Impact Wrestling
Date: November 11, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We continue on the way towards Hard To Kill, though it is going to take some time to actually get there. There are a few things going on at the moment as well, which includes the build towards Turning Point. That could mean a few different ways to go on this show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Bullet Club vs. FinJuice

The winners get the Tag Team Title shot at Turning Point and Hikuleo is here with the Club. Bey headlocks Finlay to start and gets a grand total of nowhere. Instead Finlay takes him down and drops a knee to the chest. Robinson comes in for a slam and a backsplash crushes Bey again. Bey slips out of a delayed vertical suplex though and a distraction lets Robinson get dropped throat first across the barricade.

Back in and a legsweep takes Robinson down so El Phantasmo can hit a Lionsault. The top rope back rake wakes Robinson up a bit though and he starts firing off the snap jabs. The double tag brings in Finlay and Bey so the pace can pick up in a hurry. A running dropkick/Russian legsweep combination gets two on Bey and a modified Demolition Decapitator is good for the same. What looks like a Doomsday Device is broken up so Finlay dives onto the rest of the Club at ringside. Instead, Robinson rolls Bey up for two but Phantasmo hits a superkick to give Bey the pin and the title shot at 8:04.

Rating: C+. These guys work well together but it feels like a match we have seen far too often as of late. What we got was good with both teams doing their thing until the numbers game got the better of FinJuice. I’m not sure how well the Club vs. the Good Brothers is going to go, but at least it’s a fresh match, even if it involves the Good Brothers.

Post match the Good Brothers come out and the brawl is on, including Hikuleo clearing out Doc Gallows (who is shorter for a change).

Commentary previews Turning Point and tonight.

Scott D’Amore talks about Josh Alexander getting his rematch for the World Title but things are complicated. Cue Alexander, who says D’Amore won’t answer his calls. D’Amore knows Alexander is focused on Minoru Suzuki, so they can fight next week. When that is taken care of, then Alexander can go after the World Title.

We look back at Sam Beale pinning Brian Myers in a tag match on Before The Impact.

Brian Myers blames the Learning Tree for the loss. Zicky Dice keeps getting hit in the face off camera. Myers vs. Sam Beale is set for a singles match at some point.

Kaleb With A K vs. Minoru Suzuki

I sense pain. We see Josh Alexander watching in the back as Kaleb bails to the ropes to start. A variety of submissions send Kaleb to the ropes again but for some reason he tries slugging it out. This goes as expected and Suzuki hits the Gotch style piledriver to finish Kaleb at 1:37.

Moose isn’t worried about Eddie Edwards, Matt Cardona or W. Morrissey, who are in a #1 contenders match tonight.

Decay vs. Undead Bridesmaids

Decay clears the ring before the bell but here is the IInspiration to watch on the stage. We take a break and come back with the opening bell as Lee kicks Rosemary in the head for two. Rosemary pops up to beat on Lauren and Havok comes in to add a corner splash. Everything breaks down and Rosemary spears Lauren so Havok can get the pin at 2:10. Well that was fast.

Heath and Rhino are back together but it’s not done with Violent By Design. Rhino wants to get rid of Eric Young and they’re ready for Turning Point.

The IInspiration isn’t happy with the Undead Bridesmaids and will beat them up next week.

Chris Sabin doesn’t like Ace Austin’s “I Beat Chris Sabin” shirt and is ready to take him out at Turning Point.

Last week, Madison Rayne ranted about Mickie James so Scott D’Amore comes in to make Rayne vs. Mercedes Martinez for this week.

Madison Rayne vs. Mercedes Martinez

Martinez doesn’t like Madison running her mouth and hits an early delayed vertical suplex. Madison slips out of something though and hits a Codebreaker into a Backstabber for two. Some choking on the ropes and shoulders in the corner have Martinez in more trouble but she’s right back with a tiger driver. A short DDT connects but Madison is right back with an enziguri. There’s a Blockbuster to give Madison two more so she loads up the cutter, only to have Mercedes counter into a rollup for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: C-. I was a bit surprised at how much Madison got in here, as you would think this would be the place where Martinez should run through her to look like more of a threat to Mickie at Turning Point. Madison continues to be rather good in her latest comeback and I wouldn’t be shocked to see her in the title picture again at some point. That isn’t the case at the moment though, as Martinez vs. James should be great.

Post match Madison jumps her again and grabs a chair, only to have Mickie James make the save. With Madison gone, Mickie helps Martinez up and gets planed with an Air Raid Crash.

Steve Maclin is annoyed that he has lost twice in a row without getting pinned. Trey Miguel comes in and wants Maclin added to the X-Division Title match at Turning Point. Scott D’Amore comes in to say that Maclin can get in the title match if he beats Laredo Kid next week.

Sam Beale is ready to face Brian Myers next week because it’s time to show what he learned. Rich Swann and Willie Mack have his back but he has to do this alone next week.

Last week, Rohit Raju yelled at Rocky Romero.

Rohit Raju vs. Rocky Romero

Raj Singh is with Raju. They trade takedowns to start as Striker talks about how he used to be the opening match on a lot of cards back in the day. Yeah you’re still Matt Striker. Raju tries a leapfrog but gets poked in the eyes as Romero starts getting smart. Romero sends her outside and hits a running dive off the steps as we take a break.

Back with Raju chopping in the corner and Singh getting in some choking on the rope. Raju doesn’t get very far by cranking on the arm so Romero is right back with a running clothesline. The middle rope double stomp to the back gets two on Raju and a tornado DDT is good for the same. Raju takes him down and goes up top, only to miss a top rope knee. Romero’s running hurricanrana gets two and he takes Singh out for a bonus. There’s a running Sliced Bread for two more but Raju is back with the jumping knee. The running knee finishes Romero at 11:30.

Rating: C+. As usual, your mileage on both guys may vary, but they had a nice match here. The Singh stuff was annoying as Raju can’t get away from fairly lame tag partners for whatever reason. He’s good enough to do this on his own and I have no idea why Impact keeps having him do this stuff over and over. At least he can still do well enough in the ring though and that was the case here.

Hernandez has gotten Johnny Swinger a match with the two of them against Decay and the Demon. Swinger isn’t happy, so here is John E. Bravo to offer Fallah Bahh to even things up. That’s still not enough for Swinger, but the match is on anyway.

Chelsea Green wants the Digital Media Title and now she is in a #1 contenders match.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

W. Morrissey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Eddie Edwards

The winner gets a title shot against Moose at Turning Point. Cardona gets knocked down in the corner to start so Morrissey shoves Edwards over the top by the throat. That leaves Cardona to get beaten up but Edwards dives back in…and right into a choke from Morrissey. There’s the double chokeslam and we take a break with Morrissey dominating.

We take a break and come back with Morrissey splashing Cardona in the corner and hammering away as Edwards is down on the floor. The neck crank goes on, followed by the fall away slam to send Cardona flying. Edwards is back in with a knee to Morrissey, who sends him flying with another fall away slam. Edwards slips out of a suplex and gets his head kicked off for messing with Morrissey’s plans.

Cardona is back in to knock both of them down and it’s finally time to double team Morrissey. That goes well for all of ten seconds before he runs both of them over in a hurry. Edwards goes up top and Morrissey follows him, setting up the Tower of Doom. There’s a double suplex to put Morrissey down and he falls out to the floor. Cardona and Edwards slug it out but stop to deal with Morrissey again. The Boston Knee Party off the apron drops Morrissey again and a running knee to the back of Cardona’s head gives Edwards the pin and the title shot at 16:25.

Rating: C+. Another case where they stuck with the formula here and getting some positive results. Edwards vs. Moose is the right call for the title match as it’s hard to imagine Cardona getting the spot and Morrissey sounds like a big Impact main event. They told a nice story with having to deal with Morrissey and Edwards beating Cardona without much trouble, so this went as it should have.

Moose is watching from behind the stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this show as it did a nice job of setting up both next week as well as Turning Point. That’s the kind of show that you need from time to time and they made it work here. As usual, Impact knows how to set things up and then pay it off almost every week. Add in the fact that we had some good matches on top of it and I had a rather nice two hours.

Results
Bullet Club b. FinJuice – Superkick to Robinson
Minoru Suzuki b. Kaleb With A K – Gotch style piledriver
Decay b. Undead Bridesmaids – Spear to Lauren
Mercedes Martinez b. Madison Rayne – Rollup
Rohit Raju b. Rocky Romero – Running knee
Eddie Edwards b. Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey – Running knee to the back of Cardona’s head

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 26, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

Emergence has come and gone and that means it is time to start the path towards either Bound For Glory or whatever other one off show is taking place before then. Christian Cage is still the World Champion, having vanquished the horrible threat of Brian Myers. That means he needs a new challenger and we might be able to find out who that is tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Emergence.

Opening sequence.

Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan

Fallout from the Emergence #1 contenders four way. The brawl starts on the floor before the bell and Sami hits a powerbomb inside. The bell rings with Sami winning a slugout but being sent outside for the running flip dive from the apron. That doesn’t last long for Sabin, as Callihan powerbombs him into the post. Sami is having none of these chops from Sabin and pokes him in the eye before heading back inside. Sabin gets kicked off the ropes and it’s off to something like an Indian Deathlock.

That’s broken up so Sami takes him up top, only to get shoved back down. The missile dropkick gives Sabin two and it’s an exchange of strikes to the head for a double knockdown. They slug it out again until Sami takes his leg out, setting up a curb stomp. The Cactus Special gets two but Sabin is back with a kick to the face. Sabin grabs the Cradle Shock for the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C+. I continue to be impressed by Sabin’s resurgence, even though it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. Sabin is still one of the more talented in-ring stars Impact has and he has looked great in most of his matches. Throw in Sami doing well enough and I’m liking this section of the card fairly well.

Post match here is Moose to take Sabin out. Moose loads up the chair and baseball bat over Sami’s face but Eddie Edwards runs in for the save.

Taylor Wilde doesn’t like Tenille Dashwood, Kaleb With A K or Madison Rayne. Violence is promised.

Sami Callihan wants to know what was up with that from Eddie Edwards. Eddie says they have helped each other once and now they’re done. Sami: “No hug?”

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here is Mickie James to hype up NWA Empowerrr. She runs down the card, including Deonna Purrazzo defending the Knockouts Title against Melina. We get a video on the match but here are Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt to interrupt. Purrazzo can’t wait to represent women’s wrestling, but who wants to see a movie when they know the ending? Mickie talks about how Rehwoldt cost Melina her match at Emergence and Purrazzo says she might be underestimating Melina a bit. For now though, the fight is on but Trey Miguel runs in to take out Rehwoldt. Melina comes in to go after Purrazzo and the good women stand tall.

Brian Myers explains how to customize your gear. Sam Beale thinks Myers is trying to avoid talking about losing the World Title match but Myers isn’t hearing it. Maybe it’s time for an open casting call, with Beale asking if he is in charge of that.

Chris Bey vs. David Finlay

No seconds for a change and Finlay goes right after Bey in the corner. Bey tries to pick up the pace but walks into a dropkick for a trip to the floor. Back in and Bey sends him throat first into the middle rope for a breather. We take a break and come back with Bey choking and kicking away but Finlay is back up with a European uppercut.

Bey pulls him into a sleeper to cut that off though and then switches into a cravate. Finlay suplexes his way to freedom and they head outside, where Finlay sends him into the apron. Back in and a running elbow connects in the corner, setting up a chokebreaker for two. Deep Six gets two on Bey but he grabs a rollup out of the corner and uses the ropes for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: B-. Just like in the opener, there is no reason to be surprised by these two having a good match as they are both that talented. They went back and forth until Bey cheated to win like a good villain should. That’s how these two should go and it keeps the story going for at least a few more weeks.

Josh Alexander got a good fight from Jake Something at Emergence but Jake ran into the greatest X Division Champion of all time. Now he’s ready for his next challenge.

Here is Christian Cage for a chat. He beat Brian Myers at Emergence and now he’s ready for Ace Austin. Christian looks at the title…..but nah, Austin isn’t beating him for the title. Cue Tommy Dreamer, with Christian asking what is going on with Dreamer’s hair. Dreamer talks about how he didn’t like Kenny Omega and Don Callis being around here but now he knows Christian really cares about wrestling (I’m not sure I get the connection but Dreamer hasn’t been all there for years).

The seven years Christian was out of action was a dark time in wrestling and Dreamer thanks him for being so great for all these years and representing Impact Wrestling. Oh and Dreamer would love one more match with Christian. Cue Ace Austin and Madman Fulton, with Ace introducing himself to Christian.

Ace is a prodigy but Christian is the one making all the towns for both companies. He’ll get to keep doing that, but after Victory Road, Christian’s bag is going to be about ten pounds lighter. Christian says Ace should stand on his toes so he can be seen over the top rope. The brawl is on with Dreamer and Christian clearing the ring.

Eric Young says Rhino needs to be cleansed through violence.

Ace Austin wants a match with Tommy Dreamer next week. Scott D’Amore is fine with that, but if Dreamer wins, Victory Road is a triple threat.

Taylor Wilde vs. Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne

Taylor dives onto the three of them on the floor to start fast and kicks Kaleb With A K (in his neck brace) in the chest for two. The numbers game gets the better of her but Wilde sends the women into the corner to break it up. Wilde rolls Rayne up but a Spotlight Kick finishes Wilde at 3:08.

Rating: D+. There wasn’t much else that could have been done here and the match worked out about as well as could have been expected. Wilde losing sets up a few different singles matches down the line and it’s nice to see her having an actual story. Nothing to it from a match standpoint, but it moved things forward.

Post match the beatdown is on but Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace make the save.

Brandi Lauren is asked about Melina vs. Deonna Purrazzo but Su Yung and Kimber Lee abduct her.

Steve Maclin beat the returning TJP on BTI. Petey Williams made a save.

TJP isn’t happy with Petey Williams helping him because Fallah Bahh is his partner. Petey comes in and TJP isn’t going to thank him. They agree to stay out of each others’ ways.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christian Cage b. Monty Brown (the Big E. prototype in a lot of ways) at Destination X 2006.

Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green are ready for Mahabali Shera and Rohit Raju. Green even has the shirt to prove it.

Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans didn’t lose at Emergence. Fallah Bahh and No Way come in and agree to take care of each others’ problems next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Good Brothers

Non-title. Anderson sends Swann into the corner to start and hits him in the face for a bonus. Swann snaps off a headscissors to escape and it’s Mack coming in for a splash/legdrop combination. It’s off to Gallows, who misses a running shoulder in the corner so Swann can start in on the arm. Gallows isn’t having that and takes Swann into the corner to unload.

That doesn’t last long though as Swann gets away from Anderson and brings Mack back in to take over. Anderson gets in a few shots but Mack hits him in the face, allowing the hot (not really) tag back to Swann. House is cleaned again, including the rolling splash for two. Anderson’s spinebuster gets the same but Swann counters the Gun Stun into a rollup for the pin at 6:45.

Rating: C. There’s your title match setup because almost every company has to do this anymore. Mack and Swann winning the titles (which they almost have to eventually) will be a cool moment and it will be nice to see them finally pull it off. If they have to take them from the Good Brothers too, it makes things even sweeter.

Post match the brawl is on again, with Mack being sent into a chair in the corner and getting taken down by the Magic Killer. Mack is put through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opening two matches made this show work and the rest of the card was enough to keep it going. This was another pretty good show and they have me somewhat interested in seeing where the stories go. I’m not sure where things are heading for Bound For Glory, but I want to find out and that means they are doing well.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Sami Callihan – Cradle Shock
Chris Bey b. David Finlay – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Kaleb With A K/Tenille Dashwood/Madison Rayne b. Taylor Wilde – Spotlight kick
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Good Brothers – Rollup to Anderson

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: August 19, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We have a new World Champion around here and it happens to be someone who doesn’t actually work here (again). Christian Cage wont he World Title from Kenny Omega during the first edition of AEW Rampage. I’m not sure what that is going to mean for the future, but Brian Myers is the #1 contender so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Christian Cage defeating Kenny Omega to win the World Title last Friday. Cage is pleased with his win.

Josh Matthews and Gia Miller are in the ring to talk about Cage’s win but here are Eddie Edwards and W. Morrissey to brawl around ringside. Eddie hits the suicide dive but Morrissey is right back up take him down. Cue Sami Callihan to go after Morrissey, which is finally enough for security to get Morrissey out of there. Sami grabs the mic and says Eddie can thank him later. He has a match tonight and he doesn’t feel like waiting so get them out here RIGHT NOW.

Opening sequence. I thought they had forgotten.

Sami Callihan/Chris Sabin vs. Ace Austin/Moose

Madman Fulton is here with Austin/Moose and these four are in a four way at Emergence to crown a new #1 contender. The fans are behind Sami (“DEATH MACHINE!”) but Austin armdrags him down for some early annoyance. A running shoulder drops Austin though and Sami catches him in a running Death Valley Driver. The good (ish) guys start working on Austin’s arm, including Sabin snapping it over his shoulder. Austin’s springboard spinning kick to the face misses and Sabin knocks Moose off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Moose chopping Sabin so hard that his eyes bug out. A rake of said eyes draws Sami over but Sabin gets caught in the wrong corner again. Sabin manages a sunset flip out of the corner for two though and the hot tag brings in Sami to start cleaning house. Everything breaks down and Sabin hits a top rope tornado DDT to plant Moose. Sami takes too long with the THUMBS UP thing though, allowing Sabin to tag himself back in. The Cradle Shock finishes for Sabin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. This was a nice little preview of their match at Emergence and that’s all you needed out of a match like this one. What interests me the most here is how Sabin has revitalized his career. He has always been talented and treated like a big deal but now he is having the matches to back it up at this level. That’s a great thing to see and Sabin has been making it work every week.

Post match, Sami takes out Sabin, as he should.

Here’s what is coming tonight.

We look at the Good Brothers beating Jon Moxley/Yuji Nagata at New Japan Resurgence.

The Good Brothers are happy with what they did and tonight, Doc Gallows is going to take out Joe Doering.

Sami Callihan says Chris Sabin was fair game as soon as the match ended and he wants the World Title. Eddie Edwards comes up by Sami says they aren’t friends.

Shera vs. Matt Cardona

Rohit Raju and Chelsea Green are here too. I don’t hear a bell but Shera shoves him around to start anyway. Shera gets tossed outside though and Cardona hits a running dropkick through the ropes to rock him again. Raju grabs the foot though and Cardona gets kicked in the face as we take a break. Back with Shera dropping a big elbow for two and slapping on the chinlock. Cardona makes the comeback but charges into a backbreaker for two. A missed charge sends Shera into the corner but Green has to deal with Raju. Another missed charge lets Cardona hit the middle rope Radio Silence for the pin at 9:38.

Rating: C. It’s almost surprising to see how far Shera has fallen from the dancer into the monster into the jobber to the stars. I wouldn’t exactly call it a bad thing, but it’s kind of hard to fathom. What matters most here though is Cardona continues to find his place around here, which didn’t seem likely when he first debuted.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christian Cage wins the World Title from Jeff Jarrett in February 2006.

It’s time for the return of Locker Room Talk with Madison Rayne, who has to wake up Johnny Swinger. Anyway, the guests are Tenille Dashwood (Swinger approves) and Kaleb With A K, who are on the set of It’s All About Me. Since Rayne is supposed to ask her questions, she would like to know why they got together last week. Dashwood says they always wanted to but this was the perfect time, so it is time to take over the division. To be fair, it has been a few months since we had a new dynamic duo. Swinger and Kaleb With A K argue though (Kaleb With A K: “Go back to AOL!”) and a match seems likely to wrap it up.

Josh Alexander isn’t scared of Jake Something. Cue Jake to say he’ll give Josh a reason to be scared.

Post break, Jake Something and Kaleb With A K come up to Scott D’Amore to complain about things so they can face each other in a No DQ match tonight.

Here is Christian Cage to the big hero’s welcome. Christian says they’re going to make him blush and the nostalgia is strong around here. Yes he wrestles for AEW, but it was an honor to bring these titles back here where they belong. Impact gambled on him in 2005 and he was able to win World Titles, which was all he ever wanted. The YOU DESERVE IT chants come and go before Christian thinks it is time to retire the TNA Championship. That’s about the past, because the Impact Wrestling World Title is what matters right now. He hands the title off….and here are Brian Myers and Sam Beale to interrupt.

Myers talks about how this is really nostalgic and thinks we need Shark Boy or a Brown Bag Special. He has been killing it for a year around here and tomorrow night, he is taking the World Title. Christian says it’s nice to see Myers finally get out of Matt Cardona’s shadow and he even has his own guy to check his spelling. Myers has to learn how to lose because he knows how to win. He might be the most professional wrestler, but Christian is the BEST professional wrestler. The fight is on and Christian cleans house in a hurry. Nice segment to build a not that interesting title match.

Trey Miguel meets Melina and seems impressed. Melina….not so much.

We look at Deonna Purrazzo becoming the AAA Reina de Reinas Champion.

Melina vs. Brandi Lauren

Lauren is sent into the corner to start but gets up an elbow to the jaw. Melina hits an elbow of her own, followed by a quick middle rope crossbody. There’s a running knee to the back into a DDT and the Muta Lock goes on. Melina turns it over into the California Dream (Muta Lock with Melina on her stomach and pulling down) for the tap at 2:07. Just a squash.

Post match, Deonna Purrazzo runs in for the fight, with Matthew Rehwoldt and Trey Miguel running in as well. The good ones clear the ring.

We look at John Skyler beating Matt Cardona with a bit of an assist from Rohit Raju.

Skyler says of course that isn’t a surprise that he won and no, he didn’t need Rohit Raju’s help. Speaking of help, someone seems to need it and we go over to see a downed Juice Robinson.

We look at Jordynne Grace dominating a powerlifting competition, with Rachael Ellering in the crowd. She’s going for a national championship soon.

Jake Something vs. Kaleb With A K

No DQ and Kaleb With A K has a neck brace on (complete with a bowtie). Jake powers him into the corner to start and snaps off a belly to belly. There’s a Batista Bomb to plant Kaleb With A K again and it’s table time. A spear through said table finishes for Jake at 2:04.

Post match Josh Alexander comes out for the staredown.

Su Yung and Kimber Lee are still evil.

Emergence rundown.

Doc Gallows vs. Joe Doering

Karl Anderson and the rest of Violent By Design are here too. They waste no time in going to the slugout, which sends them outside. Doering is sent into the steps and we take a break. Back with Doering managing a German suplex as we hear about Doering’s time in All Japan. A slightly delayed vertical suplex drops Gallows again and they head outside to keep up the brawling. Gallows throws a char at Doering’s face, which isn’t a DQ because….I guess this is no DQ?

Back in and a double shoulder puts them back on the floor. Gallows wins the next brawl and they fight up the ramp, where Gallows hits a sitout chokebomb through the stage for the big crash. A few minutes later, they pull themselves out and go into the ring (with Striker doing his usual annoying over hype). Gallows goes up but dives into the lariat for the fast pin at 15:03.

Rating: D. It was slow, it wasn’t very interesting, and the rules weren’t exactly clear. The big spot in the middle was good, but if there was ever a spot to go to a no content, they went sailing past it by going back inside. Gallows just isn’t very good in the ring and Doering isn’t much better, leaving us with a way, way, WAY too long match here.

Violent By Design poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. I really wasn’t feeling this one, but it did a decent enough job of setting up Emergence. The opening match was pretty good but the long main event and a few short matches didn’t help things. I’ve seen far worse shows, but this was a bit of a downgrade off of what we have been seeing from Impact lately. They can start setting up Bound For Glory next week though, and that’s what matters in the near future.

Results
Chris Sabin/Sami Callihan b. Moose/Ace Austin – Cradle Shock to Austin
Matt Cardona b. Shera – Middle rope Radio Silence
Melina b. Brandi Lauren – California Dream
Jake Something b. Kaleb With A K – Spear through a table
Joe Doering b. Doc Gallows – Lariat

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

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

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

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

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

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

Chris Bey vs. Rohit Raju

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

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

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

The Drama King is coming.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. FinJuice

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

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

Opening sequence.

Brian Myers vs. Jake Something

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

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

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

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. ???

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Susan/Kimber Lee vs. Rosemary/Havok

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Slammiversary rundown.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Sami Callihan.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Satoshi Kojima

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tenille Dashwood vs. Rachael Ellering

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

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

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

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

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

TJP/Fallah Bahh vs. Willie Mack/Rich Swann

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

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

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

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

Chris Bey vs. Petey Williams

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

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

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

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

Deonna Purrazzo beat Kimber Lee on Before The Impact.

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

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

Steve Maclin vs. Manny Smith

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

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

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

Slammiversary rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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 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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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 13, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Matt Striker

It is the go home show for Under Siege and we have the lineup for the show’s six way #1 contenders match main event. That leaves tonight as little more than a standard go home show, which means we could be in for a rather fun show. Impact has been holding my interest fairly well lately so hopefully they can keep it up. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Havok vs. Rosemary

The winner gets a Knockouts Title shot against Deonna Purrazzo at Under Siege and the rest of Decay is here with Rosemary. They shake hands and then yell at each other a lot. Rosemary hammers away with forearms but bounces off of Havok. More shouting sets up stereo running boots before Havok sends her face first into the buckle.

There’s a running boot in the corner for two and Havok grabs the camel clutch. That’s broken up and Rosemary counters a charge into the Upside Down to slow Havok down for a change. Rosemary somehow manages a t-bone suplex for two but Havok pulls her up into the Tombstone for the pin out of nowhere at 6:02.

Rating: C-. Rosemary got to show off some surprising power here but Havok winning is another way to go. I can imagine Rosemary getting a title shot of her own in the near future, but they very well may hold off on that until Slammiversary. Havok will do very well for now and it should be a good power vs. technical title match.

Post match here is Deonna Purrazzo to go after Havok but she gets knocked outside. Rosemary throws her back in and Decay cuts off Kimber Lee and Susan. The Tombstone plants Purrazzo.

Here is what is coming tonight and at Under Siege.

The Good Brothers are ready for tonight and Saturday. Kenny Omega says he is the game changer and the reason why the team is back on track. Violence and success are promised, though Omega having all three belts on didn’t help the seriousness.

Petey Williams vs. Ace Austin vs. Acey Romero vs. TJP vs. Rohit Raju vs. El Phantasmo

One fall and the winner gets the X-Division Title shot at Under Siege. Madman Fulton, Mahabali Shera and Larry D. are all at ringside. Romero gets jumped to start but manages to shove them away so we can get down to the usual insanity that these matches bring. Romero pulls Austin off the apron and sends him into the barricade but TJP nails a slingshot dropkick to finally put the monster down.

That gives us TJP vs. Phantasmo with the former snapping off a great running hurricanrana. Phantasmo is back up for a rope walk….but stops to pick up Austin for a Death Valley Driver off the top and onto the pile, because that’s something he can do. We take a break and come back with TJP sending Raju into the corner for some standing/running kicks to the face.

Romero comes back in to sweep Raju’s legs and hit a splash to the back for two. Phantasmo gets to clean a bit of house but Williams hits a slingshot Codebreaker. The Canadian Destroyer gets two on Phantasmo but Austin is back with a running kick to the head. A short string of dives sets up the brawl between the seconds, leaving TJP to hit the Detonation Kick on Phantasmo. The Mamba Splash misses though and Phantasmo hits a top rope splash of his own to TJP. Williams makes the save but walks into Phantasmo’s arm trap Neutralizer for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C+. The action was good, but I’m not bit on these wild multi person matches. There is no flow or story to them and they are just a bunch of spots until someone gets the pin. The spots were good and some of the stuff was entertaining, but I can only get so into them. Granted Phantasmo vs. Josh Alexander could be incredible.

Susan and Kimber Lee comes in to show Scott D’Amore a clip of Tenille Dashwood on her phone. The result: Susan/Lee vs. Dashwood/Taylor Wilde at Under Siege.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Havok b. Gail Kim for the Knockouts Title on the October 1, 2014 Impact.

Violent By Design says failure will not be tolerated and must be crushed. Eric Young isn’t sure what caused the problem but then he realized that the sickness is the problem. Nothing is guaranteed and change is the only thing you can trust. You’ll be seeing a lot of them.

We go to Swinger’s Palace where Alisha Edwards is now working, presumably to pay off her debts. Ace Austin and Madman Fulton come in to name themselves #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles but some other teams come in to disagree. TJP knows he could get a title shot with the right partner, so here is Petey Williams (the amount of dirt he has on this company must be astounding) to tease the Scott Steiner promo on the odds of the title change. That is cut off in a hurry, and a multi team match seems likely.

Sam Beale vs. Willie Mack

Mack starts fast with the swinging slam into the standing moonsault for two before hurting his hand on some shots to the face. Beale gets in a kick to the face, followed by a few knees to the ribs. A pop up right hand drops Beale and the frog splash finishes him off at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Just a quick match here to get Mack some momentum going into the Under Siege match against Morrissey. I’m not sure why Mack hasn’t gone a little bit further around here but at least he has a big enough match set up for the show. This was a squash, but Beale has looked decent in his appearances.

Post match here is W. Morrissey to drop Mack again.

David Finlay, with Juice Robinson and Eddie Edwards, is ready for Karl Anderson tonight. The other two are ready for the Under Siege six man tag too. Eddie has even brought back Kenny the Kendo Stick.

Slammiversary ad, featuring various recently released WWE stars and past Impact names.

It’s time for It’s All About Me with Tenille Dashwood and her guest….Kaleb With A K. Taylor Wilde comes in to have a chat of her own, as she doesn’t like Dashwood cheating last week. They couldn’t really talk about it because she doesn’t have Dashwood’s number as they aren’t friends. Under Siege is a one off because they are not friends or partners. Kaleb With A K: “Hashtag awkward.” Dashwood seems cool with it though.

Karl Anderson vs. David Finlay

Doc Gallows, Kenny Omega, Don Callis, Eddie Edwards and Juice Robinson are all here too. Anderson starts hammering away but Finlay pops him in the jaw a few times. Some of the seconds offer trips but Gallows gets in another trip to take over. Finlay is sent outside for some choking against the barricade so commentary can talk about Japan.

Back in and Anderson hammers away before raking away at the eyes. We hit the chinlock for all of five seconds before Anderson blasts him with a clothesline. Another chinlock is countered into a hard belly to back and Finlay slingshot dives onto Omega and Gallows. An Indian Deathlock goes on back inside but Omega comes in for the DQ at 5:50.

Rating: C-. This was another match that didn’t have the time to go anywhere but it wasn’t supposed to be anything more. They previewed Saturday’s six man and while your mileage might vary on the story, what we got here was certainly good enough. If nothing else, it was another week without Omega talking and that’s a good thing.

Post match the brawl is on and Kenny the Kendo Stick is enough to chase the villains off.

Chris Sabin feels bad for not having James Storm’s back in Storm’s qualifying match. He’ll face Moose tonight in a six man tag and we’ll see what happens.

Video on Under Siege.

Earlier tonight on Before The Impact, Tasha Steelz beat Jordynne Grace.

Grace is upset over the loss but Rachael Ellering tells her to save it for Under Siege.

Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve takes him down for a very quick two and Myers is a bit scared in the corner. He even bails to the floor where Black Taurus scares him again, earning an ejection as we take a break. Back with Myers kicking Steve in the head and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up but so is Steve’s tornado DDT. Myers grabs a rollup for the pin with feet on the ropes at 7:17. Not enough shown to rate but it keeps the Myers vs. Decay feud going, as odd as it might be.

Post match Black Taurus comes back in to run Myers over and leaves a death card.

Don Callis doesn’t like how this place is being run but here is Scott D’Amore to interrupt. D’Amore remembers Callis messing with Moose’s head last week, which is why James Storm is out of action with an injury. Maybe Callis needs to figure out if he is an AEW manager or an Impact Wrestling executive.

Under Siege rundown.

Chris Sabin/Matt Cardona/Trey Miguel vs. Moose/Sami Callihan/Chris Bey

Callihan takes Sabin into the corner to start but a crucifix gives Sabin a quick two. Cardona comes in but gets taken down by Bey as we see the Elite watching in the back. It’s off to Miguel, who jumps over Cardona for a backsplash onto Bey. The Pendulum has Bey in more trouble but Bey misses a jumping double stomp. Bey kicks Miguel down without much trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Moose hammering on Miguel and handing it off to Callihan for some chops in the corner. Miguel gets two off a sunset flip, earning himself a dropkick from Bey. Moose is back in with a one handed slam and the two handed version puts him down just as quickly. Now it’s Callihan coming back in for a slam into a chinlock. That’s broken up in a hurry and Miguel kicks him in the head, setting up a double clothesline for the double knockdown.

The hot tag brings in Cardona to clean house, with Sabin tagging himself in for a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination. Everything breaks down and Miguel counters Moose’s powerbomb into a hurricanrana into the post. Bey forearms Sabin, who counters the package piledriver. Back in and Miguel missile dropkicks Moose back to the floor but Callihan package piledrives Sabin for the pin at 14:37.

Rating: C+. This was the exactly right idea to build up the Under Siege six way and it gives us an interesting twist with Sami getting some momentum. He might be a wild card in the match and that could be what the match needs. Moose would still seem to be the heavy favorite and was treated like a monster here, but there are a good many options (six I believe).

Moose and Callihan get in a shoving match post match.

Callis looks worried to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The point of this show was to make me want to see Under Siege and they did that well enough. It still isn’t a show that means very much with both main events being matches designed to set up things later but they made it fairly interesting here. That’s a tricky thing to do and they did a nice job here, so well done enough.

Results

Havok b. Rosemary – Tombstone

El Phantasmo b. Ace Austin, TJP, Rohit Raju, Petey Williams and Acey Romero – Arm trap faceplant to Williams

Willie Mack b. Sam Beale – Six Star Frog Splash

David Finlay b. Karl Anderson via DQ when Kenny Omega interfered

Brian Myers b. Crazzy Steve – Rollup with a grab of the rope

Sami Callihan/Chris Bey/Moose b. Chris Sabin/Matt Cardona/Trey Miguel – Package piledriver to Sabin

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