve seen for years and that is not the best thing. Above all else, the action was just kind of there as we waited around for the ending. I wasn’t wild on what we got here for the most part, though I’m curious about where they go for Slammiversary with these guys. Moose vs. Sabin would seem likely, but I’m sure Tommy Dreamer, who added nothing here, winds up getting a match of some kind.

Overall Rating: C-. The show had its moments but it still wasn’t exactly what I would consider a very good one. Slammiversary is coming up and there are only a handful of matches set. I’m sure you can guess a few more of them, but it would be nice to have some of them actually announced. What we got here was decent, but so much of it still feels like a low level promotion. Even though that is pretty much the case for Impact, it would be nice to find some way around it.

Results
Jake Something/Satoshi Kojima b. Sam Beale/Brian Myers – Lariat to Beale
Rachael Ellering b. Tenille Dashwood – Cradle
TJP/Fallah Bahh vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann went to a double DQ when Violent By Design interfered
Chris Bey b. Petey Williams – Art of Finesse
Steve Maclin b. Manny Smith – Reverse sitout implant DDT
Kenny Omega/Good Brothers b. Chris Sabin/Moose/Sami Callihan – Magic Killer to Sabin

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 3, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We’re on the way to Against All Odds which means we’re on the way to Slammiversary, meaning Kenny Omega is going to be getting some more featured time around here. Tonight might be a little short on time though, as we are getting a special bonus match. During Before The Impact (the show which airs before Impact), Josh Alexander defended the X-Division Title against TJP in an hour long Iron Man match, which has gotten such rave reviews that I’ll include it as an extra. Let’s get to it.

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

Before The Impact: X-Division Title: Josh Alexander vs. TJP

Alexander is defending in a sixty minute Iron Man match. Fallah Bahh is here to sweep the steps for TJP and Petey Williams is here with Alexander. They go with the grappling to start with Alexander being shoved down in a hurry. A test of strength goes to Alexander but he can’t break TJP’s bridge. Instead TJP flips him over but gets caught in a bodyscissors. With that broken up they go back to a standoff until Alexander grabs a headlock of his own. That’s reversed into a headlock takeover until they jump up to another standoff.

Alexander goes to a crank on the ankle, which he pulls into a bow and arrow hold. TJP flips out again and it’s another standoff as they have a lot of time to use here. This time TJP takes him down by the ankle, setting off an exchange of mat holds. TJP pulls on the leg but Alexander grabs a chinlock for the break. That’s reversed into a hammerlock with TJP flipping over him to stay on the arm. Alexander gets his own armbar with TJP not being able to flip out of it so easily this time. He finally manages to send Alexander outside and a Bahh distraction lets TJP hit the slingshot dropkick (and a good looking one at that).

Back in and TJP starts in on the ribs, including a belly to back suplex for two. Alexander dragon screw legwhips him down but TJP slams the leg into the mat to put Alexander in more trouble. A headlock on the mat has Alexander in more trouble but gets reversed into a headscissors. TJP tries to spin out but gets reversed into something like a short piledriver.

TJP is fine enough to try a Muta Lock but gets reversed into a chinlock into an abdominal stretch. With the holds not working, Alexander rolls some German suplexes but gets pulled into a Kimura. That’s reversed into an ankle lock (on TJP’s other ankle) to send TJP to the ropes with 45:00 to go.

Alexander is busted open just a bit as he hits a belly to back suplex for two. A cannonball down onto the leg sets up some twisting around the rope to keep TJP in trouble. The chinlock eats up some more of the clock but TJP fights up to send him into the corner. Now the facewashes work but Alexander takes him down into a cradle for the first fall at 19:52.

We get a thirty second rest period before and the canned noise cranks up. TJP takes him down into a chinlock into a cravate, which is reversed into a chinlock with a knee in TJP’s back. A backbreaker drops TJP again and Alexander sends him outside in a heap. Just to show off, Alexander picks him up and walks up the steps to drop TJP inside. A surfboard in the ropes (that’s a new one) makes TJP scream until Alexander lets go.

Back in and Alexander goes up, with TJP catching him in a top rope superplex. TJP tries to roll it into another suplex but they crash over the top to the floor instead. The brawl on the apron sees TJP dropped down onto the apron as we hit halftime. Alexander drives TJP through the ropes with a running crossbody for another crash. Back in and TJP lifts him up for another backbreaker but TJP is right back with something like an Indian Deathlock. That’s broken up as well and Alexander hits a very delayed (as in about a minute) vertical suplex.

With TJP down, it’s off to another double arm crank. That’s broken up so TJP tries to power him down for a cover. With that not working, TJP tries a Sharpshooter but switches over to a Muta Lock instead. That doesn’t last long but Alexander is back up with a German suplex to put them both down. TJP unloads in the corner but charges into a hot shot onto the buckle.

We have twenty minutes left and it’s time to crank on TJP’s ankle again. That’s broken up with an enziguri, followed by a toss to send TJP shoulder first into the post. With TJP still in the ropes, Alexander grabs a half crab while sitting on the top. The chinlock goes on until TJP sends him chest first into the corner. The Black Widow goes on until TJP turns it over into a cradle for two with fifteen minutes left. A tornado DDT sends Alexander outside and there’s a slingshot dive to put him down again.

Alexander is right back up with a suplex onto the apron (egads) and TJP is mostly done. That’s a bit too much for Alexander so he takes him to the stage and loads up a piledriver. Cue Chris Sabin and Trey Miguel to say that’s too far but the distraction inadvertently allows TJP to hit a Tombstone powerslam (basically Riddle’s Bro Derek). A bunch of the roster comes out to watch as Alexander stumbles down the ramp and rolls in to beat the clock with 10:00 left.

TJP hits a running knee in the corner but the Mamba Splash takes too long and only hits mat. Alexander can’t follow up either though and gets tied in the Tree of Woe so TJP can hit him in the face quite a few times. A sliding dropkick connects as we have eight minutes left and Impact officially begins. TJP hits a springboard shot to the face for two but a double clothesline puts both of them down. Alexander tries the double underhook but gets reversed into a Falcon Arrow for two more.

We have five minutes left as TJP hits a running boot in the corner. TJP does it again but this time it is countered into the ankle lock. That’s countered into the Detonation Kick for two and the Mamba Splash connects for another near fall, as these kickouts are getting to be a bit much. Another Detonation Kick is countered into the ankle lock with three minutes left. TJP reverses into the kneebar, which he turns into something like a reverse Figure Four with two minutes left.

Alexander picks the ankle to retain and puts on the grapevine with 45 seconds left. TJP nearly taps but gets up and bridges back to tie it up with 2 seconds left and time expires. Therefore, we go to sudden death so both guys pull themselves up in the corner during the rest period. They slug it out until Alexander hits a Regal Roll to set up a moonsault for two. The powerbomb onto the knee gets two more so it’s the double underhook piledriver to FINALLY finish TJP at 63:36.

Rating: B. This was very good and the sixty minutes flew by, which is pretty hard to do. They didn’t waste a lot of time here, making this almost all action throughout. It helps that they have some awesome chemistry together and both came out looking great. Alexander is turning into a star around here and I’m really curious to see what happens with him. Heck of a match here that is actually worth the watch.

The roster gives them a standing ovation and respect is shown post match.

Commentary previews the rest of the show.

The Good Brothers and Don Callis don’t like being filmed.

TJP and Josh Alexander have a moment of respect in the back. Scott D’Amore congratulates both of them and Alexander says he wants all of the challengers. A bunch of people come up to say they want the shot so D’Amore leaves them to argue among themselves.

Rohit Raju vs. Jake Something

Tables match and they are both alone. Raju slugs away to start and ducks Jake’s bit right hand. They’re on the apron in a hurry with Raju bailing from an attempt to be put through a table. We take a break and come back with Jake sending him back inside, where Raju hits a running knee to the head. Some chairs are brought in but Raju breaks that up with some running clotheslines.

There’s a running shoulder into Raju’s ribs in the corner but Raju gets in a few chair shots to even things back up. The chair is driven into Jake’s arm and a chair to the arm sets up the Crossface. The referee points out that it doesn’t matter so Raju stomps the chair onto Jake in the corner. A Cannonball onto the chair onto Jake makes it even worse but he is right back with a shot of his own. Jake finally grabs a table and puts it in the corner as we get back to the point. That takes too long though and Raju sends him face first into some open chairs.

A running knee to the face drops Jake again but he cuts off Raju with a shot to the head. They fight to the apron with Jake being shoved into the post and being laid onto a table at ringside. That is broken up as well so they head back inside, where Raju kicks him off the ropes. A top rope double stomp sends Jake face first into the chairs but Raju charges into the swinging Black Hole Slam. Jake hits another one so Raju throws a chair at his head. That has no effect so Jake spears him through a table for the win at 15:05.

Rating: C. It was a violent brawl but this was a good bit longer than it needed to be. At the same time, it really didn’t need to be a tables match, as it felt like they just remembered the tables part at the end. It worked out well enough, but it felt like a stipulation there for the sake of having one, which isn’t a great sign.

W. Morrison tells Scott D’Amore that he wants a match with Rich Swann. It turns out that Swann wants that too so the match is on.

Rosemary is rather happy with beating Deonna Purrazzo last week and promises to win the Knockouts Title. Havok comes in to say she wants the title too. Rosemary thinks this means Havok wants one more fight, but it can be after Rosemary gets the title back…I think.

W. Morrissey vs. Rich Swann

Swann takes way too much time dancing to the ring and gets jumped from behind. They head inside with Swann hammering away but getting knocked back down. Security breaks it up before the match ever starts. Cue Willie Mack with a chair, which has little effect on Morrissey. Staring ensues.

Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K talk to Rachael Ellering and propose an appearance on It’s All About Me. Ellering says Jordynne Grace is her partner so here is Grace to interrupt. Grace doesn’t seem thrilled but things go ok.

Brian Myers gives Sam Beale pointers on being a professional, including wearing a Myers shirt. His entrance is terrible too, with Myers busting out a boom box to demonstrate the proper way.

Deonna Purrazzo is told that Rosemary will face Havok next week. If Havok wins, Against All Odds becomes a triple threat title match. Purrazzo rolls her eyes but says it doesn’t matter what happens.

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

Fire N Flava is defending with Tasha Steelz having to pick up the pace to avoid Jordynne’s power. A swinging full nelson slam plants Steelz and a charge in the corner gives Grace two. Ellering comes in for a running kick to the head into a backsplash for two of her own. An electric chair is broken up with Tasha using the headband to pull her down. Ellering gets taken into the corner for the double teaming but powers her way over to Grace for the tag. A gutwrench powerbomb gets two on Hogan and a running hip attack in the corner crushes her again.

Ellering comes in for a spinning legdrop but the referee has to get rid of Grace, allowing Steelz to hit a Codebreaker. That doesn’t last long either as it’s back to Grace for MuscleBuster into a powerbomb for two more. They head outside with Steelz hitting a DDT to plant Ellering, leaving Grace to get beaten down. Hogan grabs a sleeper but Grace pulls her up and drops back down, only to have Steelz come in with a top rope splash for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C-. I really don’t need to see these four fight again, though I’m not sure who else is left in the, ahem, division. Grace and Ellering weren’t exactly a great team in the first place and they were given the titles out of nowhere. Fire N Flava are a good team, but they have almost no one to defend against and that is a problem.

Sami Callihan wants to be in the World Title picture but here is Don Callis to say the company wants Moose instead. Callihan is always the bridesmaid instead of the bride and kind of a journeyman. Except for that time he won the World Title, sure I guess.

We get a video of a guy drinking whiskey as a song talks about this being the time we have waited for. His name is Steve Maclin, though you might know him better as Steve Cutler.

Fire N Flava annoy Scott D’Amore about retaining their titles and want competition. As luck would have it, Kimber Lee and Susan are in his office and get the Against All Odds title shot.

Deaner vs. Satoshi Kojima

Kojima is a New Japan legend and runs Deaner over to start. Deaner rakes the eyes for a breather and hits a running dropkick to the back to send Kojima into the corner. An elbow seems to wake Kojima up as he takes Deaner into the corner for the rapid fire chops. A running neckbreaker drops Kojima but he’s right back with the brainbuster. Kojima loads up his big clothesline but Rhino gets on the apron for a distraction. Joe Doering goes after Kojima so here is Eddie Edwards to take care of him. The Koji Cutter sets up a lariat to finish Deaner at 5:07.

Rating: C-. This was perfectly fine and a way to get Kojima’s feet wet in Impact. He didn’t do much because he didn’t have to but the match got the point across. Throw in his match against Doering at Against All Odds and this was a perfectly fine way to spend about five minutes. They might even have a tag match ready for next week if necessary.

Moose is ready for Sami Callihan but Don Callis comes in to say no one wants to see Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan. Maybe Moose can finish Sami off quick with some extra mustard. Moose doesn’t care and is only after the World Title.

Violent By Design doesn’t want to have to deal with Eddie Edwards anymore but Decay comes in to interrupt. A Tag Team Title match is set for Against All Odds.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Moose vs. Sami Callihan

Callihan sends him outside to start and a superkick knocks Moose off the apron. That’s fine with Moose, who pulls him outside as well but a powerbomb is countered as Sami jumps onto the apron. That’s fine with Moose as he beats Sami down again and rolls inside to break the count. Back on the floor and Sami is sent into the barricade but a charge only hits steel.

Sami ties the arm in the barricade but commentary is too busy reading their lines about the two of them. More arm cranking takes us to a break and we come back with them inside for a change. Moose’s arm is too banged up to hit the Rock Bottom and Sami hits a Death Valley Driver out of the corner. Moose powers him into the corner to block the piledriver but a superplex is countered with a shot to the bad arm.

The second attempt works just fine though and Moose gets a slightly delayed two. They trade some shots to the face until Moose catches him on top with a dropkick. The chokebomb out of the corner gets two more on Sami but he hits Moose in the arm again. The Cactus Special gets two on Moose but here are the Good Brothers to jump Sami for the DQ at 13:31.

Rating: C. I liked the arm work throughout the match as it actually seemed like Moose was damaged rather than just going through the match and then grabbing his arm intermittently. The ending probably sets up something for either next week or Against All Odds, assuming they say it was a DQ rather than the no contest, which isn’t how that ending works. Good enough match here, as Callihan continues to move towards a title shot of his own.

Post match the beatdown is on both of them as Don Callis and Kenny Omega come out. The Elite goes to the back when Scott D’Amore interrupts. Omega and the Good Brothers leave so D’Amore talks to Callis about how Sami Callihan should get a title shot after beating the #1 contender. Maybe Against All Odds should be a three way match! Callis says no because they have to agree and Tony Khan would never go with that. It turns out Khan will be here next week so we’ll figure all of that out together.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure if I should count the Iron Man match in this or not as just the last ten minutes or so were included. The rest of the show wasn’t great, though they did add a good bit to the Against All Odds card. That was one of the more important things to cover here and it worked out well enough, though I’m not sure how much difference it makes with Slammiversary in July.

Results

Josh Alexander b. TJP 2-1

Jake Something b. Rohit Raju – Spear through a table

Fire N Flava b. Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering – Frog splash to Grace

Satoshi Kojima b. Deaner – Lariat

Sami Callihan b. Moose via DQ when the Good Brothers interfered

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 20, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Josh Matthews

We’re done with Under Siege and that means it is time to start getting ready for Moose vs. Kenny Omega at Against All Odds. Other than that, we need to fill out the rest of the card, which is a nice feeling as these regular big shows have done a lot of good things for the way Impact works month to month. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of New Jack.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Rohit Raju vs. Jake Something

Shera is here too. Something forearms Raju outside in a hurry but the Shera showdown lets Raju get in a few cheap shots. Back in and Jake hits a hard shoulder and shouts a lot as Raju rolls outside. This time the referee checks on Raju, allowing Shera to get in a big clothesline of his own. Jake’s missed charge sends his shoulder into the chest, setting up Raju’s flying armbar for two.

A kick to the face gives Raju two more and it’s time for a standing armbar. That earns him an ax handle to the back of the head and a big right hand, followed by the running shoulder in the corner. The discus lariat gives Jake two but Raju catches him with a running big boot in the corner. Jake tries a powerbomb but Raju slips out and hits a jumping Downward Spiral. The Crossface is broken up and Jake tries a suplex, only to have Shera pull the leg so Raju can fall on top for the pin at 7:14.

Rating: C. There is still something so strange about the idea of Raju being completely competent after so many years of being one of the least tolerable wrestlers around. The ending was straight out of the 80s but the classics continue to work for a reason. Jake Something isn’t much in the way of classics, and I continue to base that entirely on his horrible name. Fix that and he’ll be fine, as the match itself here was completely watchable.

Post match Jake unloads on Shera, including a chair shot to put him down. Raju watches from the ramp as Jake puts Shera through a table.

Here is what’s coming tonight.

Taylor Wilde wants the Knockouts Title but here are Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K to interrupt. Dashwood has gotten a match against Kiera Hogan tonight and that kind of a win would get them a Knockouts Tag Team Titles. Wilde again explains that they aren’t a team and STOP FACE TIMING HER.

Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace are upset by the loss but need to get back out there. Has Grace always been that short?

Kiera Hogan vs. Tenille Dashwood

Tasha Steelz and Kaleb With A K are here too. Hogan sends her straight into the corner to start and comes out with a butterfly suplex. That earns her a Tarantula but Steelz’s distraction….has no impact as Dashwood snaps off a neckbreaker over the middle rope. A low superkick takes Dashwood down again though and we take a break. Back with Hogan choking on the rope for two and putting on a chinlock. A superkick (which might not have connected) sends Dashwood into the ropes but she bounces back with a clothesline into a rollup to pin Hogan at 7:42.

Rating: C-. The Knockouts division outside of the singles title continues to seem like it just keeps going back and forth week to week, which isn’t the most thrilling stuff. This was more of the same, but maybe they can set up another Knockouts Tag Team Title match so a thrown together team can win the belts again. Dashwood was doing her usual stuff here, and that is not the most thrilling thing.

Post match the brawl is on with Kimber Lee, Susan and Deonna Purrazzo running in to beat on Dashwood. Taylor Wilde runs in for the failed save attempt so here’s Havok to really clear the ring.

Jordynne Grace has gotten herself and Rachael Ellering a match tonight. Against each other.

Satoshi Kojima is coming next week.

FinJuice is ready to defend their Tag Team Titles against Ace Austin/Madman Fulton later tonight and will keep the titles, as always. After that, it’s back to Japan.

VSK vs. Petey Williams

Striker gushes over what a legend Williams is, because the term legend is now the same as “guy who wrestled here a long time ago”. Williams starts fast and snaps off a hurricanrana out of the corner, followed by a toss to the floor. That means a slingshot hurricanrana to drop VSK again but he is right back in with a DDT.

VSK drops a knee for two and then slams him with an immediate splash getting two more. Williams suplexes him out of the corner and hits a basement dropkick. The spinning Russian legsweep looks to set up the Canadian Destroyer but VSK counters into an Irish Curse. Williams elbows him down though and the Destroyer finishes VSK at 5:10.

Rating: C-. This was every Williams match: a bunch of the same spots he has done for years, capped off by a move that was indeed special at one point but has become the most overplayed move in wrestling. It was nice to see VSK get in some offense here as he is being treated as more than your regular jobber. Odds are that doesn’t lead anywhere, but at least he got a chance here.

Rich Swann says he lost the World Title and he felt that loss mentally and physically. He has been watching the show week in and week out and doesn’t like what W. Morrissey has been doing to Willie Mack. Cue Morrissey to jump Swann from behind throw him out the door.

It’s off to Swinger’s Palace for some roulette, though Swinger wants to know where the coal miner’s glove match is. TJP is making some money and gives some of it back, though he stops at Fallah Bahh in a dress. He offers to reform the team with Bahh because he got jumped by Petey Williams at Under Siege. Cue Williams to issue a challenge for himself/Josh Alexander vs. TJP/Bahh. That seems to be on but here is Decay, with Rosemary saying John E. Bravo is looking better.

Here is Moose for a chat. Moose talks about how easy it was to become the #1 contender at Under Siege and now he is ready to be World Champion. Kenny Omega has beaten a lot of great wrestlers but Moose is a different kind of athlete. We hear about his NFL career and now it is time to see a clash of the titans. Moose lists off some various Greek gods….and here is Omega, with Don Callis, to interrupt.

Callis talks about how great Moose looks and thinks he might be a bit bigger than 6’5. Moose might be the most physically talented person in all of professional wrestling, but he isn’t about to coast over Omega. There is nothing sadder than wasted talent, and Moose couldn’t even win a title in RING OF HONOR. How many Super Bowls did he win? Callis asks if Moose is coasting on his talent so Moose promises to rip Callis’ head off and stick it in a certain place on Omega.

That’s too far for Omega, who says it is just one One Winged Angel to take him out. Moose offers to let him try it right now but here are the Good Brothers to interrupt. Sami Callihan appears as well and the Elite bails. As usual, Omega is weakened by talking, but thankfully he doesn’t do it very often around here.

Post break, Moose tells Callihan that he isn’t going to be thanking him. Callihan is sick of the Good Brothers and all that matters is he is coming for whoever leaves Under Siege as champion.

Rachael Ellering vs. Jordynne Grace

They shake hands to start and Grace headlocks her over. Grace has to flip out of a headscissors but is right back up with a wristlock. Ellering is right back on the arm and they fight over a battle of the wristlocks. A toss into the corner does not sit well with Grace, who is sent to the apron in a hurry. The tease of a kick to the face doesn’t sit well with Ellering and we take a break.

Back with Grace driving shoulders in the corner, setting up a basement clothesline for two. We go old school with a full nelson so Ellering drives her into the corner three times in a row for the break. Grace hits some clotheslines but Ellering elbows her in the face. The running backsplash gives Ellering two but Grace is right back with some running knees in the corner. Grace’s fireman’s carry is countered into a sunset flip, setting off a pinfall reversal sequence with Ellering getting the pin at 11:02.

Rating: C. The power stuff was good here, but I really hope that I’m not supposed to think it’s a major showdown when these two teamed together like three times. Just making a team and then having them fight isn’t interesting, as they have barely been a team in the first place. Ellering getting the win should give her a bit of a boost, though Grace doesn’t need to be losing again.

Respect is shown post match but Grace doesn’t seem happy.

Brian Myers says everything he has said is justified. Matt Cardona walks by and Myers beats him down.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: FinJuice vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton

Austin and Fulton are challenging after becoming #1 contenders at Under Siege. Finlay starts with Austin, who tags out to Fulton less than fifteen seconds in. Fulton powers his way out of a headlock and it’s off to Robinson to hammer away at the monster. Fulton runs him over without much trouble but Robinson grabs the arm and brings Finlay back in with an ax handle. Finlay is sent hard into the corner though and now Austin is willing to come in and…get taken down almost immediately.

It’s back to Robinson for a backsplash and a double flapjack into a double dropkick puts Fulton on the floor. Back from a break with Robinson in trouble (thanks to a chokeslam to send his arm into the barricade) as Austin works on a hammerlock. The paper cut on the finger makes it even worse and the armbar goes on again. A jumping knee to the face gives Robinson a breather but Austin takes Finlay off the apron to be smart.

That means Robinson’s backdrop doesn’t mean a tag but Austin’s rather dumb drop toehold into the corner lets Finlay come in. House is cleaned in a hurry and a Rock Bottom backbreaker gets two on Austin. A fireman’s carry/running kick to the face takes Austin down for the same as everything breaks down. Robinson’s snap jabs to Fulton set up a quickly escaped fireman’s carry, with Fulton hitting a tilt-a-whirl powerslam.

Austin hits a springboard spinning kick to the face with Fulton adding a belly to back suplex for two more. A chokeslam/top rope Fold combination (cool/hard to pull off) gets two more as Finlay has to make the save this time. Everything breaks down again and Robinson superplexes Austin down. There’s an assisted Cannonball to Fulton but he is way too big for the Doomsday Device. Instead the Unprettier finishes Fulton for the pin to retain at 15:54.

Rating: B. This was a good and long title match with Fulton playing the monster role well. He and Austin are a solid pairing and I’m a bit surprised that Fulton took the fall here. That being said, I would rather he take it than Austin, who could be a main event star here at the drop of a hat. Good main event here, as FinJuice is growing on me despite half of their personalities being talking about Japan.

Post match….here’s Violent By Design to surround FinJuice. Eric Young hands over Rhino’s Call Your Shot trophy and it’s time for another title match.

Tag Team Titles: FinJuice vs. Violent By Design

Violent By Design, with Rhino and Joe Doering in this case, are challenging and the brawl is on in a hurry. Doering crossbodies the champs down and hits an AA on Robinson. One heck of a lariat is enough for the pin and the titles at 49 seconds. I don’t care about the team, but if they’re going to mean something, they needed a win like this.

We get another Slammiversary ad with hints about wrestlers coming. The word YES, the letters II and the word FORGOTTEN can be seen this time.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped a bit but that was about the only really good part of the show. This felt like a lot of quick ideas which weren’t all that interesting, including Grace vs. Ellering and Williams’ latest reheating. It’s all going to be about Moose vs. Omega sooner than later though, and the Slammiversary reveals are likely to shake things up again. Now just have some better TV on the way.

Results

Rohit Raju b. Jake Something – Suplex reversed into a cover

Tenille Dashwood b. Kiera Hogan – Rollup

Petey Williams b. VSK – Canadian Destroyer

Rachael Ellering b. Jordynne Grace – Sunset flip

FinJuice b. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Unprettier to Fulton

Violent By Design b. FinJuice – Lariat to Robinson

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

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AND

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Roadblock: End of the Line
Date: December 18, 2016
Location: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

Pre-Show: Rusev vs. Big Cass

Back with Cass hammering away and dropping the Empire Elbow for no cover. They head outside Rusev taking him out into the crowd, leaving Enzo to go after Lana. Rusev defends his wife while Cass checks on Enzo, leaving Rusev to beat the count at 4:33. Not enough for a rating but this was rematch bait.

The opening video has a police chase theme with the idea being that everything ends at the end of the line.

Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Cesaro/Sheamus

The slingshot shoulder gets two on Kingston and Swiss Death is good for the same. This has been completely one sided so far. Kofi breaks up the ten forearms and brings in Big E. for the spear off the apron. The Warrior Splash gets two on Sheamus and everything breaks down. Sheamus kicks Cesaro by mistake and Woods kicks Cesaro by design, setting up the Big Ending for a very close two.

Woods sacrifices himself to take the Brogue Kick and the SOS gets two on Sheamus. Cesaro comes in without a tag (though Sheamus was right next to him), meaning Kofi kicks Cesaro for no count. Instead Sheamus sneaks in and rolls Kofi up for the pin and the titles at 10:00.

New Day gets the big show of respect and we get the battle for the spotlight from the new champs.

Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman

Package on the UK tournament.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Seth Rollins. Jericho lost to Rollins several times but then started costing Rollins matches against Owens. This earned Jericho a Pedigree on top of a car and that means a match.

Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho

Rollins tries the Pedigree but Jericho powers out and gets in a hurricanrana, which transitions into the Walls. Seth counters that with a small package for two, followed by the frog splash. Cue Owens for a distraction, just as Jericho grabs a small package. The Pedigree is countered again but Jericho stops to yell at Owens, allowing Seth to get in the jumping knee. Rollins gets the Pedigree for the pin at 17:12.

Pre-show recap. Cass vs. Rusev II is set for tomorrow night.

Cruiserweight Title: Brian Kendrick vs. TJ Perkins vs. Rich Swann

Post match Neville makes his return to celebrate with Swann before turning heel (!) and destroying all three. Fans: “THANK YOU NEVILLE!” I can totally go for this, though the idea that Neville weighs under 205lbs is downright laughable.

We recap Owens vs. Reigns. Roman beat him a few weeks ago to earn another shot here tonight but the big story is about the drama between Jericho and Owens.

Universal Title: Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns

Rating: B. Good, though the waiting for Jericho took a little away from it. Unfortunately this shows the problem with Reigns being US Champion coming into this match: what good does it do to tie the title up in this match with no challenger for the title in sight? Yeah Owens vs. Jericho will be fine but sweet goodness enough with the champion vs. champion nonsense.

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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Rebellion 2021
Date: April 25, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega, title for title. I would talk about the rest of the show but none of it matters in the slightest, which you would know if you have been watching the TV shows. Nothing else has gotten any significant attention in the build, which does make some sense. Hopefully it lives up to the considerable hype. Let’s get to it.

The opening sequence focuses on Omega vs. Swann, with Omega talking about how being the best goes so far beyond being the best in the ring. The rest of the card gets far less attention.

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

Austin, with Madman Fulton, is defending. Alexander and TJP go after the champ to start with Austin kicking Alexander in the head. TJP gets taken down so Alexander goes for the ankle lock on Austin. That’s broken up so Alexander gets caught in TJP’s Octopus hold. With that not lasting long either, TJP sends them both outside where Austin bails out of a Lionsault. Striker goes into a speech about how Ace Austin isn’t in the new Micro Brawler series while TJP is, which will have Austin wondering why a kid is playing with TJP and not him. Brown: “Actually Austin is in the series too.” And we move on.

With Alexander on the floor, Ace loads up the (special edition) playing card on TJP’s hand but the referee takes it away. Alexander comes back in and captures Austin’s arm for something close to a German suplex as Striker talks about how we don’t need two referees. Everyone is back in and Austin monkey flips TJP into Alexander’s powerbomb but kicks Alexander in the ribs, allowing TJP to snap off a hurricanrana instead.

TJP is back up with a running boot to Austin in the corner, setting up a superplex/Russian legsweep combination to put everyone down at the same time. Back up and Alexander goes for the ankle lock on Austin but gets pulled into TJP’s kneebar. That’s fine with Alexander, who grabs an ankle lock on Austin at the same time.

Everyone escapes as I try to get my head around the odds of holds like that only happening in TJP matches. With that broken up again, we get another triple submission with the same result. The Fold is broken up so Alexander hits Divine Intervention on TJP with Austin making the save. Alexander locks Austin’s ankle but TJP comes in with the Mamba splash. Fulton breaks up the cover, leaving Alexander to hit Divine Intervention to pin Austin at 11:11.

Rating: B. That’s all this should have been and it worked out well. Above all else, they didn’t stop with the action and that is how they set the match up over the last few weeks. I like Alexander winning the title as he has needed to show that he can do something without Ethan Page. Now he can go and have one good match after another with just about anyone so I’m certainly pleased with the result. Now hopefully they can come close to living up to this level.

We run down the card that you already paid to see.

Violent By Design is ready for an eight man tag, even with Eric Young injured. He talks to someone we can’t see and says that they are getting the chance to start something. Whoever it is isn’t ready for the full thing, but they can do something tonight.

We recap Violent By Design vs. Chris Sabin/James Storm/Willie Mack/Eddie Edwards. Violent By Design are all evil and want to hurt people so the other four are standing up to them. Eric Young is hurt though and we are going to need a replacement.

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

The mystery partner is….W. Morrissey, better known as Big Cass (that is a horrible ring name). Sabin kicks at Rhino’s arm to start as Eric Young is sitting on the stage in a chair. It’s off to Storm, who shoves Deaner into the corner so Morrissey can come in. Morrissey looks great as Storm punches him in the face and then catches him on top. A big boot knocks Storm to the floor and Morrissey knocks the rest of the team off the apron.

It’s off to Doering to run Storm over for two but Storm hits a running neckbreaker on Rhino. Mack comes in off the hot tag to clean house as everything breaks down. Deaner and Rhino get caught in the Tree of Woe for some running kicks, followed by Storm’s top rope elbow to Deaner for two. Morrissey tags himself in and starts running people over, including taking out Sabin’s leg on the apron.

Storm cannonballs off the apron to drop Rhino and Sabin catches Deaner on top….for the superplex onto the pile (with Deaner slipping so the landing wasn’t great). Back in and Mack Stunners Doering to the floor but Morrissey is back in for the East River Crossing and the pin on Mack at 10:07.

Rating: C. Morrissey is the story here and he looked good at what he did. The question, as usual though, is what is going on in his head. If he can have the mental side of things down, he could be quite the asset. That and if you don’t bring Enzo Amore in as well, because that comes off as little more than a rehash of something that was only so good in the first place. Good debut here and a fun match, though I’m not sure how far the team can go without Eric Young.

We recap Brian Myers vs. Matt Cardona. Myers seemed to want to reform the team but Cardona wanted to do something on his own for once.

Brian Myers vs. Matt Cardona

Myers slaps him in the face instead of shaking hands so Cardona unloads on him in the corner. The Reboot is loaded up but Myers bails to the floor and takes Cardona out with him. Myers gets sent over the barricade, where he manages to snap Cardona’s back over the steel. Cardona gets hit in the head and they go inside for some elbows to give Myers two. The chinlock with a knee in the back goes on for a bit until Cardona fights up to make the clothesline comeback.

They head outside again with Cardona nailing Radio Silence to put them both down. Myers is up first with a spear and they head back inside with an elbow giving Myers two. Cardona is back with an Unprettier for two and can’t believe the kickout. More Radio Silence is broken up and Cardona’s knee buckles on the landing. The referee calls for help and Myers checks on Cardona….before decking him. The Roster Cut finishes Cardona at 9:48.

Rating: C. I’ve seen worse as they both brought the anger and intensity. Throw in the pretty well done false injury angle at the end and they had some good stuff here. Cardona and Myers need to get away from each other, but the ending seems to suggest that we aren’t done yet. And get Myers a better finisher, because it’s still just a clothesline.

Tony Khan is here and lists off all of his AEW job titles. He has Aubrey Edwards here as his referee for the main event but Scott D’Amore has Brian Hebner. Khan: “What’s your last name again?” They’ll both referee the main event.

We recap Fire N Flava defending the Knockouts Tag Team Titles against Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering. Grace needed a partner after Jazz retired so Ellering debuted to get the title shot.

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

Fire N Flava is defending but here is Jazz to second the challengers, which Striker treats as the biggest thing that he has ever seen. Ellering powers Hogan around to start and lifts her up to block a headlock attempt. Grace comes in to throw Hogan around as well but it is too early for the Grace Driver.

Steelz comes in for a kick to Grace’s face for two before taking her into the corner for the stomping. Hogan comes in to stomp away but Grace powers her way over for the hot tag to Ellering. House is cleaned and everything breaks down, with the champs being sent to the apron for stereo missile dropkicks for stereo near falls.

Grace is back up and backdrops Steelz over the top but she grabs a cutter on Ellering on the way down (while crashing onto the apron). Grace leaves a dive mostly short and Hogan dives onto everyone at once. Steelz and Grace knock each other down on the floor as Ellering forearms Hogan into a fisherman’s suplex swung forward into a spinebuster (that’s a new one) for the pin at 9:24. Jazz added nothing here.

Rating: D+. Sure why not. It’s not like the titles have any meaning or that there are more than a few regular teams to go after them in the first place. Ellering and Grace winning doesn’t change much but you had to take the titles off of Fire N Flava sooner or later so this works as well as anything else. The botches didn’t help things and the ending was flat, but it could have been miles worse.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Trey Miguel. Trey came back recently and Sami wants him to show more passion. This has involved hurting him over and over so tonight it’s Last Man Standing so Miguel can show his heart.

Trey Miguel vs. Sami Callihan

Last Man Standing. Sami starts fast by sending Miguel outside in a huge crash for a seven count. That works for Callihan, who follows him out but gets caught with Sliced Bread on the floor. Miguel swings into a hurricanrana to send Sami down again but the suicide dive only hits barricade. Brown: “Where is Sami going now?” Striker: “Mentally? Physically? Spiritually?”

They head up to the stage with Miguel being powerbombed onto an anvil case. It’s time to open said case with Sami finding and throwing away a wrench. Instead he pulls out some chains to wrap around his fists to knock Miguel down again. The wrench is put into Miguel’s mouth because we need to do something out there in a Callihan match. They head inside with a bunch of weapons included, including a table being turned upside down with the legs being set up.

Callihan isn’t having any of Miguel’s comeback and slams him onto the open legs for the scary spot of the night. Miguel is sat on top with Sami throwing a chair at him, setting up a super piledriver not through the table, because that table is very sturdy. They both beat the count and head outside as Striker quotes the Bible about never turning back.

Sami sets the steps on their side on the floor and piledrives Miguel onto the side for another nasty crash. The steps are laid on top of Miguel but he slips out the other side, which Striker thinks is like a magic trick because Striker is easily impressed. A huge cutter from the apron through the table is enough to finish Sami at 15:35.

Rating: C+. Yes there were a lot of impressive spots and Miguel showed heart, but if a super piledriver onto a table doesn’t finish you, why in the world should someone try a wrestling move on you? That slam onto the steps looked great though and Sami is going to be at his best in something like this, so I’m not surprised that this wound up working out as well as it did.

We recap FinJuice vs. the Good Brothers for the Tag Team Titles. FinJuice took the titles from the Brothers and then went back to New Japan, so tonight is the big rematch. The Good Brothers want their titles back and are extra serious this time.

FinJuice vs. Good Brothers

The Brothers are challenging with Doc Gallows looking rather Jesse Venturaish during their entrances. Finlay takes Anderson down to start and Robinson gets dropped onto him for two as the champs take over early. Anderson shrugs off the arm cranking and it’s off to Gallows for the rights and lefts in the corner. A double bulldog gets two on Gallows but he’s back up to power Finlay into the corner.

Gallows hits a kick to the head for two and we hit the chinlock. Some hammer elbows keep Finlay down until Gallows puts him on the middle rope. That’s fine with Finlay, who scores with the middle elbow elbow to the jaw. The hot tag brings in Robinson to clean house, including a backsplash to Gallows. A dive to the floor takes Gallows down again and the jabs put Anderson down as well.

Everything breaks down, with Striker talking about FinJuice being influenced by the Hart Foundation, Demolition and….the Smoking Gunns? Gallows is knocked to the floor so FinJuice can load up a Doomsday Device, only to have Gallows break it up. The belly to back suplex/neckbreaker combination gets two on Robinson but Finlay is back in to break up the Magic Killer. A small package Anderson to retain at 10:32.

Rating: C+. And with that, we have proof of which team is the most Japan of all time. I’m rather surprised at the lack of a title change but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Young Bucks being brought in to become the bestest tag team ever in the history of ever. Good enough match, but hearing all of the Japan references and having FinJuice leave for a month didn’t help my interest.

Don Callis is ready to see Kenny Omega win the Impact World Title because he is in Rich Swann’s head. Callis and Omega are family but Swann is an orphan who isn’t going home with his toy. Callis has envisioned this for years and tonight it is reality.

We recap Tenille Dashwood vs. Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts Title. Purrazzo is the unstoppable champion who cam make anyone submit while Dashwood is obsessed with herself and wants the title to prove her great she is.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Tenille Dashwood

Purrazzo is defending, Susan, Kimber Lee and Kaleb With A K are all here. Purrazzo goes straight for the arm to send Dashwood bailing away in a smart move. A clothesline gives Purrazzo two and it’s time to wrap Dashwood’s arm around her own throat for a chinlock. Back up and they trade shots to the face, setting up the Tarantula on Purrazzo. A high crossbody (warranting a three sentence description from Striker) gives Dashwood two but Purrazzo is right back with the German suplex.

Dashwood is right back with an STF but Lee offers a distraction, drawing Kaleb With A K over. The brawl is on outside and Dashwood hits the Spotlight Kick. Lee pulls Dashwood to the floor to break up the count, allowing Purrazzo to hit an exploder back inside. The Fujiwara armbar is countered with a quick roll so Purrazzo settles for the Queen’s Gambit and the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go very far with everything else going on. At the same time, there is only so much that you can do with a heel vs. heel match without the most detailed reason for a feud. Purrazzo is rapidly cleaning out the division but odds are some free agents/the returning Taylor Wilde should give her some fresh opponents.

Post match the beatdown seems imminent but Taylor Wilde returns and cleans house, setting up the staredown with Purrazzo.

We run down the upcoming Impact Plus slate, capped off by a video for Slammiversary in July, featuring Samoa Joe, Chelsea Greene and Mickie James.

We recap Kenny Omega vs. Rich Swann, World Title vs. World Title. Omega came in and was treated like the greatest thing ever so Impact World Champion Swann didn’t think much of it. Then Omega pinned him in a six man tag, setting up the title vs. title match. Swann has as much chance of winning tonight as I do of winning the 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Championship so let’s get to the inevitable.

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

Title or title, Eddie Edwards, Willie Mack and Tony Khan are here, Mauro Ranallo is on commentary, there is a referee from each company and Don Callis does an amazing over the top introduction for Omega, listing off every legend he can think of, all of whom are beneath Omega. Swann gets knocked down to the floor in a hurry but is right back with a dropkick to the floor. There’s the big flip dive to take Omega down again but he is right back with a belly to back suplex onto the apron.

They head back outside with Swann loading up the handspring cutter onto the apron but loses momentum and lance on his head instead. Back in and a buckle bomb rocks Swann again, meaning it’s time to work on Swann’s back injury. Various shots to the back, including some rather big knees, keep Swann in trouble. The Kitaro Crusher is avoided though and Swann kicks him in the head. Ax handles to the back are shrugged off and it’s a hurricanrana to drop Omega again.

A super hurricanrana gets one on Omega and he goes up again. This time Swann follows but has to backdrop his way out of a superbomb (with Omega almost landing on his head). The Phoenix splash gives Swann two but Omega is back with the Dr. Willy Bomb. The V Trigger looks to set up the One Winged Angel, with Swann escaping in a hurry. Another V Trigger connects in the corner, followed by another into the snapdragon. Another snapdragon connects but Swann is back up with the handspring cutter.

Swann tries it again but Omega pulls the Impact referee into it instead. Omega grabs a chair, which the AEW referee takes away. Swann hits the handspring cutter into la majistral for one, with Omega reversing into a cradle of his own for two. Another V Trigger misses and a spinning Michinoku Driver gets two on Omega. The Phoenix splash misses and it’s a V Trigger into an electric chair dropped into a German suplex for two more (ok that was cool).

Omega hits a Jay Driller for another near fall so, after some trash talk to Eddie Edwards, it’s another V Trigger. Swann gets fired up and manages a suplex for a breather but the Phoenix splash misses. Another V Trigger sets up the One Winged Angel to give Omega the pin and the title at 22:57.

Rating: B+. It’s a very good match, even with the ending that you knew was coming. Omega was always winning the title so he can do the belt collector deal, though I could have gone with at least trying for a little more drama. This match was built up as “Swann can’t beat Omega so watch Omega win the title” and that’s exactly what happened. They had some good action and tried, but this was all about getting to the ending that you knew was coming. That being said, points for not going too insane with everyone out there, even including the completely unnecessary ref bump.

Overall Rating: B. You had a rather good opener and an even better main event with nothing too horrible in between. This was actually quite the pay per view, as is usual for Impact. I’m really not sure where this goes for them in the future, but for now at least they had a rather good show. Just find the right way forward with Omega and the title and we’ll see what they can do, but they didn’t have a choice with the ending. Rather good show, book ended by a pair of awesome matches.

Results

Josh Alexander b. TJP and Ace Austin – Divine Intervention to Austin

Violent By Design b. Eddie Edwards/Chris Sabin/Willie Mack/James Storm – East River Crossing to Mack

Brian Myers b. Matt Cardona – Roster Cut

Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace b. Fire N Flava – Fisherman’s spinebuster to Hogan

Trey Miguel b. Sami Callihan – Callihan could not beat the ten count

FinJuice b. Good Brothers – Small package to Anderson

Deonna Purrazzo b. Tenille Dashwood – Queen’s Gambit

Kenny Omega b. Rich Swann – One Winged Angel

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 22, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

It’s the go home show for Rebellion and I’m curious to see how they push the rest of the card. The main event is long since set but we need more of the card being built up. We should be in for a good pay per view but some of that is going to be based on a good go home show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a video on Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega, including last week’s press conference.

Opening sequence.

Decay vs. Good Brothers

Rosemary is here with Decay. Anderson and Steve start things off with the former firing off some uppercuts. Steve gets smart by grabbing the arm and brings in Taurus to chop away in the corner. Decay takes turns on the arm but Andreson gets Taurus over to the corner so Gallows can hammer away.

A shot to the mask sets up Anderson’s chinlock, followed by Gallows’ elbows to the chest and a chinlock of his own. That’s broken up as well and the hot tag brings in Steve to pick up the pace. A low Downward Spiral gives Steve two and everything breaks down. Taurus is sent outside and Steve gets pulled out of the air for the Magic Killer and the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C-. The wrestling wasn’t great but this was exactly the point they were going for. You wanted the Brothers to look strong going into the title match and beating Decay is a fine enough way to do just that. There was no point in having Decay be any real kind of a threat here and they didn’t bother doing anything ridiculous.

Post match the Brothers thank FinJuice for giving them the motivation and pouring the gasoline on them to make their fire hotter. FinJuice better have enjoyed their shiny titles in Roppongi (because it’s in Japan) because on Sunday, it’s a Magic Killer and new champs.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

We get some predictions on Rich Swann vs. Kenny Omega, with most of the Impact wrestlers predicting Swann walks out with both titles.

Video on Violent By Design vs. James Storm/Chris Sabin/Willie Mack/Eddie Edwards on Sunday. Granted based on the video, you would think it was James Storm vs. Eric Young, but this was more intense than most of their recap packages, which is a good thing.

Susan vs. Tenille Dashwood

Deonna Purrazzo and Kaleb With A K are here too. Susan wins a test of strength to start but gets reversed into a sunset flip for an early near fall. Purrazzo offers a distraction from the floor though and we take a break. Back with Dashwood caught in a full nelson and getting slammed down onto her face. Susan shouts at her about something, with Dashwood seeming confused. A slugout goes to Dashwood, who sends her into the corner for the Taste of Tenille. The Tarantula sets up the Spotlight Kick to finish Susan at 8:07.

Rating: D+. This was little more than a squash to boost Dashwood up a little more before the pay per view. Dashwood looked fine here, but there is nothing here that makes me think we are in for some classic on Sunday. At the same time, what in the world has happened to Su Yung? This Susan stuff is really dull and seems like a horrible waste of her talent. Why would you take someone who was unique and interesting and make them the exact opposite? Find something else for her to do and get rid of this stuff.

Post match Dashwood calls Purrazzo into the ring and says she has done more for women’s wrestling than Purrazzo, who wouldn’t be here without her. So keep the title shiny because Dashwood has a photo shoot ready for it. Purrazzo looks ticked.

Brian Myers isn’t stuck in the past like Matt Cardona, so on Sunday, Myers is taking him out.

More wrestlers make Swann vs. Omega picks.

Video on Swann vs. Omega.

Sami Callihan says Trey Miguel threw everything away. He saw something in Trey and now it is time to make an example out of him. This Sunday it is Last Man Standing as Callihan is going to give him a chance to get back up…..before making sure he can never walk again.

Shera vs. Jake Something

Rohit Raju is here with Shera and I do like the rain looking graphics around the arena during Jake’s entrance. Shera slams him down to start and drops a heavy elbow for two. Back up and Jake slugs away, setting up the discus forearm for a knockdown. Raju offers a distraction though and Shera hits the Sky High to finish Jake at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here with Shera getting a random match to give him a push. I’m not going to buy that going anywhere because there is no reason to think it is going to matter, but at least they are trying something with him. Speaking of Something, Jake has fallen through the floor and given his ring name, I’m not at all surprised. It’s the difference between one off indy appearances and a regular national promotion, but that has been lost on today’s generation.

Trey Miguel talks to his fellow trainer at his wrestling school and rants about how he has to prove himself to Sami Callihan for some reason. He’s ready to show who he is on Sunday.

We hit the Trey training montage.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. TJP vs. Ace Austin for the X-Division Title at Rebellion.

Here’s Rich Swann for a chat, with Striker saying that anyone who has ever put a piece of wrist tape on their wrist before a match has something in common with him. As someone who has never wrestled, I feel rather detached from the following segment. Swann talks about how he made a mistake last week when he tried to shake Omega’s hand last week, so get out here right now.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis pop up on screen to talk about how excited they are to have Omega win a third title. He needs a bigger house and another Swiss bank account. Goodbye and good night, bang. They leave….and here’s the returning Moose. He’s here to congratulate Swann because he has had a long time to think about what happened at Sacrifice.

Moose has some advice for Swann, who should be ready for this match because he took the TNA Title from a wrestling god. Swann has been shown what pain really feels like and Moose is bigger, stronger and faster than Omega. The only advantages Omega has are his three stooges, so Swann better not lose those titles.

More predictions.

Taylor Wilde is coming back and we actually see her for a change.

Kiera Hogan vs. Jordynne Grace

Tasha Steelz is here with Hogan. Grace jumps her to start and grabs a quick torture rack. That doesn’t last long so Grace sends her into the corner and comes out with a MuscleBuster, which draws in Steelz for the DQ at 1:55.

Post match the beatdown is on but the debuting Rachael Ellering runs in for the save to be Grace’s partner. Grace: “Rachael Ellering is going to be my partner at Rebellion!” In case you weren’t paying attention.

From Rebellion 2020: Chris Bey wins a four way match.

FinJuice mocks the Good Brothers for their excuses and now it is time for them to lose again.

Video on Omega vs. Swann.

Here’s what’s coming with Wrestle Week.

Commentary runs down the Rebellion card.

Eric Young vs. Eddie Edwards

The rest of Violent By Design, James Storm, Chris Sabin and Willie Mack are all here. Young is wrestling this on a torn ACL, which isn’t mentioned by commentary. They grapple against the ropes to start until Eddie snaps off a headlock takeover. An atomic drop into an overhead belly to belly send Young flying and we take a break.

Back with Edwards working on a front facelock but Young fights up and gets Eddie’s leg tied in the rope. That’s enough for Young to send him outside and it’s time to tease the big brawl. Back in and we hit the chinlock on Eddie for a bit. Young goes up but gets superplexed back down for the big crash. They slug it out with Eddie getting the better of it but Young slips out of the Backpack Stunner.

Instead Eddie hits a Blue Thunder Bomb as Striker thanks everyone for being so nice to him around here. As I try to fathom someone liking Matt Striker’s commentary, Young is back with a Death Valley Driver for two of his own. A tiger driver gives Eddie two more but Young rolls outside before the Boston Knee Party. Everyone gets in a fight on the floor, leaving Young to small package Eddie for the pin at 15:05.

Rating: C+. Pretty good main event here, especially considering Young’s injury. I wouldn’t have bet on them being able to do something this well all things considered but it worked out. Having the ending go the way it did was a surprise and one that I’ve always liked. There is something cool about going with one big move after another and then finishing with a quick cradle. Good match, and Young’s injury makes it more impressive.

The big brawl is on as Striker goes nuts hyping up the pay per view to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I was hoping for something other than Swann vs. Omega getting the focus here but that’s ALL they did with this show. It is certainly the biggest match on the card but egads it’s kind of hard to get interested in a match that AEW has given all of the focus of a 3:30am infomercial about buying real estate for no money down. The rest of the show was just kind of there, as this was all about the title match. That’s a logical idea, but it wasn’t the most entertaining night in the world.

Results

Good Brothers b. Decay – Magic Killer to Crazzy Steve

Tenille Dashwood b. Susan – Spotlight kick

Shera b. Jake Something – Sky High

Jordynne Grace b. Kiera Hogan via DQ when Tasha Steelz interfered

Eric Young b. Eddie Edwards – Small package

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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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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