IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 24, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matt Striker, Josh Matthews

The show has taken a bit of a weird turn in recent weeks and that’s not exactly the best news. The big story this week seems to be Wrestler’s Court as Detective Dreamer continues to try and find who shot John E. Bravo. Other than that, we have the continuing issues of Eric Young and Joe Doering, because the world was waiting for more Doering. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Scott D’Amore tries to get John E. Bravo’s doctor to pull the plug but is relieved (I think?) to hear that he’s in stable condition. The doctor says it might not be the same Bravo when he wakes up. D’Amore doesn’t seem crushed but promises justice.

Knockouts Tag Team Tournament First Round: Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz vs. Sea Stars

The Stars are sisters Delmi Exo and Ashley Vox. Exo and Hogan start things off with the much bigger Exo taking her to the mat for a Gator Roll. A sunset flip gets two on Hogan, which certainly does not seem to please her. Vox comes in for a running neckbreaker and it’s off to Steelz, who suckers Vox in without much trouble. Vox’s dropkick gets two but it’s a spinebuster to give Steelz two.

The running forearm in the corner allows the tag back to Hogan for a running kick to the face. Vox slugs away and hits a running headbutt, allowing the hot tag to Exo. House is cleaned, including a northern lights suplex and some running elbows in the corner. It’s back to Vox for an Air Raid Crash for two on Hogan but Steelz cuts Vox off. A fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Exo at 7:11.

Rating: C-. The Stars were fine for a one off opponent and they seem to have teamed together somewhat extensively before. They weren’t about to win here over one of the tournament favorites though, making this more of a showcase than a competitive match. Not great, but the Stars sticking around wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Jordynne Grace is with her new mystery partner…..Jazz, who doesn’t think winning the tournament is going to be that hard. Jazz isn’t quite the major announcement but she does have a resume.

Here is what is coming tonight.

The North is rather pleased that Doc Gallows is going to be out of action for 4-6 weeks. Josh Alexander isn’t sure what this means for the Tag Team Titles but Ethan Page says he has this.

And now, Wrestler’s Court with Johnny Swinger being accused of shooting John E. Bravo. Madison Rayne is his attorney as this is being presented like People’s Court, complete with voice over. Swinger: “Best house I ever drew.” Madison tells him to be quiet as we meet the prosecutor: D’Lo Brown from the Nation Of Litigation. Tommy Dreamer is judge of course (the Innovator of Jurisprudence) and he does his old pose on the way to the bench, which is an anvil case.

Madison says this isn’t fair because Dreamer was the investigator so Dreamer and Brown switch places. That means Brown gets a powdered wig and Dreamer wants the chest protector. Brown suggests that Dreamer better recognize, so Dreamer thanks the honorable Uncle Phil and starts in on his opening statement. Dreamer says this is an easy case if you look at all of the facts. Madison’s opening statement: Swinger is too stupid to have pulled this off.

We go to the first witness with Fallah Bahh, who says Swinger did it out of jealousy for not being the best man. Then Cody Deaner talks about finding the gun in Swinger’s fanny pack. Acey Romero, in a Nasty Boys shirt, says he found Swinger’s fingerprints on the gun….along with the Deaners’, Dreamer’s, just about everyone else here, Greg Valentine’s and Ron Simmons’ (Brown: “D***! Always wanted to do that.”) Swinger tries to offer Brown beer and Rayne looks ready to jump out of a window. More on this later, as I want to jump out of a higher window.

Here’s Rohit Raju to complain about everyone who has been complaining about his title reign. They hide behind their keyboards like a bunch of losers, but for now it’s time for the Defeat Rohit Challenge.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju vs. Suicide

Raju is defending. Hold on though as Raju doesn’t believe that it’s really Suicide because he’s smarter than that. Therefore, this one is non-title.

Rohit Raju vs. Suicide

Non-title. Suicide starts fast with the armdrag into a dropkick but gets knocked to the floor for his efforts. Back from a break with Raju working on the mask and then elbowing Suicide down for two. Some quick choking lets Raju go for the mask again, followed by some chops against the rope. Suicide can’t get the Black Widow as Raju belly to back suplexes his way to freedom. A neckbreaker puts Suicide down and Raju gets the mask off. For some reason we don’t look at his face but here’s TJP to make the idea clear for us. The guy, whose face we still don’t see, grabs a sunset flip for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C-. It’s an angle that has been done time after time and that is the case because it has worked every time. You can see why Raju would go for the trap and then fall for it, possibly to the point where he is willing to give TJP another shot for the sake of some revenge. That makes sense and it worked fine here.

It’s Crazzy Steve.

Sami Callihan fires Ken Shamrock up but here’s Moose to say Shamrock is going after the secondary World Title. Moose respects Shamrock, but if he wins the title, Moose is coming to beat him again. Sami has to hold Shamrock back.

Kaleb With A K and Tenille Dashwood are seeing which glasses work best for her but here’s Alisha to come in and say they need to tag again. Dashwood doesn’t quite say no but she certainly doesn’t seem thrilled. I’d hope Alisha is smarter than this.

Kimber Lee vs. Killer Kelly

Deonna Purrazzo and Renee Michelle are the seconds here. Lee stomps away in the corner and throws Kelly down. A figure four with the legs has Kelly down again but she gets back up with a headbutt. Kelly hits a running basement dropkick in the corner but Lee is back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The Swanton finishes Kelly at 3:08.

Rating: D+. Kelly has never quite impressed me in the few times I’ve seen her but she did well enough here. You can only get so far with this kind of a match in the first place but it was more about getting her feet wet than anything else. Lee needed a win too as she has been little more than Purrazzo’s lackey for a long time.

Post match here’s Susie to say that Lee and Purrazzo hurt her friend and that’s bad. Now her friend is here to hurt them. Cue Su Yung to wreck the two of them (as Susie, albeit with her back to the ring, stands on the stage), with Purrazzo and Lee bailing.

Alex Shelley is back and the Motor City Machine Guns have a three step process: 1. XXXL, 2. The North, 3. The Good Brothers and the Tag Team Titles. Simple enough.

Rich Swann is sorry for what Willie Mack had to go through last week but Mack says he’s always been fighting. Chris Bey comes in to say he wants a title shot and calls Mack a loser. The threat of violence has Bey out the door.

Here’s Ethan Page to face an opponent of Karl Anderson’s choosing, but here’s Anderson for a chat first. Anderson says we’ve been having a Good Brothers Party as of late. Doc Gallows is hurt right now though because of Page so now if Page wins, the North gets a Tag Team Title shot. Anderson never rolls alone and has an opponent, who is Phenomenal. And this is what we get.

Ethan Page vs. AJ Swoggle

That would be the Wee-nomenal AJ Swoggle. He comes out to AJ’s old music (nice to hear that again) and does look a good bit like Styles. Page gets on his knees to start so Swoggle hits AJ’s Phenomenal Blitz for a nice touch. A Josh Alexander distraction lets Page kick him down though and Page gets in a running shoulder as well. Page seems to load up his own Styles Clash but Swoggle bites the leg to escape. Swoggle kicks him down and after Anderson gets rid of Alexander, a rollup finishes Page at 2:28. It was fine for a one off joke, but on the same show as Wrestlers’ Court, this might not have been the best place.

Post match Page looks ready to break down.

It’s back to Wrestlers’ Court where Rayne looks frustrated at having to question Swinger, so Dreamer gets his chance. Dreamer asks if Swinger thought he could get away with this, so Swinger brags about how awesome he is. Swinger: “I’m the OJ Simpson of professional wrestling daddy!” Dreamer asks when he last read a newspaper. Swinger: “1991 daddy. Something happen since then?” A dejected Madison says the defense rests and, after a break, Dreamer calls James Mitchell.

Dreamer asks about virgin blood, which is highly prized for its powers. That gets Dreamer’s attention, but we cut to Rosemary as the next witness (being sworn in on the Necronomicon). She won’t answer about when she was first attracted to Bravo because that’s a bit personal. Dreamer asks if she ever loved Bravo, which is a no. Of course she didn’t love him but she couldn’t resist the power of the virgin blood which would have made her the most powerful creature in the realm.

Cue Bravo, still in his hospital gown, to say Rosemary is the worst thing that ever happened to him. Bravo knows who shot him though because he could smell it. Post break, Larry D. is on the stand and Dreamer has him hooked up to a lie detector. Larry says he didn’t shoot Bravo, but Dreamer uses cologne to turn him into Lawrence D., who did in fact shoot him. Brown declares Johnny Swinger not guilty. Counting the break, this got over fifteen minutes. I think that speaks for itself.

Fallah Bahh vs. Daivari

Wait, so Bahh can be in Wrestlers’ Court and wrestle later but I have to listen to Matt Striker instead of Madison Rayne on commentary? Joe Doering and Eric Young come in to jump Bahh for the DQ at 32 seconds.

Post match Young says this world is sick and they are the cure. Cue Rhino to go after Doering but he gets beaten down as well.

TJP comes up to Crazzy Steve and Swoggle but Brian Myers comes in to mock all three of them. To recap: the last few segments have been an AJ Styles parody, Wrestlers’ Court, Eric Young and his monster that maybe .4% of the fans will know anything about and Curt Hawkins. This show has fallen WAY downhill and it’s just getting worse.

Kimber Lee and Deonna Purrazzo ask James Mitchell to turn their Su Yung problem into a Susie problem. He’ll do it, for a price.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Swann

Shamrock is challenging and has Sami Callihan in his corner. Swann rolls away to start but Sami grabs his leg so Shamrock can get in a cheap shot. That’s good for an early ejection and Swann uses the distraction to hit a dropkick. Shamrock knocks him down with a hard shot though and it’s time to work on Swann’s leg. Back up and Shamrock hits Swann in the face, because Shamrock doesn’t make things more complicated than he needs to. Some stomps to the hand keep Swann in trouble and it’s a front facelock to make it worse.

We take a break and come back with Swann hitting some clotheslines. Shamrock kicks him down though and we hit the chinlock. Swann fights up and hits a few kicks to the head with a big one putting Shamrock down. Rolling Thunder gets two and a sunset flip is good for the same, only to have Shamrock reverse into a triangle. That’s switched into a cross armbreaker but Swann’s foot is under the rope. Swann kicks away some more, only to get pulled into the ankle lock. That’s reversed into a quick victory roll to retain the title at 13:41.

Rating: B-. Swann was doing what he could here and the strikes managed to slow Shamrock down just enough. Shamrock was still coming off like a monster though, which says a lot about someone at his age. He’s rather effective at this kind of thing and believe it or not I could go for more of him doing this kind of thing.

Post match Sami comes back out for a package piledriver on Swann. Callihan grabs the baseball bat but here’s Eddie Edwards for the failed save attempt. The beatdown is on with Sami hitting Eddie in the face with the bat to bust him open. D’Lo Brown comes out to yell at Sami and gets taken out with the bat as well. More officials come out to yell to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Remember a few months ago when Impact was on a roll and putting on good shows? Well forget all of that because this was really bad stuff with the good main event not being able to come close to saving it. This show felt like it was two shows pasted together with WAY too much time being spent on Tommy Dreamer and the Wacky Shooting Mystery. Just like last time with Wrestlers’ Court, I’m sure they had a lot of fun shooting it but that thing got more time than the World Title match.

You can do comedy in spurts (like the Swoggle thing, which was in and out in about five minutes, including pre-match promo) but when it’s the biggest part of the show like this, it loses its, pardon the intentional pun, impact. A lot of this show felt like it was for the wrestlers instead of the audience and that isn’t how something like this is supposed to work.

Results

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz b. Sea Stars – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Exo

Suicide b. Rohit Raju – Sunset flip

Kimber Lee b. Killer Kelly – Swanton

AJ Swoggle b. Ethan Page – Rollup

Fallah Bahh b. Daivari via DQ when Joe Doering interfered

Rich Swann b. Ken Shamrock – Victory roll

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Turning Point 2020
Date: November 14, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

So this is one of Impact Wrestling’s Impact Plus specials and for once, the card actually looks pretty good. In addition to that, it seems like some things actually took place on the show and that makes it worth a watch. I won’t be doing these regularly but once in awhile can’t hurt. The company putting the whole thing up for free on YouTube helps too. Let’s get to it.

The opening video sets up the major matches, many of which are fallout from Bound For Glory. There is some stuff that has been built up since then though and the card has potential.

Eddie Edwards vs. Daivari

Daivari popped up at Bound For Glory. Edwards works on the wrist to start and then armdrags him into an armbar, so as to continue modern wrestling tradition. That works so well that he does it again before sending Daivari into the corner without much effort. A missed charge goes into the post though and Daivari bends the arm around the barricade.

Back in and Daivari works on his own armbar before sending the shoulder into the corner a few times. At least he’s mixing it up a bit. Edwards’ arm is fine enough to hit a suplex but Daivari sends him outside without much effort. That means another ram into various objects to keep Eddie in trouble again.

Daivari cranks on the arm back inside but goes up, allowing Eddie to hit the Backpack Stunner. Eddie goes up this time but gets crotched (Josh: “Eddie just looks like he’s in pain a lot of the time.”), giving us a double knockdown. Back up and the tiger driver gives Edwards two, as does Daivari’s rollup with feet on the ropes. The Boston Knee Party finishes Daivari at 11:26.

Rating: C. Eddie is good for a nice performance against anyone and Daivari has never been in better shape. This worked fine for an opening match and it’s often a good idea to have Eddie go over to start things off. There was no story coming in but it wound up working out just fine.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie vs. Tenille Dashwood/Jordynne Grace

Kaleb With A K handles Dashwood’s entrance as tends to be his custom. Dashwood is ready to start things off but hold on as she needs another picture. That earns her some choking in the ropes so it’s quickly off to Taya vs. Grace. They fight over wrist control until Grace runs her over for two. Taya gets her into the corner for some running hip attacks from both herself and Rosemary, the latter of whom slaps on a Muta Lock. A boot to the chest into a German suplex gets two on Grace but Dashwood tags herself in.

That means Grace’s spinebuster doesn’t give her anything but it does give Dashwood two. The low crossbody gets two more on Taya but she’s right back with a clothesline. Taya spears Grace down and there’s the….well it would have been a double tag if Dashwood hadn’t dropped to the floor for photos. Rosemary cleans house and gets the Upside Down on Grace. The Wing Clipper finishes Grace at 8:14.

Rating: C-. Not as good as the opener but completely watchable as the build towards the Knockouts Tag Team Title tournament continues. Rosemary and Taya could be a good choice to make a run in the thing while Dashwood continues to be just kind of there. The “It’s All About Me” deal is only going to get her so far, but at least it’s better than having her disappear for long stretches at a time.

Cody Deaner freaks out on Cousin Jake for not being there for him, costing him a match to JOHNNY SWINGER. It’s time to redeem the Deaner name. Do we have to?

Brian Myers vs. Swoggle

Swoggle says this is his home to start but Myers wants him to lay down. That just means a running headscissors from Swoggle and Myers heads to the floor, setting up a suicide dive. Swoggle gets tripped into the steps though and has to beat the count back in. We hit the reverse chinlock and the cocky stomping is on. Myers asks if Swoggle wants some water so Swoggle comes back with some chops.

More trash talk ensues so Swoggle hits him in the face and grabs a German suplex. A cutter looks to set up the tadpole splash but Myers kicks him in the head. That earns Myers a bite to the leg and now the tadpole splash can connect for two. Myers gets in a shot to the face though and a clothesline finishes Swoggle at 8:21.

Rating: D+. This is one of those matches that is only going to go so far and they hit that limit. Swoggle is a heck of a lot more than just some comedy joke but at the same time you can only get so much out of him. Myers is better than he was before, but he still isn’t exactly someone I look forward to seeing.

Post match Myers goes after Swoggle again but Crazzy Steve chases him off.

XXXL isn’t worried about the dream team of Chris Sabin/James Storm because reality is going to look the two of them in the face. Size matters.

Chris Sabin/James Storm vs. XXXL

Fallout from XXXL attacking Sabin’s regular partner Alex Shelley. Larry isn’t having anything of Sabin’s running shoulders so Sabin kicks the knee out. A running dropkick to the back of the head allows the tag to Storm for a double clothesline. Larry gets sent sent outside for a kick to the face and a whip into the steps but it’s off to Acey anyway.

Some double teaming in the corner rocks Romero but he runs Sabin over and hits a running dropkick. It’s back to Larry for two off a Falcon Arrow with Storm having to save. Romero’s sitdown splash misses so he sits on Sabin’s back to cut off the tag attempt instead. The neck crank goes on for all of five seconds before it’s back to Larry to punch Sabin in the chest. Sabin fights out of another neck crank and gets his knees up to stop another sitdown splash, meaning the hot tag brings in Storm.

Everything breaks down and Larry is sent outside, leaving Sabin to backdrop Storm onto Romero. More dives take out XXXL again and there’s a double suplex to Larry. They try the double catchphrase and get…..Beer Guns. Eh it’s a work in progress. Larry is back up with a clothesline to Storm but Sabin enziguris him into the corner. XXXL collides though and it’s Storm’s Codebreaker, Sabin’s enziguri and the Last Call to finish Romero at 11:25.

Rating: C+. This was pure formula stuff but Sabin and Storm working so well together does make a lot of sense. They fought each other so many times during their time with their regular partners that it makes sense that they know each other this well. Not a great match or anything, but a formula tag match from two teams who worked it rather well.

The Deaners go looking for Johnny Swinger and find the loaded fanny pack…..which contains a GUN. Holy John E. Bravo connection.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju vs. Cousin Jake

Raju is defending and this is an open challenge. Jake doesn’t take kindly to Raju mocking his size and runs him over without much trouble. A big clothesline gives Jake two but he misses a charge into the corner. What looked to be a Boss Man Slam doesn’t work and Raju hits a jumping double stomp to the back.

The Crossface attempt is blocked with raw power so Raju tries a standing armbar instead. More power gets Jake out of trouble again and there’s a running shoulder in the corner. Jake counters a tornado DDT into an over the shoulder piledriver for two but Raju is right back up with running strikes in the corner. A Cannonball is countered into a Batista Bomb for two but Raju hits back to back jumping knees for the pin to retain at 7:09.

Rating: C. I know it doesn’t matter because it’s just Impact, but Raju deserves some mention for Most Improves Wrestler of the Year. The Desi Hit Squad was an absolute joke and there to get Mahabali Shera over. Now Raju is on his own and is doing rather well, which is about 495% more than you could have ever expected. Nicely done and a heck of a success story for Impact.

Post match here are Eric Young and Joe Doering (former FCW wrestler and All Japan Triple Crown Champion) to wreck the Deaners. Well they need someone new in there so it’s fine to give him a shot.

The Good Brothers want the Tag Team Titles because they’re the only titles they haven’t won. They’ve even reinforced their mantles to hold the new belts.

TNA World Title: Willie Mack vs. Moose

Moose is defending. They waste no time in slugging it out and Moose gets low bridged to the floor. Mack follows to the apron and gets tripped down in a hurry, with Moose shouting to Rich Swann that this is what pain feels like. A whip sends Mack into the steps and Moose shouts down at him even more. Back in and Moose chokes on the rope before grabbing the chinlock.

Mack fights up so Moose hits a dropkick as Josh compares Moose’s attitude/athleticism to Brock Lesnar. That sounds extreme but….eh maybe if he continues to develop. Now it’s time to start in on the ankle and then a hard whip into the corner has Mack down again. The destruction continues until Mack avoids a charge and hits a running pump kick. The Cannonball connects in the corner but Moose pops back out with a release Rock Bottom.

One heck of a slap wakes Mack up and he hits some running clotheslines but can’t put Moose down. They trade kicks to the face but Mack is back with the swinging slam. The legdrop gets two on Moose so Mack goes up, only to get caught with a top rope superplex. Mack avoids the spear and hits the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault for two more. That doesn’t matter though as Moose hits No Jackhammer Needed and then hammers away until the referee stops it at 12:19.

Rating: C+. This was about two big guys beating the heck out of each other as Moose tries to get ready to move up to the main event scene. They had a pretty good big man power match and it’s weird to see Mack taking this kind of a beating. Moose looked like a monster here and that’s the right idea.

Post match Moose stays on Mack until the referee reverses the decision.

Eddie Edwards says he has Rich Swann’s back tonight and everything is cool.

The North is defending. Alexander and Anderson trade wrist control to start but it’s quickly off to Gallows to take Alexander into the corner for the chops. Anderson is already back in but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Page to come in. Gallows hammers away on him as well and a slam gets two. The armbar goes on to put Page in trouble but Alexander gets in a cheap shot from the floor.

Page takes over on Anderson and stomps away so the champs can take over. Back in and Page runs Anderson over and it’s time for the alternating stomps in the corner. An assisted spinning powerbomb gets two on Anderson and he gets choked on the ropes so the North can pose. The chinlock goes on (took them long enough) as commentary goes over how many teams there are around here. Granted one of them is Reno Scum so you have to cut yourself off somewhere.

Anderson fights up without much effort and brings in Gallows to clean house. The North rapid fires strikes to Gallows’ face and the double Neutralizer gets two. Anderson is back in for the belly to back neckbreaker for two but the Magic Killer is broken up. A running kick to the face gets two on Alexander and there’s the spinebuster to Page. The Gun Stun hits Alexander and it’s the Magic Killer to Page for the pin and the titles at 12:52.

Rating: C+. You had to give the Good Brothers the titles at some point as they are treated like the biggest stars on the roster most of the time so why have them not holding the titles? I can get not wanting to wait until Hard To Kill either and this is a good way to get you more interested in seeing these specials. The North winning the titles at Bound For Glory was a surprise but they lost them here less than a month later so it was hardly a bad thing. The titles wound up where they should be so this is the right call.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Su Yung

Purrazzo is challenging and this is No DQ. This is a rematch from Bound For Glory when Yung was a replacement for Kylie Rae and won the title. Yung brings the weapons with her and low bridges a charging Purrazzo to the floor. The brawl starts outside with Purrazzo hammering away but charging into an elbow to the face. A Figure Four necklock goes on and Yung rolls them inside until Purrazzo slips out and grabs the ankle.

The threat of a Mandible Claw gets Purrazzo out of trouble so it’s time to bring in a bunch of weapons. The chair is wedged in the corner and Purrazzo snaps off a German suplex. Purrazzo chokes in the corner and rubs Yung’s face into….a piece of canvas, as in the kind used for a painting. They head outside with Yung’s arm being sent into the post and then wrapped around the barricade.

Yung finds a rope from somewhere but Purrazzo cuts her down with some kendo stick shots. A running boot misses though and Purrazzo goes face first into the chair in the corner. The slugout goes to Yung and it’s a bunch of cookie sheet shots to Purrazzo. They head outside again with the Pedigree onto the ramp knocking Purrazzo silly again. The Panic Switch is countered so Yung loads up the mist….but Purrazzo pulls up the canvas for the block in a smart move.

The canvas goes around Yung’s head and Purrazzo ties a chair around it as well, setting up the Venus de Milo. A lot of flailing has the referee thinking about calling it until Yung collapses. That’s good for two arm drops but Yung is right back up with the Mandible Claw. Purrazzo uses the rope to choke her way to freedom and grabs Cosa Nostra (a piledriver) to get the title back at 14:48.

Rating: B. They beat the heck out of each other here and that’s a good way to get Purrazzo back to where she should be. Yung was just a quick title change for the sake of replacing Rae and, much like the North winning the Tag Team Titles, it’s a quick reign that gets us back where we should be (given the circumstances at least). Good match too as they beat each other up until Purrazzo got the win. Yung does lose a lot, but again it wasn’t supposed to be her title in the first place.

We look at the Knockouts Tag Team Title tournament brackets:

Tenille Dashwood/Alisha

Havok/Nevaeh

Killer Kelly/Renee Michelle

Jordynne Grace/TBA

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz

Sea Stars

Deonna Purrazzo/Kimber Lee

Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary

I’ve seen worse lineups.

Here’s what’s coming on Impact.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Rich Swann for the World Title. They were friends a long time ago, with Callihan’s family taking Swann in when he lost his parents. Now Swann doesn’t want anything to do with Callihan and that’s not cool with Sami.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Rich Swann vs. Sami Callihan

Callihan is challenging. They shove each other in the face to start and Rich hammers away to put Sami down in the corner. Callihan pulls him into a Brock Lock though but Swann sends him outside without much trouble. Swann follows to the floor and knocks Sami around a bit, setting up the big running flip dive off the apron. Back in and Swann kicks him between the shoulders (Sami: “THANK YOU!”) but Sami gets in a shot to knock the champ off the ropes.

They head outside again with Swann tweaking his knee, meaning we hit the leglock back inside. Sami offers Swann his chin for some kicks to the face, which don’t have much effect. Swann’s headbutt doesn’t work either as Sami hits a quick Wasteland for two. Sami puts on an abdominal claw, followed by something like a standing Crossface. More shots to the face wake Swann up and he starts slugging away, setting off stereo kicks to the face.

They’re both down for a bit until they’re up at the same time, with Swann hammering away even more. A rolling splash gives Swann two but a cartwheel moonsault hits raised knees. Callihan gets two off a brainbuster and he rips out one of Swann’s dreadlocks. Swann doesn’t seem to mind and comes back with a neckbreaker. Now the cartwheel moonsault gets two but Sami catches him out of the corner, setting up a kneeling Tombstone for two more.

A piledriver onto the apron plants Swann again but he’s right back up with a handspring cutter onto the ramp. They both get back in but Sami is a bit dead. He’s also a bit faking and comes up with a clothesline, only to get kicked in the face. Swann heads up for the phoenix splash but here’s Ken Shamrock for a distraction. Cue Eddie Edwards to cut him off though and Swann hits a pair of kicks to the head. A low superkick retains the title at 20:33.

Rating: B-. I like the story they had coming into this and it made for a better story, though the drama was only so strong. They had a good enough match though and Swann gets another win under his belt. Callihan isn’t a major villain (at least on his own) around here anymore and the match was fine for a main event on a show like this.

Overall Rating: B. Yeah this worked out rather well and there wasn’t anything that was really close to bad. What we got was around a two hour and forty minute show with some good stuff and matches that actually mattered. This felt like something between a pay per view and a big time edition of Dynamite so for a free show, I’m certainly pleased. As usual, Impact does its best when it doesn’t focus as much on storytelling and that was the case again here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 3, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

You don’t get to say this very often but it’s time to find out who shot John E. Bravo last week. Wrestlers are rarely shot or possibly even killed off, but now it is time to play detective, and I have a bad feeling that is going to mean a lot of Tommy Dreamer. But hey, maybe we can get some Eric Young thrown in there too. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a sepia tone recap of the build to the wedding and Bravo being awful to his wedding party. That’s a really good idea as I hadn’t been thinking of all those details and it gives it more of an “anyone could have done it” vibe.

Scott D’Amore gets an update on Bravo, who is in critical but stable condition. Tommy Dreamer comes up, dressed as an old school detective, and it’s time to find out whodunit. D’Amore thinks being shot doesn’t sound too bad.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Su Yung

Purrazzo is challenging in her Bound For Glory rematch and Kimber Lee is with her. It’s a brawl to start and neither can hit their finisher in the very early going. Yung sends her flying and it’s already time for the bloody glove. That takes too long though as it’s time for Purrazzo to start in on the arm.

The arm is wrapped around the bottom rope but Yung is back up with an anklescissors into the corner. They trade running shots to the face with Purrazzo getting the better of things but a double clothesline puts both of them down. Back up and Purrazzo’s cradle piledriver is blocked, setting up the Mandible Claw. Lee slides in a chair, which Yung picks up and uses on Purrazzo for the DQ at 4:30.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but unlike Rich Swann vs. Eric Young’s quick rematch last week, I could go for a rematch here. The creepy monster vs. the technical master is an interesting way to go and their match at Bound For Glory was pretty good. They were smart not to waste anything here and keeping it quick was simple. This could be a big showdown/main event later, so save the real match for that.

Post match Yung uses the chair to drop both of them and clear the ring.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

It’s time for Rhino and Heath to sign Heath’s contract with Scott D’Amore. One thing though: Heath is still hurt, so until that’s cleared up, he isn’t getting to sign. The two of them leave so here’s Barrister RD Reynolds to say that shouldn’t be Deonna Purrazzo’s rematch. D’Amore says she can have another rematch at Turning Point, where anything goes. Wrestling has an interesting understanding of how negotiations work.

Rich Swann comes in to see Eddie Edwards and even sings Eddie’s theme song. They have Sami Callihan and Eric Young tonight.

Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel

They fight over arm control to start with Trey taking him down into an armbar. Bey flips out of a springboard wristdrag though and they trade armdrags. Both of them try one at the same time and go down to the mat for a….I guess it’s a layoff actually. Back up and a dropkick puts Bey on the floor but he trips Miguel down to take over.

A rake to the eyes and a running forearm to the back have Miguel in more trouble and it’s time to stand on his back for some posing. Back up and Trey dropkicks the leg out and hits a reverse 619. Bey crotches him on top but gets tied in the ropes for the Cheeky Nandos kick (which may have been blocked). Trey tries a charge but gets kicked away, setting up a diving cutter to give Bey the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. I like both guys and it was nice to see them getting a little time to showcase themselves. They’re both young and talented and it’s great to see them in the ring. This is the kind of thing that can do something positive for their future and they had a nice enough match here when they got the chance.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk with Madison Rayne and Johnny Swinger talking about John E. Bravo being shot (you might think ATTEMPTED MURDER would get more attention on this show). Anyway it’s time to talk about the Women’s Tag Team Title tournament, with Madison having to tell Swinger to cool it with the tag team jokes.

Jordynne Grace and Tenille Dashwood (with Kaleb With A K) are the guests this week and Madison gets right to the point: they should be partners in the tournament. Grace is interested but Dashwood wants the titles for herself….so she asks Madison. That’s a deal, but Grace tosses away Kaleb With A K’s camera and leaves. Not that it matters as Swinger won’t get out of the shot.

Dreamer, in a deerstalker hat, accuses one of the referees of being the shooter. Johnny Swinger and Cody Deaner argue over who should be the next witness because they have a match tonight. Dreamer: “MATCH TI….” Cody: “Wrong show.” They’re both still suspects though so go have their match and then come back.

Here’s Rohit Raju with another Defeat Rohit challenge but he wants fresh meat. Cue TJP in street clothes but Rohit says no because TJP already had his shot. He does have an opportunity tonight though: an opportunity to get out of the ring. Rohit rants at TJP for taking up his time after he spent so much time scratching and clawing. TJP doesn’t think much of that and lists off all of his accomplishments so far. Now why should he be worried about Rohit? Well that’s because Rohit is the current X-Division Champion and TJP is a has been. TJP gets in his face and throws his tea in his face as the brawl is on. Sounds Turning Pointish.

Chris Sabin says Alex Shelley is fine but he finds it interesting that teams are having to divide and conquer the Motor City Machine Guns. He wants either member of XXXL one on one.

Rohit Raju and TJP rant to Scott D’Amore, who makes another match between them, but it’s TJP’s last shot as long as Rohit is champion.

Doc Gallows vs. Ethan Page

Karl Anderson and Josh Alexander are here too. Gallows shoves him down without much trouble to start and a shoulder puts Page on the floor. Back in and Gallows unloads on him in the corner, sending Page outside again. Page gets in again so Gallows mocks Page’s martial arts and knocks him outside a third time.

That’s not cool with Page, who comes back in and takes Gallows down to hammer away. A DDT gives Page two and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long so Page goes with a dropkick for two and it’s back to the chinlockery. That’s broken up in a hurry with Gallows fighting up and hitting a charge in the corner. Alexander posts Anderson for a distraction though and then comes in for the DQ at 6:22.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but it’s better than the wrestlers getting to trade one win after another back and forth. The North vs. the Good Brothers could be a heck of a showdown on a major stage and that might wind up being Hard To Kill. I’m not sure if it can be dragged out that long, but hopefully things get a little bit better if they are going that long.

Post match the Good Brothers clean house.

Swoggle says it’s time to be a star in wrestling but here’s Brian Myers to say this place is serious. That sends Swoggle into a rant about how Myers has been disrespecting Tommy Dreamer, because insert your own Dreamer is around too often joke. Myers throws down Swoggle’s book and shoves him over for a bonus.

Cody Deaner vs. Johnny Swinger

Cody runs him over to start and hits a hard clothesline for a bonus. Hold on though as Cody needs beer, allowing Swinger to choke him o the ropes. Some atomic drops have Swinger in trouble but a rake of the eyes breaks up the Dreamer DDT. Swinger goes outside and grabs his fanny pack to knock Deaner out at 3:01.

Rating: D. Nothing to this one of course, though Swinger selling the atomic drops was good stuff. Swinger continues to be someone who has no business being this entertaining and yet he keeps pulling it off. I could go for more of him like this and if it means loaded fanny packs, even more than that.

Here’s Moose to say that no one has taken the TNA World Title serious in six months. Some people say he took the title out of a trashcan but Moose lists off his resume, including his recent(ish) big wins. Granted they’re mainly ECW guys so I’m not sure how seriously I should be taking this. Now he has Rich Swann running around with the second most important title in this company. Come find him though and Moose will teach Swann what pain is. We see a clip of Moose attacking Willie Mack last week so Swann has been warned. Cue Mack for the brawl with Moose easily getting the better of things. Mack vs. Moose works.

In the back, Chris Bey comes up to Rich Swann and asks for a title shot. Swann seems interested but here’s Eddie Edwards to say it’s main event time.

Tommy Dreamer has narrowed his list down to ten suspects, most of whom were on Wrestle House. James Mitchell tries to say he couldn’t do it because he’s an angel but cracks up laughing. Taya says she is an angel, which is what Dreamer thinks makes her a perfect suspect. A bunch of mug shots take us out, making me think we’re in for another reality/competition show.

Here’s what’s coming next week and at Turning Point.

Rich Swann/Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan/Eric Young

Swann and Callihan start things off with Sami knocking him into the corner. Everything breaks down in a hurry with Eddie and Swann hitting some dives to send us to an early break. Back with Eddie putting Callihan in a Boston crab for a flipping legdrop from Swann. Sami pops right back up and decks Sami, allowing the fast tag off to Young. Stomping and a neckbreaker give Young two and it’s back to Sami for a chinlock.

Young elbows Eddie in the face for two but Eddie gets in a Blue Thunder Bomb on Callihan. The partners are knocked off the apron, leaving Eddie to catch Swann with a running boot in the corner. The hot tag brings in Swann as everything breaks down. Swann gets to clean house and he hurricanranas Young off the ropes onto Callihan for two. A double Lethal Injection drops the villains and the real hot tag brings in Eddie to take over.

Eddie grabs a half crab on Young and Swann gets the Sharpshooter on Callihan. They tease tapping out but grab the arms to break it up. Young gets out and breaks it up so Eddie catapults him out to the floor. There’s the Backpack Stunner for two on Sami and the half crab goes back on. Cue Ken Shamrock to jump Swann (and possibly Young) for a distraction though, allowing Sami to hit the Cactus Special and pin Eddie at 10:57.

Rating: C+. Totally fine big name main event which is likely going to set up a bunch of stuff in the future. The main event scene is doing well at the moment and while Swann is still growing into a main event, points for trying someone new in the role, which has been a problem for a long time now. The evil trio will be fine enough for the short term, but they need a top villain.

Overall Rating: C-. It wasn’t their best show but there is enough going on to make me want to see where some of these things go. They seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern with some of the bigger stuff though and the Who Shot Bravo feels more like a vehicle for Dreamer than anything else. It should be fun though and if that’s the case, we should be in for a nice enough winter. Not a show you need to see here, but it was an acceptable two hours.

Results

Deonna Purrazzo b. Su Yung via DQ when Yung used a chair

Chris Bey b. Trey Miguel – Middle rope cutter

Doc Gallows b. Ethan Page via DQ when Josh Alexander interfered

Johnny Swinger b. Cody Deaner – Fanny pack to the head

Sami Callihan/Eric Young b. Eddie Edwards/Rich Swann – Cactus Special to Edwards

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Bound For Glory 2020
Date: October 24, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s the biggest night of the year, or at least it is on paper. Bound For Glory has long since been the top show in the company, though Slammiversary tends to be more fun. Maybe they can change things around a bit this year, though the card isn’t giving me the best vibes. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Deaners vs. Rascalz

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz. The Deaners start with the double teaming but Wentz fights out and hits a handspring knee to Cody’s face. Jake throws Dez at Wentz to cut that off but Jake’s dive is cut off with a kick to the head. Back in and Dez catches Cody on top but Jake powerbombs both Rascalz down. A Swan dive gives Cody two with Wentz making the save so it’s time for the rapid fire kicks to Jake. The toss moonsault hits knees though and it’s T2G (whatever that means) to finish Dez at 3:36.

Rating: C-. Just a quick opener here to get some people in the ring and that’s perfectly fine. The match didn’t go anywhere because it wasn’t even four minutes long, but at the same time, I don’t get the Deaners. They’re fine for a gimmick comedy (work with me here) team but over the Rascalz? Really?

The opening video is an extended version of the same Eric Young vignette that has played for months. He promises to end Rich Swann.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. TJP vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel vs. Rohit Raju

Raju is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. The champ tries to walk at the bell but gets thrown back in, only to have Mack clothesline TJP by mistake. Grace and Mack are sent into each other, meaning TJP and Bey can argue over who gets to beat up Raju. Bey and TJP slug it out and trade takedowns as Callis brags about how many languages he can (allegedly) speak. Trey is back in with a dropkick to Bey’s back, followed by a low superkick for two.

Mack takes Bey’s place for some flipping before sending Trey outside with a flying shoulder. Grace shoulders Mack down for two but he slams her without much hesitation. It’s TJP coming back in to tie up Mack’s legs, plus Trey’s at the same time. For a bonus, it’s a chancery on Raju and a headlock on Grace. See, it was cool when he did this once on Impact, but when he does it over and over, it stops being cool or clever and becomes obviously staged, which isn’t usually a good idea.

Grace breaks it up and chokes TJP until Raju comes back in to take over on everyone. Raju takes Grace down and shouts EQUALITY before knocking Miguel off the apron. A suplex gets two on Grace (Raju: “She’s got some spunk doesn’t she?”) but Mack is back in to run Raju over. Now it’s Mack getting to clean house until he and Raju are left in the ring. Everyone else gets on the apron and starts beating up Raju until Mack hits the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault.

That’s broken up by everyone else and it’s Grace diving onto Raju and TJP. Mack dives onto all three of them and Bey dropkicks Trey off of TJP’s shoulders….well into the general vicinity of the pile. Bey hits a good looking no hands dive onto a bunch of people but it’s Raju rolling up TJP for two. TJP’s crucifix bomb gets the same with Grace making another save, only to get tied in the Tree of Woe.

Everyone goes to the corner so Grace pulls herself up for the Tower of Doom. She’s still tied up though so Raju hits an Alberto double stomp for two as Mack makes his own save. It’s time for the parade of finishers until Grace has to break up the kneebar on Raju, setting up the Grace Driver for two on TJP. Grace is sent onto Mack and Bey, leaving Trey to splash TJP. That means Raju can come back in with a running knee though and steal the pin on TJP to retain at 13:20.

Rating: B-. It’s the kind of insanity that you expect from the X-Division and therefore it was entertaining, but at the same time, it’s still the junk food match that you have grown to know from these people. I’d still like to see a one on one match for the title, but Raju being the kind of champion who escapes with the title makes this fit more. This is like checking off a box at Bound For Glory, so at least they covered it.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The wedding party is still having issues and the wedding is going to have to be in the ring. Most of them are off for the Call Your Shot gauntlet though.

Heath and Rhino are ready for the Call Your Shot. The previous segment heard Josh asking for help with audio issues and this one had a director counting them in. Tighten that stuff up already people. It’s only been ten plus years of issues.

We run down the Call Your Shot gauntlet. It’s a Royal Rumble with twenty entrants and then we have a singles match at the end. If Rhino or Heath win, Heath has a contract but if neither of them win, Rhino loses his contract.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

Rhino is in at #1 and Daivari (who is RIPPED), making a return to the company, is in at #2 with one minute intervals. The threat of an early Gore sends Daivari bailing to the floor with Rhino following him to start the brawling. Daivari sends Rhino head first into the announcers’ table and it’s Larry D. in at #3 (after two minutes). A splash crushes Rhino and they both try to get him out as it’s back to the regular one minute interval so Crazzy Steve can come in at #4.

Steve goes after Larry with some right hands and biting to the head until Daivari makes a save. It’s Acey Romero in at #5 and a double standing splash crushes Steve but he isn’t eliminated yet. Tenille Dashwood (with Kaleb With A K) is in at #6 and her entrance takes so long that Havok (also with a K) is in at #7 before Dashwood can do anything. Havok headscissors Romero down and Kaleb With A K gets powerbombed. Brian Myers is in at #8 as the entrances are going really fast. Myers gets rid of Steve and it’s Swoggle in at #9 for his required appearance.

Myers and Swoggle team up to get rid of Daivari before Myers tosses Swoggle for a bonus. Tommy Dreamer is in at #10 and this week’s tribute is Road Warrior Animal (to be fair, the shirt is for sale for charity). Therefore, Dreamer sits down and puts Myers on his shoulders so Swoggle can come back in and play Hawk (off the middle rope that is) on a mini Doomsday Device. Alisha Edwards is in at #11 and Dreamer is thrown out. Myers gets rid of Edwards as well and Kiera Hogan, with Tasha Steelz is in at #12.

Dashwood stops for a picture with Myers and is thrown out as well. At least they’re keeping the ring clear, as they should. Hogan stomps Havok down in the corner and it’s Taya Valkyrie, with Rosemary and John E. Bravo, in at #13. Taya chops at XXXL, who crash into each other (because they’re not that bright), setting up the double hip attack in the corner. Fallah Bahh, with Hernandez’s money because banks aren’t a thing, is in at #14 and Havok shoves Hogan out, only to get tossed by Taya.

XXXL gets rid of Taya and it’s James Storm in at #15. House is cleaned and it’s a Last Call to get rid of Larry D. Storm can’t slam Romero and it’s Adam Thornstowe in at #16. That goes nowhere so it’s Luster the Legend in at #17. Reno Scum double teams Storm and it’s Heath in at #18. A neckbreaker drops Myers and there’s a jumping knee to Luster, with Heath tearing either his groin or abdomen in the process. Heath is clearly in pain as he slugs it out with Acey and clotheslines him out. Myers is tossed as well and it’s Sami Callihan in at #19.

With no one else being eliminated, it’s Hernandez in at #20 to complete the field. That gives us a final grouping of Rhino, Bahh, Storm, Thornstowe, Luster, Heath, Sami and Hernandez. Bahh gets caught in the corner with Hernandez going for the money and throwing it to the floor, with Bahh being eliminated as he gets it back. Hernandez goes after Bahh, followed by Thornstowe and Luster going out to get us down to four.

Sami superkicks Storm out as he tries to skin the cat and gets rid of Heath (Sami: “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR KIDS!”). We’re down to Rhino vs. Sami, which is now a regular match. Sami rakes his eyes and the Cactus Special gets a quick two. A chair is brought in but the referee tells Sami to put it down. Sami actually does, allowing Rhino to hit the Gore for the pin at 26:24.

Rating: C+. Not a great match or anything, but they had the logical ending (Heath winning had he stayed healthy wouldn’t have shocked me) and a few nice surprises. I could go for more of Storm being around as he’s a legend around here, though I’m almost scared to imagine what they would do with him. They kept this moving too, which is always a major plus for something like this. Good enough stuff here and they didn’t do anything stupid, so well done.

Rhino gets a trophy for the win.

The North say their backs are against the wall but that’s where champions shine. They’re ready for all of the teams they’re facing tonight because they’re that good. It has been 94 days since they have had the gold and tonight they are going back onto their throne.

We recap Moose vs. EC3 for the TNA World Title. EC3 returned and took the title with the intention of destroying it to control his narrative. I’m still not sure what that means, but the promos have been intense enough to make up for it. Moose got the belt back but has to defeat EC3 at an undisclosed location.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. EC3

Moose is defending (I think?) and they’re in a warehouse. There’s no EC3 to start but he pops up with his hood over his head for dramatic effect. We’re in cinematic mode as they slug it out with Moose hitting a Rock Bottom. EC3 is right back with an exploder suplex and some stomping in the corner but Moose kicks him low. Moose asks if he can see the picture and sends him into the corner as the music changes. More right hands have EC3 busted open and Moose grabs a chair from the floor.

Back in and EC3 sweeps the legs to hammer away as the music changes again. They head outside with EC3 talking about meaning and purpose before throwing him into the barricade. Back in and EC3 talks about how Moose has let people take things from him. The title means everything and Moose needs to become who he is supposed to be. EC3 loads up the One Percenter on the title (with a quick highlight reel of the move playing) but Moose shoves him off and hits No Jackhammer Needed.

Moose hits him with the title, asks if this is what EC3 wants, hits him with it again, hits him with it a third time, waits for the package on their feud to play, and hammers away even more. EC3 is done so Moose picks him up and asks if this is what he wants. EC3: “YES!” The people around the ring start the MOOSE chant and EC3 tells him to control his narrative. Moose says thank you and hits one more belt shot. That’s enough for Moose to leave and EC3’s followers carry him out at we’ll say 9:50.

Rating: C-. I’m sure there’s some kind of a deeper meaning here and that’s all well and good, but the Control Your Narrative thing seems to be the kind of thing that makes sense to EC3 and not much else. The action was fine but I really don’t need to see a cinematic match again, especially when it isn’t quite the most thrilling feud in the first place. It was fine, but hopefully this is it between them, assuming EC3 is even sticking around.

We look back at the Rock inducting Ken Shamrock into the Hall of Fame. One might think they would advertise this a little more in advance but that’s not what we do around here. There is also no mention of Bret Hart or Mick Foley sending in comments, which aren’t on the company’s YouTube page yet either unless I’ve missed them.

We recap Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards. Shamrock and Sami Callihan are a thing now and Sami has made Shamrock into his old self again, meaning a violent heel turn.

Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards

Sami Callihan is here with Shamrock. They circle each other to start and it’s Shamrock hammering away in the corner. A knee to the face drops Eddie again and Shamrock takes his back on the mat. Shamrock traps the arm and gets in some shots to the back of the head. Eddie can’t roll out so it’s a chinlock to keep him in trouble. A rope is grabbed so Shamrock takes him down by the leg again, sending Eddie straight back to the rope.

Back up and Shamrock punches him out to the floor, meaning it’s time for the hard kicks. Eddie gets back in and it’s a running knee in the corner as this has been all Shamrock so far. Eddie finally hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for a breather but can’t even cover. It’s time to start cranking on Shamrock’s leg and Eddie sends him throat first into the bottom rope. Eddie’s dive hits Shamrock and Callihan, followed by a missile dropkick for two back inside.

The tiger bomb gets two but Shamrock grabs the arm, with Eddie having to stack him up for the break. The Backpack Stunner connects but Eddie has to headbutt his way out of a rear naked choke. Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party but goes with a half crab instead of covering. Sami makes the lights go out though and they come back up with Sami, with the bat, in the ring. Eddie gets rid of him with the kendo stick but walks into a belly to belly from Shamrock. The ankle lock makes Eddie tap at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This took its time to start but grew on me, even if it was very similar to a Brock Lesnar style WWE match, albeit with smaller people. Shamrock plays the monster well, especially with the MMA style offense. This was a good match and I can live with Shamrock winning on his Hall of Fame weekend, though I’m not sure where these two go from here.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The North held the titles for over a year but then the Motor City Machine Guns returned and won the titles. The Good Brothers showed up and got their title shot with pure star power, while Ace Austin and Madman Fulton are just kind of here too to make it a four way.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. The North vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. Good Brothers

The Guns are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Hold on though as the North jumps Alex Shelley on the way to the ring and Alexander gives him a Jay Driller on the stage. That means something around here so Sabin is fighting on his own here (though they don’t even bother getting Shelley a stretcher). Sabin tries to fight the North on his own but walks into a dropkick from Page to cut him down in a hurry. A dropkick to Page’s knee slows him down and Austin tags himself in to start taking over on Sabin.

Fulton hammers away as well but Alexander tags himself in and hits a running clothesline as it’s back to Page, with Sabin taking quite the early beating. A knee to the face lets Page get in an arrogant two but Alexander misses a moonsault. Fulton brings himself back in and sends Sabin hard into the corner again. A middle rope legdrop into a splash gets two on Sabin and there’s a delayed suplex slam. Sabin finally takes Austin down though and there’s a rolling DDT to Fulton.

Austin spends too much time checking on Fulton, allowing Sabin to bring in Anderson to clean house. The spinebuster plants Austin and Gallows comes in for the belly to back neckbreaker for two. We get the big showdown between Gallows and Fulton and they fight out to the floor. Sabin comes back in for some forearms to Anderson, but Austin gets the tag again.

Everything stays broken down and Sabin hits a running flip dive from the apron to take Alexander down. The Cradle Shock gets two on Austin with Page making the save. The North slam Sabin off the top, setting up the double spinebuster for two more. Sabin breaks up the Northern Assault and brings in Anderson as everything breaks down again. Austin hits a springboard spinning kick to Gallows’ head and a running dropkick puts him on the floor.

Austin winds up on Fulton’s shoulders but the North hammer on Fulton to bring him down to his knees. More strikes to the face drop Austin as well but Alexander has to escape the Magic Killer. The Gun Stun is blocked as well and Page hits Anderson with the belt for the pin and the titles at 14:28.

Rating: C+. Another good enough match and I can’t say I’m stunned at the Canadians getting the titles back on the show where Don Callis runs things (no I’m not serious). The North winning is a little surprising but you can almost guarantee that the Good Brothers are getting the titles sooner rather than later. Shelley being out isn’t good, but it is kind of nice to see one less person out there. Mostly insane here and there are only so many stories that can be told in something like this, but the action was good enough and that’s all it needed to be.

Rosemary and John E. Bravo apologize for not helping Taya win earlier but it’s cool because it’s wedding time. Havok comes in and it’s time to bring James Mitchell back. Taya doesn’t think much of Bravo but he said he wears the pants in the relationship and can do this himself.

We recap Kylie Rae vs. Deonna Purrazzo. Rae thinks Purrazzo is out to get her for some reason and Purrazzo thinks Rae isn’t serious enough. Rae has been #1 contender for months and it’s finally time for her title shot.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kylie Rae

Rae is challenging…or at least she would be if she was here. Purrazzo, with Kimber Lee, laughs off Rae not being here and issues the open challenge. This is a little disturbing as Rae legitimately no showed the event and it isn’t clear why or where she is. She was in Nashville the day before, but never came to the show. Hopefully everything winds up being ok, but that’s a scary situation. Anyway, we now have a replacement.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Su Yung

Su is challenging, Kimber Lee is here with Purrazzo, and Madison Rayne joins commentary. Yung crawls around to start and then hammers away in the corner. Some stomping puts Purrazzo on the apron for a slugout, capped off by a side slam onto the apron. Back in and they roll around for some near falls, followed by a hurricanrana out of the corner for two. Purrazzo finally gets in a shot to the face and starts in on the arm, as is her custom.

The arm is wrapped around the rope as Madison teases getting back in the ring to face Purrazzo. Something like a Koji Clutch has Yung in trouble and Purrazzo stomps on the arm to keep her down. The running knee drop misses but Purrazzo ties her up in the ropes for a baseball slide (that’s a new one) to the floor. Back in and a release German suplex sends Yung flying but she’s right back with a DDT for the double knockdown.

They get back up to slug it out with Yung getting the better of things without much effort. A running splash in the corner puts Purrazzo on the floor for a breather so Yung sends her shoulder first into the post. Yung puts her in a chair for a dive off the apron, followed by a Pedigree for two back inside. It’s time for the bloody glove but the referee gets bumped. Yung plants Purrazzo for no cover, as Lee comes in with a quick chair shot to Yung’s back.

Instead of covering, Purrazzo loads up the Pillmanizing on the arm, only to get caught in the Mandible Claw. The red mist gets rid of Lee but Purrazzo gets her down into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s countered into the Claw again but Purrazzo breaks that up as well. A Stunner into the Panic gives Yung the title back at 15:05.

Rating: B-. They almost had to switch the title with the surprise change of pace and they got the ending right enough. The last few minutes had a few too many shenanigans though and it hurt things a bit. What we got worked well enough though and Yung getting the title back is fine, even if Purrazzo gets it back pretty soon. Hopefully Rae is ok though, because that’s more important than anything else.

The Knockouts Tag Team Titles are coming back and the next champions will be crowned at Hard To Kill on January 16.

We recap Eric Young vs. Rich Swann for the World Title. Swann eliminated him from the World Title match at Slammiversary, then Young injured Swann’s knee. Then he injured Swann’s knee again and injured Swann’s knee again. Now it’s title time.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eric Young vs. Rich Swann

Swann is challenging and has to dive over Young’s lunge for his legs. The second attempt works but Swann kicks him away and snaps off a headscissors. A dropkick puts Young on the floor and we take a bit of a breather. Swann sends him chest first into the post and Young takes another breather on the ramp. Back in and Swann knocks him outside again, setting up a flip dive off the apron. Young finally drops him onto the apron though and pulls on the neck a bit outside.

Back in and Swann hits what looks like a super Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog….and Young covers him for two instead. Ok then. There’s a twist of the neck and a running clothesline gives Young two. We hit the neck crank, followed by another clothesline with Young telling Swann to GO AWAY. A neckbreaker gets two and the neck gets bent around the top rope. Young gets two off a Death Valley Driver as he’s certainly mixing up the neck work.

There’s a right hand in the corner and Young tells him to stay down (again). Some more forearms to the face fire Swann up and he unloads on Young for a change. Young goes up top but gets tossed back down and they’re both on the mat for a bit. A super hurricanrana sets up a frog splash for two on Young but he bites his way out of something else on top. Young’s top rope elbow to the back sets up a Crossface to pull on the neck even more but Swann makes the rope.

Another slugout goes to Swann until Young catches him with a torture rack neckbreaker for two. Something close to a Figure Four sends Swann to the ropes again and he kicks Young in the head. The running Phoenix splash gets two on Young but he catches Swann in the Tree of Woe. Swann manages to pull himself up for a cutter out of the corner into a Lethal Injection. The phoenix splash gives Swann the pin and the title at 21:33.

Rating: B. It’s a good match and the neck work went well, plus Swann wining the title is a plus, but this felt like it should have been for the TV Title. Josh going on and on about how the dark cloud was now gone from over Impact Wrestling just came off as stupid as Young had only been champion for about a month and a half. This never felt like a Bound For Glory main event coming in and that was the case here as well. Certainly a good one, but the main event of the biggest show of the year is way too much.

The roster comes out to celebrate with Swann, which is still quite the overreaction.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is kind of a perfect microcosm for the whole show: it’s quality stuff for the most part and nothing is overly bad, but there was nothing on here that felt important. I kept thinking the main event should have been something else, but what in the world on here is supposed to be some big match or moment? Impact really needs to work on building up their big match feeling, but that has been the case for years. Good show and worth a look if you have time. Just don’t expect to be blown away by…well anything actually.

Results

Rohit Raju b. TJP, Jordynne Grace, Trey Miguel, Willie Mack and Chris Bey – Running knee to TJP

Rhino won a Call Your Shot gauntlet match last eliminating Sami Callihan

Moose b. EC3 – Belt shot to the head

Ken Shamrock b. Eddie Edwards – Ankle lock

The North b. Good Brothers, Motor City Machine Guns and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Belt shot to Alexander

Su Yung b. Deonna Purrazzo – Panic Switch

Rich Swann b. Eric Young – Phoenix splash

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 20, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the go home show for Bound For Glory and that probably can’t come soon enough. The company has been limping into the show and they could use a nice boost before we get to Saturday. Tonight is probably going to be a lot of building up what is already there and that could go either way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Heath vs. Rhino vs. Hernandez vs. Cousin Jake vs. Alisha

Whoever wins is the last entrant in the Call Your Shot gauntlet but whoever takes the fall is the first entrant. Alisha yells a lot and shoves some people so Hernandez puts her on the top rope and tussles her hair. She jumps onto Heath’s back but gets driven into the corner, leaving Rhino and Hernandez to slug it out for all of five seconds.

The guys head outside and Alisha dives onto three of the four. Back in and Rhino hammers on Hernandez in the corner but Jake comes in to choke Rhino in another corner. Alisha comes in to break up the dive but Jake breaks up the Border Toss. Rhino Gores Alisha by mistake and in his shock, Hernandez grabs a rollup for the pin on Rhino at 4:45.

Rating: C-. This didn’t last long but it was fast paced while it lasted. Rhino going in first is something that makes a lot of sense given what they are doing with he and Heath so hopefully it works out in execution. Alisha got to shine a bit here as well, which isn’t often the case for her and came off well enough.

Announcers preview tonight and Saturday.

Video on Moose vs. EC3, which is still about someone fighting for a title that doesn’t exactly count. It sounds like their match will be cinematic as well and….yeah I’m having trouble caring.

Jimmy Jacobs sits down with Moose, who doesn’t seem interested in talking about anything but EC3, who won’t be happy after Bound For Glory. Moose leaves, so three guys in EC3 gear come in and kidnap Jacobs, throwing him into a van. Make your own Samoa Joe/ninja jokes.

John E. Bravo yells at the wedding party about the wedding for being so terrible at their jobs. Apparently Kaleb With A K will be the photographer but here’s Taya Valkyrie to complain about everything, but Bravo storms off.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about how important the Knockouts Title is in this company’s history. Do you want someone like her as champion or Kylie Rae? Being smiley and happy isn’t a game plan! All it took was Purrazzo breaking Susie’s arm to send Rae over the edge and on Saturday, she isn’t winning the title.

Havok vs. Rosemary

If Rosemary wins, Father James Mitchell can be brought back to officiate the wedding. Havok squeezes her down by the hand to start but misses a legdrop to give Rosemary two. Havok’s reverse DDT is blocked so Rosemary hits one of her own for two more. A guillotine is broken up with a suplex and Havok is getting serious. Rosemary gets a boot up in the corner though and a high crossbody gives her two. Back to back spears finish Havok at 3:27.

Rating: C-. Like Mitchell wasn’t going to be back for the wedding. There was no reason to bring him up if he wasn’t going to be here and he ties into the story so well that it would be insane to not have him here. I’ve been digging the wedding story so far and hopefully the payoff works as well.

Video on the Tag Team Title match. The Motor City Machine Guns have the titles, the Good Brothers want them, and the North and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton do in fact exist as well.

Here’s a sneak peak at Talk N Shop: Full Gear.

Kylie Rae says Deonna Purrazzo is more interested in making people think she is better rather than actually being better. Rae wants to be a role model to young girls and she is going to be ready for everything Deonna has for her at Bound For Glory.

The EC3 guys bring Jacobs into a building and put him into a chair, with EC3 sitting next to him. EC3 says it’s just the two of them so ask him a question. Right now they’re in a narrative, and now Moose is the adversary that EC3 wants to face. EC3 met the Moose he has been waiting to fight on that bridge last week but Moose is a FALSE IDOL.

Last week, EC3 saw it in his eyes and Moose was starting to control his narrative. Moose has to learn, but it has to be at EC3’s hands. EC3 fights for control and purpose but also for himself. The whole point of this is to take the TNA World Title and burn it, just like Moose’s legacy. I’m still not sure I get what the heck EC3 is talking about, but he’s selling it well.

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards

Sami walks into an atomic drop to start but blocks a belly to belly suplex with a rake to the eyes. They fight to the floor with Sami getting his own eyes raked this time. Sami hits his own belly to belly onto the ramp though and Eddie is in trouble. Back in and Sami grabs a brainbuster for two and we hit the chinlock. Eddie fights back up so Callihan whips him into a corner to stop the comeback cold.

The real comeback starts with a clothesline and a super hurricanrana sets up the Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Sami. They slug it out from their knees and then chop it out from their feet until Sami goes for the eyes again. Some running forearms set up the tiger driver for two more on Sami and Eddie is stunned. The Boston Knee Party is loaded up so Sami grabs his phone and…makes Ken Shamrock appear. The distraction, and a handful of tights, is enough to finish Eddie at 8:35.

Rating: C+. They were having a good match here until the annoying ending, though at least the hacking deal was a little more funny than what you get most of the time. Eddie vs. Shamrock doesn’t exactly get my interest up, but then again it is a match between two big names. Sami is just kind of there at the moment, and I’m not feeling the Shamrock partnership, but it’s certainly a fresh match.

Post match Shamrock locks Eddie’s ankle again.

We recap the X-Division Title match, which is Rohit Raju running from everyone but getting caught against them all at once. Raju is doing really well now that he is getting a chance, but I could go for a smaller field in the match. Like two people for instance.

Willie Mack/Trey Miguel/TJP vs. Rohit Raju/Chris Bey/Jordynne Grace

Raju starts with Mack but taunts TJP into a chase, allowing Bey to take TJP down. Mack comes in for the spinning slam into a legdrop for two on Bey but Raju breaks up TJP’s headscissors out of the corner. Grace comes in to hammer away on TJP for two before reluctantly tagging Raju in.

TJP avoids Grace’s Vader Bomb though and it’s the hot tag bringing in Miguel as everything breaks down. We get the parade of knockdowns so Raju knees Miguel down for two, with TJP stealing the cover. Bey hits a springboard cutter so Raju steals his own near fall, meaning the argument is on. Raju takes Bey down so Bey is back with the springboard cutter to Raju, giving Miguel the pin at 5:25.

Rating: C. It was a big mess and having Raju get on someone’s nerves to take the fall fit him perfectly. That being said, it was another X-Division match with all of the insanity that you always get in a match like this. Good action, but it’s going to be even zanier on Saturday and I’m a bit over that kind of a match in this division.

Video on Eric Young vs. Rich Swann, with Eric destroying Swann’s knee over and over but not being able to keep him out of the title match. In other words, it’s something else where Young isn’t as good as people think he is. You would think he’s used to it by now.

We get a sitdown interview with Young, who blames Swann and Scott D’Amore for what has happened to them. He hasn’t caused any of this because he said what he would do. Everyone should know what happens if you get in his way and now he has a purpose to stop Swann. Cue Swann for the fight with the camera being knocked down. Dang they’re trying with this thing but it’s only going so far.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Good Brothers vs. The North

Anderson and Page start things off with Page being sent outside. Everything breaks down in a hurry and we take a break in a hurry. Back with Gallows hammering away on Alexander in the corner before Anderson comes in to slug away as well. Now it’s some stomping in the corner for a change of pace as we hear about how awesome the North was when they held the titles.

Alexander gets in a shot to the face and it’s time to put Anderson in the corner for a change. A full nelson backbreaker from Alexander sets up a backbreaker from Page for two and the chinlock is on again. It’s back to Alexander for another chinlock but he charges into a big boot in the corner. The hot tag brings in Gallows to clean house but Alexander breaks up the Magic Killer. The slugout it on and it’s a no contest (double DQ, whatever) at 11:12.

Rating: C. They worked a pretty simple formula here until the ending which (wisely) protected both of them until the ending. It’s nothing that we haven’t seen done better over and over but at least they didn’t have someone take a fall and then come back to win the titles on Saturday. The North is still great, but the Good Brothers feel like stars and that’s what matters.

Post match the Machine Guns and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton run in for the big brawl. The Guns and the Brothers clear the ring and get in the fight with the Brothers easily taking them down and standing tall to end the show. It’s kind of amazing to see this close the show again, as it feels like it has happened a lot more often than not as of late.

Overall Rating: C. This was right down the middle and playing everything safe, which is exactly what it should have been. There was no need in trying to do something ridiculous here or throwing something else into a card that was already made. They did a little bit with the wedding for a slight bit of variety, but this was nice and safe, as it should be in a situation like this. After some weaker shows, something this simple is the right call so they made the right decision.

Results

Hernandez b. Heath, Rhino, Cousin Jake and Alisha – Rollup to Rhino

Rosemary b. Havok – Spear

Sami Callihan b. Eddie Edwards – Rollup

Trey Miguel/TJP/Willie Mack b. Rohit Raju/Jordynne Grace/Chris Bey – Springboard cutter to Raju

Good Brothers vs. The North went to a no contest when all four brawled

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 22, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

We’re still on the way to Bound For Glory and now we have a main event with Eric Young defending the World Title against Rich Swann. Other than that it seems that we are in for a lot more of the Good Brothers, which may or may not be your cup of whatever your beverage of choice is. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel vs. TJP

The winner gets an X-Division Title shot against Rohit Raju, who comes out to watch. It’s a brawl to start with Bey hitting a hurricanrana on Trey before sending TJP outside. Trey and Bey run the ropes until Trey snapmares him down into a standing moonsault for an early two. TJP is back in with the Octopus on Trey before going down into a rollup for two.

Bey hits a DDT on TJP and a Downward Spiral on Trey at the same time for two each, meaning frustration is setting in early. A rolling neckbreaker gets two more on TJP but Trey comes back in to go after Bey. That lets TJP grab a Sharpshooter on Trey and a camel clutch on Bey at the same time. That’s broken up as well and Trey kicks Bey down, only to have TJP come back in with Three Amigos.

Something off the top misses though and Trey strikes them both in the head. A springboard double stomp to Bey’s back into a wristdrag to TJP has both of them down, allowing Trey to hit a neckbreaker for two on TJP. Trey goes up but dives into a cutter from Bey for two of his own. TJP grabs the kneebar on Bey but Trey comes back in with the Fresh Prince Of Mid Air for the pin on TJP at 7:11.

Rating: C+. As usual, this was a lot of fun as they just kept going for the entire match. That’s where the X-Division shines: letting people go in there and fly all over the place for a few minutes to offer some exciting matches. These three do it rather well and that’s what we got here without going on too long. Good opener.

And now, the title match.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju vs. Trey Miguel

Raju is defending and rolls him up with trunks for the pin at 7 seconds.

Eric Young says his conscience is clear because everything else is on Scott D’Amore and Rich Swann.

Kaleb says Tenille Dashwood is ready. Tenille says she is ready. At least they’re on the same page.

Here’s what else is coming tonight.

Kimber Lee vs. Susie

Deonna Purrazzo and Kylie Rae are here as well. Susie throws Lee down into the splits to start but can’t quite do them herself. She can however take Lee down into a jackknife cover for two, setting up a bow. A bulldog gets two more but lee is back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for the same. Susie gets thrown outside for a cheap shot from Purrazzo and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a series of kicks to the head for two and it’s time to crank on the leg. Susie fights up and sends her into the corner but the Arachnarana is countered into a Boston crab. The rope is grabbed and the comeback is on though, with a series of strikes sending Lee into the corner. Lee is back with a powerbomb for two but she takes too long loading up the Swanton. Purrazzo hits Lee by mistake though and it’s the Panic Switch to finish Lee at 11:44.

Rating: C. This is more like it from the Knockouts as they have something beyond the title feud. Susie continues to show more flashes of Su Yung and that is going to make for something interesting in the future. Evil Susie vs. Smiley Kylie could be good stuff, but that might be getting ahead of things. For now, I’ll take perfectly watchable wrestling.

Post match Susie starts to snap but Kylie talks her down. Purrazzo jumps Kylie and comes after Susie’s arm but Kylie makes the save. Kylie promises to win the title and wants the shot at Bound For Glory.

We get a HeathForImpact commercial, with Heath talking about how he wants to wrestle here because he loves wrestling and his best friend is here. That means a quick appeal about Rhino conservation, which can be guaranteed if Heath is around. You can help by just getting Impact officials on their side. Even celebrities approve of this, including David Hasselhoff, Flava Flav, Nancy Kerrigan and Chuck Norris (Cameo is a wonderful thing).

DeLorian Brown wants you to help him because Heath has kids. Heath says his truck got stolen, sending Brown over the edge about how this is different than Bret Hart having his jacket stolen by Repo Man (Or by Jean Pierre-Lafitte. Repo Man stole Randy Savage’s hat but points for trying.). Heath’s kids say Heath should get a job because he can’t do anything else. This was GREAT and you could see all of the effort they put into the thing. Nicely done.

The Good Brothers come up to the Motor City Machine Guns to talk about last week. The Rascalz come in to say they want their shot at the Good Brothers and it seems to be set.

Flashback Moment of the Week: AJ Styles b. Bully Ray to win the World Title at Bound For Glory 2013.

EC3 talks about having what he loves stolen from him. Moose must feel violated and now it’s time to come together to find Moose’s TNA World Title. EC3 gives out Moose’s phone number so fans can send him information as he tries to control his narrative.

Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie argue about their various problems with Taya offering to help Rosemary first. Rosemary: “…really?”

John E. Bravo is with most of the Wrestle House cast so they can get ready for the wedding. The Deaners don’t like being called irrelevant until Wrestle House so they leave for their match. Johnny Swinger and Fallah Bahh get in an argument over who should be the best man. Tommy Dreamer: “MATCH TI…..” Bravo: “THIS ISN’T WRESTLE HOUSE!”

Brian Myers isn’t happy and turns over a table but here’s Tommy Dreamer (back to back segments) to interrupt. Dreamer talks about how this is a new start for Myers so he needs to clean this stuff up. Myers actually agrees.

Cody Deaner comes out for a match but Eric Young jumps him from behind. The beatdown is on with Eric hitting a quick piledriver. Young tries to break the leg so here’s Cousin Jake for the save. Young says that this is by design and his world before jumping Jake from behind. The beatdown stays on and Young asks if Scott D’Amore, Eddie Edwards and Rich Swann are watching. This is his world now and it’s all in his control.

The Deaners are beaten down even more and Young says this is all by design. He goes after Jake’s knee as well, beats up security, and then hurts Jake’s knee again. Cue D’Amore to try and break it up with Eric saying it’s D’Amore’s fault. Eddie Edwards is finally here for the save after a ten minute beating where Young made it very, very, VERY clear that he wasn’t to be blamed for this because it was all D’Amore’s fault and it was by design. There is very little depth or definition to this whole thing and it certainly doesn’t feel like a World Title level feud.

Post break Eddie Edwards demands the rematch with Young so D’Amore gives him one at Victory Road on October 3.

Rob Van Dam vs. Sami Callihan

Katie Forbes is here with Rob and if he wins, she gets five minutes with Sami. The brawl starts on the floor before the bell with Rob going into the barricade. Sami sends him in again, stops to glare at Katie, and hits a running chop to keep Rob in trouble. Rob gets in his own whip into the barricade and it’s Rolling Thunder on the floor. Katie thinks that was hot and Rob hits a running spinwheel kick against the apron.

They get inside for the opening bell with Sami taking him into the corner to hammer away. Rob sends him into the ropes though and Katie gets in a knee, allowing Van Dam to kick Sami down as we take a break. Back with Rob hitting a running dropkick in the corner, followed by a camel clutch. A bit to the hand breaks that up but Rob is right back with a bodyscissors. That’s broken up as well and they trade rakes to the eyes, setting up a DDT for two on Van Dam. Katie gets up on the apron for a distraction though and sprays hairspray in Sami’s eyes. Van Dam rolls him up for the pin at 9:32.

Rating: C-. It really might be time for Van Dam to hang it up as this isn’t working very well anymore. Things have not gotten to the point of embarrassing yet, but that might be pretty soon around the corner. The Katie stuff wasn’t interesting in the first place and has gone downhill in a hurry. Van Dam has been old for a good bit now and this didn’t exactly look great either. He’s still passable, but he might want to think about stopping before it gets worse.

Post match Katie says she has this and stomps away, setting up a running hip attack in the corner. Sami gets up and tries the piledriver but Rob runs in to kick him down. Rob brings in a chair but Sami hits him with it instead. The piledriver plants Katie and Sami counts his own pin.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton say they want the Tag Team Titles but the North come in to say they were champs for over a year. The match is set for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Jordynne Grace

Kaleb (whose chiron says “Kaleb With A K”) handles Tenille’s entrance. Dashwood knocks her into the corner to start and hammers away but Grace gets in an elbow to the face. Grace knocks her outside but misses a baseball slide, meaning the stomping is on. A neckbreaker over the middle rope gets two on Grace and a reverse DDT gets the same. We hit the double arm choke until Grace fights up, only to fail at the Grace Driver.

The Michinoku Driver connects for two instead but the superplex is countered into an Alberto double stomp. The Taste of Tenille gives Tenille two more so Grace grabs a spinebuster for two more. Grace loads up the Grace Driver again but Kaleb offers a distraction, allowing Tenille to hit the Spotlight Kick for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C. I like both of them but this was a pretty flat main event. I’m not sure what the deal is with Dashwood, as she seems to have all of the tools to be a big star but it never really clicks. She’s WAY beyond the Emma stuff and feels like her own person. It just isn’t coming together and never really has. I don’t get it, as she certainly feels like a star, but then the bell rings and it all falls away for some reason.

Eddie Edwards leaves the building and someone jumps him.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as the wrestling was just ok and the big angle with Eric only worked so well. He still feels like he’s punching WAY above his head and it’s not working. The rest of the show was decent at best and that’s not quite enough to make me think much of everything. The build for Bound For Glory should help, but this was only so good throughout.

Results

Trey Miguel b. TJP and Chris Bey – Fresh Prince Of Mid Air to TJP

Rohit Raju b. Trey Miguel – Rollup with trunks

Susie b. Kimber Lee – Panic Switch

Rob Van Dam b. Sami Callihan – Rollup

Tenille Dashwood b. Jordynne Grace – Spotlight Kick

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 1, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s a big show this week after the two weeks of big shows as the World Title is on the line again. This time it’s Eric Young challenging Eddie Edwards because this company sees something in Young as a major star. I’m not sure what that something is but I’ve yet to actually see it. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Sami Callihan vs. Rob Van Dam

Katie Forbes is here with Van Dam but her gyrating distracts Rob, allowing Sami to knock him off the apron. Rob gets sent into the barricade as Josh asks if Father Time has finally caught up with Van Dam. Josh can be a little slow on the uptake at times. They get back in and Katie’s need for attention lets Sami kick him in the face again. Katie finally does something right by grabbing Sami’s foot but the slingshot legdrop only hits apron. Another trip puts Sami down as Madison thinks Katie might cause Van Dam a lot of trouble.

Now the spinning kick to the back over the barricade connects and it’s a faceplant back inside. Rolling Thunder hits knees though and a low cutter drops Van Dam again. Katie gets on the apron AGAIN but this time it actually works as Rob hits a running kick to the back of the head. The split legged moonsault connects but the Five Star takes way too long. A hanging cutter out of the corner plants Van Dam for two so Katie just comes in this time. Even commentary is begging for the referee to eject her as Rob gets a rollup, which Sami reverses for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C-. Katie got annoying here and that’s what they were going for. I could see them doing something where Katie is the reason Van Dam is losing and he refuses to admit that he’s gotten old. It could go a few ways and if it means Katie is off TV for a little bit, I guess I can just suffer through the horrible, tragic loss.

Post match Katie yells at Sami so Rob jumps him from behind. Katie adds a running hip attack in the corner and holds the chair over the face for a running dropkick from Rob.

The announcers preview the show.

Hernandez beats Fallah Bahh at arm wrestling and gets paid. Reno Scum comes in and wants the money for looking for Heath. There’s no sign of him but Hernandez says no pay until they beat Rhino.

Rosemary, Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo rant about everything going on with the three of them as of late.

And now, Wrestle House.

Everyone is trying to get Johnny Swinger out of a room because Crazzy Steve got to dress him (thanks to winning last week). Susie promises not to make fun of him so he finally comes out, dressed like a clown. Swinger: “Matt Borne is laughing at me.” Tommy Dreamer comes in and makes Bravo the referee between Rosemary and Taya.

Reno Scum vs. Rhino

The brawl starts in the aisle with Rhino fighting away but getting caught in the corner. Some right hands to the face have Rhino in trouble as we take a break. Back with Rhino being sent into the corner so Luster can punch him down. A falling headbutt gets two and we hit the chinlock. Thornstowe’s cheap shot from the floor cuts off the comeback so Rhino goes outside and Gores Thornstowe down. The referee gets distracted….and the cameraman (ahuh) comes in with the Wake Up Call to Luster, giving Rhino the pin at 7:14.

Rating: D+. It’s not like there is anything else of note for Heath to do so letting him team with Rhino again is fine enough. Rhino has been doing nothing but playing the hits for years around here so it’s not like it’s taking apart some other big story. That and the Heath4Impact stuff is a lot better than VINCE DIDN’T USE ME RIGHT.

Post match Scott D’Amore sends security out to get rid of Heath.

An EC3 promo interrupts Moose. EC3 says Moose can come find him, or the TNA World Title will be sent back to him piece by piece. Moose freaks out and tells a production worker to call the cops. After Moose leaves, the guy reveals a Control The Narrative shirt so that isn’t likely working.

Karl Anderson tells some guys a story about Doc Gallows falling asleep in a bar when the Rascalz are told to come over. They can’t because they have Ace Austin and Madman Fulton tonight. The Good Brothers don’t seem to mind and plug their future beer.

Back at Wrestle House, Swinger tries to tell Bravo that if he plays his cards right, he could get Taya and Rosemary. Bravo doesn’t listen to Swinger, who leaves.

The Deaners and XXXL get in a fight over the beer and we go cinematic as they fight around the house. Dreamer gets in a plug for Impact and a ping pong match breaks out breaks out between Cody and Acey. Larry punches the wall by mistake, followed by the ping pong ball going into Cody’s mouth. Cody is thrown into a trashcan but comes back to slug away at Acey…who is knocked into an elevator. Cody takes the stairs and then steals a bicycle, allowing him to miss a clothesline on Acey.

Back upstairs, Cody gets a long running start (as in long enough for Acey to get back upstairs and talk to Larry) but the charge misses, allowing Acey to pull Larry out of the way. Cody is back and they fight into XXXl’s room, where they find the beer bottles. A DDT plants Larry, which turns him into Lawrence. Jake knocks him out but Susie pops in. The violence brings out a flash of Su Yung, allowing Susie to walk out…with very bloody hands. Dreamer names her the winner and runs off. This stuff is such goofy fun.

Rascalz vs. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz. Dez rolls away from Fulton to start and gets on the monster’s nerves with a slap to the face. More escapism allows the tag off to Wentz for some double team striking to put Fulton down for two. Fulton finally gets back up and stomps away at Wentz’ back, allowing Austin to slingshot in with a legdrop.

The playing card cuts the finger and it’s back to Fulton for some corner choking. The referee yells at him, allowing the tag to Dez who gets to kick away at everyone. That ticks Fulton off and he misses a charge out to the floor. Wentz hits a dive over the top onto Fulton and Dez hits the Final Flash to finish Austin at 4:51.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have much time, which is a shame as I like everyone involved in the match. It’s nice to see the Rascalz get a pin, though it is kind of amazing to see how far down Ace has fallen since Slammiversary. They didn’t have a lot of time here but we got some good stuff out of what they had.

Post match the Motor City Machine Guns come out and praise the Rascalz for a bit. This turns into a challenge for a title match to next week but Ace and Fulton jump the Rascalz from behind. The Guns make the save.

Deonna Purrazzo is annoyed at how under dressed people are for her black tie celebration. No Willie Mack, shoelaces do not count. Purrazzo is annoyed but asks Kimber Lee to be her security for the match.

Rohit Raju is admiring the X-Division Title. TJP comes up to ask about a title shot but Raju says he has to beat Chris Bey. That sets off some rhyming and TJP leaves.

Rosemary vs. Taya Valkyrie

John E. Bravo is referee. Taya starts the trash talk by calling Rosemary an emo kid who shops at Hot Topic. Rosemary comes back by mocking Slam Town and the slapping begins. Bravo breaks up the brawl so Taya kicks her in the chest to set up the running hip attack. More yelling at Bravo lets Rosemary drive her into the corner and then hit a spear. A lot of yelling ensues but a double kick to the head sets up a double knockdown. Both of them miss charges into the corner but Taya grabs the Road To Valhalla for the pin at 3:35.

Rating: C-. It was weird to see a Wrestle House match go this long but it helps that you had two of the better options in the ring. This worked out well enough, though I’m surprised that it actually had a clean finish. They needed to have something definitive like this so this was not only surprising, but kind of necessary.

Post match Bravo tries to check on Rosemary but she shoves him away. Bravo whips out a ring and says he can manage Taya and marry Rosemary too. Everyone is stunned and Taya gives her blessing. Rosemary: “You do know we’re a demon right?” Rosemary accepts. Kylie Rae says that’s sweet but can we get back to the Impact Zone now? Taya says sure and they get in the ring.

The Deaners are very banged up and want beer, but they realize there was only one bottle under Larry’s bed. We cut to Crazzy Steve who admits he took the beer because he couldn’t read the labels. Back in the ring, Taya is congratulated for finding an activity they all liked. They all touch hands and warp away. I guess they ran out of taping.

The ring is surrounded and Kimber Lee introduces Deonna Purrazzo for her celebration. We start with a toast and Purrazzo talks about how she has painted a masterpiece since she debuted. No one is ruining her night but here is Jordynne Grace to congratulate her on her wins. Enjoy the title reign, because it isn’t going to last. Cue Tenille Dashwood, who says it’s great that everyone is here for her return. Tenille is coming for the title but Grace goes to get in her face. The Wrestle House Crew appears in the ring and Susie and Kylie Rae clear the ring with ease. Rae winds up with the Knockouts Title.

Brian Myers is ready to offer Willie Mack a handshake next week. Moose comes in to ask if Myers has seen EC3 so Myers sends him down the hall.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Eric Young

Eric is challenging and wears a mask to the ring because…well it isn’t like anything else makes him stand out. Eddie isn’t waiting but charges into an elbow to start. He’s fine enough to snap off an overhead belly to belly for two and there’s a chop in the corner. Eddie snaps the throat across the top to send Young outside and we take a break. Back in and Eddie punches him to the apron and they both go outside.

That goes fine for Eddie as they go back up to the apron, where Young snaps off a neckbreaker to take over. Back in again and another neckbreaker gives Young two and it’s time to stomp away. Another neckbreaker gets another two and we hit the neck crank. A heck of a forearm rocks Eddie but he snaps off the Blue Thunder Bomb to put both guys down. Eddie strikes him into the corner but Young gets up and chokes him from the middle rope. The Backpack Stunner gets Eddie out of trouble and an enziguri in the corner rocks Eric again.

Young knocks him off the top though and the top rope elbow gets two. They strike it out and Eddie kicks him off the apron to the floor. Eddie dives onto hit but hurts his knee on the landing. Back in and Eddie gets two off the tiger driver with a grab of the knee messing up the cover. Eric rolls to the floor from the threat of the Boston Knee Party so Eddie hits a dive, messing up the knee even more. Back in and Young grabs the title, which is quickly taken away. That lets Young hit Eddie with the hockey mask, setting up the piledriver for the pin and the title at 15:41.

Rating: C. I think my thoughts on Eric Young are well known enough at this point so allow me to say GAH! Of all the people they have available on this roster, they pick ERIC YOUNG to win the World Title? Are people really that fascinated by his big bugged out eyes and calling himself a maniac that he should be the top man in the promotion? This is rather frustrating as Eddie hadn’t even been champion long, but I guess Young is more interesting because….I really have no idea actually. Uh, Canada? I guess? Maybe?

Post match Young stays on Eddie by cranking on the knee until security breaks it up.

Post copyright notice, Moose finds a stalker style collection of photos of himself, including some from yesterday and at his hotel. A bunch of threads come together over a map, where Moose says he needs to go. He pulls down the board and finds a message behind it saying YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show overall as they were jumping all over the place. I kind of liked that though, as you had a nice mixture of stuff as they seem to be on a fresh taping cycle. The show was rather energetic and I liked some of it, aside from the result of the main event. That being said, more Kylie, Rosemary, Rascalz and Dashwood are certainly good things so hopefully they keep this up next time.

Results

Sami Callihan b. Rob Van Dam – Rollup

Rhino b. Reno Scum – Wake Up Call to Luster the Legend

Rascalz b. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin – Final Flash to Austin

Taya Valkyrie b. Rosemary – Road To Valhalla

Eric Young b. Eddie Edwards – Piledriver

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: August 4, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

Things got turned around in a big way last week with the premiere of Wrestle House, which became the major focal point of the show. That may or may not be to your liking, but there were enough good moments that made me willing to try another show built around it. Other than that, we have the continuing adventured of Eddie Edwards as World Champion. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

TNA World Title: Heath vs. Moose

Moose is defending. Moose powers him into the corner to start but Heath comes out slugging away. They head outside as Josh hypes up Heath’s WWE career, though he doesn’t think much of the 24/7 Title. Then why mention it if you’re trying to build him up? Heath fights back on the floor and sends Moose into the barricade before taking it inside again. A hot shot drops Heath again and the choking begins.

Heath gets in a few right hands until Moose dropkicks his head off for two. There’s a pump kick to Moose and more right hands but Heath blocks a kick to the face. The comeback is on with some forearms and a side kick for two. No Jackhammer Needed only hits the buckle but the ref gets bumped. The Wake Up Call (Zig Zag) connects but Heath has to check on the referee. That means a low blow into a rollup with tights can finish Heath at 8:55.

Rating: D+. They were in a bad spot here as Heath was only going to win on some kind of a fluke at best and that wasn’t likely when you have EC3 waiting in the wings for Moose. Heath is fine for a midcard guy and it doesn’t seem like they are going to be pushing him as anything but that, which is a nice relief. Not the worst or anything, but there was no drama and it was mostly a squash anyway. Also, they hyped up the Wake Up Call as Heath’s signature move. I don’t think I can remember him using it before.

Show preview.

Willie Mack doesn’t like what Eric Young did to Rich Swann and doesn’t know what Rich’s big announcement is tonight. He’ll be there for Rich though.

EC3 talks about being punished by everyone from his employers to himself and now he needs to reset things. He’s coming for the TNA World Title so he can burn it to the ground.

Jimmy Jacobs brings out the Motor City Machine Guns for a chat. Shelley talks about the effort that they have put in over the years, but now they are back to show they can do it again. That includes Sabin coming back after his third torn ACL. The two of them were training to get Sabin back in the ring and then they realized that they still had the magic in the ring. They talk about the current teams in the company including the North, who come out to cut them off.

Alexander isn’t happy with the Guns getting this chance to tell their story after the North had more than a year as champions but never got that opportunity. Page freaks out over the idea that the Guns beat them, because the Guns didn’t beat the real North. The Guns laugh it off because the North sounds like they were going to die as champions. They’ll give them their rematch right now, but the North would rather wait for Emergence. As they should, since the Guns are apparently cheaters who would fight when the North is in street clothes.

Kimber Lee comes in to see Deonna Purrazzo after seeing Jordynne Grace take Purrazzo out. Lee offers to take care of Grace for a shot at the title. Deal.

And now, Wrestle House, complete with intro sequence. Taya Valkyrie has everyone come into the living room and says it’s time to deal with the hygiene issues, including the horrible BO around here. Johnny Swinger: “Bob Orton is here? Sweet!” That’s not what Taya has in mind, and hands out some personal grooming kits.

Kylie Rae wants to know when they are getting back to the Impact Zone because she is #1 contender. That goes nowhere so Alisha Edwards teaches Rosemary how to seduce a man. Swinger says he isn’t hard to get, but Alisha says not only is she married, but Swinger couldn’t handle her. Swinger knows he can handle both of them. Cue Tommy Dreamer and it’s MATCH TIME!

Johnny Swinger vs. Alisha Edwards/Susie

Cody Deaner is referee and Alisha shouts that she is intense. Swinger hits the double bicep pose and asks if they have ever seen a set like these. That earns him a double legsweep, but he thought he was supposed to sweep them off their feet. Now Swinger wants to hook up so the beatdown is on, including another double legsweep. The women make a wish (Swinger: “Stretch me! Like Sherri Martel!”) and Swinger doesn’t seem pleased. A double splash finishes Swinger at 1:48.

Back in the house, Kylie Rae introduces herself to John E. Bravo (again). Kylie was talking to Rosemary and heard that they can’t leave until Bravo, ahem, takes the hint. Bravo will do that when he is ready, but Kylie seems impatient.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Sami Callihan wins the World Title from Brian Cage on Impact, October 29, 2019.

The Good Brothers find their car door open and their beers poured out. Cops come up and say that looks like an open container in the car. Ace Austin and Madman Fulton comes up to laugh so Gallows grabs him by the throat. Gallows is arrested.

Brian Myers is coming soon.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan

Eddie is defending….or at least he would be if Rob Van Dam didn’t jump Sami on the stage as Katie Forbes bounces. Sami gets up and heads to the ring anyway, where he slaps Eddie to say he’s ready to go. Eddie hits a tiger driver in the first five seconds for a near fall and drops some knees to the head. Josh goes over the history between these two and asks if Madison had a rival like this. Madison: “Probably.”

Sami sends him outside for a hard suicide dive into the barricade and sends Eddie back inside. That’s fine with Eddie, who hits his own suicide dive. They go to the apron with Sami raking the eyes and hitting a quick piledriver, only to realize that he has to throw Eddie back inside. Sami sends him into the barricade instead of into the ring, setting up the running chop. Back in and Sami gets two off a running elbow and we hit the chinlock. Eddie fights up and hits a clothesline and they’re both down again.

Some chops in the corner set up Eddie’s Blue Thunder Bomb for two but Sami is right back up with a brainbuster for the same. Sami’s running forearm gets two more so Eddie forearms him right back. The tiger driver gets two on Sami, who pops back up with a piledriver for two with Eddie’s foot making the rope. Sami grabs a chair for some illogical reason but walks into the Boston Knee Party. Another into the back of the head retains the title at 11:54.

Rating: C+. This was a fine enough match and the two of them have always worked well together. I’m not entirely crazy about the World Title being defended every week, but it is far too early to write off something like this. If nothing else, Eddie is one of the most consistent people in all of the promotion and can pull it off.

Back to Wrestle House, where Bravo walks away from a distressed Kylie. Taya and Rosemary ask Kylie where he went but Bravo has left. Match time!

Rosemary vs. Kylie Rae

Taya is referee and distracts Kylie so Rosemary can jump her. Someone at ringside: “RING PSYCHOLOGY!” Kylie reverses into a headlock, which is reversed into a headscissors. Rosemary’s legs are tied up and she can’t slap Kylie, causing her to ask what sorcery is this. Rosemary insists that Kylie is a liar and tries to jump her but has to settle with sending Kylie face first into the mat instead.

A missed charge in the corner lets Kylie hit an uppercut and Taya counts a very slow two. Back up and Rosemary hits a spear for a rather fast two. Some of the other wrestlers cheer for Rosemary though, allowing Kylie to hit a superkick for the very slow three at 4:26, much to Taya’s annoyance.

Rating: D+. Well you knew they weren’t going to have Kylie lose to anyone while she is still #1 contender. Taya and Rosemary as the oddball friends is still an interesting idea, though Kylie is someone who can be a star in the division for a good while. Not a great match, but Kylie getting a come from behind win is a good idea.

Post match Bravo checks on Rosemary while Kylie celebrates. Bravo knows what is going on and likes Rosemary a lot, with Rosemary suggesting that Taya doesn’t have to know everything. Taya comes over to yell at Bravo and sends him away. Rosemary: “As long as it takes.”

Back in the arena, Anderson is trying to get Gallows out of jail. Ace Austin comes up and gets popped in the jaw, so here’s Madman Fulton to jump Anderson from behind.

Hernandez recruits Reno Scum to get his money back from Rhino. Why is this still going?

Chris Bey/Rohit Raju vs. TJP/Fallah Bahh

TJP takes Bey down by the arm to start and they fight over wrist control, as so many people do these days. Back up and they run the ropes, with TJP grabbing the ropes to annoy Bey. It’s off to Raju, but not before Bey gets taken down by the arm. Bahh comes in and cleans house as we take a break.

We come back with Raju breaking up a double splash and Bey taking TJP down for two. Raju’s low superkick gets two on TJP and there’s a running knee to the face for the same. Bey grabs the double arm kick but TJP kicks his way to freedom. A tornado DDT plants Bey and the hot tag brings in Bahh to clean house. Raju knees Bahh in the face and everything breaks down. TJP suplexes Bey down a few times but Bahh is sent outside. Bey loads up a springboard cutter but gets pulled into TJP’s cross armbreaker for the tap at 10:49.

Rating: C. This was all about setting up the likely title shot and based on that, mission accomplished. There wasn’t much of a spark though as it felt like a means to an end for the most part. I like Bey quite a bit and having Raju as a lackey is a step up from Swinger….I think. Maybe.

Preview for next week.

Here’s Rich Swann on crutches for a major announcement. Swann talks about how far he came through hard work and dedication. He became a professional wrestler and proved the doubters wrong. Then in January, he destroyed his ankle and leg and was told to expect a limp for the rest of his life. That meant no more wrestling so he worked as hard as he could to get back here. He started getting better and was given a clean bill of health so he was back at Slammiversary.

That’s where he pinned Eric Young and was ready to face Eddie Edwards and Ace Austin to win the title. Then Young got jealous and stomped his leg with a steel chair. Now he’s back where he was seven months ago and the doctor said it’s different. If Swann gets back in the ring, he won’t live a normal life. Swann has to think about his family and therefore, he has to retire. He thanks everyone and hopes he has made a positive impact.

Cue the locker room to surround the ring and slap the mat in Swann’s honor. The Rascalz hold the ropes open for him and help him get to the floor. Swann gets to the stage….and here’s Young to take the crutch and hit him in the leg again. Everyone (minus Swann that is) chases Young off to end the show. This was REALLY good as Swann sold the heck out of everything and I can even live with it being about Young.

Overall Rating: B-. The ending segment helped a lot but the Wrestle House stuff continues to be in a completely different world. I’m not sure where that is all going but it is certainly a different way to go with things. The rest of the show is good enough and this was a little better than last week’s, so maybe they can start getting back on the right track.

Results

Moose b. Heath – Rollup with tights

Alisha Edwards/Susie b. Johnny Swinger – Double splash

Eddie Edwards b. Sami Callihan – Boston Knee Party

Kylie Rae b. Rosemary – Superkick

TJP/Fallah Bahh b. Chris Bey/Rohit Raju – Cross armbreaker to Bey

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Slammiversary XVIII
Date: July 18, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

It’s a big night for Impact and we’re on Saturday for a change. I’m not sure if that’s an improvement or not but in this case the card is looking pretty good. The big question this time around is who comes in from WWE/elsewhere, including who takes the vacant spot in the World Title match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is all about who will show up from the released wrestlers. The World Title does get a mention, but the mystery wrestlers are the big focus.

Rascalz vs. ???

This is an open challenge and it’s…..the Motor City Machine Guns rather than the Good Brothers, who have been confirmed as signing with the company. Shelley and Wentz fight over a wristlock to start and then go to the mat for a standoff. Even Josh talks about how people were expecting the Good Brothers here, so well done on a bit of a head fake. Dez comes in and flips out of Sabin’s wristlock before hitting a hurricanrana, with Sabin landing on Dez’s back.

It’s back to Shelley, who gets caught in the corner for some quick dropkicks. Sabin gets kicked down over and over, including a dropkick to give Wentz two. Back to back slingshot hilos keep Sabin down but the Guns fight back up and knock Wentz and Dez outside without much effort. Shelley lays on the top and it’s a slugout with Wentz as Shelley gets the better of things.

Stereo enziguris get two on Wentz and Sabin cranks on both arms at once. The rapid fire double teaming keeps Wentz down and Sabin’s kick to the back gets two. Sabin cranks on the fingers, followed by a double forearm to drop Wentz again. Wentz is right back up with a handspring knee to the face, which is enough for the hot tag to Dez to clean house. Shelley gets driven into the corner and Sabin has to make a diving save.

Wentz Codebreakers Sabin but the Swanton hits Shelley’s raised knees. Sabin’s release German suplex drops Dez on his face and the back to back strikes keep him in trouble. The Dominator/sliding cutter combination gets two with Wentz driving Shelley into the cover for the save. Wentz gets caught in the Dream Sequence and it’s the ASCS Rush into the Dirt Bomb to finish Dez at 14:43.

Rating: B-. I’m not the biggest Guns fan (yeah I know) but this was a very good surprise and the team still looked good. What mattered here was keeping the team looking sharp, though seeing the Rascalz lose again makes my soul hurt. They need to win something at some point because this is becoming way too strong of a trend. Anyway, good start here and a solid match for everyone.

The announcers preview the rest of the show.

After a bit of a delay (seemed to be a missed cue), Taya Valkyrie yells at John E. Bravo that winning is all that matter tonight. Bravo doesn’t seem convinced and after Taya leaves, here’s Rosemary to say she needs to win.

We recap Moose vs. Tommy Dreamer for the TNA World Title. Moose claimed the non-existent title and beat up Crazzy Steve. Dreamer didn’t like it and called Moose stupid, along with accusing him of not wrestling for the right reasons. Now it’s time to give Moose a beating and if Dreamer wins the title, so be it.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer, in a Moose Sucks Eggs shirt, is challenging and it’s Old School rules. Moose wastes no time in elbowing him down and out to the floor, meaning it’s time to bring in the weapons. Some trashcan lid shots and choking with a baseball jersey have Moose in trouble but he drops Dreamer hard onto the ramp. Back in and Dreamer gets in a few more shots, only to get dropkicked off the middle rope in a crazy display of athleticism.

They head outside to keep up the weapons with Moose getting the better of things this time around. With Dreamer mostly done inside, Moose throws in a bunch of chairs and plants Dreamer onto them. A standing moonsault onto Dreamer onto the chairs gets two but the middle rope version only hits chairs.

The Dreamer DDT onto the chairs gets two and here is the bag of thumbtacks. Moose low blows his way out of a piledriver and tries to put Dreamer face first into the tacks. A shout of I NEVER WATCHED ECW brings Dreamer back to life so Moose rakes the eyes and sends him into the tacks anyway. No Jackhammer Needed finishes Dreamer at 11:16.

Rating: D+. Yeah can we move on now? Moose destroyed Dreamer as he should have, Dreamer got in his weapons stuff, and ECW still died over twenty years ago while Dreamer continues to be the self appointed defender of legendary wrestlers. I’m not sure why we needed to see this, but apparently Dreamer was the only wrestler in the world available for a pay per view spot.

A Jaguar arrives but it’s Johnny Swinger. He heard the car was for Anderson but Ole wasn’t around so he took it instead. Gia Miller gets to park it, but no dings in the doors.

Knockouts Gauntlet Match

There are eleven women announced so far and the winner gets the next title shot. It’s Royal Rumble rules until the final two have a regular singles match. Tasha Steelz is in at #1 and Kylie Rae is in at #2 with an exchange of armdrags to start. Rae flips out of a springboard hurricanrana attempt but neither can get rid of the other. John E. Bravo, seemingly dressed as Taya Valkyrie, is in at #3 and is out almost immediately in a smart move.

It’s Kimber Lee in at #4 and she kicks Rae in the face. The slow stomping ensues until Kiera Hogan is in at #5 to start a quick alliance with Steelz. Lee tries to dance with them and is knocked down in a hurry. Steelz goes up top but Rae superkicks her out. Katie Forbes is in at #6 and dances quite a bit, with Hogan seeming to approve. Madison Rayne is in at #7 and gets knocked down as well as the intervals are getting very fast here.

Havok is in at #8 and gets to be a monster, including a Boston crab to Rae. Now it’s the real Taya is in at #9 with everyone starting to pair off. Since no one is really close to an elimination, it’s Alisha Edwards in at #10 as Don tells us that Katie was eliminated somewhere in there. Rae tries to gorilla press Edwards but Havok does it for her and throws Edwards onto Kylie.

Nevaeh is in at #11 as the ring is getting WAY too full in a hurry. Rosemary is in at #12 and Susie is out. Rosemary’s music plays again though….and it’s Bravo dressed as Rosemary at #13 as commentary cracks up. Bravo tells Taya and Rosemary to stop fighting over them so Taya decks Rosemary. Havok yells at both of them so Bravo dumps her, followed by Rae getting rid of Bravo. Rae apologizes so Madison beats her up, only to get knocked out. Rae: “I’M SORRY!”

We’re down to Taya, Alisha, Rae, Lee, Nevaeh, Hogan and Rosemary. Nevaeh and Edwards are sent to the apron and get rammed into each other for a double elimination. Rosemary gets rid of Hogan and we’re down to four. Rae clotheslines Lee out and the double teaming is on in a hurry. For some reason Rosemary loads up the Upside Down and is eliminated by Taya because it’s stupid to do anything involving going over the top in a battle royal. That leaves Rae vs. Taya in a singles match for the title shot and it’s a Canadian Destroyer to plant Taya. A superkick gives Rae the pin and the title shot at 19:45.

Rating: C-. This was an entertaining enough match but they had too many people in the ring the entire time. I can go with Rae surviving throughout the whole thing because it’s not like she was running through all kinds of monsters. If nothing else, it was nice to see someone other than Taya getting the shot, which is all you needed here. Good enough match here, with one of the best options winning.

Commentary talks about Rae’s chances at winning the title but Heath (Slater that is) jumps the barricade to say he’ll take the World Title shot tonight, or face the Rascalz. Cue Rohit Raju to jump the barricade, saying Slater is late for the show and missed the Rascalz’s open challenge. Raju is going to take the World Title match anyway because he’s been here for a long time and never gotten a title shot. The fight is on with Heath cleaning house in a hurry.

We recap Chris Bey vs. Willie Mack for the X-Division Title. Bey has won a string of matches and earned a title shot, albeit with a lot of help from Johnny Swinger. Then Bey was overheard talking about how stupid Swinger is, so he’s on his own tonight.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. Chris Bey

Bey is defending and starts fast with a springboard armdrag but Mack sends him outside. The big dive doesn’t get a chance to launch and Bey takes the legs out to put Mack down. Mack catches the slingshot dropkick through the ropes and it’s a neckbreaker onto the apron for a SCARY crash landing. Thankfully Bey can get back up and go inside where Mack hits a standing moonsault for two.

Bey kicks him off the top but Mack kicks him as well, only to have his superplex attempt blocked. A slingshot Sling Blade gives Bey two and it’s a Swinger Neckbreaker for two as Bey tries to make up with Swinger. Bey goes up but dives into a sitout spinebuster for the double knockdown. Mack kicks him in the head to stay on the banged up neck and there’s the reverse Cannonball in the corner.

An exploder suplex sends Bey into the other corner for two and Bey is favoring his neck. Said neck is fine enough to avoid a charge in the corner and hit a running Canadian Destroyer for two. Mack is right back with the Stunner but misses the Six Star. The referee nearly gets bumped so Bey rakes the eyes, setting up the Art of Finesse (springboard cutter) to give Bey the pin and the title at 10:04.

Rating: B-. I like both guys quite a bit so there wasn’t a bad choice for the ending. I’m glad they had Bey win on his own without Swinger as they have a good chemistry but Bey is someone who could be a big deal without the help. Let Swinger come back now that Bey has the gold and go from there, but for now this is a good choice. I’m not sure what Mack does next, but hopefully it’s something other than waiting on Rich Swann to be healthy again.

Heath runs into Rhino in the back and after a brief reunion, it’s Scott D’Amore coming in to join them. D’Amore talks about opportunities and points out that Heath doesn’t work here. It’s a closed set and we can’t have guests so Heath needs to leave. Heath: “At least he was polite about it.” Rhino tells Heath to be at the show on Tuesday and say hi to the kids.

We recap the North vs. Sami Callihan/Ken Shamrock. The North have been Tag Team Champions for over a year and since there are no major opponents left to challenge them, it’s time for the wacky partners who may still hate each other to get the show.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. Sami Callihan/Ken Shamrock

The North is defending. Shamrock and Alexander go to the mat to start with Shamrock going for various holds. The ankle lock sends Alexander over to the rope while Sami shouts about dangerous men. Callihan comes in and punches Alexander in the face so it’s off to Page for the first time. Page is driven into the corner in a hurry and Shamrock tags himself in this time. That means more punishment of Page and the challengers start tagging regularly to put him in trouble again.

Alexander low bridges Callihan to the floor and the champs finally get to take over. That lasts all of about four seconds as Shamrock sends them together and brings Sami back in for some kicks to the ribs. A brainbuster gets two on Page but another Alexander distraction lets Page hit a dropkick. There’s a running shoulder, allowing Page to pose at Shamrock and talk even more trash.

We hit the chinlock for a bit until Sami jawbreaks his way to freedom. The double tag brings in Shamrock to powerslam Page for two but Callihan gets caught with a double flip slam off the top. Sami sends them into each other again and Shamrock suplexes Alexander to the floor. Shamrock grabs the ankle lock on Page and Alexander does the same to Page, leaving Sami and Page to slap each other while in the holds. That’s broken up and Sami cutters Page so Shamrock locks Alexander’s ankle.

Page shoves Sami into Shamrock for the break and Shamrock doesn’t like Sami hitting him, even by accident. They’re fine enough for Shamrock to kick Alexander into the piledriver for two with Page making another save. Shamrock kicks Sami off the apron by mistake but is fine enough to belly to belly superplex Alexander from the top. A missed dive sends Shamrock crashing onto the floor and it’s the double Neutralizer planting him to retain the titles at 15:58, with Sami not being able to make the save in time.

Rating: C. There were some sloppy points in here but I’m rather relieved that they didn’t go with a pretty questionable title change here. If the Good Brothers and the Guns are around full time, there is little reason to go with something like this when you can have someone else pick up a huge win by ending their reign. It was a fine enough match, but they went with a pretty simple formula with a hottish finish.

Post match the North brags about being the greatest team in Impact history, which brings out the Motor City Machine Guns to interrupt. Shelley talks about how great the North is, but they’re not the best team ever. The Guns are getting their shot on Tuesday.

Gia Miller lets herself into the Good Brothers’ locker room but Rich Swann is inside. He was here to support Willie Mack and see the World Title match. As soon as he’s cleared, he’s coming for whoever wins.

We recap Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace. Purrazzo showed up and has been treated as a major star. She even hurt Grace with the Fujiwara armbar more than once, setting up the title match here.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is challenging and bails to the floor in a hurry. Back in and Grace powers her around without much effort so we need another breather. Purrazzo heads inside again and gets suplexed to the floor, setting up a dive from Grace. Back in again and Grace drops an elbow on the back for two but Purrazzo kicks her into the corner. The arm work begins, with Grace getting a foot on the rope to break the first armbar.

Grace rolls out of a Fujiwara armbar attempt but can’t hit the Grace Driver. Instead Purrazzo tries a cross armbreaker, earning herself a kick to the face. The arm is cranked a little more but Grace escapes, only to get the arm slammed down onto the mat. Grace fights up again though and hits a running backsplash to the back. The rear naked choke with a bodyscissors allows the referee to loudly whisper to them.

They fight up again with Grace sending her into the corner for a bow and arrow around the post. Back in and Grace hits a Michinoku Driver for two, only to get pulled into a triangle choke. Grace breaks out of that with a powerbomb and they’re both down again. They forearm it out with Grace getting the better of things, followed by an exchange of release German suplexes.

Purrazzo hits the Pendulum for two but charges into a boot in the corner. Grace’s running knees to the back set up a Vader Bomb for two more. The Grace Driver is blocked so Grace elbows her in the back of the head over and over. Purrazzo grabs the arm though and a double armbar makes Grace give up at 15:20.

Rating: C+. They kind of had to do the title change here as they set this up for the last few weeks. There wasn’t much else they could do here after Purrazzo had been built up so strong for such a long time. Grace had held the title for a sneaky five months, and now there are several people who could challenge Purrazzo in short order. I like Grace, but this makes sense.

Bound For Glory is October 24.

We recap the World Title match. Tessa Blanchard was released and stripped of the title, followed by Michael Elgin being released over SpeakOut. Therefore, it’s a four way for the vacant title with a mystery opponent.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey vs. ???

The title is vacant coming in, there are elimination rules, Madman Fulton is here with Ace and the mystery challenger is…..Rich Swann. That’s quite the surprise. Hold on though as we have another person here as a fifth entrant.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin vs. Trey vs. Rich Swann vs. Eric Young

Young says he won the World Title at Slammiversary (no he didn’t) so he’s going to do it again here. It’s a brawl to start with Swann flipping over Young and hitting a dropkick. Young is knocked outside so Swann and Trey trade flips, leaving Eddie to take them both down. Fulton chokeslams Eddie onto the apron to put him down….and that’s an ejection. Fulton won’t leave so it’s a threat of Ace being eliminated, which is enough to make him go.

Trey spears Ace down and hammers away before sending Ace inside for a super hurricanrana from Swann. Eddie chops at Young and Swann in the corner but Ace slips out of a backpack Stunner out of the corner. Ace kicks people in the head but gets knocked down. It’s Eddie with a Blue Thunder Bomb to Swann, followed by Young knocking Eddie down as well. Trey kicks Young (now bleeding) down and calls out Austin.

The fight is on with Trey slugging away and kicking Young down as well. Swann is sent outside, leaving Eddie to chop Trey, whose dive at Swann is countered with a planting on the floor. Back in and Austin gutwrench suplexes Young but loses a slugout to Eddie. There’s a tiger driver to Austin but Trey comes off the top with a Meteora to Edwards because only Trey gets to eliminate Austin. Young is back up with a quick piledriver to get rid of Trey at 9:36 but can’t pin anyone else.

A lot of shouting makes me remember why Young gets on my nerves in a hurry and his wheelbarrow neckb….well more like a belly to back suplex gets two on Swann. Young takes Swann up but Swann reverses into a super bulldog to put them both down, with Swann breathing very, very loudly. Everyone winds up on the corner and it’s Eddie and Austin falling off the top and through the timekeeper’s table in a huge crash. That leaves Young to call Swann the letdown of the two surprises, allowing Swann to get a rollup to eliminate Young at 15:36, thank goodness.

Young isn’t done and goes after Swann’s bad knee with a chop block and several Pillmanizing stomps, plus a bunch of chair shots. Swann continues and rolls Austin up a few times before slugging away on one leg. Austin kicks the leg out though and hits the Fold to get rid of Swann at 18:55.

So we’re down to Austin vs. Edwards with Eddie pulling himself back in for a slugout. Eddie gets the better of things and even counters the Fold attempt with an overhead belly to belly. Ace misses a kick in the corner and the Boston Knee Party gives Eddie two. Austin hits the Fold for the same but Eddie hits another Boston Knee Party. The Diehard Flosion (Eddie’s old move) gives Edwards the pin and the title at 24:16.

Rating: C+. It was a good, long match (as it should have been), though seeing Young back is hardly the most thrilling thing. Eddie winning the title feels like a safe pick and there’s nothing wrong with that after everything that has been going on around here as of late. Swann was a nice surprise and Austin came close, but it was probably the right call to end with the most established name who was on the roster coming into the match. Good enough, but nothing great, mainly due to so many people being involved.

Post match Fulton is back to jump Edwards but the Good Brothers come out and, after teasing an alliance with the villains, lay them out with a Gun Stun and the Magic Killer. Eddie and the Good Brothers pose to….not end the show because we get an EC3 vignette to really end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m going to have to think about this one for a bit as while it was far from terrible, it was a good bit underwhelming. There was so much focus on bringing in/back all of the wrestlers (eight in total) that it kind of overwhelmed the show. I’m hoping that it doesn’t turn into the nonsense of nearly begging the former WWE stars to save them from their drek.

Bringing in new/established stars is fine, but Impact has been doing rather well without them lately and they don’t need to act like it’s instantly better because the names are well known. What we had here was good enough, but they need to pick the right path forward, and they have a lot of options available.

Results

Motor City Machine Guns b. Rascalz – Dirt Bomb to Dez

Moose b. Tommy Dreamer – No Jackhammer Needed

Kylie Rae won a gauntlet match last eliminating Taya Valkyrie

Chris Bey b. Willie Mack – Art of Finesse

The North b. Sami Callihan/Ken Shamrock – Double Neutralizer to Shamrock

Deonna Purrazzo b. Jordynne Grace – Double armbar

Eddie Edwards b. Eric Young, Rich Swann, Ace Austin and Trey – Diehard Flosion to Austin

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

I don’t know how to say this but Impact Wrestling is looking pretty good at the moment. They have something going with these recent shows (with no fans, again showing that it can be done) and I’m curious to see if they can make it work on pay per view. The company’s history suggests that they are at their best when they are just focusing on wrestling, which is where they are on Saturday. Now they need to make it work. Let’s get to it.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack(c) vs. Chris Bey

We’ll start off with a match that has a lot of potential as the two of them are both on a roll at the moment. Mack seems like he could be the star of the show in the blink of an eye and Bey looks as smooth in the ring as anyone I can remember in a good while. The main focus of this story has been Johnny Swinger, but Bey insulting him on Tuesday seems to have written that part out. That just leaves the match, and it sounds good.

I’ll go with Mack retaining here, as he seems like someone who could be a rather long term champion. Bey is going to be fine as he really is good at almost anything he does in the ring. This could be a heck of an opening match as a way to get things off to start things off, or one of the bigger matches later on in the show. I’m wanting to see this one and that’s a nice feeling to have.

Knockouts Gauntlet

This is an eleven woman gauntlet to crown a new #1 contender, meaning it could go almost any possible way. That makes for some interesting possibilities, and for a rather hard prediction to make. The important factor here is how much depth the division suddenly has, which has been an issue for the division before. Things seem to be changing, but quantity does not necessarily equal quality.

I’ll go with Rosemary as a somewhat safe pick here, as she is an established name and a win wouldn’t be out of nowhere. Kylie Rae seems to be the name they are building up more than anyone else, but she seems to be getting a little bit too much momentum. Most of the rest of the names are just kind of there, but as usual, this one is going to depend on who leaves the show with the title.

Rascalz vs. ???

Now let’s not beat around the bush here. I know this is going to be the Good Brothers, you know this is going to be the Good Brothers, and the non-existent popcorn vendor in sect….do we actually know where this show is taking place? I’d assume Nashville but I don’t think it’s ever been announced. Anyway, this isn’t a mystery to the people answering the challenge, but it should still be a cool moment.

Since the Rascalz almost never win a match, I’ll take the Good Brothers to win here without much trouble. There’s no reason for this to be anything more than a competitive match ending with a Magic Killer, as Anderson and Gallows are going to be fine enough to put on a good showing and become players in the tag division. That being said, I always feel bad about saying “I’M SURE!” on something like this, but I’m about as sure as I can be here.

TNA World Title: Moose(c) vs. Tommy Dreamer

No matter how many things change, you can count on Dreamer somehow getting a spot somewhere. Moose as the delusional monster champion has been a fun story and the kind of thing that he can pull off. I’m curious to see how long the story goes and who takes it off of him, as it could be a rather nice story with a good payoff.

What won’t be a good payoff is Dreamer winning the title, which won’t be happening here. Moose will probably sell for Dreamer because this is Old School rules (which should probably mean traditional rules but alas) but can come out as champion in the end. Beating Dreamer doesn’t mean much no matter what kind of a match it is but he comes with the territory (any territory) at this point.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace(c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo

This could be an interesting one as Grace is the powerhouse but Purrazzo has gotten the better of her at almost every turn. The problem here is they’ve made Purrazzo into a near killer and I’m not sure how much damage would be done if she loses her first big match. At the same time though, Grace hasn’t even been champion that long. She’s the kind of person who could bounce back from a loss in a hurry, but I’m not sure if that’s what we’re going to be seeing here.

I’m going to go on a limb and say Purrazzo wins here, though it’s my least confident pick on the entire show. This could be a good power vs. technical skills match, and while I could see Grace countering the armbar into a Grace Driver to retain, I think Purrazzo gets the title here. She could be a killer champion for a good while, and I’m not sure her losing early on would leave that possible.

Tag Team Titles: The North(c) vs. Ken Shamrock/Sami Callihan

I’m not usually a fan of a thrown together team getting a title shot, but it’s not like there are any other teams in the company who deserve a shot at the moment. The tag division has been one of the weaker points as of late, as there certainly are teams but none of them really stand out all that well. The North has held the titles for over a year now and have to lose to someone, but is that going to be here?

I think I’ve talked myself into saying yes actually, so we’ll go with new champs. Shamrock has been treated as a big deal since he got back (he even got to face Joey Ryan) and Callihan is a former World Champion. It’s not like the North needs to hold the titles any longer, though I would assume the Good Brothers are waiting on whoever comes out with the titles. I’m oddly curious about this, but that might be due to how good the North has been.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Trey vs. ???

Now here we have an interesting one, as the mystery opponent could be multiple people. The company only had so many ways to go to set something up here and given the circumstances, this is about as good as they could do. I’m curious to see who the mystery opponent is and who leaves with the title, so missions accomplished so far. Now just have a good match and they should be fine.

In theory, this is EC3’s spot and title to win, but I’m not entirely convinced for some reason. Bully Ray springs to mind as a possibility, which would be about as lame as you can get. I’m just hoping that when they say “World Champion” they aren’t going to pull something like they’ve done before with “World TAG TEAM Champion”, but I think that’s far enough in the past for the company. As for a winner, I’ll take Austin, who I’ve liked since he debuted. I’m curious to see where it goes though, and that’s what matters most.

Overall Thoughts

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I want to watch the show, which hasn’t been the case for a long time now. Impact has been one of the best things going in recent weeks and if they nail this show, we could be in for a heck of a night. It’s almost weird to be excited over a non-AEW/NXT show these days but they’re making it work here. It’s hard to say, but don’t let me down Impact.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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