Impact Wrestling
Date: September 2, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We’re still on the road to Victory Road and that means more of Ace Austin, which is not a bad thing. Tonight we have Tommy Dreamer vs. Austin with Dreamer possibly being added to the World Title match if he wins. That’s the kind of threat that Impact might actually follow up on, which doesn’t give me much hope. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Daffney. That was a really hard one.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Madison Rayne/Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood vs. Taylor Wilde/Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace

Ellering and Kaleb With A K start things off with Rachael wrestling him into the corner without much effort. A release gutwrench suplex drops Kaleb With A K for two and it’s Grace coming in for some standing clotheslines. Rayne gets in a cheap shot though and Dashwood gets to come in and take over. Grace powers out of a chinlock by slamming Rayne backwards but Kaleb With A K cuts off a tag.

A kick to the face cuts that off without much effort though and Wilde comes in to clean house. Wilde’s tornado DDT gets two on Kaleb With A K with Dashwood having to make a save. Back up and Rayne has to grab Kaleb With A K’s hands to block a German suplex, only to have Ellering break it up, meaning the German suplex can give Wilde the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C. This is a good example of how to do intergender wrestling, as Kaleb With A K was a perfect fit to take this kind of a beating. It can be put together well without going too far into being ridiculous and that’s what they pulled off here. That is quite the trick, so well done on making it work.

We look at Deonna Purrazzo retaining the Knockouts Title at NWA Empowerrr and then attacking Mickie James at the 73rd Anniversary Show.

Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt don’t care for Mickie James or Trey Miguel.

Tommy Dreamer talks about the time he took the ECW World Title from Christian Cage, though Cage pops up to say Dreamer didn’t pin him in that match. That’s true, but Dreamer just wants one chance to be the face of Impact Wrestling. He asks Cage to not get involved tonight because he wants to do it himself. Sure.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Black Taurus/Crazzy Steve vs. No Way/Fallah Bahh

The rest of Decay is here, as is No Way’s Conga Line. Actually hold on as part of the Conga Line attacked Rosemary, because it’s Tasha Steelz in disguise. We come back from a break for the opening bell, with Steve slugging away at Bahh in vain. Bahh throws him down with ease and it’s off to No Way vs. Taurus. A Sling Blade drops No Way and a hard right hand has him in more trouble.

No Way gets in a quick tag to Bahh and sunset flips Taurus, who gets crushed by Bahh’s splash. A belly to belly lets No Way come back in for two and Bahh hits the running hip attack in the corner. Bahh drops No Way down into a legdrop for two on Taurus but a double clothesline gives him a breather. The hot tag brings in Steve to slug away as everything breaks down. Steve bites Bahh in the head and a middle rope DDT is good for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C-. Totally run of the mill tag match here and that’s about all there is to say. No Way was playing things a bit more heelish here, which is kind of weird when you have him doing the dancing deal before the match. It might be nice to see him doing something else, because right now he’s the same guy he was in WWE but with a different company name at the top of his contract.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christian Cage b. Sting at Final Resolution 2007.

W. Morrissey doesn’t like Sami Callihan for saving Eddie Edwards. He does have a bit of respect for the two of them for hating each other….and here is Moose to interrupt. Moose agrees with everything Morrissey has said since he got here. Neither of them like Sami Callihan, but Moose is looking for an alliance instead of a friend. Glaring ensues.

Steve Maclin is very intense and wants Petey Williams next week.

Here is Moose for a chat. He doesn’t like that everyone, like Eddie Edwards, wants to be a hero. They have a long history together, but Moose is a different guy now. So get out here so Moose can teach him that the hero doesn’t always save the day. Cue Eddie so the brawl can be on. W. Morrissey runs in for the beatdown and a double powerbomb leaves Eddie laying. No Sami Callihan for the save, as per Eddie’s request.

No Way and Fallah Bahh didn’t know anything about Tasha Steelz attacking Decay. TJP comes in to reform the team with Fallah Bahh and is cool with No Way too. They’ll head to Swinger’s Palace next week.

Eric Young is ready to cure Rhino and chains him up in a prison.

X-Division Title: Josh Alexander vs. Jake Crist

The returning Crist is challenging after Alexander wanted to fight any former X-Division Champion. Alexander drives him into the ropes to start and catches a charging Crist in a powerslam. Crist sends him to the apron so Alexander goes up top, only to be pulled back down for a neckbreaker. The front facelock goes on for a bit and Jake plants him down again. Crist grabs the front facelock again but this time Alexander strikes his way to freedom in a hurry. Alexander rolls some German suplexes to knock Crist silly and Divine Intervention retains the title at 5:36.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, other than Alexander ending Crist with those suplexes. This was little more than a workout for Alexander, who is going to need someone special to take the title from him. That’s kind of a problem, but I’m curious to see where they go with the whole thing.

Post match Alexander is asked why he put the title on the line. That’s because he has to so he is challenging people for the title. Cue Chris Sabin to say he is a big Alexander fan but Alexander is a one time champion, compared to Sabin’s eight title reigns. The challenge is on for Victory Road and Alexander is down for that. Makes as much sense as anything else right now.

Sam Beale is offering Brian Myers’ offer to find a new wingman and we see some applications. One of them looks like David Arquette.

The applicants are here and Brian Myers isn’t impressed. He makes a few random cuts, including one who likes Mojo Rawley. We get down to two, with one of them being Zicky Dice of minor NWA fame. The two of them (Dice and Manny Lemons) will be back next week.

Rohit Raju/Shera vs. Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green

Raju and Cardona start things off but it’s quickly off to Shera to run Cardona over instead. The big elbow crushes Cardona and it’s back to Raju, who is quickly slammed down. Green comes in to work on Raju’s arm before kicking some non-existent dirt into his face. A headscissors sets up a slap to Raju, who brings in Shera. That’s fine with Green as she slaps Shera into Radio Silence from Cardona. Raju posts Cardona though and a jumping knee finishes Green at 3:33.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here but you’re only going to be able to get so much out of Green working on the arm and slapping the heels in the face. This feud has been going on for a little while now and it isn’t all that interesting, but at least they are doing a few things to keep it fresh. Now just find a way to keep it from being so dull and we might get somewhere.

Su Yung and Kimber Lee have turned Brandi Lauren into one of them. Maniacal laughter ensues but Yung doesn’t seem pleased.

Here are the Good Brothers for a chat because we can’t escape them for a week. Karl Anderson tells the fans to sit down and shut their fat mouths. He knows the fans feel like they are seeing some rock stars but be quiet for a bit. They aren’t happy with Rich Swann and Willie Mack stealing a pin on them last week but Mack got powerbombed through a table for what he did. Mack is in traction right now so now his name is Willie Lack The Ability To Walk. Cue Rich Swann with a chair but referees are out there in a hurry to break it up.

Post break, Rich Swann has to be held back again so Scott D’Amore gives Swann a Bunkhouse Brawl with Karl Anderson next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Ace Austin vs. Tommy Dreamer

If Dreamer wins, he’s in the World Title match at Victory Road and Madman Fulton is here with Austin. Dreamer is wrestling in a Dusty Rhodes mask because reasons. Austin takes him down for a kick to the back to start so the mask comes off to make things serious. A Cactus Clothesline puts them on the floor and Dreamer posts him hard. Fulton saves Austin from going into the barricade though and Austin kicks Dreamer in the face.

Back in and a powerbomb gives Austin two but Dreamer crotches him on top. A neckbreaker out of the corner gives Dreamer a breather and the slugout is on. Dreamer hammers away in the corner and bites Austin’s head, setting up a powerslam for two. An enziguri drops Austin again but he’s right back up with a springboard Fameasser for the same. Back up and Austin charges into a cutter but Fulton breaks up the cover. Dreamer posts Fulton but gets caught with the Fold for the pin at 7:44.

Rating: C. It probably isn’t a good sign when I have a sigh of relief that the good guy loses. This was your usual Dreamer match, as he doesn’t do much outside of his hits. Dreamer is fine enough in the ring and can do his usual stuff, but it is a good idea to keep him limited. Now if they can keep him limited from talking too, we should be in better shape.

Overall Rating: C-. Pretty run of the mill show here without much of anything standing out. They did a nice enough job of building Victory Road, but there was nothing that really grabbed me. What makes me a little more hopeful though is the fact that this feels like a one off instead of a new normal. Impact has actually built up some good will in recent months and that is rather nice to see.

Results
Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering/Taylor Wilde b. Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne – German suplex to Kaleb With A K
Black Taurus/Crazzy Steve b. No Way/Fallah Bahh – Middle rope DDT to Bahh
Josh Alexander b. Jake Crist – Divine Intervention
Rohit Raju/Shera b. Matt Cardona/Chelsea Green – Jumping knee to Green
Ace Austin b. Tommy Dreamer – Fold

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 5, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

We’re still in the middle of the Kenny Omega Era and that means he needs a new #1 contender. That is what we get to find out next week, but for now we still have some more things to cover first. Since this is modern wrestling, the Bullet Club is involved, as Jay White and company are fighting against the Elite, including a six man tag this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Bey vs. Juice Robinson

Jay White and David Finlay are here too. Bey dropkicks him into the corner at the bell and Robinson gets stomped down in a hurry. Robinson gets sent outside and something like a 619 on the mat takes him down again. Back in and Robinson catches Bey’s kick to the ribs, only to get pulled into a sleeper. Robinson slips out so Bey hits a Fameasser for two. Robinson is back with a spinebuster for a breather and they’re both down for a bit. The Cannonball crushes Bey in the corner as Finlay beats up White on the ramp. Bey has had it with this and hits the Art of Finesse for the pin at 5:17.

Rating: C. This was a showcase win for Bey, who gets back on track after his surprising loss. Robinson in a pretty one sided match was quite weird to see but at least they had a point with Bey. I could go for more of White later in the night though as he is one of the few people to have gotten my attention around here as of late.

Post match, White officially gives Bey the Bullet Club shirt.

The Elite isn’t worried about tonight’s six man tag because they’re that much better. Violent By Design comes in to say they are enacting their rematch clause at Emergence. The Good Brothers aren’t scared.

Fire N Flava insist everything is fine and they’re prove it tonight.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Video on Homecoming, with the debuting Matthew Rehwoldt (Aiden English) and Deonna Purrazzo winning the tournament.

Here is Matthew Rehwoldt, in a crown (Fans: “YOU STILL SUCK!”), to introduce his queen, Deonna Purrazzo. Fans: “NO ONE LIKES YOU!” Purrazzo lists off her accolades and gets a “NO ONE CARES” chant. Cue Mickie James to interrupt, with Purrazzo being annoyed at her spotlight being stolen. Mickie wants to get the contract for Empower signed but Purrazzo wants to know her opponent first. Cue Melina of all people and both of them sign the contract. Purrazzo introduces herself as the Virtuosa but Melina says she’s looking forward to taking the title.

Taylor Wilde accuses Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K of reporting her as a suspicious person and tried to get her in trouble with immigration last week. She wants Dashwood next week.

Kimber Lee, now looking evil like Su Yung, sits next to Yung (who she refers to as “Mother”) and asks if she can take a soul.

Jake Something vs. Trey Miguel vs. Rohit Raju vs. Daivari

The winner gets an X-Division Title shot and Shera is here with Raju. It’s a brawl to start and Raju hits a dive onto something and Daivari. Miguel dives onto them as well, leaving everyone but Something to sit on the apron. Something hits a running crossbody against the ropes to all of them as we take a break.

Back with Daivari and Raju double teaming Something against the ropes until Something shrugs them off without much effort. Miguel is back in with some dropkicks, setting up a slugout with Raju. The Muta Lock has Raju in more trouble….and Miguel manages a swinging neckbreaker on Daivari at the same time without breaking the hold. Something comes back in to break it up but Daivari is back in with a missile dropkick. Not that it matters as Something is back with the swinging Boss Man Slam to finish Daivari at 8:09.

Rating: C. This is how you have a match like this as they didn’t spend a lot of time on crazy spots and just got to the point. What matters here is getting Something into the title picture, which is at least some….never mind. Josh Alexander has cleared out the division so bringing in someone fresh is the best thing that they can do at this point. I doubt he wins the title, but at least it’s a fresh match.

Post break, Rohit Raju and Shera yell at Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green.

Josh Alexander is ready for a match with Jake Something because Jake earned the shot. Daivari comes in and gets a non-title match next week for the chance at a future title shot.

Fire N Flava vs. Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering

Grace and Ellering have matching gear. Fire n Flava jump them to start to little avail as they get shouldered down in a hurry. The bell rings and Grace hits a spinebuster for two on Steelz as the fans are behind Grace and Ellering. A backsplash gives Ellering two but Steelz slips out of Grace’s MuscleBuster. That’s enough to get Grace down into the corner for some stomping from Hogan, setting up a chinlock from Steelz.

Grace is right back up with a double snap suplex and the hot tag brings Ellering back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and some running knees in the corner rock Hogan. Ellering gets two off a Vader Bomb but Hogan is back with a superkick for two of her own. Steelz gets sent back outside and it’s the assisted swinging Rock Bottom to finish Hogan at 5:22.

Rating: C-. Another loss for Fire N Flava here, but at least Grace and Ellering are starting to feel more like a team. It’s almost like putting these wrestlers together with no backstory or history and expecting them to instantly click isn’t a good idea. They’re getting better at this, but thankfully the division doesn’t have many teams to clear out at the moment.

Post match Hogan and Steelz stare each other down until Savannah Evans (rather tall woman) comes in to lay Hogan out. Steelz stands by and watches before leaving with Evans. So much for Fire N Flava.

Frankie Kazarian says he’ll come after the Elite no matter where they are and he’s coming for them tonight. He isn’t worried about Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards, because it’s about getting to the Elite.

Violent By Design tells Scott D’Amore about the Tag Team Title match at Emergence but Willie Mack and Rich Swann walk out of his office. We’ll make it a three way match at Emergence instead.

Steve Maclin vs. Jah-C

Maclin jumps Jah-C for turning his back on him and the beating is on in a hurry. Jah-C gets stomped down in the corner and then gets tied in the Tree of Woe. A spear gets two, with Maclin pulling him up. Maclin does it again for a bonus, setting up the reverse inverted sitout DDT driver (NAME THAT ALREADY) for the pin at 2:28.

Post match the beatdown stays on, with Maclin grabbing a chair. Petey Williams comes in for the save to continue Maclin’s first actual competition.

It’s time for All About Me, with Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb With A K in a neck brace. This week’s guest is Dr. Ross Forman, Impact’s resident doctor. Forman asks Kaleb With A K about his injuries and then suggests a specialist. That’s it for Forman, so here is Scott D’Amore instead. We hear about the accusations from Taylor Wilde, but she’ll drop the investigations in exchange for a match with Dashwood. Date to be determined.

We look back at Moose vs. Chris Sabin from last week.

Chris Sabin says he has been in wrestling for 21 years but no one has ever made him as emotional as Moose. The difference is that Sabin is a former World Champion and he’s going to win the battle royal, meaning he can win the title again.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Elite vs. Sami Callihan/Eddie Edwards/Frankie Kazarian

Don Callis is here with the Elite and handles Kenny Omega’s introduction, as usual listing off all of the wrestlers beneath him. The brawl is on before the bell and everyone heads to the floor for the sake of violence. Callihan and Omega get inside to officially start but it’s off to Kazarian for a clothesline instead. The springboard legdrop gets two on Omega as Striker screws up by saying that Homecoming was last night. Omega gets in the Kitaro Crusher and we take a break.

Back with Gallows working on Kazarian, allowing Omega to choke on the ropes. Kazarian springboards his way to freedom though and the hot tag brings in Eddie to pick up the pace. Omega breaks up a middle rope hurricanrana though and an elbow drop gets two. It’s back to Gallows for the chinlock before the Good Brothers knock the other two off the apron. The triple splash gives Gallows two but Gallows charges into a boot in the corner.

A middle rope dropkick allows the tag to Callihan to start cleaning house. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of secondary finishers, including the belly to back/neckbreaker combination for two on Callihan. There’s the spinebuster to plant Edwards but he’s back with a Blue Thunder Bomb to Anderson. Callihan piledrives Omega on the apron and it’s the Boston Knee Party to finish Anderson at 12:57.

Rating: B-. This was your standard main event six man, which is going to work most of the time. They are lining up a bunch of possible challengers for Omega and a battle royal is as good of a way to pull one out in a hurry as you are going to have. I can’t imagine Omega loses the Impact World Title before he loses the AEW World Title, but it is a good idea to get rid of one challenger.

Post match, everyone else leaves so W. Morrissey runs in to lay Edwards out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’ve been saying this for a few weeks now but Impact is doing a nice job of putting things together and then executing them. It wasn’t a blow away show but it advanced stories and helped boost things up for Emergence. Impact is in a groove now and I could go for that for a pretty long time to come.

Results
Chris Bey b. Juice Robinson – Art of Finesse
Jake Something b. Trey Miguel, Rohit Raju and Daivari – Swinging Boss Man Slam to Daivari
Jordynne Grace/Rachael Ellering b. Fire N Flava – Assisted swinging Rock Bottom to Hogan
Steve Maclin b. Jah-C – Lifting sitout implant reverse DDT
Sami Callihan/Frankie Kazarian/Eddie Edwards b. Elite – Boston Knee Party to Anderson

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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

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

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

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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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 15, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown 

It’s the go home show for Slammiversary and that should make for a different kind of night. The card is set, but there are still a few things that could use a bit more of a boost. Impact has a tendency to do well around this time of year and we might be in for some more teasing of some new arrivals. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

We get a video from Sami Callihan, who wants his Slammiversary World Title match against Kenny Omega to be a No DQ match.

Tenille Dashwood/Kaleb With A K vs. Rachael Ellering/Jordynne Grace

Grace cranks on Kaleb With A K’s hand to start and plants him with a release side slam. There isn’t much of a challenge here so Grace throws him into the corner for a tag to Dashwood. Ellering comes in with a World’s Strongest Slam and everything breaks down in a hurry. Stereo spinebusters plant Dashwood and Kaleb With A K as Josh gives us some “great” news: Matt Striker is back at Slammiversary. Dang it I was just starting to tolerate commentary again.

Ellering gets her face slammed into the mat (sounds like how I felt when I heard about Striker) but she tosses Dashwood outside. A sunset flip pulls Kaleb With A K’s pants down, meaning it’s time for some gyrations. Dashwood pulls Grace off the apron to prevent a tag, leaving Kaleb With A K to drop a knee. A missed charge allows the hot tag off to Grace though and it is time to clean house in a hurry. The Liger Bomb gets two on Kaleb With A K with Dashwood having to make the save.

Grace hits a quick Vader Bomb and Ellering adds a springboard spinning legdrop for two more. Kaleb With A K is back with a superkick to Grace but gets taken down by the Sling Blade. Dashwood Spotlight Kicks Ellering but walks into a spinebuster from Grace. The villains head to the floor so Grace runs through Dashwood with the suicide dive. Back in and Grace charges into a powerslam (with her head hitting the mat) for two but Ellering comes in for an assisted swinging Rock Bottom to give Grace the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C. I liked this one more than I expected as Grace and Ellering match up with Kaleb With A K size wise. It might not have been a classic or anything but Grace and Ellering seem to be on the same page (for now). They could be back in a title feud soon, as it isn’t like there is anyone else who could chase them at the moment.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan, who DOES NOT care how many stars Dave Meltzer gives Omega’s matches. We do get a quick look at Callihan’s history with Don Callis, which has not been touched on very much during this feud but does tie in.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo’s Knockouts Title reign. She has beaten everyone, but this time she is fighting the unknown.

Purrazzo is not happy with not knowing who she is facing and doesn’t want to sign the contract. She goes on a rant about how annoyed she is and then signs the contract anyway, with Scott D’Amore saying it can be a hot mess and hardcore country around here. Purrazzo: “You’re not telling me who my opponent is?” D’Amore: “No way Jose.”

Here’s what is coming tonight plus at Slammiversary. Callihan vs. Omega is officially No DQ.

Tasha Steelz vs. Havok

Kiera Hogan and Rosemary are here too. Havok shoves her around to start without too much trouble and we take an early break. Back with Steelz hitting a middle rope neckbreaker to take over. The stomping is on in the corner as Rosemary is looking concerned. A superkick in the corner lets Steelz dance a bit but she is stunned by the kickout. Well then don’t dance so much. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Havok powers up and shakes her off in a hurry. Havok hits the running knee in the corner but Steelz strikes away to stagger her. A belly to belly gives Havok two but Steelz hits a pump kick. Not that it matters though as the Tombstone finishes for Havok at 9:49.

Rating: C-. Steelz is the less impressive half of the team but she did well enough here. This was your standard preview of the tag match and while it is effective, it isn’t the most inspired idea. The titles probably need to change hands at the pay per view as Fire N Flava have held them for a good while, but that has been the case for a pretty long time now.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin wins the X-Division Title at Slammiversary 2013.

Video on W. Morrissey.

Susan comes out of a dressing room and tells Kimber Lee that James Mitchell had trouble summoning Su Yung. Lee: “You know?” Susan: “I’VE KNOWN ALL ALONG!” Susan drags her into the room and I’m scared of where this is going.

Steve Maclin vs. Kal Herro

Maclin takes sends Herro into the ropes to start and drops him with an elbow to the face. Herro gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some trash talk (a rarity from Maclin) and a spear for a bonus. Maclin promises to make him quit, just like everyone did on him but Herro jawbreaks his way to freedom. That’s a bad idea as Maclin hits a hard clothesline into some elbows to the face. The reverse sitout implant DDT finishes Herro at 2:28. Maclin is starting to grow on me.

Post match Maclin says the worst thing you can do is give him time, because it lets him prepare and wait. He is done waiting.

Decay is happy with Havok but Rosemary wants to know if Havok is in or out. James Mitchell shows up and Havok says she is ready. Everyone leaves together.

Video on Ultimate X.

Ace Austin/Madman Fulton/Rohit Raju/Shera vs. Petey Williams/Trey Miguel/Josh Alexander/Chris Bey

Williams and Raju run the ropes to start until Raju hits a knee to the ribs. A crucifix gives Williams two and it’s off to Alexander vs. Austin. An early ankle lock attempt doesn’t work so Alexander pulls him to the corner by the arm for the tag to Miguel. Austin misses a springboard kick to the face but rolls straight over for the tag off to Fulton. Snake Eyes into a big boot lets Fulton do his best Undertaker impression as commentary talks about Busted Open Radio.

Austin comes back in for two off a northern lights suplex but Trey manages to flip out of a German suplex. An enziguri rocks Fulton and the hot tag brings in Bey to clean house. Everything breaks down and Alexander snaps off a German suplex. Raju blocks one of his own and neckbreakers Alexander, only to get caught in Williams’ Canadian Destroyer. The parade of secondary finishers is on until Bey rolls Fulton up for the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C+. This was a fun one and they didn’t bother going ridiculous with things. If nothing else, having one of the people not involved in the title match take the fall made sense. On top of that, it was nice to not hear about gaining momentum for a match that has nothing to do with pinfalls, because that still doesn’t make sense.

Post match, Bey cleans house with a chair and then turns on his partners. Makes sense given what he’s been saying lately.

Brian Myers offers to pay Hernandez for his services but Hernandez wants full time pay. With that not working, Myers talks to someone we don’t see.

Here are Brian Myers and Sam Beale, with the former having to admit that Jake Something is professional. Cue Something, with Matt Cardona. Myers admits that Jake is a professional, but he is never going to become a star. The brawl is on with Cardona getting the better of things but Tenille Dashwood (Cardona’s ex), the mystery person from earlier, is here to hit Cardona low.

Post break, Cardona rants about Brian Myers but Scott D’Amore comes in to suggest a mixed tag. Cardona thinks he can find a partner.

Video on Moose vs. Chris Sabin.

Moose vs. Hernandez

Fallout from Moose wrecking Swinger’s Palace. They brawl out to the floor with Moose being sent into the barricade. Back in and a release Rock Bottom plants Hernandez and Lights Out is good for the pin at 1:08.

Post match Moose grabs a chair but Chris Sabin runs in for the save and takes out Moose’s legs.

We get a video on Sami Callihan’s insanity, with Don Callis and Kenny Omega adding their thoughts on how horrible Callihan is.

Slammiversary rundown.

Doc Gallows vs. Joe Doering vs. Fallah Bahh vs. Willie Mack

There are a bunch of people at ringside. Gallows and Doering stare each other down to start but Mack and Bahh break that up to start the fight. With the tall guys cleared out, Mack and Bahh chop it out but neither can hit anything else. That means a stalemate until the other two come back in to pair off. They all fight out to the floor until Mack takes Gallows back inside for an exchange of choking in the corner. Bahh hits the running hip attack but Doering comes back in to kick him to the floor.

Gallows and Mack take their places inside with Gallows booting him in the face. The chinlock goes on but Gallows misses an elbow, allowing Doering to come back in. That doesn’t last long either though as everyone goes outside for another slugout. Gallows hurts himself headbutting Bahh but is fine enough to go back in for a slugout with Doering. That winds up on the floor as well, with Gallows hitting the post by mistake. Back in and Doering crossbodies Bahh, setting up a short arm clothesline for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: C. Take four guys and have them beat on each other for about eight and a half minutes until one of them gets the pin. This is a formula that is going to work every time and it worked fine here. You don’t need to do anything more than that, though it is a little odd to have the champion actually win one of these on the way to the pay per view.

One last Omega vs. Callihan video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about setting up the pay per view and it did that well enough. It was kind of nice to focus on just about everything other than the World Title match, which was already been built up but did get some attention with a few videos. Impact knows how to do pay per views fairly well and making me want to see it is a good start, so well done here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eddie Edwards vs. W. Morrissey

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Sabin vs. Moose

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 24, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo brown

We are on the way to Slammiversary and the show is starting to take shape. This week is likely going to deal with the fallout of Tommy Dreamer (yep) being announced as the new Anthem representative, because not only do we need two bosses, but one needs to be Tommy Dreamer. Last week Dreamer fired Don Callis, right before Kenny Omega gets to defend against Sami Callihan. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the end of last week’s show with Dreamer announcing Callis’ firing. There is something interesting about the network representative firing a former network representative.

Don Callis and Kenny Omega arrive but Callis is not on the talent list. Callis lists off his recent accomplishments and he insists that he is here with Omega.

Rosemary vs. Kiera Hogan

Tasha Steelz is here with Hogan. We hit the stall button to start with Hogan bailing to the floor in a what is likely a wise move. Commentary talks about the MICKIE trash bag from last week as Rosemary plants Hogan with a side suplex for two. Hogan charges into a knee in the corner and it’s the Upside Down to make it even worse. Steelz trips Rosemary down though and it’s time for Hogan to choke on the rope. A lot of trash is talked so here is Havok to chase Steelz off.

Hogan hits a running corner dropkick for two and it’s time to stomp away in the corner. Another running boot sets up more stomping as Hogan is more aggressive than usual here. Back up and Rosemary grabs her by the throat, setting up an SOS slam. A Sling Blade sets up Austin Aries’ Last Chancery, sending Hogan over to the rope. Rosemary hits a reverse DDT for two but Hogan is back up with something like a bulldog. Hogan kicks her in the head for two but Rosemary is right back with As Above So Below for the pin at 8:02.

Rating: C. They aren’t being subtle about what they’re setting up with for the Tag Team Title match and they aren’t trying to. Rosemary and Havok are fine enough as the next challengers, as it isn’t like they have any regular teams around here in the first place. Rosemary winning likely means Havok beating Steelz soon, which is a tired trope it’s better than nothing.

We look at last week’s brawl between the X-Division.

Chris Bey isn’t joining either side in the X-Division battle. Trey Miguel and Petey Williams come in to ask which side he wants to be on. I believe he just answered that people.

Tommy Dreamer talks about how he is here to run the company for the best. Scott D’Amore come in to thank Dreamer for what he said last week but Dreamer is sticking around as a consultant. D’Amore isn’t happy.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Susan vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Non-title and Kimber Lee is here with Susan. They talk trash to each other to start with Purrazzo shoving her in the face. The headlock doesn’t last long as it’s time for a standing switch. Purrazzo takes her down with ease and stops to yell at Lee. A Tequila Sunrise has Susan in more trouble and something like a curb stomp makes it worse.

Susan is knocked outside and Lee has to help her back in so Purrazzo can grab a cross arm choke. A Backstabber out of said choke gets two, with Purrazzo pulling her up. Susan starts the comeback and manages a superplex but Purrazzo snaps on the Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 6:53.

Rating: D+. This was almost a squash with Purrazzo never being in anything close to trouble. Above all else, this match made me feel bad for Susan, who has fallen through the floor since this whole angle started. She went from being the force in the division to just a person and that is a shame. Purrazzo is awesome, but Susan deserves a lot better.

Post match Purrazzo stays on her but Kimber Lee makes the save, likely setting up next week.

TJP and Fallah Bahh b. Decay on Before The Impact.

Fallah Bahh keeps losing at Swinger’s Palace when Willie Mack and Rich Swann come in. Johnny Swinger doesn’t like him because the Mack And Pack connection is over. John E. Bravo and Swann compare shoes and a tag match is set up between Bahh/TJP and Swann/Mack.

Don Callis sucks up to Tommy Dreamer and talks him into being part of a six man tag against Kenny Omega/the Good Brothers.

Rohit Raju/Shera vs. Petey Williams/Trey Miguel

Raju hits Williams in the face to start but gets dropped into 619 position for a running dropkick to the back. The Tree of Woe O Canada has Raju in more trouble and it’s off to Miguel for a double hiptoss into a double backbreaker. Shera comes in to shove Williams into the corner and a quick powerslam plants him for two. We take a break and come back with Raju chinlocking Williams, who fights up in a hurry.

Miguel comes in to pick up the pace, including an atomic drop and cutter to drop Raju. Back up and Raju hits a quick jumping Downward Spiral but Miguel is over for the tag in a hurry. Williams cleans house and loads up the Canadian Destroyer but here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton for a distraction. Raju hits the Drive By for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. Pretty simple and effective way to set up the X-Division Title match, but there was little way around the fact that this is Impact’s version of the Money In The Bank building momentum match. I’m not sure what is happening to the title at Slammiversary, but does it matter given how the build has been going?

Post match Austin and Fulton come in for the brawl, with Josh Alexander running in for the save. That earns him a beating as well, with Chris Bey coming out to film the whole thing.

Sami Callihan is yelling at Tommy Dreamer when the interviewer comes in. They agree to be on the same team in next week’s six man. Moose comes up to say he’s in too and walks away. Apparently Dreamer won’t be on Team Dreamer and they need a third man. It’s going to be Tommy Dreamer isn’t it?

Rachael Ellering didn’t see the red flags with Jordynne Grace and she should have. Grace comes out so Ellering can talk about all of their time together and how she was at a low point when the team got together. Everyone kept telling Ellering that it would be better and now she is doing the same thing to Grace.

That isn’t what Grace wanted and a good partner or friend should have known. Tenille Dashwood is brought up and Grace cuts her off, saying she had a career before Ellering showed up. She loved having Ellering as a partner but she can do things on her own. Ellering brings up Dashwood again, drawing a threat from Grace.

Cue Jazz to say this is just a hurdle and they can get this together. Ellering is willing but Grace needs some more time. Grace storms off and here are Kaleb With A K and Tenille Dashwood to interrupt. She offers to be Ellering’s partner again but Ellering says no. They can have a match instead so the brawl is on, with Jazz and Ellering cleaning house. As mentioned last week: THEY WERE A TEAM FOR TWO MONTHS!!! STOP ACTING LIKE IT IS SOME BIG EPIC HISTORY!!!

Jake Something vs. Sam Beale

Brian Myers is here with Beale. Jake knocks him down to start and hits the running shoulder but stops to glare at Myers. Beale bails outside and comes back in with a high crossbody, which Jake pulls out of the air. Myers throws in a chair, which is kicked right back out. The Black Hole Slam finishes Beale at 2:22.

Post match Myers says Beale didn’t lose that, because he gets a lesson: never be like Jake Something.

Rich Swann and Willie Mack wish Eddie Edwards and Satoshi Kojima luck in their Tag Team Title shot. Edwards appreciates that and promises them the first shot.

Tag Team Titles: Satoshi Kojima/Eddie Edwards vs. Violent By Design

Deaner and Joe Doering are defending for Violent By Design, all of whom are here. Eddie and Doering start things off, with Eddie being sent into the corner in a hurry. Kojima comes in to take Deaner down by the arm and we take an early break. Back with Deaner getting double elbowed down but a Doering distraction lets Kojima hammer away. The champs take turns on Kojima in the corner, setting up Doering’s standing chinlock.

Doering can’t suplex him though and Kojima manages one of his own. Eddie comes in off the hot tag to start cleaning house but Doering breaks up the tiger driver. The champs get knocked to the floor for the stereo dives and we take a break. Back with a Rhino distraction letting Deaner grab a powerbomb out of the corner for two.

Deaner puts on a chinlock, followed by some standard choking in the corner. Doering comes in for a big boot but Deaner’s suplex is countered into a belly to back suplex. The hot tag brings in Kojima to clean house and the top rope elbow gets two on Deaner. A running neckbreaker drops Kojima but Deaner misses a middle rope headbutt.

Doering runs Eddie over with a high crossbody and now the top rope headbutt can connect for two. Everything breaks down with Doering hitting a double clothesline but the Koji Cutter drops the monster. The Boston Knee Party is countered into the revolution powerbomb though and Eddie is done at 19:13.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but I was rather surprised by how well this combination of Violent By Design held up. Doering and Deaner sounds like the lowest level of a team as you could have here but it worked out well. There wasn’t much of a chance of a title change as Kojima is just visiting, but at least they had a good match out of these four.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, this was a bunch of stuff thrown together without one big thing to focus on, but this was better than the usual stuff. Slammiversary is starting to look good and if they do it right, we should be in for a heck of a show. What we got here worked pretty well for about an hour and a half though and I’ll take that over what we get from Impact most of the time.

Results
Rosemary b. Kiera Hogan – As Above So Below
Deonna Purrazzo b. Susan – Fujiwara armbar
Rohit Raju/Shera b. Trey Miguel/Petey Williams – Drive By to Williams
Jake Something b. Sam Beale – Black Hole Slam
Violent By Design b. Eddie Edwards/Satoshi Kojima – Revolution powerbomb to Edwards

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 10, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

It’s the go home show for Against All Odds and that means it is time to focus on Moose vs. Kenny Omega for the World Title. Other than that though, we could use some build for the rest of the car. The rest of the card could use some attention of its own and odds are we might get that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Scott D’Amore is in the ring and brings in AEW owner Tony Khan. Tony thanks him for the welcome but here is Don Callis to join them with the smug starting fast. Callis knows that Kenny Omega is the greatest investment in Khan’s portfolio but there has been talk of Sami Callihan being involved in the title match with Moose. Callihan is blackballed all over this country but D’Amore brings up the Good Brothers interfering and causing chaos all over the place too.

Callis doesn’t go for it, instead talking about how Callihan is such a problem for the wrestling business. D’Amore says Moose vs. Omega will headline Against All Odds and Khan says they can have the match at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. That’s cool with Callis, but D’Amore says that the winner can face Callihan at Slammiversary. This is NOT cool with Callis but the music is already playing. They got the point over here pretty clearly so well done.

Commentary goes over what we just heard.

Here is what is coming tonight and at Against All Odds.

The Elite isn’t happy so they talk about putting a bounty on Sami Callihan. Scott D’Amore comes in to say instead of that, we can have the Good Brothers vs. Callihan/any partner in a street fight at Against All Odds (it’s going to be Tommy Dreamer). Callis mentions murder as a solution.

Brian Myers teaches Sam Beale about how to cut a promo. This turns into Beale praising Matt Cardona in a mock promo but Myers yells at him a lot.

Sami Callihan interrupts Scott D’Amore to rant about the tag match. He doesn’t know who he’ll get as a partner…and here’s Tommy Dreamer. I WASN’T BEING SERIOUS PEOPLE!!! Dreamer has been against all odds his entire career and since they both hate Don Callis, he’ll be the partner. And yeah Callihan will probably turn on him because everyone else does. Callihan says deal and promises to beat Dreamer up if he messes things up. D’Amore reminds Dreamer that he is his boss, but Dreamer doesn’t seem too impressed.

Rosemary vs. Havok

If Havok wins, she is added to the Against All Odds Knockouts Title match. Rosemary wastes no time in hitting a pair of spears for two. Some right hands have Havok in more trouble and something like a Last Chancery makes it worse. Havok finally gets up and powers her into the corner, setting up the hip attack. We take a break and come back with Havok grabbing a full nelson. That’s broken up in a hurry and Rosemary nails a spear for two. Back up and Havok misses a big swing, allowing Rosemary to hit a fourth spear for the pin at 4:17.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This was little more than a squash outside of that full nelson. Rosemary shrugged off what Havok did to her and hit four spears for the pin. The stipulation was a bit unnecessary but it did a nice job of making Rosemary look like a bigger threat to Purrazzo before their title match.

Post match Rosemary and Havok look at each other but Deonna Purrazzo, Kimber Lee and Susan come out to beat both of them down. Purrazzo and Lee grab holds so Susan grabs the mic….and wants Tasha Steelz out here to face Lee RIGHT NOW. Sure.

Tasha Steelz vs. Kimber Lee

Kiera Hogan is here in Steelz’s corner. Steelz starts fast with a dropkick into the corner but a springboard hurricanrana is countered into a buckle bomb. Lee hammers away on the mat and we hit the reverse chinlock. Some choking in the corner keeps Steelz down and Lee tosses her outside in a heap. Back in and Lee grabs a side slam for two as Hogan starts yelling again. Some rolling suplexes into a delayed suplex gets two on Steelz but a Swanton only hits knees. Lee misses a spinwheel kick and gets caught in a spinning Falcon Arrow for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C-. Lee got to showcase herself a bit here and the match was fine enough considering the circumstances. Fire N Flava are desperately in need of challengers and at least Lee and Susan are a fresh team. I’m not exactly expecting a title change, but it should be a good enough match given who is in there.

Another brawl breaks out post match, with Rosemary and Havok coming in to clean house. Hogan, after being caught by Rosemary: “H*** no!” Hogan, after turning around to see Havok: “D***!” A double chokeslam leaves Hogan laying and a triple threat seems likely.

Steve Maclin talks about everything he has gone through and his back is against the wall again. I’m moderately intrigued by this.

Josh Alexander waited for sixteen years to have a chance like he had last week. Now he’s looking forward to the five way #1 contenders match but here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to interrupt. Austin says watch the tag match tonight, but he is the only person Alexander has to watch out for.

Petey Williams/Trey Miguel vs. Chris Bey/Rohit Raju

Williams fights out of a headlock to start and hits a dropkick to the back. The Sharpshooter goes on in a hurry but Raju is in the ropes just as fast. Bey and Trey come in to pick up the pace, but neither can actually hit anything. Miguel kicks him in the ropes so it’s back to Williams for two off a double backbreaker. Bey offers a distraction though and Raju knocks Williams outside. A sitout gordbuster gets two on Williams and it’s back to Bey for a knee in the corner.

Williams can’t fight out of the corner as Raju cuts him off with a belly to back suplex. Bey gets shoved into Raju and the hot tag brings in Miguel to pick up the pace all over again. An Indian Deathlock has Bey down and Miguel adds a northern lights suplex for two on Raju at the same time. A snap German suplex drops Raju again as Williams and Bey fight to the floor. That leaves Miguel to kick away at Raju, who comes back with a jumping knee to the face. Williams is back in with his slingshot Codebreaker though and the Hourglass makes Raju tap at 7:24.

Rating: B-. This is what you’re looking for in the X-Division and it worked here too. They didn’t bother trying to build anything up and the whole match was all about one spot after another. There was a nice section in the middle with Williams having to fight his way out of the corner but this was all about the fast pace and it worked well.

Post match here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to wreck Miguel and Williams. Josh Alexander comes in and it’s a huge brawl, with Williams hitting a super Canadian Destroyer to knock Fulton silly (ok that was cool).

Willie Mack is ready to beat up W. Morrissey in a No DQ match tonight. Rich Swann wants Swann to save a piece for him on Sunday. Mack says cool, but he wants to do this on his own tonight, which is cool with Swann.

It’s time for All About Me with Tenille Dashwood, with Rachael Ellering getting to ask the questions this week. Jordynne Grace is here too though because she is Ellering’s partner and they do things together. Kaleb With A K pulls out a shirt, which Grace doesn’t approve of, but it’s for Tenille instead. Rachael is getting a bit sick of this because it’s disrespectful to the two of them. Grace challenges Tenille for Against All Odds and is off to get the match made before she can give an answer.

We look at Crazzy Steve beating Deaner on Before The Impact.

Violent By Design is ready for the Tag Team Title match at Against All Odds. Eric Young tells Deaner to not disappoint him and Deaner looks scared. Tonight, Joe Doering is ready for Eddie Edwards because he wants to take out Impact’s heart.

Joe Doering vs. Eddie Edwards

Violent By Design is here with Doering but Eddie is on his own. Doering shoves him down without much trouble to start and then hits a hard running shoulder. The neck crank goes on early and Doering elbows Eddie in the face for two. Eddie manages to muscle Doering up for a suplex and a low bridge puts the monster on the floor. That’s enough though as Deaner comes in for the DQ at 3:47.

Rating: C-. I could go for watching Eddie every week but Doering is just a boring monster. He plays his role well enough but it’s not like we’ve ever been given anything to make us care about him. The stable needs someone like him though and having him dominate a legend like Eddie made sense. Keeping it short was a good idea, but it wasn’t exactly much to see.

Post match the beating is on but Satoshi Kojima comes in for the brawl with Doering. The good guys clear the ring to stand tall.

Video on Moose vs. Kenny Omega, focusing on Moose wanting the elusive World Title.

The announcers talk about the World Title match.

Against All Odds rundown.

W. Morrissey vs. Willie Mack

No DQ. Morrissey powers him into the corner for a variety of choking to start and a knee to the ribs. Brown calls it a kitchen sink and actually EXPLAINS THE NAME OF THE MOVE, saying it’s like everything has been thrown at you, even the kitchen sink. Fair enough. Mack gets knocked down again and we take an early break. Back with Morrissey choking on the floor but Mack sends him into the steps.

Mack finds a chain for a shot to the leg and ribs, followed by a chair to the back. They head inside with Mack hitting a running splash in the corner, setting up the Cannonball. Morrissey is right back up with a big boot and it’s time to chair Mack in the back a few times. The chain is wrapped around Mack’s eyes and then underneath his nose to make it….worse? Maybe?

Some more chair shots to the back have Mack down again and Morrissey uses said chair to choke him in the corner. A big splash misses though and Mack kicks him in the head. There’s the standing moonsault for two and Mack gets in his own chair shots to the back. The Six Star only hits chair but so does Morrissey’s elbow. Back up and Morrissey kicks the chair into Mack’s face for the pin at 14:09.

Rating: C. This was a good way to make Morrissey look like a monster but it wasn’t exactly getting to a higher level. Instead, we got a bunch of chair shots and some chain stuff, which was only so interesting. Morrissey taking out Mack again does set him up for Rich Swann though, and that’s the idea here. Just fine a more interesting way to do it.

Post match Morrissey goes after Mack again but Swann runs in for the save. Security keeps them apart but Swann manages a chair shot to send him outside. A lot of staring ends as Josh rapid fire plugs Against All Odds to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling itself ranged from pretty good to not so great, but they accomplished their goal of setting up Against All Odds. That’s actually a heck of a trick given how it feels like little more than a stepping stone on the way to Slammiversary. We got a nice enough go home show here though, even if you don’t really need to see anything here.

Results

Rosemary b. Havok – Spear

Tasha Steelz b. Kimber Lee – Spinning Falcon Arrow

Trey Miguel/Petey Williams b. Rohit Raju/Chris Bey – Hourglass to Raju

Eddie Edwards b. Joe Doering via DQ when Deaner interfered

W. Morrissey b. Willie Mack – Big boot into a chair

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

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: 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:

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

AND

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