Impact Wrestling
Date: August 11, 2022
Location: Old Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the night before Emergence and that means it is time for the big final push towards the show. That could make for a good episode, as we might be seeing some Emergence build, plus some time for the people who don’t usually get the chance to shine. Oh and a contract signing, just because. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s wild street fight.

Opening sequence.

Karl Anderson vs. Kenny King

Anderson’s Never Openweight Title isn’t on the line and no one is at ringside. King snaps off some armdrags into an armbar to start, which lasts all of a few seconds. Back up and they both miss kicks to the head, giving us another standoff. A back elbow to the face drops King but he snaps the leg across the middle rope to take over.

The seated abdominal stretch has Anderson in trouble but he fights up and twists King’s knee for a change. A running backsplash hits King and the Rocket Kick gets two. King kicks the leg out again and grabs a leglock, sending Anderson straight to the ropes. Back up and Anderson grabs a Gun Stun out of nowhere for the pin at 7:54.

Rating: C+. These guys did well and Anderson getting the win should give him some momentum on the way to Emergence is a good idea. There is a chance that the knee injury will play into the big showdown tomorrow night so this very well could have been setting things up. Nice opener though, as the Club is always going to get a reaction.

Post match King chairs Anderson in the leg but Heath runs in with a Wake Up Call before Pillmanization can occur.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and tomorrow.

Video on Alex Shelley finally becoming #1 contender.

Deaner vs. Kushida

Joe Doering and Chris Sabin are here too. Kushida snaps off an armdrag to start but a second one misses, allowing Deaner to stomp away. Back up and Kushida handspring kicks Deaner out to the floor but it’s too early for the Hoverboard Lock. Doering offers a distraction though and Deaner gets in a cheap shot.

We take a break and come back with Deaner raking the eyes to cut off some chops. Kushida goes right back after the arm but a knee and clothesline take him down. Doering’s distraction is cut off by Sabin though, allowing Kushida to grab a hammerlock northern lights suplex for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C. Not too bad here, as Kushida is going to be good for at least a decent match every time. It takes something special to get around the mess that is Violent By Design but Deaner tends to be the easiest to watch. Just drop the team already though, because this is awful and going nowhere.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Alex Shelley b. Chris Sabin at Genesis 2009 to win the X-Division Title.

Bhupinder Gujjar AGAIN challenges Brian Myers for the Digital Media Title and finally gets the shot at Emergence.

Eric Young yells at Violent By Design and promises to get rid of Chris Sabin and Kushida at Emergence.

Tiffany Nieves vs. Killer Kelly

Nieves slaps her in the face to start so Kelly hits a kick to the face to take over. A running basement dropkick in the corner sets up a choke (the Killer Clutch) to make Nieves tap at 1:23. They’re doing a nice job at rebuilding the Knockouts division.

Eddie Edwards gives Honor No More a pep talk before tomorrow.

Madison Rayne vs. Mia Yim

Rayne drives her into the corner to start until Yim grabs a hammerlock. That’s broken up with a faceplant but Yim is fine enough to grab a rollup for two. A chase around the ring goes badly for Yim as she gets posted, setting up some choking on the ropes. Rayne charges into a boot though and the Tarantula has her in trouble.

Another faceplant gives Rayne back to back near falls but a hurricanrana is countered into Yim’s sitout powerbomb. Some dropkicks send Rayne into the corner for the Cannonball but Rayne counters the package piledriver. A crucifix bomb gives Rayne two so Yim is back up with an enziguri. Eat Defeat finishes Rayne at 9:25.

Rating: C+. It’s almost weird seeing Rayne on national TV twice in a week but she was working well enough here. Rayne is someone who has become a legend in Impact just due to how long she has been around and the championships she has won and she is always good for a match like this. Yim is a threat to Jordynne Grace this week though and it makes sense for her to get the win here.

VXT is ready to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

Jordynne Grace wants to make sure Mia Yim is ready for tomorrow but they get catty over their recent tag matches.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey vs. Rocky Romero

Bailey is defending. They go with the rapid fire technical off to start and that’s a standoff. Neither can get anywhere off an armdrag or a dropkick so Romero dropkicks the knee out and rolls him up for tow. Back up and they trade kicks to the legs until Romero sends him outside. That doesn’t last long and it’s Bailey blocking a middle rope hurricanrana by landing on his feet for another standoff.

We take a break and come back with Bailey kicking the post by mistake, allowing Romero to hit the Forever Clotheslines. Bailey’s leg is fine enough to kick him down again, setting up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two. Romero’s springboard tornado DDT gets the same and Bailey gets blasted with a clothesline. Back up and Bailey hits a superkick for a double knockdown and we take another break.

We come back again with Bailey hitting an Asai moonsault before kicking Romero down back inside. The moonsault knees to the chest give Bailey two but Romero Falcon Arrows him into a cross armbreaker. The standing shooting star press drops bailey for two more but Sliced Bread is countered into a rollup. More Forever Clotheslines are countered with a shot to the face and the Ultimate Weapon retains the title at 19:04.

Rating: B. This was the latest Bailey showcase match and it rather well, especially for a match on free TV. Bailey isn’t my taste but he can do some impressive looking stuff in the ring, which is exactly why he is in this kind of a spot. At the same time you have Romero out there doing the good version of his thing, which worked well. Nice stuff here.

Emergence rundown.

Here is Scott D’Amore to run the contract signing between Alex Shelley and Josh Alexander. D’Amore talks about how he has coached both of them and introduced Shelley, who is finally getting his World Title shot. Alexander gets quite the hype as well and D’Amore is really excited about the dream match.

Before signing, Alexander talks about going to his first wrestling show in 2005 and Shelley was on the card. Alexander knew that Shelley was special because he stood out in a world where it was hard to be unique. The next day, Alexander stepped into a ring for the first time and over the next seventeen years, he has seen all kinds of Shelley copycats. It will be an honor to get in the ring with him and Alexander signs.

Shelley talks about the similarities in his career and asks why Alexander isn’t just another of those copycats. Alexander: “I’ve always been more of a Chris Sabin guy. You know, someone who has actually won the big one.” Alexander thinks Shelley might be self sabotaging himself because he’s too talented to never be World Champion.

Shelley talks about the injuries that the two of them have had over the years and says that the problem for Alexander is who he is across the ring from tomorrow night. When Shelley gets in the ring, he won’t be looking at the champ, but rather at an Alex Shelley mark. Shelley promises to win the title but has a consolation prize. He signs the contract and hands it to Alexander. Shelley: “There’s your Alex Shelley autograph.” Shelley walks off to end the show.

This was GREAT and one of the best contract signings I’ve ever seen. They came in with little story beyond “Shelley has never had a title shot” and turned it into a personal story without ever going too far into hatred. Shelley isn’t really known for talking but he blew it away here and I want to watch the match. Great stuff and far, far better than I would have bet on seeing.

Overall Rating: B-. Rather good show here and I’m actually on the fence about watching Emergence. I had no interest in watching coming in and they might have talked me into it so well done on all accounts. Impact has come a long, LONG way in the last few months and that was on display again here. Good show with an awesome closing segment so well done.

Results
Karl Anderson b. Kenny King – Gun Stun
Kushida b. Deaner – Hammerlock northern lights suplex
Killer Kelly b. Tiffany Nieves – Killer Clutch
Mia Yim b. Madison Rayne – Eat Defeat
Mike Bailey b. Rocky Romero – Ultimate Weapon

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 28, 2022
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are on the way to Emergence and now we have a main event set. This time it is going to be Alex Shelley getting his shot at Josh Alexander and the World Title, but odds are we are going to have more Violent By Design interference on the way there. Kushida is here too and that should help. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Alex Shelley becoming #1 contender but getting beaten down by Violent By Design, with Kushida running in for the save.

Eddie Edwards vs Ace Austin

Kenny King and Chris Bey are here too. Austin teases him with the posing to start so Edwards unloads on him in the corner. That earns Eddie a takedown and a playing card cut between the fingers in a spot Austin hasn’t used in a bit. King offers a distraction though and Edwards runs Austin over, setting up the choking on the ropes.

Austin is sat on top for some chops but comes back with a series of strikes. Back up and Austin sends him outside, setting up the big running flip dive. A springboard spinning Fameasser gives Austin two but Edwards’ Backpack Stunner gets the same. King and Bey get in a fight on the floor, meaning it’s a double ejection as Edwards and Austin knock each other down.

We take a break and come back with Edwards striking away before cutting Austin off with a clothesline. Austin gets back up with a springboard spinning kick to the head for two but the Fold is countered into a quick butterfly powerbomb. The Die Hard Driver finishes Austin at 15:34.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match where you put two talented stars together and have them put on a good match. It works every time and that is what they did here, as Honor No More gets a victory for a change. Austin and Bey are in the Bullet Club to take the losses so this was a logical use of TV time.

Here’s what’s coming at Emergence and tonight.

Heath is ready to keep on Honor No More, like he did to Vincent on Before The Impact. I’m not sure hitting one finisher is taking them out but it’s better than nothing.

We look at Raj Singh and Shera cutting off Josh Alexander from making a save for the Motor City Machine Guns last week.

Alexander is ready for Shera tonight. Alex Shelley comes in to say being big and strong doesn’t make the best wrestler, so Alexander has to face the smartest wrestler around.

Laredo Kid/Trey Miguel vs. Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice

Swinger seems to think Kid is Bob Seeger and fails to jump him to start. Dice comes in and is rather happy at dodging a charge, only to get double dropkicked out to the floor. That means it’s time to put on the dungeon masks, only to have Miguel take Swinger out with a dive. Dice drops Miguel to take over but a handspring kick to the face gets Miguel out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Kid for a high crossbody, setting up a quick frog splash to finish Dice at 4:00.

Rating: C. I know they’re nothing that matters but my goodness Dice and Swinger can be funny. Impact knows what they have with the two of them and they have some of the most entertaining moments on the show. Kid and Miguel aren’t much of a team but having them beat up the resident goofs isn’t a bad thing.

On Before The Impact, a fake Heath distraction helped Bhupinder Gujjar beat Vincent.

Brian Myers still doesn’t want to face Bhupinder Gujjar but Decay comes in to say Black Taurus will get the Digital Media Title shot instead.

Tiffany Nieves vs. Jada Stone

This is an OVW showcase match with Tasha Steelz, with Savannah Evans, on commentary. Nieves takes her down to start as Steelz rants about not being Knockouts Champion. Some kicks send Nieves into the corner but she misses a Cannonball. A rollup, with a grab of the rope, gives Nieves the pin at 2:06.

Post match Killer Kelly comes out to wreck Nieves and Stone, which doesn’t have Steelz very impressed.

Eric Young doesn’t want Deaner’s excuses for failing last week. First up it’s the Motor City Machine Guns and then Kushida.

Video on Alex Shelley becoming #1 contender for the first time, including a surprise video from Johnny Gargano, who praises Shelley as well.

Josh Alexander vs. Shera

Non-title and Raj Singh is here with Shera. Alexander gets blocked by the power to start but hits three straight clotheslines to knock Shera over the top. Shera wins the quick brawl on the floor and sends Alexander back inside, where Alexander hits the running crossbody to the back. Singh offers a distraction but Alexander is fine enough to ankle lock Shera for the tap at 3:15.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to get anywhere here but my goodness it’s nice to stop pretending that Shera is going to be some big deal. This version of him is a lot easier to take than the dancing schmuck of years past but now he’s just a big guy who loses important matches. Alexander is always worth a look though and that’s part of how the champion should feel.

Moose says there is no alliance between himself and Steve Maclin. If anyone should be mad at Maclin, it’s him, who didn’t need help to beat Sami Callihan.

Honor No More wants to know what Scott D’Amore is going to do for them and want their Tag Team Title shot. Noise is heard though and Mike Bennett is gone.

VXT is preparing for Deonna Purrazzo’s bachelorette party when Jessika comes in to invite herself. She’s quite the life of the party but Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie come in to say that’s not happening.

Raj Singh is in the ring to complain about what happened to Shera. Cue Sami Callihan with the Cactus Driver 97 to drop Singh. Callihan says he’s going to take care of Steve Maclin and Moose on his own.

Ric Flair Flashback Moment of the Week: Flair forms Fourtune but Jay Lethal interrupts with his amazing impression.

Mia Yim is ready for Jordynne Grace but the video signal breaks up.

Commentary talks but the video signal breaks up.

Scott D’Amore finds Honor No More messing with the TV truck and is sick of this. They want their title shot so at Emergence, it’s five on five. If Honor No More wins, they get the Tag Team Titles but if they lose, they disband (with D’Amore bringing up Jim Cornette forcing Team Canada to do the same back in the day).

Rich Swann vs. Kushida

Kushida is billed as the Timesplitter and this is a first time ever match. Respect is shown before the bell as Kushida takes him down by the leg to start. Kushida takes him down again, which sets up a standoff. Back up and they run the ropes with neither getting very far, setting up stereo missed dropkicks. Kushida works on a wristlock and sends Swann outside for some posing as we take a break.

We come back with Kushida working on the arm but Swann knocks him into the corner. A running basement dropkick puts Kushida on the floor on the floor and Swann kicks him in the head back inside. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Kushida is back up for stereo crossbodies. The comeback is on for Kushida, including a running armbar takedown out of the corner.

Kushida gets the cross armbreaker but Swann gets his foot on the ropes pretty quickly. They strike it out with Kushida going for the arm but getting knocked down anyway. There’s a neckbreaker to drop Kushida again, only to have Swann miss the Phoenix splash. Kushida takes him down by the arm again but Swann snaps off a super hurricanrana. Swann goes up but gets pulled down into the Hoverboard Lock for the tap at 19:04.

Rating: B. Kushida is my favorite New Japan wrestler so it’s nice to see him on a show like this. Swann can go with anyone and beating him still means something so this was a great way to make Kushida seem like a big deal out of the gate. I’m curious to see what he is going to do and this is already a bit more than he ever did in NXT, so there is some hope to be had.

Overall Rating: B. Impact’s roll continues and I can certainly take that. The good thing here is that they are setting things up and making me want to see them, with Alex Shelley making more than a better fit in the main event than Violent By Design. Other than that, Honor No More’s issues continue to grow and we are getting a resurgence of Sami Callihan for a bit of fresh blood. I’m starting to look forward to seeing this show every week and that is not something I have not expected to say for a long time now.

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 21, 2022
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re on a fresh taping cycle and on the way to the next special. That means we need a new #1 contender and thank goodness that means someone outside of Violent By Design. The main event of this week’s show is Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin for a shot at Josh Alexander and the World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the history of the Motor City Machine Guns, both together and against each other. They’re both ready for the chance to be #1 contender.

Opening sequence.

VXT vs. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace

VXT is Deonna Purrazzo/Chelsea Green, who were absolutely needing a team name. Grace and Purrazzo start things off with Purrazzo taking her to the mat but getting reversed into a headscissors for a standoff. Back up and Grace runs her over with a shoulder before sending Purrazzo into the top turnbuckle over and over. Yim comes in for some rollups to Purrazzo and armdrags to Green.

It’s already back to Grace but everything breaks down, with Purrazzo offering a distraction so Green can take over on Grace. Some rams into the corner get Grace out of trouble and the hot tag brings Yim in to clean house. Grace has to save Yim from a double suplex and there’s the big dive to drop VXT on the floor. Back in and Purrazzo Downward Spirals Yim to set up Green’s Stomp for two but Yim grabs a double Stunner. There is no Grace though and VXT hits a kind of double suplex for the pin on Yim at 9:12.

Rating: C. You have to establish the new team with a win here and they did just that by having them pin the #1 contender. Granted this might be more about issues between Grace and Yim, which is a story that needs to be told as well. Nice job on the two birds with one stone shot, and the match wasn’t half bad either.

Post match Yim isn’t pleased with Grace. Good thing they have a title match coming up in a few weeks.

Honor No More wants the Tag Team Titles and aren’t surprised that Impact keeps moving the goalposts on them. They’ll take out Heath instead, because he keeps attacking them one at a time. Eddie Edwards wants to know where PCO was when Heath was attacking Vincent last week. There is no more room for mistakes.

Here’s what is coming tonight.

X-Division Title: Deaner vs. Mike Bailey

Deaner is challenging and has Joe Doering with him. Bailey unloads on Deaner in the corner and kicks him in the chest for a knockdown. The Ultimate Weapon misses but Bailey is right back with a Boston crab instead. Deaner gets out and bails to the apron, only to get kicked in the face. Bailey gets caught in the ring skirt though and Doering runs him over with a shoulder as we take a break.

Back with Deaner sending him into the corner, setting up the running dropkick to the back of the trunks. Bailey fires off the rapid kicks to set up the running corkscrew shooting star press for two. Something like a powerbomb plants Bailey for two more and it’s time to chop it out. Bailey gets the better of things and kicks him in the chest and then the head, only to miss the moonsault knees onto the apron. Deaner’s running flip neckbreaker in the ropes takes Bailey down but he slides back in for a heck of a moonsault to drop Deaner on the floor. Back in and the Ultimate Weapon retains Bailey’s title at 12:24.

Rating: C+. Another pretty solid defense for Bailey, but I still can’t get into him with that cheesy grin and bow. You can tell that he’s being presented as a star though and that is more than a lot of the champions. I’m not sure who is going to take the title from him, but giving him a weekly match where he gets to show off a bit is not a bad idea.

Ric Flair Flashback Moment of the Week: Sting beats Ric Flair on Impact in 2021.

VXT wants in the Knockouts Title match so Gail Kim gives them just that: a Knockouts Tag Team Title match.

Eric Young confirms Violent By Design’s loyalties to him and tells them to eliminate the sickness.

Madison Rayne vs. Masha Slamovich

Gisele Shaw is here with Rayne. Slamovich rips the face mask off of Rayne and throws her down, setting up the Snowplow for the pin at 1:14. Total squash, again.

Post match Slamovich gives Shaw an envelope, with a picture of herself covered in what looks like blood.

Bhupinder Gujjar still wants a Digital Media Title shot against Brian Myers. That works for Myers, but apparently Vincent has been talking trash about Gujjar so they can fight each other instead.

Killer Kelly says she is always watching you. A man comes up and Kelly says no one knows when to shut the F up.

Bullet Club vs. Honor No More

That would be Ace Austin/Chris Bey vs. Matt Taven/Mike Bennett with Maria Kanellis. Taven and Austin start things off and fight over wrist control until Taven takes him down into a chinlock. That earns Taven a kick to the head and a legdrop, only to have him come back with a dropkick. Bey and Bennett come in to chop it off until Bey snaps off a dropkick for two.

Taven comes back in off a blind tag though and a middle rope dropkick takes Bey down. It’s back to Austin to kick people in the head before sending Taven outside for a shot from the apron. Taven is thrown inside, leaving Bennett to kick Austin down and take over again. The Purple Thunder Bomb gets two back inside and Bennett grabs the chinlock. Austin fights up and avoids a charge in the corner, allowing the hot tag off to Bey to clean house.

A torture rack neckbreaker gets two on Bennett as everything breaks down. Austin gets sent outside and Bennett brainbusters Bey, only to miss Aurora Boreallis. Maria gets on the apron for a distraction so Austin pulls her down, with the distraction letting Bennett get in a low blow to Bey. Cue Heath with a Wake Up Call to Taven though and Austin runs in with the Fold for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what there is to say about a match like this, as it is all over the place near the ending until one of them gets a pin. The Heath deal was a fine enough way to go and follows the story that they have been telling in recent weeks. Other than that, Honor No More loses again, which is almost a trend for them lately.

Steve Maclin isn’t worried about Sami Callihan but the lights go out and Callihan attacks him. Cue Moose to help with the beatdown but Callihan turns the lights out again and disappears. Sami actually having a device to turn the lights off makes this at least a bit more plausible than the normal light powers.

Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie can’t get Jessica to put the Havok mask on but she’s not down for it. Jessica has an idea and leaves, with Rosemary freaking out over her not being herself. Taya thinks it’s cute, which has Rosemary contemplating violence.

Josh Alexander is ready for Chris Sabin or Alex Shelley, but he knows there are a lot of people waiting on him after Emergence. This includes Rich Swann, who pops in and asks for a title match. That’s currently taken, so Swann gets the debuting Kushida next week in what might be a #1 contenders match but D’Amore isn’t quite clear.

Here’s what’s coming on future shows.

Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley

The winner gets the World Title shot at Emergence and somehow this is Shelley’s first ever #1 contenders match. They shake hands and hug to start because this is all about competition. It’s a technical off (as you might have expected) to start with Sabin’s rollup giving us a standoff. Sabin spins around him into an armdrag before another cradle gets two. Shelley needs a breather on the floor as Josh Alexander is watching backstage.

Another rollup gives Shelley two for a change and we take a break. Back with Sabin grabbing a neckbreaker and another one gets two. The neck crank goes on to keep Shelley in trouble and the chinlock goes on. Another neckbreaker gets another two as Sabin certainly has a target. Back up and Shelley takes the knee out and we go to another break.

We come back again with Shelley tying up the legs before working on the arm for a change. Shelley ties Sabin up so much that Sabin is hooking his own leg (that’s a new one) before going with a more basic leg crank. Sabin slips out and grabs a DDT for a needed breather to go back to the neck. A tornado DDT gives Sabin two more but Cradle Shock is countered.

Shelley kicks him in the knee and drives said knee into the mat to cut him down again. A belly to back sets up the Border City Stretch, with Sabin having to go to the ropes. Sabin is back up with a jumping enziguri and another kick drops Shelley for a double knockdown. The Clothesline From Hell, Michigan misses so they trade superkicks. Now the Clothesline can connect but the Cradle Shock is blocked again. Shelley hits Sliced Bread for two and Shell Shock is good for the same. The Border City Stretch goes on and Sabin taps at 24:13.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked, as it’s nice to have the kind of chess match that you get from people who know each other so well. You can have all of the flips and dives that you want, but this was more about the technical side of things as the two of them tried to pick the other apart until one couldn’t hang on. Shelley winning is an interesting way to go, but it isn’t like there was a bad choice from the pair.

Post match Sabin raises Shelley’s hand but Violent By Design runs in for the beatdown. Kushida comes out for the save and checks on the Guns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show here as they set things up for the future and did enough to make me want to stick around next week. Kushida debuting at the end was nice, though MY GOODNESS ENOUGH WITH VIOLENT BY DESIGN. They’re the weakest part of the show by a good while and there is nothing to suggest that they are going away anytime soon, which is hurting some of the good will Impact has had going for it lately. Fix that and Impact is one of the better weekly shows going, but there are still some holes to fix.

Results
VXT b. Mia Yim/Jordynne Grace – Double suplex to Yim
Mike Bailey b. Deaner – Ultimate Weapon
Masha Slamovich b. Madison Rayne – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Honor No More – Fold to Bennett
Alex Shelley b. Chris Sabin – Border City Stretch

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 16, 2022
Location: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Slammiversary and that means there is a bit of work left to do. In this case that means hammering home the matches that are already set, but there is always the chance of something else being added at the last minute. Things have been going well as of late around here but now they need to stick the landing. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander vs. Violent By Design last week.

Opening recap, again with another classic theme (cool idea, as they keep playing up the history really well).

Jordynne Grace/Mia Yim vs. Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans

It’s the Queen Of The Mountain preview, so yes we get the still too complicated set of rules. Yim chops away at Evans to start before hitting a running dropkick for a bonus. Evans is able to send her into the corner though and Steelz gets hiptossed onto Yim for two. The tornado DDT gives Steelz two but Yim manages to send Evans into the buckle. There’s the tag off to Grace to clean house, including a Vader Bomb into a crossface on Steelz. Everything breaks down and Yim is sent into Grace, allowing Steelz to roll Grace up (with tights) for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C. This was a way to put the women in Sunday’s match into the ring together beforehand as a preview. I would say it was good stuff in that regard, but this felt like a match that I have seen more times than I can count. Steelz getting a pin means a bit before Queen Of The Mountain, but it feels just a step above building momentum towards Money In The Bank.

Deonna Purrazzo and Chelsea Green, who were watching the match in the back, certainly aren’t a team.

Slammiversary/tonight rundown.

The Aces & Eights are back (Wes Brisco/Garrett Bischoff) are happy to be back but here is Honor No More to mock D’Lo Brown and be held back. Brown comes in and says that’s not how we do it around here anymore. They ask Brown if he remembers what it’s like being part of the team, which has Brown implying that the tag match is being made for tonight.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Eric Young.

Trey Miguel vs. Mike Bailey

They shake hands before the bell before fighting over arm control and trading rollups for two each. Bailey gets the better of the armbar battle so Miguel goes straight over to the ropes. Miguel snaps the arm across the top rope and hits a sliding kick to the arm, followed by a running kick to the head. They head outside with Bailey hitting a kick to the chest (which also hit part of the apron) and we take a break.

Back with Bailey kicking away and hitting the running corkscrew shooting star press for two. The half crab goes on, sending Miguel straight to the rope again. Miguel flips back into the dragon sleeper but this time it’s Bailey making it to the rope. They forearm it out (of course) and kick it out (of course) until Bailey does his bouncing kicks to take over. Miguel kicks him outside though and there’s the step up flip dive to drop Bailey. Back in and Bailey kicks him down again, setting up the moonsault knees to the chest. The big kick to the head gives Bailey two but Miguel is right back with a small package for the pin at 14:15.

Rating: B-. Oh like this wasn’t going to be good. The X-Division is one of those things where you can throw out almost any combination and all but guarantee a good match. That’s what they did here and there is nothing wrong with watching two young, talented wrestlers get out there and do their thing for almost fifteen minutes.

Video on Moose vs. Sami Callihan.

Alisha vs. Masha Slamovich

Alisha hammers away but gets dropped with a spinning backfist. There’s a suplex to make it worse and the Snowplow finishes Alisha at 56 seconds as the dominance continues.

Taya Valkyrie comes up to Rosemary in the back to talk strategy but Rosemary doesn’t think much of her given their history.

Chris Bey/Jay White vs. Briscoes

Non-title and the Good Brothers are on commentary. For the sake of simplicity I’ll only refer to Jay White as White and Jay Briscoe as Jay. White drives Jay into the corner but gets knocked back, meaning it’s Bey coming in to try his luck. Mark comes in to send Bey to the apron but a quick shot puts Mark down. Bey sends Mark into Jay, who is right back up to clean house without much effort. Everything breaks down and Bey hits the big running flip dive to drop the Briscoes as we take a break.

Back with White grabbing a chinlock on Jay, who fights up and wins a slugout. Everything breaks down and Mark hits the Iconoclasm on Bey. Redneck Boogie gets two with White making the save, earning himself a running big boot/German suplex combination. Mark misses the Froggy Boy on Bey but settles for a rollup pin at 14:31.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, as the Briscoes get a nice win on the way to their title defense on Sunday. You knew they weren’t going to beat White here but that is one of the reasons why Bey is on the team. Good stuff here but that is almost a guarantee from the Briscoes most of the time.

The Reverse Battle Royal is back on Sunday. Thankfully on the pre-show.

Raj Singh says Shera is going to win the battle royal but Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice don’t think so. Neither of them know the rules though.

D’Lo Brown is back in the Aces & 8’s gear.

We look back at Eddie Edwards turning his back on Impact to join Honor No More. This set up Honor No More vs. the Impact originals, with Nick Aldis joining the originals.

Aces & Eights vs. Honor No More

It’s Kenny King/Vincent for Honor No More and the Aces have D’Lo Brown with them. Everything breaks down early on with Aces & Eights managing to take over on King. Vincent comes in and gets hiptossed as everything breaks down again. The Aces clear the ring and we take an early break. Back with Bischoff clotheslining his way out of trouble and bringing Brisco in to clean house. Eddie Edwards offers a distraction though and Orange Sunshine finishes Bischoff at 7:01.

Rating: C-. This was another flashback moment and for a fast reunion, it wasn’t all that bad. Brisco and Bischoff were always the jobbers of Aces & Eights so there was only so much that was going to happen here. You’re also not going to have Honor No More lose in a spot like this so this was a fine enough yet still not exactly shocking result.

Post match Brown gets in the ring and thinks Honor No More better recognize before cleaning house. Matt Taven and Mike Bennett run in for the beatdown on Brown so Kazarian and the Motor City Machine Guns come in for the real save.

Slammiversary rundown.

It’s time for the contract signing between Eric Young, with Violent By Design, and Josh Alexander, plus Scott D’Amore as emcee. Young says he doesn’t care about history or what Slammiversary means because he only cares about himself. Alexander can’t believe that because he started as a fan watching people like Young. Impact Wrestling kept him going eight years ago when he broke his neck so yes, Slammiversary is a celebration of the past and the future.

Young calls that pandering because he has said the same thing to these same people. Alexander is better than these people but the people’s opinions don’t matter. The truth is this: Young rides that line between chaos and order. At Slammiversary, Young will open Alexander’s eyes. They both sign, with Young sending D’Amore off. Alexander says he isn’t scared because he has this company’s entire history behind him on Sunday. He lists off a bunch of the legends of the promotion, including a guy named Showtime Eric Young.

That is the man who had these people chanting DON’T FIRE ERIC and that man would be disgusted with this Young. The brawl is on, with D’Amore even punching Deaner out. Alexander is beaten down and busted open though, with Violent By Design ripping off the turnbuckle and tearing up the mat. The piledriver on the wood leaves Alexander laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked the show well enough and they went with the big push towards Slammiversary. That worked out decently, though the show had already been made coming into this week. I’m looking forward to Slammiversary but they need to make the whole thing work, which is where Impact tends to shine. Pretty nice show here, even if they didn’t do much.

Results
Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans b. Jordynne Grace/Mia Yim – Rollup with tights to Grace
Trey Miguel b. Mike Bailey – Small package
Masha Slamovich b. Alisha – Snowplow
Briscoes b. Chris Bey/Jay White – Rollup to Bey
Honor No More b. Aces & Eights – Orange Sunshine to Bischoff

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 28, 2022
Location: Majed J. Nesheiwat Convention Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Rebellion and the big story is that Josh Alexander got the World Title back from Moose in a heck of a main event. Other than that, we are less than two weeks away from Under Siege and need to get a card together pretty fast. Odds are we’ll be seeing a bunch of rematches so let’s get to it.

Here is Rebellion if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Rebellion in rapid fashion.

Opening sequence.

Here is Violent By Design for a chat. Eric Young talks about desiring power and control, and that is exactly what they went and got. Now they have defeated seven teams and are the permanent Tag Team Champions. If you are being honest, their success shouldn’t surprise you and there is no team anywhere that can take them down.

Cue Heath and Rhino to say they want the Tag Team Titles (with Rhino’s voice getting a bit high) but here are the Briscoes to interrupt. Jay says Dem Boys are in the house and you should have known that they were going to be back after that BS at the Multiverse of Matches. They have won titles everywhere they have gone and this will be no different. Heath tells them to get in the back of the line but Jay says they don’t do that for anyone. Young says this isn’t “an us” problem so the other two can figure this out and come find the champs.

Briscoes vs. Heath/Rhino

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Mark starts fast and clears the ring, setting up the big flip dive to the floor. The brawl is on outside until we settle down so Mark can suplex Heath for two. Heath manages to kick Jay outside though and Rhino gets in a clothesline as we take a break with the Briscoes in trouble.

Back with Jay getting elbowed down and Rhino grabs the nerve hold. Heath switches to his own chinlock and pulls the hair to keep Jay away from the tag. That lasts all of eight seconds as the tag brings Mark in for Red Neck Kung Fu. Everything breaks down and Jay hits the neckbreaker onto Rhino, setting up the Froggy Bow for the pin at 9:57.

Rating: C+. I can always go for more of the Briscoes and while this might not be WWE or AEW, it is great to see them getting on a bigger platform. I’m not sure if they are going to be around long term but just seeing them in Impact is a good sign. Now just get them into the title picture permanently (if they’re staying) and things should pick up a lot.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Moose comes in to see Scott D’Amore and isn’t happy with getting his rematch on five days’ notice. D’Amore tells him to go win his title back.

EGV is coming.

VSK vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

VSK tries to jump him to start but Gujjar gets a running start and hits an elbow to the face. That’s enough to send him outside so Gujjar is right there with a dive to take him out. Back in and VSK gets in a shot to the face as some rather young children seem to be chanting for VSK. The chinlock goes on and lasts as long as expected, with Gujjar fighting up for a Sling Blade. What looks to be a powerslam is broken up but the second attempt works, setting up the middle rope spear to give Gujjar the pin at 4:32.

Rating: C-. This was ever Gujjar match but not as interesting. The guy just doesn’t have that much of note in the ring and is serviceable at best. It also doesn’t help that his story is involving two other people who haven’t been seen as big deals either, making it feel as low level as you can get around here.

Post match here are Raj Singh and Shera, with the latter beating up VSK again.

Ace Austin calls himself Trey Miguel’s greatest weakness but here is Rocky Romero to offer him a spot in the New Japan Best of the Super Juniors. Austin likes the idea but tells Romero to leave. This gets Romero to challenge him for a title match next week. Austin says get in line, but Romero is off to talk to Scott D’Amore. Mike Bailey comes in to offer Austin a handshake but Austin walks away.

Steve Maclin wants the World Title shot at Under Siege.

Honor No More vs. Motor City Machine Guns/Mike Bailey

Eddie Edwards/Mike Bennett/Matt Taven for Honor No More here, with the rest of the team at ringside. Bailey and Taven start things off but it’s a brawl less than fifteen seconds in. Taven tosses Sabin into a powerbomb from Edwards but Bailey flips over them and starts kicking away. A Kenny King distraction lets Taven and Bennett take over on Bailey and Edwards adds the suicide dive as we take a break.

We come back with Bailey kicking Taven down but Edwards in in for the save. As expected, the tag to Sabin goes through mere seconds later and it’s time to clean house. The Dream Sequence hits Bennett and it’s time for the exchange of strikes to the face. Bailey and Bennett chop it out with Bailey getting the better of things and hitting the running shooting star press. The Guns set up Bailey for a double Dream Sequence and it’s time for the series of dives to the floor. Back in and a Kenny King distraction breaks up the Ultimate Weapon and Bennett Spears Shelley. The Die Hard Driver finishes Bailey at 11:05.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a good six man tag and they had the talent in here to make it work. It’s a good sign to see Honor No More picking up a win and there is something satisfying about seeing Bailey getting knocked around. The Guns being back is nice to see too, leaving me pretty happy with everything going on here.

Post match Sabin and Bailey aren’t getting along. With the Guns and Bailey gone, here are the Good Brothers to take out Honor No More.

Josh Alexander says it’s time to shut Moose up for good. He’s ready to face whoever Scott D’Amore has in store for the title shot at Under Siege too.

Here is new AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Taya Valkyrie for a chat, though Matthew Rehwoldt is still trying to find the words to deal with Deonna Purrazzo’s loss. Taya talks about her passion and creativity being held captive for a long time (seemingly talking about her time in WWE) but now she knows who she is. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to reach the top again and now she is the champ again. Cue Purrazzo to jump Taya from behind though and the Fujiwara armbar goes on. Decay comes in for the save.

Tasha Steelz/Savannah Evans b. Decay

It’s a brawl around ringside before the bell until they head inside with Steelz being driven into the corner hard enough that the referee has to check on her. She’s fine enough to get splashed by both members of Decay before handing it off to Evans. The Upside Down is broken up by a grab of Rosemary’s throat and things slow down a bit. Rosemary claws her way out of a fireman’s carry though and it’s Havok coming in with a Death Valley Driver. Everything breaks down and a Havok backbreaker sets up a Rosemary spear finishes Evans at 4:51.

Rating: C. This was a quick one and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Havok as the challenger of the month. She makes for a good monster and hasn’t gotten much focus in recent years so it could be worth a shot. Sometimes you need to mix it up a bit and that is what we might be getting as Rosemary has already had her chance.

It’s time for It’s All About Me with the Influence bragging about their win. Gisele Shaw comes in and says she smelled cheap perfume and insecurity. A match with Dashwood is made for next week.

Vincent is ready to bring PCO back to fight in the coliseum, meaning Monster’s Ball, against Jonah.

Here’s what’s coming next week and at Under Siege.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Moose vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is defending. Moose starts fast and powers him into the corner but Alexander switches places and chops away. That doesn’t last long as Moose sends him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Moose sending him ribs first into the apron and adding an apron powerbomb. Some shots to the face set up a chinlock with a knee in Alexander’s back.

That’s broken up and Alexander wins a slugout but can only roll so many German suplexes. The C4 Spike doesn’t work so Alexander grabs a Sharpshooter like any good Canadian. Moose makes the rope and gets back up for the exchange of forearms. Alexander rolls over into the ankle lock but Moose sends him into the corner, setting up the release Rock Bottom. A buckle bomb drops Alexander but Moose doesn’t launch the spear. Instead he tries another powerbomb, which is reversed into one from Alexander (with what seemed like a camera cut). The C4 Spike retains Alexander’s title at 16:10.

Rating: B-. These two work well together and they did it again here, though there wasn’t the same energy that the title match had over the weekend. It’s good to see Alexander pick up another win to really establish himself as champion, even if it is something that he already covered on Saturday. Now it is on to Under Siege for Alexander, as Moose might need to go away for a bit to reenergize.

Post match Tomohiro Ishii comes out to stare down Alexander and seems to be the challenger for Under Siege. Works for me.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one but Impact has a history of not having the strongest shows post pay per views. It doesn’t help that they had to jump right into the build for Under Siege in two weeks, but the card does seem to be made up of logical steps. This wasn’t a great show though and the best match, the main event, was done better just a few days ago. Not worth a watch, but that might be a one off problem.

Results
Briscoes b. Heath/Rhino – Froggy Bow to Rhino
Bhupinder Gujjar b. VSK – Middle rope spear
Honor No More b. Motor City Machine Guns/Mike Bailey b. Die Hart Driver to Bailey
Decay b. Savannah Evans/Tasha Steelz – Spear to Evans
Josh Alexander b. Moose – C4 Spike

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 31, 2022
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for the Multiverse of Matches but that doesn’t seem to mean much at the moment. Part of the issue is that we also need to build up Rebellion, which is less than a month away. That doesn’t leave Impact a lot of time, though maybe they can give this week’s show some attention of its own. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander vs. Moose as they are on their way to a showdown at Rebellion for Moose’s World Title. Just to crank it up, Moose SPEARED ALEXANDER’S WIFE at a show in Canada over the weekend.

Josh Alexander arrives and Scott D’Amore tells him that while Moose isn’t here, he has recommended that Moose be stripped of the title and fired. Alexander grabs him by the jacket and says he needs Moose in the ring so he can take the title from him, man to man.

Opening sequence.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Kenny King

Non-title. Before the match, Gresham mentioned that he will be facing Eddie Edwards at Rebellion, but King’s entrance cuts him off. King talks about how he sees a great wrestler but a puppet for Ring of Honor. Gresham should be part of Honor No More, but he is called the Octopus because he is all arms and no brains.

They get in each others’ faces to start and we have a rather aggressive lockup. As expected, Gresham goes after the arm to put King in trouble before sending him outside. King manages to snap Gresham’s throat across the top to take over though and a suplex on the floor makes it worse. Back in and Gresham grabs a dragon screw legwhip, only to miss a high crossbody and bang up his own knee.

We take a break and come back with King hitting a spinebuster for two but Gresham goes right back to the knee. A dragon suplex into a tiger driver gives King two more but King’s knee gives out again. You don’t have to ask Gresham twice to grab a hold so the Figure Four goes on. Gresham stands up to crank on it even more and that’s enough for the tap at 12:04.

Rating: C+. There is something so entertaining about watching Gresham take someone apart and put them in pin in a variety of ways. That is exactly what we got here, with that adjusted Figure Four being a nice twist on what you might have expected. King was good as usual, but this was more about Gresham, as it should have been.

Post match Eddie Edwards runs in to go after Gresham but Rocky Romero makes the save, meaning we probably have a tag match coming up.

Here’s what’s coming at Multiverse of Matches and later tonight.

The Motor City Machine Guns are ready for their rematch with the Bullet Club because Jay White should know what it means to get pinned.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready for another Champ Champ Challenge at the Multiverse of Matches and there are a ton of possible challengers.

Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice vs. ???/???

This is Swinger’s Chump Chump Challenger and the opponents are…the Good Brothers. Dice immediately starts panicking and Gallows sends him flying with a fall away slam. The Magic Killer finishes at 51 seconds. As it should have been.

Post match the Good Brothers say they are back to what they do best. They’re on the way to Rebellion and the eight team elimination match, plus the Multiverse of Matches against the Briscoes. We cut over to PCO in the parking lot, screaming for Jonah. Cue Jonah to jump him from behind and the brawl is on, using a variety of parking lot accessories.

Jonah powerbombs him onto some wooden pallets and then gets in a few shots with a sledgehammer (as you do). A brick is placed on PCO’s ribs and cracked with the hammer but he grabs Jonah by the throat. Jonah’s head is crushed in a car door and PCO buries him underneath some dirt. That’s just something he happened to have laying around right?

Josh Alexander vs. Madman Fulton

Ace Austin is here with Fulton. Alexander wastes no time in starting with the suplexes before knocking Fulton outside. Fulton is sent into the barricade but manages to fight out of the C4 Spike back inside. The chokeslam is countered into a powerbomb though and an ankle lock makes Fulton tap at 1:49. That was quick.

Post match Austin teases going after Alexander but gets scared off. Alexander cranks on Fulton’s ankle so hard that Fulton’s boot comes off.

Trey Miguel asks Mike Bailey about his relationship with Ace Austin. Bailey says expect the unexpected.

Last week, Mickie James ranted about Chelsea Green turning on her, making Green a sellout just like Matt Cardona. Nick Aldis will be at the Multiverse of Matches, where it’s the Midcardonas vs. Al-Dis.

Matt Cardona doesn’t want to talk about this but Chelsea Green doesn’t like the idea of Mickie James treating her like the little sister.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Madison Rayne, Tenille Dashwood, Lady Frost, Gisele Shaw, Jordynne Grace, Havok, Alisha Edwards, Rosemary, Savannah Evans, Jesse McKay

The winner gets a Knockouts Title shot against Tasha Steelz, on commentary, at Rebellion. It’s a brawl to start (battle royal and all), though the IInfluence has time to stop and pose. Edwards actually forearms away at Havok, only to have Rosemary cut her down with a spear. Havok tosses Edwards and saves Rosemary from Evans. Everyone gets together to dump Havok and McKay gets rid of Dashwood.

McKay gets knocked off the apron but Kaleb With A K catches her. Rayne is out as well as McKay is thrown in, where she gets caught in a Samoan drop from Evans. That’s it for McKay and it’s Evans vs. Grace in the power slugout. Grace is tossed but Shaw and Frost toss Evans too. That leaves with with Frost, Shaw and Rosemary with Shaw getting the better of things. The other two get together and dump Shaw, with Rosemary knocking out Frost as well for the win at 7:15.

Rating: C-. Rosemary is one of those women that you can throw right into the title picture and no one will think anything is out of the ordinary as she really is that good. She has the resume and the status so this should work out well. I don’t know if she wins the title, but she is someone who very well could and that is a good choice for a challenger.

Black Taurus b. Deaner on BTI.

Eric Young and Violent By Design is ready to retain the Tag Team Titles at Rebellion.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Aiden Prince

Brian Myers has his own commentary table again. Headlocks and shoulders don’t work for Prince to start as Gujjar knocks him to the floor. That’s enough for Price to try walking out, only to get tossed back in without much effort. A powerslam gives Gujjar two but Prince gets in a knee to the back to take over. Gujjar comes right back with a Sling Blade into a powerslam for two but Prince hits a suplex. Prince misses a 450 though and the middle rope spear gives Gujjar the pin at 4:36.

Rating: C-. Another week, another Gujjar match as he has a cool looking finisher which takes some effort to set up. Other than that though, there is still almost nothing about Gujjar that makes him interesting. He’s a guy in tights for most of his matches and it doesn’t make me want to see anything that he is doing.

Post match W. Morrissey tries to powerbomb Myers through the table but Prince gets in the way. That means Prince gets the powerbomb through the table instead.

Masha Slamovich vs. Abby Jane

Tiger suplex and Snowplow finish for Slamovich in 48 seconds.

We run down the Multiverse of Matches card again.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club

Chris Bey/Jay White for the Club here. White shoulders Sabin in the corner to start but Sabin is back with a middle rope spinning crossbody. Shelley tags himself in and a neck snap over the ropes sets up a legsweep to put White in trouble. A backsplash/knee drop combination sets up a chinlock as commentary goes over some of the possibilities for the eight team gauntlet match at Rebellion. Bey sneaks in with a shot off the top to drop Sabin and we take a break.

Back with Sabin not being able to crawl over to Shelley, meaning Bey can get in some smirking. White gets in some shots of his own but a pair of leapfrogs allows Sabin to get over to Shelley. The Motor City Stretch has Bey in trouble until White makes the save and Bey returns the favor by breaking up Thunder Express.

Back to back choking on the ropes has Shelley in more trouble and he gets tossed outside. Bey’s suicide dive hits White though and it’s back to Sabin for the flip dive off the apron. They head back inside with Sabin hitting a bunch of running dropkicks in the corner to both Clubbites, setting up Thunder Express for two on Bey. White is back up to clear the ring though and Bey hits a big running flip dive to the floor.

Bey’s top rope splash gets two with Shelley making the save, which the referee is fine with this time. That doesn’t go well with White but he and Shelley go outside. Sabin drops Bey to set up Skull and Bones for two, followed by the Dream Sequence to White. Made In Detroit is broken up so White hits Sabin with a half and half suplex. The Art of Finesse gives Bey the pin at 17:42.

Rating: B. I don’t think there was much doubt in the ending after the previous screwy(ish) ending but they had a heck of a match on the way there. The Guns aren’t going to be hurt by a loss and the Club needed the win a bit more here. Very good match between two talented teams and it is nice to see Bey getting the pin in a pretty high profile match. He has come a long way and now he is having some success to back it up.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case, they continue to have issues with building towards two shows at once, even though the Multiverse of Matches feels like a quick pit stop on the way to the important event. Still though, they had a good main event and I want to see where things are going with Rebellion, which is the main point of this show. The main event is worth seeing if you have the time and Multiverse of Madness looks good so…success?

Results
Jonathan Gresham b. Kenny King – Standing Figure Four Leglock
Good Brothers b. Johnny Swinger/Zicky Dice – Magic Killer to Dice
Josh Alexander b. Madman Fulton – Ankle lock
Rosemary won a battle royal last eliminating Lady Frost
Bhupinder Gujjar b. Aiden Prince – Middle rope spear
Masha Slamovich b. Abby Jane – Snowplow
Bullet Club b. Motor City Machine Guns – Art of Finesse to Sabin

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 10, 2022
Location: Charles Dodge Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re almost up to No Surrender and the card is starting to look good. What makes things all the better is that the entire show has been working in the last few weeks. The Bullet Club is here and seems to be going after the Tag Team Titles, which is better than putting them near the top of the card. Other than that, Honor No More continues to look interesting and I want to know where they’re going in the long run. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at W. Morrissey attacking Moose on the way to their World Title match.

Opening sequence.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat, but first he has to soak in some WALKING WEAPON chants. He isn’t about to let Impact Wrestling go to war against Honor No More without him so he’ll be there at No Surrender. That isn’t the only match at No Surrender, as W. Morrissey is going for the World Title against Moose. While he’s going to war, he’s next in line for whoever comes out of No Surrender with the title. Cue Big Kon (Konner of Ascension fame) to interrupt so Alexander says he’ll do this right now. Kon didn’t even say anything. Maybe he wanted to sell some Girl Scout cookies.

Josh Alexander vs. Big Kon

Alexander beats him up in the corner and wins with the ankle lock in 40 seconds.

Post match the ankle lock stays on until Alexander lets go to beat up security. Cue Scott D’Amore for the save, but Alexander shoves him down too. Alexander knows he screwed up so D’Amore talks about their history together. D’Amore remembers him showing up at the Team Canada dojo as a kid still wet behind the ears. Then one of his best friends told him that she had met the one, and that was Alexander.

D’Amore has been there for almost every major event of Alexander’s life, including signing with Impact. Then he became the World Champion, so what does D’Amore want? Alexander gets serious and says he wants his coach instead of the boss. All he can think of is looking at his wife and son crying because he was never able to put the World Title on.

D’Amore says it’s a process to get back to his rematch but Alexander doesn’t want to hear that. That’s too far for D’Amore, who takes Alexander out of No Surrender and sends him home. Alexander: “I AM HOME!” Well that escalated quickly, but it’s amazing to see what kind of a star Alexander has become. At the same time, D’Amore is sounding ridiculous, as Alexander got to the World Title shot at Bound For Glory, lost to an instant cash in, and has run through everyone else since. Why isn’t he getting a title shot?

Post break, Steve Maclin offers to take Alexander’s place at No Surrender. Scott D’Amore says he’s letting Team Impact pick the replacement.

Here’s what’s coming tonight and at No Surrender.

Deonna Purrazzo comes out and we have an open challenge for either of her Women’s Titles.

Ring of Honor Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Santana Garrett

Garrett is the surprise challenger. They trade the rollups to start but Purrazzo isn’t interested in a handshake. Instead, she sends Garrett to the apron and then knocks her into the barricade a we take a break. Back with Purrazzo staying on the arm but Garrett starts firing off some running forearms. Something close to a Muta Lock sends Purrazzo crawling to the ropes before she switches into a Koji Clutch. That’s broken up as well and Garrett kicks her in the face. Garrett goes up, only to dive into the Fujiwara armbar. She manages to spin out for half a second but Purrazzo pulls her into a rollup to retain at 9:33.

Rating: C+. It was nice while it lasted, but you knew they weren’t going to have Purrazzo lose one of her titles to a newcomer here. Odds are she is in for a big showdown with James sooner than later and racking up wins is a good thing for her. Then there is Garrett, who keeps bouncing around from one company to another (including this one before her time in NXT) but never makes a big impact. I’m not sure why, but she was little more than cannon fodder here.

Team Impact wants to pick Jonathan Gresham, but they might want to talk to him first.

Mickie James vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title with Tasha Steelz on commentary. They fight over a lockup to start until Green works on a wristlock. Mickie does it again as commentary turns into an argument over the New England Patriots. A headlock frustrates Green but she slips out, meaning Mickie needs to bail outside. Steelz: “MAKE DONOVAN (Mickie’s son) PROUD!” Chelsea uses the distraction to hit a baseball slide, followed by a cutter back inside. Steelz says that is HER move and throws trash at Green. Cue Savannah Evans to trip Green for the DQ at 3:56.

Rating: C. This was little more than storyline advancement as Steelz continues to annoy James before their title match. I’m curious to see where Green goes in the story, which seems to have some legs after the No Surrender title match. They’re building something up here and that is a great thing to see.

Bhupinder Gujjar is proud to be here after leaving his family to come here. Cue Raj Singh but Gujjar walks away.

The IIconics come up to Kaleb With A K and try to get him to take their photos. Madison Rayne comes up and she isn’t happy. The IIconics leave so Madison yells at him.

Here is Bullet Club for a chat. Jay White says he is back and this time he has brought his friends. Tama Tonga brags about the Guerrillas of Destiny’s success and says they’re coming for the Impact Tag Team Titles. Then there is Violent By Design, because the Good Brothers want their own group.

Cue Violent By Design, with Eric Young saying this is a family instead of a bunch of guys trying to do what was cool ten years ago. White laughs off the idea and lists off everything he has done. Young can face him at No Surrender, but Young says let’s do a six man next week. The fight is teased for now but here are the Good Brothers to interrupt.

The Brothers would appreciate a thank you for everything the Club is enjoying but Tama Tonga laughs it off. Anderson says that they have dominated every company with letters that matters, but Tama says it’s because they keep getting fired. There were some bombs being thrown in there and it was pretty good stuff.

Jonathan Gresham has been attacked.

We look at Matt Cardona turning heel to take the Digital Media Title from Jordynne Grace last week.

Cardona talks about how he was screwed out of the World Title last month. No one apologized to him, so he knew he needed to do something different this year. He has been in the ring with everyone and Grace was his toughest opponent ever. She has a rematch for No Surrender, so she better be ready.

Matt Taven/Mike Bennett vs. Rhino/Rich Swann

The rest of Honor No More and Team Impact are here too, with Maria on commentary. Taven knocks Swann down to start as Maria lists off Taven and Bennett’s successes. Swann is sent outside, where the threat of a beatdown means Honor No More is ejected (Maria is not happy).

We take a break and come back with Team Impact gone as well as Taven hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Swann. Bennett’s brainbuster gets two more but the spike piledriver is blocked. Swann enziguris his way out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Rhino to clean house. Maria pops up to throw powder in Rhino’s face though and it’s the Climax to give Taven the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C. Honor No More continues to do pretty well around here as the numbers advantage from the unified team works over a thrown together group of Impact wrestlers. It’s hard to imagine the story ending at No Surrender and that is a good thing, as this has been one of the better things going in Impact. If nothing else, it is nice to have Maria in the role she plays best, because she is kind of perfect for what she is doing.

Post match Swann gets beaten down and former Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin isn’t happy. Cue Steve Maclin for the save and Rhino Gores the heck out of Bennett.

In the back, Maclin pitches himself for Team Impact but Eddie Edwards doesn’t buy it. Ian Riccaboni thinks Maclin is a good idea and Chris Sabin welcomes him to the team. The rest of the team doesn’t seem sure but Maclin appears to be in.

Gisele Shaw says she didn’t steal Lady Frost’s spotlight because Frost never had it in the first place. Shaw seems to be the latest stuck up/better than you woman.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

W. Morrissey vs. Brian Myers

No DQ and the Learning Tree is here with Myers. Morrissey takes the Tree out before the bell though and the destruction seems to be starting fast. The Tree comes back in so Myers can hit the Roster Cut. Instead of covering though, it’s time for a table. Zicky Dice is kicked through said table and another one falls down as soon as Morrissey is laid on it. Morrissey fights up again and chokeslams VSK off the top through a table leaned up against the ring.

We take a break and come back with Myers hitting Morrissey with a kendo stick and suplexing him on the ramp. Back in and more kendo stick shots keep Morrissey in trouble, but Myers makes it worse by duct taping him to the middle rope. Myers hits him with various things, including several trash can shots.

Coast To Coast drives the trash can into Morrissey and Myers untapes him for two. Another Roster Cut is blocked with a hard clothesline from Morrissey, who is rather fired up. The kendo stick is broken over Morrissey’s knee and there’s the powerbomb. The fans want one more so Morrissey obliges, albeit on some thumbtacks. A second powerbomb onto the tacks finish Myers at 14:41.

Rating: C+. I’m trying to get my mind around Morrissey as a face (albeit a VERY intense one) and it’s still hard to fathom. Either way, this made him look like a beast who could be a very serious threat to Moose at No Surrender. Myers needed the stipulation to have any kind of a chance here and even then the match was only so competitive. That’s how you make Morrissey look like a monster though and they have done a pretty good job so far.

Post match Moose runs in for the beatdown and wraps a chair around Morrissey’s throat. Another chair is used like a hammer to crush said throat to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. These shows are still rolling along and I’m almost tempted to watch No Surrender. Making me want to see another show that I had no interest in just a few weeks ago is a great sign for what they are doing and I could go for more of it. Good show here, as the World Title gets some more focus after lacking it for a little while now. I didn’t quite need the tacks in the main event, but the rest of the show made up for a lot of it.

Results
Josh Alexander b. Big Kon – Ankle lock
Deonna Purrazzo b. Santana Garrett – Rollup
Chelsea Green b. Mickie James via DQ when Tasha Steelz interfered
Matt Taven/Mike Bennett b. Rhino/Rich Swann – Climax to Rhino
W. Morrissey b. Brian Myers – Powerbomb onto thumbtacks

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 27, 2022
Location: Charles Dodge Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We continue on the road to No Surrender and now we know what we are going to be getting in the show’s main event. W. Morrissey will be challenging Moose for the World Title in what should be a heck of a hoss fight. Other than that, we have the continuing adventures of Honor No More, which at least now has a name. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Bey vs. Jake Something

Bey dropkicks him into the corner at the bell but runs into a big backdrop. A right hand rocks Bey and it’s time to head outside. That means a face first drop onto the apron but Bey is right back with a positing. There’s a dive to the floor to drop Something again and a basement dropkick sends him into the corner. Something’s comeback is cut off with a neckbreaker and a superkick drops him for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Something fights up to plant him for a breather.

Back up and Bey’s running hurricanrana is countered into a heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. The spear misses in the corner though and Bey stomps him in the back. Bey kicks him in the head and hits a poisonrana for two more and they’re both down. A low superkick doesn’t do much good for Bey as Something is right back up to run him over hard. Bey goes up top but dives into the swinging Boss Man Slam to give Something the upset pin at 9:39.

Rating: B. That might be a bit high but I had a great time with this one. Bey can work well with anyone and this was Something’s best match to date as he was hanging in there move for move. The ending caught me by surprise too as you wouldn’t expect Something to pick up this kind of a win. Heck of a match here and I had a lot of fun with it.

Post match the Guerrillas of Destiny run in and beat Something down. Mike Bailey runs in for the save but Jay White returns and takes him down. The Guerrillas say they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles as New Japan is here (again).

Honor No More is in the crowd so here are a bunch of Impact wrestlers to tell security to let them in the ring. Scott D’Amore comes in to say these guys don’t represent Ring of Honor because they don’t even work there anymore. People like Jonathan Gresham represent Ring of Honor but Maria says they just want an opportunity. Rhino wants to give them an opportunity at a beating so D’Amore makes a match for No Surrender, with Honor No More’s futures around here on the line. We can even have a preview tonight with PCO vs. Chris Sabin.

Madison Rayne tells Kaleb With A K to not screw up during tonight’s scouting mission against the IInspiration.

Scott D’Amore has Honor No More stay in a private locker room….which happens to be a storage room. Former Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin comes in and doesn’t seem pleased with these people. D’Amore and Silkin leave together.

Kaleb With A K/Madison Rayne vs. IInspiration

Non-title because Tenille Dashwood can’t be here. Cassie armdrags Madison down to start and a headscissors sends Madison over to Kaleb With A K (in a neck brace). That means another armdrag but Kaleb With A K blocks another one, allowing the tag to Jesse. The IInspiration kicks Kaleb With A K down but Madison offers a distraction so he can superkick Cassie down.

We take a break and come back with Rayne elbowing Cassie in the face for two. That doesn’t last long as Cassie gets over for the tag to Jesse, who hits a reverse DDT for two on Madison. Kaleb With A K comes in off a blind tag and flips Jesse down so it’s back to Cassie. Everything breaks down and Cassie reverses Kaleb With A K’s powerbomb into a sunset flip for the pin at 11:12.

Rating: C. It’s so strange to see the IInspriation as faces but it’s even stranger to see them doing well in the roles. This was a good way to go with the team pinning the goofy manager and that’s all they should have done. It says a lot that the IInfluence vs. the IInspiration is such a showdown but I do kind of want to see the match, so well done.

Jake Something thanks Mike Bailey for having his back but here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to check on Bailey. A teamup against the Bullet Club is suggested but Austin isn’t sure. Gail Kim comes in and she certainly is sure.

The Quintessential Diva, Gisele Shaw, is coming.

The Good Brothers tell Violent By Design about the Bullet Club but Violent By Design don’t see that being their problem. The Brothers want to kill the Club that they created and say it gets Violent By Design closer to the titles. That gets Violent By Design’s attention so they’re in.

The Knockouts are around the ring and Gail Kim introduces Mickie James for a State of the Knockouts Address. Mickie is honored to be out here in front of everyone here because the Knockouts division has never been better. She puts over the other champions and talks about how awesome it was to have a Knockouts Ultimate X match.

Then there is Deonna Purrazzo, who might be the worst human she has ever been in the ring with, but at worst she is the third best Knockouts Champion ever. That is too far for Purrazzo, who thinks this is a waste of time because she knows she is the greatest of all time. Purrazzo leaves, which Mickie says proves her point.

In two days, herstory will be made again when a Knockouts Champion is going to be in the Royal Rumble and go on to Wrestlemania to set up a champion vs. champion match. Chelsea Green gets in the ring to praise James and goes over her resume. She wants the first shot but here are Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans to say no one cares about Green.

Steelz brags about how great she is and says she’ll be taking the title at No Surrender. She hits Mickie in the ribs with the X and the big beatdown is on with Mickie and Chelsea cleaning the ring. This was a long setup for a reminder that James is in the Rumble and that Steelz is still coming for the title.

Steve Maclin is upset that he lost to Jonathan Gresham last week in a Pure Rules match. He throws the interviewer out but Gresham comes up, saying Maclin can have a non-title match next week without Pure Rules.

We look at Jordynne Grace successfully defending the Digital Media Title at Terminus.

Grace will give Matt Cardona a shot at the Digital Media Title. Cardona is a pioneer in this area, but that was back when MySpace was a thing. He can have his shot, but don’t go crying about it on Live Journal.

Here is Brian Myers with the Learning Tree, now with several new recruits.

W. Morrissey vs. Learning Tree

There are nine people for the Learning Tree and the destruction is on in a hurry, with some people being thrown over the top onto others. A powerbomb sends one of them onto VSK to give Morrissey the pin at 2:35.

Post match, Brian Myers goes after Morrissey but it’s Moose running in to jump Morrissey as well. The Learning Tree comes back in but gets cleared out, allowing Moose to spear Morrissey down.

Raj Singh has a new protege for next week but an unimpressed John Skyler pops up. Skyler will take on said protege next week.

Johnny Swinger vs. Jonah

This is the result of Swinger running his mouth earlier (I’m shocked too). Swinger’s single leg doesn’t work as Dan Lambert is watching. Jonah throws him down, this a backsplash, and finishes with the Tsunami at 1:17.

Post match here is Decay to check on Swinger and stare at Jonah. That’s a weird way to go.

Here’s what’s coming at various shows.

PCO vs. Chris Sabin

Good thing Honor No More already has a tron video. The rest of the team is here with PCO so Sabin’s friends come out with him as well. PCO drives him into the corner for a shot to the face but Sabin isn’t having that. He is however having a drive right back into the corner as PCO hammers him down again without much trouble. Sabin’s arm is sent into the buckle a few times but he fights back anyway. Honor No More trips him down so Eddie Edwards does the same to PCO, meaning the Impact guys are out.

We take a break and come back with Sabin raining down right hands in the corner but PCO tosses him outside with ease. The running flipping suicide dive takes Sabin down on the floor again. PCO makes it worse with a posting and there’s the big flip dive off the top to the apron.

Back in and a DDT plants Sabin again but the PCOsault misses. Sabin manages a middle rope dropkick and PCO gets knocked to the floor. That means a suicide dive from Sabin and a high crossbody gets two back inside. A side slam plants Sabin but he gets his knees up to block another PCOsault attempt. Sabin has to deal with Honor No More though and PCO grabs a Bubba Bomb for the pin at 15:15.

Rating: B-. That’s the only way this match could have gone and it was an entertaining path to the correct ending. You can’t have Honor No More lose so early in their run and it isn’t like Sabin is going to be hurt by taking a fall after interference from the rest of the team. No Surrender shouldn’t be that big of a surprise either, but it’s nice to see how things are going on the way there.

Post match the Impact guys come back out and the big brawl is on. Josh Alexander gets Vincent in the ankle lock but a save is made to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Rather good show this week as they built things up, continued some stories and had solid action throughout the night. There are things going on here that I want to see and for the first time in the better part of ever, I’m looking forward to what Impact is doing on more than one front. Well done, and the Honor No More stuff is keeping my interest above all else.

Results
Jake Something b. Chris Bey – Swinging Boss Man Slam
IInspiration b. Kaleb With A K/Madison Rayne – Sunset flip to Kaleb With A K
W. Morrissey b. Learning Tree – Double pin
Jonah b. Johnny Swinger – Tsunami
PCO b. Chris Sabin – Bubba Bomb

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 13, 2022
Location: Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, D’Lo Brown

We are fresh off the outstanding Hard To Kill, which was one of the best shows that Impact has ever done. In addition to some great matches, a group of former Ring of Honor wrestlers invaded the show, which feels like it could be the start of something very good. Let’s get to it.

Here is Hard To Kill if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at all of the matches from Hard To Kill, plus the invasion, albeit not in order.

A furious W. Morrissey arrives and wants Moose. Morrissey comes into the arena and calls Moose out. He had Moose beaten for a ten count at Hard To Kill, even though Moose practically stole his World Title. Just once, have the balls to face someone man to man. Moose can come out here or look over his shoulder for the rest of his life.

Instead, Moose pops up on screen to say Morrissey didn’t have him beaten. There will be a World Title match tonight but Morrissey won’t be in it. Instead, he can go to the back of the line. Morrissey says Moose isn’t making it to the title match. He goes to the back where Scott D’Amore says get over it, because he won’t be interfering tonight. Hold on though as something is going on in the arena.

Back in the arena, Ring of Honor’s Matt Taven and Vincent are at commentary, with Taven demanding D’Lo Brown’s headset. Tom Hannifan can do the same thing but he actually resists. Taven grabs him so Brown starts swinging, only to be beaten down by Taven, Vincent and Mike Bennett, who comes through the crowd. Taven is on commentary as Brown is put on a table (Taven: “He’s looking at the real deal now.”), with PCO popping up to flip dive onto him, but not breaking the table. A second attempt puts him through it instead.

Hannifan is on his own for the rest of the night.

Video on Ring of Honor Women’s Champion Rok-C, who is defending against Deonna Purrazzo tonight.

Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid

Trey Miguel joins commentary and makes it sound like D’Lo Brown has been shot. Kid misses an early dropkick attempt and gets punched in the corner. A chop misses though and Kid strikes away to take over. There’s a headscissors to the floor, setting up a springboard dive (you knew that was coming) to drop Bey. Back up and Bey hits a kick to the face, followed by a middle rope moonsault to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Bey missing a charge in the corner, allowing Kid to hit some running knees (Miguel: “I think my knees are better.”). Bey takes him outside and chops away while yelling at Miguel. Kid chops right back as Miguel suggests Bey not skip leg day, saying he looks like a golf tee. Back in and Kid hits a pair of moonsaults. Fans: “UNO MAS!” Miguel: “I wonder if in Mexico, they shout one more?” Bey scores with a brainbuster to take over and there’s a hard kick to the head. Kid catches him on top with a kick to the head though and it’s a super Spanish Fly to finish Bey at 12:05.

Rating: B-. This was the good match that you would have expected from these two and there is a good chance that it is going to move Kid on to the title match. Bey is still good and can have a solid match against anyone so I’m sure he’ll be fine. It is nice to see this division getting built up again, but it is hard to believe that it will last.

Post match, Kid points at the X-Division Title.

Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, Heath and Rhino aren’t happy with the Ring of Honor invaders. They’re going to find the Ring of Honor guys and take the fight to them…by splitting up. Doesn’t anyone here watch Scooby Doo?

Brian Myers is not happy with the Learning Tree, who are about to get cut. Somehow, Zicky Dice is Moose’s opponent…and has the biggest pizza I have ever seen. Myers steals a slice (which is over a foot long) and says good luck.

Jake Something vs. Mike Bailey

Ace Austin and Madman Fulton (who lost to Bailey and Something respectively on the Hard To Kill pre-show) are on commentary. Something wins an exchange of shoulders but Bailey nips back up. Bailey kicks him in the chest, including a dropkick to the floor. That means a mistake of following Something outside, where he hits a spinebuster onto the apron.

Back in and Something misses a dive, allowing Bailey to come back with a moonsault to the floor. Bailey strikes away for two back inside but the seated Something grabs his foot and lifts Bailey into a Falcon Arrow (dang) for his own two. Some more kicks take Something down in the corner though and the shooting star knees to the back (Up To 11) finishes for Bailey at 4:16.

Rating: C+. Bailey is certainly good, though I’m not sure if he is this be all end all wrestler that he is being made out to be. He hasn’t been around very long so far and has been impressive, but how many people wrestle the same style with a big flip as his finisher? In other words, yes he is talented, but I need to see him do something to stand out.

The Good Brothers blame Violent By Design for the loss at Hard To Kill but Eric Young thinks they could do well together. Rhino and Heath been attacked (not by the group who had been talking) though….and the Brothers/Violent By Design attack him again.

Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green are not happy with losing at Hard To Kill but they should/could have won! Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans come in to mock Green for her loss in Ultimate X. Violence is teased and the challenge is issued, with Steelz being shoved into a chair.

Masha Slamovich vs. Vert Vixen

A running boot at the bell knocks Vixen silly and some hair takedowns make it worse. The scoop brainbuster finishes for Slamovich at 1:07.

Josh Alexander comes to the ring as Slamovich is leaving and seems to show some respect. Alexander gets in the ring and talks about how he has been told to keep his emotions in check. He has beaten Minoru Suzuki and Jonah but he has never lost his focus on Moose and the World Title. Until Moose beats him, Alexander is the uncrowned champion. If Alexander can’t get the World Title back, this might not be the place for him.

Cue Charlie Haas of all people to interrupt and introduce himself, because he has never been here before. The two of them are a lot alike, because they are both amateur wrestlers who were part of great tag teams. Haas sends out the challenge but while it would be an honor for Alexander, all he wants is the World Title. That’s not cool with Haas though and the fight is on, with security breaking it up in a hurry. Alexander accepts the challenge.

Mickie James welcomes Rok-C to Impact Wrestling and gives her a pep talk before her match with Deonna Purrazzo. Mickie will be watching.

World Title: Moose vs. Zicky Dice

Moose, in a suit, is defending and Brian Myers is on commentary. Dice does the Roman Reigns pose and a Superman Punch, which has no effect. A release Rock Bottom gives Moose the pin at 19 seconds. Myers: “Way to go Zicky.”

Post match W. Morrissey comes out but has to beat up Dice, allowing Moose to leave. Moose leaves the World Title behind, but VSK comes in to help Dice and Moose gets it back. Morrissey gives chase to the parking lot, where Moose speeds away in his car.

Raj Singh vs. ???

Scott D’Amore is on commentary and says he has talked to Ring of Honor management. Only Rok-C and Jonathan Gresham are here as official representatives of the company, while the invaders are all going rogue. Singh wants anyone out here and gets someone to accept.

Raj Singh vs. Jonah

Jonah shrugs off some shots to the face and hits a splash in the corner. A fireman’s carry toss sets up a backsplash and the Tsunami finishes Singh at 1:23.

The Influence wants the IInspiration to come up with a way to beat them on January 27. Decay comes in to say they have nothing to do next week….but Eddie Edwards has been attacked as well.

Jonathan Gresham says honor has come to Impact Wrestling. Steve Maclin pops in to get in Gresham’s face, earning himself a Ring of Honor World Title match next week, under Pure Rules of course.

AAA Reina de Reinas Title/Ring of Honor Women’s Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rok-C

Title for title and Ian Riccaboni is on commentary, talking about Purrazzo’s time in the Ring of Honor women’s division. Matthew Rehwoldt joins commentary as well as the booth grows in a hurry. Rok-C runs her over to start but Purrazzo goes for the arm, giving us an early standoff. The threat of a crossface (the Rok Lock) sends Purrazzo outside though and we take a break.

Back with Rok-C hitting some moonsault knees to the ribs for a fast two but her rope walk wristdrag is broken up. Purrazzo gets to work on the arm, including wrapping it around the bottom rope. A stomp to the arm gets two but Rok-C fights up, only to get taken right back down for another stomp. The cross arm choke goes on until Rok-C gets to her feet and sends her shoulder first into the post.

Rok-C spins around into a Russian legsweep but the arm is too banged up for the Rok Lock. The Fujiwara armbar is broken up as well and the Code Rok gets two, giving us a stunned kickout face. Another Code Rok attempt works but this time Purrazzo flips over into the Fujiwara armbar. The referee is about to stop it so Rok-C grabs his leg with the free arm. Purrazzo grabs the other arm and it’s the Venus de Milo to make Rok-C give up at 13:40.

Rating: B. This is the result they had to go with, though it doesn’t exactly make Ring of Honor look great by comparison. Rok-C never felt like a serious threat here and her big offense consisted of rollups. That being said, Ring of Honor’s women’s division was never its strong suit and Rok-C should have a long career ahead of herself given how polished she looked in a short run so far. This was all about Purrazzo though, and that’s how it should have been.

Post match here is Maria Kanellis (with Ian Riccaboni immediately disavowing anything about what is coming) to get in the ring. The invaders come in so Matthew Rehwoldt runs in for the failed save. Rich Swann and Willie Mack run in and get beaten down as well. The invaders pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I don’t know what to say but Impact is on a roll. They have some stories set up and the invasion seems like it is going to be a big deal. There has not been a major story around here for a good while and something like that has been missing. What matters here is I want to see where these stories are going and that is a great sign for any show. Very good week here and I’m excited to see where things are going.

Results
Laredo Kid b. Chris Bey – Super Spanish Fly
Mike Bailey b. Jake Something – Up To 11
Masha Slamovich b. Vert Vixen – Scoop brainbuster
Moose b. Zicky Dice – Release Rock Bottom
Jonah b. Raj Singh – Tsunami
Deonna Purrazzo b. Rok-C – Venus de Milo

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 16, 2021
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matt Striker, D’Lo Brown

We’re on the way to Hard To Kill and the card is starting to take shape. That means we should have some good stuff coming up in the next few weeks, as Impact can give us some nice final pushes into major shows. Matt Cardona is still building momentum on the way to the biggest match of his career and that could continue this week. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Jimmy Rave.

Opening recap looks at last week’s main event, with W. Morrissey’s temper costing him a chance to get Matt Cardona out of the Hard To Kill main event.

Opening sequence.

Rohit Raju vs. Josh Alexander

Raj Singh is here with Raju. A single right hand annoys Alexander so Raju is already hiding in the ropes. That earns him a hiptoss out of the corner as Alexander’s bad ribs don’t seem to be bothering him to start. They head outside with Alexander taking out Singh but getting said ribs driven into the barricade. Back in and Raju sweeps the leg out, setting up a Russian legsweep for two.

The ribs are draped over the top rope but Alexander snaps off an overhead belly to belly. Alexander tries to bridge into a backslide but the ribs give out, meaning Raju tries…some kind of unclear ribs hold. With that not working, Alexander hits him in the face, only to get sent into the corner for a Cannonball. Raju’s double stomp to the bad ribs gets two and a jumping knee to the face rocks Alexander again. It doesn’t seem to matter though as Alexander is back with a shot to the knee, setting up the C4 Spike for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird match as Raju got in a bunch of offense but Alexander shrugged it off and won in the end. The good thing is that Alexander survived and fought through an injury to win, as he continues his path back to the title. I’m just not sure he’s getting back there anytime soon, as it already feels like his entire run over the summer has been forgotten.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The Good Brothers and Violent By Design seem to have mutual enemies but they don’t trust each other.

Ad for Throwback Throwdown 2, which seems like a fun show.

Chelsea Green is ready for the first ever Knockouts Ultimate X match. The same night, Matt Cardona is going to win the World Title…and here is Moose behind her. He wishes her good luck because she is nice enough to stay with someone who is always midcard. Green says Moose is here because he’s scared to talk trash to Cardona. Violence is promised at Hard To Kill.

Joe Doering/Doc Gallows vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

So it’s two halves of a tag team vs. a regular tag team? Everyone else, including Rhino and Heath, are at ringside so this is an odd choice. Swann rolls away from Gallows to start and hands it off to Mack to work on the arm. Mack and Swann take turns on said arm until Gallows is sent outside. Stereo dives take out the big men and we take a break.

Back with Swann getting distracted by Doering so Gallows can kick him to the floor. Doering throws him back in for a Boston crab before Gallows strikes away at the ribs. Swann enziguris Doering to make the tag off to Mack though and everything breaks down. A high crossbody hits Gallows but Doering shoves Swann off the top, leaving Mack to get double chokeslammed for the pin at 9:29.

Rating: C. It was a fine formula match but egads the idea of Violent By Design and the Good Brothers as a team makes my head hurt. Odds are this is setting up a four way at Hard To Kill, but that doesn’t make the next few weeks any easier. Swann and Mack continue to be a fun team, but it’s not exactly an easy way to get to the pay per view.

Post match the big beatdown is on but Eddie Edwards of all people makes the save. Ten man tag/hardcore war?

The Learning Tree is worried that Brian Myers won’t be pleased with them but they can make up for it by beating Decay.

Jonah talks about what it means to be the Top Dog. His dad was in prison and gained respect by not telling the guards when someone hit him. Jonah hit Josh Alexander at Hard To Kill, so now it’s time for Alexander to respect him too.

John Skyler vs. Trey Miguel

Non-title. Miguel spins out of a wristlock to start and snaps off a dropkick to send Skyler outside. That means a suicide dive to knock him into the barricade but Skyler is right back with a slingshot spear. Miguel’s comeback is cut off with an overhead belly to belly into the corner but he’s fine enough to tie Skyler up in said corner. The Cheeky Nandos Kick sets up the 619 into the top rope Meteora to finish Skyler at 3:43.

Rating: C. Another simple yet effective match as Skyler got in a bit of offense but ultimately lost to the much better star. Miguel is probably set up for a showdown with Steve Maclin at Hard To Kill so it makes sense to build him up a bit here. Skyler is fine as one of the jobbers to the stars around here and that is a nice role for him.

Post match, Steve Maclin comes out to blast Miguel with the X-Division Title. Maclin takes him backstage and post break, Miguel is tied up with a gag in his mouth.

Chris Bey vs. Laredo Kid

Striker says this could be the match of the year and could “define a generation”. Hikuleo is here with Bey to keep things uneven. Kid spins out of a wristdrag and Bey isn’t sure what to do early on. Bey whips him hard into the corner but gets taken down by a springboard clothesline. A hurricanrana puts Bey on the floor but Kid misses the required dive. That earns him a big point in the face from Hikuleo and Bey posts Kid to take over.

Back in and Bey kicks the leg out, setting up a dropkick for two. A Hikuleo cheap shot gets two and we hit the chinlock but Kid is up in a hurry. Bey gets sent outside where Kid hits a big dive, but Hikuleo shoves him off the top. We take a break and come back with Kid hitting a Falcon Arrow to set up the series of moonsaults for two.

Kid goes up top but gets caught, only to come out with a super Michinoku Driver the another near fall. Bey catches him on top again for a double stomp and two of his own. That doesn’t slow Kid down as he scores with a running flip DDT before diving onto Hikuleo. The distraction is enough for Bey to get up and catch a diving Kid in a cutter for the pin at 13:36.

Rating: B. This was rather good and one of the better TV matches in a good while. These two flew around and were hitting some crazy spots, with some of Kid’s dives looking awesome. Bey getting the win was a nice surprise, but it’s kind of hard to get invested as he hasn’t really had much to do lately. I’m not sure if it was some generation defining match like Striker said, but that’s partially because there is no reason to listen to Striker on just about anything.

We recap Deonna Purrazzo showing up at Ring of Honor Final Battle to challenge Rok-C to a winner take all title match. Since that would require Purrazzo winning the Knockouts Title from Mickie James, we see Purrazzo jumping James at an autograph signing.

Gail Kim makes a Texas Death Match between Purrazzo and James for Hard To Kill. Until then, they can’t touch each other.

Tenille Dashwood vs. Jessie McKay

Everyone associated with the two of them are here and the IInspiration are in Harlem Heat inspired gear. They shout at each other to start and then catch stereo boots to the ribs. Dashwood grabs a headlock but gets shouldered down as we take a break. Back with Dashwood bending McKay’s neck around the ropes and hitting the running crossbody in the corner. We hit the seated full nelson for a bit, followed by a big boot for two on Dashwood. Everyone else gets in a fight at ringside though and it’s the Spotlight Kick to finish McKay at 9:19.

Rating: C. The wrestling was average, but there is something nice about Dashwood finally getting something together around here. It seems like she has been floating around since she debuted and now she is finding her footing with the Influence deal. Odds are this sets up the title match at Hard To Kill, assuming you remember that the Knockouts Tag Team Titles actually exist.

It’s time for a contract signing between W. Morrissey, Matt Cardona (with Chelsea Green) and Moose. Cardona is about to sign but Morrissey takes the contract away and says he’s ready for Hard To Kill right now. Morrissey signs and leaves so Cardona promises that he has never been more ready. Cardona signs as well, leaving Moose to ask if Cardona really wants to do this. That makes Cardona think Moose is scared but Moose asks again. Cardona says sign it, which Moose does, though he still can’t believe that Green stays with someone so average.

Moose asks if she’ll stay with Midcardona after he leaves, or if she leaves like the w**** that she is. That’s enough for Cardona to jump the table, which he is promptly put through. Moose goes to leave but comes back and shoves Green down to get to Cardona again. The chair is wrapped around Cardona’s head but Green grabs another chair away. That’s enough for Cardona to get up….and accidentally chair her straight in the head. Panic ensues to end the show. The angle was fine on paper, but there’s no need for a chair shot to the head like that. It didn’t feel like a big moment as much as “we’re really doing that?” and that’s not good.

Overall Rating: C+. It felt like they took a bit of the show off until the ending and that’s ok for a show coming up on the holiday break. The main event angle worked and made Cardona feel like a bigger threat to win the title, but the rest of the show worked well enough too. The wrestling was certainly adequate and Bey vs. Kid was very good. I’m looking forward to Hard To Kill, and I wouldn’t have bet on that with a show involving Zack Ryder and Big Cass in a pay per view main event. Nice job with making that work.

Results
Josh Alexander b. Rohit Raju – C4 Spike
Doc Gallows/Joe Doering b. Rich Swann/Willie Mack – Double chokeslam to Mack
Trey Miguel b. John Skyler – Top rope Meteora
Chris Bey b. Laredo Kid – Cutter
Tenille Dashwood b. Jessie McKay – Spotlight Kick

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

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

AND

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