IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 2, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s time for the tournament final as we need a new #1 contender to the World Title. Granted we also need the World Champion back, but I’m not sure when that is going to be the case. This show has been pretty watchable as of late though and hopefully they can keep that up this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Kylie Rae/Susie vs. Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz

This is fallout from Kiera and Tasha stealing Kylie’s bow. Kylie and Tasha lock up to start with Kylie not being able to spin out of a wristlock. Susie comes in and is quickly distracted, earning Tasha a slap to the face. It’s off to Kiera, who is taken down with a double bulldog in a hurry. That’s enough for the tag back to Tasha for a lot of trash talk as Susie is taken into the corner.

A double whip sends Susie hard into the buckle as Madison wants to know if Kylie knows about Su Yung. Tasha’s neckbreaker gives Kiera two but Susie comes back with a running faceplant. Su steals the bow back and hands it off to Kylie while tagging at the same time. House is cleaned in a hurry and the Kylie Special gets two on Kiera. Tasha hits a Codebreaker on Yung as everything breaks down. We get an exchange of strikes to the head until Steelz hurricanranas Susie into a fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C-. This was short and to the point, though the fact that the point is a bow isn’t the most thrilling thing in the world. The division continues to look good with the new talent included and it’s nice to see multiple stories going on at once. It’s also nice to see all of these different styles coming together and it shows how things can go when it’s not just WWE style over and over again.

Here’s what’s coming on the show.

Ace Austin says people are too worried about the past around here. He’s going to the stars but here’s Moose to say his World Title is very prestigious. The Impact World Title is second rate so come after the real title.

Joseph P. Ryan vs. Crazzy Steve

Ryan has the Crists with him. As you might expect, Steve counters with a monkey. Steve says Ryan is the d*** guy and gets punched in the face. That earns Ryan some rapid fire shots but he comes back with a quick dropkick. There’s a knee drop for two on Steve and Ryan asks if anyone wants to see the greatest suplex on earth. Said suplex is broken up so they strike it out until Steve bites the hand. A rollup sends Ryan into the corner but Jake Crist offers a distraction, allowing Ryan to hit a superkick for the pin at 3:27.

Rating: D+. I’m still trying to find a reason to care about Ryan but I’ll certainly take this over his usual stuff. That being said, are they really putting the Crists with him? They’re a bit more talented than that and I’m not sure if I can go with the idea of them being underneath Ryan. The match wasn’t any good, but what are you expecting from this situation?

Post match Ryan says this is the culture and asks if Jake is ready to join. Ryan needs a sign, so Jake kicks Dave in the face.

Rohit Raju vs. Chase Stevens

Raju wins a slugout to start and kicks the knee out for two. Stevens’ short arm clothesline gets two and a snap suplex is good for the same. That earns him a Russian legsweep to cut things off again and Raju drops an elbow to add another two. The choking on the rope ensues and Raju says it’s his time. That takes a bit too long (of course) and Chase suplexes him into an ax kick for two more. The middle rope moonsault hits knees though and Raju hits a jumping knee to the face. A top rope double stomp to the back finishes Stevens at 5:45.

Rating: C-. Raju is already better on his own, though it’s not like he had anywhere to go but up. Sometimes you just need to get away from things and show off your talents, which might be what he needed. Stevens is someone you might remember if you think rather hard so having him as a jobber is fine enough.

Post match, Rhino of all people comes out to Gore Raju.

Nevaeh says she and Havok have been friends for years and she’s here to keep an eye on her after everything that went on with James Mitchell.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk with special guest Chris Bey. Johnny Swinger is WAY too excited about this and Madison Rayne has to calm him down a bit. Swinger won’t even let him respond as he praises Bey, thereby ignoring Madison Square Garden Rayne (ok good line). They’re the Finesse and Bench Press Express and next week they’re challenging Willie Mack for a tag match. Bey: “Uh, sure.” Then Swinger can help Bey win the X-Division Title. Madison is sick of Swinger saying Brother over and over and ends the show in a hurry.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Bobby Lashley b. Drew Galloway to win the World Title at Slammiversary 2016. Just a random choice of course.

Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace is back and is happy seeing all the new talent. Taya Valkyrie returns as well and doesn’t think much of Grace taking time off. Grace likes that idea and offers Taya a title match tonight. We’ll make that next week instead. Taya: “BRAVO!”

Rascalz vs. TJP/Fallah Bahh

#1 contenders match. Hold on though as we need to shake….er, touch elbows before we can get going. TJP wants to start but Bahh picks him up and moves him to the corner, saying he’s got this. TJP tries to do to the same to Bahh, with expected results. Dez can’t lift Bahh either and they trade rolling escapes to wristlocks. Dez: “That was impressive.” A rollup doesn’t work for Dez either and Bahh is waiting on his charge into the corner.

TJP comes in to face Wentz, meaning some of the laughing and trash talk might go away. Wentz takes him down so TJP snaps off the headscissors. They hit the mat until TJP hits the basement dropkick. Dez comes back in for his own headscissors, followed by the Bronco Buster from Wentz. Bahh isn’t having this and helps TJP with a quick Poetry In Motion but the Rascalz kicks TJP down in a hurry for two.

Wentz’s slingshot hilo gets two more but TJP is fine enough to hit a tornado DDT to take Wentz down. The hot tag brings in Bahh to clean house, including a Samoan drop on Dez. A double splash gets two on Dez and TJP takes him down with a dragon screw legwhip. Dez is fine enough to get over to Wentz for the hot tag as the pace picks way up.

Wentz hits a standing moonsault for two on TJP and it’s a superkick into a middle rope double stomp for two more. Bahh comes in without a tag to plant both guys and an exchange of small packages give TJP and Dez two each with the partners making stereo saves. Wentz and Bahh fight to the floor, leaving TJP to kneebar Dez. That’s broken up as well though and Dez leans back into a rollup to pin TJP at 12:36.

Rating: B. This was the fast paced and entertaining match you would expect from the three of them, plus Bahh in there for a bonus. I could go for more of the Rascalz and seeing them against the North could be rather entertaining. TJP and Bahh continue to be a very good team, but the Rascalz needed some success so hopefully this is just the first step.

Respect is shown post match.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo.

Rosemary and John E. Bravo had fun on their date and Bravo is rather happy with being away from Taya. Rosemary has an offer to him and gives him a chance to bite her apple (which seems to have some consequences) but Taya calls and needs Bravo to do something. He had fun with Rosemary but runs off to do whatever she needs, even if it’s across the country. Rosemary bites the apple and says this is going to be harder than she thought.

Michael Elgin demands that his music be played and storms to the ring to rant about Sami Callihan. The lights go out but Elgin isn’t scared of Sami. He wants to be #1 contender or the World Champion but here’s Ken Shamrock instead. The fight is on and Elgin bails from the threat of the ankle lock. On Elgin’s time you see.

Hold on though as there is no Trey, who is found unconscious in the back. Austin says that’s a shame but he wins by forfeit. Wentz comes out and blames Austin but referees hold him out. Boss Scott D’Amore comes out and we’ve got a replacement.

Wentz dropkicks him into the corner to start and shouts a lot before hammering down right hands. A kick to the face and more right hands rock Austin as we take a break. Back with Ace’s apron superkick being blocked to put them both down on the floor. Ace chokes away with Wentz’s shirt and then backdrops him on the ramp, meaning the count is on as Ace gets a breather.

Wentz beats the count but Ace takes him outside again for a whip into the barricade. Ace stomps on the hand as Wentz climbs the steps and it’s another ram into the barricade to stay on the back. A missed charge sends Ace into the barricade for a change though and Wentz stomps away again. Wentz’ running dive off the steps is kicked out of the air though and we take a second break.

Back again with Ace getting two as Madison accuses Wentz of being an opportunist here. Ace catapults him throat first into the bottom rope for two but Wentz gets in a quick suplex for a breather. A jawbreaker cuts Wentz off again and we hit the armbar, allowing Ace to cut the fingers with the playing card. That’s too far for Wentz, who pounds him down with forearms to the back.

The Fold is loaded up in a hurry but Wentz knees him in the face. An enziguri drops Ace again and the penalty kick into the standing moonsault gives Wentz two. Wentz’s swinging half nelson slam gets two more and he adds a superkick. The Swanton hits knees though and the Fold gives Ace the pin and the title shot at 24:13.

Rating: B. I was getting into this one by the end, though it helps that I like both guys. Austin as #1 contender makes a lot of sense as he has a history with Tessa (assuming they ever get her back for a title match) and had a rather nice run as X-Division Champion. This is the next step up for him, though they might have something interesting with finding out who attacked Trey.

Hold on though as the show wraps up, but we get a video of someone in a hoodie watching a report on the WWE releases. We see clips of a bunch of released WWE stars who used to work here (the Kanellises, the Good Brothers, EC3, Eric Young and more)….and it’s a Slammiversary ad. That’s rather interesting.

Overall Rating: B-. There wasn’t much at the beginning of this show but the last two matches more than bailed it out. I can always go for more of the Rascalz and Ace so I had a very good time with this one. The company has done a great job of making things feel fresh as they are pushing a lot of newer names. That’s what they have needed to do for years now and it has given them some of their best results in years. Keep that up and Impact is one of the most entertaining promotions going today.

Results

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz b. Kylie Rae/Susie – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Susie

Joseph P. Ryan b. Crazzy Steve – Superkick

Rohit Raju b. Chase Stevens – Top rope double stomp to the back

Rascalz b. TJP/Fallah Bahh – Rollup to TJP

Ace Austin b. Wentz – The Fold

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: May 19, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

Things are getting interesting around here as the tournament is starting to pick up. That’s going to continue this week and we’re also going to be seeing more of the TNA World Title, as Moose gets to show us more of his relative insanity. To cap it off though, Johnny Swinger gets his X-Division Title shot and they wouldn’t be that insane, right? Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Ace Austin vs. Rhino

Austin is Ken Shamrock’s replacement after Shamrock was attacked last week. Madison brings up a good point: Ace just got off a big X-Division Title reign and he wasn’t one of the top eight people in the company? Throw in Moose, Tessa Blanchard and Willie Mack and he’s not even in the top eleven. But Rhino and Hernandez are? Anyway, Rhino powers him to the floor to start as we need an early breather.

Back in and Rhino’s headlock doesn’t last long so the threat of a clothesline puts Austin on the floor again. They try it again and this time Rhino loads up a Gore to scare Austin outside for the third time. Rhino follows him this time but gets sent into the barricade. That’s one upped with a backdrop over the barricade but Austin posts him to get an extended breather.

Rhino dives in to beat the count so Austin pounds away and hits a springboard kick to the face for two. We hit the chinlock but Rhino is right back up for a double clothesline. It’s Rhino up first with some right hands to the head but Austin drops him again. Ace heads up top, only to get superplexed back down for two. Austin finds a well placed chair in the corner but Rhino takes it away, only to have the referee take it away again. That lets Ace get in a shot with the baton and the Fold is good for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much easier it is to sit through just Rhino as opposed to Rhino and the ECW goons. Here he was just someone out there to put Austin over and that’s not a bad thing. Austin is someone with a potential future around here and having Rhino put him over might be a nice little boost. They had a decent power vs. speed match going too so it works well all around.

Earlier today, Moose and Josh sat down with Josh saying Moose is walking around with a worthless title. Moose says this ends when someone beats him but Josh says you can’t just decide a match is for a title. That does not sit well with Moose, and Josh bringing up Suicide having Moose pinned last week makes it even worse. Moose is willing to give Suicide a rematch and that’s it.

Kiera Hogan offers to mentor Tasha Steelz. Her way of saying it: “If I like you, I’ll snatch a b**** for you. If not, you get snatched by that b****.” Steelz is in.

Here what else is coming.

Dave Crist vs. Crazzy Steve

The rest of OVE is here with Dave. Steve elbows him into the corner to start and there’s a dropkick to the knee to take Dave off the apron. Cue Joseph P. Ryan to watch as Dave takes Steve down and pounds away back inside. Some knees to the head keep Steve down and Dave grabs an armbar. OVE adds some choking from the floor and Dave grabs a Falcon Arrow for two. Steve is right back up with a middle rope DDT for the fast pin at 4:07.

Rating: C-. The OVE losing streak continues and I’m almost worried to think about who is going to be the new leader to turn the tide. No one is really standing out and that means there are so many possibilities, some of which might not be the best moves. Steve is a strange choice to bring back but there are far worse choices.

Post match Steve leaves so Fulton yells at both Crists. Fulton says he’s done and chokes both of them for questioning them. Makes sense actually.

Rosemary talks to Taya Valkyrie’s stuffed dog and implies that Taya is gone. John E. Bravo comes in to complain and Rosemary seems to apologize and almost flirt a bit. That….kind of works actually.

XXXL vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP

Bahh and Acey start things off and it’s time for the power lockup. Acey misses a running dropkick and gets splashed, allowing the early tag off to TJP. Larry comes in as well and shoves TJP around without much effort. The right hands in the corner don’t do much damage to Larry so it’s time to take off the legs. A low crossbody gives TJP two and Bahh comes back in to pound Larry down.

TJP starts working on the arm before Bahh goes simple with the corner splash. Acey makes a blind tag from the apron though and drops TJP with one shot as we take a break. Back with Larry chinlocking TJP before switching to a bearhug. Those go nowhere so it’s a spinebuster for two instead. The waistlock keeps TJP in trouble for a bit but Acey knocks Bahh off the apron.

As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through just a few seconds later, meaning Bahh gets to clean house. Acey Pounces Bahh to break up the belly to belly and TJP is sent outside. Now Acey gets knocked outside as well and the belly to belly gets two on Larry. The Banzai drop is broken up but Bahh drops Larry. TJP adds a frog splash for the pin on Larry at 13:38.

Rating: D+. This was longer than it needed to be and I didn’t get into the whole thing. XXXL might already be hitting their ceiling as you can only get so far with the two big guys doing big guy things. TJP and Bahh have a good chemistry together and hopefully they can get a nice push in the future. Then again they already had the big title shot and came up short, so their time might already be over.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Suicide

Moose is defending and there’s something interesting about Josh being fine with Suicide being from a video game but has a problem with Moose picking up the title in a warehouse. As per Moose’s request, we get the Big Match Intros and now we’re ready to go. Josh brings up that Suicide almost won the title last week so Madison says that the Cleveland Indians ALMOST won the World Series. Well she’s off the good list now.

Moose misses the spear as Suicide runs the ropes early on, including hanging in the ropes to make Moose miss a charge to the floor. Back in and Suicide grabs something like an Octopus hold, followed by a basement dropkick to the side of the head. They head outside with Moose picking him up for some swings into the barricade. Suicide has to dive back in, prompting Josh to say “and the match rolls on.” That time with WWE really did rub off on him.

Back in and Moose throws Suicide down without much effort, followed by a heck of a whip into the corner. There’s another throw as the total dominance is on. Some clotheslines bounce off Moose and he wants to know if that’s all Suicide has. A fourth clothesline drops Moose though and he misses some charges into the corner.

Suicide hits a few running corner dropkicks and a Lionsault gets two. That’s enough for Moose as he gets serious and stomps Suicide down in the corner. Suicide is right back with the Codebreaker and some low superkicks, meaning it’s time to go up. The high crossbody connects but Moose rolls through and grabs the tights to retain at 11:07.

Rating: C+. Aside from bringing up the horrors of the 2016 World Series, I had a good time with this as they have the chemistry to make something like this work. There was no reason to believe that the title was going to change hands but Suicide gave it a go here and they had a pretty good match. Moose being all delusional works for him and it seems to have some staying power.

Michael Elgin talks about how people might not like him now but they will appreciate what he is. Ken Shamrock came in and talked about being the World’s Most Dangerous Man. Then he got knocked out by someone tough. Elgin has promised to be World Champion and what he says will happen happens.

Chris Bey gives Johnny Swinger a pep talk. Swinger: “Thanks for being a brother, brother.” The first round at the Landing Strip is on him after he wins the title.

X-Division Title: Johnny Swinger vs. Willie Mack

Mack is defending and Swinger jumps him from behind to start. Some rams into the corner set up an elbow drop for two as Josh thinks Swinger winning could open the door for a Simon Diamond return. Mack grabs the swinging slam (that’s gimmick infringement) and drops a leg for two. The Swinger Neckbreaker gets two but Swinger celebrates anyway. That just earns him a Samoan drop into the standing moonsault to retain at 3:18.

Rating: D+. That’s all it needed to be as Mack is a star and Swinger is an entertaining joke. They didn’t need to do anything more than have a quick match here with Mack not really breaking much of a sweat. It worked well here and Swinger continues to be perfectly amusing in his role.

Post match Swinger won’t let go of the title and chop blocks Mack. Cue Chris Bey for the double beatdown.

The North is still in Canada because Ethan Page has rented the arena for a month. The referee comes in so here’s Cody Deaner of all people to say he’ll team with the referee to challenge for the titles. They’ll do it next week at the Deaner Compound. The North is in but the referee says he can’t do this. Cody says he has another Deaner to be his real partner.

Preview of next week’s show.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Michael Elgin vs. Sami Callihan

Sami has a bad ankle coming in thanks to Ken Shamrock at Rebellion so Elgin drives him into the corner and points at the ankle to start. Sami’s chops just annoy Elgin so he kicks the ankle out. That just earns him a rake to the eyes but Elgin is back to the ankle, sending Sami outside for a breather. Back in and a quick DDT gives Sami two, followed by a pump kick to the floor.

Sami wraps the arm around the barricade so Elgin drops him leg first onto the same barricade. Elgin sends the leg into the post for a bonus but Sami pulls him face first into the post for a breather. Back from a break with Sami in major trouble so Elgin holds out his face to give Sami a free shot. A rollup gives Sami two and they slug it out until Elgin blasts him with a clothesline. Sami knocks him to the floor though and there’s a suicide dive. Back in and Sami gets two off a suplex but Elgin crushes the leg all over again.

A running shot to the knee in the corner gets two, followed by the half crab to make things even worse. That’s broken up but Sami collapses before the big clothesline connects. Sami manages a German suplex and a clothesline of his own gets two. The Cactus Special is countered but Elgin blasts him with a spinning backfist. The Elgin Bomb sends Elgin to the next round at 18:48.

Rating: B. As much as I’m not wild on turning Sami face, I can go with the idea of Sami fighting through the ankle injury to survive against the monster. They told a nice story here and that’s hard to do in a situation with such a clear winner. Elgin was always going to win this, but it’s not like Sami is heavily damaged when he’s fighting on one leg.

Here are the updated brackets:

Ace Austin

Hernandez

Trey

Michael Elgin

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, tournaments have a tendency to serve as a solid anchor for a show like this and it worked well here. Elgin would seem to be the odds on favorite to win the whole thing but we could be in for some interesting showdowns on the way there. Other than that, the show wasn’t exactly must see but the company is still improving and feels steady, which is the best thing that can be said about a company like Impact.

Results

Ace Austin b. Rhino – Fold

Crazzy Steve b. Dave Crist – Middle rope DDT

TJP/Fallah Bahh b. XXXL – Frog splash to Larry

Moose b. Suicide – Rollup with tights

Michael Elgin b. Sami Callihan – Elgin Bomb

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: April 21, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the first night of Rebellion and it’s taking place in an empty arena, just like all of the other big shows at this point. I’m not sure what we’re going to see due to how many people might not be available for the show and that could make for an interesting show. The company has done well in recent weeks so hopefully they can keep it up. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how everyone wants to be here and make their mark.

OVE vs. Tommy Dreamer/Rhino/???

It’s mystery partner time and it’s….Crazzy Steve? There’s a name I haven’t thought of in a long time but it’s better than some ECW guy staggering out there. Josh: “How cool is it to see Crazzy Steve back in Impact Wrestling?” Not all that much really as he wasn’t that big of a deal. Dreamer and Jake Crist trade standing switches to start before the former rolls out of a wristlock. Jake takes him down and does a nipup before challenging Dreamer to do the same.

It doesn’t work so Rhino and Steve come in to help him with one, because Dreamer is a legend you see and we need him to do his comedy spots to help make America feel better. Steve and Madman Fulton come in but Steve isn’t THAT crazzy, meaning it’s off to Rhino instead. Some forearms knock Fulton over to the corner for the tag off to Dave, meaning Steve is willing to fight for a change.

We actually hear something about the Menagerie as Fulton chases Steve off and takes Rhino into the corner for shoulders to the ribs. A suplex is escaped though and it’s back to Dreamer to clean house. Everything breaks down (Rayne: “Does anyone in this match follow the rules?” Josh: “Nope.”) but it’s Dreamer getting taken into the wrong corner as things settle right back down.

Dreamer and Jake collide for a double knockdown and it’s back to Rhino vs. Dave. A running shoulder in the corner and a belly to belly gets two on Dave, meaning everything breaks down for real. Fulton throws Jake over the top onto Dreamer but Rhino Gores Dave for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t very good but, as usual, the old guys beat the young ones for the sake of keeping up with tradition. I understand the story of OVE being lost without Sami Callihan, but there was no one else available to beat them but Dreamer, Rhino and whoever they could find? I’m sure Dreamer does a lot of good stuff for the company behind the scenes. I just don’t get why he needs to do so much in front of the scenes.

Josh and Madison run down the card.

Tessa Blanchard and Eddie Edwards aren’t here tonight so we get an interview with Eddie, who is sitting in front of a lot of shoes. It was a hard decision to not come to the show but he couldn’t put his family in that kind of a risk. Elgin is going to brag but he should know deep down what kind of wrestler Eddie is.

Elgin talks about becoming Ring of Honor World Champion but that wasn’t enough. Neither was beating Kenny Omega in New Japan. Now he wants more and wants to be at the top of the list of Impact Wrestling World Champions. Tessa is claiming to be stuck in Mexico but the truth is she’s scared. She was ready for the shallow end but tried to dive into the deep end. Elgin is becoming World Champion.

Rascalz vs. XXXL vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP

Dez and TJP start things off with a technical exchange and it’s TJP taking him to the mat with a headlock. A cross armbreaker is broken up in a hurry so Dez scores with a dropkick. The Octopus cuts off Dez’s tag attempt but Wentz comes in for the save, including a parade of superkicks. Something close to a Last Chancery sends TJP over to the ropes so some strikes put him down again. Bahh makes a save and we take a break.

Back with Larry and Bahh slugging it out and a spinebuster giving Larry two. Acey comes in for a double shoulder to drop Bahh as the big man double teaming continues. Larry grabs the chinlock with TJP making a save, earning himself a big shove from Acey. That lets Bahh come back with a spinning belly to belly and some running shots in the corner.

We take another break and come back again with Larry and Bahh slugging it out again until Bahh hits a Samoan drop. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz start the rapid fire kicks to the big guys. Acey accidentally charges into Larry in the corner but Larry is back up to drop TJP. Acey pounds a bunch of people, including Dez to give Larry two. A low bridge puts Acey on the floor though and it’s time for some superkicks into a springboard cutter on Larry. The Final Flash gives Dez the pin at 14:01.

Rating: C+. As usual, these matches are only going to be so good. They’re limited in what they can put together with six people in there and no personal reasons for them to be fighting. It worked well enough though and it’s nice to see the Rascalz get a win for a change. Nothing that hasn’t been done before but it was good enough.

We get a message from the North, who aren’t worried about being in Canada because it’s like an extended vacation in the best country in the world. They’re going to find Canadian challengers and defend these titles as only they can.

Rich Swann is here to support Willie Mack’s shot at the X-Division Title. Swann says don’t worry about the Tag Team Titles because Mack has worked long and hard to get here. Go get the title.

We recap the X-Division Title match. With Swann injured, Mack went after the X-Division Title and became #1 contender. Champion Ace Austin had Swann beaten up but he’s here anyway as Mack gets his title shot.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin

Mack is challenging and Austin takes his time adjusting his gear to start. The stall continues with Austin bailing to the floor a few times, followed by a right hand to send him outside again. We get started properly with Austin grabbing a rollup and bailing again, only to have Mack follow him this time. Austin gets sent into the barricade but avoids the reverse Cannonball back inside.

That means Mack gets tied up in the Tree of Woe for some stomping to the ribs but Mack reverses a high crossbody into a Samoan drop. The standing moonsault connects and Mack pounds away even more as the aggression is starting to come out. Austin knees him in the face for two as things slow down a bit. Trouble in Paradise sends Mack into the corner but a springboard hurricanrana is countered with a sitout powerbomb.

One heck of a forearm puts Austin down as Josh and Madison bicker again, as only a married couple can. Now the reverse Cannonball connects but the Stunner is countered. The Fold gives Austin two and it’s his turn to be ticked off. Another Fold is countered into a pop up cutter for another near fall and Josh can’t believe it.

Mack goes up for the Six Star but Austin goes to the corner….so it’s a Coast to Coast to show off even more. Now the Six Star misses so Ace goes up and crotches Mack for trying to pull him down. Mack hits something like a Stunner on the top (that didn’t really work) to send Austin flying, setting up the Six Star for the pin and the title at 13:30.

Rating: B-. I like both of these guys so this was a fun one. They needed to switch the title as Mack has been built up for so long now that he had to win something eventually. Austin is going to be fine and it wouldn’t shock me to see him move towards the World Title scene. He was a great X Division Champion and it should be a bright future for him.

Swann comes out to celebrate with Mack.

Post match, Mack makes sure that this is cool with Swann, who insists that everything is ok. Johnny Swinger comes in to say that the Mack N Pack Connection will live on in the fans’ hearts forever. He could use a title shot, but for now they can go hunt for rats. Swann and Mack don’t look impressed as Swinger goes to get the Cadillac.

We recap Kylie Rae vs. Kiera Hogan. Kylie is happy to be here and Kiera isn’t happy with that.

Kylie Rae vs. Kiera Hogan

Kylie makes sure to fold her shirt properly before throwing it outside. Kiera isn’t pleased and gets taken down into a quick STF (Smile to the Finish) attempt. That means a trip to the rope as commentary talks about Kiera and the smoke. Kylie pulls her face first into the middle turnbuckle and stomps away on Kiera’s back. The Kylie Special is broken up and Kiera plants her down for two. A kick to the back gets two more and we take a break.

Back with Kylie missing a charge into the corner as we get a Taylor Wilde reference. Kiera’s chinlock doesn’t last long so she goes with some running forearms instead. Kylie gets in a superkick and an exchange of superkicks put them both down. They slug it out from their knees with Kylie getting the better of it and another superkick gives Kylie two. Kiera kicks her in the head for two more but Kylie gets in a whip to the corner. Now the Cannonball can connect for two so Kiera is back up and pounding away. That just earns her the Smile to the Finish for the tap at 9:25.

Rating: C. This was Kylie’s big time debut and it was fine enough for what it was. Kylie is someone who could be a more serious happy Bayley character and having her beat a low level bully like Kiera was a good start. It was the first of many steps though and that’s a fine way to get going.

Commentary runs down next week’s card.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Ken Shamrock. Various videos and graphics labeled ICU had been popped up, eventually being revealed as being Sami’s doing. Sami is now a hacker and says he is the real World’s Most Dangerous Man, setting up a feud with Shamrock. A fireball to Shamrock’s face didn’t hurt either.

Ken Shamrock vs. Sami Callihan

Unsanctioned, meaning anything goes. The fight starts on the floor with Sami hitting a suplex to take over early on. Shamrock is whipped into the barricade but it just seems to wake him up. That means a posting for Sami and Shamrock through him through the barricade. Shamrock goes to the stage for a running dive (must have been all of three feet) to drop Callihan again.

They go to the back and we take a break, meaning it’s cinematic time. Sami gets in a cheap shot with a trashcan lid but a low blow cuts him down. Shamrock hammers away with rights and lefts but here’s OVE to jump him from behind. They hold Shamrock for Sami….who hits the three of them with a pipe. We get some the Good, the Bad and the Ugly style music as they head outside to finish this. Sami sends him into a production truck and grabs a sleeper, only to get thrown down. The ankle lock knocks Sami out at 11:02.

Rating: D+. It started out well and then came down hard in a bad way. At the end of the day, it was a match designed to hide Shamrock’s weaknesses and the camera work was the usually weird stuff. Then you have Sami turn on OVE, which should be a big deal. That’s all well and good, but then he loses like that? For the life of me I don’t get why you would go with Shamrock here, especially after Sami had the big new character. Then again, it wouldn’t be Impact without some head scratching results.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good and the title change helped, but going with Dreamer, Rhino and Shamrock getting wins makes my head hurt. You have young names who could do something around here but they lose to the old guys. Shamrock might be one thing, but Rhino and Dreamer? In 2020? Come on already. Not a bad show at all, though it had two bad spots holding it back.

Results

Tommy Dreamer/Rhino/Crazzy Steve b. OVE – Gore to Dave

Rascalz b. XXXL and TJP/Fallah Bahh – Final Flash to Larry

Willie Mack b. Ace Austin – Six Star Frog Splash

Kylie Rae b. Kiera Hogan – Smile to the Finish

Ken Shamrock b. Sami Callihan – Ankle lock

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: April 14, 2020
Location: Coca Cola Roxy, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the (original) go home show for Rebellion, which has been rescheduled but at least is still airing in some form. I’m not sure what the card is going to consist of but some pay per view material is better than none. Hopefully they don’t set up a bunch of stuff they can’t deliver (not their fault if they can’t) but the show has been pretty good lately so maybe it can continue here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Johnny Swinger vs. Mike Jackson

Yeah this was the obvious payoff to the Young Buck M. Jackson reference from last week. Jackson is 70 and hasn’t wrestled on national television since 1991. Before the match, Jackson says he likes this place, but not what Swinger does to the young guys. He’s an old buck and it’s time to give Swinger a beating. An early Swinger Neckbreaker attempt is blocked and Jackson gets two off a rollup. A headscissors puts Swinger on the floor and there’s a suicide dive because of course Jackson can do that.

Back in and Jackson works on the arm, setting up Old School, with Jackson walking all the way around all four ropes. Commentary has finally caught up and announces Rebellion as a two night event over the next two weeks so at least things should be better in that regard. Swinger elbows him down for two but Jackson gets in a neckbreaker. The straps come down and Jackson hammers away in the corner, only to get rolled up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C+. Normally I would make fun of something like this with Jackson showing up the people on the roster, but there are a few differences here. First of all, it’s Johnny Swinger, who is a comedy guy in his forties. Second, a 70 year old man just did a suicide dive and walked around the top ropes for Old School. I don’t think I’m allowed to complain about this.

Ace Austin doesn’t like Willie Mack’s odds in their X-Division Title match. He doesn’t like being called a scumbag either because Mack isn’t worried about his best friend, but Mack isn’t a scumbag? Cue Trey to say Austin is indeed a scumbag. Ace: “How’s your mom?” The brawl is on in a hurry.

Post break, Jackson got a bunch of praise from the locker room. Fair enough.

Ken Shamrock is told to not get physical during the contract signing.

We run down the rest of the card.

TJP/Fallah Bahh vs. Rascalz vs. XXXL vs. Reno Scum

One fall to a finish. Acey clotheslines Thornstowe down to start and brings in Larry for a running knee in the corner. It’s off to Wentz, who gets thrown into the Scum corner and suplexed to send us to a break. Back with Wentz kicking Legend in the head but getting cut off by Thornstowe. The Pit Stop has Wentz in more trouble and a knee to the face gets two.

Wentz dives over for the hot tag to Dez though and the pace picks up, including a catapult to send Thornstowe into a superkick. Wentz comes back in with a springboard cutter to Thornstowe as everything breaks down. XXXL crushes Legend before hitting stereo suicide dives for the big crashes. Back in and a Samoan drop into a Swanton gives TJP the pin on Thornstowe at 11:14.

Rating: C. You can only get so much out of these things and they did as well as they could have. It wasn’t anything that hasn’t been done better before but at least they had a surprise winner and should set up another Tag Team Title match with the North. TJP and Bahh work well as an oddball team and that’s all they need to do.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Tessa Blanchard beats Gail Kim at Rebellion 2019.

Rohit Raju begs Gama Singh to let him out of a match and gets slapped in the face for his efforts.

Video on Cody Deaner beating Joey Ryan last week.

Ryan doesn’t like that video airing. He demands the production team to play the tape he aired.

The video shows Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes in a hot tub. They’re sorry about not being there but Katie doesn’t want to be around the Deaners or the fans. You can imagine what comes next.

Rohit Raju vs. Hernandez

Rayne gets annoyed at Josh and leaves commentary as Hernandez pulls Raju out of the air. The Pounce into the Boarder Toss is good for the pin on Raju at 1:20. Note that commentary made it clear that Raju has a big match coming up at Rebellion, right before he got squashed.

Madison Rayne and Johnny Swinger are in the back for Locker Room Talk. Their guest this week is Kylie Rae, who is still happy to be here. Swinger shows off his biceps to hit on her but Kylie is too excited to be ready to face Kiera Hogan at Rebellion. Madison tries to get Rae to be mean about Hogan but it’s not coming. Kiera comes in and says she’s going to humiliate Kylie at Rebellion. Kylie doesn’t want to be pushed this far, but Kiera isn’t that nice!

We get clips of Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin in a match in Qatar. Brian Cage interfered to cost Eddie the match and the title.

Ace Austin vs. Trey

Non-title. They take turns missing flips and dives to start until Trey hits a running basement dropkick to put Ace on the floor. Trey hits a dive to take Austin down again but Ace drops him face first onto the apron. Back in and Ace forearms away as Josh and Madison continue their married bickering on commentary (and actually making it somewhat adorable).

A seated abdominal stretch keeps Trey in trouble but he fights up with a 619 out of the corner. The missile dropkick puts Ace down again but he’s right back up with a springboard kick to the face. Trey is back up, only to miss something off the top and get rolled up with tights to give Ace the pin at 6:18.

Rating: C+. They packed a lot into this one and that’s one of the best things that you can have in a match like this. They didn’t have time to do much here but they have a lot of chemistry, even if Trey never actually beats him. I could go for Ace being champion for a good while to come as he’s held the title for a long time already, even though it doesn’t feel like it. That’s a good sign, as Austin could have a heck of a future at this rate. Side note: Trey makes the second person in the four way at Rebellion to lose in back to back matches. At least try to make it seem important.

Willie Mack is to do some magic of his own and make the title disappear from Austin’s shoulder.

Taya vs. Tenille Dashwood

John E. Bravo is here with Taya. Tenille wastes no time to start with a quick Russian legsweep sending Taya outside. A Bravo distraction lets Taya hammer away and get two off a superplex. We take a break and come back with Taya choking away using various objects. Taya’s running hip attack in the corner, plus some double knees, get two and we hit the half crab.

That doesn’t last long so Taya knees her in the chest and poses on the ropes while choking away. Taya charges into an elbow in the corner though and a running knee to the face sends Taya into another corner. The Taste of Tenille gets two but Taya spears her down for the same. Back from another break with the Road to Valhalla getting two as Tenille grabs the rope. Taya is stunned so she grabs a chair, allowing Tenille to sunset flip her for the pin at 16:18.

Rating: C+. Dashwood is an interesting case as she seems like she should be a huge star but it never comes together. It’s not like this is some huge upset, but it does feel a little strange that Taya would lose. She is coming up on a title match at Rebellion and loses here? I guess it fits in with the theme of the night.

Post match Taya destroys her with a trashcan and a pile of chairs, with even Madison saying this is too much to watch. Jordynne Grace runs in for the save but Tenille is banged up pretty badly.

Tommy Dreamer and Rhino are ready to beat up OVE with the help of their mystery partner.

Rebellion rundown.

Video on Sami Callihan being revealed as the ICU hacker and attacking Ken Shamrock with a fireball.

It’s time for the contract signing between Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock. Sami tells Josh Matthews to get out and throws his feet on the table. He laughs at the idea of Shamrock not being able to do anything at the moment because he knows how much Shamrock wants to jump the table right now. Sami knows what this match is going to mean for Shamrock, who angrily signs the contract. That doesn’t please Sami, who talks about how smashing Eddie Edwards with the baseball bat was the best thing that ever happened to Sami.

Now it’s time to get serious as brings up Shamrock’s family. That’s too far so Shamrock goes for him, only to have Sami press a button to escape. A bunch of people with ICU masks appear but leave, with Shamrock giving chase. He goes to the parking lot and gets in a car, which is being driven by an ICU guy. Chaos ensues as there are even more of them around the car to end the show. I actually want to see the match so they’re doing something right.

Overall Rating: B-. This place is on a roll as they head into the pay per view but I’m a little bit scared at what is going to happen when they shift more towards a big wrestling focused show. Usually that is where they shine, but lately their television has been better so there is no guarantee that they can pull off both. Either way, I liked this show well enough, even if everything is about to change in a big way. Good show to go out of the norm on at least.

Results

Johnny Swinger b. Mike Jackson – Rollup with feet on the ropes

TJP/Fallah Bahh b. Reno Scum, the Rascalz and XXXL – Swanton Bomb to Thornstowe

Hernandez b. Rohit Raju – Boarder Toss

Ace Austin b. Trey – Rollup with a handful of trunks

Tenille Dashwood b. Taya – Sunset flip

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: March 17, 2020
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re almost to the last taping cycle from this company for a good while. Last week’s show ended with the announcement that Tessa Blanchard would defend the World Title against both Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards at Rebellion. That’s kind of a problem now as there is likely no Rebellion, meaning this could be a rather interesting show if they didn’t edit things. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the end of last week’s show, with Blanchard agreeing to the triple threat match.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. TJP/Fallah Bahh

TJP and Bahh are challenging after winning some singles matches and a non-title match to set this up. The brawl is on before the referee can lower the titles, meaning the champions try to hit Bahh in the head for some reason. Alexander gets hit with Poetry In Motion and a belly to belly from Bahh. TJP gets caught in the wrong corner though and a knee drop sets up the chinlock.

The North go with the delayed vertical suplex and pass TJP back and forth, making me wonder if it was either them or Santana/Ortiz who did that first. TJP reverses into a rollup anyway though and sends the champs together. The double chickenwing gutbuster allows Bahh to get the tag and house is quickly cleaned. Everyone crashes out to the floor and we take a break. Back with TJP diving over for another hot tag to Bahh so everyone can be knocked down again.

Bahh no sells Alexander’s German suplex and hits a clothesline before going down as well. The double Neutralizer gives Alexander two but Bahh is back up with a double clothesline. TJP comes back in with the kneebar to Page and switches into the STF. The referee is with Alexander as Page taps so Bahh knocks Alexander to the floor and hits a suicide dive. Back in and TJP sends the champs into each other but the Detonation kick is countered into the toss spinebuster (dubbed the Northern Assault) to retain the titles at 19:04.

Rating: B. The North are as good of a team as this company has had since LAX and that’s some high praise. They’re going to set the record for the longest Tag Team Title reign in company history and that’s something they’ve earned. I could go for a rematch here and odds are we’re going to see one, though I’m not sure we’ll see a title change.

Video Team Edwards vs. Team Elgin at Lockdown, with a “Lockdown is Postponed” graphic. Shame as that could have been interesting. Eddie’s team included himself, Tommy Dreamer, Daga and Tessa Blanchard.

And now, Real Housewives of Slam Town. Taya Valkyrie and her dog are having drinks with her friends when Rosemary comes in. She is ordered to change out of her regular shirt and switches into more normal (for this crowd) looking attire. Drinking ensues and they go to the Alabama Slamtown club, where Rosemary sucks out one of Taya’s friend’s (Holly) soul. Holly is a little loopy after. This was rather fun in a wacky opposite way.

Josh and Callis talk about the recent Realityislost hacks and have guards at the production truck. They also hype up Lockdown, which is looking like a good show.

Chris Bey vs. Damian Drake

This is Bey’s debut. Bey shoulders him down to start and runs the ropes a bit before taking out the leg. A running kick to the head sets up the running flip dive to the floor as it’s all Bey so far. Back in and Bey kicks him in the head, setting up a rolling neckbreaker. Drake hits a right hand, only to get sent into the middle buckle. A jumping knee to the head sets up the Beymasser (springboard Fameasser) finishes Drake at 3:51.

Rating: C. Bey looked good here as this was a pure showcase match for him. He’s fast and smooth and that’s something that could get him rather far around here. I was excited to see him signed as he’s impressed me every time I’ve seen him so far and this was no exception as he looked polished.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Ken Shamrock wins the World Title on the first show.

Alisha Edwards gets a spot on Jordynne Grace’s Lethal Lockdown team and sings a song about it.

Tenille Dashwood video.

Chase Stevens is proud to be back for One Night Only when Moose interrupts and calls him Brett Michaels. Moose mocks him for never being a star so Chase calls him out for never winning a title here. A fight breaks out and Moose gets knocked down.

It’s time for the Gut Check finals and Shogun Jackson Stone wins. Good for him.

Tessa Blanchard is ready to face anyone because she’s a different woman. She’ll face Elgin and Edwards at Rebellion because she’s a fighting champion.

Cancel Culture vs. Deaners

That would be Rob Van Dam and Joey Ryan in glasses and a turtleneck. Ryan introduces the team as three people with extraordinary gifts: Rob’s athleticism, Katie’s curves and Ryan’s…..it. Rob makes fun of the Deaners for drinking before the match because perish the thought of someone wrestling under the influence. Katie is in a big coat and Ryan’s turtleneck comes off to reveal a regular collared shirt.

Cody stomps Joey down in the corner to start until a jawbreaker gets him out of trouble. Van Dam comes in to kick Cody to the floor but won’t let the fans see Rolling Thunder. It’s back to Ryan to tease making Cody touch it but instead lets Cody go, meaning it’s off to Jake. Everything breaks down and Joey superkicks Jake down, setting up the Five Star for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: D. I’m not sure on this. Cancel Culture might have some potential as they’re mocking….something, but I wasn’t big on the story in the first place. That being said, anything that gets us away from the usual Ryan shtick is a good thing so I’ll certainly take what I can get out of this.

Ken Shamrock has an announcement for tonight but won’t say what it is.

Willie Mack runs into Ace Austin, who talks about how much Mack has impressed him. Ace wants them to win the Tag Team Titles together but Mack says no because Rich Swann is his partner. He’ll go for some gold though because he’s in a #1 contenders match for the X-Division Title next week.

Kiera Hogan vs. Lacey Ryan

Ryan impressed last week so hopefully it wasn’t a one off. Kiera jumps her from behind to start and grabs a hurricanrana, only to get muscled over with a German suplex. A few shots to the back put Lacey down in the corner and a running basement dropkick gets two. The bodyscissors goes on until Lacey muscles her up and hits some clotheslines. A slingshot elbow sets up something like a belly to back GTS for no cover. Instead Kiera is back with a kick to the head and the fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Ryan at 5:29.

Rating: C-. It was nice while it lasted but they didn’t get a ton of time. Ryan did look good again but there is only so much that she can do when she is losing in less than six minutes. If they’re not going to keep her around or push her, there is no reason for her to beat Hogan so the booking makes sense. Not bad though, and Ryan could be a player in the future.

James Mitchell sends Su Yung a letter, ordering her to face Havok in the Undead Realm next week.

Michael Elgin picks Taya Valkyrie and the North for his Lethal Lockdown team.

Jake Crist vs. Daga

Jake shouts OVE a lot to start before they go into the battle over arm control. That’s broken up as Josh makes mention of Rebellion, which is not listed as canceled. I’m not sure how likely that one is but points for false hope. Daga’s crucifix gets two and he kicks away, only to have Jake’s kicks miss. Jake heads outside and sweeps Daga’s leg to send him onto the apron. That means a suicide dive into a DDT to plant Daga and we take a break.

Back with Jake grabbing the reverse Rings of Saturn, sending Daga over to the ropes. A double clothesline puts both of them down and it’s Daga up first with the quick kicks. Daga suplexes him into a powerbomb for two but Jake kicks him in the face for the same. Jake catches a diving Daga in a cutter for two, only to have Daga kick him back. The double underhook gutbuster finishes Jake at 12:23.

Rating: C+. Daga has grown on me quite a bit lately as he’s rather smooth in the ring and can do a lot of different things. I can see why people seem so high on him and why they would want to push him. Nice match here too as Jake gets to show off the talent that he absolutely has.

Security may have caught the Realityislost hacker but it’s really ordained minister Ryan Cage. He’s just looking for his brother. Ok then.

TNA show video.

Here’s Ken Shamrock for his big announcement. Ken loves being here with all of the talented wrestlers and soaks in some WELCOME BACK chants. He doesn’t actually know what the announcement is, but Josh Matthews does: he’s going into the Hall of Fame. We get his career highlight video, complete with WWF footage…..and then the Realityislost video hits.

A man in black shows up in the ring and fireballs Shamrock before taking off his hood to reveal himself as Sami Callihan. Nice callback to what could have been an awesome NXT gimmick there and I could go for more of that as it’s an untapped idea. Medics help Shamrock to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener and closing angle were both good and the middle part was fine enough so we’ll call this a pretty good show. It’s a shame that Lockdown isn’t happening as they made me want to see that show in only a handful of vignettes. They head to Atlanta next week and I’m not sure what they have after that, but this was a good show in the meantime.

Results

The North b. TJP/Fallah Bahh – Northern Assault to TJP

Chris Bey b. Damian Drake – Beymesser

Cancel Culture b. Deaners – Five Star Frog Splash to Jake

Kiera Hogan b. Lacey Ryan – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

Daga b. Jake Crist – Double underhook gutbuster

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: 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 18, 2020
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re off to a different taping cycle now and things are getting interesting around here. Last week’s show without a bunch of the luchador guest stars was an improvement and if they can keep that up, we might be in a good place. If nothing else it’s the go home show for Sacrifice, so maybe things can get more interesting in a hurry. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Josh Alexander vs. TJP

This should be good and Ethan Page/Fallah Bahh are the respective seconds. They grapple to start and it’s a voiceover, which sounds as unnatural as you can get, about how Ethan Page’s promotion will soon be airing on the Impact Wrestling network. TJP hits a dropkick and snaps off a headscissors but Alexander runs him over again. With the striking not working, TJP grabs a quickly broken Octopus Hold as Alexander tosses him down without much effort.

Some arm cranking lets Alexander hammer away as the commentators make fun of the TNA name that they are bringing back for Wrestlemania weekend. A Regal Roll out of the corner is countered into a crucifix to give TJP two as he can’t keep any momentum. TJP spins him down into a cross armbreaker but gets stacked up for a near fall and the break. A slingshot dive to the floor sets up the slingshot dropkick as Alexander is in trouble for the first time.

Alexander slaps on a swinging sleeper but TJP slips out for a suplex and they’re both down. It’s Alexander up first with a spinning torture rack slam for two more, meaning frustration is setting in. TJP spinwheel kicks him into the ropes but walks into a German suplex. That just earns Alexander a hurricanrana into a cross armbreaker, which is broken up with a quick Project Ciampa for two more. The kneebar sends Alexander over to the rope so he grabs a sleeper, only to have TJP backflip into the cover for the pin at 14:49.

Rating: B. These two worked very well together and got to showcase themselves in a heck of a back and forth match. The Tag Team Title match should be fun, with Bahh offering a weird face monster vibe and TJP being one of the best technicians in the company at the moment. Put them in there against the best tag team in the company and we should be in for heck of a tag match.

Willie Mack is talking to someone backstage when Johnny Swinger comes in to ask if this is a trio. That’s not the case so Swinger thinks he and Mack need to work on their chemistry with some riz-eps.

Michael Elgin is ready to beat Eddie Edwards again if that’s what it takes to teach him a lesson.

Announcers preview for the rest of the show.

Willie Mack vs. Johnny Swinger

Swinger is surprised by this being a singles match instead of the two teaming together. The offer of a handshake earns Swinger a pair of atomic drops, followed by a right hand out of a headlock. Swinger snaps him throat first across the top and the falling headbutt into the low blow has Mack down. Back up and Mack punches him out of the air and it’s the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault. The Stunner sets up the Six Star frog splash to give Mack the pin at 4:17.

Rating: D+. Nothing much to see here but they kept it short and didn’t do anything wacky here so I can’t complain. Mack continues to roll and Swann’s ankle will be healed up soon enough, though I’m not sure if there is a need to continue the team if Mack keeps going this strong. Swinger continues to be someone amusing enough, as long as he stays at the bottom of the card like this.

We look back at Jordynne Grace finally winning the Knockouts Title last week.

Here’s Madison Rayne to complain about Grace not belonging in the #1 contenders match in the first place. But that’s enough about Grace, because a legend like Madison needs to advance the legacy of the Knockouts. She is starting an open challenge series and here’s the first opponent.

Madison Rayne vs. Mazzerati

Rayne shoves her in the face to start so Mazzerati grabs three straight rollups for one each. A dropkick sends Rayne into the ropes but she’s right back with a northern lights suplex and some knees to the face. Mazzerati forearms her in the corner but walks into a cutter for two. Cross Rayne finishes Mazzerati at 3:16.

Rating: D. Just a step above a squash here as Rayne never felt in danger once. I know Rayne has been surpassed by a lot of the division but she can still have a decent enough match against the right opponent. The problem is she didn’t have one here and the match was little more than filler.

Jordynne Grace is proud of everything she has done and will be a fighting champion, starting against Jessika Havok at Sacrifice. John E. Bravo comes in after Grace leaves and praises Taya Valkyrie, even giving us a highlight video on her Knockouts Title reign.

Post break, Taya yells at Bravo over the video and promises to get the title back.

Flashback Moment of the Week: D’Angelo Dinero beats Mr. Anderson to become #1 contender at Against All Odds 2010.

Rob Van Dam has to calm down Katie Forbes over fans’ comments. Daga comes in and wants a fight so they’ll do it next week.

Tommy Dreamer, Trey Miguel and Tessa Blanchard are ready to win tonight, with Dreamer managing to reference ECW. Tessa says may the better man win at Sacrifice, even if it’s a woman.

Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin

Match #3 in a Best of Five series with Elgin up 2-0. Eddie starts fast with a suplex to the floor and a suicide dive. Back in and a sunset flip gives Eddie two but Elgin suplexes him over with ease. A sliding lariat puts both of them down and Elgin hits a Death Valley Driver onto the apron.

Back in and Elgin hits Eddie so hard that it seems to hurt his own shoulder. Eddie makes the comeback with some strikes, only to get hit in the face for his efforts. They head outside again and Elgin cuts off a comeback bid with a heck of a clothesline but the powerbomb on the ramp is countered into a hurricanrana. The Boston Knee Party rocks Elgin again but they both beat the count back in.

A top rope double stomp to the back gives Eddie two, followed by Elgin grabbing a Falcon Arrow for the same. The Crossface doesn’t work so Eddie settles for a running knee to the head to put Elgin down again. Another clothesline gives Elgin another two and he grabs a superbomb off the top. Instead of covering though, Elgin tries another powerbomb, allowing Edwards to small package him for the pin at 12:53.

Rating: B. These two just work well together and that’s all they needed to do here. The story has some more legs to it and they are pretty clearly setting up a fifth match. That’s what makes the most sense, though for some reason I wouldn’t be stunned to see Elgin wrap it up next time. Either way, at least they did more rather good stuff here and that’s all you should expect from them.

Rhino vs. Dave Crist

Moose is on commentary. Rhino charges into the corner to start but gets choked on the rope for his effort. Crist misses a middle rope backsplash though and Rhino slugs away. A Jake Crist distraction doesn’t work and Rhino Gores Dave down for the pin at 2:28.

Jessika Havok arrives and Susie pops up behind her, only to disappear. Havok sees a sign that says “your time has come”. Well in some different spelling but you get the idea.

Chris Bey has signed. Good for him and good for Impact.

Sacrifice rundown.

The same weird feed ICU/Realityislost deal interrupts the backstage interviewer.

Tommy Dreamer/Trey Miguel/Tessa Blanchard vs. Ace Austin/Reno Scum

Thornstowe and Miguel start things off, meaning it’s an armdrag to put Thornstowe down in a hurry. Tessa comes in with a hurricanrana before it’s off to Dreamer for a shot to the arm. Ace and Miguel come in so Ace is right back to the corner for the tag off to Luster. That means a showdown with Dreamer who…..yeah no one has ever wanted to see this.

Everything breaks down and it’s a triple Bionic elbow to send the villains outside. Back from a break with a cheap shot from the apron letting Luster clothesline Dreamer. That means it’s Dreamer getting caught in the corner, including a Pit Stop. The chinlock goes on but Luster misses the middle rope headbutt. Trey comes back in and gets pulled into the corner, meaning it’s off to a chinlock.

Ace holds Trey down so Luster can stomp on him but Trey bulldogs his way out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Tessa to forearm away and a tornado DDT plants Luster. Ace gets caught between Tessa and Trey, with the latter kicking him into a cutter from Tessa. Austin kicks Tessa down and Trey hits a big corkscrew dive onto almost everyone else. On the way back in, Ace kicks the rope into a low blow on Trey, setting up the Fold for the pin at 16:34.

Rating: C. What a relief that they had Trey take the fall instead of Dreamer. This did what it needed to do without having Tessa take a fall so I can’t complain all that much. It just wasn’t a very good match and felt like a lot of multi person tags that you would see in such a spot. Not a bad match by any means, but really just a match to set up another one.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and Elgin vs. Edwards more than carry this show and it was a rather nice week of TV as a result. Sacrifice is looking pretty good on paper, though I’m not sure what they are going to be doing after that. It seems early to build towards Rebellion, but we can worry about that later. Good show this week as the company is starting to get something going.

Results

TJP b. Josh Alexander – Rollup

Willie Mack b. Johnny Swinger – Six Star frog splash

Madison Rayne b. Mazzerati – Cross Rayne

Eddie Edwards b. Michael Elgin – Small package

Rhino b. Dave Crist – Gore

Ace Austin/Reno Scum b. Tommy Dreamer/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: WWE

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 4, 2020
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

The Mexico run continues and that’s not a bad thing. Some of the local talent has done rather well with a few of them being big standouts. Other than that, we seem to be setting up for Tessa Blanchard vs. Ace Austin, possibly at Sacrifice. If nothing else, maybe we can get some more Eddie Edwards vs. Michael Elgin. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Tessa Blanchard to open the show, with commentary confirming the title match against Austin. Tessa says she isn’t hard to find and she’s a little impatient so here’s a challenge in Spanish. Cue Austin with Reno Scum and we have a surprise match.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Adam Thornstowe

Non-title. Tessa can’t get very far with a waistlock to start so she sends him into the interfering Luster the Legend on the apron. A headscissors puts Thornstowe on the floor but Luster blocks a suicide dive. Back in and Thornstowe rubs his armpit on Tessa’s face and the neck crank goes on.

Thornstowe chokes on the ropes and gets two off a slam. A standing moonsault misses though and Tessa is right back with a running hurricanrana. Tessa superkicks him off the apron onto Ace and Luster, setting up back to back suicide dives and a flip dive off the top. Back in and a cutter gives Tessa two, followed by the Buzzsaw DDT for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C-. Just a match here for the most part with Tessa never feeling like she was in danger. What mattered more than anything else here though was they never went too far beyond the suspension of disbelief. You can only go so far with a one on one match without it being a bit ridiculous and Tessa is getting better and better at that every time.

Post match, Ace distracts Tessa so Luster can come in and start the beatdown. Tommy Dreamer runs in for the save. Of course he does.

Kiera Hogan and Madison Rayne are arguing when Taya Valkyrie interrupts to complain about facing Jordynne Grace next week. They don’t like how she talks to them and won’t be helping her in the title match.

During the break, Dreamer challenged Ace for a hardcore match tonight.

The announcers talk about the show but the feed is interrupted with a graphic for “realityislost.com”. They don’t seem to notice and preview everything else going on tonight, plus a few matches for Sacrifice on February 22.

Rhino vs. Taurus

Rhino shoves him away to start but his running shoulder has no effect. Another works a lot better but Taurus is right back with one of his own. They go to the floor with Taurus going face first into the apron. That doesn’t seem to matter as Taurus sends him shoulder first into the post and cranks away on the arm back inside.

A Codebreaker to the arm gets two and Taurus scores with a Shining Wizard for the same. Rhino avoids a twisting Swanton though and they’re both down for a bit. Taurus gets sent into the corner for a belly to belly but he’s right back with a running elbow for two. The spinebuster puts Taurus down again but here’s Moose to jump Rhino for the DQ at 6:45.

Rating: C. The ending makes sense given the story that they have been telling and the fact that we are coming up on Moose vs. Rhino at Sacrifice. They were beating each other up here and I liked what I saw rather well. You can always go with two big guys beating each other up in a power match and they did it well enough here.

Post match Moose goes after Taurus and walks into a Gore from Rhino to send him outside.

Michael Elgin is ready to go up 2-0 on Eddie Edwards next week and then win the series the week after.

Johnny Swinger challenges the Desi Hit Squad on behalf of himself and Willie Mack, but it winds up being Shera vs. Mack.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Motor City Machine Guns b. Team 3D and Beer Money at Sacrifice 2010.

Taya tries to get Rosemary’s help next week but Rosemary is too busy attacking James Mitchell and Havok, both of whom she locks in a room.

Rosemary vs. Susie

Susie offers a handshake but Rosemary puts the hand on her throat. Susie: “NO! THAT’S BAD!” Rosemary demands Susie hit her but Susie begs off in the corner instead. The bloodied glove to Susie’s face is enough to make her snap though and Rosemary seems pleased. Rosemary fights out of the Mandible Claw and they fight up the ramp for the double countout at 3:06.

Rating: D+. I almost gave this an N/A as it was an angle instead of a match and that’s ok. This story does keep going places but I’m not sure how much longer they can keep doing things. It seems like they have no idea where this is going to wind up, though Rosemary trying to bring Su Yung back is certainly a goal and that’s better than nothing.

Post match they fight in the back with Rosemary getting the better of it. She grabs the noose that was used to hang Su in this building and wraps it around her neck but security stops her. It’s too late though as Susie has become Su Yung again, complete with flashbacks to being hung.

Post break a distraught James Mitchell staggers out and finds a laughing Rosemary. Congratulations, because they’re all dead.

TJP vs. Vikingo

Fallah Bahh is here with TJP. They go technical to start with TJP taking him down and working on the arm before switching to a headlock. That goes nowhere so it’s an anklescissors to take Vikingo down instead. A Boston crab doesn’t work so they tie their legs together and stand on their heads for a slap off. Stereo nipups give us a standoff until another anklescissors sends Vikingo down. He’s right back with a headscissors to the floor and a shooting star press off the apron crushes TJP.

Back in and TJP hits a double chickenwing gutbuster to set up the slingshot hilo for two. A double underhook arm crank has Vikingo in trouble but he reverses into a….I’m not sure what you call that but he had TJP’s limbs behind him and bent TJP around a lot. Back up and they trade some kicks to the arm until Vikingo pulls him down into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up and TJP grabs a Muta Lock, plus an arm crank at the same time, to put Vikingo in serious trouble.

TJP can only hold it for so long until they head to the floor for a chase, capped off by Vikingo hitting a dropkick through the ropes. That means a big flip dive over the top to take TJP down again, with the fans deeming it awesome. TJP gets tied up in the ropes for a top rope legdrop but he’s right back with a Tombstone into a frog splash for two.

Vikingo’s running knees in the corner give him two of his own, with the fans wanting them to fight forever. Now it’s TJP back with a superplex into an Octopus Hold but Vikingo is straight out. Back up and TJP loads up the Detonation kick but Vikingo slips out, only to get pulled into a Regal Stretch for the tap at 13:41.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was great as Vikingo is probably going to get himself a job outside of AAA if he wants/can have one. TJP is one of the best talents this company has and the two of them both looked great in everything they did here. This was one of the best matches I’ve seen from Impact in a good while and I could go for more from both of them.

Post match TJP shows respect but here’s the North to beat both of them down.

Katie Forbes tells Joey Ryan that he doesn’t want to touch it. Joey says he’s not interested but Rob Van Dam jumps him from behind. They’ll fight next week.

OVE vs. Daga/Dr. Wagner Jr.

Wagner’s son is with him. Dave and Wagner start things off and take their time to start until they trade some waistlocks. A running kick to the head lets Wagner pose so Jake comes in, only to get punched into the corner. Wagner hits a middle rope cutter for one (?) so it’s Daga coming in and getting caught with a Death Valley Driver. Daga is right back up and sends Jake to the floor for a baseball slide.

Back in and Wagner comes in to clean house again, including a German suplex for Dave. With Josh’s voice giving out, Daga gets two off a brainbuster to Jake. A spike Tombstone gets two on Daga and everything breaks down off the save. Wagner flips onto Jake and Daga’s Jay Driller is good for the pin on Dave at 8:15.

Rating: C. This was a pretty formula based match and they did things well enough to keep my interest. The problem is they didn’t do enough to make me care that much beyond the basics and that’s fine enough for a TV match. It’s good to see Daga get the pin here as Wagner doesn’t need the rub that comes from a win. OVE has fallen a good bit, but they’re still good for a match like this.

Post match Madman Fulton comes in to wreck Daga and Wagner.

Swinger tells Mack that he has heat with Shera so they’ll have a match next week. Mack can handle this on his own.

Preview of next week’s show.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Ace Austin

Non-title falls count anywhere street fight (or hardcore, which ever you prefer). Ace brings the card at Dreamer but gets sent outside for his efforts. A suplex on the ramp lets Dreamer grab a bunch of weapons to throw at Ace. Tommy puts on the sombrero and dances with a crutch before brawling up to the stage. They go into the crowd instead with Dreamer sending him into the chairs as we take a break.

Back with Dreamer posing but getting kicked off the balcony (about a four foot drop) so Ace can dive onto him. Dreamer blocks some kicks on the apron and pulls Ace down, setting up a Conchairto on the arm. Back in and Ace sends him into the post, setting up the paper cut with the card, this time to the head to bust Dreamer open. Ace chairs him down a few times and now it’s time for a table.

Dreamer gets in a shove off the ropes though and they slug it out with Dreamer getting the better of it. A running kendo stick shot in the corner misses though and Ace hits a top rope spinning Fameasser for two. Dreamer shrugs off some stick shots and hits a White Russian legsweep as the ECW tributes continue. Ace kicks him in the face so Dreamer grabs him low, setting up a DDT for two. A running powerslam through the table gives Dreamer two more and it’s time for a ladder, which winds up on the middle rope. Dreamer takes him up top but gets crotched, setting up a super Fold to give Austin the pin at 19:53.

Rating: D. Are they serious? The World Champion gets eight minutes, Dr. Wagner Jr. gets eight and that great TJP vs. Vikingo match gets thirteen, but TOMMY DREAMER gets twenty. You’re in a foreign country and have a ton of options for new and fresh names to put out there (heck make the Wagner match a singles and put Daga in there) but no no, the solution is TOMMY DREAMER. Ace, a champion, needed twenty minutes to beat Dreamer, who turns 49 next week and hasn’t won an important match in forever. What a great way to present your #1 contender as a star. Just….enough already.

Overall Rating: C+. That TJP vs. Vikingo match kept this show from being pretty awful and I’ll take that every week. I like that they’re setting up a big show with Sacrifice as you can’t go from January until April without having something. There are some interesting things going on here and I like where it’s going, but then they have stupid stuff like wasting Van Dam on Joey Ryan and Dreamer getting a twenty minute main event. If they can get rid of the awful stuff and bad ideas, they’re on a roll. As it is, they’re the same Impact that they’ve been for the last year or two: just there, with an occasional good show.

Results

Tessa Blanchard b. Adam Thornstowe – Buzzsaw DDT

Rhino b. Taurus via DQ when Moose interfered

Rosemary vs. Susie went to a double countout

TJP b. Vikingo – Regal Stretch

Daga/Dr. Wagner Jr. b. OVE – Jay Driller to Dave

Ace Austin b. Tommy Dreamer – Super Fold

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 14, 2020
Location: Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas/2300 Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis
Hosts: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re done with Hard To Kill and that means we’ll be moving forward towards Rebellion in April. That’s a long way off though and now it’s time to talk about Tessa Blanchard as the new World Champion. It’s a big deal and something Impact can brag about, which I’m sure they will. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Hard To Kill if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Josh and Don are in the Nashville studios to talk about how the historic title change.

Rascalz vs. Desi Hit Squad vs. Reno Scum vs. TJP/Daga

One fall to a finish. It’s a brawl to start and the bell rings when we’re down to Desi vs. Wentz. TJP comes in and we hit the parade of missed offense until TJP’s middle rope double dropkick is pulled out of the air. He flips out of that though and gets kicked in the chest a few times, setting up a running double stomp to the back.

They’re replaced by Reno Scum, who double teams Shera, including a running double stomp in the corner. A German suplex into a running double stomp (WAY too popular of a move in this match) gets two on TJP, who gets tied in the Tree of Woe. Daga slips out of a running Razor’s Edge buckle bomb into TJP and kicks Scum down. The Squad is back in to beat up Daga and TJP gets taken down as well.

Now it’s the Rascalz coming in to clean house, including a backbreaker/middle rope double stomp (four of the same move in less than five minutes is unacceptable) for two on Raju. TJP’s slingshot dropkick hits Raju and it’s Wentz being backdropped onto a big pile. Luster adds a big no hands dive, leaving Daga to kick Raju in the head. A sitout powerbomb gets two with Wentz making the save. It’s a short parade of finishers until Shera Sky Highs Wentz for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C+. This was what you would expect from a wild four way tag with eight people involved. There’s only so much you can do with something like this unless you go to a very special place with it. What we got here was fine for what it was though, and they didn’t stay out there too long to have too many spots crammed in for the sake of cramming them in.

Moose brags about beating Rhino on Sunday. He’s ready to win the X-Division Title tonight in a four way, though the fact that the match was taped in November might make that a bit difficult.

Josh and Don talk about how cool it is that Tessa won the World Title.

We look at Ace Austin retaining the X-Division Title over Trey Miguel. Heck of a match too.

Ace Austin is ready to star in a sequel and has no comment on tonight’s title defense.

We look at Rich Swann injuring his ankle at Bash at the Brewery II.

We look at Willie Mack challenging for the Tag Team Titles on his own on Sunday but coming up short.

Swann tells Mack not to worry about it.

Katie Forbes is ready for a very fun celebration with Rob Van Dam.

Eddie Edwards says Hard To Kill describes him well and now he’ll win the X-Division Title.

We look at Edwards defeating Michael Elgin to retain the Call Your Shot trophy at the pay per view.

Elgin is in Japan and loves everything about it. He wants championships in Impact and he’ll be back.

We look at Rob Van Dam beating up Brian Cage and then beating Daga as a replacement.

Van Dam is in a hotel room in a bath robe with a bunch of rose petals on the bed. It looks like he’s always celebrating but it’s because everything is a party. He beat the big bad machine, but here’s Katie to say he should only be worried about wrestling her. Jiggling ensues and something on Katie’s upper half is blurred out. Katie’s girlfriend, Jennifer, joins them and kisses Rob, who rants about how marks live vicariously through him.

We’re clipped to Rob covered in lipstick prints but the girls, now minus tops but with various things covered in whipped cream, come in and tell him to take the robe off. Jennifer: “Whip out that Rob Van D***.” And we’re out due to technical difficulties. This was completely over the top in a funny way, though I can’t say I’m surprised at Twitch being annoyed at them over it. What else were they expecting from something like this?

Later tonight: an interview with Tessa Blanchard.

Post break, another announcement that later tonight, it will be an interview with Tessa Blanchard. In case you thought plans had changed in three minutes.

Video on Ken Shamrock’s issues with OVE, capped off by him beating Mad Man Fulton in a bit of a surprise.

Shamrock knew Fulton was athletic and strong so he had to fight smart instead. Sami Callihan doesn’t care about Fulton and that isn’t going to change. Shamrock isn’t sure what’s next.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Kurt Angle pins Jeff Jarrett at Genesis 2009.

Johnny Swinger doesn’t like the new wrestlers gaming so much so he goes to play some pinball. He hits on a woman playing Galaga and it’s as cheesy as you would guess.

Joey Ryan vs. Johnny Swinger

Ryan gives a fan his lollipop and offers Swinger a chance to touch….it. That’s a no, so Swinger cranks on the arm instead. Joey tries to make him touch it, which is enough to get him out of a waistlock. Swinger teases touching it but punches Ryan in the face instead. An atomic drop just hurts Swinger’s leg, allowing Don to compare the powers of different parts of Ryan’s anatomy. Swinger’s leg is fine enough to choke on the rope and then whip him hard into the corner for two.

The chinlock goes on for a bit before Swinger tries the falling headbutt for a low blow, only to knock himself silly. Back up and Swinger’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets caught, leaving Ryan to make him touch it. The flip takes out Swinger and the referee, allowing Swinger to hit Ryan low, mainly because Swinger never learns. As he holds his hand, Joey puts the lollipop in his mouth and Sweet Tooth Music is good for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: D. I can live with this nonsense a lot more when they keep the comedy guys together, meaning this was nowhere near as bad as usual. It wasn’t too long and they played the hits (I shivered a bit at that concept) but it could have been worse and it was in its own little shell, so fair enough if you just have to do this.

We look at Taya Valkyrie cheating to retain the Knockouts Title thanks to John E. Bravo.

We look at Tessa Blanchard winning the World Title in the main event.

To House Of Hardcore in November in Philadelphia.

X-Division Title: Fallah Bahh vs. Moose vs. Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin

Ace is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. They exchange kicks to the face to start until Moose gets to chop Bahh in the corner. Eddie comes back in and suplexes Moose to the floor, only to have to deal with Austin. Moose throws the champ outside and chops it out with Bahh again. A double clothesline puts them both down so it’s Eddie vs. Austin again.

Bahh is back up and splashes Austin in the corner, with Moose landing on both of them so Eddie can chop all three at once. Moose and Austin are sent outside so Bahh hits the huge dive, followed by Eddie diving onto everyone as we take a break. Back with Eddie hitting the backpack Stunner for two on Austin but Bahh splashes the two of them in the corner. Moos is back in with some dropkicks and a top rope superplex puts Bahh down.

Austin steals the near fall and kicks Eddie down for the same. Moose blocks the Fold and it’s an exchange of kicks to the face until Bahh clotheslines Moose for the big group knockdown. We take another break and come back again with Moose and Eddie chopping it out until a discus lariat drops Eddie. Bahh loads up the Banzai Drop on Austin but Moose makes the save. That lets Bahh get down and run Eddie over, only to have Austin counter another Banzai Drop into a super Fold to retain at 18:48.

Rating: C+. There was some good action in here but the telegraphed winner didn’t do a lot of good for this one. At least what we got was fun, especially on a show like this which doesn’t matter all that much in the end. Bahh continues to impress, Moose is a good power monster, Eddie is the jack of all trades and Austin is great as the slimy heel. It’s a nice mixture and they had a good match as a result.

We see some footage from after Hard To Kill with a lot of people, including friends and family, celebrating with Tessa.

Tessa joins us for a sitdown interview. She’s so happy with winning the title and beat Sami in the first chance she had at a fair fight. That doesn’t mean Sami and OVE are gone but she has accomplished the impossible goal. Now she is the hunted one and the face of the company but none of this happens by accident.

Sami pops in on the screen behind her and says he’s heard about history for the last 48 hours. He is the history maker around here and pumped blood into Impact when he arrived two years ago. Then he took his spot as World Champion but now Impact has what they want. Tessa is the champion Impact wants but he is the champion everyone needs (good line). Tessa says anyplace anytime and goes to find Sami. Instead she finds another screen, with Sami saying she’ll never see him coming.

Overall Rating: D+. There wasn’t much to this one as the majority was spent recapping the pay per view and building up the Tessa interview. When that wound up meaning nothing and was just a way to set up the obvious rematch, there wasn’t exactly much value to the show. We’ll be back to the regular stuff neck week, but this wasn’t exactly a great way to follow up on the pay per view.

Results

Desi Hit Squad b. TJP/Daga, Rascalz and Reno Scum – Sky High to Wentz

Joey Ryan b. Johnny Swinger – Sweet Tooth Music

Ace Austin b. Fallah Bahh, Moose and Eddie Edwards – Super Fold to Bahh

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 17, 2019
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re about a month away from Hard To Kill and the top of the card is already set. I’m not sure how interested I am in Tessa Blanchard vs. Sami Callihan again but the Tag Team Title match sounds good. What matters most is that they have something to shoot for and that is more important than a lot of things. Like Acey Romero vs. Joey Ryan as Ryan’s Wrestler’s Court punishment. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Jordynne Grace vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood still works here? She takes Grace down with a headscissors and then switches to a quickly broken armbar. They trade some standing switches until Dashwood’s crossbody is caught and muscled up into a suplex for two. Grace is sent to the apron and Dashwood gets in a kick to the face, plus a neckbreaker over the ropes for two.

The Tarantula goes on, setting up a reverse DDT for two more on Grace. That’s enough for Grace who busts the heck out of Dashwood’s spine for her own two, plus two more just in case. Dashwood fights out of the Grace Driver so Grace blasts her with a clothesline. Somehow Dashwood is right back up with the Taste of Tenille and a butterfly suplex for two more. Dashwood tries la majistral but Grace drops down onto her for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C. They did some back and forth stuff here but I’m not sure how much Grace should be going up before the big title shot. Then again I’m not sure how much ODB needs to be in that title match and she’s there anyway. Dashwood has just stopped mattering over the last few months and I don’t see that getting much better.

Post match they shake hands but here’s Taya Valkyrie to jump Grace. Dashwood makes the save though and Taya is sent bailing.

Moose runs into Rhino and tells him that he could have given him some pointers against Rob Van Dam. Rhino decks him, likely setting up a match later tonight.

The North comes up to Willie Mack and actually doesn’t want a fight. Since Mack is hurt, they should let Rich Swann go off and be a singles star. Swann comes up to say tell them to get out of here before a fight breaks out.

The announcers preview the card.

TJP vs. Daga

Fallah Bahh is here with TJP and we get an early handshake. They go to the mat for an early standoff until it’s back to the mat for some grappling. TJP dropkicks him into the corner and we stop for some staring. Back up and Daga armdrags him into an armbar and then does it again for good measure. TJP is right back with his headscissors to spin Daga over but Daga spins out of another attempt and pulls TJP down by the arm.

They trade some flips to maintain arm control, trade rollup for two each, and miss stereo dropkicks as we take a break. Back with Daga hitting some shots in the corner but getting sent out to the floor in a hurry. The springboard slingshot dropkick rocks Daga again and the slingshot hilo gets two back inside. Daga’s headscissors sends TJP into the corner for a change and there’s a forearm to the back.

Daga runs down the ramp for a sunset flip into a double stomp to the chest for two and that means frustration time. TJP spins out of a tiger bomb but his bridging rollup is countered into a superkick. That’s fine with TJP, who hits a jumping spin kick to the face for another double knockdown.

They slug it out until TJP snaps off a hurricanrana into a cross armbreaker but Daga stacks him up for two. A double clothesline puts them both down again and the real frustration is setting in. Daga knocks him down and goes up, earning himself a superplex back down into the Detonation Kick. The kneebar sends Daga to the rope so TJP switches to an STF to make Daga tap at 16:39.

Rating: B-. This got some time and was quite the technical display. TJP can go with anyone and has put in one nice performance after another. I could go for either of them getting a nice push but for some reason I don’t exactly buy that as being the most likely case. At least we got a good match out of the whole thing though.

Post match the Desi Hit Squad runs in to beat down TJP and Bahh. Daga makes the save but Shera comes in to plant him with a chokeslam. Good thing we got to push the important guys.

Brian Cage runs into the very combined forces of Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes. Rob isn’t worried about their match at Hard To Kill because he knows how to counter his own moves.

Here are Van Dam and Forbes for a chat. Katie introduces him and more kissing ensues. Rob isn’t sure why he’s getting so much attention as of late but he’ll take it while he gets it. After more Katie time, Rob says he’s taking a stand against everyone trying to steal all of his awesome moves. Cage is the biggest Van Dam mark of them all, so here he is in person. The fight is on with Cage getting the better of things until Katie gets in a low blow. Rob plants him with a middle rope Fameasser but won’t give the fans the Van Terminator. Instead he dropkicks the chair into Cage’s head and has some more of Katie.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Motor City Machine Guns vs. Generation Me from Final Resolution 2010.

Susie runs into Rosemary, who warns him about James Mitchell, who comes in and gets Susie away from her. Havok comes in to choke Rosemary. The lights go all colorful and Rosemary disappears as Susie seems…..pleased?

Taya interrupts Madison Rayne and Kiera Hogan, who don’t seem pleased. They’re not friends because Taya is rather rude but she needs help. She asks them to help a Knockout in need but they don’t buy it. Maybe if they get a title shot after Hard To Kill? Taya thinks about it.

Ethan Page vs. Rich Swann

Page headlocks him to start so Swann shoves his way out and hits a good dropkick. Swann slugs away but Josh Alexander grabs his foot, allowing Page to get in a thumb to the eye. Page slugs away until Swann grabs a small package for two. That means a change of pace with some stomping in the corner instead of slugging, because Page is that versatile. A kick to the face keeps Swann down but he rolls forward into a clothesline to Page.

Swann gets two off a cartwheel splash but Alexander’s distraction breaks up the 450. Page’s Neutralizer gets two, only to have Swann come right back with some kicks to the head for his own two. Swann has to bail out of the 450 so Page hits a middle rope slam. The Swanton gives Page two but Swann is back with a kick to the face. He dives onto Alexander though, leaving Page to go after Mack. You don’t do that to Willie though and he chases Page back in and decks him for the DQ at 10:02.

Rating: C+. This was all about the mind games at the end and there is nothing wrong with that. Swann and Mack feel like almost guaranteed title winners so going with some doubt is a good idea. I could go for them winning the titles but I could also go with them fighting each other for months in a great feud.

Post match Swann isn’t happy with Willie.

Rhino and Moose get in another fight in the back.

Joey Ryan vs. Acey Romero

Johnny Swinger is on commentary and Joey starts fast with the baby oil down the trunks. Acey won’t touch it but does hurt his knee on an atomic drop. As the announcers talk about Joey killing territories, Acey crushes him with a crossbody and gets two off a spinebuster. They hit heads and Acey falls face first onto Ryan’s crotch, which brings Ryan back to life.

The lollipop goes into the referee’s mouth by mistake (I’m surprised it doesn’t give him superpowers) and it’s time for Acey to grab it. Swinger makes the save and has Acey grab his fanny pack, which has no such powers. Joey is right back up with the Flip and Sweet Tooth Music finishes Acey at 3:54.

Rating: F. Something about me not having fun or not getting wrestling. I think I’m to the point where I don’t need to rant about Joey anymore. He really does seem like a nice guy (including being nice to me on Twitter before) but this isn’t for me and that’s ok. I could go with not seeing it but I know there’s an audience for it. I’m just not part of it.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t worried about Sami Callihan exposing her. She’s going to take the title from the most vile champion the company has ever seen.

Michael Elgin takes Eddie Edwards’ trophy.

Ace Austin vs. Petey Williams

Non-title. Petey elbows him in the face to start and ducks a springboard kick to the face. A headscissors sends Ace into the corner, setting up the slingshot Codebreaker. The Sharpshooter attempt doesn’t work so Petey hits the slingshot hurricanrana to the floor. Ace is right back with a superkick from the apron and we take a break.

Back with Ace hitting a spinning kick to the head for two and then stopping to stare at the crowd. Ace can’t get the paper cut with the card so Petey snaps off a release German suplex. There’s the Russian legsweep but Ace’s Bang-a-Rama gets two. The Canadian Destroyer is blocked but so is Ace’s superplex. Petey powerbombs him instead but the Canadian Destroyer still can’t connect. Ace is right back with the Fold for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C. That was one of Petey’s better matches in awhile and it was a good bit better than I was expecting. Ace winning wasn’t in doubt but they were both working and got a nice match out of it. I’m liking the Fold more each time I see it and while Ace’s character has changed a lot, I still like what I see out of him.

Post match, Ace dedicates the win to Trey Miguel’s mom. He even blows her a kiss.

Post break Trey Miguel gets in Ace’s face and one more line about Trey’s mom starts the fight. Reno Scum breaks it up.

Hard To Kill rundown.

Here’s Sami Callihan to “expose” Tessa. She’s a fake and a phony, just like everyone sitting here today. People are saying this is something about gender but Sami should be looked at as a hero for spitting in her face, just like he’d do to any man in the back. The fans cheer for Tessa but they have more in common with him. Tessa is the daughter of Tully Blanchard and was raised by Magnum TA.

Sami earned everything he has and became the face of the company by winning the World Title. His dad never got him a tryout so here’s a livid Tessa. Mad Man Fulton jumps her from behind though, meaning the beatdown is on. Ken Shamrock makes the save but Fulton goes after his bad ribs. Sami and Tessa fight to the back where they brawl in front of some fans. Sami punches one of them by mistake before sending Tessa face first into the production truck.

Tessa shrugs that off and they brawl on the sidewalk. Another ram into the truck rocks Tessa and Sami chokes her with some caution tape. Tessa gets in another shot though and they brawl down the sidewalk with Tessa diving out of the back of a truck. Sami chokes her down and Tessa goes after him until referees FINALLY break it up to end the show. This didn’t do much to make Tessa seem like she could hang in a fight with Sami, but the smoke and mirrors will help a lot at the pay per view.

Overall Rating: C+. They were all working hard here and we got a nice show as a result. As usual, it helps a lot to have a goal to move towards and they have that here. It makes things that much easier and you could see the show improving now that a lot of the card is either set or ready to be set. I’m digging most of the show, though there are a few elements I’d like dropped for good. That isn’t going to happen, but you can only hope. Anyway, good show this week and a positive sign as we head towards the pay per view.

Results

Jordynne Grace b. Tenille Dashwood – Rollup

TJP b. Daga – STF

Ethan Page b. Rich Swann via DQ when Willie Mack interfered

Joey Ryan b. Acey Romeo – Sweet Tooth Music

Ace Austin b. Petey Williams – Fold

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