Impact Wrestling
Date: December 2, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re back after last week’s Wrestle House special, meaning that it’s time to start getting ready for Hard To Kill. For once that’s a major pay per view, which is quite different from all of the smaller monthly shows they have been running as of late. I’m actually curious to see where they go so let’s get to it.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Matt Cardona for a chat. He talks about how great of a show Turning Point was and how he had W. Morrissey beaten, but there was no referee. Then Moose speared him so Morrissey could win, and that’s because Moose knows what Cardona is. Cue Moose to say Cardona has accomplished a lot in eighteen years. Cardona has a podcast and a room full of action figures, plus a big house with a beautiful wife.

The problem is he’ll never be that guy, but he wants a match with Moose? That’s fine, because it would last as long as his Intercontinental Title run. They should just call him Midcardona, which is enough to start the brawl. Cardona knocks him down in the corner but here’s W. Morrissey to take Cardona out. Cue Eddie Edwards for the real save and we probably have a main event.

Violent By Design brags about their win at Turning Point and now they want the Tag Team Titles back.

Matt Cardona comes up to Scott D’Amore in the back and the tag match is made tonight. Cardona might even be able to earn a World Title shot. Cardona is happy and leaves, with Jordynne Grace and Rachel Ellering coming in instead. There is going to be a Knockouts Ultimate X match at Hard To Kill so here are Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans to talk trash. D’Amore makes Evans vs. Ellering for later tonight.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Matthew Rehwoldt vs. Chris Sabin

Deonna Purrazzo joins commentary and says she would rather die than wear a Sabin shirt. They fight over arm control to start until Sabin hits an armdrag and Striker refers to Purrazzo as “D”. Purrazzo is not pleased as we go to a break and come back with Rehwoldt choking away in the corner. A pendulum elbow hits Sabin and Rehwoldt grabs the chinlock.

Back up and Sabin sends him outside for a breather, meaning the comeback can be on. A running boot in the corner sets up a tornado DDT for two on Rehwoldt but they clothesline each other. Purrazzo gets up on the apron for a distraction, allowing Rehwoldt to hit End Scene for two. Cue Mickie James to go after Purrazzo as the Cradle Shock finishes Rehwoldt at 11:25.

Rating: C. I think I’m starting to see why Rehwoldt is best remembered for his talking. Er, singing. He’s fine in the ring, but there is only so far that you can get with such a basic style. Sabin is on one of the best runs of his career though, or at least his best in a good few years. Not a terrible match, but it was much more about the women than the men.

Post match James chases Purrazzo to the back.

Scott D’Amore explains the Ultimate X Knockouts match to Chelsea Green. She leaves, so here is Alisha Edwards to get the same explanation. With Edwards gone, Jay Vidal comes up, asking for an opportunity. D’Amore obliges.

Jonah vs. Jay Vidal

Jonah runs him over, tosses him around, and finishes with the top rope splash at 1:49. That splash still looks incredible as the impact is perfect.

Post match, Jonah says he wants to talk about Josh Alexander. Everyone talks about how Alexander is the best in the world, but to be that, you have to go through the top dog.

Video on Trey Miguel retaining the X-Division Title at Turning Point. Miguel pinned Laredo Kid and not Steve Maclin.

Miguel is talking about retaining the title when Maclin jumps him from behind to start the brawl. A referee breaks it up so Maclin hits Miguel with the belt and chokes him with a rope. Security breaks it up but Miguel climbs a ladder for the big flip dive.

Brian Myers explains distance learning, which means talking to Zicky Dice and VSK on Facetime.

Moose can’t convince W. Morrissey to help him with Matt Cardona as Morrissey isn’t buying the title shot carrot. Moose says Morrissey can have the next shot so Morrissey says ok. Well that seemed easy.

Rachael Ellering vs. Savannah Evans

Jordynne Grace and Tasha Steelz are here too. Evans stomps away to start but Ellering kicks her way out of the corner. Back up and Evans hammers away again, setting up a running shoulder in the corner. An STO sets up a spinning middle rope legdrop but Evans grabs the leg on the way down, which shows some good power. A DDT gives Evans two but Ellering elbows and kicks her in the face. Three straight backsplashes gives Ellering two but she has to deal with Steelz. That matters for all of two seconds as Ellering TKOs Evans for the pin at 6:54.

Rating: C. Another just kind of there match, but I do like that Ellering didn’t need to do much to overcome Evans and Steelz at the same time. It isn’t like the Knockouts tag division means much, so it’s almost a bit easier to watch these teams work in singles matches. Not a bad match, but nothing that feels like it is leading anywhere of note.

Tenille Dashwood is back and gets the recap from Madison Rayne. Post break, they run into the IInspiration, who are putting on each others’ lip gloss. Squealing ensues, but Rayne isn’t happy that they know Kaleb With A K.

Violent By Design vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Swann kicks at Doering’s leg to little avail so it’s Mack coming in for a running corner clothesline to Deaner. The legdrop/splash combination gets two, followed by a flapjack/bulldog combination. Doering has had it with this though and comes in with a cheap shot to take over as we go to a break. Back with Doering kicking Mack in the head and hitting a side slam.

Deaner adds a Swan Dive headbutt for two but a pop up right hand gets Mack out of trouble. Striker: “Deaner in trouble! The outstretched tree trunk of Joe Doering is his only reprieve!” And that’s why people think Striker talks funny. Mack gets over for the hot tag off to Swann so house can be cleaned. An Eric Young distraction lets Deaner crotch Swann on top for a breather. Mack takes out Deaner in a hurry though and the 450 gives Swann the pin at 9:21.

Rating: C+. One of the better matches of the night so far, which is mainly due to Swann and Mack having so much charisma. Violent By Design continues to be fairly lame, but, and I can’t believe we’ve reached this point, maybe having Eric Young back in the ring can help. Otherwise, they’re just a couple of guys who stay mean most of the time. Can we have something more than that from them if they just have to be here?

Post match Mack and Swann get beaten down until Rhino and Heath make the save.

Hernandez is happy that Johnny Swinger is happy, so here are Raj Singh/Rohit Raju to brag. Lawrence D. comes in and doesn’t like them, with a match being made for next week.

W. Morrissey/Moose vs. Matt Cardona/Eddie Edwards

Cardona starts for the team but Moose tags out at the bell. The threat of a double clothesline sends Cardona and Edwards bailing to the floor but they slide back in to drop Moose. We take a break and come back with Moose kicking Cardona down in the corner. Cardona gets over to Edwards for the tag and strikes away at Morrissey to pick up the pace. Morrissey knocks Edwards off the top though and it’s Moose taking over back inside.

Edwards avoids a charge though and Moose is sent outside, where he takes out Cardona to break up the hot tag attempt. Back in and Edwards hits a jawbreaker, allowing the tag back to Cardona. Everything breaks down and a series of kicks put all four of them down. Moose and Cardona slug it out and Eddie low bridges Morrissey to the floor for the suicide dive. A Rock Bottom gives Moose two on Cardona but another attempt is countered into a cradle to give Cardona the fast pin at 10:46.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice main event tag match here and that’s all it needed to be. This sets up Cardona as the next title challenger to Moose and I’m curious to see how it goes. They’ve actually made me believe that the title change could take place, and how hard is that to do with Cardona? Good setup here, but go make the whole thing work.

Post match Morrissey lays out Moose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show was good enough, but outside of Cardona’s surprise run to the main event, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with a lot of the stuff going on here. Maybe it’s that they just came off of Turning Point, but hopefully they can get something better going on the way to Hard To Kill. It was much more dull than bad, though that might be worse this time.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Matthew Rehwoldt – Cradle Shock
Jonah b. Jay Vidal – Top rope splash
Rachael Ellering b. Savannah Evans – TKO
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Violent By Design – 450 to Deaner
Matt Cardona/Eddie Edwards b. W. Morrissey/Moose – Rollup to Moose

 

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 21, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

It’s the go home show for Bound For Glory and the card is set. That could leave a few different directions to choose this week and I’m curious to see where things are going to go. The good thing is that Impact has earned the benefit of the doubt over….dang a year plus or so? Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Bullet Club vs. FinJuice

For the Bound For Glory Tag Team Title shot and that would be Chris Bey/Hikuleo for the Club. Finlay starts with Hikuleo with the big man knocking Finlay down without much effort. It’s already off to Robinson, who backsplashes Bey for a fast two. Robinson knocks Bey off the top and a double bulldog drops Hikuleo for two. Finlay gets knocked down though and it’s Bey coming in with a springboard rake to the back.

The chinlock goes on but Finlay gets up and, with Bey holding a leg, hops over for the tag to Robinson in a unique visual. Everything breaks down and a Russian legsweep/running big boot gets two on Bey with Hikuleo making the save. The referee gets bumped so Hikuleo’s chokeslam gets no count. Another referee runs in to count two but Finlay manages a cutter. The double tag brings in Robinson to strike away on Hikuleo but a snap powerslam plants Robinson back down. Everything breaks down and it’s a double rollup to give us a double pin at 9:22.

Rating: C+. These teams have some good matches with each other and that was the case again. The draw isn’t exactly surprising as I couldn’t imagine one of these teams being left off of the Bound For Glory card. You just learn to live with the three way matches and it could be fun watching these two trying to make the Good Brothers look better.

Post break the referees explain things to Scott D’Amore, who will make a decision by the end of the night.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at Bound For Glory.

Josh Alexander talks about growing up in the middle of nowhere and not being able to afford to play hockey. Then he found pro wrestling and he was instantly hooked. He started wrestling but broke his neck and had to have surgery. Somehow he came back and then broke his neck again but actually came back one more time, albeit with a different attitude. Now he wanted to put in the work to become the best he could be, even if it was just in Canada. He won the Destiny Wrestling World Title and then got signed by Impact Wrestling (with a clip of Scott D’Amore handing him the contract in a great moment).

It was off to Impact Wrestling, where he wanted to win the X-Division Title, after being inspired by Low Ki. He held the title for so long that there was only one thing left for him to do, which led him to Option C and the main event of Bound For Glory. It isn’t that failure isn’t an option, but Alexander doesn’t think he can fail. This was REALLY good and showed you a different look at Alexander, which had been lacking for a long time. I want to see him win now and that had not been the case coming in.

Jordynne Grace/Fallah Bahh vs. Chelsea Green/Crazzy Steve vs. John Skyler/Tenille Dashwood

Three way tag between the six people in the Digital Media Title match at Bound For Glory. Grace powers Green into the corner and it’s off to Bahh, who doesn’t seen to scare Green. It’s off to Steve to hammer away on Bahh in the corner. Skyler comes in to take over on Steve, who bites Dashwood in the face to escape.

That’s enough for the hot tag to Grace, meaning it’s time to clean house. The running knees in the corner set up the running backsplash to crush Skyler. Everything breaks down and Skyler has to save Dashwood from the Banzai Drop. Steve hits the middle rope DDT on Bahh but Dashwood sneaks in with the Spotlight Kick to finish Bahh at 4:25.

Rating: C-. I’m not wild on these this kind of a match as it is little more than a preview for Sunday’s title match. They threw everyone in there and one of them happened to get a win. I guess that counts as momentum, but this is such a lower card title that it is hard to get overly interested in a short and wild match like this one.

Here is a serious Rhino for a chat but Heath cuts him off before anything can be said. Heath says it has been a little while but they have been through a lot over the years. Their families know each other but Heath didn’t hear from him throughout the course of his injury. Heath knows it’s Eric Young doing this to Rhino but the one thing he wants Rhino to know is that he misses you. His daughters miss Uncle Rhino (you know that’s a chant) and that’s good for a smile, but Violent By Design interrupts.

Eric Young says Violent By Design isn’t something you walk away from. Heath makes it sound like a cult and says Rhino is brainwashed. The brawl is on and Heath gets beaten down until Rhino finally pulls Young off. Rhino teases Goring Heath but walks out instead, leaving Heath to get beaten down. They are managing to make me care about a Rhino/Heath/Eric Young story so well done.

Minoru Suzuki is coming.

Savannah Evans vs. Mickie James

This is James’ first Impact match in six years and Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. Mickie gets shoved down by the much bigger Evans to start but slugs away anyway. Some forearms are cut off by a Steelz distraction, allowing Evans to choke on the ropes. We hit the bearhug, with Mickie biting her way to freedom. The MickieDT is blocked so Mickie settles for the middle rope Thesz press for a near fall. Cue Deonna Purrazzo for a distraction, allowing Evans to hit a full nelson slam for two of her own. Evans misses a charge into the post, so Mickie kicks her in the head and hits the MickieDT for the pin at 7:27.

Rating: C. This was a way to get Mickie in the ring and give her a win over a monster and that worked out just fine. They didn’t need to make this complicated and what we wound up getting was the right way to go. Mickie vs. Purrazzo might not be a dream match but it’s a heck of a match for the biggest show of the year.

Post match, Purrazzo gets in James’ face but there is no contact allowed. Instead, here is Matthew Rehwoldt to lay Mickie out instead.

Post break, Scott D’Amore isn’t cool with what just happened. While Purrazzo didn’t break the agreement, she broke the intent of it and should be stripped of the title. That’s not what D’Amore wants though, because he would rather see her lose it at Bound For Glory. Purrazzo isn’t happy so D’Amore bans Rehwoldt from ringside for the title match to make it worse.

Brian Myers isn’t happy with the Learning Tree for screwing up last week and fires Manny Lemons (who seems to explode). Sam Beale is cut as well, but he asks for an autograph from Myers. Instead, he has to settle for VSK in a disappointing downgrade.

Scott D’Amore is in his office for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles contract signing but no one shows up. Cue RD Evans, the IInspiration’s entertainment lawyer (and former barrister for Deonna Purrazzo), with Decay appearing as well. Rosemary isn’t happy about having to sign in ink instead of blood but the champs are in anyway. Evans signs for the IInspiration and we get the promise of heads being bitten off. I’ll let you guess who promises to do so.

Alex Zayne vs. Trey Miguel

They go with the grappling to start with Miguel throwing him down, giving us a standoff. Zayne rides Miguel down to play some mind games of his own as commentary promises that it is going to pick up. Miguel sends him outside and loads up the dive but Zayne comes back in and we get a kneeling staredown to keep up the mind games. Zayne scores with an enziguri and they both crash out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Miguel pulling him down into something like a reverse Koji Clutch to put Zayne in trouble. With that broken up, Miguel goes up but Zayne hits a running flip super hurricanrana (because he can just do that) to bring Miguel back down. Some kicks rock Zayne, who is back with a jumping knee. Zayne puts him on top but has to block a sunset bomb. The 619 around the post rocks Zayne though and the top rope Meteora finishes for Miguel at 11:56.

Rating: C+. This was just starting to cook when it wrapped up. Miguel getting the pin is a good way to build him up for Saturday and Zayne looked good in defeat. I’m not sure what is next for Zayne, but there is always the chance that he falls into the pack in the X-Division. That’s better than doing nothing on 205 Live, but not by much.

Post match here is Steve Maclin to lay Miguel off but Bullet Club comes in to jump Maclin. El Phantasmo hits the big low blow on Miguel so the Club can stand tall (more so in Hikuleo’s case).

Bound For Glory rundown, including the announcement of the triple threat Tag Team Title match.

Here is Josh Alexander for the final chat before Bound For Glory. He is two days away from a shot at the World Title and doesn’t understand what a risk is. Alexander spent years at a construction site but took the chance to prove that he could do everything he dreamed of doing. That was a risk, but the risk that he will not take is letting his boys think he won’t take a shot. Cue Christian Cage to say he knows what it’s like to be on this stage. Everything comes down to emotion and you have to be able to keep it in check. Some people crack under the pressure but some people thrive and win World Titles, like Christian himself.

Over the last few weeks, Christian hasn’t seen anything to suggest that Alexander has what it takes. Alexander has heard all of this before, including about Christian when he first came here in 2005. As long as Christian is getting paid by a billionaire in another company, he can’t be the face of Impact Wrestling. At Bound For Glory, he’s slamming the Forbidden Door in Christian’s face because he’s the best in the world. Christian: “You’re not even the best wrestler from Canada.” The brawl is on and security/wrestlers break it up to end the show. This was good stuff, though that Alexander video from earlier was hard to top.

Overall Rating: B. They were in a weird spot here as the wrestling was taking a distant backseat to everything else going on. This show was about the final push towards Bound For Glory and very few people on the pay per view card were active on this show. What mattered was making me want to see Bound For Glory and that worked very well. Impact is doing everything they need to do right now and if they can stick the landing on Saturday, they could be in a heck of an awesome place for the first time in the better part of ever.

Results
Bullet Club vs. FinJuice went to a double pin
John Skyler/Tenille Dashwood b. Jordynne Grace/Fallah Bahh and Chelsea Green/Crazzy Steve – Spotlight Kick to Bahh
Mickie James b. Savannah Evans – MickieDT
Trey Miguel b. Alex Zayne – Top rope Meteora

 

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 14, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We’re less than two weeks away from Bound For Glory and that means it is time to really hammer home the stories. Most of the card is set, save for the final spot in the X-Division Title match. Things have been going well as of late and I’m actually interested in where the show goes. Keeping that up is not going to easy but maybe they can make it work. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s main event as Josh Alexander vs. Christian Cage continues to heat up.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: Rohit Raju vs. El Phantasmo vs. Willie Mack

The winner joins Trey Miguel and Steve Maclin for the title match at Bound For Glory and the rest of the Bullet Club is in Phantasmo’s corner. Phantasmo is sent outside to start, leaving Mack to shoulder Raju down. Phantasmo replaces Raju and can’t get anywhere with some shoulders of his own. This time it’s Mack being knocked outside so Raju and Phantasmo can slug it out. That’s broken up and Raju is sent outside again as they certainly have a formula here.

Phantasmo manages to knock Mack down and hit a springboard Swanton for two. Back in and Raju hits a Cannonball to both of them at the same time. Mack runs them both over though and shows off the crazy power with the double Samoan drop. The double standing moonsault gets two but Phantasmo catches Mack on top.

That means a super hurricanrana, with Mack Swantoning onto Raju for a big crash. A top rope splash gets two on Mack but he’s right back with the Stunner. The Club has the referee so Mack kicks them to the floor and hits the big flip dive. Raju uses the breather to Flatline Phantasmo for two but Phantasmo is back with a rather low punch. The Pedigree style Neutralizer gives Phantasmo the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. It’s hard to screw up a match like this and they certainly didn’t here. Phantasmo winning is fine as you don’t want to have two heels in a three way match for the title. The drawback here was the fairly fired formula of having two in and one out, as there was barely any stretch of the match with all three involved. That’s how triple threat works, but it would be nice to try something else for a change.

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton are ready for tonight’s battle royal to determine the entrance order for the Call Your Shot gauntlet match (this company has a bad history of making things a bit complicated). Neither of them are worried about possibly being #1, because Fulton likes fighting a bunch of people at once.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at Bound For Glory.

Savannah Evans vs. Lady Frost

Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. Frost strikes away to start and is easily sent into the corner for a running shoulder to the ribs. The comeback is cut off with a big boot and we take a break with Evans in full control. Back with Evans hitting a Samoan drop but Frost manages some running shoulders in the corner. That earns Frost a heck of a clothesline, setting up a full nelson slam to give Evans the pin at 7:39.

Rating: C-. More or less a squash here with Evans being established as the new monster. You can always go with that as it serves as a way to keep her strong at the moment, which can set up someone conquering her later on. Frost has a good look but hasn’t exactly done anything to make herself stand out so far.

Post match here are Deonna Purrazzo and Matthew Rehwoldt for a chat. Purrazzo is here because she gets to pick Mickie James’ opponent for next week and Evans sounds like a good idea. Evans is down.

Steve Maclin says people don’t know his background but he’ll let us in. Where he comes from, there are people called ribbon chasers and they almost got him killed. Around here, he sees people chasing titles, but he’s going to win the X-Division Title because he wants a target on his back.

Gail Kim recaps Knockouts Knockdown, including the announcement that the IInspiration will get a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot at Bound For Glory. Decay comes in to say they shouldn’t have to defend the titles, but Kim gets a letter from a deliveryman. It’s from the IInspiration, who think it’s nice that Decay gets to share the ring with them. We wrap it up with “if this letter is not read out loud in an Australian accent, please start again from the beginning.” That was funny, but Rosemary is ready for violence and chaos at Bound For Glory.

VSK vs. Rich Swann

Brian Myers and Willie Mack are here too. VSK strikes away to start and scores with a fast fireman’s carry backbreaker. A slam into a splash gives VSK two and we’re already in the chinlock. Swann fights up and slugs away, setting up a neckbreaker. The Phoenix splash finishes VSK at 2:59.

Johnny Swinger is still cleaning out Swinger’s Palace but Hernandez comes in to take all of his money. One of the Swingerellas comes up to Swinger and asks him out. That’s a no, and she walks away in tears. Swinger leaves, so here is Chris Sabin to see the place one more time. Swingerella #2 (or Riley) says she likes him but his love is the wrestling ring. She leaves, so Sabin sits down and we get a montage of moments from the Palace. I’m going to miss the place too, as it went from a one off joke into a pretty funny running gag.

Heath comes in to see Scott D’Amore and is ready to sign his contract. One thing though: he wants his first match to be at Bound For Glory and wants to team with Rhino against Violent By Design. D’Amore doesn’t think Rhino is interested, but Heath will fight by himself is Rhino doesn’t show up. That’s good enough for D’Amore and the contract is signed.

Chris Bey vs. Chris Sabin

The Bullet Club and FinJuice are here too. Feeling out process to start with Sabin shouldering him down and grabbing a quickly broken armbar. They fight over armdrags and that means an early standoff. The guys on the floor almost get into a fight so the referee tosses them before anything can happen.

We settle down to Sabin grabbing a snap suplex for two but Bey ties him in the ropes for a middle rope elbow. Another elbow gets two on Sabin, setting up a top rope clothesline for the same. The chinlock goes on but Sabin fights up and scores with a pretty hard kick to the chest.

A rolling fisherman’s buster (as in a fisherman’s suplex but Sabin rolls through and hits a buster) gets two on Bey, who kicks him in the head again for another near fall. Back up and they trade clotheslines for a double knockdown. They slug it out until Bey loads up a rolling…something, only to get kicked out of the air. The Cradle Shock finishes Bey at 12:07.

Rating: B-. This was fun and good at the same time, which is quite the hard to pull off. The two of them are both able to go in the ring and do just about whatever they want, which is rather hard to pull off. Sabin is a legend around here and it makes sense to warm him up again, even if that means beating Bey clean in a good match.

Trey Miguel is ready for the X-Division Title match and has already beaten a few people. Cue one of those wrestlers in Alex Zayne, who says Miguel never beat him. That’s fine with Miguel and a match is made, for some reason with an allegory about a chicken sandwich. Also of note: Zayne TOWERS over Miguel and it’s a bit of a strange visual.

The Good Brothers are still on vacation and are ready to be back at Bound For Glory. Now get them some opponents already.

Battle Royal

Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Fallah Bahh, Moose, Hernandez, W. Morrissey, Brandi Lauren, Kimber Lee, Matt Cardona, Johnny Swinger, Petey Williams, Alisha Edwards, Matthew Rehwoldt, Jake Something, Brian Myers, Rachael Ellering, Laredo Kid, Black Taurus, Raj Singh

The winner is #20 in the Call Your Shot gauntlet but the runner up is #1. Moose tosses Alisha in a hurry and Swinger eliminates himself to get away from Lauren and Lee. Austin hides behind Fulton and Cardona tosses Williams. Cardona can’t eliminate Myers as the Learning Tree catches him for the save, only to have Ellering kick Myers out instead. Kid is tossed with Taurus and Hernandez following. There goes Rehwoldt, followed by Ellering and Singh. The ring is getting cleared out a bit and we take a break.

Back with a bunch of brawling and near eliminations until Austin kicks Something out. Fulton shrugs off some mist and helps Austin get rid of Lauren and Lee. Cardona takes too long loading up a running boot and gets tossed, leaving us with Moose, Morrissey, Fulton, Austin and Sabin. Fulton gets the better of a brawl between the giants until a double big boot knocks him out.

We take another break and come back again with Fulton saving Austin from an elimination. Austin tries to get together with the monsters, who toss him out in a hurry. Sabin manages to low bridge Moose to the apron and kicks the leg out, leaving us with two. A missile dropkick puts Morrissey down but Moose pushes him back over the top. Morrissey unloads on Sabin before tossing him out for the win at 19:38.

Rating: C. These things are always kind of hard to grade but a monster winning is a smart move, especially if you put Sabin at the start. Sabin is someone who could put on a good run and even tease a win in the end so this was a well thought out match. It wasn’t the most interesting match, but it could have been a lot worse.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Minoru Suzuki is coming. Well dang.

The ropes have been taken down and we get a sitdown interview between Christian Cage and Josh Alexander. Christian talks about how important it was to win the title back because he spent so many years out of the ring due to his injuries. Alexander talks about how much the X-Division means to him but now he wants to make it mean even more by winning the World Title. He doesn’t have a single regret about the decision he made and is ready for Bound For Glory.

Christian sees the fire in Alexander’s eyes but no one thinks in the ring like he does. Alexander grew up watching Christian and is a huge fan but at Bound For Glory, Alexander is the wild card. Christian knows what it takes to be on this stage and it’s going to be sink or swim, which Alexander will learn soon. He’s a fan of Alexander, but we see a clip of a fan asking if Christian would like to face him, and Christian doesn’t know who Alexander is. Alexander storms off to end the show. That’s the kind of personal Edge that the match needed.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was a nice boost toward Bound For Glory and that’s what it needed to be. The pay per view is looking better every week and I’m still getting used to this idea of being into Impact. If they can make Bound For Glory a better version of TV, we’re going to be in for a heck of a show. Nicely done here, and that has been the norm for a good while now.

Results
El Phantasmo b. Willie Mack and Rohit Raju – Double underhook faceplant to Raju
Savannah Evans b. Lady Frost – Full nelson slam
Rich Swann b. VSK – Phoenix splash
Chris Sabin b. Chris Bey – Cradle Shock
W. Morrissey won a battle royal last eliminating Chris Sabin

 

 

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

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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 7, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown

We are just over two weeks away from Bound For Glory and if you don’t know all of the card so far, you can probably guess what is coming on the show. There is still a lot of work to do though, including Eddie Edwards needing to deal with Moose. That could go in a few different directions so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Bullet Club vs. FinJuice/Chris Sabin

It’s Chris Bey/Hikuleo/El Phantasmo for the Club. Bey takes Sabin into the corner to start but we actually get a clean break. They go back back and forth with neither actually getting anywhere so Phantasmo comes in to take Robinson down. A standing moonsault hits Robinson he’s back up with an atomic drop. The non-Club starts taking turns on Phantasmo’s arm. Robinson has to fight off everything at once but Bey finally knocks him down to take over. Hikuleo teases coming in but jumps down to rake Robinson’s back instead.

Somehow Robinson survives and gets over to Finlay to pick up the pace. That just earns him a shot to the face though as everything breaks down in a hurry. Sabin high crossbodies Bey and Phantasmo at the same time and it’s a triple dive to take out the Club on the floor. A Dominator spun into a DDT gives Sabin two on Phantasmo but Hikuleo is back with a chokeslam. Phantasmo adds the top rope splash for two but Sabin is back up with a backslide. Hikuleo offers a distraction though and it’s a low blow from Phantasmo, setting up the Art of Finesse for the pin on Sabin at 8:47.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a six man tag and that’s what we got here with everyone getting to have their chance. There is always something about taking this many people and putting them in the ring for a showcase. The fact that they have some international star power makes it that much better.

Josh Alexander says it would usually be an honor to team with Christian Cage but tonight is about getting rid of Ace Austin and Madman Fulton before Bound For Glory.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Here is Heath for a chat. The fans seem happy to have him back as he has been out for a year. Last year at Bound For Glory, he was ready to get his Impact contract but he had to sit at home. Thank goodness he had some little girls to be doctors for daddy. While he was out though, he saw Rhino joining Violent By Design and that isn’t the real Rhino.

What he wants right now is to talk to his best friend but he gets Violent By Design instead. Eric Young asks what Heath doesn’t get because the team made Rhino better. The fans tell Young that he isn’t Rhino but Young goes on a rant about how that Rhino isn’t coming back. Heath is going to lower his eyes, leave the ring and never come back. That isn’t happening so the beatdown is on with Heath being buried under the flag.

Willie Mack, with Rich Swann, is ready to win the X-Division Title back. Brian Myers’ Learning Tree comes up and a tag match is teased for later.

Post break, Myers tells the Learning Tree that they’re on their own.

Brandi Lauren/Kimber Lee/Lady Frost vs. Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans/Mercedes Martinez

Martinez powers Frost into the corner to start but gets wristdragged back down. The threat of a right hand sends Frost off to Lauren, who bites Evans’ hand. We take a break and come back with Lauren in trouble in the corner but clotheslining her way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Lee to clean house as everything breaks down. The illegal Martinez cleans house until Steelz steals the pin on Lee at 9:38.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one and a good chunk of it was spent in the break. The double Su Yung deal isn’t the most interesting idea as it doesn’t make Yung look all that unique, but if Yung isn’t around, it doesn’t matter that much. It was a fine way to set up some stuff at Knockouts Knockdown, but not exactly great on its own.

Post match here is Alisha Edwards to clean hour with a kendo stick.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Christopher Daniels b. James Storm at Genesis 2013.

Alisha Edwards rants about Kimber Lee so Gail Kim puts the two of them, Savannah Evans and Jordynne Grace in a Monster’s Ball match for Knockouts Knockdown. Works for me.

It’s time for It’s All About Me, with Tenille Dashwood and company. Tenille and Madison Rayne are excited to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Knockouts Knockdown so here are their opponents: Decay. We get a weird beeping noise and Decay is ready to retain, but we’re out of time. That’s not cool with Decay, who says this is their show now. The Influence runs off in fear. There is some pretty awesome chemistry between these four, though that could just be Rosemary being scary and funny at the same time.

Moose and W. Morrissey are ready to get rid of Eddie Edwards, just like they did Sami Callihan. For now though, they’re going to be in the Call Your Shot at Bound For Glory. They’re still not friends either.

X-Division Title Tournament First Round: Black Taurus vs. Steve Maclin vs. Petey Williams

Maclin takes over to start but Taurus takes him down with a Sling Blade. With Maclin on the floor, Williams hits a running dropkick to Taurus’ back. A slingshot hurricanrana to the floor takes Maclin down but Williams has to deal with Taurus. The distraction lets Maclin hit an Angle Slam to Williams, followed by something close to a Death Valley Driver on Taurus.

Maclin goes after Williams though, allowing Taurus to fight back and powerslam him for two. Williams’ crucifix gets two on Taurus, followed by a running knee. Maclin runs both of them other but gets caught with a DDT to put everyone down. We get the three way strike off until Taurus hits Maclin with a running crucifix bomb (or close to it). Taurus ties Williams in the Tree of Woe but gets sent outside. Williams slips out and gives Taurus the Canadian Destroyer but walks into Mayhem For All to send Maclin to Bound For Glory at 7:13.

Rating: C+. The multi-person theme continues this week and this time around we get Impact continuing to push Maclin, which is a good thing. Above all else, Impact is trying someone new and maybe it works in the end. Maclin might not be the most thrilling, but he also isn’t bad and is being treated as something important. That’s something any promotion needs to do at times and it’s working well enough here.

Christian Cage says Josh Alexander can scout him tonight but keep his emotions in check. Christopher Daniels comes in to say he’s here to win the World Title. It can be in Impact or AEW, but he’s coming for the belt.

Johnny Swinger is panicking over Swinger’s Palace being shut down so they’re cleaning out the closet. This includes a photo of Dixie Carter (Swinger approves) but here is Fallah Bahh to say his money paid for a lot of this stuff. He’s glad they’re being shut down and leaves, as John E. Bravo finds a poster for a Jeff Jarrett DVD set. Swinger: “Did we buy this?” Bravo: “Won it. In a lawsuit.”

Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Manny Lemons/Zicky Dice

Lemons (so that’s his name) and Dice jump them to start and get knocked down without much trouble. Dice gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Swann to plant him with a bulldog. Mack chops away and then twists Lemon’s nipples to mix things up a bit. Fans: “SQUEEZE THE LEMONS!” Everything breaks down and Mack holds Lemons up for a middle rope Blockbuster from Swann for the pin at 2:44. As much trouble as Mack and Swann should have had with these two.

Post match Brian Myers and the rest of the Learning Tree comes out to beat down Mack and Swann.

We look back at Mickie James vs. Deonna Purrazzo at James’ horse farm last week.

James and Purrazzo get in a fight in Scott D’Amore’s office. Scott gives them a no contact clause until Bound For Glory and the match is off/the title is stripped if they fight before them. They can do a Pick Your Poison series as well, with James picking Purrazzo’s opponent at Knockouts Knockdown.

Here’s what’s coming at Knockouts Knockdown.

Christian Cage/Josh Alexander vs. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin

Cage and Fulton start things off with Fulton powers him down without much effort. Back up and Christian scores with some right hands to the jaw to knock Fulton into the corner. That doesn’t seem to matter as Fulton clotheslines both of them down and hands it off to Austin, who is quickly backdropped. Austin gets in an elbow in the corner and a superkick gets two on Alexander as we take a break.

Back with Austin kicking him in the head for two more but Alexander gets over for the tag to Christian. A few rooms of the house are cleaned but Fulton runs Cage over to cut that off in a hurry. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Fulton powers him into the corner again. It’s back to Austin for a springboard DDT but Christian spears him out of the air.

The double tag brings Fulton and Alexander, with the latter hitting a torture rack spun into a powerbomb for two. Some rolling German suplexes get two on Alexander but everything breaks down. Austin has to kick away Alexander’s ankle lock so Alexander grabs Rolling Chaos Theory, only to have Cage tag himself in. The Killswitch finishes Austin at 16:30.

Rating: B-. This was your above average main event tag match to advance the biggest match of Impact’s year. As a result, it worked out rather well, a lot of which is due tot he four people involved here. Good match here, with Cage playing some mind games as Alexander was rolling until the ending.

Alexander isn’t happy to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. What matters here is the fact that they have a target with Bound For Glory (and another with Knockouts Knockdown) and they are moving in that direction. You can see most of the card from here and now it is time to build up what is missing. Another fine show here and it did what it was supposed to do while including some solid enough action as well.

Results
Bullet Club b. FinJuice/Chris Sabin – Art of Finesse to Sabin
Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans/Mercedes Martinez b. Brandi Lauren/Kimber Lee/Lady Frost – Butterfly suplex to Lee
Steve Maclin b. Steve Williams and Black Taurus – Mayhem To All for Williams
Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. Manny Lemons/Zicky Dice – Elevated Blockbuster to Lemons
Christian Cage/Josh Alexander b. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin – Killswitch to Austin

 

 

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