Impact Wrestling
Date: December 1, 2022
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are back to the regular show after last week’s Thanksgiving special. That means we need to start getting ready for whatever the December show will be, plus Hard To Kill. The latter of these shows will likely be headlined by Bully Ray challenging Josh Alexander for the World Title, but we need something else besides that. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Bully Ray teasing being good and then going all evil as he goes after the World Title.

Here is Bully Ray, complete with the broken Call Your Shot trophy to get things going. He isn’t sure if these Kentuckians will understand him (to be fair, they are in Louisville) so he tries to keep it simple. Ray shows up at Bound For Glory, ran the gauntlet, and earned the title shot. He told Josh Alexander that he was coming for him on January 13 and they shook hands, with Alexander accepting the match. The fans chant for Alexander, which has Ray saying he agrees with these morons.

As great of a wrestler as Alexander is, he isn’t as smart as Ray. Maybe people have forgotten who he is. He ran Hulk Hogan out of Impact, he made sure Sting couldn’t challenge for the World Title again and he put Dixie Carter through a table. So why would Alexander let his wife get that close to Ray? Alexander is going to be gone for a few weeks, but he better be at Hard To Kill so Ray can win the title for the third time. Cue Rich Swann to jump Ray and start their scheduled match fast. Ray’s speech made sense and he can always talk, but Bully Ray as Impact’s top villain in 2022 is still not exactly a great image.

Bully Ray vs. Rich Swann

We’re joined in progress and Ray runs Swann over to cut him off. Ray hammers away in the corner and elbows Swann in the head as the ring has a weird echo for some reason. A sitdown splash misses for Ray but he’s fine enough to crotch Swann on top. The neck crank is countered with a jawbreaker and the middle rope 450 gives Swann two. That’s enough for Ray, who grabs his chain and blasts Swann for the DQ at 5:43.

Rating: C. Well at least Ray didn’t pin him clean. This was about continuing Ray as the biggest villain in the company and he does it well enough. Swann didn’t get in much offense here, but he has fallen quite a long way from when he was World Champion. Keeping this short was a smart idea and it did what it needed to do.

Post match Ray beats on Swann with a chair and zip ties him to the bottom rope. Tommy Dreamer runs out for the save but Ray shoves him down. Cue Scott D’Amore to yell at Ray and hit him with his suit jacket. Ray grabs the chair again but gets chased off by the combined forces of….D’Amore and Dreamer. Hold on though as Ray grabs the mic and agrees with D’Amore than he’s a piece of s***. Ray: “But you’re the guy who hired me.”

That’s about ¼ of the show and it has been all about Bully Ray so far.

Trey Miguel doesn’t care that people are unhappy with him and he spray paints his logo on the X-Division Title.

Moose vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

Moose is sent into the corner to start and Gujjar strikes away, even managing to send Moose outside. That works fine with Moose, who blasts him with a clothesline as we take a break. Back with Gujjar winning a slugout but getting planted right back down. A ripcord knee and Sling Blade look to set up the Gargoyle Spear…but Moose just steps aside. The spear gives Moose the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C. Moose needed the win to get back on track after the loss to Ray at Overdrive and Gujjar has enough status to make this mean something. Gujjar still needs a win of his own as his biggest claim to fame so far is almost winning the Digital Media Title a few times. Another good enough match, even if it didn’t need a break in the middle.

Post match Moose throws Gujjar outside and then talks about knowing what Bully Ray really was. These idiot fans wouldn’t listen to him though and no, he didn’t lose at Overdrive. Moose: “I don’t want any of you to say his name.” Cue Joe Hendry but Moose says he was talking about Bully Ray (of course). Hendry heard “say his name” and that is the same as someone saying WE BELIEVE. Moose wants Hendry out but Hendry, from a current champion to a former one, knows a cry for help when he hears one. The fight is on but Gujjar is back with the Gargoyle Spear.

Mike Bailey isn’t worried about Kenny King and nothing is changing.

Video on Mickie James and the Last Rodeo, as she is ready for Deonna Purrazzo tonight. Purrazzo is ready to end James’ career.

Steve Maclin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Maclin wins an early slugout but Kazarian is back with a springboard elbow to the face. That doesn’t last long as Maclin knocks him out to the floor in a heap and a running knee to the back makes it worse. Kazarian slips out of an Angle Slam though and some running forearms have Maclin reeling.

The chickenwing is blocked so Kazarian settles for the springboard spinning legdrop for two instead. The slingshot Fameasser over the middle rope keeps Maclin in trouble and he slingshots himself into a cutter for two more. Then Maclin hits him with a chair for the DQ at 7:20 (second of three matches to end with a chair shot DQ tonight).

Rating: C+. These two could have had a better match with more time but at least we got something out of them. Kazarian is one of the good hands around here as he can work well with anyone while Maclin should be next in line for the World Title. He has been built up well and with one big push, a title reign is far from out of the question.

Post match Maclin wrecks Kazarian, including the KIA on a chair.

Tasha Steelz rants about the Death Dollz winning the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at Overdrive and seems to blame Savannah Evans. That doesn’t work for Evans, so Steelz says we can do Evans vs. Taya Valkyrie next week.

Eddie Edwards is done talking about his marriage or PCO or anything in the past. He did everything to build for the future….and then runs into Delirious of all people, who stares at him.

The Motor City Machine Guns ask Heath and Rhino about their Tag Team Title shot. Heath says they’ll get it set for next week, which works for the Guns. Rhino talks about tearing their hearts out to amp up the insanity a bit.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mickie James

Feeling out process to start with Purrazzo taking her to the mat to start and working on an armbar. Back up and they trade armdrags into a pinfall reversal sequence. They both miss some kicks and it’s a standoff as we take a break. We come back with James taking her into the corner for some chops, followed by some rather hard rams into the turnbuckle.

That earns her a hard elbow to the face and more elbows to the chest give Purrazzo two. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Mickie is right back up with the hurricanrana out of the corner. A running kick to the chest gives James two but Purrazzo kicks her off the top as we take a break. Back with Purrazzo getting two off a brainbuster and grabbing the reverse chinlock.

That’s broken up and James sends her outside, setting up the Thesz press to the floor. A missile dropkick drops Purrazzo and a neckbreaker gives James two. The tornado DDT is blocked and Purrazzo’s pump kick gives her a near fall of her own. The Fujiwara armbar goes on but Mickie gets over to the rope fast enough. They trade rollups until James grabs the tights for the pin at 23:00.

Rating: B. This felt like a main event level match and while there wasn’t a ton of drama about James losing, it was a good journey throughout. The ending with the cheating from James is certainly interesting, as she might be getting more desperate to keep her career alive. I could watch these two wrestle multiple times and it would likely continue to be high quality stuff.

Post match Jordynne Grace comes out to praise James and issue the challenge for the title vs. career match at Hard To Kill. We’re on, and I wouldn’t be complaining about that headlining the show.

We go to the jail with Eric Young and Deaner looking at each other. Young says Deaner is in this thing to get rid of the sickness, which might be in this room. A knife is thrown on the table and they fight with Young narrating about the sickness. Young goes for the eye but Deaner busts him open and stabs him (with Young’s encouragement) to get rid of the sickness once and for all. The stable still isn’t very good but the lack of Young might help.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event bails this show out as it was only ok until then. Throw in Bully Ray dominating the first fourth of the show and Violent By Design getting the closing segment and this wasn’t the most thrilling stuff at the start and the finish. That being said, 20 minutes of Purrazzo vs. James works and it made the show a good watch.

Results
Rich Swann b. Bully Ray via DQ when Ray used a chain
Moose b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Spear
Frankie Kazarian b. Steve Maclin via DQ when Maclin used a chair
Mickie James b. Deonna Purrazzo – Rollup with tights

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: November 17, 2022
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It is the go home show for Overdrive and that means we need to find out the other finalist in the X-Division Title tournament. Other than that, we have what should be a violent match between Eric Young and Sami Callihan, where blood is required. It should be an eventful show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

A laughing Crazzy Steve is in the ring and asks if we can feel it. Brace yourselves for the barrage of brutality that is Black Taurus. Now that’s an entrance.

X-Division Title Tournament Semifinals: Black Taurus vs. PJ Black

They flip around to start with neither being able to get very far. A monkey flip sends Taurus into the corner but he blasts Black pretty hard. Black is fine enough to send him outside for a big dive. Back in and a moonsault misses for Black, allowing Taurus to powerslam him for two. A Sling Blade gives Taurus two more but Black is back with a pop up Meteora (that was cool) for two of his own. Taurus catches him on top, only to get pulled down with a super Spanish Fly. They slug it out with Black getting the better of things, only to get caught in Taurus’ spinning piledriver for the pin at 6:19.

Rating: C+. I don’t think anyone bought Black as having any real chance in a match like this but he can put on a good one if given the chance. That being said, Taurus is a monster who can move and that is a different way to go for the title. I’m curious to see where things go with the final, but Taurus winning the title would make a lot of sense.

We get the contract signing with Josh Alexander and Frankie Kazarian (with their wives next to them). They respect each other and Kazarian is sorry that he has to take the title from Alexander. The wives (Jade Chung and Traci Brooks) aren’t happy with what is being said but everyone splits before it gets violent.

Post break, Kazarian and Alexander say they’ll do it tomorrow and everything seems cool. Bully Ray says he’s coming for the winner, but Kazarian doesn’t believe that Ray will do it straight up. Ray doesn’t like that and leaves, with Alexander asking why it matters if Ray is honest or not. He’ll be ready no matter what.

Aussie Open vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Bullet Club vs. Raj Singh/Shera

It’s Ace Austin/Chris Bey for the Club with Austin and Kyle Fletcher starting things off. Austin grabs the arm and brings Bey in for a running dropkick in the corner. The Club takes Fletcher down and poses on him but Singh tags himself in. Austin gets dropped face first onto the top turnbuckle and a Downward Spiral makes it worse.

We take a break and come back with the Guns bouncing Singh back and forth with right hands. Sabin cutters Austin and drops Bey, followed by the Dream Sequence on Singh. Shera comes back in to clean house but the Aussies double team him down. Austin crossbodies Fletcher down and clears the ring, only to have Davis do the same thing, but Aussier. An assisted top rope cutter drops Bey for two but he’s able to slip out of Coriolis. Bey is back up with a big dive onto the floor (while too sweeting Austin on the way over) before coming back in for an assisted Art of Finesse to pin Fletcher at 12:02.

Rating: B-. This was your wacky match of the week as everyone was flying around and hitting one big spot after another until the Club won. They needed a win like this to get back on track and I could go for them getting into the title hunt. Everyone did well here, with even Singh and Shera doing well as the power guys.

Rosemary yells at Taya Valkyrie about the missing Jessicka, who was told to go get a drink.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Masha Slamovich so let’s do Last Knockout Standing at Overdrive.

Tasha Steelz vs. Taya Valkyrie

Savannah Evans and Rosemary are here too. Taya kicks her into the corner to start and a clothesline gets an early two. The running knees in the corner get the same but another charge sends Taya shoulder first into the post. Tasha loads up the Black Out but gets reversed into the Road To Valhalla. That’s blocked as well only to have Taya sit down on it to pin Steelz at 2:20.

Post match the brawl is on but Jessicka, complete with one of those helmets with a beer can on either side, makes the save.

Josh Alexander asks Tommy Dreamer about Bully Ray, which Dreamer says is the last 25 years of his life. Dreamer believes that Bully is a changed man.

Trey Miguel was sore after last week’s match but he is ready to get his X-Division Title back.

Steve Maclin vs. Tommy Dreamer

Old School (Extreme) Rules. Dreamer starts fast with a hiptoss and a Cactus Clothesline sends them both outside. A cookie sheet shot to the head rocks Maclin and Dreamer peels back the floor mat. The piledriver on the floor is broken up (because it’s a piledriver on the floor) and Maclin gets in a posting. Maclin drops a Cactus Jack elbow off the apron and it’s time to bring in some chairs. That takes too long though and Dreamer gets in some kendo stick shots, setting up a crossbody to drive Maclin through a chair.

The White Russian legsweep drops Maclin again but he grabs an Angle Slam for two. Dreamer gets in another shot and grabs some water/popcorn, both of which go into Maclin’s face. A cutter gives Dreamer two and it’s table time (of course, albeit with help from a fan dubbed Mr. Impact). Maclin blocks the Death Valley Driver though and DDTs Dreamer onto a pile of chairs for the pin at 8:06.

Rating: C. This was in fact a Tommy Dreamer match from anytime in the last fifteen years or so, but thankfully Maclin won in the end. What matters here is getting Maclin over as a major threat, as I could easily see him as the next World Champion. Dreamer got in his, and by that I mean others’, usual stuff and thankfully he more or less has it down to a science at this point.

Post match Maclin loads up a Conchairto but Bully Ray comes in for the save. Moose runs in to beat down Ray but Josh Alexander makes another save and has a staredown with Ray. Then they put Maclin through a table and Ray very slowly hands Alexander the title.

In her first interview around here, Masha Slamovich (in Russian) insults the interviewer for asking stupid questions. No one wants to talk about her wins because she had one bad night. Her expectations for Overdrive: death. Well that got serious.

Laredo Kid vs. Rich Swann

Kid starts fast with a neckbreaker and they head outside with Kid hitting a big dive. Back in and some moonsault elbows hit Swann but a third only hits mat. Swann fights back but gets caught with a release German suplex. The frog splash gives Kid two but he charges into a superkick. The middle rope 450 finishes Kid at 3:41.

Rating: C+. That was a weird one as Kid was dominating and then Swann won out of almost nowhere. I’m not sure if this one was cut for time or what, but it felt like there was another four to five minutes missing. Swann winning is fine, though Kid getting a big breakthrough win feels like it has been coming for years now.

Mickie James isn’t happy with Taylor Wilde for getting involved last week but Wilde didn’t want interference to end Mickie’s career. See, Wilde should be the one to end it.

Video on Josh Alexander vs. Frankie Kazarian, including how the X-Division Title has been wrecked along the way.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Eric Young vs. Sami Callihan

This is Death Machine Double Jeopardy, meaning your opponent has to be busted open before you can win by pinfall or submission. Violent By Design jumps Sami during his entrance and bust him open before he even gets to the ring. We take a break before the bell with Sami saying start it up. Young hits a quick Death Valley Driver for two but Sami reverses a suplex on the floor.

It’s weapons time with Sami cutting Young’s mouth with a picture of the Death Dollz. Young is back up and they fight on the apron, with both of them going after the eyes. Sami Death Valley Drivers him on the apron and we take a break. Back with Young busted open as well and the two of them posting each other. The piledriver on the floor is countered with a backdrop (this seems strangely familiar) and Sami throws a trashcan into the corner.

Back in and Young blasts him with a trashcan lid to the head before grabbing a kneebar. Sami reverses into something like a Figure Four but Young is out again. They fight up and slug it out until stereo headbutts put both of them down. Young is up first with a piledriver for two but another one is countered with a crotch grab. The Cactus Driver 97 gives Sami two of his own and another one finishes Young off at 17:38.

Rating: C+. This still isn’t my kind of match, but it was done a disservice by having Dreamer and Maclin do a lighter version of it less than an hour before. There were some spots here that were identical to Dreamer vs. Maclin (piledriver on the floor countered into a backdrop) and that took away some of the impact that this one had. Callihan winning is the way to go as it means Young loses, but I’m sure Young will be featured over and over again because reasons.

Post match Violent By Design comes out to stare down at Young to end the show. Oh come on don’t tell me it’s going to be Sami/Young vs. these goons.

Overall Rating: B-. They covered a lot on this show and there was nothing that would be called bad. There are some interesting stories going on around here and I want to see where they go. At the same time though, Overdrive continues to feel like an absolute nothing of a show and I have no desire to see what they do with it. Just get on with it so we can move on to the next big show.

Results
Black Taurus b. PJ Black – Spinning piledriver
Bullet Club b. Aussie Open, Motor City Machine Guns and Raj Singh/Shera – Art of Finesse to Fletcher
Taya Valkyrie b. Tasha Steelz – Rollup
Steve Maclin b. Tommy Dreamer – KIA onto a pile of chairs
Rich Swann b. Laredo Kid – Middle rope 450
Sami Callihan b. Eric Young – Cactus Driver 97

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: November 10, 2022
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We have two shows left before Overdrive and the card is mostly already set. This week is likely going to be a lot more firming up of the card, plus some extra X-Division Title tournament matches. The tournament still needs a final and we are probably getting closer to one this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Digital Media Title: Joe Hendry vs. Brian Myers

Myers, with Matt Cardona, is defending. Before the match, Hendry promises to be a Digital Media Champion that will inspire the comments section. The fans make it clear that THEY BELIEVE as Hendry works on the arm to start. A delayed suplex gives Hendry two but Myers is right back with a kick to the face. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Myers switches to a guillotine choke.

That’s broken up with straight power into a suplex but the Standing Ovation is blocked. Myers hits a lifting Downward Spiral for two but Hendry gets the same off a pop up powerbomb. They head outside where Cardona offers a distraction but here are Heath and Rhino to take care of him. Myers hits the inverted DDT for two, only to have the Roster Cut countered into the Standing Ovation to give Hendry the pin and the title at 5:59.

Rating: C. They kept things moving here and Hendry gets a title to make him feel like a bigger deal. Myers and Cardona can go after the Tag Team Titles now so there isn’t much of a need for them to dominate the Digital Media Title any longer. Hendry feels like he is getting some support too so let him have this as a stepping stone.

Jai Vidal has a tribute video ready for Gisele Shaw but it needs her holding the Knockouts Title. She’s working on that. We get the video, which has some odd audio issues where the wrestlers’ mouths and voices don’t quite line up when they say “Gisele Shaw”. Just a coincidence I’m sure.

Violent By Design is back with a new era. I’m not sure this is important enough to have Amazing Grace playing in the background.

X-Division Title Tournament Semifinals: Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel

Bailey starts fast with his bouncing kicks before being sent to the apron for a standoff. Miguel snaps the arm over the rope, kicks it out, and takes Bailey down with an armbar. Back up and Bailey fires off some kicks but here is Kenny King to watch. We take a break and come back with Bailey hitting a standing shooting star press for two as King is at ringside with a bucket of popcorn.

They trade spinning shots to the face and it’s a double knockdown. Miguel misses the Meteora but avoids the Ultimate Weapon and poisonranas Bailey out to the floor. Back up and Bailey kicks him off the apron, setting up the middle rope moonsault. The moonsault knees from the apron crushes Miguel again….and then King sends Miguel into the steps for the DQ at 10:33.

Rating: C+. This one definitely gets points for a creative ending, as commentary had been talking about how annoyed King was at losing to Bailey and wanting revenge, but they went with a less than conventional idea. If nothing else, it means Bailey won’t be champion and that is a nice relief at this point. Miguel feels like he is going to be the guy who puts over someone else to give them the big win, which is more or less his specialty at this point.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Jordynne Grace b. Taya Valkyrie to win the Knockouts Title on February 11, 2020.

Jessicka is upset by her loss so Taya Valkyrie and Rosemary tell her to get mad and crush Tasha Steelz next week. Rosemary: “EAT HER FACE!” Jessicka: “Ok.”

Kenny King saw something in Mike Bailey last week and now he has seen it again. He’ll be seeing Bailey again soon.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. G Sharpe

Gujjar dropkicks him into the corner to start but Sharpe snapmares him down for a basement dropkick. Sharpe grabs a seated abdominal stretch but Gujjar is right back up with a Sling Blade. A Samoan drop gets two on Sharpe, who is right back up with a kick to the head. Gujjar hits a pop up powerslam into the Gargoyle spear for the pin at 3:54.

Rating: C-. This was just a step above a squash as Sharpe got in a bit of offense before losing to the obvious. Gujjar is still someone who feels like he is on the verge of moving up to the next level and he has gotten better over the last few months. He still needs a bit more polish and something to fight over, but he’s getting the basics down.

Heath and Rhino are ready for the Major Players. They walk over to Josh Alexander to warn him that Bully Ray is horrible.

Jessicka has found a self help book that tells her to drink a lot.

Alisha Edwards comes up to Eddie Edwards, who says he left Honor No More and now they can be ok. She doesn’t buy that everything is over though.

Chelsea Green vs. Mickie James

Deonna Purrazzo is here with Green, who takes over on the arm to start. Mickie switches into a hammerlock and kicks her in the head for two. A Purrazzo distraction lets Green grab a Backstabber but more cheating gets caught, meaning Purrazzo is gone. Green is back up with a lifting Downward Spiral for two and we hit the quickly broken chinlock. Back up and Mickie snapmares her down, only to get pulled into the half crab.

That’s broken up with a kick out to the floor, meaning it’s time for a slugout on the apron. Green knocks her to the floor but falls down as well, leaving them both to dive back in. They slug it out from their knees with Mickie getting the better of things and grabbing a neckbreaker for two. Green is sent into the referee though, only to walk into a flapjack. Cue Purrazzo to interfere but Taylor Wilde comes out to brawl her to the back. I’m Prettier gives Green two so she goes up to miss a missile dropkick, allowing James to grab a rollup pin at 10:35.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here but James was in jeopardy a few times here to make it more interesting. James continues to roll towards a likely showdown with Jordynne Grace at Hard To Kill but she isn’t crushing everyone on the way there. Green had one of her better matches here and had James in trouble so it was a nice next step in the Last Rodeo.

Steve Maclin goes looking for Scott D’Amore but finds Tommy Dreamer instead. Dreamer tells him to chill and be a locker room leader but Maclin accuses Dreamer of only caring about himself and Bully Ray. The obvious match is made.

Zicky Dice vs. Bully Ray

Johnny Swinger is here with Zicky Dice and they say GET THE TABLES. That takes too long though and it’s a Bully Bomb to finish Dice at 1:10. If you need to push Ray, feed him morons like these two.

Post match Moose comes in with a low blow to Ray and the spear sends him through a table.

Sami Callihan has kidnapped a Violent By Design goon and isn’t happy with having interference last week against Eric Young. So let’s do it one more time, but in a Death Machine Double Jeopardy match, where you have to make your opponent bleed to win.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Gisele Shaw.

Chelsea Green leaves, telling Deonna Purrazzo that she is going home.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

During the break, Bully Ray said he wanted to make his Overdrive match with Moose a tables match. Sure why not.

Video on Frankie Kazarian’s time in Impact Wrestling, which doesn’t include a World Champion. Kazarian says he has to win at Overdrive.

Knockouts Title: Gisele Shaw vs. Jordynne Grace

Shaw, with Jai Vidal, is challenging. Grace grabs an early spinebuster for two but has to kick Vidal in the face for offering a distraction. That’s enough for Shaw to hammer away and take over, including some running elbows in the corner. Grace easily muscles her over with a suplex but gets driven straight into the corner. Back up and a hard shot drops Shaw and we take a break.

We come back with Grace winning a slugout and firing off some slams. Shaw catches her with a kick in the corner though and a hanging DDT gets two. Grace cuts her off on top though and hits a superplex into a Jackhammer for two of her own. A Vertebreaker of all things gives Grace two more and Shaw’s neckbreaker gets the same. The running knee misses though and Grace hits a heck of a powerbomb. The Grace Driver retains the title at 14:31.

Rating: B. Shaw was a good challenger here and gave Grace a lot, with Vidal not being much of a factor. They have turned Grace into an unstoppable force and it is going to take someone special to get the title off of her. Building up James for that spot could go very well, but Hard To Kill is a long way off. They’ll need someone else in the mean time, but I’m not sure who that could be.

Post match Masha Slamovich (I had been wondering about her.) comes out and decks Grace with a chair. A Snow Plow onto some chairs leaves Graces laying with Slamovich holding up the title.

We go to the desert, where a bolt of lightning hits a grave. PCO’s hand pops out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a weird one as the show was good but the more I hear about Overdrive, the less interest I have in seeing anything on the card. There isn’t much worthwhile on the show and the World Champion was reduced to a cameo here. There’s nothing wrong with a match built around two stars colliding with no personal issue, but that feels like the build to a lot of Alexander’s matches. On the other hand, the women’s division is quite good right now and I want to see where it goes. Plus Joe Hendry is getting a push and that’s a great thing to see. Nice show, but Overdrive needs to come and go.

Results
Joe Hendry b. Brian Myers – Standing Ovation
Trey Miguel b. Mike Bailey via DQ when Kenny King interfered
Bhupinder Gujjar b. G Sharpe – Gargoyle spear
Mickie James b. Chelsea Green – Jackknife rollup
Bully b. Zicky Dice – Bully Bomb
Jordynne Grace b. Gisele Shaw – Grace Driver

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

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AND

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 27, 2022
Location: Sam’s Town Live, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are on the way to Overdrive in a few weeks and that means we need an X-Division Title match. The tournament begins here with the finals at Overdrive and we should be in for something good. Other than that, Frankie Kazarian is coming for the World Title and Josh Alexander will need to deal with him. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Mike Bennett and Matt Taven come in to yell at Scott D’Amore about everything that has gone badly for them. They don’t want to be in that kind of situation again, so he fires them.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title Tournament First Round: Alan Angels vs. Trey Miguel

They fight over arm control to start with neither being able to get very far. Angels breaks up a rope walk wristdrag and Miguel gets kicked outside. Back in and a reverse Sling Blade gives Angels two but Miguel is back up with a handspring enziguri. The running knees give Miguel two and Angels’ DDT out of the corner gets the same.

Miguel slips out of a superplex attempt and it’s the Cheeky Nandos kick to knock him silly. Angels is fine enough to knock him him and grab an Octopus hold on the mat, followed by a frog splash for two. Back up and Miguel kicks him in the face, setting up the Lightning Spiral for the fast pin at 8:20.

Rating: C+. Impact has long since figured out that the idea of having an X-Division match open the show is going to work every time. The fans get behind Miguel, who can fly around like few others and make you care about him with ease. Other than that, you have Angels, who is still known enough from AEW and fits in well as a first round victim for a bigger star.

Bullet Club comes in to see Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer because they think Ray took out Ace Austin last week. Ray denies it again and Chris Bey vs. Dreamer seems to be set up. The Club leaves and Dreamer tells Ray to stay away because he’s why this is happening.

VXT and Gisele Shaw want to get rid of Mickie James and then get the Knockouts Tag Team Titles back.

Tasha Steelz vs. Rachelle Steele

Savannah Evans is here with Steelz. Steele gets kicked in the face to start but Steelz grabs the mic, saying she shouldn’t be in the ring with someone so lame. Evans is told to come in and take care of this, so Evans hits a clothesline for the DQ at 1:56. Steelz doesn’t seem to mind.

Post match Evans powerbombs Steele.

The Motor City Machine Guns come up to Heath and Rhino to ask for the Tag Team Title shot they were promised. Heath and Rhino tell them to go to management, which works for the Guns.

Post break, the Guns come up to Scott D’Amore but the Major Players are already there. D’Amore doesn’t want to listen to the arguing so he makes Shelley vs. Cardona for later tonight.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Chris Bey

Ace Austin is here with Bey. They both miss clotheslines to start and Bey can’t hit his spinning kick to the face. Cue Bully Ray to get on the apron to yell at Austin as we take an early break. Back with Bey hitting a double stomp to the back and a standing moonsault gets two.

Dreamer’s arm goes into the post and Bey gives it a Codebreaker, setting up a DDT for two more. Bey gets caught on top though and here is Moose to yell at Ray. The referee gets distracted and Moose trips Bey, who thinks it was Ray. The Death Valley Driver is broken up and the Art of Finesse finishes for Bey at 10:24.

Rating: C. The ending was a huge relief as I was worried they would have the ECW guys beat the Bullet Club again. I’m not big on Dreamer in the first place and it would have been way too far to have he and Ray get wins over these guys in some combination -over back to back wins. Not a great match, but it’s all about the storytelling anyway.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Bully Ray b. Sting to retain the World Title at Slammiversary 2013.

Aussie Open wants the Tag Team Titles so anyone can come get them next week.

Tommy Dreamer tells Bully Ray to calm down but Ray isn’t going to do that. He’s tired of no one believing him, including Dreamer. They’re good though.

Matt Cardona vs. Alex Shelley

Their respective partners are here too. Cardona jumps him before the bell and they head outside with an exchange of rams into the apron. Back in and Shelley works on the arm but Cardona grabs a neckbreaker for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit before an elbow to the jaw takes Shelley down again. The Reboot misses though and they forearm it out. A tornado DDT gives Shelley two with Myers putting the foot on the rope.

Myers comes in so Sabin kicks him out, leaving Cardona to rake Shelley’s eye. Radio Silence connects for two and a rollup with tights gets the same. With nothing else working, Cardona grabs the Digital Media Title but the referee gets distracted, allowing Shelley to grab a DDT onto the title for two in a rather hot near fall. Back up and Myers hits Shelley in the head with the belt for the pin at 8:43.

Rating: C+. There was a lot packed in here but they made it work well enough anyway, with both guys keeping up with all of the quick near falls. The Major Brothers getting the title shot isn’t a bad idea, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see this winding up as a triple threat. Entertaining stuff here as the Major Players are a good team when they get the chance.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Heath and Rhino make the save.

Rich Swann and Josh Alexander are in the back when Gail Kim interrupts. She tells Alexander to watch his back and Steve Maclin jumps him from behind. Frankie Kazarian makes the save.

Post break, Kazarian says he’s looking out for Alexander to make sure Overdrive stays on. Neither of them are looking for a partner, but they’ll team together against Aussie Open next week.

Raj Singh vs. Joe Hendry

Before the match, Hendry talks about how this is Las Vegas, where people lose everything they have every day. Tomorrow, someone is going to have to tell their wife that they lost the house, the car and the kid’s college fund….but he saw Joe Hendry. It’s ok because the wife believes in him too and we start fast with Hendry taking him down for a pat on the head. A fireman’s carry faceplant (the Trust Fall) drops Singh, who makes the mistake of saying Hendry’s name, making him rise back up. The Standing Ovation (high spinebuster) gives Hendry the pin at 1:47.

Eric Young tells Deaner that he’s supposed to learn things. Now it’s time to beat up beat up Sami Callihan.

We get a sitdown interview with Eddie Edwards, who says Honor No More is no more. Eddie still believes that there is no honor in this company but there are still problems. Like PCO.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

VXT/Gisele Shaw vs. Mickie James/Jordynne Grace/Taylor Wilde

Green rolls away from James to start so it’s off to Shaw instead. James runs her over with a shoulder and it’s off to Purrazzo to power Wilde down. Wilde kicks Purrazzo’s leg out and tilt-a-whirl slams Green for two. Everything breaks down and the heroes clear the ring as we take a break.

Back with Green taking Wilde down and hammering away before Shaw fires off some knees to the face. Wilde gets away without much trouble and the hot tag brings in James to clean house. That lasts for all of ten seconds before Shaw gets in a cheap shot to take James down in the corner. Shaw grabs a chinlock before Shaw grabs a chinlock, only to have James fight up with a clothesline.

The real hot tag brings in Grace to clean house, including a spinebuster for two on Purrazzo. Everything breaks down but James gets driven back into the corner. A powerbomb/something like a Blockbuster combination gets two on James and Grace runs Shaw over for touching the Knockouts Title. Back inside and James DDTs Green for the pin at 15:17.

Rating: C+. They kept things moving here with a longer match than I would have guessed. James is probably on her way to a huge showdown with Jordynne Grace, maybe at Hard To Kill, and she might have to go through the rest of VXT to get there. Good main event here, as Grace and James are turning into some of the bigger stars in the whole company.

Overall Rating: C+. Overdrive isn’t exactly looking great so far but they are doing some good stuff on the way there. That is the kind of thing that you do not get to see very often but they are managing to pull it off. There were some good enough matches on this one, though the Bully Ray/Tommy Dreamer stuff is still dragging a lot of the rest down.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 29, 2022
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are done with Victory Road and that means we are only a little over a week away from Bound For Glory. I’m still not sure why Victory Road was such a necessary show before the biggest night of the year but at least it wasn’t an eventful night, meaning Bound For Glory got even more build. Hopefully that can continue tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Bullet Club vs. Trey Miguel/Laredo Kid

It’s Ace Austin/Chris Bey for the Club, with Juice Robinson in their corner. Austin and Kid start things off with an exchange of wristlocks but hold on as Austin needs to hold up Too Sweet. A quick high crossbody gives Kid an early two so it’s Bey offering a distraction so Austin can take over on the arm. Bey comes in with a backbreaker as we hear about his album coming out around Halloween.

Kid slips away and hands it off to Miguel to fire off kicks at Bey. A northern lights suplex gives Miguel two but Bey is back with a reverse DDT/Downward Spiral combination to drop both of them at once. Austin comes back in and catches Kid with a springboard spinning kick to the face. Miguel pops up for a springboard sunset bomb for two on Austin. Back up and Austin shoves Bey at Miguel for the Art of Finesse, setting up the Fold for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: B. More of the X-Division goodness to open the show and yes, it still works. I can go for more of Austin and Bey as the two of them are very good on their own or as a team. Miguel and Kid are both guys who can do anything with anyone so this was always going to be entertaining while it lasted.

We look back at Bhupinder Gujjar losing the ladder match to Brian Myers last week.

Gujjar says he can’t wrestle this week due to a broken nose, but he’ll be ready for the Call Your Shot gauntlet match at Bound For Glory.

Frankie Kazarian is ready to win the X-Division Title at Bound For Glory. He wants to prove that he still has it.

Someone in a yellow hoodie tries to jump the barricade behind commentary but isn’t named. He looked like he was making a V sign with his fingers so…..Violent By Design maybe?

Bound For Glory/tonight rundown.

Digital Media Title: Brian Myers vs. Crazzy Steve

Steve, with Black Taurus, is challenging. They fight over wrist control to start until Steve goes after Myers’ face. A bite to the face is blocked with a throat snap across the top though and we take a break. Back with Steve hitting a Cannonball in the corner for two but getting caught with the implant DDT for two. Steve comes back with the Upside Down in the corner, which lasts about as long as it can. Myers distracts the referee though, allowing him to poke Steve in the eye. The Roster Cut retains the title at 3:54.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a way for Myers to cheat and retain the title and that is all it needed to be. Myers already won the big ladder match last week so this was a step down for him. The title works well enough for a lower card championship, even if the digital media stuff has already been heavily toned down.

Post match Myers says he has turned the title into the most prestigious title around here. Now he wants better competition so it’s open challenge time at Bound For Glory. That could be a fun reveal.

Johnny Swinger’s ex-fiance shows up and yells at him, despite now being married to John E. Bravo (from Wrestle House 2 apparently). Arguing ensues, with Taya Valkyrie wandering in to wonder what is going on here. Fair question.

The family from the recent Joe Hendry videos are at the reading of their father’s will and want a name said. Cue Joe Hendry, who everyone still believes in.

Rosemary begrudgingly asks James Mitchell for help with the Jessicka issue because she wants the Tag Team Titles back. Taya Valkyrie and Jessicka come in to say they can do it, so Rosemary eventually gives in.

Delirious vs. Black Taurus

Delirious’ dropkicks have no effect so he rams Taurus mark first into the buckles. That doesn’t work either as Taurus steps on Delirious’ bare feet but Delirious starts running the ropes in an odd pattern. Delirious manages to take the leg out and hit a slam, setting up a series of ten legdrops to send Taurus outside. Back up and Taurus hits a pop up Samoan drop and a headbutt. The spinning piledriver gives Taurus the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C-. This was as much as you were going to get out of Delirious vs. Black Taurus in a five minute TV match, meaning it was working with a low ceiling. Taurus getting some momentum is a nice thing to see, even if it is weird to see delirious anywhere but Ring Of Honor. Fine enough match, but what were they expecting to get out of this?

Bobby Fish is here and wants Josh Alexander so he’ll win the Call Your Shot gauntlet in his hometown of Albany.

Mia Yim is ready for Mickie James at Bound For Glory. They fought in one of Yim’s first matches and yes, we have a clip of Mickie beating her probably fifteen or so years ago. Gisele Shaw comes up to mock the idea of Mia beating Mickie so a match is made for next week.

Here is Honor No More for a chat, with the fans being way behind PCO. Eddie Edwards is happy with Victory Road because he showed he can beat Josh Alexander. There were some setbacks on the night though and yes, he is looking at PCO again. PCO lost to the Motor City Machine Guns and he likes to step up too much, so who does he think he is? Vincent puts a bag over PCO’s head to calm him down as Matt Taven takes the mic.

Taven rants about how Impact has tried to hold the team down but now the are Tag Team Champions. At Bound For Glory, Honor No More will leave with the World and Tag Team Titles, with everyone talking about how great Eddie is for pinning Alexander at Victory Road. Maria gives us a video looking at Eddie pinning Alexander over and over, leaving Eddie to rant about how everyone turned on him.

Cue Alexander to say he sees this as any fight he has ever had. He views the title as something that proves he’s the best while Eddie sees it as job security. At Bound For Glory, the only one outnumbered is Edwards. Alexander comes to the ring for the fight, with Heath, Rich Swann and the Motor City Machine Guns coming in to help clear out Honor No More.

Heath/Rich Swann vs. PCO/Vincent

Joined in progress with PCO coming in to make Swann roll around a bit. PCO powers him down though and drops a leg to the back of the head, allowing the tag to Vincent. A basement Downward Spiral gets two but Swann is back up with an enziguri. The tag brings in Heath to clean house with a powerslam getting two on Vincent. Heath sends Vincent into PCO and Swann gets in a cheap shot from the apron so an implant DDT gets two on Vincent. With PCO knocked outside, Swann hits a 450 to finish Vincent at 4:34.

Rating: C. They kept this one quick and that is the right way to go. Vincent is about as low on the Honor No More totem pole as you can get so having a former World Champion pin him is hardly the end of his momentum. It wasn’t much of a match but they continue to make Heath look like a big deal, which is rather impressive given how much of a comedy guy he has been for years.

Moose isn’t happy with Steve Maclin, who comes in for the brawl.

Scott D’Amore tells Sami Callihan that he can’t get in the ring because of a broken orbital bone, so D’Amore lets Sami referee Moose vs. Maclin next week.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Masha Slamovich vs. Allie Katch

Monster’s Ball and they’re still doing the “locked up for 24 hours deal”. They slug it out to start and an early double clothesline takes both of them down. A duel of the trashcan lids goes to Katch as she cracks Slamovich over the head. Slamovich is right back with a German suplex and it’s time to whip Katch with a chain.

We mix things up a bit with Slamovich putting the side of a street sign in Katch’s mouth before going with the more classic double arm crank. A cowbell is pulled out of the trashcan but since that takes some time, Katch cracks her with a trashcan lid to take over. Slamovich shrugs it off and hits an Air Raid Crash into the corner as we take a break. Back with Slamovich driving a chain into Katt’s (very busted open) mouth in the corner before grabbing a chair.

A reverse DDT drops Slamovich and now she is busted open as well. Slamovich is fine enough to kick her in the head and Death Valley Driver Katch into the chair for two. Katch is back up with a trashcan shot to the head to catch Slamovich on top and a Death Valley Driver sends her through the door (yeah a door) in the corner for two.

They fight to the apron and Slamovich Russian legsweeps her through a table to leave them both down. With Slamovich up first, it’s time for the thumbtacks (dang it) but Katch piledrives her onto them for two more. A trashcan full of broken cans is poured out and it’s a Snowplow to drive Katch into the junk on the mat for the pin at 18:44.

Rating: B. These two were having one heck of a fight and I was getting drawn into it, but then the thumbtacks killed off a lot of the interest. It’s still such a stupid spot and something that we’ve seen so many times before. Throw in a piledriver onto the tacks getting two and there was only so much I could get out of the second half of this. Great first half but it fell down pretty hard in the end.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird show with a good opener, a good main event, and almost nothing good in the middle. The idea of having Bound For Glory in eight days is more than a bit much and it’s a very rushed feeling, but at least the card is set. It should be a good major event, but the TV is a bit rough to put it mildly. At least we got two strong matches here though and that’s enough for two hours.

Results
Bullet Club b. Laredo Kid/Trey Miguel – Fold to Miguel
Brian Myers b. Crazzy Steve – Roster Cut
Black Taurus b. Delirious – Spinning piledriver
Rich Swann/Heath b. Vincent/PCO – 450 to Vincent
Masha Slamovich b. Allie Katch – Snowplow onto cans and thumbtacks

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 22, 2022
Location: The Factory, Dallas, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the go home show for Victory Road, which means we are about a month away from Bound For Glory. Victory Road is being treated as a pretty big deal so it would make sense to have a good go home show. This week does feature a pretty big showdown with Aussie Open vs. the Motor City Machine Guns. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Digital Media Title: Bhupinder Gujjar vs. Brian Myers

Myers is defending in a ladder match. Gujjar slugs away to start and hits a jumping knee to the face. A Samoan drop looks to set up the Gargoyle spear but Myers knees him out of the way. The first ladder is brought in but Gujjar dropkicks it into his face. Myers knocks him outside though and goes up for the title, only to be pulled down into a cutter.

Now the Gargoyle spear can send Myers into the ladder but the climb takes too long, as usual. The ladder is knocked into Gujjar and it’s time to bring in another ladder. Gujjar breaks that up and the other ladder is set up next to the first. They both climb with Myers being knocked off, only to come back up with a belly to back off the ladders.

That’s good for a crash out to the floor, where Myers bridges a ladder onto the steps. A powerbomb drops Gujjar onto the ladder but he’s still able to make the save back inside. Myers low blows Gujjar on the ladder though and then gets creative by duct taping Gujjar to the ladder. That’s enough for Myers to go up and retain at 12:20.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty run of the mill ladder match, albeit one with a creative ending. Gujjar continues to look good enough out there, but there is still something missing that is keeping him from breaking through to that next level. I’m not sure if this feud warranted a ladder match, but at least they had a decent one.

Heath comes up to Josh Alexander and Rich Swann to apologize for messing up last week. They have a six man tag at Victory Road, but Heath has an open challenge street fight against any member of Honor No More tonight. Swann offers help but Heath has to do this himself.

Victory Road rundown.

We look at Steve Maclin invading a Wrestling Revolver show to try to get to Sami Callihan.

Jordynne Grace vs. Zicky Dice

Johnny Swinger is here with Dice, whose boot to the ribs is quickly caught. Grace slaps him in the face a few times and the Grace Driver finishes Dice in 43 seconds.

Video on Max the Impaler, who is facing Grace tomorrow night as per Masha Slamovich’s choice.

Black Taurus vs. Mia Yim vs. Laredo Kid vs. Alex Zayne vs. Trey Miguel

One fall to a finish. The fans are behind Yim, who stands back as the four guys get into separate brawls. We settle down to Miguel trying to cover Zayne for some near falls but Yim middle rope dropkicks both of them down. Taurus comes back in to headbutt the heck out of Yim so Kid comes in with a very spinning headscissors to put Taurus down on the floor. There’s the big dive into a hurricanrana, followed by stereo dives from Zayne and Miguel.

Yim hits one of her own and is the only one left standing on the floor. We take a break and come back with Miguel sending Kid into Zayne in the corner. Taurus lifts Kid up for a double hurricanrana to Zayne and Miguel before a series of strikes puts everyone down. Back up and Yim powerbombs Zayne and Protect Yo Neck gives her two. Taurus gets up to clean house and the over the shoulder piledriver finishes Kid at 11:45.

Rating: C+. This is where the X-Division tends to shine: taking a bunch of people and letting them go nuts for a little while. The match doesn’t mean much for the #1 contenders match at Victory Road because the bigger names are involved in that one, but this was a nice way to fill in some time and do a bunch of high spots.

Eric Young tells the new Violent By Design to prove themselves to him. They chant answers in unison and he beats them all up.

A couple is arguing when the wife says that their kid isn’t his. The dad wants the name said, and cue Joe Hendry for the music video. This is still funnier than it should be.

Here is Heath for an open challenge to a street fight with any member of Honor No More.

Heath vs. PCO

Street fight. Well hang on a second though as Eddie Edwards comes out and doesn’t want PCO to do this. Not that it matters as Heath talks PCO into it anyway. Heath dives onto PCO, who pops up and hammers away, much to Vincent’s (at ringside too) delight. PCO gets backdropped onto the ramp and they fight on the floor up to the stage.

A cart full of chairs is shoved around until PCO throws them onto a bunch of already set up chairs. That takes too long though and Heath DDTs him on the stage. A big toss off the stage sends PCO into the chairs so here is Honor No More to surround Heath. Rich Swann and Josh Alexander come in for the save and the fight is on.

With everyone else down, Vincent chairs Heath down but Heath pops back up for a Wake Up Call. PCO gets up, with a bunch of chairs hanging off of him, and wins a slugout inside. The chairs are piled up and PCO Mandible Claws him down, only to miss the Swanton onto said chairs. Heath hits a Wake Up call onto the chairs for the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C. This was half match and half angle advancement but giving PCO a big win was a good idea. Heath isn’t exactly a top star but he is starting to get somewhere with the serious stuff. He’s still a bit goofy, though he is starting to figure things out and that is more than I would have bet on. PCO seems likely to split off from the team at some point though and having him get a nice face run could be interesting.

Aussie Open vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot at Bound For Glory. Shelley and Fletcher start things off with the bigger Fletcher shouldering him down. That earns him a crank on the arm and it’s off to Sabin for a knee drop. The even bigger Davis comes in to power Sabin into the corner but some kicks break that up without much trouble.

The Guns clear the ring and some kicks to Fletcher leave him down on the floor. Back in and the Aussies drive them together for a crash as we take a break. We come back with Fletcher hitting a delayed vertical suplex for two on Shelley. The beating doesn’t last long as it’s off to Sabin to clean house.

A missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Fletcher as everything breaks down. The Aussies plant Sabin for two as Shelley makes the save, only to be sent outside. The assisted Iconoclasm gets two on Sabin but Coriolis is broken up. Shelley is back in and Skull And Bones finishes Davis at 14:21.

Rating: B-. This was a fast paced tag match between two talented teams so of course it wound up working out. The Guns can do well against anyone and Aussie Open are a good, young team. While seeing the Aussies get a chance at Bound For Glory would have been nice but the Guns are the team with the legacy around here and make for a bigger match.

Tasha Steelz aren’t having anything of Killer Kelly, who is sitting in Steelz’s locker room. Steelz isn’t sure what to think about that.

Gisele Shaw is ready to beat Mickie James and end her career.

Victory Road rundown.

And now, a contract signing, with Scott D’Amore emceeing. D’Amore brings out the three participants in Barbed Wire Massacre, with Moose, Steve Maclin and Sami Callihan…the latter of whom doesn’t show up. That’s cool with Moose, who compares Maclin’s time in the military with what is coming for him tomorrow night.

Maclin talks about how Moose has no idea what he is talking about and has never seen the things Maclin has seen. Tomorrow will be mayhem for all but here is Callihan to interrupt. Sami mocks both of them and has a seat, saying that the two of them made a grave mistake by crossing him.

Maclin wants Sami to sign….so Sami busts out a barbed wire pen. That takes too long so Maclin jabs Sami in the head with the other pen and it’s time to turn over some furniture. Sami gets tied in the Tree of Woe but Moose spears Maclin down. Another spear only hits table though, allowing Sami to sign in his own blood to end the show. This was every violent contract signing you would have expected.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty nice show this week, even if having another big event just a few weeks before Bound For Glory still feels off. I could go for having a focus on the major show but thankfully we can get to that next week. This show didn’t have a ton of big stuff but they did the minor stuff well enough and that’s good for a week.

Results
Brian Myers b. Bhupinder Gujjar – Myers pulled down the title
Jordynne Grace b. Zicky Dice – Grace Driver
Black Taurus b. Laredo Kid, Mia Yim, Trey Miguel and Alex Zayne – Over the shoulder piledriver to Kid
Heath b. PCO – Wake Up Call onto a pile of chairs
Motor City Machine Guns b. Aussie Open – Skull And Bones to Davis

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

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AND

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Pancakes And Piledrivers II
Date: April 7, 2018
Location: Sugar Mill, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Jake Manning, Marty DeRosa

This is a show from Pro Wrestling Revolver plus some other companies (AAW/Fight Club Pro), with the show being billed as the Indy Summit. The show took place over Wrestlemania XXXIV weekend and I had a ticket to this show but went to WrestleCon instead. Odds are I made a mistake but let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the promotions included for a nice change of pace.

Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Strickland

Yeah this is going to be fun, even with Matt Striker as ring announcer. At the very least, seeing Strickland’s Ain’t Nobody entrance is always awesome. Strickland hurts his arm on an early clothesline attempt so Cobb grabs him by the throat. A charge into the corner takes too long though, allowing Strickland to go up top. That’s fine with Cobb, who pulls him out of the air and hits the swinging belly to back toss. The huge beal out of the corner sends Strickland flying again as commentary mocks the building for being filthy but not allowing the advertised pancakes.

Strickland tries to come back with a chop, allowing Cobb to show him how one is properly thrown. They have the same exchange with forearms but Strickland manages a kick to the head into a German suplex. The running kick to the head gives Strickland two and a hard knee to the head makes it worse. The Swerve Stomp gets two but Cobb sends him into the corner for a running uppercut. A headbutt plants Strickland again and the Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C+. Nice opener here as we get one of the things that WrestleCon does well: putting together indy (well then indy) stars and letting them have a fun match. Strickland continues to feel like a star and it is no surprise that he has become a bigger deal. Cobb is a monster who can run over anyone and it is always fun to see him throw people around.

Post match Strickland thanks all three companies for putting the show on.

Colt Cabana/Marty DeRosa vs. Joey Ryan/Session Moth Martina

It’s still weird to hear Ryan being treated as some kind of awesome star. Martina on the other hand goes around the ring drinking with fans, which makes her seem rather popular. Grinding on everyone in the ring makes it even better (Better?) as this is going to be an interesting one. This is DeRosa’s, usually a commentator, debut and he has gear very similar to Cabana’s.

Ryan oils up and gives Cabana some for he and DeRosa to share. The bell rings and Ryan tells Cabana to touch it but, after an apology to the crowd, he declines. Ryan thinks DeRosa might do it instead so Cabana brings him in…and has to hold DeRosa back from touching it. DeRosa and Ryan trade wristlocks to start but Ryan still can’t get him to touch it. If that won’t happen, maybe DeRosa will touch Martina’s….uh, yeah.

Cabana is MORE than willing to try (Martina doesn’t seem to mind) but they’ll wrestle instead. Well maybe not as Martina grinds on Cabana to get out of a waistlock and Ryan tags himself back in. Cabana does his STOP, WHAT’S THAT and slaps Ryan in the face and annoyance begins to grow. DeRosa and Martina come in with DeRosa slapping her in the same way, which is NOT COOL with a lot of people. Ryan knocks DeRosa into the corner for a Bronco Buster (the long form) from Martina.

With DeRosa down, it’s time for the lollipop from Ryan’s trunks. Cabana breaks that up and it’s stereo Bionic Elbows to the….villains? DeRosa busts out a super hurricanrana for two, followed by a Figure Four. Cabana puts Martina in the Billy Goat’s Curse at the same time but Martina crawls on top of DeRosa’s face and bounces for the double break.

Then Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer starts playing (ok that’s a plus) and romance is teased….until DeRosa and Cabana’s hands are put between Ryan and Martina’s respective legs. There’s the double flip (with the referee falling down too) and Ryan pulls out a sucker/Martina pulls out a prophylactic from their tights, which go into Cabana and DeRosa’s mouths. Stereo superkicks are good for stereo pins for Ryan and Martina at 8:12.

Rating: F. This is the definition of a your mileage may vary match and that isn’t the best thing to see. Ryan’s shtick didn’t work for me before everything came out about him and it’s even more uncomfortable not. The match was pure “comedy” and barely a match, but what else were you expecting here? Absolutely not my thing and the kind of stuff I never need to see again.

Peace is made post match as Jim Cornette insults abound.

Eddie Kingston vs. Juice Robinson

Kingston comes out to David Starr’s music as the result of a lost bet. They go technical to start with Kingston working on a hammerlock before switching into a top wristlock. Back up and Robinson hits a spinwheel kick, setting up a Cannonball in the corner. A high crossbody gives Robinson two as commentary talks about Sami Callihan. Kingston isn’t having that and knocks him outside, setting up the big suicide dive.

Robinson’s piledriver attempt is countered into a backdrop on the floor, setting up a big whip into the barricade. Back in and the waistlock goes on to keep Robinson down, followed by the rapid fire (minus rapid fire) chops in the corner. That’s reversed into some chops from Robinson and a layout powerbomb gets two. Kingston runs him over again and NOW it’s time for the big chop off (which you knew was coming). Robinson gets in another shot and grabs Pulp Friction for the pin at 8:29.

Rating: C. That ending came out of nowhere and it wasn’t exactly a great match in the first place. This felt more like the match where someone said “hey they’ve never fought before” and that was the extent of the planning. Granted there is only so much that you can do with a story on this show, but this was just kind of there for the most part.

Fight Club Pro Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Kimber Lee vs. Jessicka Havok

Satomura is defending and this is the top title of the promotion (out of England, owned by Trent Seven) rather than the Women’s Title. Striker, ever the nitwit, insists that it IS the Women’s Title, even though that title doesn’t seem to have ever existed. Havok clotheslines both of them down to start and does it again to Satomura for daring to fight back.

Satomura and Lee get together and start striking away to take Havok down, leaving Lee to forearm away at Satomura for a bit. Some kicks to the head rock Lee but she’s back with a bridging German suplex for two. Havok is back in though and tosses Lee around with no trouble. Three straight running kicks to the face stagger Lee even more but Satomura forearms Havok away. A DDT sends Havok outside and Lee gets Death Valley Drivered for two. Satomura hits Scorpion Rising to retain at 6:06.

Rating: C. That was rather sudden as Havok never came back in after the DDT. Not having a title changed here isn’t exactly shocking and it was cool to see Satomura getting to showcase herself. Lee is someone I never could get into but she is talented. Havok on the other hand is a total monster that you get as soon as you see her. Perfectly fine match here, but I was expecting more.

AAW Title: Trevor Lee vs. ACH

ACH is defending and Lee’s (probably better known as Cameron Grimes) AAW Heritage Title isn’t on the line. Lee bails to the floor to start and grabs the mic, allowing him to complain about this show taking place at “eleven o’clock in the afternoon”. These people here don’t care that he was out late on Bourbon Street but all that matters is that he is going to win the AAW Title. Not some loser like ACH who can’t even get on another show this weekend, but a real champion.

After bragging about the money he is going to make, Lee gets hit in the face, only to have ACH miss the 450 back inside. A shot to the face knocks out ACH’s tooth or gum but he is fine enough to avoid the Cave In. ACH is back with a superkick into a brainbuster for…..the pin at 3:10!

Rating: C+. Sure why not, as Lee’s promo and then getting getting shut up so fast was funny, but the wrestling was barely half of this. Sometimes you need a fun match like this, even if it was probably a way to cut time on a loaded show. ACH really was a talented guy before he went a bit bonkers, while Lee would go on to a rather nice career.

Post match, Lee reminds us that he is STILL the Heritage Champion.

OVE vs. Brian Cage/Joey Janela/AR Fox

Tornado rules. That would be the Crist Brothers/Sami Callihan, who are billed under both of their names (Ohio vs. Everything and Ohio Is For Killers). Jake Crist isn’t waiting on the bell and flip dives onto everyone, setting up an Asai moonsault as we’re just getting started without a bell. Penelope Ford comes out to watch as Dave takes Fox inside for a wind up DDT. Janela high crossbodies Fox but gets clotheslined by Callihan.

Cage is waiting on him so Callihan spits in his face….which earns Callihan a heck of a discus lariat. Jake knocks Cage outside but his suicide dive is caught in a suplex because Cage can do that. Everyone else heads outside, leaving Janela to hit a big top rope flip dive. Dave goes up so Ford catches him and it’s a superplex onto the big pile. That’s too far for Callihan, who powerbombs Ford onto a slightly smaller pile, which has commentary freaking out. Not over what Ford did, which was more dangerous, but just what Callihan did. Hypocrites.

Back in and a bunch of strikes to the face leave everyone down as commentary talks about Ford’s Gizmo themed gear. OVE is back up with stereo superkicks but charge into superkicks. Fox avoids a charge though and hits a Spanish Fly, setting up a 450 for two. Jake is back in with a Death Valley Driver to Fox, setting up the spike Tombstone (Killing Spree) for….one?

Everyone is back up for the big staredown, with Cage hitting an F5 and Fox hitting a Death Valley Driver of his own, setting up a triple cover. OVE breaks up stereo triple superplexes so Fox knocks Dave down instead. Fox loads up a frog splash but Jake dives from the adjacent corner with a super cutter to knock Fox cold for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: B-. Thank goodness they went to the finish after that cutter because nothing was going to top that one. Fox was knocked silly and there was no reason to try anything else. The rest of the match was your usual insanity that comes with such a stipulation and it went rather well, at least partially helped because OVE is a regular team. That finish looked great though and it carried the match a lot higher.

PWR Scramble Title: Matt Palmer vs. Jake Manning vs. Caleb Konley vs. Trey Miguel vs. Clint Margera vs. Jason Cade vs. Ace Romero vs. Curt Stallion vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Myron Reed vs. Connor Braxton vs. Omari

Palmer is defending and this would be your OH COME ON match of the show, as there are TWELVE PEOPLE in this. Everyone but MJF jumps Palmer to start and toss him outside, leaving everyone else to brawl inside. Reed is left alone to dropkick Cade outside so Stallion comes in to dropkick him. Romero hits a dropkick to Stallion but the rather tall Braxton kicks Romero outside.

Palmer and MJF double team Braxton and we seem to have a partnership….until they both poke eyes and kick each other low, which is good for a handshake out of mutual respect. That’s always nice to see. Omari and Margera hit stereo flip dives onto the floor, followed by Miguel’s springboard flip dive. Manning’s top rope trust fall (while still reading his Boy Scout manual, as is his custom) takes everyone down, leaving Romero (nearly 400lbs) to hit his own dive, much to the fans’ delight.

Back in and we get the required Tower Of Doom, albeit with Palmer and MJF teaming together, teasing a split, and then splitting in the span of ten seconds. Braxton and Stallion double team Romero, with the former managing an impressive slam. Manning is back in with a backbreaker into a lifting Downward Spiral to Stallion and we hit the parade of secondary (or maybe primary) finishers. Omari takes Miguel out so MJF tries to steal the pin, only to get rolled up by Palmer (with trunks) to retain at 8:14.

Rating: C. Yeah it was fine and that’s all I can think of to say about it. What in the world are you supposed to do with a dozen people doing spot after spot for about eight minutes? Palmer stealing the pin doesn’t so much prove anything as he just was in the right place at the right time. That is how these matches always go and while they get a lot of people on the show, they almost never do anything for me as no one gets to stand out in the slightest.

Lucha Bros vs. Jack Evans/Teddy Hart

First half of a double main event and it takes a good while for the Bros to get here. As usual, Evans runs his mouth a lot before the match, which will likely continue after the bell. Fenix and Evans start things off and yes Evans is still running his mouth, which is rarely a good idea. They trade their flips until Fenix kicks the leg out for no count before flipping up into a standoff.

Hart and Penta come in and the chop off is on fast before Hart complains about the lack of respect. A Backstabber drops Penta and Evans springboards in to kick Fenix in the head. That leaves Hart to hit a hanging piledriver/DDT at the same time to drop both Bros. Evans does a triple backflip into the corner to poke Fenix in the eye, which he describes as never before seen. The Canadian Destroyer into the moonsault gives Hart two on Fenix but Penta is back in for a change.

The double teaming takes him down as well, only to have the Bros pop up for running corner clotheslines. Penta gives Hart a heck of a superkick into the corner, with Evans being tied in the Tree of Woe to put them on top of each other. Fenix flips Penta onto the pile before Evans is tied up in a surfboard. That’s not enough for Penta though, as Fenix pulls on the arms at the same time.

Since that doesn’t really work nearly as well as the single version would, Evans hangs on until Hart makes the save. Penta Canadian Destroyers Hart for two with Evans making a save of his own. A springboard doesn’t work for Evans as he falls off the top but he’s right back with a middle rope Phoenix splash for two as Fenix makes his own save.

Fenix hits a rolling cutter on Evans as the referee is trying to restore order for whatever reason. One heck of a Project Ciampa drops Fenix and Evans adds the 630 for two more. Penta powerbombs Evans onto his knee for his own near fall, setting up a stereo Pentagon Driver/Black Fire Driver to give the Bros the double pin at 10:34.

Rating: B-. I would call this the “well, what did you expect” special, as you know what you’re going to get when you have a match involving these people. There is nothing else to expect from these four getting into a match and they made it work well. Let them go out there and do their flips and dives to pop the crowd and that’s all you need. Fun stuff of course, despite being total junk food wrestling.

AAW/PWR Tag Team Titles: Besties In The World vs. Aussie Open vs. Rascalz

The Besties (Davey Vega/Mat Fitchett) are defending both sets of titles in a ladder match. The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier/Zachary Wentz) are debuting their name, having been formerly known as Scarlett And Graves (weird name). That leaves Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher/Mark Davis), who have nothing of note but I needed a reason to say their names. And yes, the Besties are the team who do their entrance to Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden and yes it is still amazing.

Hold on though, as Fitchett wants tables and chairs added in to the ladders because they’re hardcore! Vega: “NO WE’RE NOT!” Striker says everything is legal, despite it being a ladder match where everything is legal in the first place. A bunch of weapons are thrown inside as commentary talks about how ridiculous it is to have all of these totally unnecessary things underneath the ring.

Ladders and plywood are placed in the corner and Fitchett and Miguel are knocked into/through them. Vega goes up top and gets caught by a bunch of people who shove him through another plywood board. Aussie Open and the Rascalz slug it out with the bigger Fletcher being the last man standing. Wentz chairs him off the ladder though and goes up, allowing commentary to mock JR’s voice on the famous Jeff Hardy ladder climb.

With that broken up, Wentz hits a big step up dive onto a pile on the floor, followed by Fitchett’s running lip dive. Davis Arabian presses onto a bunch of people, leaving Xavier alone with a ladder in the ring. Instead of going for the belts, he climbs the ladder and shooting stars down onto the pile. Vega has used the delay to put a board over six chairs at ringside and superplex Wentz through it for the next big crash.

Back in and Fitchett kicks Xavier in the face but it’s Aussie Open cleaning house. Davis’ running forearm in the corner rocks Xavier and the Aussies both climb at once (Commentary: “No, no, no.”). Fitchett makes the save and the champs crush Aussie Open with ladders in the corner. The Rascalz are back in to kick the Besties down, including Wentz superkicking a chair into Fitchett’s face. Davis comes back in this time and powerbombs Xavier with one arm (dang) but gets kicked in the face by Wentz as well.

Xavier is back up to kick Fletcher and Fitchett down, leaving everyone on the mat. The Aussies catch Xavier going up and Fletcher dives off the top for a cutter (not quite OVE level but not bad). Wentz chops at the Aussies but gets thrown into a ladder in the corner for his efforts. That’s enough to dent the ladder so Fletcher gets on Davis’ shoulders but the champs turn it into a Doomsday Device. The Besties hit stereo piledrivers on the Rascalz (illegal in Louisiana) and retain the titles at 14:10.

Rating: B. It was a six man indy ladder match and that should tell you everything that you need to know. There were cool spots and a lot of carnage until one of the teams got the titles, which is exactly how something like this was supposed to go. It’s nothing great or memorable but for a big main event on a show like this one, it went well and was probably the best thing on the card.

Post match the Besties say that’s how you win gold together (Fan: “THEY’RE SILVER!”) but they want to call out….DAVID ARQUETTE??? AND HE’S HERE! Arquette pulls out a $100 bill scarf and says the Besties just want his money, before bragging about the big names he has faced. He says he’s a real champion and that WWE ruined WCW. Then he pulls off his jacket and reveals a NEVER BEEN PINNED shirt. Arquette seems to challenge the Besties to a match and leaves through the crowd to end the show on an awkward note.

Overall Rating: B-. I had fun and it only went a little over two hours so it didn’t overstay its welcome. What matters here is getting a bunch of people on a show and popping the crowd over and over. You don’t look for continuity or logic here and what we got here lived up to those requirements. It’s cool to see some of the non-WWE stars out there doing their thing and there is only one match that really didn’t work on the whole card. Fun stuff and I’m kind of regretting not taking it in live.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 18, 2022
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re coming off a pretty awesome Emergence and that means it is time to start getting going on the next special, meaning it’s off to Victory Road. I’m not sure what that is to entail but having the show just a few weeks ahead of Bound For Glory is more than a little weird. Let’s get to it.

Here is Emergence if you need a recap.

The opening recap looks at Josh Alexander escaping Alex Shelley at Emergence.

Opening sequence.

Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Rey Horus vs. Trey Miguel

Crazzy Steve is on commentary. Taurus gets triple dropkicked to the floor to start and Kid dives on him. Back in and Kid hits some tilt-a-whirl backbreakers before headscissoring Taurus into the corner. Some Sling Blades put Kid down though and it’s Miguel coming back in, only to get taken down as well. Horus backdrops Taurus outside but a slingshot hurricanrana is pulled out of the air.

A headbutt drops Horus so Miguel hurricanranas Kid into Taurus for the knockdown. Everyone gets back in with Taurus dropping Miguel, only to get poisonranaed by Horus. With everyone else outside, Horus hits a huge top rope moonsault onto the pile for the huge knockdown. Back in and Miguel takes Horus down but gets Canadian Destroyed by Kid, who is spun into a piledriver to give Taurus the pin at 7:32.

Rating: B-. You remember what I say about how the X-Division style stuff is here to pop the crowd in an opening match and little more? That’s what we had here, as they had three people in there flying around, plus Taurus for the power. In other words, a very fun match and the right way to open any show as they packed in a lot of stuff without being out there too long.

We look back at Killer Kelly.

Zicky Dice and Johnny Swinger are impressed with Kelly. Cue Tasha Steelz and Savannah Evans to rant about how much better Steelz is. Kelly pops in and doesn’t seem to care, but seems to get a match with Evans for tonight.

Rich Swann talks to Josh Alexander about tonight’s #1 contenders match and Alexander wouldn’t mind Swann winning. Vincent comes in to say Eddie Edwards is going to win. Alexander glares at him.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Kenny King vs. Heath

Vincent is here with King and the slugout is on fast. An early Wake Up Call attempt is blocked so King is sent outside for a conference. Vincent offers enough of a distraction to get heath outside, with King hitting the corkscrew slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Heath avoiding a springboard spinning legdrop and grabbing a jumping neckbreaker. King misses a charge in the corner and the Wake Up Call gives Heath the pin at 6:57.

Rating: C-. They didn’t have much time here but Heath’s roll continues. That takes something special, as they have turned Heath into someone with people getting behind him despite the fact that he’s, you know, Heath. Nice job with the story here, even if the match was only so good in the first place.

Post match here is Honor No More to beat Heath down, but Eddie Edwards spends awhile telling PCO to take Heath out. That takes so long that Heath hits a Wake Up Call on Bennett and gets out.

Kushida and the Motor City Machine Guns didn’t have a good night at Emergence but they’re ready to face Violent By Design next week. They are Time Machine, which is as clever of a name as you’re getting in their case.

Honor No More regroups until Scott D’Amore comes in. The team wants to know when their title shot is, but Doc Gallows is injured. Maria isn’t pleased, so D’Amore makes Matt Taven vs. Karl Anderson next week, and if Anderson wins, Maria is banned from ringside whenever the title match takes place.

Killer Kelly vs. Savannah Evans

Tasha Steelz is here with Evans. Kelly gets in her face to start before grabbing Evans’ hand and putting it around her own (as in Kelly’s) throat). That’s fine with Evans who sends her hard into the corner, only to have Kelly come back with a dropkick. A hard German suplex drops Kelly but she reverses a full nelson into the Killer Clutch for the tap at 3:32.

Rating: C. I remember wondering why Impact was bothering to bring Kelly in after her less than interesting NXT UK run. This is a complete surprise as Kelly is already making an impression and looks like she could be a player. That’s a lot more than I would have bet on and if Impact gets someone else in the Knockouts division, good for them.

Rosemary isn’t happy that she and Taya Valkyrie lost the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, saying that Havok would have been a better partner. Jessika has this though, as her debut match is next week.

We recap Masha Slamovich giving Jordynne Grace her death warrant.

Jordynne Grace is ready for Slamovich and respects Mia Yim. VXT comes in to mock her for not getting able to shake Mia’s hand. Trash is talked but here is Mia to issue the challenge for the titles. Deal.

X-Division Title: Chris Bey vs. Mike Bailey

Bailey is defending and armdrags him down a few times to start. Back up and Bailey kicks him in the head, sending Bey outside for a breather. The chase back inside lets Bey grab a slingshot DDT for two and Bailey is in trouble for a change. The Figure Four necklock goes on but Bailey is right back up with a running dropkick. It’s too early for the running corkscrew shooting star press but it’s not too early for Bailey’s bouncing kicks.

Bey is back up with a jumping Downward Spiral for two, only to miss a charge to the floor. That means Bailey can hit his middle rope moonsault but Bey kicks him down again. The big running flip dive takes Bailey down, setting up a top rope double stomp (with Bailey laying on the top rope for a unique spot). A sitout powerbomb gives Bey two but Bailey is back up with some more kicks. The Ultimate Weapon retains the title at 8:24.

Rating: C+. I don’t know what it is about Bailey but I can’t get myself to care about him. Maybe it is that his matches are similar most of the time (entertaining, but repetitive) or that stupid bow he does, but I can’t bring myself to get invested in him. He’s doing a good job as champion though and someone beating him will feel important when it happens. I’m just not getting behind him that much.

Flashback Moment Of The Week: Christian Cage b. Ace Austin at Victory Road 2011.

Brian Myers runs into Bhupinder Gujjar and says this isn’t over. Why can’t it be?

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan vs. Rich Swann vs. Moose vs. Steve Maclin vs. Bandido

Elimination rules with tags required and the winner gets the shot at Josh Alexander at Bound For Glory. Swann and Bandido start things off with Bandido having to flip out of a wristlock. They both miss a bunch of dropkicks until Eddie and Sami tag themselves in. Everything breaks down and commentary explains the logic of not needing/wanting to be in the ring until the end, which is an extra degree of psychology.

We take a break and come back with Swann getting beaten down in the corner by Moose and Maclin, which doesn’t sit well with Sami. That’s appropriate as Swann gets over for the tag off to Sami to clean some house. The double teaming slows him down though and it’s a spear to give Moose the pin on Sami at 11:04. Then Maclin rolls Moose up for the pin at 11:08, which has Moose mad.

Callihan doesn’t leave and sends Maclin into Moose, allowing Bandido to hit the big dive to drop Maclin on the floor. Back in and the 21 Plex finishes Maclin at 12:07, leaving us with Eddie vs. Bandido vs. Swann. We take another break and come back with Swann and Bandido trading big shots to the head. Bandido starts striking away and grabs the one armed gorilla press. The pop up cutter gets two, as does Swann’s Lethal Injection.

Eddie tags himself in though and sends Swann into the post. The Boston Knee Party connects to get rid of Bandido at 19:57. We’re down to one on one and Swann gets elbowed in the face for two more. Swann catches him on top and snaps off a super hurricanrana, setting up the running kick to the head for two.

That’s enough for Eddie to be sent outside where he gets in a shot with Kenny the kendo stick for two more. Back in and the tiger driver is countered so Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party for another near fall. That’s enough for Eddie who comes back with a vengeance with the Die Hard Driver and the winning pin at 25:29.

Rating: B. This worked well and Edwards winning is the right way to go. Honor No More is a team that could go somewhere rather quickly if given the chance and maybe this is that chance. Edwards is someone who can be put right back into the main event scene in the blink of an eye and that seems to be what they are doing here. It helps that there were other viable options to get the title shot, so it wasn’t exactly a foregone conclusion. Rather good match with some drama here so nice job.

Honor No More celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Impact shaking off their reputation for a weak followup to the bigger shows as this was a perfectly good episode. They have also got us ready for Bound For Glory, where you can probably pencil in Honor No More for two title shots. Other than that, more stories have been built up and we should be in for some interesting stuff on the way to Albany.

Results
Black Taurus b. Laredo Kid, Rey Horus and Trey Miguel – Piledriver to Kid
Heath b. Kenny King – Wake Up Call
Killer Kelly b. Savannah Evans – Killer Clutch
Mike Bailey b. Chris Bey – Ultimate Weapon
Eddie Edwards b. Rich Swann, Sami Callihan, Moose, Steve Maclin and Bandido – Die Hard Driver to Swann

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

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

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

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

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

Eddie Edwards vs Ace Austin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tiffany Nieves vs. Jada Stone

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

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

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

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

Josh Alexander vs. Shera

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Commentary talks but the video signal breaks up.

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

Rich Swann vs. Kushida

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 7, 2022
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Against All Odds has come and gone and hopefully that means Josh Alexander is done with Violent By Design. Alexander defeated Joe Doering in the show’s main event to retain the World Title, meaning it’s time to move on. The only title change was the Digital Media Title as Brian Myers beat Rich Swann so there isn’t much to build from. Let’s get to it.

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

Against All Odds recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey vs. Alan Angels

Angels, of Dark Order fame, is challenging in his debut. They do shake hands, though Bailey has to get in his annoying bow first. Angels wants to start fast but gets kicked down, setting up the rapid fire kicks. That’s enough to send Angels outside for the moonsault but he’s fine enough to drop Bailey onto the barricade. A frog splash off the apron crushes Bailey again and it’s time to kick away back inside.

There’s a northern lights suplex for two but Bailey superkicks him out of the air. The running corkscrew shooting star press gives Bailey two of his own but he charges into a Spanish Fly. They chop it out until Angels grabs the Halo Breaker (spinning torture rack neckbreaker) for a near fall of his own. The Wing Snapper (kind of a Backstabber but with feet instead of knees) drops Bailey again but he’s right back with another kick. The Ultimate Weapon retains the title at 8:34.

Rating: C+. The kicks were hard enough and it was nice to see Angels getting a chance to do something outside of the Dark Order. That had a hard ceiling and while I don’t know how much further Angels can go, at least he has the chance to do something else here as himself rather than part of a group. Not a classic, but a good choice for an opener.

Post match respect is shown but here is Violent By Design to lay out both guys. Deaner says this isn’t over with Josh Alexander (WHY THE HECK NOT???) and want him out here right now but it’s Eric Young answering instead. After a break, Young asks how we got here. While the answer would be “no one but Impact would take you”, they talk about how they came up short but Young thinks the sickness has both of them. Young wants to purge them both, which has Deaner agreeing with him. They want one more chance and Young seems willing, though this is their LAST chance.

Here’s what’s coming on the show.

Honor No More talks about how they keep getting screwed over but they know they’re the truth. They weren’t invited but Impact needs them. After Against All Odds, they ask PCO how much he wants to be a part of this. Don’t talk, but show them out there tonight.

Deonna Purrazzo, with Chelsea Green, is ready to beat Mia Yim in tonight’s #1 contenders main event. Gail Kim comes out to say next week, Green gets Yim and everyone is barred from ringside in both matches.

Laredo Kid vs. Trey Miguel

Kid shoulders him down to start but we’re at an early standoff. Miguel sends him outside but it’s too early for a dive. Back in and a spinning faceplant drops Miguel, who seems to be favoring his knee. Miguel sends him outside again and this time it’s a one legged Asai moonsault to drop Kid as we take a break.

Back with Kid working on the knee, including a Figure Four, which sends Miguel over to the ropes. Kid puts him up top but gets shoved down, allowing Miguel to hit a missile dropkick. A series of kicks gives Miguel two more but the knee gives out as he tries to go up. Kid Michinoku Drivers him for two of his own, only to have Miguel slip behind him and Roll the Dice for the pin at 11:12.

Rating: B-. These two are always going to be good for a solid match and this was no exception. Miguel having to get creative to win in the end was a fine change of pace and they made things work throughout. Kid continues to be someone who seems like he could be on top of the division at any given time but it never actually happens, which can be more than a bit frustrating.

And now, because of course we are, it’s the Ric Flair Classic Moment Of The Week, as Flair debuts on January 4, 2010.

Violent By Design goes looking for Josh Alexander but gets in a fight with the Motor City Machine Guns instead.

Killer Kelly, who likes to stay in dirty motel rooms (ok then), is coming.

America’s Most Wanted talks about how great it was to be back in the ring at Against All Odds and Chris Harris is happy if that was their last match. For now, James Storm has something to do, so he goes off and finds Steve Maclin. Storm wants to find Moose and thinks that he and Maclin were together at Against All Odds, they must be friends. A match seems likely.

PCO vs. Black Taurus

Vincent and Crazzy Steve are the seconds. They trade shoulders to start until Taurus starts going after the knee. PCO catches him coming off the middle rope though and a choke shove puts Taurus on the floor. Back in and PCO sends him outside again, this time for the suicide flip dive. The De-Animator connects for two but Taurus is right back up with the Sling Blade. A top rope elbow gets two but PCO rolls away from some kind of top rope flip. The PCOsault finishes Taurus at 6:04.

Rating: C. This wasn’t quite the monster brawl I was hoping for but they did a nice enough job of making PCO look like a force all over again. That has been missing a bit lately, as he should be something like the one guy in Honor No More that no one can solve. Having him be the guy who isn’t quite on the same page wasn’t working, assuming he is supposed to stay on the team.

Post match Honor No More comes in to surround Steve but Heath runs in from behind for a Wake Up Call on Kenny King.

The Bullet Club is tired of Honor No More, with Ace Austin wanting to get in on the fight next week. Works for everyone else.

Brian Myers runs into Johnny Swinger and Zicky Dice for an exchange of insults. Bhupinder Gujjar comes in and says he wants a Digital Media Title shot. Myers backs up and says Gujjar can face Swinger for the title shot next week instead.

Shera vs. Rich Swann

Swann slaps away to start, earning himself a lifting choke in the air. Shera gorilla press drops him and chokes again as he certainly seems to have a theme. A shot to the knee finally puts Shera in the ropes for a 619 but he shrugs off some more kicks to the head. The big kick to the head sets up a middle rope 450 to finish Shera at 4:49.

Rating: C-. Yep, it’s still Shera, who continues to look good but has very little in the way of quality in the ring. I’ll certainly take this over the Shera Shake/Shuffle, which continues to haunt me to this day. Swann is still kind of floating in the middle of nothing, as he is still a talented guy but can’t find much of anything to do.

The Influence isn’t happy with Masha Slamovich sending them what seems to be a death threat through Gisele Shaw. Somehow this is Shaw’s fault.

Rosemary is sick of people like James Mitchell not sending Havok to help so we (as in Rosemary, not Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie) are going to the Undead Realm to find Havok. Taya isn’t invited because it’s a bit too evil.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mia Yim

The winner gets a Knockouts Title shot against Jordynne Grace at Emergence. They shove each other to start with neither getting much of an advantage. Purrazzo’s headlock doesn’t get her very far as Yim sends her outside, setting up a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and Purrazzo takes over on the leg, including snapping it back, as we take a break.

We come back with a double headbutt giving us a double knockdown for a breather. It’s Yim making the comeback, including Eat Defeat to put Purrazzo on the apron. Purrazzo slips out of a piledriver attempt and kicks her in the face for two of her own. Queen’s Gambit is blocked so Yim goes up top, only to get slammed back down. Yim avoids a charge to send her into the post though and it’s Code Blue for two on Purrazzo.

They slug it out (of course) until Purrazzo Russian legsweeps her into the Fujiwara armbar. With that broken up, Purrazzo hits the Queen’s Gambit for two and can’t believe the kickout. Yim is back up with the package piledriver for two and now it’s her turn to be shocked. Back up and they slug it out again, with Yim striking her silly. The package piledriver into Eat Defeat sends Yim to Emergence at 17:31.

Rating: B-. Yim has been a lot better around here as of late and I’ve been getting into her stuff a lot more than I was in NXT. That is the kind of upgrade that is always welcome as the Knockouts continue to keep things moving. Purrazzo was a huge deal for a long time and is now coming back down as the cycle continues, as it should.

Post match Jordynne Grace comes out for a handshake and some staring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It had enough good wrestling to make me like the show, but the main focus here continues to be on the next monthly special. I can’t get my head around how much better it is for Impact to have something to build towards on a regular basis, as you can only get so much out of the quarterly pay per views and TV. That was the case here and it made a very nice and notable difference. Pretty nice show here and now it’s time to get ready for Emergence next month.

Results
Mike Bailey b. Alan Angels – Ultimate Weapon
Trey Miguel b. Laredo Kid – Roll The Dice
PCO b. Black Taurus – PCOsault
Rich Swann b. Shera – Middle rope 450
Mia Yim b. Deonna Purrazzo – Eat Defeat

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

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

AND

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