IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 7, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We’re getting very close to Slammiversary and things seem to have settled down enough that there might not even be another major change this week. The show has been entertaining enough as of late that I can give them a bit of the benefit of the doubt, but that has gotten me in trouble before. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie vs. Susie/Kylie Rae

John E. Bravo is here with Rosemary/Taya. Rosemary yells at Susie for throwing away all the work to get her powers back and calls her an idiot. Susie says no and throws her down for three straight twos off three straight crucifixes. Kylie comes in and offers Taya a handshake, which goes as well as you would expect. A headlock takeover doesn’t do much better so she tries the STF, sending Taya straight to the ropes. There’s a double bulldog to give Susie two but Taya knocks her into the corner.

Rosemary’s bicycle kick into a German suplex from Taya gets two. The running knees in the corner gets two more but Susie gets in a clothesline, allowing the hot tag to Rae. The Cannonball hits Rosemary for two but she kicks Rae down. Rae is right back with a Stunner to Rosemary, who pops right back up. Taya comes in with a spear and gets two off a bridging northern lights suplex. Everything breaks down and Susie clotheslines Rosemary outside. Taya sends Susie out with her but gets pulled into the STF for the tap at 8:17.

Rating: C. Another good example of the depth the division is starting to put together. Rae is someone who could be a star in the division for the time being and Susie could go a long way as a featured attraction if they play up the double reality deal. Rosemary and Taya are both very good as well, though they seem to have slipped a good bit as of late.

The announcers give a double preview of both Slammiversary and tonight, or at least the matches related to the pay per view.

Chris Bey isn’t happy with Johnny Swinger getting banned from ringside at Slammiversary, but Swinger has a plan.

Deaners vs. Reno Scum vs. XXXL vs. TJP/Fallah Bahh

It’s a big brawl to start with XXXL cleaning house until Scum pulls them down to the floor. Jake dives onto a bunch of people and we take a break. Back with Scum choking Cody on the ropes but TJP and Bahh make a quick save. There’s the Pit Stop to keep Cody in trouble but Acey tags himself in to crush Cody as well.

Everything breaks down and it’s Scum and TJP/Bahh fighting to the back, leaving us with a regular tag match for a change. We settle down to Larry and Jake coming in off the double tag and the Deaner DDT is blocked. Everything breaks down again again and Larry misses the Best Hand in the House. A Boss Man Slam gives Jake the pin at 8:57.

Rating: D+. It was nice to have the match settle down to just four people at the end as there is only so much you can do with so many people in there at once. It also doesn’t help that these teams seem to be trading wins, which doesn’t exactly do much to set up a title match down the line.

We cut to the back where TJP is down and Scum is beating on Bahh. TJP is back up with a big dive off something like a fork lift. Bahh puts TJP in a trashcan where he pushes a chair around to hit Scum in the head. Scum pops back up and takes them out again, including burying TJP under some barricades.

Swinger is looking for a costume to find a way to be at ringside. The Super Eric one won’t do, but Suicide will be fine.

Flashback Moment of the Week: The Beautiful People b. Angelina Love/Tara at Lockdown 2010.

Ken Shamrock meets Sami Callihan and offers his help tonight for Callihan’s match against Josh Alexander. Sami likes the sound of it but talks about how they’re like the scorpion and the frog. Bye bye.

Kimber Lee vs. Jordynne Grace

Non-title. Lee wants a test of strength to start so Grace powers her down by the hands without much effort. The threat of the Grace Driver sends Lee bailing to the rope and a bite of the finger breaks the grip. Grace’s grip on a spinebuster is good enough for two but Lee uses a foot on the back of the head to drive her throat first into the middle rope. Another kick to the back gets two and Lee grabs a full nelson with her leg. Grace fights up and hits a scary looking Michinoku Driver for two but Lee kicks her down again. The Swanton gets two so Lee goes for the brass knuckles. Grace blocks that and the Grace Driver finishes at 6:21.

Rating: C-. This was a good way to give Grace some momentum on the way to the pay per view title defense. Lee was a big deal when she debuted but it hasn’t quite clicked for her since then. She has talent, but nothing has really worked in a good while now. Grace vs. Purrazzo should be a good title match though and that’s what matters at the moment.

Post match Purrazzo pops up on screen to say Grace has to wait until Slammiversary.

We get a long video on the three World Title participants wanting the title.

Eddie Edwards wants to get back to the top because he has almost lost everything around here. Yes he has been a World Champion before, but now he needs to do it again to show he still has it.

Ace Austin has only wrestled for five years and look at how fast he has gotten to the main event. Now he is ready to prove himself for good.

Trey is ready to show that he is ready to do anything to win because he has come such a long way to get here. He wants to know what it’s like to get to the top. Trey goes into a crazed rant about Ace Austin trying to take him out and swears to never be hungry again.

As for the mystery opponent, they’re all ready for whomever it is. This was a good package and they’re making the title match, as cobbled together as it is, feel important.

Suicide comes up to Willie Mack and gets an X-Division Title shot tonight. It isn’t clear if Mack knew what was up, but hopefully he isn’t that stupid.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk with Madison Rayne interviewing the most iconic Knockout of all time: herself of course, and yes she does jump from chair to chair. She has a big announcement: she is going to be in the Knockouts gauntlet match to crown a new #1 contender. Tasha Steelz and Kiera Hogan come in to laugh at her for being ridiculous but Nevaeh and Havok come in for the brawl. The cameraman is knocked down so Madison lays on the floor to sign off.

Hernandez is still winning at arm wrestling until Rhino comes in. More on this later.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. Suicide

Suicide (Johnny Swinger that is) is challenging, even though his gear doesn’t zip all the way up. A kick to the ribs staggers Mack a bit but Suicide fails at trying the Spider-Man pose in the rope. The abdominal stretch doesn’t work either so it’s the Stunner to retain the title at 1:28.

Tommy Dreamer reads a statement from his lawyer (Tricky Dicky Heyman) about how stupid Moose is, including thinking the Earth is flat. Moose comes in and Dreamer says he’s called the TNA Championship Committee, meaning he’s the #1 contender at Slammiversary. Moose says that’s stupid because there is no committee. Dreamer: “Just like there is no TNA.” Remember when this was about nostalgia and the good old days of the company? As in before the story was turned upside down and Tommy Dreamer gets a shot at a title he knows doesn’t exist?

We run down the Slammiversary card again.

Josh Alexander vs. Sami Callihan

Ethan Page is at ringside but there is no Shamrock. Callihan runs him over with a shoulder to start and adds a clothesline to put Alexander on the floor. Back in and a middle rope knee to the head puts Alexander right back outside but this time Callihan follows. Alexander gets in a cheap shot thanks to a Page distraction and a whip into the barricade sends us to a break.

Back with Alexander pulling him outside again but this time Callihan grabs a Death Valley Driver on the floor. Alexander is fine enough to hit a suplex onto the apron and Sami takes a good while to get back in. More stomping and forearming have Sami down for two inside and the slow beating continues. Sami fights back but can’t hit the Cactus Special. He can however hit a brainbuster for a somewhat cocky near fall, followed by the right hands in the corner.

Alexander is right back up with a kick to the leg and the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and they head to the apron, with Sami hitting a piledriver to knock Alexander silly. The referee gets bumped though and Page comes in, drawing out Shamrock for the save. The ankle lock makes Page tap and Sami hits the Cactus Special for the pin at 10:57.

Rating: C. Good enough match here and a nice boost for the pay per view title version. The North’s title reign has gone on long enough now that it is going to mean something to have a team beat them, though I’m not sure if it’s going to be Callihan and Shamrock. I wouldn’t be overly annoyed it if was, but that might not be the best move.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a good example of a show where the wrestling wasn’t the point. Instead, it was all about getting ready for the pay per view and that’s what they did in a solid way. There was enough on the show to make me want to see Slammiversary, and if they keep that up next week, we should be in for a solid pay per view.

Results

Susie/Kylie Rae b. Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie – STF to Valkyrie

Deaners b. TJP/Fallah Ball, XXXL and Reno Scum – Boss Man Slam to Larry

Jordynne Grace b. Kimber Lee – Grace Driver

Willie Mack b. Suicide – Stunner

Sami Callihan b. Josh Alexander – Cactus Special

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: June 9, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s a big night as we get to find out the future of the World Title. Last week Ace Austin won the #1 contenders tournament, which was rather odd as he beat someone who wasn’t even entered. Never let it be said that things go as you might expect around here, though that’s not necessarily a good thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Don Callis and Scott D’Amore aren’t sure what to do about the World Title situation.

Ken Shamrock vs. Michael Elgin vs. Sami Callihan

Shamrock and Elgin start brawling before Sami shows up, meaning the lights go out so Sami can show up. Sami sends the other two outside but gets pulled out of the air and driven into the apron. Shamrock is back up with a dive onto both of them but Elgin hits a middle rope dropkick back inside.

Elgin sends Shamrock into the post and suplexes Callihan down for two. A hard whip into the corner has Sami in trouble and Elgin tells him to try it. Shamrock is back in to suplex Elgin and it’s time to slug it out with Callihan. Now it’s Elgin coming back in to beat up Callihan, with a running forearm getting two.

Elgin DDTs Shamrock, who pops up twice in a row. The ankle lock has Elgin in trouble and he gets to the corner….where he pulls the buckle pad off without the hold being broken. Sami blocks the tap so Shamrock locks his ankle instead. Callihan breaks that up and hits the Elgin Bomb to finish Shamrock at 8:48.

Rating: C. This was every standard triple threat match you’ve seen before so it’s nothing that you really need to see. Elgin winning makes the most sense as he’s getting the monster push, meaning the World Title shot has to be coming sooner or later. This is the kind of win that lets him look strong, and Elgin knows how to sell the heck out of that.

Post match Shamrock and Callihan stare each other down until the lights go out and Sami disappears.

The announcers preview the show.

Jordynne Grace will know everything is back when she drives Taya Valkyrie straight through the mat.

The Rascalz are ready for their seventeenth shot at the Tag Team Titles when Trey comes in and wants to know who jumped him. The North comes in to promise a beating last week. They accuse Wentz of jumping Trey, who denies everything.

Tasha Steelz vs. Susie

Kiera Hogan is here with Steelz. Tasha slaps her a few times to start and is quickly bulldogged down. That’s enough for Steelz to bail to the floor, where she knocks Susie’s dive out of the air with a forearm. Back in and Steelz stomps away, setting up a neckbreaker for two. A clothesline cuts Susie off but she’s back with a running Thesz press and the right hands. Susie palm strikes her out of the air for two as Hogan is panicking on the floor. That’s enough of a distraction for Steelz to hit a cutter for the pin at 3:47.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here to keep the people involved in the feud going and that’s not a bad thing. Steelz isn’t the most interesting person in the world but she and Hogan pushing Susie to the brink to bring out Su Yung is going to be a nice payoff. Yeah it’s basically the Fiend, but Yung can make it work.

Ace Austin is late for his interview for some reason before showing up to say he’ll be the new World Champion since Tessa Blanchard isn’t here. Moose comes in to offer to have a special robe for Ace when he comes after the TNA World Title at Slammiversary. Ace doesn’t seem interested and leaves, so here’s Hernandez instead. He’ll fight Moose next week. Moose backs away and says don’t get so close to him.

Slammiversary ad.

Steelz and Hogan celebrate but run into Havok and Nevaeh. A challenge is thrown out but that’s not happening tonight.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Earl Hebner fights back against Mike Kanellis and gets laid out on May 17, 2016.

Rohit Raju comes up to Rhino and wants to know about last week’s Gore. Rhino references having a partner who has kids and tells Raju to get out of here. The brawl is on.

Taya Valkyrie is looking for John E. Bravo.

Johnny Swinger/Chris Bey vs. Willie Mack/Cousin Jake

Mack and Bey start things off with Bey bailing into the corner early on for a tag to Swinger. That’s fine with Mack, who sends Swinger into the corner so Jake can come in to send Swinger into the corner. Bey gets in a cheap shot from the corner though and it’s Mack in trouble for a change. Since it’s just Swinger though, Mack kicks him away without much effort and it’s back to Jake.

Bey gets dropped onto Swinger but Jake misses a charge into the corner to send us to a break. Back with Bey choking Jake on the rope and Swinger getting in some of his own. Jake clotheslines his way to freedom though and it’s back to Mack to clean house. The standing moonsault gets two on Swinger and the Stunner puts him away at 10:43.

Rating: C. Bey continues to come off like a star in the making and Swinger is enough of a goof that you can see him do almost anything you want for the same success. Jake is kind of a random partner but the point is advancing Bey vs. Mack, which they did well. The Slammiversary title match should be a heck of a showcase for both of them too.

Post match the beatdown is on until Cody Deaner makes his return for the save. Jake seems surprised to see him, meaning we’re supposed to believe that that Jake either didn’t come up to see Cody today or that he just got here and happened to run in halfway through the show? That’s a heck of a coincidence.

Rosemary almost gets John E. Bravo to bite her apple but Taya comes in to yell at him. Rosemary doesn’t want to hear it and stands up for Bravo, but Taya says she was just looking out for his own good. Somehow a partnership is formed between the three of them.

Here’s Scott D’Amore to address the World Title situation. He knows that something has to be done and Tessa Blanchard is still not here. Cue Ace Austin to say the World Champion is right here. Before D’Amore can respond, here’s Elgin to say Ace is going to have to deal with him if he wants Elgin’s title. So either get out, or fight. Now it’s Eddie Edwards making his return to say he can beat Elgin to say you have to earn titles around here.

Ace tells D’Amore to get back to awarding him the title. D’Amore tells him to get back for the sake of social distancing. With that done, D’Amore says it’s a five way for the title at Slammiversary. Ace wants to know who the fifth person so D’Amore tells him to turn around. Cue Trey to springboard in with a dropkick and the big brawl is on.

Joseph P. Ryan, with the returning Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes (to absolutely no fanfare) to introduce Jacob Crist, who is here to teach Mentally Unwell Steve a lesson.

Jacob Crist vs. Crazzy Steve

Crist jumps him from behind to start as Josh calls Steve an Impact Original. You mean the guy who debuted there all the way back in 2014? Choking on the ropes has Steve in trouble and Jake starts in on the arm. A short armscissors but Steve is right back up with a clothesline. Crist kicks him out of the corner though and a big kick to the head finishes Steve at 3:32.

Rating: D+. You can feel the Right to Censor vibes from these guys, but without Steven Richards to lead them, it doesn’t exactly make things work. Instead it’s Ryan being as dull as possible and making me roll my eyes every time the team comes out. Thankfully they aren’t going anywhere in a hurry, but I’m more confused about Van Dam’s return being treated as nothing. That’s kind of a big deal no?

Slammiversary ad. Again. At least this has the ex-WWE intrigue though and they’re making it seem like a big deal.

Preview for next week’s show.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya is challenging and has Rosemary and John E. Bravo with her. Grace isn’t waiting to start so Taya bails to the floor, meaning it’s a suicide dive to take out all three of them. Back from a break with Grace firing off shoulders in the corner and getting two off a snap suplex. A belly to belly gets two and a forearm sends Taya outside.

Grace spends too much time to send her back inside though and gets kneed in the face. Taya goes up so Grace knocks her back down to the floor for a crash as we take a break. Back with Grace knocking Taya outside again but she sends Grace into the steps to take over. They head back inside for the running knee to Grace in the corner, setting up the quickly broken chinlock.

Grace counters a superplex into a powerbomb and they’re both down for a bit. It’s Grace up first to send her into the corner for the running forearm and the Vader Bomb gets two. The Grace Driver is broken up though and Taya spears her down for two more. The Road to Valhalla is blocked as well and Grace chokes her out to retain at 18:57.

Rating: B-. They were smart to put these two together as they’re some of the bigger Knockouts and can have a more physical match together. That’s what they had here and it’s nice to see Grace adding something new to her arsenal. The Taya/Rosemary/Bravo grouping could be interesting, but it was Grace’s time to retain here and they went with the logical move.

Post match here’s Deonna Purrazzo, who pulls Grace into a Fujiwara armbar to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Decent enough show here but nothing that blew the roof off the place. Slammiversary is taking shape in a hurry and that’s a good thing given that we have just over a month before the show. What matters most is there are multiple things I’m curious to see and that is becoming the norm around here. Impact has gone from a joke to a rather decent weekly series and that’s very cool to see. Not a great show, but it worked well enough for what it was supposed to do.

Results

Michael Elgin b. Ken Shamrock and Sami Callihan – Elgin Bomb to Shamrock

Tasha Steelz b. Susie – Cutter

Willie Mack/Cousin Jake b. Johnny Swinger/Chris Bey – Stunner to Swinger

Jacob Crist b. Crazzy Steve – Kick to the head

Jordynne Grace b. Taya Valkyrie – Rear naked choke

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: May 19, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

Things are getting interesting around here as the tournament is starting to pick up. That’s going to continue this week and we’re also going to be seeing more of the TNA World Title, as Moose gets to show us more of his relative insanity. To cap it off though, Johnny Swinger gets his X-Division Title shot and they wouldn’t be that insane, right? Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Ace Austin vs. Rhino

Austin is Ken Shamrock’s replacement after Shamrock was attacked last week. Madison brings up a good point: Ace just got off a big X-Division Title reign and he wasn’t one of the top eight people in the company? Throw in Moose, Tessa Blanchard and Willie Mack and he’s not even in the top eleven. But Rhino and Hernandez are? Anyway, Rhino powers him to the floor to start as we need an early breather.

Back in and Rhino’s headlock doesn’t last long so the threat of a clothesline puts Austin on the floor again. They try it again and this time Rhino loads up a Gore to scare Austin outside for the third time. Rhino follows him this time but gets sent into the barricade. That’s one upped with a backdrop over the barricade but Austin posts him to get an extended breather.

Rhino dives in to beat the count so Austin pounds away and hits a springboard kick to the face for two. We hit the chinlock but Rhino is right back up for a double clothesline. It’s Rhino up first with some right hands to the head but Austin drops him again. Ace heads up top, only to get superplexed back down for two. Austin finds a well placed chair in the corner but Rhino takes it away, only to have the referee take it away again. That lets Ace get in a shot with the baton and the Fold is good for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much easier it is to sit through just Rhino as opposed to Rhino and the ECW goons. Here he was just someone out there to put Austin over and that’s not a bad thing. Austin is someone with a potential future around here and having Rhino put him over might be a nice little boost. They had a decent power vs. speed match going too so it works well all around.

Earlier today, Moose and Josh sat down with Josh saying Moose is walking around with a worthless title. Moose says this ends when someone beats him but Josh says you can’t just decide a match is for a title. That does not sit well with Moose, and Josh bringing up Suicide having Moose pinned last week makes it even worse. Moose is willing to give Suicide a rematch and that’s it.

Kiera Hogan offers to mentor Tasha Steelz. Her way of saying it: “If I like you, I’ll snatch a b**** for you. If not, you get snatched by that b****.” Steelz is in.

Here what else is coming.

Dave Crist vs. Crazzy Steve

The rest of OVE is here with Dave. Steve elbows him into the corner to start and there’s a dropkick to the knee to take Dave off the apron. Cue Joseph P. Ryan to watch as Dave takes Steve down and pounds away back inside. Some knees to the head keep Steve down and Dave grabs an armbar. OVE adds some choking from the floor and Dave grabs a Falcon Arrow for two. Steve is right back up with a middle rope DDT for the fast pin at 4:07.

Rating: C-. The OVE losing streak continues and I’m almost worried to think about who is going to be the new leader to turn the tide. No one is really standing out and that means there are so many possibilities, some of which might not be the best moves. Steve is a strange choice to bring back but there are far worse choices.

Post match Steve leaves so Fulton yells at both Crists. Fulton says he’s done and chokes both of them for questioning them. Makes sense actually.

Rosemary talks to Taya Valkyrie’s stuffed dog and implies that Taya is gone. John E. Bravo comes in to complain and Rosemary seems to apologize and almost flirt a bit. That….kind of works actually.

XXXL vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP

Bahh and Acey start things off and it’s time for the power lockup. Acey misses a running dropkick and gets splashed, allowing the early tag off to TJP. Larry comes in as well and shoves TJP around without much effort. The right hands in the corner don’t do much damage to Larry so it’s time to take off the legs. A low crossbody gives TJP two and Bahh comes back in to pound Larry down.

TJP starts working on the arm before Bahh goes simple with the corner splash. Acey makes a blind tag from the apron though and drops TJP with one shot as we take a break. Back with Larry chinlocking TJP before switching to a bearhug. Those go nowhere so it’s a spinebuster for two instead. The waistlock keeps TJP in trouble for a bit but Acey knocks Bahh off the apron.

As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through just a few seconds later, meaning Bahh gets to clean house. Acey Pounces Bahh to break up the belly to belly and TJP is sent outside. Now Acey gets knocked outside as well and the belly to belly gets two on Larry. The Banzai drop is broken up but Bahh drops Larry. TJP adds a frog splash for the pin on Larry at 13:38.

Rating: D+. This was longer than it needed to be and I didn’t get into the whole thing. XXXL might already be hitting their ceiling as you can only get so far with the two big guys doing big guy things. TJP and Bahh have a good chemistry together and hopefully they can get a nice push in the future. Then again they already had the big title shot and came up short, so their time might already be over.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Suicide

Moose is defending and there’s something interesting about Josh being fine with Suicide being from a video game but has a problem with Moose picking up the title in a warehouse. As per Moose’s request, we get the Big Match Intros and now we’re ready to go. Josh brings up that Suicide almost won the title last week so Madison says that the Cleveland Indians ALMOST won the World Series. Well she’s off the good list now.

Moose misses the spear as Suicide runs the ropes early on, including hanging in the ropes to make Moose miss a charge to the floor. Back in and Suicide grabs something like an Octopus hold, followed by a basement dropkick to the side of the head. They head outside with Moose picking him up for some swings into the barricade. Suicide has to dive back in, prompting Josh to say “and the match rolls on.” That time with WWE really did rub off on him.

Back in and Moose throws Suicide down without much effort, followed by a heck of a whip into the corner. There’s another throw as the total dominance is on. Some clotheslines bounce off Moose and he wants to know if that’s all Suicide has. A fourth clothesline drops Moose though and he misses some charges into the corner.

Suicide hits a few running corner dropkicks and a Lionsault gets two. That’s enough for Moose as he gets serious and stomps Suicide down in the corner. Suicide is right back with the Codebreaker and some low superkicks, meaning it’s time to go up. The high crossbody connects but Moose rolls through and grabs the tights to retain at 11:07.

Rating: C+. Aside from bringing up the horrors of the 2016 World Series, I had a good time with this as they have the chemistry to make something like this work. There was no reason to believe that the title was going to change hands but Suicide gave it a go here and they had a pretty good match. Moose being all delusional works for him and it seems to have some staying power.

Michael Elgin talks about how people might not like him now but they will appreciate what he is. Ken Shamrock came in and talked about being the World’s Most Dangerous Man. Then he got knocked out by someone tough. Elgin has promised to be World Champion and what he says will happen happens.

Chris Bey gives Johnny Swinger a pep talk. Swinger: “Thanks for being a brother, brother.” The first round at the Landing Strip is on him after he wins the title.

X-Division Title: Johnny Swinger vs. Willie Mack

Mack is defending and Swinger jumps him from behind to start. Some rams into the corner set up an elbow drop for two as Josh thinks Swinger winning could open the door for a Simon Diamond return. Mack grabs the swinging slam (that’s gimmick infringement) and drops a leg for two. The Swinger Neckbreaker gets two but Swinger celebrates anyway. That just earns him a Samoan drop into the standing moonsault to retain at 3:18.

Rating: D+. That’s all it needed to be as Mack is a star and Swinger is an entertaining joke. They didn’t need to do anything more than have a quick match here with Mack not really breaking much of a sweat. It worked well here and Swinger continues to be perfectly amusing in his role.

Post match Swinger won’t let go of the title and chop blocks Mack. Cue Chris Bey for the double beatdown.

The North is still in Canada because Ethan Page has rented the arena for a month. The referee comes in so here’s Cody Deaner of all people to say he’ll team with the referee to challenge for the titles. They’ll do it next week at the Deaner Compound. The North is in but the referee says he can’t do this. Cody says he has another Deaner to be his real partner.

Preview of next week’s show.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Michael Elgin vs. Sami Callihan

Sami has a bad ankle coming in thanks to Ken Shamrock at Rebellion so Elgin drives him into the corner and points at the ankle to start. Sami’s chops just annoy Elgin so he kicks the ankle out. That just earns him a rake to the eyes but Elgin is back to the ankle, sending Sami outside for a breather. Back in and a quick DDT gives Sami two, followed by a pump kick to the floor.

Sami wraps the arm around the barricade so Elgin drops him leg first onto the same barricade. Elgin sends the leg into the post for a bonus but Sami pulls him face first into the post for a breather. Back from a break with Sami in major trouble so Elgin holds out his face to give Sami a free shot. A rollup gives Sami two and they slug it out until Elgin blasts him with a clothesline. Sami knocks him to the floor though and there’s a suicide dive. Back in and Sami gets two off a suplex but Elgin crushes the leg all over again.

A running shot to the knee in the corner gets two, followed by the half crab to make things even worse. That’s broken up but Sami collapses before the big clothesline connects. Sami manages a German suplex and a clothesline of his own gets two. The Cactus Special is countered but Elgin blasts him with a spinning backfist. The Elgin Bomb sends Elgin to the next round at 18:48.

Rating: B. As much as I’m not wild on turning Sami face, I can go with the idea of Sami fighting through the ankle injury to survive against the monster. They told a nice story here and that’s hard to do in a situation with such a clear winner. Elgin was always going to win this, but it’s not like Sami is heavily damaged when he’s fighting on one leg.

Here are the updated brackets:

Ace Austin

Hernandez

Trey

Michael Elgin

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, tournaments have a tendency to serve as a solid anchor for a show like this and it worked well here. Elgin would seem to be the odds on favorite to win the whole thing but we could be in for some interesting showdowns on the way there. Other than that, the show wasn’t exactly must see but the company is still improving and feels steady, which is the best thing that can be said about a company like Impact.

Results

Ace Austin b. Rhino – Fold

Crazzy Steve b. Dave Crist – Middle rope DDT

TJP/Fallah Bahh b. XXXL – Frog splash to Larry

Moose b. Suicide – Rollup with tights

Michael Elgin b. Sami Callihan – Elgin Bomb

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: May 5, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We’re finally done with Rebellion and that means it’s time to start getting back to normal shows. I’m not sure what we’re going to be seeing around here but we have a new TNA World Champion, because that company needs some nostalgia instead of an interim Impact World Champion. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Rebellion recap, which seems to include Kiera Hogan leaving the company after her loss to Kylie Rae. That would be a loss to the division as she was a solid hand.

Opening sequence.

Here’s a limping Sami Callihan for the opening chat. He can see everyone watching at home and knows the fans are cheering for him. After making his own sound effects, Sami says it’s time for the Draw to brighten your day a little bit. He took a heck of a beating at Rebellion but he’s still standing. At Rebellion, he went toe to toe with the World’s Most Dangerous Man and the referee stopped it. He doesn’t want OVE messing with his business anymore but for now, he wants to finish his business with Ken Shamrock.

Cue Ken to say Sami needs to calm down and open his ears. Shamrock talks about how he has made a lot of people tap out over the years but Sami didn’t tap. Sami: “No s***.” Shamrock talks about the people he’s made tap before, including Big Show, Bas Rutten and the Rock. Sami didn’t tap, so they can either go out back or put them behind them and go after the Impact World Title.

Cue Michael Elgin (Sami: “Big Mike getting the same reaction from the crowd he always does.”) to say he doesn’t need all of those weapons that Sami needs. Elgin says he’ll fight either of them but the line starts behind them. Sami says it’s the same thing you always hear from Elgin so the fight is on. Elgin bails and Sami disappears to leave Shamrock alone. A three way feud between these three could be….well a disaster is a real possibility.

Chris Bey is ready to become the new X-Division Champion and make it the Finesse Division Champion.

Willie Mack is a little tired from partying over his title win but he’s ready for Bey.

Preview for the rest of the show.

XXXL vs. OVE

Jake Crist/Mad Man Fulton here, with Dave in the corner. Was there ever a reason why we don’t see the Crists team together more often? Josh to Madison: “Do you ever go to an all you can eat buffet?” Madison: “No. Look at me.” Larry and Fulton shove each other around to start with neither really getting anywhere. Fulton’s shoulder drops Larry but he’s back up with a slam so Romero can come in for the elbow.

Jake comes in and gets slammed down to set up the quickly broken chinlock. Larry slams him down for two more but Dave saves his brother from a double shoulder. Back from a break with Acey getting stomped down in the corner and somehow Fulton manages a Regal Roll. He rolls all the way over to Larry for a right hand to the head and then kicks Romero in the face.

Romero comes back with a spinebuster and the hot tag brings in Larry. Everything breaks down with Larry shrugging off the kicks to the face and backdropping Larry over the top. Back in and a powerbomb/reverse bulldog combination gets two on Larry but Acey Pounces Fulton. Larry is up with the Best Hand In The House for the pin on Jake at 13:02.

Rating: C-. XXXL are like the worse version of the Bouncers from Ring of Honor and that’s not exactly a high compliment. I get the idea and what they’re going for with it but how many THESE GUYS ARE HUGE teams can you have? The match was fine enough and they are pushing someone new with XXXL. That’s a good thing, but I’m not sure how much of a shelf life they have.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Kurt Angle b. Mick Foley at Victory Road 2009.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk with Madison Rayne (who changed clothes since she was shown on screen earlier) and Johnny Swinger. This week’s guest is Havok, who doesn’t seem all that impressed. Madison brings up Havok’s loss at Rebellion and gets glared down hard. Havok reminds her of what happens when people get under her skin so Madison moves on to Nevaeh.

Havok doesn’t know why Nevaeh showed up last week so Madison brings in the next guest: Kimber Lee. That doesn’t sit well with Havok either and Lee saying she’s rising to the spot makes it worse. Swinger thinks that means they both want him so Havok shoves him away. Violence is teased between the women.

Cody Deaner has parked his RV on the side of the road for isolation. He talks to some old LJN action figures while having a beer and then tries to sell merch. You knew someone was going to do this at some point.

Suicide vs. Johnny Swinger

Swinger wants a weapons check and jumps Suicide, only to fail with back and eye rakes. Swinger: “WHOA! EASY SPIDEY!” Suicide avoids a charge to put him outside but gets crotched on top. Choking ensues and Swinger elbows him in the head but misses the falling headbutt. The Swinger Neckbreaker misses and it’s a Codebreaker into the Swanton to give Suicide the pin at 3:41.

Rating: D+. They kept this short and Swinger lost, which are the only two requirements for one of his matches. He’s grown on me quite a bit as of late because they haven’t had him winning important matches or doing anything more than goofy. I don’t need Suicide back but that could be said about a lot of the people this company brings back in.

Ace Austin adds himself to the X-Division Title match because he’s beaten names like Eddie Edwards, Tessa Blanchard and Tommy Dreamer.

Moose doesn’t think much of Michael Elgin declaring himself the real World Champion when Moose has been the one beating all the big names. The reality is that Moose is the real World Champion because Tessa Blanchard is on vacation in Mexico. Josh points out that there is no value to the TNA World Title….by the way how did Moose even get the belt? Enough of that though because there will be a #1 contenders tournament starting next week. Here are the brackets:

Moose

Trey

Sami Callihan

Michael Elgin

Ken Shamrock

Rhino

Mad Man Fulton

Hernandez

Or not actually as Moose pulls himself out of the tournament. He already has the REAL World Title, which Josh again points out that he didn’t deserve. Moose lists off the people he’s beaten up and those wins make him the real champion. That’s enough of this.

Joseph P. Ryan vs. Cousin Jake

Rebellion rematch. Ryan stalls for the first minute but Jake gets the better of a chase and hammers away. A clothesline puts Ryan on the floor and we stall again. Back in and Ryan hits a dropkick, stops to yell at the crowd, and gets knocked right back down. An attempted stall is broken up by a right hand to the face but Ryan snaps him throat first across the top rope.

The neck crank doesn’t last long as Jake is back with a Michinoku Driver. A clothesline into a sitout powerbomb gives Jake two but Ryan is back up with Sweet Tooth Music for the same. Jake throws him down again but Ryan hides behind the referee in the corner. A poke to the eye and a rollup with trunks give Ryan the pin at 8:46.

Rating: D. What does Impact see in having Ryan as a regular wrestler? His entire appeal is the shtick and the answer is to get rid of what made him work? It doesn’t help when you have him going outside to annoy a crowd who isn’t there, which only made a match that didn’t have much value in the first place feel even longer.

Video on Kiera Hogan.

We go to the Don Koloff Arena, the home of the Battle Arts promotion. The North is introduced and they stop to beat up some mannequins on the way to the ring. Page slips on his way in but picks up the mic, saying it’s time to defend the titles. Alexander is asked who he would face in his dream match. Alexander: “KURT ANGLE!” Page: “Kayfabe man. His 90 days aren’t up yet.”

Two rather skinny guys come out, with one of them holding a mask. There is no disrespect meant and the match is on. We don’t actually see the match but rather some rapid fire clips, with the North winning in about 40 seconds show. This was a fun little bit and it was a nice way to keep the North holding the titles in the mess.

Rosemary consults some cards to see what is in store for her future. She gets some message and realizes she needs to speak to the high priestess. Some of the other cards please her as well.

Rohit Raju knows he should be in the #1 contenders tournament.

The tournament starts next week, plus Moose defending against Suicide and Lee vs. Havok. Rayne has changed again, because this is totally happening live and in real time of course.

X-Division Title: Chris Bey vs. Ace Austin vs. Willie Mack

Mack is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Austin grabs the title from the referee so it’s Mack taking over early on, including a double clothesline. Back from the completely necessary break after twenty seconds with Mack’s standing moonsault hitting both challengers at once. Ace and Bey go outside for a meeting, but Ace turns on him after all of a split second.

Back in and Ace works on the champ’s arm but lets go after cutting the fingers with the playing card. Bey takes Ace’s place and hits a pop up hurricanrana to send Mack outside. Ace and Bey slug it out on the floor but Mack takes them both down with a running flip dive to send us to a second break.

Back with Ace snapping off a suplex for two on Bey before kneeing him in the ribs. Ace’s belly to back suplex gets two and he unloads on Bey in the corner for two more. They kick each other down as Mack pulls his way back in and the three way slugout is on. Mack forearms Ace down again and hits some alternating running shots in the corner.

An exploder suplex drops Bey again but Ace breaks up the frog splash. Mack tries a powerbomb out of the corner with Bey coming in to add a Backstabber for two. It’s a Stunner to Bey but Ace hits the Fold on Mack. That’s broken up at two so Ace hits the Fold on Bey with Mack making a VERY last second save (which he might not have made in time). Ace gets knocked off the top though and the Six Star retains the title at 19:05.

Rating: B. This is one of the places where Impact has improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years. Mack was the senior statesman here at 33, meaning you had three young guys out there doing what they could to steal the show. It was the best thing on the show by far and Mack retaining makes sense for the future. Very good main event here, and a positive sign for the company’s future.

Overall Rating: C. This was a little bit of an odd show as the main event was the only match worth seeing but the rest of the show was built around storyline advancement. A tournament is the best thing that can be done in a situation like this, as proven by the fact that WWE, AEW and now Impact, as in the only three major promotions running at the moment, are all in the middle of a tournament. If nothing else it can by them some time until Tessa gets back, and that might need a lot of time. Not a terrible show, but that main event had to bail it out.

Results

XXXL b. OVE – Best Hand In The House to Crist

Suicide b. Johnny Swinger – Swanton

Joseph P. Ryan b. Cousin Jake – Rollup with trunks

Willie Mack b. Chris Bey and Ace Austin – Six Star Frog Splash to Austin

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 21, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the first night of Rebellion and it’s taking place in an empty arena, just like all of the other big shows at this point. I’m not sure what we’re going to see due to how many people might not be available for the show and that could make for an interesting show. The company has done well in recent weeks so hopefully they can keep it up. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how everyone wants to be here and make their mark.

OVE vs. Tommy Dreamer/Rhino/???

It’s mystery partner time and it’s….Crazzy Steve? There’s a name I haven’t thought of in a long time but it’s better than some ECW guy staggering out there. Josh: “How cool is it to see Crazzy Steve back in Impact Wrestling?” Not all that much really as he wasn’t that big of a deal. Dreamer and Jake Crist trade standing switches to start before the former rolls out of a wristlock. Jake takes him down and does a nipup before challenging Dreamer to do the same.

It doesn’t work so Rhino and Steve come in to help him with one, because Dreamer is a legend you see and we need him to do his comedy spots to help make America feel better. Steve and Madman Fulton come in but Steve isn’t THAT crazzy, meaning it’s off to Rhino instead. Some forearms knock Fulton over to the corner for the tag off to Dave, meaning Steve is willing to fight for a change.

We actually hear something about the Menagerie as Fulton chases Steve off and takes Rhino into the corner for shoulders to the ribs. A suplex is escaped though and it’s back to Dreamer to clean house. Everything breaks down (Rayne: “Does anyone in this match follow the rules?” Josh: “Nope.”) but it’s Dreamer getting taken into the wrong corner as things settle right back down.

Dreamer and Jake collide for a double knockdown and it’s back to Rhino vs. Dave. A running shoulder in the corner and a belly to belly gets two on Dave, meaning everything breaks down for real. Fulton throws Jake over the top onto Dreamer but Rhino Gores Dave for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t very good but, as usual, the old guys beat the young ones for the sake of keeping up with tradition. I understand the story of OVE being lost without Sami Callihan, but there was no one else available to beat them but Dreamer, Rhino and whoever they could find? I’m sure Dreamer does a lot of good stuff for the company behind the scenes. I just don’t get why he needs to do so much in front of the scenes.

Josh and Madison run down the card.

Tessa Blanchard and Eddie Edwards aren’t here tonight so we get an interview with Eddie, who is sitting in front of a lot of shoes. It was a hard decision to not come to the show but he couldn’t put his family in that kind of a risk. Elgin is going to brag but he should know deep down what kind of wrestler Eddie is.

Elgin talks about becoming Ring of Honor World Champion but that wasn’t enough. Neither was beating Kenny Omega in New Japan. Now he wants more and wants to be at the top of the list of Impact Wrestling World Champions. Tessa is claiming to be stuck in Mexico but the truth is she’s scared. She was ready for the shallow end but tried to dive into the deep end. Elgin is becoming World Champion.

Rascalz vs. XXXL vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP

Dez and TJP start things off with a technical exchange and it’s TJP taking him to the mat with a headlock. A cross armbreaker is broken up in a hurry so Dez scores with a dropkick. The Octopus cuts off Dez’s tag attempt but Wentz comes in for the save, including a parade of superkicks. Something close to a Last Chancery sends TJP over to the ropes so some strikes put him down again. Bahh makes a save and we take a break.

Back with Larry and Bahh slugging it out and a spinebuster giving Larry two. Acey comes in for a double shoulder to drop Bahh as the big man double teaming continues. Larry grabs the chinlock with TJP making a save, earning himself a big shove from Acey. That lets Bahh come back with a spinning belly to belly and some running shots in the corner.

We take another break and come back again with Larry and Bahh slugging it out again until Bahh hits a Samoan drop. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz start the rapid fire kicks to the big guys. Acey accidentally charges into Larry in the corner but Larry is back up to drop TJP. Acey pounds a bunch of people, including Dez to give Larry two. A low bridge puts Acey on the floor though and it’s time for some superkicks into a springboard cutter on Larry. The Final Flash gives Dez the pin at 14:01.

Rating: C+. As usual, these matches are only going to be so good. They’re limited in what they can put together with six people in there and no personal reasons for them to be fighting. It worked well enough though and it’s nice to see the Rascalz get a win for a change. Nothing that hasn’t been done before but it was good enough.

We get a message from the North, who aren’t worried about being in Canada because it’s like an extended vacation in the best country in the world. They’re going to find Canadian challengers and defend these titles as only they can.

Rich Swann is here to support Willie Mack’s shot at the X-Division Title. Swann says don’t worry about the Tag Team Titles because Mack has worked long and hard to get here. Go get the title.

We recap the X-Division Title match. With Swann injured, Mack went after the X-Division Title and became #1 contender. Champion Ace Austin had Swann beaten up but he’s here anyway as Mack gets his title shot.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin

Mack is challenging and Austin takes his time adjusting his gear to start. The stall continues with Austin bailing to the floor a few times, followed by a right hand to send him outside again. We get started properly with Austin grabbing a rollup and bailing again, only to have Mack follow him this time. Austin gets sent into the barricade but avoids the reverse Cannonball back inside.

That means Mack gets tied up in the Tree of Woe for some stomping to the ribs but Mack reverses a high crossbody into a Samoan drop. The standing moonsault connects and Mack pounds away even more as the aggression is starting to come out. Austin knees him in the face for two as things slow down a bit. Trouble in Paradise sends Mack into the corner but a springboard hurricanrana is countered with a sitout powerbomb.

One heck of a forearm puts Austin down as Josh and Madison bicker again, as only a married couple can. Now the reverse Cannonball connects but the Stunner is countered. The Fold gives Austin two and it’s his turn to be ticked off. Another Fold is countered into a pop up cutter for another near fall and Josh can’t believe it.

Mack goes up for the Six Star but Austin goes to the corner….so it’s a Coast to Coast to show off even more. Now the Six Star misses so Ace goes up and crotches Mack for trying to pull him down. Mack hits something like a Stunner on the top (that didn’t really work) to send Austin flying, setting up the Six Star for the pin and the title at 13:30.

Rating: B-. I like both of these guys so this was a fun one. They needed to switch the title as Mack has been built up for so long now that he had to win something eventually. Austin is going to be fine and it wouldn’t shock me to see him move towards the World Title scene. He was a great X Division Champion and it should be a bright future for him.

Swann comes out to celebrate with Mack.

Post match, Mack makes sure that this is cool with Swann, who insists that everything is ok. Johnny Swinger comes in to say that the Mack N Pack Connection will live on in the fans’ hearts forever. He could use a title shot, but for now they can go hunt for rats. Swann and Mack don’t look impressed as Swinger goes to get the Cadillac.

We recap Kylie Rae vs. Kiera Hogan. Kylie is happy to be here and Kiera isn’t happy with that.

Kylie Rae vs. Kiera Hogan

Kylie makes sure to fold her shirt properly before throwing it outside. Kiera isn’t pleased and gets taken down into a quick STF (Smile to the Finish) attempt. That means a trip to the rope as commentary talks about Kiera and the smoke. Kylie pulls her face first into the middle turnbuckle and stomps away on Kiera’s back. The Kylie Special is broken up and Kiera plants her down for two. A kick to the back gets two more and we take a break.

Back with Kylie missing a charge into the corner as we get a Taylor Wilde reference. Kiera’s chinlock doesn’t last long so she goes with some running forearms instead. Kylie gets in a superkick and an exchange of superkicks put them both down. They slug it out from their knees with Kylie getting the better of it and another superkick gives Kylie two. Kiera kicks her in the head for two more but Kylie gets in a whip to the corner. Now the Cannonball can connect for two so Kiera is back up and pounding away. That just earns her the Smile to the Finish for the tap at 9:25.

Rating: C. This was Kylie’s big time debut and it was fine enough for what it was. Kylie is someone who could be a more serious happy Bayley character and having her beat a low level bully like Kiera was a good start. It was the first of many steps though and that’s a fine way to get going.

Commentary runs down next week’s card.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Ken Shamrock. Various videos and graphics labeled ICU had been popped up, eventually being revealed as being Sami’s doing. Sami is now a hacker and says he is the real World’s Most Dangerous Man, setting up a feud with Shamrock. A fireball to Shamrock’s face didn’t hurt either.

Ken Shamrock vs. Sami Callihan

Unsanctioned, meaning anything goes. The fight starts on the floor with Sami hitting a suplex to take over early on. Shamrock is whipped into the barricade but it just seems to wake him up. That means a posting for Sami and Shamrock through him through the barricade. Shamrock goes to the stage for a running dive (must have been all of three feet) to drop Callihan again.

They go to the back and we take a break, meaning it’s cinematic time. Sami gets in a cheap shot with a trashcan lid but a low blow cuts him down. Shamrock hammers away with rights and lefts but here’s OVE to jump him from behind. They hold Shamrock for Sami….who hits the three of them with a pipe. We get some the Good, the Bad and the Ugly style music as they head outside to finish this. Sami sends him into a production truck and grabs a sleeper, only to get thrown down. The ankle lock knocks Sami out at 11:02.

Rating: D+. It started out well and then came down hard in a bad way. At the end of the day, it was a match designed to hide Shamrock’s weaknesses and the camera work was the usually weird stuff. Then you have Sami turn on OVE, which should be a big deal. That’s all well and good, but then he loses like that? For the life of me I don’t get why you would go with Shamrock here, especially after Sami had the big new character. Then again, it wouldn’t be Impact without some head scratching results.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good and the title change helped, but going with Dreamer, Rhino and Shamrock getting wins makes my head hurt. You have young names who could do something around here but they lose to the old guys. Shamrock might be one thing, but Rhino and Dreamer? In 2020? Come on already. Not a bad show at all, though it had two bad spots holding it back.

Results

Tommy Dreamer/Rhino/Crazzy Steve b. OVE – Gore to Dave

Rascalz b. XXXL and TJP/Fallah Bahh – Final Flash to Larry

Willie Mack b. Ace Austin – Six Star Frog Splash

Kylie Rae b. Kiera Hogan – Smile to the Finish

Ken Shamrock b. Sami Callihan – Ankle lock

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: April 14, 2020
Location: Coca Cola Roxy, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the (original) go home show for Rebellion, which has been rescheduled but at least is still airing in some form. I’m not sure what the card is going to consist of but some pay per view material is better than none. Hopefully they don’t set up a bunch of stuff they can’t deliver (not their fault if they can’t) but the show has been pretty good lately so maybe it can continue here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Johnny Swinger vs. Mike Jackson

Yeah this was the obvious payoff to the Young Buck M. Jackson reference from last week. Jackson is 70 and hasn’t wrestled on national television since 1991. Before the match, Jackson says he likes this place, but not what Swinger does to the young guys. He’s an old buck and it’s time to give Swinger a beating. An early Swinger Neckbreaker attempt is blocked and Jackson gets two off a rollup. A headscissors puts Swinger on the floor and there’s a suicide dive because of course Jackson can do that.

Back in and Jackson works on the arm, setting up Old School, with Jackson walking all the way around all four ropes. Commentary has finally caught up and announces Rebellion as a two night event over the next two weeks so at least things should be better in that regard. Swinger elbows him down for two but Jackson gets in a neckbreaker. The straps come down and Jackson hammers away in the corner, only to get rolled up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C+. Normally I would make fun of something like this with Jackson showing up the people on the roster, but there are a few differences here. First of all, it’s Johnny Swinger, who is a comedy guy in his forties. Second, a 70 year old man just did a suicide dive and walked around the top ropes for Old School. I don’t think I’m allowed to complain about this.

Ace Austin doesn’t like Willie Mack’s odds in their X-Division Title match. He doesn’t like being called a scumbag either because Mack isn’t worried about his best friend, but Mack isn’t a scumbag? Cue Trey to say Austin is indeed a scumbag. Ace: “How’s your mom?” The brawl is on in a hurry.

Post break, Jackson got a bunch of praise from the locker room. Fair enough.

Ken Shamrock is told to not get physical during the contract signing.

We run down the rest of the card.

TJP/Fallah Bahh vs. Rascalz vs. XXXL vs. Reno Scum

One fall to a finish. Acey clotheslines Thornstowe down to start and brings in Larry for a running knee in the corner. It’s off to Wentz, who gets thrown into the Scum corner and suplexed to send us to a break. Back with Wentz kicking Legend in the head but getting cut off by Thornstowe. The Pit Stop has Wentz in more trouble and a knee to the face gets two.

Wentz dives over for the hot tag to Dez though and the pace picks up, including a catapult to send Thornstowe into a superkick. Wentz comes back in with a springboard cutter to Thornstowe as everything breaks down. XXXL crushes Legend before hitting stereo suicide dives for the big crashes. Back in and a Samoan drop into a Swanton gives TJP the pin on Thornstowe at 11:14.

Rating: C. You can only get so much out of these things and they did as well as they could have. It wasn’t anything that hasn’t been done better before but at least they had a surprise winner and should set up another Tag Team Title match with the North. TJP and Bahh work well as an oddball team and that’s all they need to do.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Tessa Blanchard beats Gail Kim at Rebellion 2019.

Rohit Raju begs Gama Singh to let him out of a match and gets slapped in the face for his efforts.

Video on Cody Deaner beating Joey Ryan last week.

Ryan doesn’t like that video airing. He demands the production team to play the tape he aired.

The video shows Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes in a hot tub. They’re sorry about not being there but Katie doesn’t want to be around the Deaners or the fans. You can imagine what comes next.

Rohit Raju vs. Hernandez

Rayne gets annoyed at Josh and leaves commentary as Hernandez pulls Raju out of the air. The Pounce into the Boarder Toss is good for the pin on Raju at 1:20. Note that commentary made it clear that Raju has a big match coming up at Rebellion, right before he got squashed.

Madison Rayne and Johnny Swinger are in the back for Locker Room Talk. Their guest this week is Kylie Rae, who is still happy to be here. Swinger shows off his biceps to hit on her but Kylie is too excited to be ready to face Kiera Hogan at Rebellion. Madison tries to get Rae to be mean about Hogan but it’s not coming. Kiera comes in and says she’s going to humiliate Kylie at Rebellion. Kylie doesn’t want to be pushed this far, but Kiera isn’t that nice!

We get clips of Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin in a match in Qatar. Brian Cage interfered to cost Eddie the match and the title.

Ace Austin vs. Trey

Non-title. They take turns missing flips and dives to start until Trey hits a running basement dropkick to put Ace on the floor. Trey hits a dive to take Austin down again but Ace drops him face first onto the apron. Back in and Ace forearms away as Josh and Madison continue their married bickering on commentary (and actually making it somewhat adorable).

A seated abdominal stretch keeps Trey in trouble but he fights up with a 619 out of the corner. The missile dropkick puts Ace down again but he’s right back up with a springboard kick to the face. Trey is back up, only to miss something off the top and get rolled up with tights to give Ace the pin at 6:18.

Rating: C+. They packed a lot into this one and that’s one of the best things that you can have in a match like this. They didn’t have time to do much here but they have a lot of chemistry, even if Trey never actually beats him. I could go for Ace being champion for a good while to come as he’s held the title for a long time already, even though it doesn’t feel like it. That’s a good sign, as Austin could have a heck of a future at this rate. Side note: Trey makes the second person in the four way at Rebellion to lose in back to back matches. At least try to make it seem important.

Willie Mack is to do some magic of his own and make the title disappear from Austin’s shoulder.

Taya vs. Tenille Dashwood

John E. Bravo is here with Taya. Tenille wastes no time to start with a quick Russian legsweep sending Taya outside. A Bravo distraction lets Taya hammer away and get two off a superplex. We take a break and come back with Taya choking away using various objects. Taya’s running hip attack in the corner, plus some double knees, get two and we hit the half crab.

That doesn’t last long so Taya knees her in the chest and poses on the ropes while choking away. Taya charges into an elbow in the corner though and a running knee to the face sends Taya into another corner. The Taste of Tenille gets two but Taya spears her down for the same. Back from another break with the Road to Valhalla getting two as Tenille grabs the rope. Taya is stunned so she grabs a chair, allowing Tenille to sunset flip her for the pin at 16:18.

Rating: C+. Dashwood is an interesting case as she seems like she should be a huge star but it never comes together. It’s not like this is some huge upset, but it does feel a little strange that Taya would lose. She is coming up on a title match at Rebellion and loses here? I guess it fits in with the theme of the night.

Post match Taya destroys her with a trashcan and a pile of chairs, with even Madison saying this is too much to watch. Jordynne Grace runs in for the save but Tenille is banged up pretty badly.

Tommy Dreamer and Rhino are ready to beat up OVE with the help of their mystery partner.

Rebellion rundown.

Video on Sami Callihan being revealed as the ICU hacker and attacking Ken Shamrock with a fireball.

It’s time for the contract signing between Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock. Sami tells Josh Matthews to get out and throws his feet on the table. He laughs at the idea of Shamrock not being able to do anything at the moment because he knows how much Shamrock wants to jump the table right now. Sami knows what this match is going to mean for Shamrock, who angrily signs the contract. That doesn’t please Sami, who talks about how smashing Eddie Edwards with the baseball bat was the best thing that ever happened to Sami.

Now it’s time to get serious as brings up Shamrock’s family. That’s too far so Shamrock goes for him, only to have Sami press a button to escape. A bunch of people with ICU masks appear but leave, with Shamrock giving chase. He goes to the parking lot and gets in a car, which is being driven by an ICU guy. Chaos ensues as there are even more of them around the car to end the show. I actually want to see the match so they’re doing something right.

Overall Rating: B-. This place is on a roll as they head into the pay per view but I’m a little bit scared at what is going to happen when they shift more towards a big wrestling focused show. Usually that is where they shine, but lately their television has been better so there is no guarantee that they can pull off both. Either way, I liked this show well enough, even if everything is about to change in a big way. Good show to go out of the norm on at least.

Results

Johnny Swinger b. Mike Jackson – Rollup with feet on the ropes

TJP/Fallah Bahh b. Reno Scum, the Rascalz and XXXL – Swanton Bomb to Thornstowe

Hernandez b. Rohit Raju – Boarder Toss

Ace Austin b. Trey – Rollup with a handful of trunks

Tenille Dashwood b. Taya – Sunset flip

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: March 31, 2020
Location: Coca Cola Roxy, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

The company is running out of tapings but what makes this more interesting at this point is having to get ready for the TNA There’s No Place Like Home show. That’s kind of a problem as the show is not taking place, but we still need to get ready for it. I’m not sure what we are going to be seeing, but they don’t have many weeks left. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, focusing on last week’s battle in the Undead Realm.

Opening sequence.

Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards

Ethan Page is here with Alexander. They strike it out to start with Alexander getting the better of things and choking on the rope. That earns him an overhead belly to belly from Eddie but Alexander forearms him in the face a few more times. It’s time to head outside with Eddie nailing a clothesline but a Page distraction lets Alexander score with a big boot. Back in and the Eddie chants start up as Madison keeps talking about her past successes.

A clothesline gets Eddie out of trouble and he sends Alexander to the floor for the suicide dive. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two back inside but the Backpack Stunner is countered into a spinning torture rack slam. Both guys tear their shirts open to chop it out with Eddie getting the better of things. A tiger bomb gets two on Alexander but a Page distraction lets him roll Eddie up for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Alexander continues to be one of the best people involved in the company right now and that makes him getting to do something like this a fun sight. Both of these guys are talented and they’re capable of doing a lot of things in the ring. Good little match here and the ending sets up a rematch, possibly with Eddie getting a partner to go after the titles.

Post match the North beats Eddie down but Tessa Blanchard runs in for the save.

Video on tonight’s TNA special. I still can’t get my head around this one.

The North doesn’t like Tessa getting involved and Page wants her tonight.

Kylie Rae vs. Cassandra Golden

This is Rae’s singles debut. Golden jumps her from behind to start and the stomping is on in the corner. A missed charge lets Rae hammer away though and a small package gets two. Rae’s low superkick gets the same so she Russian legsweeps her into an STF for the tap at 3:24.

Rating: C-. They were moving well enough out there but what matters most here is getting some fresh blood into the Knockouts division. With so many women leaving, bringing in people like Rae (or Golden) is a good idea. That’s the kind of thing that can do a lot of good for the future and hopefully they bring in a few more to help things out.

Post break, Rae is very happy to be here in her new home. She has officially signed a contract with Impact.

Classic TNA Moment: the full Steiner Math promo. I remember hearing Samoa Joe talking about watching this live and doing everything he had not to break out laughing because he knew this could never be recreated.

Here’s Moose to brag about how awesome he is but Kid Kash of all people interrupts to say Moose wouldn’t make it in the original TNA.

Moose vs. Kid Kash

Kash sends him outside early on but it’s No Jackhammer Needed back inside for the win at 1:03.

XXXL (Larry David and Acey Romero) are ready to crush people. TJP and Fallah Bahh come in with some Filipino food as a welcome gift. A match is teased.

We get a satellite interview with Rich Swann. He injured himself a few months ago and recovery has been very hard. As for Willie Mack, Swann is excited for his chances at Rebellion but here’s X-Division Champion Ace Austin to interrupt. Ace says it was Mack’s fault that the team never took off. If the tables were turned, Swann would be there by Mack’s side, but where is Mack? Swann blows it off because Mack is coming for the X-Division Title. There’s a knock at Swann’s door and it’s Reno Scum, apparently for a beatdown.

Post break, Mack has to be held back from killing Austin.

Here’s Sami Callihan for a chat and he sees everything. He’s done some soul searching after losing the World Title to Tessa Blanchard, but now people have a question for him: why did he throw a fireball at Ken Shamrock? See, his issues are with the entire wrestling world. In, ahem, OTHER, wrestling companies, legends come in and get pushed down your throats. If Shamrock wants a push, he can go through Sami first. Shamrock can break ankles but Sami hits them with baseball bats and sets them on fire.

Cue Tommy Dreamer and I think you know where this is going. Sami: “Whoopdedoo, Tommy Dreamer is offended again.” Sami says it’s no surprise that Dreamer is here because he always shows up when anyone gets something going. He offers to pose with Dreamer for a picture so people can tag it with “Hardcore Legend” so Dreamer can feel important again. Dreamer rants about all of the legends that Sami is disrespecting and the fight is on. Let’s just make it Old School Rules too.

Sami Callihan vs. Tommy Dreamer

Anything goes. Dreamer posts him to start and it’s already time to throw some chairs inside. Sami picks one of them up and unloads on him with the chair, followed by a plunger to the face because Sami is out there. A cookie sheet to the head slows Sami down so he low blows Dreamer in a hurry. The Bionic Elbow lets Dreamer go to the back to find a garbage can for a running shot to the head. Sami busts out the staple gun so Dreamer grabs an INDUSTRIAL staple gun as we take a break.

Back with the two of them sitting in chairs and stapling each other. Josh: “Madison has anyone ever stapled you?” Madison: “No. I’m a human being.” Dreamer gets the better of it until a drop toehold sends him into a chair. A cutter gives Dreamer two but neither can send the other through two open chairs. Sami sends him into the corner though and now the Death Valley Driver through the chairs knocks Dreamer silly. The Cactus Special gives Sami the pin at 13:14.

Rating: D+. I had a good laugh out of Sami mocking Dreamer for showing up anytime someone gets something going because it’s completely true. But hey, he was around in ECW and has been everywhere since so he’s a legend or something. Anyway, heating Sami up for Shamrock is good, but I have a bad feeling nothing is getting this kind of time all night.

Post match the beatdown stays on so here’s Rhino for the save. OVE comes in to go after him but the lights go out and Sami is gone.

Rosemary is still at the bar and offers drinks all around, last mortal standing gets to keep their soul. Rosemary talks to someone about how loving Allie made her weak and now it’s time to make things better. The man turns around and he’s….no one. She’ll take his soul anyway.

Video on Susie/Su Yung.

Susie is in the back and runs into the Deaners. She liked being Susie, but Su is who she is.

Joey Ryan vs. Cody Deaner

Kind of a weird cameo for Cody with Susie when he’s in this unrelated match. Ryan takes him into the corner to start as Madison is confused by the concept of toxic masculinity. A right hand in the corner doesn’t do much to Cody, who hammers away instead. Hold on though as Cody needs a beer, allowing Joey to rake the eyes. A knee drop gets two and Joey hits Cody with Cody’s hat. That brings Cody back to life and we get the hillbilly Hulk Up. The Deaner DDT is escaped but Jake makes Joey drink beer, setting up the DDT for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: D. What was the point here? They set up Cancel Culture as something important and then one of the Deaners beats Joey? I’m really not sure I get that and it probably isn’t the first time that is going to be the case. The match was nothing but some comedy spots strung together, though that might be better than watching Joey try to have a good match.

Eddie Edwards offers to have Tessa’s back tonight but she’s got this on her own.

Michael Elgin is ready to win the World Title at Rebellion.

Here’s what we get next week.

Ethan Page vs. Tessa Blanchard

Non-title and Josh Alexander is here with Page. Tessa doesn’t like being patted on the head to start and Page makes it worse by pulling her off the top. Page takes her down into the corner but Tessa slugs away, only to charge into a boot. Some knees to the back and a stomp to the stomach keep Tessa down and a delayed suplex does the same.

Tessa can’t fight out of a backbreaker but she can hit a standing Sliced Bread #2. The suicide dives to the floor hit Page and a tornado DDT gets two. Page kicks her in the face for two more but Tessa gets up top. Alexander tries to offer a distraction but here’s Eddie to cut him off. Magnum finishes Page at 9:19.

Rating: C. I was getting into this one by the end and you can pencil Eddie and Tessa in for a Tag Team Title shot next week. They’re doing a good job of making me want to see the three way for the World Title at Rebellion and I’m sure we’ll get to see it at some point in the future. It’s a shame that it might take some time, but at least it had a good build.

Post match here’s Michael Elgin to go after Tessa and Eddie but the knock him to the floor. A triple staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a situation where they were doing a good job of building the big stuff for Rebellion but at the same time I’m not sure how much good the rest of the show did. The main event should be a heck of a fight though and Mack vs. Austin sounds interesting. I’m not sure about the rest of the show, but maybe the big stuff would have been enough to carry it. The lack of Rebellion is going to hurt, but maybe we can get to something better down the road.

Results

Josh Alexander b. Eddie Edwards – Rollup

Kylie Rae b. Cassandra Golden – STF

Moose b. Kid Kash – No Jackhammer Needed

Sami Callihan b. Tommy Dreamer – Cactus Special

Cody Deaner b. Joey Ryan – Deaner DDT

Tessa Blanchard b. Ethan Page – Magnum

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: January 14, 2020
Location: Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas/2300 Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis
Hosts: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re done with Hard To Kill and that means we’ll be moving forward towards Rebellion in April. That’s a long way off though and now it’s time to talk about Tessa Blanchard as the new World Champion. It’s a big deal and something Impact can brag about, which I’m sure they will. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Hard To Kill if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Josh and Don are in the Nashville studios to talk about how the historic title change.

Rascalz vs. Desi Hit Squad vs. Reno Scum vs. TJP/Daga

One fall to a finish. It’s a brawl to start and the bell rings when we’re down to Desi vs. Wentz. TJP comes in and we hit the parade of missed offense until TJP’s middle rope double dropkick is pulled out of the air. He flips out of that though and gets kicked in the chest a few times, setting up a running double stomp to the back.

They’re replaced by Reno Scum, who double teams Shera, including a running double stomp in the corner. A German suplex into a running double stomp (WAY too popular of a move in this match) gets two on TJP, who gets tied in the Tree of Woe. Daga slips out of a running Razor’s Edge buckle bomb into TJP and kicks Scum down. The Squad is back in to beat up Daga and TJP gets taken down as well.

Now it’s the Rascalz coming in to clean house, including a backbreaker/middle rope double stomp (four of the same move in less than five minutes is unacceptable) for two on Raju. TJP’s slingshot dropkick hits Raju and it’s Wentz being backdropped onto a big pile. Luster adds a big no hands dive, leaving Daga to kick Raju in the head. A sitout powerbomb gets two with Wentz making the save. It’s a short parade of finishers until Shera Sky Highs Wentz for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C+. This was what you would expect from a wild four way tag with eight people involved. There’s only so much you can do with something like this unless you go to a very special place with it. What we got here was fine for what it was though, and they didn’t stay out there too long to have too many spots crammed in for the sake of cramming them in.

Moose brags about beating Rhino on Sunday. He’s ready to win the X-Division Title tonight in a four way, though the fact that the match was taped in November might make that a bit difficult.

Josh and Don talk about how cool it is that Tessa won the World Title.

We look at Ace Austin retaining the X-Division Title over Trey Miguel. Heck of a match too.

Ace Austin is ready to star in a sequel and has no comment on tonight’s title defense.

We look at Rich Swann injuring his ankle at Bash at the Brewery II.

We look at Willie Mack challenging for the Tag Team Titles on his own on Sunday but coming up short.

Swann tells Mack not to worry about it.

Katie Forbes is ready for a very fun celebration with Rob Van Dam.

Eddie Edwards says Hard To Kill describes him well and now he’ll win the X-Division Title.

We look at Edwards defeating Michael Elgin to retain the Call Your Shot trophy at the pay per view.

Elgin is in Japan and loves everything about it. He wants championships in Impact and he’ll be back.

We look at Rob Van Dam beating up Brian Cage and then beating Daga as a replacement.

Van Dam is in a hotel room in a bath robe with a bunch of rose petals on the bed. It looks like he’s always celebrating but it’s because everything is a party. He beat the big bad machine, but here’s Katie to say he should only be worried about wrestling her. Jiggling ensues and something on Katie’s upper half is blurred out. Katie’s girlfriend, Jennifer, joins them and kisses Rob, who rants about how marks live vicariously through him.

We’re clipped to Rob covered in lipstick prints but the girls, now minus tops but with various things covered in whipped cream, come in and tell him to take the robe off. Jennifer: “Whip out that Rob Van D***.” And we’re out due to technical difficulties. This was completely over the top in a funny way, though I can’t say I’m surprised at Twitch being annoyed at them over it. What else were they expecting from something like this?

Later tonight: an interview with Tessa Blanchard.

Post break, another announcement that later tonight, it will be an interview with Tessa Blanchard. In case you thought plans had changed in three minutes.

Video on Ken Shamrock’s issues with OVE, capped off by him beating Mad Man Fulton in a bit of a surprise.

Shamrock knew Fulton was athletic and strong so he had to fight smart instead. Sami Callihan doesn’t care about Fulton and that isn’t going to change. Shamrock isn’t sure what’s next.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Kurt Angle pins Jeff Jarrett at Genesis 2009.

Johnny Swinger doesn’t like the new wrestlers gaming so much so he goes to play some pinball. He hits on a woman playing Galaga and it’s as cheesy as you would guess.

Joey Ryan vs. Johnny Swinger

Ryan gives a fan his lollipop and offers Swinger a chance to touch….it. That’s a no, so Swinger cranks on the arm instead. Joey tries to make him touch it, which is enough to get him out of a waistlock. Swinger teases touching it but punches Ryan in the face instead. An atomic drop just hurts Swinger’s leg, allowing Don to compare the powers of different parts of Ryan’s anatomy. Swinger’s leg is fine enough to choke on the rope and then whip him hard into the corner for two.

The chinlock goes on for a bit before Swinger tries the falling headbutt for a low blow, only to knock himself silly. Back up and Swinger’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets caught, leaving Ryan to make him touch it. The flip takes out Swinger and the referee, allowing Swinger to hit Ryan low, mainly because Swinger never learns. As he holds his hand, Joey puts the lollipop in his mouth and Sweet Tooth Music is good for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: D. I can live with this nonsense a lot more when they keep the comedy guys together, meaning this was nowhere near as bad as usual. It wasn’t too long and they played the hits (I shivered a bit at that concept) but it could have been worse and it was in its own little shell, so fair enough if you just have to do this.

We look at Taya Valkyrie cheating to retain the Knockouts Title thanks to John E. Bravo.

We look at Tessa Blanchard winning the World Title in the main event.

To House Of Hardcore in November in Philadelphia.

X-Division Title: Fallah Bahh vs. Moose vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin

Ace is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. They exchange kicks to the face to start until Moose gets to chop Bahh in the corner. Eddie comes back in and suplexes Moose to the floor, only to have to deal with Austin. Moose throws the champ outside and chops it out with Bahh again. A double clothesline puts them both down so it’s Eddie vs. Austin again.

Bahh is back up and splashes Austin in the corner, with Moose landing on both of them so Eddie can chop all three at once. Moose and Austin are sent outside so Bahh hits the huge dive, followed by Eddie diving onto everyone as we take a break. Back with Eddie hitting the backpack Stunner for two on Austin but Bahh splashes the two of them in the corner. Moos is back in with some dropkicks and a top rope superplex puts Bahh down.

Austin steals the near fall and kicks Eddie down for the same. Moose blocks the Fold and it’s an exchange of kicks to the face until Bahh clotheslines Moose for the big group knockdown. We take another break and come back again with Moose and Eddie chopping it out until a discus lariat drops Eddie. Bahh loads up the Banzai Drop on Austin but Moose makes the save. That lets Bahh get down and run Eddie over, only to have Austin counter another Banzai Drop into a super Fold to retain at 18:48.

Rating: C+. There was some good action in here but the telegraphed winner didn’t do a lot of good for this one. At least what we got was fun, especially on a show like this which doesn’t matter all that much in the end. Bahh continues to impress, Moose is a good power monster, Eddie is the jack of all trades and Austin is great as the slimy heel. It’s a nice mixture and they had a good match as a result.

We see some footage from after Hard To Kill with a lot of people, including friends and family, celebrating with Tessa.

Tessa joins us for a sitdown interview. She’s so happy with winning the title and beat Sami in the first chance she had at a fair fight. That doesn’t mean Sami and OVE are gone but she has accomplished the impossible goal. Now she is the hunted one and the face of the company but none of this happens by accident.

Sami pops in on the screen behind her and says he’s heard about history for the last 48 hours. He is the history maker around here and pumped blood into Impact when he arrived two years ago. Then he took his spot as World Champion but now Impact has what they want. Tessa is the champion Impact wants but he is the champion everyone needs (good line). Tessa says anyplace anytime and goes to find Sami. Instead she finds another screen, with Sami saying she’ll never see him coming.

Overall Rating: D+. There wasn’t much to this one as the majority was spent recapping the pay per view and building up the Tessa interview. When that wound up meaning nothing and was just a way to set up the obvious rematch, there wasn’t exactly much value to the show. We’ll be back to the regular stuff neck week, but this wasn’t exactly a great way to follow up on the pay per view.

Results

Desi Hit Squad b. TJP/Daga, Rascalz and Reno Scum – Sky High to Wentz

Joey Ryan b. Johnny Swinger – Sweet Tooth Music

Ace Austin b. Fallah Bahh, Moose and Eddie Edwards – Super Fold to Bahh

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

Hard To Kill
Date: January 12, 2020
Location: The Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s back to pay per view with another big show and the card looked pretty good coming in. However, news has since broken about Rich Swann hurting his ankle and not likely being able to wrestle, plus the Tessa Blanchard controversy over her not being a very nice person. Hopefully they can overcome everything and have a great show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on Tessa Blanchard challenging Sami Callihan for the World Title, in what should be a pretty obvious ending. They’ve made no secret of the fact that this is a big coronation and while that might take away a little something, it can be nice to see where things are going and then get there.

Ken Shamrock vs. Mad Man Fulton

Shamrock is coming to the ring while Josh is still talking about the opening. The Crists are here with Fulton and this is fallout from Shamrock vs. Callihan. Shamrock starts with some strikes to the leg and face but Fulton wrestles him down and stomps away in the corner as an insane monster is known to do.

Shamrock’s kneebar doesn’t last long as Fulton shoves him away, only to miss a big boot. The crotching on the ropes lets Shamrock hammer away, only to get pulled down into a cross armbreaker over the ropes, because Fulton can do that. Fulton rolls outside so Shamrock dives onto him. That’s caught so Shamrock has to slip out and hit a German suplex on the floor, setting up a knockdown to Jake Crist.

The Crists get knocked down again and that’s an ejection to make it man vs. monster. Fulton gets in a shot of his own and starts stomping on the arm before switching to a chokeslam. He tries another one but Shamrock takes him down with a Kimura to escape. The shoulder gets popped and Fulton screams but Shamrock lets go for some reason. Fulton wants to fight anyway and something like a one armed powerbomb gives him two. Shamrock grabs something like the Rings of Saturn for the tap at 9:24.

Rating: C-. What an odd opener and what a not great choice for the win. Fulton is a monster and your way to treat him as one is to have him lose via submission? I know Shamrock is someone who can offer some star power but fans already know who he is. Why do you need to give him a win over someone whose status is hurt more than most by a loss?

The announcers run down the card. For the life of me I don’t get why they do this. Just in case someone casually bought the pay per view to see what they might get to see?

We recap the X-Division Title match. Trey Miguel is the #1 contender so Ace Austin is hitting on his mom in one of the most bizarre methods of building a title match that I can remember in recent memory. It’s a personal one and they’re both selling it to set up a good feud.

X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin

Austin is defending and Trey takes him down at the bell, meaning it’s an early chase around the ring. Back in and Trey hits a spear before kicking Austin outside again. A 619 on the apron hits Austin in the head and there’s a middle rope moonsault to get in another knockdown. Ace gets in a few shots of his own and busts out a Space Flying Tiger Drop to take over.

Trey finally comes back with some clotheslines and a kick to the head, setting up a reverse suplex into a dragon sleeper. That’s broken up and a bottom rope springboard Downward Spiral gets two on the champ. Ace gets up a knee in the corner though and Trey charges into a springboard spinning kick to the face. That doesn’t seem to bother Trey, who hits a 619 in the corner, only to get crotched on top. The Fold retains the title at 12:24.

Rating: C. Kind of an abrupt finish but Ace getting pushed like this is a very good thing. He’s one of my favorite guys in the entire promotion right now and I could go for more of his horrible mind games. This one might not even be done and that’s not the worst idea. Good enough match here, and some more fire from Trey could make it even better.

Post match Ace hits on Mama Miguel but gets jumped by Trey. Even the Rascalz have to come out and help pull him off.

ODB’s new food truck will be ready in the Spring and she thanks all of the fans for having her back.

We recap the Knockouts Title match. Taya Valkyrie is defending, having held the title longer than anyone in history. Jordynne Grace is ready to take it from her but ODB has been added to the mix and things might not be that simple.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace vs. ODB

Taya is defending and has John E. Bravo with him. ODB starts with a double noggin knocker of all things and Taya is sent outside early on. The other two head to the apron for a slugout with Grace getting the better of things by knocking ODB to the floor. Taya takes ODB’s place inside but ODB pulls Grace to the floor for the fall away slam on the ramp. Back in and Taya chokes ODB and doesn’t seem happy with the FOOD TRUCK chants.

More choking in the corner gives Taya two and a curb stomp into the STF gives us a Cena/Rollins finisher kit. Grace is back in so Taya tries to work on her shoulder, only to get lifted up with straight power. ODB breaks that up to put everyone down though I’d give it ten seconds before it’s back to one on one.

A spinebuster gives Grace two on Taya and a German suplex is good for the same with ODB making both saves. Taya kicks Grace in the head for two with ODB making a third save. Grace pulls ODB off the top and hits a top rope backsplash for the same with Taya having to make a save. Everyone is down again until the Grace Driver plants ODB. It’s Bravo with the distraction though, allowing Taya to steal the pin and retain at 11:37.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was almost every triple threat match you can imagine. The wrestling wasn’t all that great and Taya escaping after someone else hit their finisher was what I guessed for the finish. Anytime you think the same way I do in a finishing sequence, it’s probably not a good sign, which was the case here too. Grace probably gets the title soon though, and it’s not like more Taya is a bad thing.

Katie Forbes is all over Rob Van Dam and is sure that he’ll win because he’s so handsome. Daga walks by and Van Dam thinks he’s a fan in a great touch. Sex is implied but we need a video package first.

Video on Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage, with Rob suggesting that Cage has copied all of his moves. Cage is a big Van Dam fan but is ready to show how great he is on his own.

Brian Cage vs. Rob Van Dam

Van Dam has Forbes with him, plus new music which features him saying his initials and name several times. Cage high fives fans around the ring but Katie’s girlfriend (just go with it) grabs his hand so Rob can jump him from behind. A few rams into the post has Cage’s shoulder busted up and Rob hits a springboard kick to the face, meaning it’s time for a few bows.

Rob Van Dam vs. Daga

Van Dam gets in an early chair shot but the rolling monkey flip is broken up with a dropkick. Daga hits a few dropkicks to the floor so Katie climbs onto Rob to check on him. They head back inside with Daga missing a top rope dropkick, allowing Rob to roll him up for two. A fireman’s carry gutbuster into a suplex gives Daga two but Rob is right back up with a kick to the face. The Five Star finishes Daga in a hurry at 4:11.

Rating: D. What in the world was the point of this? Did they not know that Cage was hurt or something? They really couldn’t have just had Daga go out there and do a longer match? I have no idea how this was their best option but egads it really didn’t work. Daga vs. Van Dam would have been fine and I get that Cage was leaving, but dang this was a major disappointment.

Post match Rob celebrates with the two girlfriends before watching them dance together.

Sami Callihan isn’t granting interviews.

We recap Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards. Eddie has the Call Your Shot Trophy (Money in the Bank for any title) and Elgin is willing to do whatever it takes to get the World Title. He has treated Eddie rather badly backstage and beaten him in a regular (and awesome) match, so now it’s for the trophy.

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards

Eddie starts fast but gets forearmed in the face early on. Elgin gets knocked outside for the suicide dive so Elgin forearms him down again. Stick with what works I guess. A superkick puts Eddie down again, only to have him come back with chops. Eddie tries another suicide dive but gets forearmed out of the air again, setting up a posting to make it even worse.

Back in and Elgin hits a reverse jawbreaker (as in to the back of the neck, meaning it’s not a jawbreaker), followed by a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. The neck crank goes on but Eddie fights up and manages to suplex both Elgin and himself out to the floor. Eddie is back up with the suicide dive to send Elgin flying into the barricade.

Back in and Elgin counters the Boston Knee Party with a spinebuster before no selling Eddie’s snap German suplex. Elgin runs him over with a clothesline for two more and another forearm drops Eddie again. They slug it out for a good bit until Eddie knocks him down with a clothesline.

Elgin is right back with some superkicks and a release German superplex (egads, though it’s similar to a really high moonsault and a bit safer than it looks). Splash Mountain gets two on Eddie but he’s right back with some shots to the knee. Elgin Crossfaces him to cut that off but that’s broken up in a hurry as well. With the holds not working, Elgin goes with the power in the form of a buckle bomb, only to have the Elgin Bomb reversed into a sunset flip to give Eddie the pin at 19:53.

Rating: B+. This was your physical slugout match of the night with Elgin beating the heck out of him as Eddie had to try and hang in there. Elgin got frustrated by Eddie kicking out every single time, allowing Eddie to survive until he could catch Elgin going too far. They beat the fire out of each other and had an awesome match as a result. Good stuff, as you had to expect.

Rhino is ready for the spear vs. the Gore. Moose likes to call his spear the No Jackhammers Needed, so Rhino is going to show him the no f**** given.

We recap Moose vs. Rhino. Moose wants to prove that he’s the best all around athlete and has been going after the older guys, including Rhino. Therefore, it’s a battle of the spears which is a fine enough idea.

Moose vs. Rhino

No DQ. Moose, in Randy Savage gear, starts an exchange of elbows and knocks Rhino outside. An early spear misses Rhino though and he falls outside, only to grab a chair to hit Rhino in the back. They fight on the ramp but Moose charges into a backdrop to make him cringe. Back to ringside and Rhino gets posted, meaning it’s time for a table.

Moose can’t powerbomb him off the apron though, instead charging into a powerbomb from Rhino to put him through the table in the big crash. That’s good for two back inside and it’s time to throw in a bunch of chairs and trashcan lids. Moose gets the better of that though with some shots to the back putting Rhino down. A top rope elbow gets two on Rhino but Moose tries again, allowing Rhino to chair him on the top.

That means a superplex onto the pile of chairs for two so Rhino grabs another table. It takes a long time to set it up though and Moose hits a running dropkick in the corner. Rhino clotheslines him right back down and hits the Gore through the table, but also through the referee. Another referee comes out to count a delayed two but Moose hits him low. No Jackhammers Needed finishes Rhino at 12:27.

Rating: C+. They had a nice brawl here and that’s what they were hoping to do. The match was what it needed to be with the only logical ending, as there was no reason to do anything more than have Moose break a sweat and then win in the end. It was an entertaining fight and now Moose needs to move on towards the World Title scene. He’s been chasing the thing for so long that it has to happen sooner rather than later.

We recap the North vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack. Swann and Mack have been chasing the titles for months and are the new #1 contenders so the North has tried to split them up. Now none of that matters though because Swann has hurt his ankle and can’t wrestle.

Swann isn’t even cleared to stand at ringside on crutches so Mack is on his own. He’s got this.

Tag Team Titles: Willie Mack vs. The North

The North is defending in a handicap match. Alexander starts for the team but walks over to Page for the tag, followed by another tag to set up the double teaming. Mack shrugs that off and hits the swinging slam on Alexander, plus an enziguri to put him on the floor. Page is there for a distraction though and the champs take over with a cheap shot from behind. The chinlock goes on as we see Swann watching from backstage.

Mack fights up and hits a DDT out of the corner, setting up some running corner clotheslines. The Samoa drop into the standing moonsault gets two on Alexander and a running big boot in the corner makes it worse. There’s an exploder suplex for the same but Page is back in with the double Neutralizer for two of his own.

They head to the floor and take Mack up, only to have him knock Alexander onto Page’s shoulders. That means a Doomsday Canadian Destroyer to Alexander, followed by the frog splash for two with Page pulling the referee. Page’s request for a DQ is denied so Mack hits him with a Stunner, only to have Alexander come back with the assisted spinebuster to retain at 10:34.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as there was only so much that they could do given the circumstances. Mack and Swann could have had a classic match here but with Mack having to be in there on his own, their options were a bit limited. They did what they could here though and it wound up being an entertaining match. Do the title switch later, though it could be months given their taping schedule.

Rebellion is back in April.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard. Callihan won the World Title from Brian Cage in a cage match and Tessa won a gauntlet match to earn the title shot. Tessa has faced Sami twice before but come up short both times, meaning this is her big chance at destiny and revenge at the same time. It feels like a big deal, though not the most surprising conclusion.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard

Sami is defending and is on his own for a change. We get the Big Match Intros and Sami hits a Cactus Special for two in the first ten seconds. Tessa fights out of a superplex attempt and hits Magnum for two of her own as we’re a minute into the match. A headscissors puts Sami on the floor and the suicide dive connects. Tessa snaps off a hurricanrana on the floor as the fans are WAY behind her.

The big flip dive connects as Sami hasn’t been able to do anything after the Cactus Special. He manages to drive her knees first into the barricade so Tessa has to limp back inside to beat the count. The leg is wrapped around the post a few times and Sami punches at the knee for a bonus. An Indian Deathlock takes us back to 1972 until Sami hits her in the back and lets it go. There’s another kick to the knee and Tessa is in trouble despite the fans being completely behind her.

The cockiness is strong with the champ as he stands on Tessa’s ribs to show off. Tessa tries to slug back so Sami hits her in the face. They head outside again with Tessa getting powerbombed through a table in the big crash. That’s good for nine so Tessa gets on the apron for another chop off. A superkick sets up Magnum on the apron and they’re both down on the floor again. They beat the count again but Sami is starting to look a bit desperate.

Tessa says to hit her and keeps bouncing up from the chops. Somehow Tessa manages a Samoan drop and gets two more off a second Magnum. Another Magnum misses though and the knee is banged up again. Get Outta Here gets two on Tessa and she bounces up from a German suplex. A cutter gets two on Sami but he’s right back with a sitout powerbomb into a Stretch Muffler.

That’s switched into an STF but Tessa makes the rope to escape again. Sami grabs the belt, only to have it taken away. It’s a ruse though as he busts out some brass knuckles but Tessa kicks him low. Magnum gets two more so Tessa grabs the Crossface but that’s reversed into another Cactus Special for another two. Tessa slugs away so Sami spits on her and kicks her in the face. A running Canadian Destroyer plants Sami though and the hammerlock DDT gives Tessa the pin and the title at 23:49.

Rating: B+. Another very good match here but the history is what matters in this one. They beat each other up and told a story with Tessa having to survive the knee injury and hang on against the way too arrogant Callihan. It’s still a bit of a stretch to believe that Tessa can be a physical match for the men but they’ve hidden it as well as can be expected. It’s an important moment and something that does matter, though the controversy from the weekend is going to hurt the meaning a bit.

Tessa celebrates and we’re off the air almost immediately.

Overall Rating: C+. The two bigger matches had to bail this out as some of the things they did here didn’t work. A few of them weren’t Impact’s fault but this show could have been a lot better with another rewrite. They nailed the matches that mattered though and with a few fixes, this card could have been great. What we got was good enough, though the bad things are really pretty bad. Check out the main and Elgin vs. Eddie though, as Impact gets to show what they can do when they have the chance.

Results

Ken Shamrock b. Mad Man Fulton – Rings of Saturn

Ace Austin b. Trey Miguel – The Fold

Taya Valkyrie b. ODB and Jordynne Grace – Grace Driver to ODB

Rob Van Dam b. Daga – Five Star Frog Splash

Eddie Edwards b. Michael Elgin – Sunset flip

Moose b. Rhino – No Jackhammers Needed

The North b. Willie Mack – Assisted spinebuster

Tessa Blanchard b. Sami Callihan – Hammerlock DDT

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

It’s back to the pay per view pile for Impact and in a way, that sounds like a good thing. When Impact Wrestling cuts out all of the other nonsense and focuses on the wrestling alone, they can have a heck of a show and hopefully that is what happens here. Sometimes you don’t need to do anything more than have a bunch of good wrestling and under the right circumstances, this could be quite the show. Let’s get to it.

Ken Shamrock vs. Mad Man Fulton

Unless I missed it before, this was added to the show on Tuesday night. I’m not sure how much more gas Shamrock has in the tank but his intimidating look alone should be worth something. I can’t imagine that he’s going to be around long term but he has enough star power to validate keeping him around for the time being. That being said, Fulton has a lot of potential as a monster and Shamrock could make for a good opponent.

I’ll go with Fulton here because he has a brighter future and there is no reason to put Shamrock over him. Shamrock is already a legend and a former World Champion so putting him over Fulton doesn’t make sense. Then again, if there is one thing this company loves to do it is push older people for no logical reason. I’ll take Fulton, but there is a bit of fear in the back of my head over the whole thing.

Moose vs. Rhino

This is one of those formulas that works almost every time: take two people who can hit each other really hard and see who is left standing. It’s also a battle of the spears, with Rhino’s having more impact but Moose’s having the more clever name. Moose is in need of the big win but I’m not sure how much value there is in putting him over Rhino. That being said, I can’t imagine Rhino getting a big win on this stage.

So yeah of course it’s Moose here, as it should be. Rhino is someone who still has some name recognition and now that they’re getting him away from the ECW tributes, you can see why he’s been around as long as he has. This could be a good ten minute power brawl and Rhino can still bring it in that style. Have some fun and get the right person over and everything works out.

Tag Team Titles: The North(c) vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

This was the match that I was looking forward to more than any other on the card as Mack and Swann have turned into a heck of a team against a dark horse contender for the Tag Team Of The Year in 2019 in the North. Then Swann sprained his ankle last night and is unlikely for the match, meaning the whole thing is pretty much forgotten about as Mack is probably wrestling it in a handicap match.

Therefore, the North retains here and we probably get the big title match in SEVERAL weeks on Impact, assuming it happens at all. Given their marathon taping sessions, there is almost no way we’re going to be seeing Swann in the ring for months as far as Impact taping time goes and that’s a shame because he seemed ready to jump way up the ladder in the coming weeks, starting with a title win here. But alas, the North retains here (hardly a bad thing as they’ve been excellent).

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie(c) vs. ODB vs. Jordynne Grace

I was completely sold on Grace ending the record long reign here, but then ODB was added to it and things started trending down (as they tend to do when she is added to almost anything). They now have an out to keep the title on Valkyrie (again: not a bad thing, which seems to be a Canadian trait), even though it is time for someone else to get into the title picture. I think you know where this is going.

I’ll play it safe and say that Valkyrie retains the title, likely by defeating ODB. Maybe they can even throw in a bonus by having Grace hit the Grace Driver so Valkyrie can steal the pin. I’m not entirely sure why ODB needs to be involved in this, though if it’s to give her a hand after her food truck burned down, I can get over my lack of caring for her. Anyway, I’m not thrilled about this one, but Valkyrie is likely retaining to lose to Grace in a singles match later.

Brian Cage vs. Rob Van Dam

I wasn’t big on Van Dam returning as he is way past his prime and has been around for so long that a lot of the luster is gone. However, I’ve dug the heck out of his crazy self-absorbed heel character as he’s selling the heck out of it. While I could go for a little less Katie Forbes, Van Dam’s stuff has been great and I’m enjoying his promos more than I have in years.

As for the match…..dang I’m not sure. This is the kind of thing that should be Cage in a walk but Van Dam has been so awesome in everything he’s done that it could go either way. I think I’ll actually take Van Dam, just for the sake of giving him something else to talk about. Cage shouldn’t be losing again, but they’ve got an intriguing match here, provided they can make the in-ring stuff work.

Call Your Shot Trophy: Eddie Edwards(c) vs. Michael Elgin

This is basically Money In The Bank but for any title, which very well could play a role later in the show. The idea here is that Elgin wants the World Title and is willing to take shortcuts to get there. He already beat Edwards in a rather good match on Impact and now he wants to do it again for the trophy. I like the idea of having to defend the thing, even though it has barely been mentioned since Edwards won the thing.

I’ll take Elgin to win here, even if it’s two big losses in a row for Edwards. The good thing about him is that he’s almost bulletproof in Impact and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Elgin on the other hand seems to be in a place where he needs to win the World Title or find something else to do, and winning the Trophy could get him a big step closer to being champion.

X-Division Title: Ace Austin(c) vs. Trey Miguel

There aren’t many people who have been as bizarre as Austin in recent months. He’s gone from apparently being an adult actor to hitting on Miguel’s mom while also winning the title. I’m not sure which of those is weirder, but here we are with one of the first actual stories about the title in months. That might not be the best story in the world, but at least it’s something for a change.

I’ll go with Austin retaining here, partially because I like him and partially because I want to see Miguel’s mom turn on him. It would be hilarious to see if nothing else, though I do need to see the Rascalz get somewhere sooner or later. This very well may be where it takes place, but I’m not sure if that’s what’s going to happen. Give me Austin to retain, though I’m not very confident in it.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan(c) vs. Tessa Blanchard

And then, as usual, something has to happen to mess everything up around here. In this case it isn’t Impact’s fault, but that never stopped the bad news before. In this case, Blanchard seemed all primed and ready to win the title but then there was yesterday’s Twitter fiasco that might cause some major issues for the company should they give her some big push.

That being said, I’ll go with Blanchard winning and then Elgin cashing in his newly won trophy for an immediate title shot. Therefore, Blanchard gets her win, a Canadian gets to be World Champion and we can move forward to Blanchard chasing the title again after things have cooled down a bit. It’s not the smartest thing in the world, but it’s the most protection they can have at the moment.

Overall Thoughts

I was looking forward to this show a lot more about thirty six hours ago before the Swann injury and the Blanchard drama but you should know better than to expect something like this to work out well. It really does feel like the company is cursed at times and even when they have been doing so much better as of late, it doesn’t seem like they can ever shake off the curse that follows them everywhere.

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