IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 3, 2020
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

Things are moving around here as of late with Taya Valkyrie coming after Tessa Blanchard and the World Title. That’s a different way to go and I’m not sure how it is going to go. Other than that, we have the continuation of the bizarre feud between Su Yung and the forces of….the real world? Maybe? Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Nashville Strong graphic. That’s rather nice.

Opening recap, entirely on Taya vs. Tessa.

Opening sequence.

The North vs. TJP/Fallah Bahh

Non-title. Alexander and Bahh start things off but Page comes in as well, only to have Bahh clothesline both champs down. Page rocks Bahh with a right hand but he’s fine enough to slam Alexander anyway. A cheap shot from behind puts TJP in trouble though and Alexander rakes the eyes to really take over. Page runs him over again and goes to yell at Bahh, followed by the delayed vertical suplex, with the handoff.

We hit the double arm crank on TJP but he slips out and grabs a tornado DDT. That’s enough for the hot tag to Bahh and house is cleaned in a hurry. Alexander’s shots to the head have no effect but it’s quickly back to TJP, who kicks his way out of the corner. The North slams him out of the corner for two though as everything breaks down. Alexander can’t German suplex Bahh but Page can give him a springboard cutter. Not that it matters as TJP comes off the top with a sunset flip to pin Alexander at 9:13.

Rating: C+. The pace picked up near the end and it should set up a good title match at Rebellion. That being said, it’s still annoying to see the champs lose to set up a title match. Just have Bahh/TJP beat the Desi Hit Squad or name them as #1 contenders for winning the singles matches. Or have the champs lose because there’s almost no other way to set up title matches these days.

Tessa isn’t worried about facing Taya, because she’s a different woman from last year. Eddie Edwards comes in to say that it will be an honor to face her at Rebellion after he beats Michael Elgin next week.

Moose vs. Petey Williams

Moose misses a charge into the corner to start but he’s right back up with right hands to the head. The chokebomb out of the corner is countered into a hurricanrana but Williams runs into a pump kick as we take a break. Back with Williams hitting two suicide dives which don’t even knock Moose down.

The slingshot hurricanrana works a bit better, only to have Moose blast him off the apron for a big knockdown. Back in and Williams’ ribs are banged up but Moose calls him a clown to start the comeback. A flipping DDT drops Moose and a short Downward Spiral puts him down again. The Canadian Destroyer is countered and Moose plants him, setting up No Jackhammer Needed for the pin at 10:18.

Rating: C. Williams is fine for something like this, even though he still feels like the guy you have to include in a show like this even if you don’t want him. He’s been around on and off for the better part of twenty years now and to be fair, it’s not like he’s bad in the ring or anything. I just don’t think he means as much to most fans as Impact seems to think he does.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Amazing Red wins the X-Division Title in 2003.

Madison Rayne is coaching the new Knockouts but gets rid of some of them (though tells one to leave the dress because she wants to wear it). Kiera Hogan comes in to call her out for being ridiculous. One of the rookies gets in Kiera’s face, likely setting up something for later.

Acey Romero vs. Joey Ryan

Ryan pulls out the lollipop and then puts it back down his trunks. There’s no oil this time though and Romero runs him over for trying to get him to touch it. A dropkick puts Ryan down he gets in a shot to the head, making Acey fall face first onto, uh, it. Romero hurts himself on an atomic drop attempt but is fine enough to hit a crossbody. We go old school with a Ho Train to Ryan, who pops up and puts the lollipop into Ryan’s mouth. Acey bites it off but Ryan makes him touch it. For some reason Ryan won’t do the flip, allowing Acey to run him over and drop an elbow for the pin at 5:12.

Rating: D. So that happened and now we seem to be moving towards Ryan as a heel. Normally I would say that it would be an improvement, but I’m not sure if that is going to be the case. If Ryan drops all of the sleaze, what exactly does he have left? Maybe he can surprise me, but I don’t have much of a reason to believe in him.

Glenn Gilbertti and Johnny Swinger take credit for selling the place out and tell Willie Mack to find a partner. He’ll fight them on his own.

Chris Bey is coming.

Ryan talks to Katie Forbes, who tells Rob Van Dam that Ryan gets it.

Jessika Havoc vs. Su Yung

No DQ and Su jumps her in the corner as Josh gets the fun task of trying to recap the story. Havok gets knocked to the floor for a Cannonball from the apron but Old School across the barricade is countered into a slam onto the ramp. The weapons are tossed inside and Yung gets dropped face first onto the steps. Back in and they have a chair duel, setting up stereo big boots to put both of them down.

Yung grabs the rope but Havok drives her into the corner to avoid the whole strangulation deal. A super Tombstone is broken up (because it’s a super Tombstone) and Yung puts a trashcan over Havok’s head. That means a missile dropkick to the can for two and Yung gets the noose. Havok isn’t having that again as she ties Yung to the rope, only to get misted. Yung slips out (Havok must never have been a Girl Scout) and ties the noose around Havok’s neck, setting up the Mandible Claw for the win at 9:27.

Rating: C-. It’s a hardcore/weapons match and that’s what these two should be doing. That’s all these people should be having at this point and it was a violent enough effort from both. The story is so wild and all over the place that it makes things fun to watch week to week. I’m not sure how big the blowoff is going to be, but the wackiness could be off the charts.

Post match the Undead Bridesmaids come out with a coffin but Havok fights out of it and gets away.

Rosemary says this was supposed to bring the Bunny back but it didn’t work. She should be happy but isn’t.

Johnny Swinger/Glenn Gilbertti vs. Deaners

Oh dang I had forgotten about the Deaners. Why do I have to remember them? The threat of Cody’s right hand sends Gilbertti running so it’s time to work on Swinger’s arm. What looks to be a roll of quarters goes into Cody’s throat and Swinger drops a headbutt to the lower abdomen. Gilbertti misses the YMCA elbow though and it’s Jake coming in to wreck things. The quarters are brought back in but Gilbertti hits Swinger by mistake, setting up a DDT to give Cody the pin at 4:55.

Rating: D+. That’s as good of a way to use Swinger and Gilbertti as you’re going to find. It’s a short match and they did the 80s tropes perfectly well before losing in the end. In a word, it’s harmless like this and as long as they don’t go too far with it or take them away from the low level comedy stuff, they’re a nice little addition to the show.

Realityislost/ICU video.

Video on Tenille Dashwood.

Gut Check video and apparently all of the contestants are terrible. One of them spat in the ring and then took a picture in front of the Impact logo to make himself look better. Scott D’Amore says he isn’t signing any of them. I know this is supposed to make us want to watch the series, but didn’t we just get the majority of the plot here?

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie. Taya beat Tessa for the Knockouts Title so now Taya wants a World Title shot.

Taya says Tessa’s dream is over and the bad guy wins. Eh chico?

Impact Wrestling World Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Tessa is defending and Taya has John E. Bravo with her. They stare each other down to start until Tessa chops her into the corner. A discus forearm rocks Tessa but she’s back with a running knee between the shoulders. Bravo’s distraction lets Taya get in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Tessa getting kicked in the head in the corner, setting up the running knees for two. They head outside with Tessa posting her, followed by the suicide dive into the barricade. Back in and Tessa slips out of a piledriver attempt and grabs a cutter for the double knockdown.

Taya gets kicked down in the corner, setting up a Backstabber for two. Something like a Boss Man Slam gives Taya her own two but Tessa powerbombs her out of the corner. Road to Valhalla is broken up and Tessa hits a neckbreaker. Magnum misses and Bravo’s interference backfires, allowing Tessa to hurricanrana her into the corner. The Buzzsaw DDT retains Tessa’s title at 15:15.

Rating: B-. The ending wasn’t in doubt but they had a good, mostly serious match, which is what you need from something like this. There was a logical story to having the title match and it made sense for Taya to challenge for the title. Tessa getting another title win over someone as established as Taya is going to help without requiring reality to be stretched that far.

Overall Rating: C. This was an up and down show but the good things were good and the bad things, which were limited, were only so bad. You can see a lot of what’s coming at Rebellion and we could be in for a nice pay per view if they build it up well. That build is already in the planning stages and it should be started in full next week. Nice enough show here and a perfectly fine use of two hours.

Results

TJP/Fallah Bahh b. The North – Top rope sunset flip to Alexander

Moose b. Petey Williams – No Jackhammer Needed

Acey Romero b. Joey Ryan – Elbow drop

Su Yung b. Havok – Mandible Claw

Deaners b. Johnny Swinger/Glenn Gilbertti – DDT to Swinger

Tessa Blanchard b. Taya Valkyrie – Buzzsaw DDT

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 11, 2020
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We continue our trip in Mexico as well as the road to Sacrifice, which is turning into an In Your House style show. That’s a good idea for Impact given how infrequently they do regular pay per views around here. The big deal this time around is Jordynne Grace challenging Taya Valkyrie for the Knockouts Title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards

Match #2 in a Best of Five series with Elgin leading 1-0. Elgin slugs away to start and gets two off a belly to back suplex. Eddie’s rolling German suplex doesn’t work so well so he grabs a crucifix for two instead. What looked to be a top rope hurricanrana attempt is countered into a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Edwards gets dropped back first onto the apron and Elgin tells him to bring it on. A hard clothesline gets two on Eddie but he counters a failed superplex attempt into a failed sunset bomb attempt.

The Elgin Bomb is countered as well so Elgin forearms him in the face. Eddie is right back with a tiger bomb for two so Elgin rolls outside, with Eddie hitting a suicide dive. Back in and Eddie gets two off a super hurricanrana but Elgin takes him down by the arm. The Crossface is countered and Eddie snaps off a German suplex, only to miss the Boston Knee Party. The buckle bomb into the Elgin Bomb finishes Eddie at 10:47.

Rating: B-. These two always work well together and this should set up three more matches between the two of them. Seeing Eddie as the underdog against the monster should be fun as they have some chemistry. Hopefully we get some better stuff out of them, though this one was quite good in its own right.

Video on Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace.

Taya says she’s ready and she’s used to having no one believing in her.

Man Man Fulton vs. Daga

Daga starts fast with the kicks to the head before avoiding some stomps. Fulton shouts at him and blocks a hurricanrana but gets sent to the floor anyway. The suicide dive connects and we take an early break. Back with Daga getting choked on the mat and ropes, followed by Fulton’s release German suplex to drop him on his head. Daga Hulks Up though and hammers away before snapping Fulton’s throat across the top.

A running double stomp gets two on Fulton but he’s right back with a swinging chokeslam. Fulton doesn’t let go and hits a regular chokeslam, only to have Daga pop up with a Death Valley Driver. Cue the Crists so Daga hits a running corkscrew dive but the distraction lets Fulton get back up. Daga’s springboard DDT is countered into a northern lights suplex with Daga landing on his head (that looked bad) for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: C. Daga is someone who can do his thing very well while Fulton is starting to gel as the monster. That being said, the ending was downright nasty looking and it wouldn’t shock me if they wrapped it up early. Hopefully Daga is ok because he’s getting better around here and a feud with OVE could be interesting.

Moose is getting a massage and wants some work on his, ahem, lower back because Rhino is a bad pain down there. Rhino takes the masseuse’s place and beats Moose up.

Fallah Bahh vs. Ethan Page

TJP and Josh Alexander are here as well. Fans: “GOO GOO GAGA!” Bahh busts out some cartwheels to start and hits a running splash in the corner as Page wasn’t quite ready for this much athleticism. Alexander offers a distraction though and Page kicks Bahh out to the floor. Back in and Bahh shrugs off the shots to the head, meaning it’s Page being sent into the corner for the running hip attack. Alexander breaks up the Banzai Drop so TJP flip dives onto him, leaving Bahh to small package Page for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C-. Bahh continues to surprise me as there is no reason for him to be able to do something like that. He pulled it off here though and that was one of the bigger surprises that you could have imagined here. The North vs. TJP/Bahh should be a fun little match too as TJP and Bahh have some shockingly good chemistry together.

James Mitchell wants Jessika Havok to help him find Su Yung. They find Susie and Mitchell is very happy, saying the family is reunited and everything can be better now. Susie follows them but seems to morph into Su.

Rob Van Dam vs. Joey Ryan

Katie Forbes is here with Rob and let’s get this over with as fast as possible. Ryan oils up and tells Rob to touch it but Rob poses and shoves him instead. We get a staredown but hang on because Katie needs to come in for kisses and dancing. The jiggling distracts Joey and Rob kicks him down, with commentary calling out the lack of wrestling for the first three minutes.

Rob kicks him down but won’t use Rolling Thunder so Joey is up with a dropkick to the floor. Back in and Rob pokes him in the eyes and puts him on the middle of the top rope for a jumping kick to the face. Rob loads up Rolling Thunder again but goes outside to see Katie again. That means a dive from Ryan before they head back inside where Ryan makes him touch it. The Plex is countered though as Rob kicks him in the head, setting up the Five Star for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: D-. I’d still like to emphasize that this is the best thing they can do with Rob Van Dam, the biggest star this company has. The Joey Ryan stuff has its place and I don’t think it’s on this show. The problem is the same thing you get with most comedy stuff: how many times can he do the same shtick? We’ve covered this so many times before and it’s not like anything new (or good) is added. If you have to do this, find someone else besides Van Dam.

Su Yung is dragging Mitchell by the neck with a noose. Mitchell blacks out and wakes up in….I think h***?

From Sacrifice 2014: Eric Young retains the World Title over Magnus (Nick Aldis). Yeah remember when THAT was a thing? They showed a lot more of the match here than usual.

Johnny Swinger has all of his cheating weapons ready to help Willie Mack against Shera. Mack tells him to stay right there.

Willie Mack vs. Shera

Gama and Rohit Raju are here. They chop it out in the corner but Raju comes in for the DQ at 47 seconds.

Swinger, save, tag match.

Willie Mack/Johnny Swinger vs. Desi Hit Squad

Swinger gets taken into the corner to start and it’s Shera pounding him down. That’s it for the offense though as Swinger gets over for the tag off to Mack as the fans don’t seem thrilled. A Samoan drop into the standing moonsault crushes Raju and Shera gets double teamed in the corner. Mack doesn’t like the idea of a double clothesline with Swinger so Gama pulls Mack to the floor. That leaves Shera to Sky High Swinger at 3:20.

Rating: D. See, notice what they did here: the whole thing, including the first match, was about as long as the Van Dam vs. Ryan match, including a commercial. Breaking it up like that was a bit of a help, plus Swinger is more entertaining than Ryan. They kept it short and didn’t waste the top guy in the company while keeping Mack busy despite Rich Swann being injured. It’s still not good, but it’s also not as annoying so upgrade….maybe?

Tessa Blanchard isn’t worried about her (non-title….for some reason) match with Ace Austin. Ace comes in to say Tessa is never going to earn daddy’s approval, but he likes women with daddy issues. Tessa beats him up.

Next week: Ace Austin/Reno Scum vs. Tessa Blanchard/Trey Miguel/Tommy Dreamer. They’re trolling us, right?

The announcers are cut off by another Realityislost video, though they acknowledge this one.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace

Taya is defending and has John E Bravo with her. Grace gets jumped at the bell and there’s the running hip attack in the corner. Bravo chokes Grace with the stuffed dog and we take an early break. Back with more of the same but this time Grace gets in a suplex to put Taya on the floor. That means the required suicide dive but Bravo shoves Grace off the top. Somehow the referee is oblivious to this, with commentary pointing out how bad that really is.

Bravo chokes even more, with commentary comparing it to the Houston Astros sign stealing ordeal. Grace is back up with a clothesline and some slams look to set up the Grace Driver. It’s too early for that though as Taya heads to the apron and manages to powerbomb Grace onto the steps (strategically placed by Bravo).

Taya takes her to the stage for Road To Valhalla as Grace is looking a bit done. That’s only good for a nine count as Grace staggers back in to beat the count. Grace is fine enough to Muscle Buster Taya for two but Taya grabs a Bubba Bomb into a cross armbreaker of all things. That’s reversed into a Crossface (minus the arm trap, making it more of a Bank Statement) but Bravo pulls Taya to the rope.

A Vader Bomb gets two with Bravo pulling the referee so Grace pulls Bravo in. Taya spears him by mistake but Bravo gets on top of her to block the top rope backsplash. It turns out that means very little as it just crushes Taya even worse, setting up the Grace Driver to end Taya’s reign at 17:17.

Rating: B-. I can’t complain about the interference too much as Grace won (as she should have) and it’s a case of living by the sword and dying by the sword for Taya, who kept the title because of all the cheating in the first place. It makes sense to put the title on Grace here as Taya was completely out of challengers. Good match too, as the Bravo stuff was the right way to go and they got the ending right, which is what matters most.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty good show this week as they focused more on their own people instead of all of the guest stars. They needed a show to move some stories forward and that’s what we got here. I liked the main event for the feel good title change and Eddie vs. Elgin (probably) three more times sounds good. Just get rid of the Ryan vs. Van Dam stuff and give us more of the good and we might have something around here.

Results

Michael Elgin b. Eddie Edwards – Elgin Bomb

Mad Man Fulton b. Daga – Northern lights suplex

Fallah Bahh b. Ethan Page – Small package

Rob Van Dam b. Joey Ryan – Five Star Frog Splash

Willie Mack b. Shera via DQ when Rohit Raju interfered

Desi Hit Squad b. Willie Mack/Johnny Swinger – Sky High to Swinger

Jordynne Grace b. Taya Valkyrie – Grace Driver

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 21, 2020
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re down in Mexico this week and that means things are going to be a little different. It’s still time for the fallout from Hard To Kill, which could go multiple ways. Hopefully things pick up a bit, though it’s not like last week’s recap show was all that bad. I’m curious to see where things go from here though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here’s Tessa Blanchard to open things up. She’s glad to be aqui en Mexico and knows that it’s the beginning of the journey. There is a target on her back and knows that Sami Callihan is coming. Cue Taya Valkyrie instead and she brings up a great point: she beat Tessa for the title and deserves a title shot of her own. She has beaten Tessa for the AAA Women’s Title but now she wants the World Title.

Cue Ace Austin to say he should be invited to this party. They were all successful at Hard To Kill and Ace even beat Tessa at Bound For Glory. He could come out on top of her again, either in the ring or at the hotel. The fight is on and Trey Miguel runs in for the save to set up a likely tag match.

Opening sequence.

We recap Willie Mack walking away from Rich Swann after losing in a handicap match at Hard To Kill.

Mack isn’t sure what he’s going to do until Swann gets back but tonight, he’ll face Rohit Raju. Johnny Swinger comes in to offer to be his partner but Mack walks away, even from the offer of rizzats.

Taya is talking about wanting a World Title shot when Madison Rayne and Kiera Hogan come in to say they want their title shots. That’s more than Taya can deal with right now but they can fight next week. Whoever wins gets the first title shot and the loser gets the second.

Moose vs. Rhino vs. Taurus

The ECW chants start fast (for once that’s interesting as Rhino was only around ECW for about two years but it’s still the signature time in his career) and Moose drops to the floor. Taurus springboards out of a wristlock as Moose is content to chill on the floor. He does stop to grab Taurus though and Rhino demands that Moose get in. That isn’t happening so far though and we take a break.

Back with Moose still on the floor as Rhino charges into an elbow to the face. Rhino and Taurus go outside to deal with Moose, who slides back in, only to make the mistake of pointing at his head because he’s brilliant. The beatdown is on with Rhino getting annoyed at Taurus for going for a cover.

Moose gets back up and beats them into various corners, including a whip to send Taurus shoulder first into the post. Some running elbows and a short arm clothesline give Rhino two but Taurus is out of the corner with a spinning crossbody for his own two. Rhino suplexes Moose but a quick referee distraction lets Moose kick Rhino low. Taurus comes in for the save so Rhino Gores Moose, only to have Taurus steal the pin at 14:25.

Rating: D+. Just another triple threat match with the same formula that you could imagine for a long time now. They’re all talented people but how many things can you get out of the same formula? There are other ways to do a match like this but for some reason this is what wrestlers like to do in them no matter what.

Jordynne Grace thinks she should get a Knockouts Title match so she’s in on the Hogan vs. Rayne match.

Tommy Dreamer, in a sombrero, tells Joey Ryan that he’s back in Wrestler’s Court tonight. Joey says no and leaves.

Joey Ryan vs. Maximo

Maximo is an exotico so we’re in for comedy. Joey gives a fan a lollipop from his trunks and it’s time to tell Maximo to touch it. They trade armdrags instead and some near falls give us a standoff. Maximo slams him down and drops a top rope elbow for two, only to make the mistake of trying an atomic drop. Back up and Maximo kisses him for two but Ryan makes him touch it. The Plex and Sweet Tooth Music finishes Maximo at 3:32.

Rating: F. Yeah I think this one speaks for itself. They were nice enough to keep this short but it’s not exactly something I want to see. It doesn’t help that Ryan does the exact same stuff every single time and almost never changes anything. It wasn’t as long as some of these matches but egads I could go with never seeing this stuff again.

Rob Van Dam says that match makes him embarrassed to be a wrestler. He leaves with Katie Forbes instead of answering a question.

Michael Elgin wants to fight Eddie Edwards again.

Havok vs. Rosemary

Havok has James Mitchell and Susie with her. Rosemary bails to the floor to start and talks to Susie but switches places with Havok, setting up a dive. Rosemary beats her up the ramp but Havok gets in a single shot to knock her back. A suplex drops Rosemary on the ramp and Havok heads inside, only to get taken down with a top rope forearm. The Sling Blade sets up a Last Chancery, with Havok getting out in a hurry. Havok hits a running knee but Rosemary gets in a jawbreaker. Mitchell gets on the apron for a distraction so Rosemary mists him down, allowing Havok to hit a Tombstone for the pin at 6:29.

Rating: D+. This story continues to keep going and I’m still not sure what to expect from where it is going. I’m still not sure if Impact knows what they’re doing with it either, though the Susie stuff does have me a little bit intrigued. The match wasn’t very good either but they had too much going on in a short amount of time.

Post match the blind Mitchell celebrates with Havok but Susie wanders off.

The Desi Hit Squad is ready to continue their winning streak but Shera has sent Raj Singh on a spiritual journey. Gama Singh isn’t happy and slaps Rohit Raju to blow off some steam.

The Rascalz make fun of Trey for teaming with a girl as he might have a bit of a thing for Tessa. Then things get all fuzzy and Murder Clown/Pagano join in their circle, much to the Rascalz’s dismay.

Eddie Edwards will gladly fight Michael Elgin again. Elgin comes in to start the argument and another match seems imminent.

Willie Mack vs. Rohit Raju

Gama Singh and Shera are here. They start fast with Mack snapping off a hurricanrana and hitting the swinging slam for a bonus. A dropkick to the floor makes it worse but Shera offers a distraction so Raju can sweep the leg. Raju hits a double stomp for two but misses a charge, allowing Mack to hit the running boot in the corner. The Samoan drop into the standing moonsault gets two, followed by Raju missing a jumping knee. Mack Stuns him for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C-. Could have been worse and in theory this was going to be Mack/Swann vs. the Squad. Mack continues to be one of the most entertaining guys on the show and I could go for him getting a singles push. Raju is watchable at times and that was the case here, albeit in a not all that interesting match.

Post match the Squad beats Mack down, drawing out Swinger for the failed save attempt.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Beer Money beats the Motor City Machine Guns for the Tag Team Titles at Genesis 2011.

The North brags about how awesome they are when Vikingo interrupts, likely to set something up.

Starting next week: Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin in the first match of a best of five series. No mention of the trophy being on the line.

Tessa Blanchard/Trey Miguel vs. Taya Valkyrie/Ace Austin

John E. Bravo is here with Taya and Ace. Taya and Tessa get things going with Tessa hitting a quick clothesline to put her on the floor. Ace comes in and gets taken down with a headlock before it’s off to Trey to pick up the pace. A dropkick puts Ace in the ropes and a running hurricanrana sends him outside, only for Taya to block the dive. Tessa kicks her to the floor for the stereo dives and we take a break.

Back with Taya pulling Tessa off the apron to block a tag attempt as Ace has Trey in trouble. Ace drops a leg for two and it’s Taya coming in for the same off a basement dropkick. Another knee gets another two and Trey gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some kicks to the ribs. A belly to back suplex gets two and Ace cuts the finger with the card.

That’s enough to Trey to fight up but Bravo makes sure the referee doesn’t see the tag. Trey backflips over Ace and hits a double stomp to the back and the hot tag brings in Tessa for a high crossbody. There’s a cutter to drop Taya again and a tornado DDT rocks Austin. A running springboard Downward Spiral gets two on Ace and Tessa dives onto Taya. Ace is right back up though and hits the Fold to finish Trey at 16:48.

Rating: C+. Nice match here with Tessa getting the hot tag like a champion should, but then you have Trey lose again. I’m not sure if he is going to be chasing Austin going forward, but how much sense would that make at the moment? The action was good here, but I’m not wild on the booking overall. Still though, best thing on the show.

Overall Rating: D. I really don’t care for these shows in Mexico as they feel like a cross between house shows and regular TV. All of these people show up with little to no introduction and a lot of the wrestling isn’t very good. They had some momentum coming out of Hard To Kill but the last two weeks have really slowed things down. This wasn’t very good and I don’t know how much better that is going to get during this trip.

Results

Taurus b. Moose and Rhino – Gore to Moose

Joey Ryan b. Maximo – Sweet Tooth Music

Havok b. Rosemary – Tombstone

Willie Mack b. Rohit Raju – Stunner

Taya Valkyrie/Ace Austin b. Trey Miguel/Tessa Blanchard – Fold to Miguel

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

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

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

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

Ken Shamrock vs. Mad Man Fulton

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

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

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

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

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

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

X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs. Ace Austin

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

Trey isn’t about to stand for that and hits him in the ear, only to get shoved off the steps and onto the barricade. Back in again and Ace elbows the ribs but stops to check on his ear. A low superkick gives Ace two and some belly to back slams (think Cena’s ProtoBomb without the spin) set up…an escaped third attempt so Miguel kicks him down into the corner. The Bang-A-Rama gets two and we hit the half crab, with Ace throwing in a finger cut with a card between the fingers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brian Cage vs. Rob Van Dam

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

They head inside with Rob hitting a springboard kick to the face but Cage uses the one good arm to send him into the corner. The superkick rocks Van Dam again as I don’t think the bell ever rang. Forbes slides in a chair though and Rob hits a Van Daminator to bust Cage open. The Van Terminator connects, Katie jiggles a lot, and Rob covers for…nothing because Cage is hurt. Cue Daga and some referees as Cage is taken away, meaning there’s no match. Well not a match with Cage at least as we have a replacement. Cage is either hurt or leaving or both, which does explain a little bit of this mess.

Rob Van Dam vs. Daga

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

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

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

Sami Callihan isn’t granting interviews.

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

Michael Elgin vs. Eddie Edwards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moose vs. Rhino

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: Willie Mack vs. The North

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

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

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

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

Rebellion is back in April.

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

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Results

Ken Shamrock b. Mad Man Fulton – Rings of Saturn

Ace Austin b. Trey Miguel – The Fold

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

Rob Van Dam b. Daga – Five Star Frog Splash

Eddie Edwards b. Michael Elgin – Sunset flip

Moose b. Rhino – No Jackhammers Needed

The North b. Willie Mack – Assisted spinebuster

Tessa Blanchard b. Sami Callihan – Hammerlock DDT

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

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

Ken Shamrock vs. Mad Man Fulton

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

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

Moose vs. Rhino

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brian Cage vs. Rob Van Dam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 7, 2020
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re back to a regular show and it’s the go home edition before Hard To Kill. The card is mostly set but there is always the chance that something could be added at the last minute. It’s kind of a weird situation as we are coming off back to back Best Of shows, meaning there isn’t much momentum for the pay per view at the moment. Maybe they can get in one last push though. Let’s get to it.

We open with Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards having to be pulled apart at ringside. Eddie is willing to fight him right now and hits a dive.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin

They’re still fighting on the floor as Eddie has to hurricanrana his way out of a powerbomb attempt. They chop it out until Elgin scores with a superkick and throws it inside for the opening bell. Eddie grabs an atomic drop but an enziguri in the corner sets up a stomp to the chest for two. A German suplex attempt doesn’t work for Eddie as Elgin grabs him by the head and flips him forward with raw power.

Eddie goes technical by countering a suplex into one of his own followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. A Rock Bottom/Boss Man Slam plants Eddie again and the Falcon Arrow gives Elgin two of his own. They strike it out in the corner with some chops and clotheslines before slugging it out in the middle. Elgin snaps off a German suplex but Eddie pops back up for a Boston Knee Party to the back of the head.

We take a break and come back with Eddie hitting another Boston Knee Party to put them both down. Eddie gets two off a tiger bomb and goes up, where he has to sunset bomb his way out of a super White Noise. Elgin blasts him with a clothesline for two more but can’t get a Crossface. Instead he settles for the Buckle Bomb into the Elgin Bomb for the pin at 19:43.

Rating: B. These guys beat the heck out of each other and the story made sense with Elgin using raw power while Eddie stuck and moved by getting in everything he could where he could. They didn’t waste time here and just went at it full blast for the twenty minutes and the match was very entertaining as result. As usual, the talent is strong around here and if they drop the nonsense and have good matches, it’s very entertaining stuff.

Video on the Tag Team Title match with Rich Swann and Willie Mack earning the title shot, leaving the North to try and play mind games to split them up.

Elgin vs. Edwards again on Sunday, this time with Edwards’ Call Your Shot trophy on the line. Oh yeah he has that.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP/Daga

Raj kicks away at Daga to start so Daga runs the ropes and hurricanranas him to the floor. Raju comes in and gets dropkicked down for one so it’s off to Bahh and TJP for a double back elbow. TJP nips up and Bahh….well he tried at least. They run the ropes over Raju and Bahh gets rather winded, just in case you didn’t get the joke the first time around. A DDT plants Daga and it’s Shera coming in to powerbomb Raju onto Daga for two.

It’s already back to Raj for a dropkick to the head and a backsplash for two of his own. TJP comes back in for a springboard dropkick as everything breaks down. Daga’s springboard wristdrag/headscissors combination puts Shera and Singh on the floor, setting up the big dive. Bahh’s suicide dive takes them down again but Shera hits his Sky High for the pin on TJP at 7:59.

Rating: C+. The Squad did look better here but there’s no way around how uninteresting they are. Their entire characters are “we’re from India and managed by a legend” and I need a lot more than that to care about someone. The match was pretty good, but give me something else to sink my teeth into with them.

Willie Mack comes in to see Rich Swann and says he might not be healthy for the Tag Team Title match. He doesn’t want to hold Swann back from realizing his full potential but Swann wants to win the titles.

OVE is ready to take over wrestling, starting with Mad Man Fulton beating Ken Shamrock on Sunday and Sami Callihan getting rid of Tessa Blanchard once and for all.

Johnny Swinger spikes Joey Ryan’s drink when Tommy Dreamer comes in and tells him to grow up. If Swinger didn’t do anything to Ryan’s drink, he can drink it himself. I’m sure hilarity will ensue.

Video on the X-Division Title match with Ace Austin hitting on Trey’s mom in a rather creepy way.

Video on Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard with Sami finally getting the World Title and Tessa trying to make history. This includes interviews from Tessa’s family, who has worked very hard to get here. Sami on the other hand only cared about wrestling and has done everything to get here. He’ll do anything to keep the title too. Sami doesn’t like it, but sometimes dreams don’t come true and Tessa will learn that on Sunday. Very good video, though it did a little too good of a job at making me like Sami, which wasn’t exactly the point.

James Mitchell locks Susie in a locker room so she can’t interfere in Havok’s match.

Havok vs. Rosemary

Rosemary screams and slugs away to start so Havok shoves her down. That just makes Rosemary jump on her back for more right hands before avoiding a charge to low bridge Havok to the floor. Michell’s distraction fails as Havok runs him over by mistake, only to catch Rosemary with a backbreaker inside. Cue Susie, who seems messed up by all of the noise. She winds up on commentary as Havok beats up Rosemary in the corner. A missed splash lets Rosemary get in a few shots but Mitchell gets Susie away from commentary. Havok hits the Tombstone for the pin at 5:11 as Mitchell covers Susie’s eyes.

Rating: D+. This was all angle stuff and that’s fine, though this story feels like it has been going on for years now. Mitchell trying to keep Su Yung from returning is certainly a twist, but I’m almost worried about how long they’re going to drag this whole thing out. It’s not bad and does keep things somewhat interesting, but I’m not sure how much of a goal they have with the thing.

ODB/Tenille Dashwood/Jordynne Grace vs. Kiera Hogan/Madison Rayne/Taya Valkyrie

Dashwood and Rayne start things off as Callis goes into Madison’s insane resume (73 time Knockouts Champion and an honorary Hart). Tenille throws her outside and it’s Grace coming in for two off an Implant Buster. Hogan gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Taya comes in for an elbow to the face.

A kick to Grace’s back gets two so ODB….rubs her chest. Grace runs Hogna over and dives over for the tag to ODB for a lot more chest based offense. A double Bronco Buster hits Taya and Madison and there’s a TKO to Taya as well. Grace adds a Vader Bomb but since she isn’t legal, ODB throws her outside and gets the pin at 5:16.

Rating: D+. Not much here as they were rushed and could have done this as a tag match without Dashwood and Hogan involved. ODB still feels really, really tacked on to the Knockouts Title match, meaning there is a good chance that Taya escapes before dropping the title to Grace later on.

Grace isn’t happy.

Moose interrupts Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes to make sure he can trust Rob tonight. They leave and Swinger is passed out on a couch. Joey Ryan and Petey Williams come in to draw something on him.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Moose/Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage/Rhino

Katie is here with Van Dam and Moose. Van Dam starts with Cage but decides that Moose can do it instead. Cage hits a superkick and spinebuster so it’s off to Rhino for a WOO. Rhino shouts to the crowd a lot and hammers away in the corner as the pace slows a good bit. A clothesline puts Moose on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Moose being sent onto the ramp but Katie breaks up the Gore so the villains can take over. Moose bites Rhino’s head and hammers away but can’t get a suplex. Rhino can hit a suplex of his own though and it’s Cage coming in for the staredown with Van Dam. A German suplex puts Van Dam down but Moose runs Cage over. Everything breaks down and Van Dam kicks Cage in the face for two.

These fans aren’t good enough to see Rolling Thunder so Van Dam is sent outside, leaving Moose to slug it out with Rhino. Cage takes Rhino’s place and hits a tornado DDT to put Moose down. Van Dam kicks Cage in the face but walks into the Gore. A missed charge puts Rhino down as well but Moose misses his own Five Star. The Gore and a discus lariat are enough to finish Moose at 12:23.

Rating: C+. They didn’t waste time here and just had four people hit each other for a somewhat lengthy match. Moose taking the pin makes more sense here and they did a nice job of setting up both matches at once. That’s something that will always work as you get to build two matches while also keeping things fresh. Nicely done here in a bit of a surprisingly good match.

Long video on Hard To Kill wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a rather good go home show as they covered everything on Sunday, added another match, and made me want to see the pay per view more than I did coming in. Some of the stuff felt like it could have been cut (that six man and Havok vs. Rosemary could have been on any other show) but overall, it was more good than bad and the opener was rather entertaining. Nice job here, but make sure the pay per view is even better.

Results

Michael Elgin b. Eddie Edwards – Elgin Bomb

Desi Hit Squad b. Fallah Bahh/TJP/Daga – Sky High to TJP

Havok b. Rosemary – Tombstone

ODB/Tenille Dashwood/Jordynne Grace b. Kiera Hogan/Madison Rayne/Taya Valkyrie – Vader Bomb to Rayne

Brian Cage/Rhino b. Moose/Rob Van Dam – Discus lariat to Moose

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 3, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re back to the future this week with the regular show after the awesome special edition last week. It’s more of the build towards Hard To Kill and two weeks ago saw Tessa Blanchard win a gauntlet match to become #1 contender to the World Title. Things need to start getting back to normal around here and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the gauntlet match, thankfully with Rich Swann getting some earned screen time.

Michael Elgin is going to let off some steam after getting disqualified last week.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Cage

They fight over a wristlock to start until Cage headlock takeovers him down. Cage runs Eddie into the corner with ease but gets sidestepped out to the floor. The hurricanrana off the apron is countered into a powerbomb which is countered into the hurricanrana into the barricade. Back in and Cage snaps off a belly to belly to take over again and Eddie’s back is bent over Cage’s knee.

Eddie is fine enough to counter a suplex into one of his own to take over. Some chops in the corner rock Cage and another hurricanrana keeps him down. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two but Eddie is banged up too. Something close to an AA gives Cage two and we hit that Terminator clap. Eddie kicks him in the head but gets clotheslined down for a double knockdown. And never mind as here’s Michael Elgin to clothesline them both down for the double DQ at 8:40.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this one and that is no surprise given that Eddie was in there. He’s the kind of guy who can have a good match with anyone and that is what he did here. Cage was holding up his end as well with all of the power moves throwing Eddie all over the place. It can be tricky to use someone like Cage but Eddie knew exactly what to do here and it worked rather well.

Post match Elgin stomps both of them down but we have something new.

Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin

Sure why not. Elgin gets double teamed to start but Eddie sends both monsters to the floor for a suicide dive. Not to be outdone, Cage is right back with his own no hands flip dive to take both of them down. Back in and it’s time to trade shots to the face, including a series of superkicks, to put everyone down again. Elgin slips out of Cage’s suplex and plants Eddie before dropkicking him out to the floor.

Cage is knocked outside as well and it’s a big spinning flip dive to take out Cage and Edwards as we take a break. Back with a Tower of Doom being broken up so Eddie settles for a Backpack Stunner for two on Cage. Elgin isn’t about to get caught in a half crab so it’s Cage back up to deck both of them. Edwards gets planted for two and it’s time for a short breather. It’s Elgin back up with a dragon suplex to Cage and running clotheslines in the corner.

A Falcon Arrow gets two on Cage but he’s right back with the sitout Alabama Slam for the same on Elgin. Cage runs into the Boston Knee Party and a tiger bomb to give Eddie two and he’s rather surprised by the kickout. Elgin takes a running knee to the back of the head but Cage clotheslines Eddie for a three way knockdown. Cage gets crotched on top though and it’s a Boston Knee party on the ropes for a bit knockdown. Elgin no sells a German suplex though and the Elgin Bomb to Eddie is good for the pin at 15:18.

Rating: B. Good stuff here as all three were working hard. The best thing here was just how much they were all trying, which is something you would expect out of all of them. Elgin winning makes perfect sense and it’s a match where everyone comes out looking good. I’m not sure what is next for any of them but I could go for seeing more from any combination of these three.

Watch No Surrender!

The Rascalz are in the clubhouse and Trey Miguel does not like Ace Austin hitting on his mom. Cue mom, with Trey asking her to stay out of the arena. Moms don’t go to work you see. She’s down with that and promises meatloaf. The rest of the team goes with her, and now I want meatloaf too.

Moose plays basketball and puts one of the players through the hoop.

Josh Matthews brings ODB to the ring, as the company is trying to do something for her after her food truck was destroyed. She has been making her living with the truck for years now but then it caught on fire and everything had to be started over again. Her insurance company isn’t paying anything for some reason but she has a home here in Impact.

Cue Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo to mockingly welcome her back. Yes ODB is a four time Knockouts Champion but Taya is the greatest Knockout of all time and this is her show. She spends more on spilled drinks than ODB spends on barbecue sauce all year. Taya plugs the Indiegogo campaign and tells ODB to get out of here. The fight is on but Bravo saves Taya from the beating.

Later tonight: Taya vs. ODB.

We go to a press conference (minus the press of course) for the official announcement of Blanchard vs. Callihan. Blanchard says she’s a professional and will put Callihan down. Callihan doesn’t like her because she’s a spoiled brat. He’s been doing this for fifteen years and she has had everything handed to her. At Hard To Kill, it’s another title defense on the resume and he’s “cracking her f****** skull.”

Reno Scum/Ace Austin vs. Rascalz

Mama Miguel is in the crowd. Trey goes with rapid fire punches on Thornstowe to start and snaps off the hurricanrana to send him into the corner. Austin comes in and tries a playing card but Trey scares him to the floor in a hurry. Thornstowe comes back in and gets hit with a series of flips and dives from the Rascalz with Luster having to make a save. Luster plants Dez with a suplex and Thrownstowe adds a standing moonsault for two more.

Austin even gets to taunt Trey a bit but Dez gets in a kick to the face and the diving tag brings Trey in. Everything breaks down and it’s a series of strikes to crush Austin. Wentz dives onto Luster and Trey dives onto everyone else. Hold on though as Austin goes to hit on Mama Miguel, meaning it’s a tackle from Miguel himself. The distraction lets Thornstowe roll Wentz up with trunks for the pin at 8:38.

Rating: C+. They were flying all over the place here with Austin and Miguel being the real stars. The idea of hitting on Miguel’s mom is an interesting way of going about things and certainly different than what they usually do for the title. I’m still not sure how Austin as the modern Val Venis works but it’s certainly a change of pace.

ODB isn’t worried about wrecking Taya tonight but will leave Jordynne Grace a piece. Grace gives her money and leaves.

Johnny Swinger rants to Joey Ryan about how the young guys are ruining everything. He suggests a kliq and Ryan….actually agrees. They’ll use hand signals to cheat tonight.

Here are Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes for a chat. Katie shakes a lot and introduces him as the sexiest man in the world. Rob knows he needs to explain a few things but no one would get it because no one knows what it’s like to have everyone want to be him. How many people do they cheer for when they steal his moves?

Cue Tommy Dreamer (Callis: “Dreamer just can’t help himself.”) to say Rob and Rhino should fight next week, like we used to here in Queens. Rob isn’t sold and wants to know why Dreamer can’t stop living in the past. Uh, a need to eat and he can’t do anything else? Anyway, Van Dam has his girlfriend (and his girlfriend’s girlfriend) to take care of so he’s ready to go. Cue Rhino to go after Rob but the referees break it u.

We look at Rich Swann in the gauntlet match again.

Willie Mack is proud of Swann but Rich admits that it was Tessa’s night. Now they want the Tag Team Titles so here are the North to mockingly applaud Swann. Rich and Willie are ready to win the Tag Team Open next week and get the titles at Hard To Kill.

Fallah Bahh isn’t happy with the Desi Hit Squad but he’s still here.

Flashback Moment of the Week: ODB beats Mickie James to win the Knockouts Title in 2013.

James Mitchell introduces Susie to Jessika Havok. They’ll be fine as long as Susie doesn’t invade her personal space.

Johnny Swinger vs. Petey Williams

Swinger offers a handshake but Petey catches the cheap shot to the ribs. Petey snaps off a headscissors and hits a dropkick to the back to put Swinger on the floor. Back in and Swinger hammers away before dropping a headbutt to the lower abdomen. The elbows miss though and Petey hits the slingshot Codebreaker. That’s enough for Swinger to call for Ryan to help him but instead he has to flip out of the Canadian Destroyer attempt. The Swinger Neckbreaker is countered into the Sharpshooter to give Petey the fast win at 3:17.

Rating: D-. Yeah I’m not sure why they put Swinger in the ring but at least his vignettes have been funny at times. The problem with a joke like this is that there doesn’t seem to be much of a payoff other than what will probably be a lame comedy bit. The idea of Swinger vs. Ryan gives me hives so you can probably pencil it in for the pay per view.

Taya Valkyrie vs. ODB

Non-title and ODB uses the chest to shove Taya around. Some shoulders put Taya down but John E. Bravo takes away ODB’s flask. Actually Johnny takes a shot of his own…and gets his face pulled into ODB’s chest. The distraction lets Taya get in a shot to the leg and a running knee to the head gets two.

ODB misses a running charge in the corner and there’s the Stinkface for a bonus. Something close to an STF sends ODB over to the ropes and it’s time for some choking. ODB bites her face though and sits up top for the Dirty Dozen (I had forgotten that one). The Bronco Buster hits but Bravo wants a shot from the flask. He and ODB share a drink but Taya gets in a cheap shot. Cue Grace to grab the title, allowing ODB to get a rollup and the pin on Taya at 10:14.

Rating: D. Oh yeah I had forgotten how much I dislike ODB. She’s annoying, she’s loud, she isn’t that great in the ring and now she’s pinning the champ. Yes it’s a charity deal but you couldn’t have this be a DQ or a countout? It’s not like ODB is going to be wrestling full time or anything so keep the champ looking a little stronger maybe?

Overall Rating: C. This is one of the most evenly laid out shows I’ve ever seen with a very good first hour and then a bounce off the rocks at the bottom of a cliff for the second. The ODB stuff was fine in small doses but I was sick of her all over again by the end. They have a lot of time to set up Hard To Kill, but this wasn’t the best start as they head towards the pay per view. The double match at the start is good, but egads it falls apart after that six man tag.

Results

Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Cage went to a double DQ when Michael Elgin interfered

Michael Elgin b. Brian Cage and Eddie Edwards – Elgin Bomb to Edwards

Reno Scum/Ace Austin b. Rascalz – Rollup with trunks to Wentz

Petey Williams vs. Johnny Swinger – Sharpshooter

ODB b. Taya Valkyrie – Rollup

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 5, 2019
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

I don’t know how to say this but the company is on a roll. They had a good Bound For Glory and a rather strong debut on AXS, which seems to actually care about them. That being said, if there is one thing that Impact’s history has taught me it is to never get comfortable with what they are offering as they will instantly make you regret it. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Sami Callihan and OVE (complete with a bunch of unnamed lackeys) are drinking beer because they aren’t cowards who drink bubbly. They started a revolution and they are for Ohio, by Ohio.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Willie Mack

Moose runs him over with ease to start as we hear about his football career. Again. The discus lariat misses and it’s a headscissors to put Moose down, followed by a hurricanrana to send him outside. That means a running flip dive because some sort of a dive is required in wrestling these days.

Back in and Moose hits some running dropkicks in the corner, followed by a hard whip into another corner. The chokebomb out of the corner gets two but Mack fights up to no sell some forearms to the face. The chop off goes to a stalemate so Moose pokes him in the eye, only to get Stunned for his efforts. Mack’s standing moonsault gets two so he goes up but gets crotched right back down. A superplex drops Mack again and the spear gives Moose the pin at 8:38.

Rating: C. They did their usual stuff here with Mack being a freak of a different nature. Moose is your one of a kind athletic marvel though as he is such a big guy who gets to beat up anyone he wants to in a variety of ways. You don’t get something like that every day and it’s worth giving Moose whatever he wants so he can be around for a long time.

Alisha Edwards is scared about going to dinner with Ace Austin but is told to just enjoy it. She goes through some doors and just so happens to overhear Austin and Reno Scum talking about his rather nefarious plans for her. Alisha is livid.

Hard To Kill is coming to Dallas.

Taya Valkyrie and Madison Rayne trade pop music references to insult their fashion sense. Taya leaves and runs into Jordynne Grace, who wants a title shot. That gets her blown off, as expected.

Watch Turning Point this weekend! I won’t be but the card looks decent.

Michael Elgin vs. Fallah Bahh

They slug it out to start with Bahh no selling some big boots to the face. Elgin tries to jump over him in the corner but gets kicked in the ribs. A running splash in the corner hits Elgin’s raised boots and he falls to the floor for a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and a slingshot double stomp gives Elgin two and he manages a suplex for two as we take a break.

We come back with Elgin muscling him over with a t-bone suplex for two more but Bahh runs him over with a clothesline. Bahh sits on his chest for two but Elgin is back up with a superkick into a great looking German suplex. A superplex drops Bahh…who pops up with a Samoan drop. Bahh goes up, only to get knocked right back down for a crash. The powerbomb and Samoan drop are countered so Elgin rolls around into a Crossface for the tap at 14:03.

Rating: C. This was a hoss fight but it went on about twice as long as it needed to. You can only do the same power displays so often before the impact stops working. That was what happened here and the match wasn’t all that fun by the end. Elgin winning is the right call and thankfully Impact didn’t do anything zany. Also, well done by Bahh for turning into something other than a comedy goof, which I wouldn’t have bet on happening.

Austin comes up to Alisha, who gives him her hotel key and says they’re skipping dinner.

OVE is drunk and comes in to meet….Tommy Dreamer. They make fun of him for being fat and that’s it.

Flashback Moment of the Week: EC3 vs. Moose for the Grand Championship.

The North tells Naomichi Marufuji to find a partner for a Tag Team Title match next week.

Joey Ryan vs. Ken Shamrock

Just get this over with. Shamrock is in workout shorts and running shoes because he doesn’t think much of Ryan. Ryan gets backed up against the ropes and Ken gives him a clean break before snapping off some armdrags. The ankle lock attempt sends Joey to the rope and a dropkick staggers Shamrock. He offers a handshake so Ryan shoves the hand to his crotch for the YouPorn Plex. Shamrock is scared but manages the ankle lock for the win at 4:52.

Rating: F. You have Shamrock, who is pretty close to a legend in wrestling, willing to come in and help you out a little bit and this is what you use him for? To give a spot to Joey Ryan’s comedy bits? The Ryan stuff is dumb enough on its own for about 184 reasons, but they use Shamrock to do it? And Shamrock agreed???

OVE goes into the locker room and try on Daga’s vest. Daga comes in and a fight is teased until Rich Swann breaks it up to give us a main event.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Madison Rayne

Non-title. Madison tries to point out the LRL logo on the back of her trunks….but it’s not there for some reason. Taya kicks her down and hits a basement dropkick before kicking away. The armbar doesn’t last long so Taya stomps away in the corner, only to get drop toeholded into the middle buckle.

Madison gets in some knees and we take a break. Back with John E. Bravo tripping Madison down so Taya can take over again. Something like a Side Effect plants Madison again but she’s right back with a tornado DDT for two. A wind up cutter gets two with Bravo throwing his stuffed dog into the ring for the save. Taya knees her down and hits the Road to Valhalla for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: C. Taya is doing her thing and it seems pretty clear that we’re building up to the fight with Grace. There is nothing wrong with going there and I could go with Grace taking the title. Rayne is fine as well, but it just isn’t all that interesting of a match here. The Taya stuff has been done to death so far and they need to get to the title shot soon, not wait until January.

Post match Grace comes out and suplexes Bravo as Valkyrie bails.

Gama Singh yells at the Desi Hit Squad and brings in Bhurpinder Singh, who could replace one of them if they keep losing.

Ace goes to the hotel.

Rosemary yells at Susie about killing Allie and doesn’t buy the new act. Rosemary leaves and Susie goes up to Havok, who has no idea what is going on.

Bhurpinder Singh vs. Petey Williams

It wouldn’t be a Canadian show without Williams. For a bit of a detail, the referee has no legs. Williams avoids a charge to start and hammers away to send him outside. The slingshot hurricanrana is countered though and Singh drops a legdrop back inside. A Rock Bottom backbreaker sets up a spinout Rock Bottom for two but Williams is right back with a headscissors. Singh grabs a powerslam for two more, only to get caught with a slingshot….nothing as Singh catches him on the shoulders. That’s fine with Petey who slips down and grabs the Sharpshooter for the win at 3:58.

Rating: D+. This would be the match where we have to get these two into a match and I have no idea why we’re supposed to be interested. The Hit Squad continues to grow despite having all of its interest elsewhere, and then you have Petey who is there because of where the show is taking place. This stuff was old years ago and now it’s just a bad tradition.

Post match Singh goes after the referee but Petey makes the save, allowing the referee to hit a 619 into a 450. This is a thing that happened.

Into the hotel room now, where Alisha tells Ace to take it slow. She goes to change so Ace takes off his clothes and even blindfolds himself. Eddie Edwards, fight on the bed, Alisha canes Ace into the hall and, ahem, reunites with Eddie on the floor.

Johnny Swinger recruits Petey to be his young boy. Petey isn’t carrying his bag but here’s OVE to say they’re bringing the party to the ring.

Turning Point rundown the sequel.

Here’s OVE to celebrate in the ring. After a break, Jake Crist has to introduce Sami Callihan twice so Sami can talk about partying all week long. Cue Tommy Dreamer to talk about how Sami is a bully and a troll. Sami: “Fat Dreamer….can I call you Fat Dreamer?” He offers him a fight but Dreamer wants a referee for an EXTREME celebration.

OVE vs. Tessa Blanchard/Rich Swann/Daga/Tommy Dreamer

Anything goes and they start fighting on the floor. Tessa starts swinging a chair and Dreamer uses it for his baseball slide into Jake’s face. Fulton claw sweeps Dreamer onto the chair but gets tornado DDTed by Daga. It’s Sami vs. Swann for a bit with Rich being sent outside, setting up the showdown with Tessa.

A quick cutter drops Sami and Tessa hits the big flip dive to the floor to take everyone out. Back in and the small form Tower of Doom drops Fulton and Swann hits the double Lethal Injection on Sami and Jake. Sami is right back up with an attempted Cactus Special but gets reversed into a rollup to give Swann the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C-. That is some WWE style booking with the brand new World Champion losing in a random eight person tag a week after winning the title. They can cover up a lot of it by saying Sami was tired/drunk but what’s the point of having lackeys if they can’t take a fall here? Oh and I laughed at the Dreamer inclusion, because it’s a running gag at this point.

Overall Rating: D+. They missed on a lot of points here and it was a big step down from last week. Between the Squad/Petey/Dreamer inclusion to the embarrassment of having Shamrock wasted on Ryan, I was having trouble staying interested in this show. It was one bad Impact Wrestling trope after another and that isn’t a good sign a week after their big debut on their upgraded network.

Results

Moose b. Willie Mack – Spear

Michael Elgin b. Fallah Bahh – Crossface

Ken Shamrock b. Joey Ryan – Ankle lock

Taya Valkyrie b. Madison Rayne – Road to Valhalla

Petey Williams b. Thunderbird Singh – Sharpshooter

Tessa Blanchard/Rich Swann/Daga/Tommy Dreamer b. OVE – Rollup to Callihan

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Bound For Glory 2019
Date: October 20, 2019
Location: Odeum Expo Center, Villa Park, Illinois
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s the biggest night of the year and that could mean a lot of things this time around. The main event will see World Champion Brian Cage defending the title against Sami Callihan in a match that was made personal when Callihan attacked Cage’s wife Melissa Santos. In addition, we have Ken Shamrock returning to the ring to face Moose because….star power I guess? Let get to it.

A very small production snafu means we hear applause and cheering for the FBI copyright warning. That intellectual property fan base needs their own wrestling show.

The opening video is a standard set of clips of tonight’s matches. The song has the lyrics “we’re here for the glory” (or something close to it) over and over for a nice touch.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

It’s a twenty person Royal Rumble with one minute intervals but the last two have a regular match with the winner getting a title shot against the champion of their choice. Eddie Edwards is in at #1…and we lose the Fite TV signal for several minutes. With that out of the way, we come back with Eddie both members of Reno Scum (Luster the Legend and Adam Thornstowe), including a dropkick to Thornstowe…as the signal goes out again.

Back with Eddie getting stomped down in the corner and Cousin Jake coming in at #4. The pseudo tag match breaks out until Rohit Raju is in at #5. Raju gets to clean house for probably the first time ever….and Joey freaking Ryan is in at #6. I mean, the graphic says Cody Deaner but close enough. He offers Jake and Scum the chance to touch it so everyone beats him up, with Luster trying a low blow knee drop for the expected result. Joey chains them together to to flip everyone at once (just go with it), including a double elimination of Raju and Jake.

Havok is in at #7 and grabs Joey by the throat for a chokeslam. Everyone else gets beaten up for a bonus and it’s Rosemary in at #8. That means Joey needs some oil down his trunks so he can offer both women to touch it. A double clothesline puts him down and it’s Madman Fulton in at #9 to clean house again. Rosemary and Havok are both put out and Thornstowe follows them.

Ryan gives Fulton the lollipop and gets tossed with ease as Cody Deaner is in at #10, giving us Eddie, Luster, Fulton and Deaner. Fulton gets rid of Deaner in a hurry so here’s Cody Deaner at #11, though he stays outside to pose instead of facing Fulton in a smart move. Jordynne Grace is in at #12 and gets to clean house, including a German suplex to Fulton (albeit with the assist of an enziguri from Eddie). Swoggle, who is getting as required as Tommy Dreamer, is in at #13.

Swinger gets in as well and spanks Grace, earning himself a quick ejection. Kiera Hogan is in at #14 as they’re flying through these entrances. Swoggle tries to go behind Kiera and gets danced at, earning herself a quick elimination from Grace. Raj Singh is in at #15 as Luster is eliminated to keep the ring fairly empty. Tommy Dreamer is in at #16 and I begin to sigh. Biting and spitting ensue but Fulton takes him down with choking in the corner. Kylie Rae (hometown girl) debuts (more or less) at #17 and is very happy to be here, as is her custom.

Dreamer throws out Raj, poses, and gets dumped by Fulton. Fallah Bahh is in at #18 and catches a diving Fulton in a Samoan drop. Sabu is in at #19 and brings in a chair so he can slip on Air Sabu for old times’ sake. The chair bounces off of Eddie’s face and the tornado DDT makes it worse. Shera is in at #20 to clean house, giving us a final group of Eddie, Fulton, Grace, Rae, Bahh, Sabu and Shera for quite the motley crew.

Shera gets rid of Rae, Grace and Sabu in a hurry to clear out a lot of the ring and leave Eddie against the three monsters. They pair off with Shera getting rid of Bahh so it’s Shera and Fulton taking turns throwing Eddie around. Eddie gets up for a blindside clothesline to eliminate Fulton as the referee comes down to make it a regular match. Fulton chokeslams Eddie onto the apron for a parting gift, only to have Eddie hit the Boston Knee Party for the fast pin on Shera at 33:02.

Rating: D+. This was thirty minutes of “hi I’m here and now I’m out”, followed by a one on one segment that lasted about thirty seconds. It felt like an excuse to get everyone on the show and really would have been better served as a pre-show match than the first thing on the pay per view. It was one entrance after another with no story to be seen and that’s not a great way to start things off. Eddie winning makes sense and it went by quickly, but not the best choice in an opener.

We run down the card you’ve already paid to see.

Brian cage and Melissa Santos arrived earlier. Cage immediately demanded that the World Title match now be No DQ.

We recap the Knockouts Title match. Taya Valkyrie is the longest reigning Knockouts Champion of all time and Tenille Dashwood is the newest big challenger to come after the title. And that’s about it.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood is challenging and Taya has John E. Bravo, dressed as the Joker, with her. Taya jumps her to start and we get going in a hurry. A suplex gets Tenille out of trouble but Taya sends her hard into the corner to take over again. Taya misses a charge though and gets neckbreakered over the middle rope, meaning it’s time for a Bravo distraction so Taya can trip Dashwood up.

Back in and Dashwood’s Fujiwara armbar is broken up in a hurry as commentary talks about Taya’s first ever match being against Dashwood. The far too early slugout goes to Dashwood and she gets two off a high crossbody. Taya rolls her up into the corner though and hits the running knees to rock Dashwood again. A sitout powerbomb out of the corner gives Dashwood two more and they head to the apron for the sole purpose of doing a high impact move on the apron.

Taya hits a rather safe looking package piledriver to send Dashwood outside but she’s fine enough to slam Taya off the top. Taste of Tenille connects and sets up the Spotlight kick, only to have Bravo pull them to the ropes. The distraction lets Taya bring in a chain but Dashwood takes it away and throws it into the crowd. Another Spotlight kick misses though and the Road To Valhalla retains the title at 11:50.

Rating: C. That’s about what I expected as they were doing the kind of match that doesn’t exactly have a fire but is technically fine. Taya retaining the title is fine enough as there are several women gunning for the title and Dashwood just kind of showed up and got the big title shot. It’s smart to go with someone else for the title change, though at this point I’m waiting on Gail Kim to show up again.

Rhino and Rob Van Dam are ready to win the Tag Team Titles. A Gore or a Van Daminator is promised.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Rich Swann/Willie Mack beat LAX in their last match and Rob Van Dam/Rhino aren’t happy that the North got rid of LAX so we’re hitting that triple threat title match.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack vs. Rob Van Dam/Rhino

The North is defending. Mack and Alexander start things off with a shoulder taking Mack down. That’s fine with him as he snaps off a hurricanrana so it’s Page and Swann coming in for their turn. A 619 to the ribs into a slingshot neckbreaker into something close to Rolling Thunder gets two on Page, so he flips Swann over by the hair. Rhino comes in instead and takes over on Page in the corner but an Alexander distraction lest the champs take over.

The spinebuster plants Page though and the too early to be a hot tag brings in Van Dam to kick away. The spine legged moonsault hits Page for two and there’s a monkey flip to Alexander. Swann tags himself in and kicks Alexander in the head but another cheap shot from the apron puts Swann in trouble for a change. A backdrop nearly turns Swann into a 450 and it’s back to Alexander for some forearms into the corner.

The assisted spinebuster is countered into a DDT though and Swann snaps off a reverse hurricanrana to Alexander. Now the hot tag can bring in Mack to clean house, including something close to a 3D with Swann playing Bubba for two on Page. Mack frog splashes him for the same and Rob isn’t pleased at the move stealing. A series of kicks to the face set up Alexander’s Regal Roll on Van Dam but Rhino clotheslines Alexander to the floor.

Mack hits the big flip dive to the floor, leaving Page to super gorilla press Swann back inside (pretty impressive power display). A powerbomb to the knee into Page’s Swanton gets two more but the double Neutralizer is broken up. Van Dam and Rhino come back in and the fans want the Gore. Rhino loads it up…and Van Dam superkicks him to the floor in a rather surprising heel turn. More kicks take out Mack and Swann and the assisted spinebuster to Swann retains the titles at 14:24.

Rating: B-. Pretty bizarre heel turn aside, this was a rather fast paced tag match with the big spots and pretty much what it needed to be throughout. Swann and Mack are a good team and will likely get the titles someday. I’m cool with the North retaining though as they have turned into a treat to watch. Rhino vs. Van Dam doesn’t sound interesting, but it’s better than having two ECW feuds at once….I think.

Ace Austin, in a towel, comes in to see Alisha, who isn’t pleased. He still wants her to celebrate if he wins the title, but she wants him in more clothes.

We recap Naomichi Marufuji vs. Michael Elgin, which is little more than a challenge match because Elgin needed something to do and the show needed a guest star.

Michael Elgin vs. Naomichi Marufuji

Or Marufugi according to the name graphic. Come on with that stuff people. Neither can hit a chop to start so Marufuji misses some chops and kicks to get us to an early standoff. Elgin misses a charge in the corner and gets chopped a bit but he catches a charging Marufuji in a suplex. A missile dropkick sends Marufuji flying for two and the fans aren’t pleased with Elgin being in control. They chop it out with Marufuji knocking him to the floor and hits the big flip dive.

Back in and a running stomp to the head gives Marufuji two but he has to flip out of a German suplex attempt. Elgin sends him into the ropes and snaps off the German suplex this time, setting up a Falcon Arrow for two. They trade kicks to the head and it’s a double knockdown with Marufuji in the better shape of the two. A sunset bomb to the floor is blocked so Marufuji superkicks Elgin in the back of the head instead.

Sliced Bread on the floor gets a nine so it’s a top rope stomp to the back of the head for two (counting in wrestling is weird). There’s a dragon suplex to drop Marufuji and a discus lariat takes his head off. Splash Mountain gets two and the shock is strong. Another Sliced Bread drops Elgin again but Marufuji can’t get him up for a tiger bomb.

Instead it’s time to slug it out again with Marufuji picking up the intensity of the strikes to take over. That’s fine with Elgin, who blocks a kick and powerbombs him down for two. The buckle bomb into the Elgin Bomb gets two and Elgin is STUNNED in a great visual. The Burning Hammer finally puts Marufuji away at 18:04.

Rating: B. Yeah that’s what you should have been expecting here as they beat the fire out of each other for the better part of twenty minutes. Elgin is just such a powerhouse and I’ve liked Marufuji from the times I’ve seen him before. It isn’t the style of wrestling I like most of the time but for a one off, this was very entertaining.

We recap the X-Division Title match. Jake Crist is champion and is defending in a five way ladder match because it’s Bound For Glory.

X-Division Title: Daga vs. Jake Crist vs. Tessa Blanchard vs. Acey Romero vs. Ace Austin

Crist is defending in a ladder match and the debuting Acey weighs about 400lbs. Jake gets stared at to start until Ace and Daga superkick Romero into the corner. Tessa unloads on Crist and hits the suicide dive to the floor to take him out. She does it two more times, only to have Ace dive onto both of them. Romero dropkicks Daga, who corkscrew dives over Romero to take everyone down on the floor.

Tessa and Daga fight over the ladder so Romero dives onto it to…well really just hurt himself. The ladder is brought in and it’s a Codebreaker into a Backstabber to put Crist on the floor. Romero comes back in (WAY too soon) and gets dropped with a cutter. Worry not though as he’s right back up and bringing in another ladder. Crist hits Romero in the head with a chair and a kick manages to knock him down. Austin suplexes Crist off the ladder so Daga makes his own save and beats up Austin for a bonus.

Tessa is back in with a springboard dropkick to knock Austin outside but Romero Samoan drops her off the ladder. Daga teeter totters the ladder into Romero’s face and then bridges it between the ring and the barricade. Let’s throw in a table for a bonus (and a spot on a Bingo card) but before it gets used, Romero hits a Tower of Doom onto almost everyone else.

A powerbomb sends Austin hard into the ladder and Romero teases to climb, but pulls out another one to climb two at once. Crist breaks that up with a super cutter, leaving us with Tessa and Daga for the double climb. Austin shoves both of them down but gets Death Valley Driven by Daga. That’s not it as Daga hits a running Canadian Destroyer to Crist on the bridged ladder.

Romero goes up but Tessa shoves the ladder over to DESTROY the table, with the ladder crashing over the top as well. Tessa is all alone but here’s the rest of OVE to make the save but Tessa hurricanrana Madman Fulton into the ladder. Jake is knocked through another table but Austin hits Tessa with his baton and steals the title at 17;24.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as they didn’t waste time setting up spots and flew from one thing to another. The selling wasn’t around but when you just ignore it for most of the match, it kind of starts to work in a weird way. That being said, they have to give Tessa the win at some point because you can only tease it so many times before the fans stop caring. They cared here, but I’m not sure how much longer that can happen. Romero did well here, though you can hear Fallah Bahh crying from here.

We recap Moose vs. Ken Shamrock. Moose has started disrespecting so Shamrock (who still looks about 75) is fighting to prove that he’s still a man and to teach Moose some respect. In other words, it’s football vs. MMA.

Moose says he has fought some tough men before and has been trained by Frank Trigg. Frank brags about Moose’s awesomeness and isn’t worried about the match.

Moose vs. Ken Shamrock

Moose has Trigg with him and is rapped to the ring by someone that most fans probably haven’t heard of before. Ok so it’s his brother but that doesn’t make things much better. They stare each other down to start until Shamrock gets in a headscissors. The armbreaker is blocked with raw power but Moose bails to the ropes to get out of the ankle lock. Josh thinks Shamrock isn’t used to rope breaks because Josh isn’t that bright sometimes.

Shamrock is back up with a freaking suicide dive of all things and Moose’s chops just annoy him. A poke to the eye works a bit better but Shamrock backdrops him onto the ramp. Shamrock gets posted though and they’re both already holding their backs. Moose throws him back in but Shamrock is right back with a slingshot dive. Trigg’s distraction lets Moose kick the leg out, allowing Moose to cut off a turnbuckle pad.

Neither guy is going head first into the buckle so Shamrock goes with a belly to belly into the ankle lock. The referee gets bumped (well duh) and Moose gets in a low blow (bigger duh). Moose declares himself the World’s Most Dangerous Man and swings a chair but Shamrock reverses into the ankle lock again. Trigg comes in for the save so Shamrock punches him down and grabs ankle lock. This time Moose rolls him into the exposed buckle and hits the spear for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C. Given what I was expecting, this was quite the nice surprise. It still wasn’t very good but Shamrock didn’t come close to embarrassing himself and that’s what mattered. Moose winning was the only option they had and they didn’t do anything stupid. Call this the surprise of the show and that’s a good thing.

They’re back on pay per view in January with Hard To Kill.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage for the World Title. Sami has attacked both Cage and Cage’s wife but it isn’t the Sami he wanted the world to see. It’s the one that the world made come out though and he’s going to cripple Cage to win the title. Sami has turned into an awesome guy that you want to see get crushed.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Sami Callihan vs. Brian Cage

Cage (in Wolverine gear) is defending and it’s No DQ. As you might expect, Cage isn’t wasting time and they go straight to it with Callihan spitting in his face for reasons of general insanity. Callihan flips him off and gets taken down for the pummeling. Cage has already busted him open with a bite to the head and it’s time to rake the cut with a Wolverine claw. A springboard clothesline sends Cage outside but he’s right back in for a dive to drop Callihan.

Cage isn’t done and hits a big running flip dive but Callihan blasts him with a chair to the back to take over. That’s shrugged off as well for a toss powerbomb into the post because Cage can do that. Callihan manages to set up two chairs at ringside but gets dropped onto a table. Cage puts part of the barricade onto the chairs, only to get Cactus Specialed through it for his efforts. Fans: “THAT WAS MURDER!”

Back in (for a change) and Sami even mocks the Terminator clap before kneeing/kicking Cage in the face. Cage pops right back up with the apron superplex and there’s a release German suplex. A pumphandle faceplant gets two on Callihan, who is right back up with a suplex for two more. The hanging piledriver gives Callihan the same, only to have Cage snap off an F5.

The bent barricade is brought inside but Callihan bites him in the face and gets in a low blow. A running powerbomb into the barricade gives Callihan two more…and it’s thumbtacks time. The Cactus Special onto the tacks gets one and Callihan knows it’s time to die. Cage powerbombs him onto the tacks and hits the Drill Claw to retain at 16:35.

Rating: B+. I had a great time with this one as they didn’t bother going with a wrestling match, as they certainly didn’t need to. Cage should have been out for blood here and that’s exactly what he did, making the whole thing the violent carnage that it needed to be. They did what they should have done here and that means a lot in a match that was built around pure violence. Cage is a monster when he’s on and that was the case here, which means whoever takes the title is going to look like a giant killer.

Post match Melissa Santos comes out to celebrate with Cage to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Once we got past that opener (and the streaming issues, which were only an issue at the start) and a not that good Knockouts match, this turned into a heck of a show with a little bit of everything. I’m both surprised and not surprised though, as Impact tends to do much better on their pay per views, though the build for this show (outside of the main event) has not been good. They had a big show at the right time and if they can keep that up, AXS TV could bring a lot of positive things. Anyway, very solid show here and worth checking out, especially if you skip the opener.

Results

Eddie Edwards won a gauntlet match last eliminating Shera

Taya Valkyrie b. Tenille Dashwood – Road To Valhalla

The North b. Rich Swann/Willie Mack and Rob Van Dam/Rhino – Assisted spinebuster to Swann

Michael Elgin b. Naomichi Marufuji – Burning Hammer

Ace Austin b. Acey Romero, Tessa Blanchard, Jake Crist and Daga – Austin pulled down the title

Moose b. Ken Shamrock – Spear

Brian Cage b. Sami Callihan – Drill Claw

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel And Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

The long march towards Bound For Glory continues, but more importantly the march towards AXS TV continues as well. Things are actually looking up around here as last week’s show may not have been the best on its own, but it made me want to see what happens at the pay per view. That’s ultimately what matters most so hopefully they can continue that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards

Austin has a new shirt: Ace Austin 3:16 on the front and I JUST BANGED YOUR WIFE on the back. Eddie isn’t wasting time and knocks him to the floor for the slingshot dive. Some kicks against the barricade has Eddie in trouble and Austin kisses a groupie in the front row. Back in and they take turns choking in the corner until Eddie takes him outside for more chopping. A drink to the face slows Eddie down and Ace gets to choke in the corner some more.

Ace gets in a kick to stagger Eddie on the middle rope but Eddie crotches him on top instead. The belly to back superplex connects so here’s Reno Scum for a distraction. Eddie is fine enough to get two off the Blue Thunder Bomb but Ace kicks him in the head for the same. The Boston Knee Party gets another near fall but this time Reno Scum pulls the referee out at two. That means it’s Kenny time, only to have Austin hit the Fold. That’s good for two so Austin loads up a piece of metal in his arm brace and spinning backfists Eddie cold at 10:45.

Rating: C. I’m more than a little surprised that this match took place here as you would think that it was a perfect grudge match at Bound For Glory. I’ve been more interested in this feud than in almost anything else Impact has been offering lately and I really hope that they’re not thrown into a ladder match (or Heaven forbid it’s Eddie/Tommy Dreamer vs. Reno Scum) at the biggest show of the year.

Taya Valkyrie is panicking about having to face Havok when Rosemary comes in. Rosemary is looking forward to watching and doesn’t seem interested in helping.

The announcers preview the show.

We look back at Brian Cage being arrested for going after Sami Callihan last week.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Rascalz

Gama Singh introduces Mahabali Shera first and the rest of the team as his soldiers. Trey gets triple teamed to start and it’s a legsweep into a jumping stomp for two. Raj blocks a diving tag attempt and suplexes Trey for two more. Heel miscommunication finally allows Trey to get over for the tag and everything breaks down. The Rascalz start cleaning house but Shera blocks a double suicide dive. Back in and the triple teaming doesn’t work on Shera, who World’s Strongest Slams Wentz and puts Raju on top for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: D. The Desi Hit Squad is one of the least interesting acts I’ve seen in years as they’re just not fun to watch in any way. Their offense is generic, their gimmick is that they’re from India and the whole team exists to make Shera look good. That doesn’t help when Shera isn’t exactly thrilling on his best day and the team doesn’t help things. Throw in the fact that the Rascalz have a match at Bound For Glory and lose here and this was a big waste of time.

Katie Forbes arrives and tells Jordynne Grace to park her car. A fight is set instead, with Grace promising to kick Forbes’ a**. Forbes: “You mean this one?” And she pulls up her robe.

Knockouts Title: Jessika Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya is defending and it’s James Mitchell/John E. Bravo as the seconds. Hold on though as here’s Tenille Dashwood to join commentary. Havok powers her into the corner to start and gets two off a knee to the head. The threat of a right hand has Taya grabbing the ropes but she does manage to take Havok down and knee her in the face.

The choking in the corner just makes Havok mad enough to hammer away and bend Taya over her knee. Taya climbs down the post to get out of a superplex attempt and manages to knock Havok into the ropes. That means the top rope double stomp but Havok is right back up with a clothesline and the chokeslam….but Bravo pulls the referee out for the DQ at 5:07.

Rating: D+. I’m still not sure why things are going in this direction for the Knockouts Title. It still feels like there are three or four stories going on at the same time and Havok losing like this would suggest that she should be in the title match at Bound For Glory. Giving Dashwood the title shot is fine, but they’re doing a weird job of setting it up.

Post match Havok beats up Bravo but gets a belt shot to the face. Dashwood comes in and beats Taya up to send the champ running.

Sami Callihan says Brian Cage belongs in jail because he’s an animal. He’s taking the World Title at Bound For Glory.

The North is ready to defend the Tag Team Titles at Bound For Glory. Rich Swann and Willie Mack come up and say they’ll win. Rhino and Rob Van Dam come in to say they’re old and awesome. The North bails while the other teams argue.

Moose vs. Stephan Bonnar

Frank Trigg is on commentary. Moose throws him down to start and messes with Bonnar’s face so Bonnar gets in a knee to the ribs. A toss puts Moose on the floor as Trigg talks about how awesome Moose is. Back in and Moose hammers away some more until Bonnar gets in a spinwheel kick. Bonnar, with a cut next to his eye, hits a spinebuster and goes up….but Moose shoves the referee into the ropes to crotch Bonnar for the DQ at 4:29.

Rating: D-. This gets a hearty “well that happened” as we have our second DQ for attacking a referee in two matches. The idea of having Moose get into the MMA side of things and fighting mixed martial artists is fine but could they at least have the match be interesting? Bonnar isn’t anything in the ring and while he’s been trained, that doesn’t mean he’s ready to be in a spot like this. Bad match, and it’s setting up what could be a major disaster with Ken Shamrock getting back in the ring.

Post match Moose beats on him even more and grabs a chair. Shamrock comes out for the save and ankle locks Moose as Bonnar won’t let Trigg interfere.

Katie Forbes vs. Jordynne Grace

Forbes has a money gun and enjoy shaking various things. Grace headscissors her way out of a headlock takeover and manages some pushups at the same time. A crucifix gives Grace two and a middle rope dropkick puts Forbes on the floor. Back in and Forbes chokes with a boot in the corner but hold on because hip shaking needs to take place. Grace pulls Forbes’ trunks up rather hard and sends her shoulder first into the post. A Vader Bomb gives Grace two but Forbes grabs a tornado DDT for the same. That’s enough for Grace, who hits the Grace Driver for the pin at 5:40.

Rating: D. Another pretty bad match as the rather terrible show continues. Forbes is rather curvy and that’s the extent of her appeal, as wrestling isn’t exactly her strong suit. It’s like they’re trying to recreate Scarlett Bordeaux without most of the things that made her work in the first place. Bad match here, as Forbes didn’t belong on the show.

Johnny Swinger and Forbes compare physiques. She isn’t interested because she’s with Rob Van Dam and walks away. Grace comes in and shoves Swinger down.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Ultimate X at Bound For Glory 2009.

Daga and Tessa Blanchard talk strategy but Tessa isn’t happy with Daga having her back.

Fallah Bahh has to exercise while TJP eats donuts. Next week: Bahh vs. Michael Elgin.

Next week in an X-Division Title qualifying match: Sabu vs. Rohit Raju. WOW that sounds like a nightmare.

Madman Fulton/Jake Crist vs. Daga/Tessa Blanchard

Daga and Jake start things off with an early standoff so it’s a double tag in a hurry. Blanchard is fine with waistlocking Fulton but stops to suicide dive Jake instead. Back in and Tessa walks into a bearhug but slips out for a tag to Daga. Fulton catapults him throat first into the bottom rope and the beating is on with Fulton not exactly looking worried. Daga slips out of a powerbomb though and hits….I think a one kneed Codebreaker, allowing the hot tag to Tessa. Jake comes in as well and gets tornado DDT’d for two with Fulton making a save. Some double teaming puts Fulton on the floor and Magnum finishes Jake at 5:32.

Rating: C-. Not bad here as Fulton continues to look like a monster and Tessa’s rise to singles success keeps going. They’re doing a great job of keeping Tessa from looking ridiculous in hanging with men and that’s a very hard trick to pull off. It’s working fine here though and the match was watchable enough.

Post match Fulton cleans house but we cut to the back where Cage is arriving. Cage storms into the arena and hits the ring for an F5 to Fulton. Sami Callihan comes in for a chair shot to the back….which does nothing at all. A low blow works a bit better and it’s the rest of OVE getting up to beat Cage down. They handcuff him to the ropes and Sami pulls out a baseball bat but here’s Melissa Santos. That’s fine with Sami, who piledrives her as Cage has to watch to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was….not good, almost at all. The opener and the closing angle were solid but there were so many just bad matches in the middle that it didn’t work. I’m not sure if it felt like they were trying to do too much or if it was more that they didn’t focus enough on Bound For Glory but the middle three quarters of this show were almost painful to watch. Sami vs. Cage is looking good for Bound For Glory and really, that’s about it.

Results

Ace Austin b. Eddie Edwards – Spinning backfist

Desi Hit Squad b. Rascalz – Chokeslam to Wentz

Jessika Havok b. Taya Valkyrie via DQ when John E. Bravo interfered

Stephan Bonnar b. Moose via DQ when Moose shoved the referee

Jordynne Grace b. Katie Forbes – Grace Driver

Daga/Tessa Blanchard b. Madman Fulton/Jake Crist – Magnum to Crist

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

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

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

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