Impact Wrestling
Date: September 21, 2023
Location: Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifana

This is the second week of the 1000th episode celebration and that means we should be in for a big night. In this case, we have a ten woman Knockouts tag match that has quite the potential. Other than that, we have a month to go before Bound For Glory and there is a good chance that we will be finding out more about the show this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Ace Austin vs. Alan Angels vs. Mike Bailey vs. Rich Swann vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Samurai del Sol

Ultimate X (the fiftieth edition) for a future X-Division Title shot. Del Sol clears the ring of Wentz and Angels, setting up a big dive. Swann dives onto most of them, followed by Austin hitting a rolling flip dive of his own. Del Sol, Bailey and Angels go up and hit huge dives out to the other three on the floor for the huge crash (that looked good).

That leaves Swann to hit a top rope cutter, but Bailey and Angels go up top of the structure, with Angels hanging upside down by a leg. Del Sol and Bailey go for the X but Wentz and Angels shake the ropes for the save in a smart bit. Bailey hangs on though, leaving Swann to beat up Wentz on the ground. Angels goes after Bailey but has to snap off a hurricanrana to Swann.

Wentz spray paints Swann as Bailey is now hanging upside down by his legs and trying to get over to the X. Del Sol gets sprayed as well so it’s Wentz, Angels and Austin going after the X as well. They’re all hanging on the cables but Wentz spray paints Austin down. Bailey manages his rapid fire kicks to knock Wentz down but Angels kicks Bailey low to put everyone down. Angels goes back up and gets the X for the win at 9:40.

Rating: B-. These things are always such insanity with one big spot after another and that’s what you had here. It was a fun match with people flying all over the place, with that spot of four people hanging upside down at once being quite the visual. As odd as this match can be, it’s Impact’s match and having one on here makes all the sense in the world.

Post break Angels announces that he is cashing in his title shot next week.

Dirty Dango vs. Jake Something

Alpha Bravo is here with Dango. We go WAY old school here with the Fox Box, meaning a graphic with a countdown clock on the top of the screen (ten minute time limit) and there is a judge (former Tag Team Champion Chase Stevens) watching in case it goes to a draw. We also get a crawl on the bottom, hyping up the rest of the show.

Something chases him to the floor to start and hits a slam, followed by a clothesline for two back inside. Dango manages a running uppercut for two but Something runs him over with a clothesline. Bravo tries to get in a shot with a flashlight but hits Dango by mistake, setting up Into The Void to give Something the pin at 3:59.

Rating: C. Something continues to feel like a monster in the making and now he’s starting to rack up some wins. That’s the way you make someone into a star and Impact seems to understand that with Something. At the same time, Dango is a great smarmy heel and it feels good to see him get what is coming to him.

Steve Maclin is ready to end things with Rhino, who runs in to jump him.

Post break Santino Marella yells at Rhino, who doesn’t care.

Kenny King vs. Eric Young

King has Sheldon Jean with him so Young has Scott D’Amore. Jean comes in for the DQ at 33 seconds.

Post match Shark Boy (the Deputy Directory Of Authority) makes it a tag match.

Kenny King/Sheldon Jean vs. Eric Young/Scott D’Amore

The Design runs in for the DQ at 17 seconds.

Shark Boy says let’s make it an eight man tag because we have some special guests.

Kenny King/Sheldon Jean/The Design vs. Eric Young/Scott D’Amore/America’s Most Wanted

We’re joined in progress with AMW taking over on King, including Chris Harris hitting a bulldog for two. D’Amore comes in to work on Deaner’s arm so it’s off to Young, who has Deaner worried. He’s so worried that he hands it back to King, who takes over on Young. Kon gets in a few right hands before missing a charge in the corner. That’s enough for Young to hit the Death Valley Driver and it’s James Storm coming in to beat on Jean.

King’s cheap shot lets Jean hit a side kick but a hot shot cuts Jean off. Young adds the top rope elbow for two but King hits a Blockbuster. We hit the parade of knockdowns until Harris and Kon have a showdown. Storm hits the Last call on Deaner, leaving D’Amore to hit a Sky High on Jean. Young’s piledriver is good for the pin at 6:56 shown.

Rating: C+. The people running in over and over and the match growing was a good story and having America’s Most Wanted on the show was great to see. They were one of the first acts to really get over in Impact Wrestling, with James Storm in particular being an absolute requirement for the show. This was wacky entertainment with some nostalgia thrown in, which is exactly what it should have been.

We look back at how Chris Bey, Crazzy Steve, Yuya Uemura and Moose won Feast Or Fired briefcases.

We see a clip of Team 3D reuniting last week, with Brother Ray talking about how they didn’t want to have this reunion match anywhere else but here. D-Von credits the fans with bringing him back after his health issues and we hit the catchphrase.

Back to Feast Or Fired, with Yuya Uemura wanting to find “champions”, which Joe Hendry says means a Tag Team Title shot. Bey and Moose want the same thing, but Steve wants a heart, a liver or maybe lungs. Steve gets to open his case first and finds….a Digital Media Title shot, sending him of saying “and the world was full of dreamers” over and over.

Moose finds…..a World Title shot.

Bey finds….a Tag Team Title shot, meaning Uemura is FIRED. Hendry isn’t sure what to say and everything is quiet.

Trey Miguel vs. Josh Alexander

Zachary Wentz is here with Miguel. They start fast and go to the floor, where Alexander blocks a hurricanrana attempt. Back in and a heck of a German suplex drops Miguel but Wentz offers a distraction. The big flip dive takes Alexander out and we take a break. Back with Miguel choking in the corner, setting up a pull on the face. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Alexander fights up and throws Miguel down.

Miguel scores with a kick and goes up, only to have Alexander cut him off. A clothesline drops Miguel but he catches Alexander on top for a super headscissors. The top rope Meteora is countered into Alexander’s ankle lock but Miguel sends him outside. Wentz gets in a cheap shot on Alexander but here is Alex Shelley to drop Wentz as well. The C4 Spike finishes Miguel at 14:04.

Rating: B. The ending makes things more interesting but this was the “here are two talented guys doing their thing” match. That’s all but guaranteed to work and Alexander picks up a win that should continue pushing him towards Bound For Glory. Miguel losing again isn’t nice to see, though he and Wentz have done well enough as a team to give him some padding.

Post match Shelley says he was out here to hut the Rascalz rather than help Alexander. That’s cool with Alexander, who is coming for the World Title at Bound For Glory.

Will Ospreay will face Mike Bailey at Bound For Glory.

Jonathan Gresham comes in to see Mike Bailey, who asks how he was. Gresham knows Bailey has a bunch of stuff on his plate but wants a good match of his own. Bailey recommends they face off again, which Gresham likes.

Jason Hotch comes in to ask the Rascalz about the Good Hands’ Tag Team Title shot (confirming that they were in cahoots) but Zachary Wentz says it’s not a good time. ABC comes in to show off the briefcase so Hotch stands up to them. The Rascalz bail and Hotch is a bit nervous.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Team Beautiful People vs. Team Kong

Beautiful People: Angelina Love/Savannah Evans/Deonna Purrazzo/Tasha Steelz/Gisele Shaw
Kong: Awesome Kong/Jordynne Grace/Gail Kim/Trinity/Mickie James

Raesha Saed, Jai Vidal and Velvet Sky Evans are here too. Love drives Trinity into the corner to start and knocks her down for a bonus. Trinity fights up and knocks her back, allowing the double tag off to Grace and Shaw. A Jackhammer gives Grace two and Mickie adds the top rope Thesz press. We take a break and come back with Kin crashing out to the floor where the villains get in some cheap shots.

Back in and Steelz grabs a camel clutch but Kim is back on her feet rather quickly. Kim grabs a Black Widow but it’s quickly off to Shaw for a swinging Downward Spiral. Mickie makes a save this time and Purrazzo comes in for the chinlock. Kim fights up again and stereo crossbodies leave both of them down.

That’s enough to bring Kong in to clean house. We get the Evans vs. Kong showdown, with Evans blocking a chokeslam. Kong drops her fast as everything breaks down, with Mickie and Trinity hitting stereo Thesz presses. Steelz is sent outside onto some villains plus trinity but Grace fireman’s carries Kim to run Evans over. Kim hits a big dive to the floor and Kong hits the Implant Buster to finish Shaw at 14:34.

Rating: B. The quality here was ok, but this was about having the legends and modern stars mix it up and that worked well. Kong and Kim teaming together is one of those things that feels like a special moment and it was a very nice way to end such a milestone show. I had a great time with this and that is exactly what they seemed to be trying to do.

The Beautiful People bag Jai Vidal and the winners celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was much more of a regular edition of the show with some nostalgia sprinkled in. That works just fine after last week and I had a good time with the whole thing. We have a main event for Bound For Glory and AMW was back in a cool surprise. That’s a great mixture of stuff and the show was a fun ride throughout. Now just get to Chicago for the big show and Impact could be back on its roll from earlier this year.

Results
Alan Angels won Ultimate X
Jake Something b. Dirty Dango – Into The Void
Eric Young b. Kenny King via DQ when Sheldon Jean interfered
Eric Young/Scott D’Amore b. Kenny King/Sheldon Jean via DQ when the Design interfered
Eric Young/Scott D’Amore/America’s Most Wanted b. The Design/Kenny King/Sheldon Jean – Piledriver to Jean
Josh Alexander b. Trey Miguel – C4 Spike
Team Kong b. Team Beautiful People – Implant Buster to Shaw

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

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Victory Road 2023
Date: September 8, 2023
Location: Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s another special and in this case we have a flashback to the first regular Impact Wrestling pay per view. This time around we have a pretty stacked card, including Kushida challenging Lio Rush for the X-Division Title and Tommy Dreamer putting his career on the line for a shot at the Digital Media Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Alan Angels vs. ???

This is an open challenge from Angels ad it’s…Guido Maritato, perhaps better known as Nunzio in WWE/Little Guido in ECW. The bell rings and we lose the feed, leaving us with a logo and nothing more. The feed picks up about four and a half minutes in with Angels faking an injury in the corner. That’s enough for a quick cheap shot and Angel’s Wings finishes Maritato at 5:23. Not enough shown to rate of course but I’d assume they’ll upload the full version later.

Kickoff Show: ABC vs. Moose/Brian Myers

Moose and Bey pose at each other to start until Bey slips out of a slam attempt. Bey gets on Moose’s nerves and misses a charge, meaning it’s off to Myers. Bey takes him into the corner so Austin can come in for some shots of his own. It’s already back to Bey and a cheap shot lets Myers hammer away as the villains take over.

Myers cuts off a comeback with a trip and Moose hits a middle rope backsplash for two. Bey gets sent into the buckle and choked on the ropes but an enziguri gets him out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Austin to clean house, including a springboard spinning kick to the head for two. The 1-2-Sweet is broken up and Myers powerbombs Austin. A quick Roster Cut misses though and Austin rolls Myers up for the pin at 8:30.

Rating: B-. Nice match here between two teams who work well together. That’s all you need on a show like this and the fans like ABC pretty much no matter what. Moose and Myers continue to lose, which is kind of weird for a team presented as big time villains. Perfectly good choice for a warmup match and that’s what it was supposed to be.

And now, the show proper.

X-Division Title: Lio Rush vs. Kushida

Kushida is challenging as he cashes in his Ultimate X win from Slammiversary. The chase is on to start with Rush bailing away as fast we he can. It’s already time for a breather on the floor, with Kushida saying it’s on his time. Kushida isn’t having that and grabs a quick Hoverboard Lock followed by some slams for two. The arm is tied up in the ropes again and then sent into the turnbuckle as they fall out to the floor.

Some chops against the barricade have Rush in more trouble but he manages the spinning kick to the head for a breather back inside. Rush hammers away and grabs Kushida’s glasses for a distraction, only for Kushida to strike away. A rollup gets two on Rush but it’s too early for the Hoverboard Lock. Kushida is sent outside, where he counters a dive into the Hoverboard Lock in a sweet spot.

Back in and Rush hits a Spanish Fly but Kushida reverses into the Hoverboard Lock again. That’s broken up as well and they knock each other down again, meaning it’s time for the slow exchange of forearms. Rush gets in a quick low blow to put Kushida down though and the Final Hour retains the title at 10:38.

Rating: B-. Kushida is someone who can wrestle with anyone and that was no exception here, as it was a chess game of Kushida’s technical mastery vs. Rush’s athleticism. That made for some pretty awesome moments, including Kushida getting the Hoverboard Lock from a variety of places. I wasn’t wild on the cheap ending, but it did keep Kushida strong while retaining the title.

We look at Bully Ray hitting PCO with a car on the Kickoff Show.

PCO is told he can’t compete but he rises off of a stretcher and screams for Bully.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: MK Ultra vs. Gisele Shaw/Savannah Evans

MK Ultra is defending and Jai Vidal is here with the challengers. Slamovich powers Shaw down to start as we hear about Rehwoldt’s “shark guy” back home. Kelly comes in but the distracted referee misses Vidal pulling the ropes down for a crash to the floor. Back in and Evans hammers away, allowing Shaw to gets two off a suplex.

The chinlock goes on before Shock And Awe gets two. Some knees in the corner keep Kelly in trouble and Evans comes in for another suplex. Shaw misses a charge into the corner though and it’s back to Slamovich to unload on Evans. Vidal offers a distraction though and it’s a backbreaker/kick to the head combination for two. Another cheap shot lets Evans plant Slamovich but she’s back up with a kick to the head. The Snowplow finishes Evans to retain at 8:25.

Rating: C+. MK Ultra aren’t the most traditional team but they’re good at what they do and that’s all they need to be. Shaw didn’t take the fall here but she loses again and those things are piling up. At some point she is going to have to win something and I’m really not sure when that is going to happen.

PCO is looking for Bully, who comes up from behind him with a chair to beat him down. Then he pours gasoline on PCO and calls him Carl Ouellet. We’ve seen the last of both of them tonight, but then PCO hits him in the eye and Ray runs off.

We look back at Crazzy Steve embracing the evil side and wanting to hurt everyone who abandoned him. That’s how we got here, as Steve went after his former partner.

Crazzy Steve vs. Black Taurus

Tom Hannifan is scared of Steve to start but Taurus starts fast to break that up. A powerslam plants Steve and they head outside, where Steve gets in a quick shot to take over. Steve talks Hannifan a bit, calling this “the birth of something beautiful.” Back in and Steve hits some corner clotheslines before crotching him on top for two. We hit the neck crank for a bit before Steve just goes for the eyes.

Taurus blocks the double thumbs but gets taken down again so Steve can stomp away. Some elbows to the eye in the corner make it worse for Taurus but he powers his way out of trouble. A crucifix bomb cuts Taurus right back down but Steve can’t follow up. Taurus drops him with a heck of a right hand and a par of Sling Blades put Steve down again.

A torture rack dropped into a backbreaker has Steve screaming even more before he starts apologizing. Taurus can’t bring himself to hut his friend and walks around, allowing Steve to jump him from behind. Steve whips out a fork but when that’s taken away, he settles for the two fingers in the eyes. The Belladonna’s Kiss finishes Taurus at 9:02.

Rating: C+. This was more about the story and the mind games than anything else, with Steve continuing to do some of the more interesting stuff on the show. He really does feel unhinged a good bit of the time, with the Dark Knight looking promos making it better. I want to see what Steve is doing and that’s more than I can say about a lot of people in modern wrestling

Tommy Dreamer is ready to celebrate his life and career while winning the Digital Media Title tonight. If he loses, it’s a great story but if he loses, it’s another chapter.

We recap the Digital Media Title as Kenny King defends against Tommy Dreamer. King brags about how this is his title and well overdue but Dreamer wants to win one more title. He’s even putting his career on the line.

Digital Media Title: Kenny King vs. Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer, in Terry Funk gear, is challenging with his career on the line and his family in the crowd. Sheldon Jean is here with King to even things up a bit. Dreamer goes for the arm to start but gets broken up without much trouble. King goes after Dreamer’s likely injured back (everything else is hurt so it makes sense) but Dreamer slugs away again. Jean’s interference doesn’t work as King is clotheslined to the floor, where Dreamer gets to spit water in his eyes.

Dreamer’s dive is cut off though, as Dreamer diving isn’t a great idea. King suplexes him on the ramp and yells at Dreamer’s family because he’s not a nice person. Dreamer beats the count back in though and catches King on top with a superplex for the double knockdown. They trade shots to the face until Dreamer goes with the Flip Flop and Fly. The Bionic Elbow has Dreamer in more trouble but King is back with a spinebuster for two.

King talks too much trash and gets cuttered for his efforts. The Dreamer Driver is broken up and King hits a Blockbuster or two. They trade rollups for two each until the Dreamer Driver can connect. A piledriver gives Dreamer a rather close two so Jean offers a distraction. That’s enough for a distraction so Jean is ejected. Cue Heath for a Wake Up Call on King. That and a DDT are enough to give Dreamer the pin and the title at 9:51.

Rating: C+. I can’t imagine Dreamer keeps the title long, but there is something strange about seeing him win a title in 2023. Maybe Heath will get a run with the title sooner than later, but for now it’s Dreamer getting another moment as King loses again. Good enough match, even if the result is rather hard to comprehend.

We recap Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace. They have a history and Purrazzo is ready to prove she’s better (again).

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace starts fast by powering her out to the floor, leaving Purrazzo not sure about this. Back in and Purrazzo goes after the arm, including taking Grace down to crank away. Grace fights up with some forearms and a few slams with the good arm. A Michinoku Driver gives Grace two but Purrazzo goes right back to the arm, even snapping it back rather hard. Purrazzo cranks on said arm but Grace powers up and gets her into the corner.

The superplex into a Jackhammer gets two on Purrazzo but the Juggernaut Driver is blocked. Purrazzo’s leg trap Tombstone gets two and she knocks Grace to the apron. Grace comes back in and it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Back up and Grace runs her over for two more but the MuscleBuster is escaped as well. Not that it matters as Grace grabs the Juggernaut Driver for the pin at 11;57.

Rating: B-. This was about reestablishing Grace as a threat and there was little way to do it better than by having her vanquish her most famous rival. The power vs. submission stuff went well and Grace managed to escape enough times to win. These two have chemistry together and having Grace win is the right way to go.

We recap Bully Ray vs. PCO. Ray has tried to take PCO out multiple times but PCO keeps coming back, which has Ray terrified.

PCO vs. Bully Ray

Anything goes, so weapons are provided. There’s no PCO to start so Ray tries to run, only to be cut off by Santino Marella. PCO jumps him from behind and the brawl starts backstage. They head into the arena where Ray’s trashcan shots don’t have much effect. Ray loads up some tables as the match hasn’t actually started yet as they haven’t been in the ring together.

PCO gets in some shots of his own and they finally get inside for the bell. Ray sends him head first through a table in the corner, then does it twice more for a bonus. PCO gets knocked off the apron and through another table at ringside but gets up anyway. Ray tries to run but gets cut off by Santino Marella, meaning PCO can trashcan him down. PCO brings in a ladder but gets dropped onto it for two instead.

Another table is loaded up and then another one is loaded up next to that as Ray likes the wood. Ray grabs a trashcan, which is punched into his face. A chokeslam through a table gives PCO two and it’s time for a cheese grater as we pay another tribute to ECW. Ray is busted open and a low blow makes it even worse. The De-Animator onto (not through) a table crushes Ray and a PCOsault through another table gives PCO the win at 10:14.

Rating: B-. Sometimes you just need to have two big strong guys hit each other really hard and that is what we had here. Ray being all scared and worried about facing PCO fights him well, as does PCO popping up after everything. Good brawl here, with the extra stuff before the bell making it even better.

Eric Young and Scott D’Amore are ready for Impact 1000 and it’s going to be an hour to be on the show.

We recap the Rascalz defending the Tag Team Titles against the Motor City Machine Guns. The Rascalz won the titles last month but Chris Sabin beat Zachary Wentz in a singles match to set this up.

Tag Team Titles: Rascalz vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are challenging and Shelley takes over on Wentz to start. Stereo superkicks put Shelley on the floor though and we slow down a bit so the champs can brag. Back in and Shelley is fine enough to kick Wentz down, allowing Sabin to come in and work on the leg. It’s back to Shelley for a spinning toehold but Wentz goes for the eyes.

Wentz misses a kick to the head though and the Figure Four goes on. Sabin grabs the same thing on Miguel but lets him to and sends him to the floor. Wentz gets out and hands it off to Miguel as the pace picks up, including a springboard splash as everything breaks down. The champs hit stereo running elbows in the corner but Shelley blocks the Lightning Spiral. Sabin takes them both down with a double dragon screw sends them both outside.

That means a big dive can connect, followed by a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination for two. Wentz is back in with a top rope double stomp to send Sabin into a backbreaker from Miguel for two more. The referee gets distracted so a belt shot can give Miguel another near fall.

The spray paint is broken up but Miguel is able to hit a heck of a dive to take everyone out. Back in and Sabin hits a tornado DDT to send Miguel into the dropped title but cue John Skyler to break up the cover. The Cradle Shock is broken up though and the spray paint to Sabin is enough for the rollup to retain at 13:51.

Rating: B. These teams working well together isn’t exactly a shock as they’re both incredibly talented and can do well with anyone. I could have gone with a better ending but that has been the case with the Rascalz for a good while now. What mattered here was getting two awesome teams in the ring for some time as it’s going to work well no matter what. Heck of a match here and it does a lot to make the Rascalz feel more legit.

We recap the Knockouts Title match. Alisha Edwards won a battle royal and talked a lot of trash. There isn’t much else to it than that.

Knockouts Title: Trinity vs. Alisha Edwards

Alisha, with Eddie Edwards, is challenging and mocks the fans’ New York accents. Eddie handles her intro and we’re ready to go. Well hang on though as the fans have to throw a bunch of glow sticks into the ring and NOW we’re ready to go. Trinity stars fast and knocks her to the floor as the fans are feeling rather Ucey.

Back in and Eddie’s distraction lets Alisha send her into the corner and the champ is in trouble. The bodyscissors goes on Trinity and Alisha hammers away. Trinity fights up and sends her into the buckle to even things up. A Backstabber gives Trinity two but the referee gets kicked down.

Trinity grabs Starstruck and Alisha seems to tap to no one. Eddie gets in a cheap shot and loads up a table but cue Frankie Kazarian and Traci Brooks for the save. Trinity is back up and hits a top rope splash onto Eddie through the table as the referee is STILL down. Alisha gets in a kendo stick shot for two and can’t believe the kickout. Back up and Trinity kicks Alisha in the head, setting up the Bubba Bomb into the rollup to retain at 9:01.

Rating: C+. The ref bump was ridiculous but they had to do something to spice up the idea of Alisha being the one to get the title shot. There wasn’t much of a story setting up the match so it made sense to go with another story that was already established. Trinity won in the end as she should have, but what mattered here was setting up the mixed tag and that’s fine in this situation.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Don West and Mike Tenay are joining the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame at Bound For Glory. Well yeah that works. You can tell this means a lot to Rehwoldt and Hannifan.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Steve Maclin. This was set up for earlier this year but Alexander got hurt and had to vacate the World Title. Now it’s a match that was scheduled to take place months ago and both are healthy.

Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander wrestles him down to start and goes after the arm with an armbar. They head outside with Maclin being sent into the barricade and then dropped hard onto the apron. Alexander’s recently repaired arm is snapped over the top though and Maclin gets to take over. Back in and Maclin grabs a standing armbar, only to have Alexander roll some German suplexes. By that I mean ten suplexes for two but Maclin rolls straight into another armbar.

Alexander has to bail to the ropes and out to the floor, where Maclin can hit a heck of a suicide dive. The armbar keeps Alexander in trouble back inside but he fights out a bit faster this time. Alexander can’t jump over him in the corner though as the arm gives out, meaning the London Dungeon can go on. That’s broken up and Alexander manages to send him to the apron, setting up the running crossbody to the back. Maclin is back in with a modified DDT for two and the armbar goes on again.

This time time it’s countered into a powerbomb backbreaker and a rolling forearm gives Alexander two. Maclin misses a running knee and gets caught in the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well so Maclin sends him outside but another suicide dive is countered into a belly to belly. Maclin drops him again on the floor but can only get a nine count. They chop it out back inside with Maclin getting the better of it, only to miss a splash off the top. The C4 Spike finishes for Alexander at 18:34.

Rating: B. this was Alexander’s return to form as he gets the big win over the one guy he never got to beat. I’m not sure if he’s going to get back into the World Title picture immediately, but for now he gets the win to give him some moments and confidence back. Best match of the show too, so it fits in the main event spot.

Overall Rating: B. This was good stuff for the most part, with a solid main event and enough positives throughout the show to make it work. Impact tends to be at its best when they strip away a lot of the nonsense and just have a wrestling show, which is what they did here. The show might not feel all that important with Impact 1000 and Bound For Glory coming up, but for a show available for the cost of a month on their streaming service, this was a solid way to go.

Results
Alan Angels b. Guido Maritato – Angel’s Wings
ABC b. Moose/Brian Myers – Rollup to Myers
Lio Rush b. Kushida – Final Hour
MK Ultra b. Savannah Evans/Gisele Shaw – Snowplow to Evans
Crazzy Steve b. Black Taurus – Belladonna’s Kiss
Tommy Dreamer b. Kenny King – DDT
Jordynne Grace b. Deonna Purrazzo – Juggernaut Driver
PCO b. Bully Ray – Whip through a table
Rascalz b. Motor City Machine Guns – Rollup to Sabin
Trinity b. Alisha Edwards – Rollup
Josh Alexander b. Steve Maclin – 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: September 7, 2023
Location: Rebel Sports Complex, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Victory Road, but perhaps more important, we’re a week away from Impact 1000, which has the potential to be something special. I could go for seeing a lot of the legends back for one more run, but we have a more modern special to set up first. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Dani Luna

Luna works on a headlock to start before they go into some standing switches. Luna gets two off a clothesline but Purrazzo snaps off Two Amigos. They head to the apron with Purrazzo snapping Luna’s arm down hard. Back in and a Backstabber drops Luna but she comes back with some forearms to the face. Purrazzo has had enough though and it’s a Russian legsweep into the Fujiwara armbar to finish Luna at 6:05.

Rating: C+. I liked this one well enough as we rarely see Luna in the ring on this show. She isn’t the most complex wrestler in the world but she does well with the power game. Purrazzo seems ready to move back into something bigger, though that needs to be something other than facing Trinity after her latest loss.

Crazzy Steve insists that he is not crazy, including when he attacked Black Taurus last week. He saw what used to be rage and now Taurus is going to do the exact same thing that everyone has done to him: leave him abandoned and forgotten. Now it’s time to decimate.

Tommy Dreamer is ready to put his career on the line against Kenny King. He talks about going to his first show in 1980 and it became the love of his life. His parents and children have been everywhere for his major events but he had to say goodbye to his mother recently. Everyone has second guessed him but here is Heath to interrupt. Heath tries to talk him out of putting his career on the line because everyone respects him. Dreamer says he’s writing one final chapter.

Joe Hendry/Yuya Uemura vs. Champagne Singh/Shera

Joe and Yuya have quite the coordinated entrance as they are dubbed JoYa. Yuya armdrags Singh a few times to start but Singh snaps off a hot shot. Shera comes in for a slam but Yuya forearms away at Singh. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Hendry, who suplexes Shera down. Everything breaks down and it’s an airplane spin tossed into Yuya’s cutter to finish Singh at 4:27.

Rating: C. This was almost all about the entrance, which is of course incredibly catchy, as tends to be the case with any Hendry music. It’s a clever team and they got off on the right foot here. I like Hendry moving up a step and he and Yuya have had some good chemistry together in their limited interactions.

Steve Maclin and Bully Ray are ready for PCO and Josh Alexander. Well part of it at least as Ray is terrified of PCO. He wants Carl Ouellet rather than PCO, who seems indestructible. Ray has lit PCO on fire but he keeps coming back so Ray wants Maclin to follow his lead. Maclin isn’t overly impressed.

Video on Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong.

Video on Will Ospreay.

Josh Alexander is ready for Steve Maclin at Victory Road and for tonight’s tag match.

Subculture vs. Rich Swann/Sami Callihan

Andrews and Swann fight over wrist control to start and miss stereo dropkicks for a standoff. Callihan comes in to chop at Webster but Swann misses a springboard kick to the head. Subculture dropkicks Swann to the floor and a big dive takes him down as we take a break. Back with Swann fighting out of a seated abdominal stretch but getting dropkicked down again.

Andrews misses a charge into the post and Swann kicks his way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Callihan. House is cleaned and Callihan breaks up a double team attempt, only to get caught with Stundog Millionaire. Morgan misses the 450 though and it’s back to Swann to pick up the pace. A running cutter on the ramp drops Webster and a kick to the head sets up a middle rope 450 to finish Webster at 12:38.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here but that shouldn’t be the biggest surprise. Subculture have shown they can work with anyone and Swann/Callihan have done some good things together. What matters here is it feels like they are actually building a division and that is a nice flashback to days of Impact past. It can be done, and this was a nice way to boost a team that needed the help.

We look at Gisele Shaw and company getting rid of MK Ultra in last week’s battle royal.

Shaw and company are coming for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

The Rascalz brag about winning the Tag Team Titles when the Good Hands come in. They seem to imply they want their payment, in the form of a title shot, for helping the Rascalz win the belts in the first place. The Rascalz don’t seem interested.

Lio Rush vs. Kevin Knight

Non-title. Knight counters Rush’s rapid fire head fakes to start and knocks him to the floor, meaning Rush is ready to walk. That doesn’t work for Knight so he sends Rush back inside and takes him down for two. Rush bails outside again and gets chopped into the barricade as Knight is on a roll to start. Back in and they trade chops in the corner with Rush getting the better of things. That’s broken up as well and Knight kicks away but gets caught with a shot in the corner we take a break.

We come back with Knight missing a charge in the corner and getting dropped with a hard clothesline for two. We hit the chinlock and then an armbar until Knight powers up for some rams into the corner. Knight snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana (that looked good) and they’re both down. Back up and Knight hits a splash in the corner, followed by a clothesline for two. A high dropkick knocks Rush silly but a springboard spinning crossbody misses. Rush kicks him in the head and hits the Final Hour for the pin at 10:21.

Rating: B-. The more I see of Knight, the more I like him. He’s very athletic and can work the fast paced style, which offered a rare challenge for Rush. There was no need to have Knight get the win here, but having him hang in there with name after name is a rather smart way to go. Give him some wins and you might have something with him. Rush already has Kushida coming up though and this was the kind of boost he needed before the title defense.

Post match Rush grabs a Hoverboard Lock but Kushida runs in for the save.

Dirty Dango and Alpha Bravo aren’t looking forward to Impact 1000, with Dango bringing up names from the very early days of the company. Dango: “We’re doing it Dixie!” He mocks Jake Something defending pro wrestling and isn’t worried about beating him at Impact 1000.

Here is Santino Marella to run the contract signing for the Victory Road Knockouts Title match. Cue Alisha Edwards, with Eddie Edwards (and alcohol), and Trinity, with Santino hyping up the match as well as he can. Alisha mocks his accent and talks about how glad she is that she changed like Eddie did. She promises to win the title and signs without incident.

Trinity signs without saying a word and Alisha is a bit offended. It turns out Trinity can’t understand Alisha’s accent (the fans approve), but in reality she respects what Alisha has accomplished. Alisha accuses Trinity of being given a pass to the top, with Trinity suggesting Eddie helped Alisha get here.

Eddie rants about how they’ve been here longer than anyone but Trinity brings up Eddie turning his back on the company. Alisha spits the alcohol into Trinity’s face but then stops to talk trash. That’s enough for Trinity to kick her in the head and the brawl is on. Trinity loads up a powerbomb through the table but Eddie breaks it up and puts her through the table instead. Frankie Kazarian makes a late save. Not a great contract signing, as Alisha isn’t the most interesting challenger.

Victory Road rundown.

The Motor City Machine Guns are ready to get their Tag Team Titles back.

Bully Ray/Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander/PCO

Alexander and Maclin start things off, with the threat of an ankle lock sending Maclin running away in a hurry. Ray comes in and looks scared at the thought of a tag to PCO. That’s exactly what he gets though and naturally Maclin comes in as well. PCO hits a quick clothesline and stomps away in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Alexander chopping away at Maclin in the corner and handing it back to PCO. That doesn’t go so well as Maclin takes over in the corner (where Ray isn’t having any of this tagging in stuff) but PCO fights out with relative ease. Alexander comes back in but gets taken into the wrong corner, allowing Ray to come in and stomp away. The middle rope dropkick hits Ray but he sends Alexander outside, where Alexander comes up favoring his recently repaired arm.

Back in and Maclin stomps away before grabbing a chinlock with a knee between Alexander’s shoulders. An Irish Curse gives Maclin two and it’s back to Ray for some clotheslines. Alexander manages to suplex his way out of trouble though and it’s PCO coming back in to clean house. Maclin knocks Alexander off the apron but gets caught with a Backstabber by PCP. The middle rope legdrop sends Maclin outside and there’s the big dive to send him into the barricade. Ray tries to talk his way out of trouble but it takes a Maclin distraction so Ray can get in a low blow. The rollup finishes PCO at 14:55.

Rating: B-. The match was good but this was never about the wrestling itself. This was about getting two of the big matches at Victory Road in the ring together and that is something that works almost every time. Ray didn’t so much beat PCO here as much s he caught him, and that is going to mean pain tomorrow night.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a nice way to get me ready for Victory Road and that’s what the show was supposed to do. There was nothing bad on the show and I’ll take that over a two hour stretch. While there were some parts that weren’t so interesting, there was enough here to make it worth a look, especially if you’re watching Victory Road.

Results
Deonna Purrazzo b. Dani Luna – Fujiwara armbar
Joe Hendry/Yuya Uemura b. Champagne Singh/Shera – Toss cutter to Singh
Rich Swann/Sami Callihan b. Subculture – Middle rope 450 to Webster
Lio Rush b. Kevin Knight – Final Hour
Bully Ray/Steve Maclin b. PCO/Josh Alexander – Rollup to PCO

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 31, 2023
Location: Rebel Entertainment Complex, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Emergence and Bound For Glory is starting to appear over the horizon. Before we get there though, we have Victory Road and Impact 1000 to cover and at least one of those shows has some special names already announced. Tonight will probably see some more names and matches set for those shows, while we also get the Emergence fallout. Let’s get to it.

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

Emergence recap.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Gisele Shaw, Killer Kelly, KiLynn King, Courtney Rush, Masha Slamovich, Jody Threat, Alisha Edwards, Vanna Black, Savannah Evans, Jessicka

For the Knockouts Title shot and they start fast with the brawling around the ring. Edwards and Black tease an early alliance but get beaten up by the Death Dollz. MK Ultra gets rid of Black for the first elimination and Evans/Shaw toss Kelly and Slamovich. Rush is out as well, with Shaw going out around the same time.

Jessicka is eliminated as well (onto the ramp, which counts as the floor) and Evans follows, leaving us with King and Threat to slug it out. King Neutralizes Threat but the King’s Curse is countered, allowing Threat to hit a German suplex. Then Alisha comes in to eliminate both of them because she was never eliminated (erg) for the win at 7:07.

Rating: C-. Not much of a battle royal here with the always annoying “oh, you forgot this one” ending. Edwards getting the short term title shot is fine as it isn’t like Victory Road is the place for some kind of title showdown. That being said, I don’t remember the last time Impact held a traditional battle royal and that helps this feel so much more fresh.

We look at Steve Maclin returning at Emergence and going after Josh Alexander’s recently repaired tricep, allowing Moose to beat Alexander.

Alexander takes blame for the loss and apologizes to the Motor City Machine Guns. He wants the World Title back and Alex Shelley doesn’t like Alexander touching the belt. Shelley tells him to earn a shot so Shelley can show him he’s not a transitional champion. That works for Alexander, so here are the Rascalz to mock the Guns, with a singles match set for tonight.

Alisha Edwards celebrates with Eddie Edwards and declares themselves the power couple of Impact. Oh and she’ll win the title.

Crazzy Steve vs. Mike Bailey

Steve wears a mask to the ring and has a much creepier entrance, which leaves Tom Hannifan a little disturbed. Steve goes for the eyes to start and that’s a DQ at 16 seconds.

Post match Steve goes after the referee before whipping out a fork to go for Bailey’s eyes again. Cue Black Taurus to try and calm Steve down but Steve goes after Taurus’ eyes as well. Steve goes for security’s eyes as well. This was more good stuff from Steve.

Brian Myers brags about Moose and Eddie Edwards winning at Emergence. They’re ready for a six man tag tonight. Bully Ray comes in to tell Eddie to leave because they have a problem with PCO. Myers: “No, you have a problem with PCO.” With Moose and Myers gone, PCO can be heard screaming in the background.

Will Ospreay will be at Turning Point and Bound For Glory.

PCO almost catches up to Bully Ray, who catches him in a door. PCO shouts about how Ray tried to kill him, but Ray calls him Carl and says he wants the man back, not the monster.

Eric Young vs. Kon

No Deaner after an attack at Emergence. Young knocks him into the corner and hammers away. A spinebuster plants Young for two and Kon gets to slowly pound away. Back up and Young scores with some right hands, only to be tossed out to the floor in a big crash as we take a break. We come back with Kon grabbing a nerve hold but Young fights up again. Kon misses a charge in the corner and Young hits the Death Valley Driver for two.

Young’s top rope elbow gets the same but the piledriver is easily blocked. The full nelson slam gives Kon two but Young clotheslines him to the floor, setting up the big dive. There’s a piledriver on the floor to drop Kon again, only to have him beat the count at nine (erg). Back in and Young hits another piledriver for the pin at 13:01.

Rating: C. It really is amazing how much easier the Design is to take when Deaner isn’t involved. Kon isn’t much better and is a rather generic big guy but he doesn’t have the bad things that drag Deaner down. This was a passable match, even if Young didn’t do much other than punch for the first half.

Lio Rush doesn’t know why Chris Sabin wants another shot at him. Maybe his brain is still scrambled, but pick the time. Kushida comes up with his Ultimate X and says Victory Road.

Jordynne Grace is coming back at Victory Road.

Deonna Purrazzo is upset at her loss to Trinity at Emergence but she has faced setbacks before. She finds it interesting that Grace is only coming back now, but maybe it’s because she lost to Purrazzo so many times. The challenge is on for Victory Road.

Zachary Wentz vs. Chris Sabin

Trey Miguel and Alex Shelley are here too. Sabin sends him outside to start and Miguel offers some advice. Back in and some armdrags into an armbar have Wentz in more trouble. A boot scrape to the eyes cuts off a comeback attempt and Sabin stays on the arm. Wentz’s arm is sent into the buckle but he’s able to send Sabin outside for a change. There’s the big dive to take Sabin down again and we take a break.

Back with Wentz kicking him in the chest for two and grabbing an armbar/neck crank. The rope gets Sabin out of trouble and a straitjacket suplex rocks Wentz again. There’s the tornado DDT for two but Wentz kicks him in the back of the head. A half nelson slam gives Wentz two and a handspring knee drops Sabin again. That doesn’t last long as Sabin is back up with a knee and they’re both down (this lasts a bit longer). Sabin pulls him into an STF but the other two get in a fight on the floor. Sabin sends Wentz outside for a suicide dive onto both Rascalz. The Cradle Shock finishes for Sabin at 14:03.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by the new champ losing, though getting beaten by Sabin is hardly a terrible upset. This should set the Guns up for a Tag Team Title shot though I’d hope they don’t win them back that fast. Other than that, you had a nice match here and it shouldn’t be a surprise given who was in there.

Post match Miguel runs in for a cheap shot on Sabin, allowing the Rascalz to bail.

We look at the Rascalz cheating to beat Subculture, with the Good Hands and ABC getting in a fight during the match.

ABC want the Tag Team Titles back but the Good Hands come in for the argument. A match seems likely.

Subculture is talking to Santino Marella about getting a rematch against the Rascalz. Sami Callihan and Rich Swann come in to say they want the title shot. The #1 contenders match is made instead. With everyone else gone, Joe Hendry and Yuya Uemura come in to say they want a title shot too. Santino thinks it’s a little too early for that.

Here are Kenny King and Sheldon Jean for a chat. King brags about his greatness and his Digital Media Title reign, including his recent title defenses. Cue Tommy Dreamer of all people to say we need to hear the REAL story of Emergence. Before King beat Johnny Swinger in the match of Swinger’s life, he heard that his father in law had passed away. Then King jumped Dreamer, as many have done before.

Swinger had to leave but he called Dreamer to check on him and everything was cool. Then he saw King and Jean at the bar, ignoring the show’s main event. Dreamer talks about how he remembered Dreamer trying to get all kinds of advice from the veterans and now this. King doesn’t care and talks about how Dreamer used to be the one with the women in the bar. Now Dreamer won’t leave so King can have the spot because he won’t let go of anything.

Dreamer says he never left early and King has never even been in a main event. Dreamer turned down millions of dollars from WWE and WCW because he believed in something and listened to people like Mick Foley and Terry Funk. Yes Dreamer is 52 years old and he looks at people like Sting and Chris Jericho or the 107 year old PCO. That makes him wonder why King doesn’t just knock them out to take the spot.

King says Dreamer doesn’t have anything he wants but Dreamer talks about losing his mom, being diagnosed with skin cancer and losing Terry Funk in the span of three months. All he has left is his career, so let’s do title vs. career at Victory Road. Dreamer leaves before King can answer. It’s an interesting story, but it’s still Dreamer and that holds things down a lot.

Awesome Kong is back at Impact 1000.

Gail Kim says if Kong is back then so is she. All past and previous Knockouts are invited back. Kim almost being summoned by the return of Kong is a cool way to go.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Steve Maclin wants to torture Josh Alexander at Victory Road. He has a target and is ready for bagging and tagging.

Moose/Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian/Jake Something/Sanada

Kazarian slugs away at Myers to start and Sanada comes in for a double suplex. Something clears the ring and we take an early break. Back with Sanada fighting out of Myers’ chinlock and firing off a string of dropkicks. The Paradise Lock doesn’t last long as Edwards drives Sanada into the corner to take over.

There’s the Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Sanada and a knee drop gets the same. Myers stomps away for two and it’s time to crank on Sanada’s face. Sanada hurricanranas his way out of a powerbomb and an enziguri staggers the heck out of Moose. It’s back to Kazarian who is happy to beat on Edwards some more. The Unprettier drops Edwards for two and stereo crossbodies put both of them down.

Something gets to come back in and clean house, including a pop up powerbomb to Moose. Back up and Moos muscles Something up for a powerbomb but gets Shining Wizarded by Sanada. Kazarian puts Myers down and crashes out to the floor with Edwards. Myers’ Roster Cut is countered into Into The Void to give Something the pin at 14:00.

Rating: B. They got rolling by the end here and it seems that they’re trying to do something with Som….yeah please change his name. Anyway, this was a good way to make Jake look like a bigger deal as not only was he in the main event but he hung in there with higher level talent. Now follow up on it and give him some more wins.

Overall Rating: B-. Not as good as last week’s awesome show but a completely acceptable two hour show. What matters here is getting some things set up for a few upcoming shows, which is hard to do when you’re coming off a big show. That being said, Impact has done this for a few months now and manage to make it work most of the time. Good show here, as they again do exactly what they need to do.

Results
Alisha Edwards on a Knockouts Battle Royal last eliminating Jody Threat
Mike Bailey b. Crazzy Steve via DQ when Steve gouged Bailey’s eyes
Eric Young b. Kon – Piledriver
Chris Sabin b. Zachary Wentz – Cradle Shock
Jake Something/Sanada/Frankie Kazarian b. Eddie Edwards/Brian Myers/Moose – Into The Void to Myers

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 6, 2023
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are just over a week away from Slammiversary and the card is all but set. Oddly enough, one of the better built matches has been Scott D’Amore/PCO vs. Bully Ray/Steve Maclin, as the videos on D’Amore have been great. On top of that, there is also a new alliance in the form of Nick Aldis and Lio Rush, who are going after the Motor City Machine Guns. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Eddie Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie and shouts at Kazarian, even as he suplexes Eddie into a neckbreaker to start. A fisherman’s suplex gives Kazarian two but Eddie manages to send him outside, where Alisha gets in a tornado DDT. Back in and Eddie rakes the eyes and chops in the corner, allowing Alisha to choke away.

Kazarian is sent to the apron where Alisha gets in another cheap shot, allowing Eddie to hit a clothesline. A slingshot DDT plants Eddie on the apron though and it’s a double down on the floor. Back in and Kazarian counters the Blue Thunder Bomb into a failed chickenwing so it’s an Unprettier for two on Eddie instead.

Another chickenwing attempt is blocked and Eddie grabs the tiger driver for two of his own. The chickenwing finally goes on but Alisha offers a distraction, allowing Eddie to drive it into the corner, with the referee getting bumped in the process. Alisha kendo sticks Kazarian from behind though and the Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 10:46.

Rating: B-. Well yeah of course this was good. They’re both talented wrestlers and they have a story going. Giving them some time to put a match together is going to work and it went well here. You can probably pencil in some kind of a mixed tag for Slammiversary and that opens up more than a few options.

We look back at Nick Aldis and Lio Rush laying out the Motor City Machine Guns. That’s your main event tonight.

Chris Sabin is ready to face Rush for the X-Division Title at Slammiversary.

Rush says he’s here to win titles instead of making friends. Nick Aldis comes in to say he’s here to make history, and they can accomplish these things together. As long as Rush stays out of Aldis’ way.

Frankie Kazarian congratulates Eddie Edwards on the win, even if that’s not how Killer Kowalski taught them. They’re 1-1 so let’s have the rubber match at Slammiversary, with Kazarian offering to bring his wife, Traci Brooks, to even things up.

Champagne Singh/Shera vs. Rich Swann/Sami Callihan

Swann get double teamed down to start and Singh drops him with a Downward Spiral for some trash talk. Swann trips him down though and it’s back to Callihan to pick up the pace. This includes the always stupid throw a team together and make someone DDT his partner spot. Swann comes back in for a double superkick to Singh, meaning it’s the Cactus Driver to finish Singh at 3:16.

Rating: C. Not much beyond a squash here but it’s good to have Callihan and Swann look like a solid team on the way towards Slammiversary. They’re long established as friends and have teamed together, but rarely as a two on two team. Beating up Singh and Shera is always fun too, and it worked well here.

Moose and Brian Myers are ready to give Callihan and Swann real competition.

We look at Santino Marella yelling at Dirty Dango, allowing Heath to jump Dango from behind.

Dirty Dango talks about how he loved wrestling in the 90s (Juventud Guerrera, Villano IV, Villano VII, people like that) but then he realized that things change when you get into the arena. Go back to school instead of wrestling. As for Santino Marella, Dango has grown up while Santino is still stuck in 2010. Dango: “It’s like going to a Yoko Ono concert where she just yodels the whole time.” As for Heath…..maybe try being a fork lift driver?

Angels vs. Jonathan Gresham

The Design is here with Angels, who is quickly sent outside. Deaner yells at Angels to do what he says so he goes back in and suplexes Gresham. A running dropkick sends Angels outside though and we take a break. Back with Gresham dropping him again for two and they fight over a suplex. A half and half suplex sends Gresham into the corner so Angels can hammer away, which doesn’t seem to be following Deaner’s plan. They fight over some rollups for two each until Gresham pulls him into the Octopus for the tap at 10:27.

Rating: C+. The idea here was Angels trying to pay attention to Deaner and do his own thing with neither exactly working. Beating Gresham is hard enough on its own and he did his whole technical wrestling master deal. If nothing else, it’s better than the same stuff the Design was doing with Sami Callihan for months, so hopefully this leads to the team falling apart and going away for good.

Post match Gresham offers a handshake but Deaner doesn’t want Angels to do it. Angels teases leaving but goes back in, with Deaner breaking up the handshake attempt. Deaner pokes him in the chest so Angels grabs his hand and then shakes Gresham’s hand.

The Bullet Club is ready to defend the titles against anyone, including three teams at Slammiversary. The Rascalz come in and want to be in he match, but Chris Bey says they haven’t won anything around here. Wentz suggests a match with Bey, and if Wentz wins, they’re in the title match. Seems to be a deal.

Video on the Australia shows. Good for them for getting to go somewhere else, as they’ve turned things around so much in the last few years.

We recap the issues between Deonna Purrazzo, Trinity and Gisele Shaw.

Trinity thanks Purrazzo for having her back last week. Purrazzo says she wants Trinity 100% when she beats her at Slammiversary and that’s not cool with Trinity. Purrazzo is willing to put out the open challenge next week to show Trinity who she’s facing at Slammiversary.

PCO vs. Good Hands

Scott D’Amore joins commentary. Before the match, the Good Hands talk about how PCO is about to feel these good hands. PCO beats them to the floor to start and hits the big running flip dive. The Deanimator hits Hotch and a reverse DDT plants Skyler back inside. The PCOsault finishes Skyler at 1:56.

Post match Hotch goes after D’Amore and gets beaten up for his efforts, including a Sky High. The Canadian Destroyer is loaded up but here is Bully Ray to interrupt. Steve Maclin sneaks in from behind though and the villains wreck PCO and D’Amore with a chair. D’Amore gets handcuffed to the rope and PCO gets destroyed even worse, including being put through a chair.

PCO gets thrown down a ramp into the backstage area. After yelling at D’Amore some more, they follow PCO outside and pour…..battery acid into PCO’s mouth. Then they add lighter fluid and light him on fire. This went on for a LONG time and while the ending looked cool, it was hard to keep interest all the way there.

Post break, we look back at what we just saw.

Scott D’Amore is looking at PCO, who doesn’t know how the Slammiversary match is affected and really doesn’t care.

Gisele Shaw vs. Courtney Rush

Jai Vidal, Savannah Evans and Jessicka are here too. Shaw runs her over to start so Rush grabs a top wristlock. Rush sends her outside for a breather, followed by a reverse DDT for two back inside. Vidal offers a distraction though and Shaw gets in a kick to the head to start the comeback. A suplex gives Shaw two and frustration is setting in. Rush knocks her away but Evans offers a distraction. Jessicka slugs her down but gets sent into the steps. Vidal gets on the apron as well and that’s enough of a distraction for Shaw to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 6:13.

Rating: C. Shaw gets another win as the numbers game is too much for Rush and Jessicka. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Shaw accept Deonna Purrazzo’s challenge next week, though adding her to the title match at Slammiversary at this point doesn’t feel likely. So far the new Death Dollz haven’t been doing so well but their whole huge story has had so many twists and turns that something is going to come from all of it.

Kenny King and Sheldon Jean are interrupted by a random fan who has no business being backstage. She tries to put money in King’s pants, and another woman does the same. Then Joe Hendry pops up and produces Yuya Uemura to prevent a 2-1 beatdown. The villains leave.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Lio Rush/Nick Aldis

Sabin wants Rush to start but gets Aldis instead. Aldis easily wins an exchange of shoulders and elbows Sabin in the face for a bonus. Rush comes in and starts the dodging, setting up a jumping kick to the head. We hit the rear naked choke but Sabin slips out and slides outside to trip Aldis. Shelley uses the distraction to jump Rush from behind and Sabin gets two off a double stomp.

The abdominal stretch keeps Rush in trouble and Shelley knocks him outside. This time Aldis gets in a cheap shot on Shelley and we take a break. Back with Aldis clotheslining Shelley and stomping away a bit more. Aldis starts in on the leg and Rush comes in for some right hands of his own. Rush chokes in the corner and the bodyscissors goes on. It’s back to Aldis for a chinlock but Shelley fights up with a Downward Spiral into the corner.

The tag brings in Sabin to clean house, including a middle rope missile dropkick to Rush. Everything breaks down and a Magic Killer of all things gets two on Rush. Aldis is taken down with a dragon screw legwhip over the ropes, with Rush taking one of his own. The Guns go after Aldis, allowing Rush to hit a big running flip dive to take everyone out. Aldis adds a top rope elbow for two but Rush misses the final Hour.

There’s the Dream Sequence to Rush and a cutter drops Aldis. The powerbomb/sliding cutter hits Rush for two with Aldis making the save. Aldis gets the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf on Shelley, with Sabin making the save. Rush hits Sabin low and kicks him in the head, setting up the Final Hour for the pin at 17:54.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but eventually picked up well. What mattered here was setting up the King vs. Sabin title match at Slammiversary and they covered that well. Aldis vs. Shelley is more or less set up in advance, so this was a good way to make both title matches feel more interesting at the same time.

Overall Rating: B. Another solid show here as Slammiversary has come together rather well and I’m wanting to see the show. The PCO thing was quite over the top but it does kind of fit with how intense the feud has been. In addition to that, the title matches got some nice boosts and nothing is feeling overly weak. Next week is set up for the big go home show and now I’m curious to see what they’re going to do for the big finale. God stuff here, which might as well be the official subtitle as of late.

Results
Eddie Edwards b. Frankie Kazarian – Boston Knee Party
Sami Callihan/Rich Swann b. Champagne Singh/Shera – Cactus Driver to Singh
Jonathan Gresham b. Angels – Octopus
PCO b. Good Hands – PCOsault to Skyler
Gisele Shaw b. Courtney Rush – Rollup with feet on the ropes

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 22, 2023
Location: Ohio Expo Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Things took a turn last week when #1 contender Nick Aldis laid out World Champion Alex Shelley. This adds quite the wrinkle to their upcoming Slammiversary title match and I’m curious to see how all of that goes. Other than that, Scott D’Amore is ready to get his hands on Bully Ray next month. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

OVE vs. Good Hands/Brian Myers

Before the match, Skyler says OVE stands for Ohio vs. Everything. Well he’ll take everything from tooth decay to an IRS audit over Ohio. Crist kicks Skyler down to start and hands it off to Callihan for a double spinebuster. Fulton comes in for a double chokeslam/World’s Strongest Slam combination (that was cool) to take the villains down.

A Myers distraction takes Crist down though and the Good Hands drop a double elbow for two. Myers comes in with a suplex for one and we hit the chinlock. Crist fights up so Skyler comes back in for a slam to cut it off again. A forearm finally gives Crist a breather and he nips up for the tag off to Callihan. Cue Moose to crotch Crist on top so Callihan and Fulton go after him. The distraction lets Myers hit the Roster Cut for the pin at 5:40.

Rating: C+. Rather formula based match here and the ending helps establish Moose and Myers as a team who could be something down the line. OVE feels almost like a blast from the past but they’re good enough for a spot like this. As long as they’re away from the Design, it’s kind of hard to complain that much.

Eddie Edwards comes up to talk to Frankie Kazarian and says Frankie can trust him tonight in their tag match. Kazarian doesn’t quite buy that so Eddie asks what he has to do. Eddie doesn’t need to worry about it but he swears on the grave of Killer Kowalski that he won’t do anything to Kazarian. That’s enough for Frankie, but he doesn’t seem completely convinced.

Sami Callihan is livid when Rich Swann comes up to him in the back. Callihan wants to know where Swann was and Swann says he was busy at Against All Odds. From now on, Swann has his back as his top priority. Callihan approves.

Here is Dirty Dango for a chat. Dango: “Man do I hate professional wrestling.” And that’s it before his match.

Dirty Dango vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Dango shoulders him over to start and dances a bit, allowing Gujjar to come back up with a shoulder. Some dropkicks put Dango on the floor for a slingshot dive but the Gargoyle spear misses back inside. Dango hits a layout reverse DDT for the pin at 2:00.

Post match Dango grabs a phone and says something we can’t hear. Cue Santino Marella, with Gujjar sending Dango inside for the Cobra.

The Death Dollz run into the returning Nevaeh and aren’t sure if they should trust her. They don’t have much of a choice though, and it’s time to learn the parts of the story they don’t know. Courtney Rush loves an origin story….so the Dollz runs off without her.

Zicky Dice passes his test to become an official referee. The referee giving him his test treats it as a serious deal but Johnny Swinger gets rid of him. Swinger flat out says this is so he can cheat to get his fifty wins.

Mike Bailey/Jonathan Gresham vs. The Design

Gresham comes in off a very early blind tag to dropkick Angels in the back, allowing Bailey to kick him in the face. Kon comes in to wreck both of them though and Angels adds a half and half suplex. We take a break and come back with Gresham getting away to bring Bailey back in for the kicks to Kon. The bouncing kicks set up the kick to the head and a missile dropkick puts Kon down instead.

Kon is fine enough to muscle Bailey up from the mat for a slam though and the Design takes right back over. That doesn’t last long as Gresham comes in for the save, allowing Bailey to armbreaker Angels. With that broken up, Bailey moonsaults onto Kon on the floor. Back in and Bailey gets caught in a super Spanish Fly, but Deaner stops to yell at Angels. The distraction causes Angels to miss his frog splash, allowing Bailey to hit the tornado kick. The Ultimate Weapon finishes Angels at 9:28.

Rating: C+. This match did one important thing and that is getting us closer to the destruction of the Design. The team has LONG outlived its usefulness (which wasn’t much in the first place) and now they finally seem to be going away. Gresham and Bailey were good enough as a team, but I don’t need them becoming the next dream team to go after the titles.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Magnus (Nick Aldis) beats Jeff Hardy in the Dixieland match to win the World Title on December 18, 2013.

Gisele Shaw and Gail Kim are going to be on the Amazing Race: Canada. We don’t have any clips or anything similar to hype it up, but it’s true.

Trinity isn’t happy with Gisele Shaw getting a Knockouts Title shot on the upcoming Australian tour but she’s fine with the Slammiversary match being a triple threat if it has to be. For now though, she’ll beat up Jai Vidal next week instead.

Nick Aldis has sent in a statement saying he won’t be here tonight due to fear of his own safety. Alex Shelley comes in and doesn’t buy it, saying he wants Aldis here. Aldis will be here next week so Shelley leaves, only to come back with a superkick when interviewer Jimmy Jacobs runs his mouth too much.

Taylor Wilde vs. Killer Kelly

Feeling out process to start and Kelly seems pleased with the thought of violence. A shot to the throat and a pump kick give Kelly two and a running kick to the chest drops Wilde again. King low bridges Kelly to the floor though and Wilde gets to kick away back inside. The surfboard goes on but is broken up just as fast, allowing Kelly to suplex her into the corner. They fight over a rollup for two each until Kelly pulls her into the Killer Klutch. That’s broken up as well so Kelly grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C. Nice back and forth match with Kelly getting a win for a change. I could go for her getting a stronger push as she has felt like someone who could go a lot higher rather quickly. For now at least she is getting a win and if she can find a partner, we could have some fresh challengers for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. They certainly could use some new challengers so that’s certainly an idea.

Post match the beatdown is on but Masha Slamovich comes in to save Kelly. The villains bail and Kelly seems to approve.

We recap Scott D’Amore attacking Bully Ray last week, setting up the tag match with PCO and Steve Maclin at Slammiversary.

D’Amore says he is no longer the president so he takes off the fancy stuff before saying he isn’t what he once was. His prime, if he had one, wasn’t as good as Ray or Maclin, but he coached a lot of people over the years and is a five time Canadian Heavyweight Champion. He’ll break any rule or cross any line, and since he brought Ray into this company, it’s time he took him out. The sleeves are rolled up and now he’s ready for war. Good promo here, as D’Amore sounds like a man who has to do something.

Here is Joe Hendry to say….extraterrestrials have made contact with Earth. It makes sense to do it now because he is Digital Media Champion. Those aliens are trying to say the two most important words: WE BELIEVE.

Digital Media Title: Joe Hendry vs. Yuya Uemura

Hendry is defending and here are Kenny King and Sheldon Jean to interrupt. The former sits in on commentary as Hendry works on a headlock. Some armdrags have Hendry down, causing him to bow in respect. We take a break and come back with the camera on King before looking at Uemura fighting out of a chinlock. A belly to back suplex gives Uemura two but Hendry is back up to strike it out. Hendry rolls through a high crossbody and it’s the Standing Ovation to retain the title at 9:07.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to get very far as the break and then the camera sitting on King didn’t do it any favors. King vs. Hendry is fine for a likely title feud and it wouldn’t shock me to see King get the title. At some point he has to win something new and the Digital Media Title would work well. As for Uemura, he continues to be a completely fine hand in the ring, though he needs to actually win a few matches at some point before the impact fades.

Slammiversary and Australian shows rundown.

Bully Ray/Steve Maclin vs. Frankie Kazarian/Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Kazarian/Eddie. Maclin and Eddie start things off with Maclin dropping him off a running elbow. Eddie is fine enough to pull him over for a slingshot legdrop from Kazarian. Maclin sends him into the corner where Ray crotches Kazarian against the post and we take a break.

Back with Kazarian being knocked into the corner again as the slow being is on. A suplex gives Maclin two and we hit the reverse chinlock. With that broken up, Eddie comes back in to chop away and a double suplex drops Ray. Eddie’s suicide dive hits Ray and Kazarian’s slingshot hurricanrana takes Maclin down on the floor. Back in and Maclin knocks Eddie to the floor where Ray grabs a chair. Instead Ray chases Alisha off and it’s Maclin chinlocking Eddie again.

An Irish Curse gives Maclin two and Ray comes back in to punch him down. Eddie gets up and crossbodies Maclin for a double knockdown. The tag brings in Kazarian to pick up the pace as everything breaks down. Kazarian drops Maclin for two as Eddie and Ray come in (sans tags) to rake each others’ eyes. Ray shoves Eddie into Kazarian, who is right back with the chickenwing. Eddie is back up and accidentally superkicks Kazarian, allowing Maclin and Ray to hit a belly to back neckbreaker for the pin at 15:31.

Rating: B-. Nice enough main event here, and I kind of like having the teams who don’t like each other not being able to win their first match against each a team of former World Champions. Eddie vs. Kazarian should be a fun match at Slammiversary assuming that is the way they go. Other than that, we had a back and forth match with the action doing well, though it never quite got to that next level.

The winners are happy and the losers aren’t to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped but this show wasn’t quite up to the standards of the usual stuff they do around here. Slammiversary is about three weeks away and you can see a lot of the card from here, though that doesn’t make it the most interesting. The lack of Aldis after last week’s big turn didn’t help either and it wasn’t the most interesting offering as a result. It’s not bad, but more of a skippable show than usual this week.

Results
Brian Myers/Good Hands b. OVE – Roster Cut to Crist
Dirty Dango b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Layout reverse DDT
Jonathan Gresham/Mike Bailey b. The Design – Ultimate Weapon to Angels
Killer Kelly b. Taylor Wilde – Rollup
Joe Hendry b. Yuya Uemura – Standing Ovation
Bully Ray/Steve Maclin b. Frankie Kazarian/Eddie Edwards – Belly to back neckbreaker to Kazarian

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

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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 15, 2023
Location: Ohio Expo Center, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Against All Odds and my goodness things went nuts. First of all, Alex Shelley actually won the World Title from Steve Maclin in a heck of a surprise. If that’s not enough for the Motor City Machine Guns, Chris Sabin won the X-Division Title from Trey Miguel, cementing them as maybe the best tag team Impact has ever had. Nick Aldis is waiting for Shelley at Slammiversary so let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Against All Odds.

Here are the Motor City Machine Guns to a heck of a reception. Chris Sabin talks about how he had a dream that the two of them went into Against All Odds and came out with the gold. Not tag team gold as you might expect, but instead he won the X-Division Title and Alex Shelley won the World Title. Then Sabin realized that it was a dream come true. Shelley: “Yup.” Shelley talks about how he ugly cried when he won the title because he was finally good enough to win the big one.

When he mentors someone, they become World Champions, like Kazuchika Okada, Trey Miguel, Kushida, the Young Bucks, Seth Rollins or Jay White. At some point though, it needed to be his turn and he had to prove it to himself. Now he can say he is a World Champion and he did it because of the fans, everyone in the locker room, everyone in New Japan, everyone in Ring Of Honor and people like Sabin. Shelley: “Ask me if I’m a World Champion.” Sabin: “My friend, my brother, are you a World Champion?” Shelley: “Yup.”

This is the Machine Gun Era, but here is Nick Aldis to interrupt. Aldis says the two of them did it at Against All Odds and he was one of those people who was there cheering for Shelley when it was his night. He’s proud of Shelley and yes, Shelley deserves the title. When Aldis first got here, he was drowning and was going to be on a list of “remember that guy” names. Then Shelley pulled him up, so you can add his name to the list of World Champions that Shelley mentored.

Aldis kept climbing though, and now it’s the two of them for the World Title, and no matter who wins, there will be a World Champion that this company will be proud of. As Shelley’s friend though, Aldis is going to do everything he can to make sure it’s him. Cue Trey Miguel to interrupt because he isn’t happy with the lack of respect. Sabin invites him in to say this to his face, but Miguel turns him down.

Cue Kenny King and Sheldon Jean, with King saying Miguel is the only one out here telling any truth. King accuses the three guys in the ring of jumping the line and getting a bunch of shots, so Sabin invites the other three in to see what happens. The villains come towards the ring but cue Gisele Shaw/Savannah Evans/Jai Vidal of all people to interrupt. Shaw says the spotlight should be on her and asks Shelley if he deserves all of this. Shelley: “Yup.” He thinks her problem is with Trinity so here is Trinity to interrupt.

Vidal threatens Trinity, who threatens him right back, so here id Deonna Purrazzo to interrupt. Purrazzo says she now has over 500 days as Knockouts Champions so she should be in the World Champion discussion. Trinity: “Until Slammiversary.” Cue Santino Marella to make the big ten person tag match for later tonight. This took about twenty minutes and it’s been happening more recently around here. Please don’t be the new norm, because it’s way too WWE instead of Impact.

Steve Maclin is livid about his loss and shouts that he should still be the World Champion. He shoves the camera away.

We look at Sami Callihan hitting Deaner in the face with a baseball bat and piledriving him onto a barbed wire board to beat him at Against All Odds.

Deaner wants to know who should be blamed for the Design’s loss. That would be Angels, who doesn’t like being bossed around this much. He has done everything Deaner has asked, and then Deaner (accidentally) hit him in the face with a baseball bat at Against All Odds. It was Deaner’s fault that they lost so the argument is on. Kon says this is exactly what Callihan wants so they need to get it together. Cool. Just do it on another show.

Moose vs. Rich Swann

Swann tries to move around to start but gets sent into the corner a few times. Some dropkicks stagger Moose a bit and a middle rope version staggers him even more. The low bridge sends Moose outside but he pulls a dive out of the air and powerbombs Swann onto the apron. Moose doesn’t let him go though and sends him into the barricade, followed by a toss powerbomb into the ropes.

We take a break and come back with Moose chopping away in the corner. Moose’s release Rock Bottom gets two and they head outside, where Swann ducks a chop that only hits post instead. Back in and Moose charges into a boot to the face, setting up a DDT to leave them both down.

Swann goes up top but gets superplex back down for a huge crash. We take another break and come back with Moose running the corner, only to dive into a cutter in some great timing. Swann’s Lethal Injection gets two but the middle rope 450 misses. The powerbomb gives Moose two but another spear is countered into a jackknife cover for the pin at 17:32.

Rating: B. These two were going back and forth and as usual, power vs. speed works well. It also helps to have this much extra time, allowing them to get things going more than usual. At the same time, it is a little strange to see Moose getting pinned clean, though I could go with more of Swann getting a singles push, as he is one of those recently untapped resources that Impact has.

On BTI, Heath took out Champagne Singh and Shera.

Heath talks about how he came here and then got hurt for 11 months. Then he had to save his best friend from a cult. Then Rhino got hurt, but then he came back and they won the Tag Team Titles. Now though, Rhino is hurt again, so he has to figure out what is next for him. Everyone is getting a wake up call.

Moose is annoyed when he runs into Brian Myers, who brings up Moose’s recent losses. Moose doesn’t want to hear this, but Myers offers to reform their team, which has Moose thinking.

Here is Bully Ray for a chat, complete with a piece of paper in his hand. Ray says he is a victim of the atrocious management around here, along with a victim of unnecessary violence at Against All Odds at the hands of Scott D’Amore. He is a victim of the system around here, and now he demands justice.

Cue D’Amore, with Ray demanding answers. D’Amore says when you’re a jerk to everyone, someone is going to be a jerk back. D’Amore mocks him for having a letter of complaint but reveals that he went before the board. They told him he was unbecoming of a president, which has Ray looking near stunned. Now all Ray wants is him to apologize, but D’Amore apparently has to take a leave of absence as president.

That’s music to his ears, with Ray saying D’Amore’s bosses screwed D’Amore over. Then D’Amore takes him down for some not so great right hands, which draws out Steve Maclin for the save. The beatdown is on, with Ray choking with a chair. The lights go out though and the lightning means it’s PCO time. A punch knocks the chair into Ray’s face and Maclin is knocked outside as well. Hold on though, as D’Amore has made one more match: a tag match between the four of them at Slammiversary.

Post break Maclin yells at Ray, who tells him to act like a Marine. Ray says that PCO (or maybe D’Amore) is just a man, but Frankie Kazarian pops up to say he’s a man who just beat them both up. Eddie Edwards (with Alisha Edwards) comes in to get between them and a match seems to be teased. With Ray and Maclin gone, Kazarian wants to know what is up with that. Eddie says they don’t like each other, but they’ll always have a bond, so they’re good. Kazarian (and Alisha) is confused but they’re at peace.

Decay vs. Bullet Club

Non-title. Austin gets taken into the corner for a kick to the head from Taurus and Steve gets in some hair pulling of his own. A kick gets Austin out of trouble but Taurus comes in sans tag and headbutts him down. Steve bites both champs but gets kicked out of the air for his trouble. Bey comes in and it’s the Art of Finesse into the Fold to finish Steve at 3:08.

Rating: C. I could have gone for more of this but that is the case with most of the matches the Club has these days. They really have gone into the area of being a great team, which is more than I was expecting when they were put together. This was shorter than it should have been, as Decay can put on a good match when they are given the chance, which isn’t the case in a match that barely breaks three minutes.

Post match the Club goes to the back and runs into the Motor City Machine Guns, with a showdown teased.

We get a preview of an upcoming documentary on Bhupinder Gujjar.

Gujjar is excited when Dirty Dango comes in to say no one would want to watch that. He’s assuming that Gujjar will sit around and hope that someone makes him a star. Gujjar calls him a bitter a****** and leaves. Dango: “I thought the backstage interview girls were supposed to be hot. No?”

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Trinity/Motor City Machine Guns/Nick Aldis/Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kenny King/Sheldon Jean/Savannah Evans/Trey Miguel/Gisele Shaw

Purrazzo and Shaw go to the mat to start and come up to a standoff with some trash talk. Shaw runs into an elbow to the face and Trinity comes in to unload with forearms. Shaw drives her into the corner though and it’s Evans coming in for some slams. Trinity breaks that up and Purrazzo comes back in for a Fujiwara armbar. Shaw’s save is cut off by Trinity with Starstruck but Miguel makes a save.

We take a break and come back with Aldis fighting out of King’s headlock. Sabin comes in to forearm Miguel and twists Jean’s knee across the middle rope for a bonus. Miguel sends Sabin into the corner and Jean’s knee is fine enough to come in for some elbows to the chest. Sabin is sent outside for a big group stomping, with Sabin’s partners being held back by the referee.

Back in and King stays on Sabin’s arm, allowing Miguel to come in for a front facelock. King cuts off a comeback attempt but a middle rope tornado DDT plants King for a breather. Shelley gets the hot tag and picks up the pace, including an overhead belly to belly to Miguel. A super atomic drop has Miguel gyrating quite a bit so Shelley pulls him into the Border City Stretch. Everything breaks down and King kicks Shelton by mistake. Aldis gives King a Michinoku Driver and Shell Shock finishes Jean at 18:38.

Rating: B-. This was a long match and at the end of the day, all that mattered was getting Shelley a win. Shelley got his big moment earlier in the night and he gets a pin as champion here. The Trinity vs. Purrazzo match is already set, though adding Shaw in wouldn’t be a crazy idea given what they have been doing. At the same time, another Miguel vs. Sabin match, maybe in something like Ultimate X, would fit in nicely at Slammiversary as well. All in all, there was a lot going on here, but it could all be setting up things for later.

Post match Aldis holds the title up to Shelley….and then blasts him with it to turn heel and end the show. That’s going to be better for him, as the respectable former champion was only so good.

Overall Rating: C+. They went in a rather different direction here with some LONG talking segments and only three matches. There was a lot of television time given to the matches and there were ten people in the main event, but it was like bunching several things together in some big lumps. I’m hoping that this isn’t the new norm as it’s not bad, but it’s not as good as it was before. Go with more acting and less talking, as it suits Impact a lot better. The Machine Guns era is off to an ok start, but they might be going in a shaky direction.

Results
Rich Swann b. Moose – Jackknife rollup
Bullet Club b. Decay – Fold to Steve
Motor City Machine Guns/Nick Aldis/Trinity/Deonna Purrazzo b. Gisele Shaw/Savannah Evans/Trey Miguel/Kenny King/Sheldon Jean – Shell Shock to Jean

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

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AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 8, 2023
Location: Western Fair District Agriplex, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Somehow this is the go home show for Against All Odds, despite being less than two weeks removed from Under Siege. The main event of tomorrow’s show will see Steve Maclin defending the World Title against Alex Shelley, so odds are the hard push is on tonight. Other than that, Bully Ray is still the big bad and needs someone to come after him. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Chris Bey vs. Jason Hotch

Ace Austin, Brian Myers and John Skyler are here too. Before the match, Myers and Skyler promise that after Against All Odds, the Tag Team Titles will be in good hands. Hotch tries a rollup to start but gets suplexed down for his efforts. Bey chops away in the corner but a springboard is countered with a shove over the top to the floor. Back in and Bey hits a backdrop before kicking him in the head. The Art of Finesse is countered into a heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb to give Hotch two. Bey is back with a kick to the face but Hotch tries la majistral. That’s fine with Bey, who stacks him up for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: B-. The word I think of when I see a Bey match is “smooth”. He can make anything he does in the ring look good and that was the case again here, as he and Hotch got to go out there and do their thing for a bit with nothing looking bad. The title match should be good as well and I could go for more of any combination of these guys.

Post match the beatdown is on, with the champs being left laying.

Heath is back and ready for the 8-4-1 match. Tonight, he’ll take out Champagne Singh to get ready for tomorrow.

Dirty Dango talks about how he has money now and doesn’t need to be the dancing clown again. He doesn’t like wrestlers texting him but he’ll happily take money to not show up. The idea of shaking hands with sweaty awkward 18-35 year old men in some armory somewhere sounds like ALL KINDS of fun. A 5X Dirty Dango shirt won’t cover up the smell so take a shower ok? He doesn’t care about winning the Digital Media Title. If he wins it, he’ll list it on eBay and use the proceeds to go to Hawaii. With a girl. This stuff is glorious.

Champagne Singh vs. Heath

Shera is here with Singh. Heath takes him into the corner for some forearms to start but Shera offers a distraction. That lets Singh snapmare him into the ropes to start banging up the ribs, giving Singh a target. Heath slips out of a powerbomb and hits a powerslam, setting up the Wake Up Call for the pin at 2:51.

The Design promises war with Sami Callihan, Jake Crist and whomever else they can find. Yeah yeah blood and violence and carnage and all that good stuff.

Here is Joe Hendry to say he’s ready to face the man who broke his nose, Sheldon Jean. That would be the reality star under the tutelage of another reality star, Kenny King. It isn’t that simple for Jean, especially because we believe.

Joe Hendry vs. Sheldon Jean

Non-title and King is here with Jean. Hendry takes Jean down fast to start but a King distraction lets Jean get in a kick to the face. We take a break and come back with Hendry powering out of a guillotine choke and hitting a suplex. The fall away slam looks to set up the Standing Ovation but King offers a distraction. Not that it matters as a powerbomb sets up the Standing Ovation finishes Jean off at 7:32.

Rating: C. Jean meets the description of a good hand and that should be enough to keep him on the roster for a long while to come. Eventually he’ll get a win or two and that is all he needs to make him a bit of a star. Hendry on the other hand has so much charisma and now he is backing up up with a better look and the ability in the ring.

Post match Hendry calls out Dirty Dango, who appears to say that he hates pro wrestling. He’ll pass on the fighting (it’s his day off), but Hendry has a new video about Dango, who seems to have lost his mind. Hendry plans to figure out what happened to make Dango nuts, sending us into a hilarious history of Dango’s career (he started by pinning Chris Jericho 1-2-3, then he was impersonating a cop with Breeze, then he couldn’t get laid on Total Divas). With the song over, Jean and King jump Hendry but Santino Marella comes out to make the save with the Cobra to Jean. Those songs are AMAZING and this was great again.

Gisele Shaw and company brag about taking out Jordynne Grace and think it should be a warning to Trinity. This is her house, and rent is due. Revenge is sworn at Against All Odds.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Death Dollz vs. The Coven

The Coven is defending. Wilde can’t do much with Jessicka to start so it’s off to Rush, who yells at King during the staredown. Rush takes her down but gets sent into the corner so King can take over. A swinging suplex gives King two but Rush gets over for the tag to Jessicka. That’s fine with Wilde, who sends her into the corner to take over as well as the Dollz can’t keep anything going here. Jessicka clotheslines her way to freedom and brings Rush back in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and King gets in a cheap shot to Rush, setting up a big boot/spinebuster to retain at 6:25.

Rating: C. As usual, the lack of depth in the division causes problems around here, as it’s hard to get around the fact that the division is the champs and whomever they are defending against at the moment. This should get rid of the Dollz for the time being, but who is there left for the Coven to face? I’m sure some wrestlers will be thrown together, but that doesn’t help the underlying problem.

Video on Alex Shelley becoming #1 contender and finally getting his World Title shot last August. Now he knows what it takes to come up short and that was a learning experience. We hear about the wrestlers that Shelley has mentored or influenced over the years but when is it about him? It doesn’t need to be this week, but Shelley almost has to win the title, just based off of how it has been built up.

Steve Maclin talks about all of the wrestlers who want the title but Bully Ray interrupts. Ray says he likes Maclin, who just won’t listen. Don’t worry though, because he won’t come for Maclin’s title until Slammiversary.

Killer Kelly vs. Masha Slamovich in a Dog Collar match is set for Against All Odds.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Trey Miguel

Non-title. Gujjar takes him down to start but Miguel hits a kick to the face. With Miguel on the floor, Gujjar loads up a dive, which is knocked out of the air. Back in and a slingshot splash sets up a Lionsault to give Miguel one. Gujjar knocks him down again but misses a frog splashes, allowing Miguel to kick him down. Miguel misses what looked to be a top rope double stomp but comes right back with the Lightning Spiral for the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C. This was just a quick “Trey Miguel is great” win before he defends the title again tomorrow. Miguel is getting pretty high up there with some of the records and it’s pretty awesome to see him doing so well. If nothing else, having someone with a consistent track record holding a title is a good thing, and I’d like to see Miguel move up a bit after losing the title.

Post match Miguel says he doesn’t respect Chris Sabin and declares himself the a different kind of champion. He promises that tomorrow, he’ll win again and there will be no “yeah but’s” this time around.

Johnny Swinger brags about how great he is in the ring and talks about his daddy, Donny Swinger, telling him “Swing Sonny”, sometimes it’s time to pass the heat onto someone else. Like Russo! Either way, he blames “crooked referees paid off by Gene Simmons and Bob Seger”. That’s why he’s going to have Zicky Dice become a referee, and then he’ll have a strap around his waist. This man is a genius.

Trinity and Deonna Purrazzo are ready to fight at Slammiversary, but they’re ready to fight Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans tomorrow night too. It’s too bad that Jordynne Grace is out of action indefinitely, but this is a dangerous business.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Moose/Rich Swann vs. Jonathan Gresham/Nick Aldis

Swann and Gresham start things off with Swann kicking him in the face. Aldis comes in and gets caught with a headscissors but ducks an enziguri. The King’s Lynn Cloverleaf is blocked though and it’s Moose coming in. Moose misses a charge and gets punched in the face before Aldis grabs an armbar.

We take a break and come back with Gresham hitting Moose in the ribs, allowing Gresham and Aldis to start working on the arm. Moose powers Gresham away though and it’s Swann coming back in for a rolling splash. It’s back to Moose for a heck of a whip into the corner to leave Gresham grabbing his chest, followed by a near chop to tag Swann back in.

A quick taunt of Aldis is enough for Gresham to be pulled back into the wrong corner. He slips out of what looked to be a powerbomb though and the diving tag brings in Aldis to pick up the pace. Moose gets dropped so Aldis’ top rope elbow can get two but it’s a double clothesline to put both of them down. Everything breaks down and Swann’s Lethal Injection gets two on Gresham. It’s back to Moose off a blind tag though and a powerbomb finishes Gresham at 13:31.

Rating: B-. This was a nice preview of the 8-4-1 match and that’s all it needed to be. We could be in for some interesting combinations in the match so throwing together a random tag match like this is what makes sense. Aldis continues to look good in his comeback and Swann/Gresham are both capable of doing whatever they need. Moose hasn’t been featured as much recently so this was a nice return to form.

Post match the brawl is on again, with Heath running in to help take Moose out. Aldis and Heath brawl to the floor so Swann loads up a dive, only to get caught by Bully Ray. PCO runs in for the slugout and hits the big dive through the ropes, allowing him to stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Impact was in a really weird spot this week as they had two regular shows to build up the next monthly special. That isn’t a ton of time and they more or less opted to just go as fast as they could without going too in-depth with much of anything. Instead they had two good matches and some other stuff in the middle that worked out well enough. Tomorrow’s card has potential and I could go for seeing what they have in store. Things can get back to normal next week, and if the last few weeks are any indication, we should be in for a very nice build to Slammiversary.

Results
Chris Bey b. Jason Hotch – Rollup
Heath b. Champagne Singh – Wake Up Call
Joe Hendry b. Sheldon Jean – Standing Ovation
The Coven b. Death Dollz – Big boot/spinebuster combination to Rush
Trey Miguel b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Lightning Spiral
Moose/Rich Swann b. Jonathan Gresham/Nick Aldis – Powerbomb to Gresham

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 1, 2023
Location: Western Fair District Agriplex, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the first show after Under Siege and a lot of things took place at the show. First and foremost, Steve Maclin retained the World Title by defending PCO but Bully Ray attacked Scott D’Amore to end the show, even putting him through a flaming table. Other than that, we have a new #1 contender in the form of Alex Shelley, who will get a World Title shot at Against All Odds. Let’s get to it.

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

Under Siege recap.

Here is Bully Ray to get things going and no one is happy to see him. He has been putting people through tables throughout his career and no one is better at it in wrestling history. We hear about some of the people who he has put through them over the years, but the really bad ones are the people he puts through flaming tables. That’s what he did to Scott D’Amore and there is no one here to stop him.

Now it is on to Against All Odds, where he can become #1 contender and then to Slammiversary to win the World Title. Cue World Champion Steve Maclin to interrupt to say he liked what happened to D’Amore. What Bully needs to understand though is Maclin allowed Ray to hurt D’Amore like that. Ray tells him to shut up and says no one tells him what he can do….but then backtracks and says Maclin is the World Champion and can do what he wants. Maclin proposes a partnership, but he’s also cool with the idea of beating Ray at Slammiversary if he has to.

Cue the Motor City Machine Guns to interrupt, with Alex Shelley saying he’s leaving Against All Odds with the World Title. Ray says that usually he would rip Shelley apart on the might but the reality is that Shelley is one of the best in the world. He has seen wrestlers in the locker room watching Shelley matches, but Shelley must be bothered by never winning the big one.

Chris Sabin brings up beating Ray for the World Title but Maclin cuts him off to yell at Shelley for the lack of respect. Shelley says “yep” when asked if he thinks he can win the title but Maclin asks why it will be different this time. Shelley says it’s because Maclin is no Josh Alexander, which makes Ray laugh. That doesn’t make sense to Shelley, because Alexander beat Ray too. We finally get the challenge for the tag match tonight and Ray likes the idea….but not tonight.

Cue Subculture (Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster/Dani Luna, formerly of NXT UK) as this segment is somehow still going. Subculture wants to face the Guns tonight and that match is on. This was nearly twenty minutes long and felt WAY out of place on an Impact show, especially when the only match made was from people who popped up at the end. I know they don’t have much time before Against All Odds but please don’t let this WWE style segment become normal around here.

Nick Aldis feels dangerous when he is in a nice suit like this but he feels all the more dangerous when he has momentum behind him. He praises Kenny King for a great match at Under Siege and King will be even more ready whenever they face off again. As for Against All Odds, Aldis is ready for the 8-4-1 match (starts off as an eight man tag, with the winning team immediately having a four way to crown a new #1 contender) because he’ll have to adapt, which is what he does best. Then he’s winning the World Title.

Eddie Edwards vs. Yuya Uemura

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Feeling out process to start with Uemura grabbing an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Eddie takes him into the corner for some chops, only to have a forearm knock Eddie outside. The slingshot dive drops Eddie again though and we take a break. Back with Uemura fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken right back down.

This time Uemura fights up with a running clothesline and a belly to back suplex gets two. Edwards tries a double underhook but gets backdropped away, only to have Alisha distract Uemura on the top. That means a superplex can bring Uemura back down but Uemura cuts off the Boston Knee Party with a dropkick. The swinging Rock Bottom sets up a high crossbody, which is kneed out of the air. The tiger driver gives Edwards two and the Boston Knee Party finally finishes Uemura at 13:30.

Rating: B. They had a good match here as Uemura continues to get better and better every week. Commentary is right when they say that he needs a big win, but I’m not sure how much longer he is going to be here on excursion in the first place. If that’s the case, just how far does Impact want to push him? For now, I guess they’ll have to settle for a good hand who can work well with anyone.

Post match Eddie teases respect but pulls away from the handshake. Cue Frankie Kazarian to say that isn’t how we do this around here and the fight is on, with Eddie being dropped. Alisha tries to jump on Frankie and is dropped as well, allowing Kazarian to leave.

Decay vs. Sami Callihan/Jake Crist

Crist bites Steve to start and hands it off to Callihan, only to have Taurus come in and clear the ring. That’s not enough for Taurus, who throws Steve over the top onto both of them. Back in and Crist starts firing off superkicks for a breather, followed by putting Steve on Taurus’ shoulders. Callihan puts Crist on his own shoulders for a cutter to Steve and the pin at 1:35. Cool finisher and dang that went fast.

Post match here is the Design to lay out Crist and Callihan. Rich Swann makes the save.

Post break, Swann, Crist and Callihan are ready for Against All Odds….but Swann already has a spot in the 8-4-1 match. Callihan and Crist understand so they can find someone else. Callihan says the doctor is going to have to call the fox.

Trinity vs. Savannah Evans

Jai Vidal and Gisele Shaw are here with Evans. Trinity grabs a waistlock to start and gets backed into the corner for her efforts. A headlock takeover doesn’t work for Trinity so she forearms away in the corner. Evans plants her with a powerbomb for two and Trinity is in trouble. Back in and Trinity gets smart by hitting a springboard kick to the face to put Evans down. A side slam cuts Trinity off but she pulls Evans into the reverse Rings of Saturn for the tap at 4:33.

Rating: C+. Evans continues to work as a monster but that is only going to have so much impact if she keeps losing all the time. Trinity is someone who is probably going to wind up being near the top of the division sooner rather than later so her winning here makes all of the sense. They went back and forth here for a few minutes but ultimately, Trinity winning was the only option.

Post match Trinity gets the mic and says she wants the Knockouts Title. Cue Deonna Purrazzo to say ask her to her face. Trinity issues the challenge for Slammiversary and Purrazzo is in. Shaw, Evans and Vidal are up for the beatdown though, only to have Jordynne Grace come in for the save. That doesn’t exactly work though as she is beaten down as well, setting up a pair of knees from Shaw.

Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat

Dani Luna is part of Subculture, who are here with her. Threat headlocks her over to start but Luna does the exact same. Luna powers her into the corner but gets sunset flipped for two. Threat knocks her back down and scores with a heck of a Cactus Clothesline. Threat’s running flip dive off the apron, followed by the running knee to the back. Luna has had it with this and hits a powerbomb for two and a hard lariat gets the same. Threat snaps off a German suplex and hits a reverse F5 (the F Bomb) for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: B-. This was a hard hitting fight and it worked well with what they were doing. Impact has done a nice job of turning Threat into…well, a threat, and that’s what they need to do every so often. Threat is someone who feels like she has been built from the ground up and could become something around here. On the other hand you have Luna, who could do well as a powerhouse with a unique look.

Santino Marella and Joe Hendry are talking about Dirty Dango when Sheldon Jean and Kenny King come in. King thinks Jean should get a match with Hendry, so Santino makes it for next week. As for Against All Odds, Hendry can defend his Digital Media Title against Dango. Works for Hendry.

We look at Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich brawling at Under Siege. A chain was involved.

Kelly wants a dog collar match with Slamovich. Her talk about giving in to your natural instinct is designed to make various suggestions.

Here is what’s coming on various shows.

Subculture vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Shelley and Andrews get things going with Shelley’s armdrag not getting him very far. Sabin comes in to headlock Webster to little avail as Webster grabs an armdrag of his own. Everything breaks down and the Guns send Andrews outside to kick Webster down. Back in and Andrews gets kicked down as well, allowing Shelley to grab a cross arm choke on Webster.

Back up and Webster gets Shelley into the corner for a quick dropkick to the leg. Subculture hits back to back flips onto Sabin to send him outside as well, setting up the stereo suicide dives. Back in and the Guns hit some clotheslines to take over and we take a break. We come back with Andrews being caught in a surfboard for a bulldog from Sabin. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Andrews fights up, allowing the tag off to Webster. Everything breaks down again and Webster hits a springboard moonsault to drop both Guns.

Webster hits a big dive onto Sabin and a double Falcon Arrow (that’s a new one) gets two back inside. Shelley comes back in for the save and house is cleaned, including a Death Valley Driver/running neckbreaker combination (that’s a new one too). A Magic Killer (that’s not a new one) gets two on Andrews but he pops up off a Doomsday dropkick.

Shelley is knocked outside, leaving Sabin to clothesline both of them inside out. Cradle Shock is countered into a Stundog Millionaire (sweet) but Webster misses a 450. Sabin grabs a cutter on Webster and the Dream Sequence hits Andrews. The Dirt Bomb finishes Webster off at 16:13.

Rating: B+. There are certain matches that are designed to have talented stars letting it all hang out and hitting one big move after another until someone finally gets pinned. That is what you had here and this was an awesome TV main event. The Guns can still hang with anyone and if Subculture wants a job in Impact, there is a good chance that they got one here. Great stuff here and worth a look if you have time.

Overall Rating: B. I find myself looking forward to Impact more and more each week and that was the case again here. The opener and main event (especially the latter) are both rather awesome TV matches and the rapid fire build to Against All Odds wasn’t bad at all. Cut down on the way too long opening segment and this show is probably the best TV show of the week. Awesome stuff here, as I’m starting to wonder if it’s still fair to say Impact is on a roll, as this has been going on for a long time now.

Results
Eddie Edwards b. Yuya Uemura – Boston Knee Party
Sami Callihan/Jake Crist b. Decay – Elevated cutter to Steve
Trinity b. Savannah Evans – Reverse Rings of Saturn
Jody Threat b. Dani Luna – F Bomb
Motor City Machine Guns b. Subculture – Dirt Bomb to Webster

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 25, 2023
Location: Cicero Stadium, Cicero, Illinois
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the go home show for Under Siege and the card is mostly set. There is still some tightening up that could be done for most of the show and that is where this week can come into play. Other than that, it might be time to start setting things up for the next big show after Under Siege so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Chris Sabin vs. Mike Bailey

Sabin blocks the kick to start but Bailey jumps over him, allowing Sabin to elbow him in the back. There’s the apron kick to the chest and Bailey is in trouble early. Back in and Sabin takes him down into a double underhook crank on the mat. That’s broken up and Bailey kicks him in the face to take over. More kicks put Sabin down and there’s the running shooting star press for two.

Sabin kicks the arm out and hits a missile dropkick but Bailey is back with more kicks. The standing moonsault knees to Sabin’s chest look to set up the tornado kick but Sabin kicks him back down. Back up and Bailey kicks him to the floor, setting up a kick to the head and a top rope Asai moonsault to drop Sabin again. Bailey kicks him in the head back inside but the Ultimate Weapon takes too long.

Instead Sabin sends him to the apron for a sunset bomb out to the floor (ouch). Back in and Sabin catches him on top again, this time with a release German superplex to send Bailey face first down. A heck of a clothesline sets up the Cradle Shock but Bailey reverses into a cradle for two. Bailey kicks him down hard for two more and now the tornado kick connects. The Ultimate Weapon doesn’t though and Sabin goes classic with a MuscleBuster. The Cradle Shock finishes Bailey at 12:25.

Rating: B+. This was another rather awesome X-Division opener and Bailey almost had me on that reverse of the Cradle Shock. These guys were trading one big move after another and they had a heck of a match as a result. Sabin can get in there against almost anyone and beating Bailey means a lot around here. This was rather awesome stuff and Bailey didn’t get get that annoying. I’m as shocked as you are, but great opener.

Video on Trinity debuting, feeling the love from the crowd, and accepting a match with Gisele Shaw at Under Siege.

Video on PCO vs. Steve Maclin.

Maclin says he has taken out PCO, so PCO won’t get a title shot at Under Siege. He’ll name his own replacement tonight.

Sheldon Jean/Kenny King vs. Decay

Nick Aldis is on commentary. Steve takes Jean down by the neck to start so Jean hands it off to King. That’s fine with Steve, who brings in the rather terrifying Taurus. We take a break and come back with Taurus knocking Jean down and kicking him in the face out of the corner. The reverse Sling Blade allows the tag back to Steve as everything breaks down. Taurus suplexes Steve onto King and then flip dives onto Jean. With Taurus on the floor, King Royal Flushes Steve for the pin at 10:24.

Rating: C. Perfectly fine match here though it never got into another level. This was about King looking better to get ready for his showdown with Aldis and the win gives him some momentum heading into the match. Other than that, Aldis being all chill on commentary sets a nice tone for him, but he’ll still need to find something to make him more interesting against King.

Post match King talks about Aldis, who says King can’t keep his name out of his mouth. Aldis knows King is trying to make a name for himself at Aldis’ expense, but the reality is that King needs to work his way up from being a little b****. Aldis takes his jacket off but has to deal with Jean, who comes after him on King’s orders. That’s enough to get Aldis in the ring, but King bails while singing his version of Annie’s Tomorrow.

Rosemary’s hourglass is almost out and Jessicka is panicking.

Jessicka vs. Taylor Wilde

KiLynn King is here with Wilde, who starts fast by knocking Jessicka down. A running basement DDT sets up a fisherman’s neckbreaker (the Witch’s Wrath) to finish Jessicka at 39 seconds.

Post match the beatdown is on and we see the hourglass running out. Cue a pair of red Chuck Taylor’s….and Courtney Rush (Rosemary before she was Rosemary) is here. Ruse comes in and cleans house, leaving the Coven to run off. Jessicka is thrilled to have Rush here and hugging ensues.

Post break Jessicka isn’t sure what the deal with Rush is, but Rush says she is kind of Rosemary but not really, as it’s kind of a possession sort of thing. Since she is here though, there is an adventure to go on, with Jessicka being invited along for the ride.

Angels vs. Rich Swann

The rest of the Design and Sami Callihan are here too. Swann bounces out of a wristlock to start and takes Angels down without much trouble. A hard kick drops Angels fast but he sends Swann to the floor, setting up a catapult into the post. Back in and a powerslam cuts Swann off again but he’s right back with some kicks to the face. A neckbreaker drops Angels again and there’s the step over kick to the face to make it worse.

Angels catches him on the middle rope and kicks the legs out to take over again. Swann ducks a kick to the head and scores with a dropkick, only to have a cartwheel moonsault hit raised knees. Angels sends him outside for a dive, followed by a frog splash for two back inside. That’s enough for Swann, who catches him on top and snaps off a hurricanrana. The middle rope 450 finishes for Swann at 6:56.

Rating: C+. Angels is pretty easily the best in-ring star of the Design but that isn’t exactly the hardest field to overcome. The war against Callihan continues, but there is only so much to get out of this story as it somehow keeps going. I’m almost scared to see who is going to team with Callihan and Swann tomorrow, but hopefully it isn’t someone with too much value being sunk into this thing.

Post match the Design comes in so Callihan tries to make the save. The baseball bat shots knock the good guys down.

Deonna Purrazzo isn’t worried about Jordynne Grace but Alisha Edwards comes in. Edwards talks about that Grace is going to show her true colors but Purrazzo isn’t convinced.

Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich have a big brawl in the back. Slamovich chokes her out.

Alisha Edwards vs. Jordynne Grace

Eddie Edwards is here with Alisha. Grace gets shoved in the face to start and Alisha chops her, earning a laugh. Another slap is countered into Dalton Castle’s Bang A Rang, setting up the Grace Driver (Alisha landed HARD) for the pin at 46 seconds.

We get an explanation from Dirty Dango of why he attacked Santino Marella. Dango explains that he grew up watching the Attitude Era and he doesn’t like people walking around talking about how happy they are to be here. No he doesn’t have to worry about walking on eggshells because he makes money outside of wrestling. When he broke in, it was about talking in the locker room and what you did rather than looking at your phones.

People cared about the crowd reactions rather than their social media. No he isn’t worried about people hitting him in the face, but he might get a tweet. As for attacking Santino, it’s because the Cobra was a big deal in 2010 and Santino is stuck doing the same things over and over. Joe Hendry is just another stooge and it would be ironic and funny if Dango won the toy title. So he’s Jim Cornette’s complaints about modern wrestling?

Video on the six way #1 contenders match at Under Siege.

Chris Bey vs. John Skyler

Ace Austin, Brian Myers and Jason Hotch are ringside. Bey snaps off a hurricanrana to start and hits a double stomp to the back. Skyler is sent outside and ducks the dive, allowing his friends to offer a distraction. One heck of a clothesline takes Bey down and we take a break. Back with Skyler grabbing a chinlock but Bey is up in a hurry. The running elbow hits Skyler in the corner but a middle rope elbow misses for Bey. We get a series of standing switches as Hotch offers a distraction. With that not working, Bey dropkicks Myers down and the Art of Finesse finishes Skyler at 9:17.

Rating: C+. Another nice match between talented guys. The Good Hands have wound up being a perfectly nice team and a cool addition to the division. That being said, the Bullet Club has gone from just another team to maybe the best in the company today (yes including the Guns). I could go for those guys holding the titles for a long time, as this worked rather well, with skilled tag wrestlers getting to show their solo skills for a change.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Here is Steve Maclin to name his replacement World Title challenger for tomorrow night. Maclin declares PCO dead so here is his new opponent: Champagne Singh! Cue Singh, with Shera, to say it’s time he finished his story. He has a list of people to thank and it’s probably hundreds of names long. Instead here is Scott D’Amore to interrupt, with Singh saying we should get a contract out here right now.

D’Amore says nah on the match so Maclin yells about this being unfair. D’Amore says he wants the best wrestler in the world to be the World Champion and that might be Maclin. Then Maclin tries to do something like this and the title is disrespected. D’Amore wants to bury this right now. If Maclin retains at Under Siege, D’Amore will shake his hand and apology, even handing Maclin the title. That doesn’t work for the champ, who tells D’Amore to leave and show him the respect that he deserves.

The title makes Maclin D’Amore’s boss, and he wants D’Amore to strap the title around him if he wins at Under Siege. That works for D’Amore, but Maclin still wants to know the replacement. D’Amore hasn’t named a replacement, because THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT. Actually, he’s here tonight and cue PCO so the fight can be on. Maclin bails as the lackeys are beaten up to end the show. This was a long segment to set up the D’Amore stipulation and nothing else, as otherwise we’re right back where we started coming into this show.

Overall Rating: B-. Under Siege is looking good and this show helped boost it up even more. What mattered here was making me care about the big show a bit more and they accomplished their goal. The opener was good and the segments worked well enough, though the women’s matches not even breaking 90 seconds total was rather strange. As usual, the show knows what it needs to do and then goes out to do it, which is harder than it seems. Good show here, with the more important show hopefully following suit.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Mike Bailey – Cradle Shock
Kenny King/Sheldon Jean b. Decay – Royal Flush to Crazzy Steve
Taylor Wilde b. Jessicka – Witch’s Wrath
Rich Swann b. Alan Angels – Middle rope 450
Jordynne Grace b. Alisha Edwards – Grace Driver
Chris Bey b. John Skyler – Art Of Finesse

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.