Impact Wrestling
Date: June 7, 2024
Location: MegaCorp Pavilion, Newport, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re on the way to Against All Odds and that means most of the card is already set. While Moose is set to defend the World Title against Matt Hardy on that show, we have another title match on this show. This week will see Laredo Kid defending the Digital Media Title against AJ Francis, which should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Apparently this is the 20 year anniversary of the show. That’s really impressive.

Kon vs. Jake Something

Kon blocks a neck snap to start so Something hammers away in the corner and hits a clothesline to the floor. Back in and Kon is knocked outside again, this time managing to post Something to take over. Kon cranks away at the neck back inside before Something fights up and slugs away for the knockdown. An elbow misses for Kon and Something punches him down for one. Something fights out of another neck snap and Into The Void finishes Kon at 5:27.

Rating: C+. Nice win for Something here as his star continues its up and down status. It’s nice to see him win like this but at some point he needs to win something of value. Beating a monster like Kon is a good sign though and once he gets away from Deaner, maybe we can see him get a proper push.

Post match Kon jumps him but Eric Young runs in for the save. Young talks about how this show is twenty years old today and he’s celebrating with the fans.

We look at Moose injuring Matt Hardy last week.

Frankie Kazarian is fighting on behalf of the System this week. The System comes in to say if he takes out Nic Nemeth tonight, he gets a World Title shot, right? Works for Moose, though Kazarian isn’t sure if Moose is getting by Matt Hardy.

We recap PCO’s attempts to woo Steph de Lander, who seems interested.

De Lander thinks PCO has a crush on him and opens the love letter, which says “PCO: Oui or Non”. Xia Brookside comes in to tell her to give it some time before she makes her decision. De Lander says she’ll give it a week, which has Brookside rather giddy.

Gisele Shaw vs. Shazza McKenzie

Shaw knocks her into the corner to start and hits a running elbow. McKenzie is back with a neck snap over the ropes and a kick to the face for two. Back up and Shaw hits her in the face for two, setting up a Cody Cutter and a running knee for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C. Shaw looked crisp here (and in new gear to make her feel different) which is a good sign when you’re fresh back after a lengthy layoff. Shaw’s in that same category of “she needs to actually win the title” after so many close losses and maybe this is her time. The setup is definitely looking better this time at least.

Rosemary blames herself for the losses of her loved once and says it is because of sins.

Steve Maclin asks Mike Santana for an alliance against the Rascalz, but Santana is done with tag wrestling. Maclin asks again and Santana seems to be in.

Mustafa Ali/Champagne Singh vs. Speedball Mountain

Seven starts but Ali hands it off to Singh instead. Seven’s headlock allows Bailey to come in and strike away, including a dropkick into the corner. Ali comes in for a cheap shot on Bailey to take over, making sure to taunt Seven in the process. Some choking on the ropes keeps Bailey in trouble and we take a break. Back with Bailey and Singh trading rollups for two each, with Bailey making it over for the tag to Seven. The swinging slam connects but the Birminghammer is broken up and it’s back to Ali.

Bop and Bang gives Seven two on Ali, with Singh making the save. Ali is right back with the rolling clothesline but the 450 misses. Instead Seen hits the Seven Star Lariat and we get the double down. Bailey comes back in with a missile dropkick to Singh, followed by the moonsault double knees. A rather lengthy double team is broken up though and Ali uses a Secret Service distraction to DDT Bailey on the floor. Not that it matters as the Birminghammer finishes Singh at 13:30.

Rating: B-. That’s booking 101 as you have Seven looking dominant against Ali’s lackey on his way to a title shot against Ali himself. I don’t quite buy Seven as a major threat to win the title but at least they’re building him up well. At the same time, Speedball Mountain gets another win, as this thrown together team continues t have some legs.

The Personal Concierge brings back the healed up Ash By Elegance following her life saving minor surgery.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Allysin Kan

Grace is defending and Marti Belle is here with Kay. Grace charges at her to start and unloads in the corner but Belle offers a distraction to break it up. Kay strikes away until Grace skins the cat and runs her over. A Saito suplex cuts Grace off but she avoids a charge in the corner. The MuscleBuster gets two on Kay before Grace beats up Belle for trying to interfere. Kay’s kneeling piledriver gets two but Grace powerbombs her into the Juggernaut Driver to retain at 6:10.

Rating: C+. Kay is another former champion who was brought back in to make Grace look good in a victory. Grace is on her way to probably the biggest match of her life this weekend and that means she needs a boost like this one. They had a back and forth enough match too, as Grace had to put in some effort to retain here. Nice match.

We get Sami Callihan’s Death Machine TV, where he doesn’t like how Jonathan Gresham thinks he’s an octopus. The showdown seems to be set for Against All Odds.

Digital Media Title: Laredo Kid vs. AJ Francis

Kid is defending and Rich Swann is here with Francis. They start fast with Kid sticking and moving until a dropkick puts Francis on the floor. The dive is pulled out of the air though and Kid is slammed into the apron. A running knee in the corner rocks Kid but he fights up and hits a missile dropkick. Kid flip dives off the top onto Swann on the floor but the distraction lets Francis hit the Down Payment (chokeslam) for the pin and the title at 4:58.

Rating: C. Sure why not. Francis at least feels like a bigger star around here and it isn’t like Kid has lit the world on fire with his rather brief title reign. If TNA wants Francis to feel like a big star then he needed to win something. Giving him the low level TV Title would in fact count as something, as Francis gets a prize. Maybe he can even do something with it.

Nic Nemeth vs. Frankie Kazarian

They fight over a lockup to start until Nemeth takes him down for the armbar. Kazarian fights up and knocks him down but Nemeth scores with that dropkick. A backdrop sends Nemeth outside though, followed by a snap suplex back inside. We hit the chinlock, meaning Ziggler has to fight up rather quickly. Kazarian runs him over again and we take an early break.

Back with Nemeth fighting out of a chickenwing attempt and hitting the rapid fire elbows. Kazarian reverses one of them into the chickenwing, with Nemeth eventually grabbing the rope. Nemeth’s superkick gets two but the Danger Zone is blocked. Instead Kazarian grabs a slingshot cutter for two and frustration is setting in. Nemeth gets two off a sunset flip before the Danger Zone connects for the win at 14:35.

Rating: B-. This was the TNA “These Guys Are Good At Wrestling” match of the week and that is always going to work. It was the longest match on the show and it had two veterans getting to go out there and do their thing. That is something we see pretty much weekly around here and this time it happened to be in the main event.

Post match the System runs in to beat Nemeth down. Ryan Nemeth runs in for the save but Moose comes in to break up the break up. The villains get in the beatdown but Joe Hendry runs in for the real save…until Moose spears him down as well. The real beatdown is on and the System poses but we cut to Matt Hardy. You cannot break what is already Broken so he invites the System to the Hardy Compound next week. An Addams Family snap ends the show. As long as it’s a one off, just let them get it out of their system and move on.

Overall Rating: B-. TNA is in a rough place right now as their most important story is taking place in NXT this weekend, leaving everything else to be set up for a middle of the road (at best) show next week. Matt Hardy isn’t feeling like a top level challenger but rather someone who is getting to do his Broken stuff because he’s a star who gets to do what he wants. I’m still holding out hope for Joe Hendry to get the big World Title win, but by the time he gets there, it might be too late. Good enough show here, though Against All Odds is not feeling interesting whatsoever.

Results
Jake Something b. Kon – Into The Void
Gisele Shaw b. Shazza McKenzie – Running knee
Speedball Mountain b. Champagne Singh/Mustafa Ali – Birminghammer to Singh
Jordynne Grace b. Allysin Kay – Juggernaut Driver
AJ Francis b. Laredo Kid – Down Payment
Nic Nemeth b. Frankie Kazarian – Danger Zone

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 30, 2024
Location: MegaCorp Pavilion, Newport, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

With Against All Odds on the horizon, we are going to need the card to get firmed up before the show. That’s all well and good, but then things got a lot more interesting as Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace was named as the next challenger to NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez. That makes me wonder who else might show up elsewhere so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Chris Bey vs. Ace Austin

As they try to get their aggression out on each other. They fight over a lockup to start with Bey backing him into the corner for a clean break. Austin grabs a headlock takeover and cranks away until Bey is back up with a basement shoulder. Back up and Austin starts in on the arm until Bey snaps off an armdrag into an anklescissors. A backdrop puts Bey down and Austin’s snap suplex gets one.

We hit the chinlock for a bit until Bey jawbreaks his way to freedom. Austin sends him outside though and hits the superkick on the floor, only for Bey to grab a spinebuster for two. Austin’s dropkick doesn’t get him very far as Bey kicks him in the head. Not to be outdone, Austin hits a springboard spinning kick to the face for two but misses the Fold. The Art Of Finesse misses as well and Austin rolls him up, only to be reversed into a cradle to give Bey the pin at 10:04.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match you would expect from the two of them and that’s what it needed to be. They didn’t have the time to turn it into the always odd looking match where they mirror everything the other is doing. That made for a better match and there is a good chance that we will be seeing something more from them going forward.

Post match Austin hugs him and teases a turn but everything is ok.

Xia Brookside vs. Steph de Lander

The much bigger de Lander powers her down to start before managing to stay on her feet when Brookside tries a hurricanrana. A fall away slam gives de Lander two but now the headscissors works. The threat of Brookside’s running knees sends de Lander running to the floor, where she tries to grab a chair…which has PCO attached. PCO cuts off Brookside’s dive and has de Lander get back inside. De Lander’s yelling at him lets Brookside get the rollup pin at 4:50.

Rating: C. As you might have guessed, this was about the storyline advancing more than anything else, as PCO is already getting on de Lander’s nerves. That could go in a few directions and there is a good chance that de Lander is going to need some help dealing with him. Brookside needed a win after losing to Ash By Elegance and this works as well as anything else.

Post match de Lander yells at PCO, who tells her to stop because he has something for her. He pulls out what looks like a card, complete with STEPH written inside of a heart. She takes the card and puts it in her top, which makes PCO happy.

We look at Jordynne Grace appearing on NXT, setting up her NXT Women’s Title shot at Battleground on June 9. Grace will also face Stevie Turner next week on NXT. As usual, this is so bizarre to see.

First Class interrupts Laredo Kid and reveal that AJ Francis is getting a Digital Media Title shot next week. Francis decks him.

Big Kon runs into Jake Something and a match is quickly made for next week. Kon tells him to not listen to Deaner because it won’t go well. Something tells Deaner to stay out of it next week.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Sami Callihan

Callihan takes him into the corner to start and rakes the eyes to block a bite attempt. Gresham goes for the biting again but an annoyed Callihan sends him outside instead. Some yelling into the camera distracts Callihan enough that Gresham can choke him to a break. Back with Callihan’s chop hitting the post but elbowing his way out of a German suplex from the apron.

Callihan drops him onto the apron instead but Gresham pops up in a somewhat creepy bit. They strike it out, with Callihan offering him some free shots to the face. Callihan runs him over and hits a Death Valley Driver for two but Gresham starts in on the knee. The black good is loaded up but Callihan blocks it, only for Gresham to hit him low and grab a sunset flip for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: C. It was nice to have some bigger names involved and the match went well enough, but egads the goo stuff is total death. It’s the kind of goofy stuff that feels totally over the top and out of place when Gresham just being more aggressive with the mask would work just fine. Beating Callihan should be a nice boost for him, but not the best presentation to say the least.

Gail Kim has a sitdown interview with Giselle Shaw, who has been out of action to recharge and heal some injuries. It feels like she is starting from scratch and Kim asks why she’s back. Kim says do this as a knockout and start next week.

The System isn’t worried about tonight because Against All Odds is coming up. The team leaves and Frankie Kazarian comes in, demanding to be called The King Of TNA.

Mike Santana vs. Steve Maclin

They fight over wrist control to start with Maclin elbowing him in the face for two. An exchange of shoulders goes to Santana with Maclin bailing to the floor. Santana follows and gets dropped face first onto the apron, setting up a Cactus elbow for two. An Irish Curse gives Maclin two more and we hit the chinlock.

Santana fights out and grabs a cutter for a breather, followed by a sitout F5 for two. Spin The Block misses and Maclin hits Mayhem For All for two of his own. Maclin’s top rope superplex is broken up and a frog splash gives Santana two more. There’s a superkick to send Maclin outside and the big flip dive connects. Maclin pops back up with the Scud….and the Rascalz come in to jump Maclin for the DQ at 7:45.

Rating: B-. These two have chemistry together and it was nice to see the interference instead of having either of them take a fall. I’m still expecting Santana and Maclin to team up out of respect and while I’ve heard worse, I’m digging Santana on his own after so many years in a team. For now though, I’ll settle for Maclin getting a nice resurgence and Santana having a rather nice start to his singles run.

Post match the Rascalz beats both of them down.

Lars Frederiksen and Dani Luna tell Jody Threat to get her head on straight.

Mustafa Ali vs. Leon Slater

Non-title and Champagne Singh is here with Ali. Feeling out process to start as they run the ropes until Slater hits a handspring elbow to the face. Ali knocks him onto the ramp but Slater sends him to the floor for a dive from the stage. We take a break and come back with Slater hitting a high crossbody for two but Ali kicks him in the head.

The rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two, only for Slater to grab a rolling cutter. The Blue Thunder Bomb is countered and Ali snaps off a German suplex. Ali’s satellite DDT is countered into a neckbreaker for two but he manages to post Slater. The 450 finishes Slater at 11:57.

Rating: B-. Ali continues to be one of the smoothest stars in the world today and it’s always fun to see him getting in the ring. At the same time, Slater is one of those young stars who has already made something of a mark and that could be a good foot in the door. I could have gone for more of this and it was a rather nice showcase for Slater with Ali getting a good win at the same time.

Moose is hunting for Matt Hardy.

Rehwoldt and Hannifan are in the ring to run down the Against All Odds card.

Eddie Edwards vs. Joe Hendry

Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are here with Eddie. Before the match, Hendry says the only system he is worried about his his digestive system, because Eddie’s hair is so stupid. Cue the Nemeths to even things out (or actually uneven them) and we’re ready to go. Hendry starts fast with a running elbow and hits a rather delayed suplex for an early two.

We take a break and come back with Hendry fighting up until a chop takes him down again. Another chop is blocked and Hendry makes the clothesline comeback, setting up the fall away slam. Hendry slowly hammers away but gets elbowed to cut him right back down. Eddie tries to go up but gets super fall away slammed back down. Hendry goes up this time, only to get caught in a top rope superplex, followed by a tiger driver for two. Eddie kicks him down and loads up the Boston Knee Party but runs into the Standing Ovation for the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. The more I see of this ind of thing, the more it seems like we are going to be seeing Hendry getting a major title shot somewhere in the near future. Giving Hendry the title is far from the worst idea and I could go for seeing whatever he could do as the champion. If nothing else he would be a fresh direction for the company and that is definitely something they need.

Moose finds Matt Hardy and the brawl is on, with Moose wrapping a chair around Matt’s head and hitting him with another chair to end the show. Well that was abrupt.

Overall Rating: B. The action was good for the most part and they gave me more hope about a possible big time Hendry push. Other than that, Ace vs. Bey was good enough and PCO/de Lander are taking steps forward. I like enough of where things are going around here and this was quite the upgrade after last week’s not so great effort. Solid show here and I’m hoping that we get to see some of these things paying off.

Results
Chris Bey b. Ace Austin – Rollup
Xia Brookside b. Steph de Lander – Rollup
Jonathan Gresham b. Sami Callihan – Sunset flip
Steve Maclin b. Mike Santana via DQ when the Rascalz interfered
Mustafa Ali b. Leon Slater – 450
Joe Hendry b. Eddie Edwards – Standing Ovation

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 16, 2024
Location: Albany Armory, Albany, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

So instead of doing a bunch of stuff on one show, this week is all about a SIXTEEN PERSON tag match, with all of the champions against a bunch of all stars and Ryan Nemeth. That’s going to eat up a good chunk of the show and should set up quite a bit for the next few major events. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Ash By Elegance vs. Xia Brookside

If Ash wins, she gets her bedazzled knuckles back. Hold on as Ash By Elegance’s handler has a referee shirt under his jacket…but he isn’t going to be the referee. Ok then. Ash talks a lot of trash to start and gets rolled up for an early two. They go to the mat and hammer away at each other before heading outside. Ash takes over on the floor, only to have Xia get in a Thesz press and right hands of her own back inside. The fight heads to the floor again, this time with Xia managing a quick suplex. The handler offers a distraction though and Ash grabs a hanging Stunner. Rarefied Air gives Ash the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C. Everything about Ash makes her feel like a star, except for her in-ring work. What she does in the ring isn’t bad, but it’s very basic save for a nice enough looking Swanton. She feels like someone who could turn into something great and the By Elegance deal works well enough, but she needs to get above average in the ring on her best day.

Post match the handler tells Xia to present Ash with the jewelry….which she does as part of a right hand.

Rosemary is upset that Havok is gone and says there comes a time in the lives of everyone meant for greatness that you have to give up attachments. She mentions people like the Bunny and Taya Valkyrie, but now she is ready for anything.

Santino Marella talks to Kushida, who says he is sick after facing Jonathan Gresham. He’ll be ready for his match on Xplosion.

Alan Angels vs. Leon Slater

Slater runs him over with a shoulder to start and they trade rollups for two each. Back up and Slater hits a handspring elbow to send Angels outside, followed by the required dive. Hold on though as the referee starts spitting up black goo (after he refereed a Jonathan Gresham match last week) so here’s a replacement. Slater kicks Angels in the face for two but Angels snaps off a series of half and half suplexes. Back up and Slater kicks him in the face, setting up the Swanton 450 for the pin at 4:31.

Rating: C+. Slater is someone who does his stuff rather well, with that Swanton 450 being a thing of beauty. While beating Slater isn’t going to launch him up the ladder but it’s a step in the right direction. Other than that, this is likely going to be about the referee and egads this is already feeling stupid.

Post match here is Kon to go after Angels. Slater doesn’t like it and manages to knock Kon outside. Kon snaps a security guard’s neck to blow off some steam.

Here is Jake Something for a chat. He talks about starting from nothing and becoming something, with the interviewer sounding like she is mocking him. That isn’t cool with Something, who blames Deaner for the loss last week. Cue Deaner, who says he and Something are cousins and Something is absolutely right about rising up from nothing. Deaner is with him, but Something brings up leaving him to join Violent By Design years ago. Deaner apologizes for being on a dark path and worries that Something is going to do the same thing. Then Something blasts him with a clothesline and leaves.

We look at Speedball Mountain beating ABC to earn a singles shot for an X-Division Title shot.

Speedball Mountain say they’re friends but they’re at a crossroads. May the best man win, and they seem cool.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Steve Maclin

The bell rings but we pause as Kazarian insists on being called the true king of TNA. Maclin uses the delay to clothesline him to the floor and we take a break. Back with Maclin in trouble in the corner but Maclin slugs his way back into it. Maclin knocks him to the floor for the Scud but Kazarian is ready for the spear in the Tree Of Woe. They fight to the apron but neither can hit their finisher, with Kazarian settling for a backdrop to the floor.

That’s good for a nine as Maclin beats the count and hits a running knee. The Jar Headbutt gets two but Kazarian grabs a quickly broken chickenwing. Another attempt works much better, with Maclin eventually having to backflip out for the break. They go up top with Kazarian trying the Flux Capacitor, only to have Maclin tie him into the Tree Of Woe. The spear is loaded up but cue Trey Miguel for a distraction, allowing Zachary Wentz to come in for a cheap shot. Kazarian hits Fade To Black for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: B-. Kazarian’s star continues to rise and it wouldn’t stun me to see him get a World Title shot once Moose loses the title. For now though, he’s piling up wins over former World Champions and that could take him a long way. Maclin vs. the Rascalz is a bit weird as he’ll need a partner, which could go in a few different directions.

Gail Kim is at some retreat with Gisele Shaw, who says she hasn’t quit after one loss. Kim is here to guide her back home, with Shaw seeming to think about it.

We get the second half of a sitdown interview with Mike Santana. He spent years working on the problems of others rather than himself, which is what started to take him down. Then he went to rehab, with his daughter asking for him to be better for Christmas. He was ashamed that he was giving her the life that he swore he would never give her and that was enough to wake him up.

Now he’s sober and back in TNA, where he is ready to fight for every thing he has. He respects Steve Maclin after their match at Rebellion because he’s looking for a fight. Maclin put a target on his back but Santana is putting a target on everyone’s back. These have been really good and made me care about Santana that much more.

First Class is in a box to watch the champions vs. all-stars match. They’re scouting for gold.

Champions vs. All-Stars

Champions: Moose, Jordynne Grace, Laredo Kid, Masha Slamovich, Mustafa Ali, Alisha Edwards, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards

All-Stars: Broken Matt Hardy, Ryan Nemeth, Eric Young, Spitfire, Sami Callihan, Joe Hendry, Steph de Lander

Before the match, Hendry says all of this feels like a place for a major outbreak of Hendrymania. Worry not though, because the cure is to chant WE BELIEVE. Young chops Myers down to start and we get the big sixteen way staredown. The brawl is on and we take an early break. Back with Grace and Luna trading forearms until Grace shoulders her down for two. Kid comes in and gets suplexed by Luna but de Lander tags herself in.

That goes nowhere so it’s Slamovich and Threat coming in, with the latter grabbing an exploder suplex. Alisha comes in for a running basement crossbody in the corner. Threat is back up with running knees to the back and a German suplex for two of her own. A delayed toss suplex sends Alisha into the corner and she brings Slamovich in. Eddie and Myers come in for a cheap shot and we take another break.

Back again with Nemeth coming in to clean house, including a dropkick to Ali. Eddie offers a quick distraction though and Ali’s neckbreaker lets Moose come in. Nemeth gets sent hard into the corner and Eddie’s clothesline gets two. Ali isn’t happy with not getting a tag and walks away, saying he is officially withdrawing from the match. Myers grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back but Nemeth fights up and hits a quick Danger Zone. Matt comes in to slug away on Moose and the Side Effect gets two.

Alisha makes a save so Matt takes Eddie down again, allowing Callihan to come in and clean house. The Cactus Driver 97 is broken up so Callihan takes out Eddie and Myers at the same time. Hendry gets the tag and the fans are WAY into this. Everything breaks down (I’m stunned it took this long) and Grace elbows Callihan to the floor, setting up the big suicide dive. The parade of dives is on until Myers spears Hendry down for two. Back up and the Standing Ovation gives Hendry the pin on Myers at 28:28.

Rating: B-. When there has to be a rule that only two members of a team can be on the apron at a time, you might have quite a few people in a match. This was the insanity that you would expect, but the big perks are A, Hendry won and B, they had a bunch of combinations to pick from to keep things from getting dull. At this rate, I could certainly go for seeing what Hendry could do in the main event. The company could use some fresh blood and the fans are reacting to Hendry, so why not see how it would go?

Post match PCO is wheeled out and shocked to live, allowing him to come to the ring while carrying a black bag. He pulls out some random stuff (like a teacup) before finding….a black rose for de Lander? She takes it while looking scared/confused to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show that was pretty much all about one match as almost every big name in the promotion was involved in that one match. The good thing is that the match worked, though it didn’t leave much else going on. I’m curious to see where that main event takes us though, as PCO is going to be doing something weird with de Lander and Hendry has to be in line for some kind of a title shot. I could go for that being against Moose at Slammiversary, but odds are it’s one of the old guard again, as Matt Hardy needs another shot I’m sure. Overall it’s a good show, with the focus being on one match as advertised.

Results
Ash By Elegance b. Xia Brookside – Rarefied Air
Leon Slater b. Alan Angels – Swanton 450
Frankie Kazarian b. Steve Maclin – Fade To Black
All-Stars b. Champions – Standing Ovation to Myers

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 9, 2024
Location: Albany Armory, Albany, New York
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Under Siege and it wasn’t the most eventful show in the world. The System came out on top in the main event but it still seems that we’ll be seeing Broken Matt Hardy challenging for the World Title at some point. Other than that, we need to start the build towards Slammiversary in July. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long Under Siege recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is the System for their big championship celebration. Everyone comes out with their titles, with the local Arena Football League cheerleaders welcoming them to the ring. Brian Myers brags about everyone on the team being a champion and says they don’t have enough time in the show to list off all of their accomplishments. Moose talks about being better than the 90s Bulls before Eddie Edwards praises Alisha Edwards for her greatness.

Alisha has a video on the team…but Broken Matt Hardy breaks things up. He is here to break the System but now he understands them a bit better. This is not over because it is just the beginning. Hardy wants to see Moose’s Super Bowl ring and calls Alisha a snow witch. The brawl is on and Matt fights them off with a chair, at least until the numbers get the better of him. Ryan (not Nic) Nemeth of all people comes in to make the save with a kendo stick. The cheerleaders do the DELETE pose. This was good, save for everything involving Matt Hardy.

We look at Mustafa Ali beating Ace Austin to retain the X-Division Title at Under Siege.

The ABC is ready to face Speedball Mountain, with the winners facing each other for a future X-Division Title shot. There’s no tension between them…or at least so they say.

The System yells at Santino Marella about what just happened but he has an announcement that is going to help them. Stay tuned.

FBI vs. First Class

Little Guido is here with the FBI. Clayton suplexes Swann down to start and scores with a t-bone suplex to send him flying again. Francis comes in to run some people over, allowing him to choke Clayton on the ropes. A double clothesline puts them both down and the double tag brings in Jaz and Swann, with the former cleaning house. Everything breaks down and Francis chokeslams Jaz, setting up a frog splash to give Swann the pin at 3:35.

Rating: C. It’s a heck of a lot better to see the new version of the FBI instead of trotting out the old guys for one more hurrah. Having Guido out there to tie the generations together is a nice touch and the team isn’t all that bad. Francis continues to reinvent himself after leaving WWE and he’s doing pretty well at it. Swann took a heck of a beating here before picking up the win, which was a bit of a surprise.

Jake Something and the Rascalz both complain to Santino Marella about various things. Marella makes a tag match, with Deaner coming in to be Something’s partner.

Alan Angels is back with Sound Check with Kon and Steph de Lander as his guests. Angels thinks de Lander and Kon are dating but that’s not true. When Angels is told no, he hits on de Lander, meaning it’s time for Kon to beat up security. And that’s that.

Rascalz vs. Jake Something/Deaner

Hold on though as Deaner has some options from Santino Marella. We can keep this as a regular tag match or maybe make it an Albany Tornado match. The people vote and tornado it is. It’s a brawl to start (as it’s supposed to be) with Something slamming both of them next to each other. The Rascalz are sent to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Something on the floor and Deaner getting double teamed. Something gets rammed into the post, leaving Wentz to hit a running shooting star press for two on Deaner.

That takes enough time for Something to fight up and clean house, including tossing Wentz at Miguel to cut off a suicide dive (that was great). A sitout powerbomb gets two on Miguel but he’s back up with a poisonrana. Stereo covers get stereo near falls as the fans voice their approval. Miguel and Something head outside, where Miguel blinds him with the spray paint. That leaves Deaner to get caught with a backbreaker/double stomp combination for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth match which was a good bit better than I was expecting. Something is feeling like…well something actually, as he has the look and power to feel like a monster. He just needs to win, pardon the expression, something already or none of that potential matters. Deaner is going to be fine with the People’s Choice stuff, as it’s tailor made to get him cheered.

Post match Steve Maclin runs in to wreck the Rascalz.

Maclin goes to the back and gets in an argument with Frankie Kazarian, suggesting that a deal they had fell through.

We get a sitdown interview with Mike Santana, who is very happy with his return at Rebellion. Yes he is most known for his time with LAX and he is very happy with what happened back then. Then he was away for five years and lost his dad just before the pandemic hit. He needed to save his own life and….more on this later. They’re treating Santana like a big deal and that is a good thing.

Here is Gabby LaSpisa, a wrestling podcast host, to bring out Ash By Elegance for a chat. After Ash’s handler comes out for the big introduction, Gabby asks about….Ash’s last name, but apparently Elegance is a lifestyle brand. Gabby has never heard of it and doesn’t like being insulted so we look at Ash attacking Havok with a chair after their match at Under Siege. Maybe Ash is mad because Xia Brookside beat her a few weeks back. Handler: “WHERE DID YOU GET THAT FOOTAGE???” Gabby: “From the TNA+ app.” Cue Brookside to issue a challenge for a rematch for Ash’s rings. Deal. This was really not very good as talking isn’t Ash’s strong point and Gabby wasn’t much better.

We look at Joe Hendry being interviewed about his theme song climbing the UK charts.

Santino Marella has his big announcement: the Champions Challenge, a 16 person tag next week, featuring Moose/Jordynne Grace/Mustafa Ali/Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards/Masha Slamovich/Alisha Edwards/Laredo Kid vs. Matt Hardy/Steph de Lander/Sami Callihan/Eric Young/Ryan Nemeth/Jody Threat/Dani Luna/Joe Hendry. That’s up next week, with Josh Alexander being replaced by….I’m assuming Nemeth due to injury. That’s quite the match, though egads it’s going to be chaos.

Jonathan Gresham vs. Will Ferrara

Gresham, wrestling in a mask, starts fast with a dropkick and ties up the arm as commentary talks about Gresham spitting up ink during his match with Kushida at Under Siege. Ferrara sends him into the corner but gets taken down with a springboard moonsault. Gresham rams the knee into the mat a few times before rubbing the ink into Ferrara’s face. A Mandible Claw finishes Ferrara at 3:31.

Rating: C. Something tells me Gresham’s poison/evil ink deal is going to get annoying rather quickly. Gresham is someone who doesn’t need much to make him work as he’s that good in the ring (and is looking in the best shape of his career). Putting something goofy on him like this could make things a lot more complicated than it needs to be and unfortunately that’s where we are now.

Gail Kim drives to a mountain retreat and finds a meditating Gisele Shaw, saying they need to talk.

Speedball Mountain vs. ABC

The winners face off in a singles match for a future X-Division Title shot against Mustafa Ali, who is on commentary. Bailey takes Bey down to start and it’s off to Seven for an assisted twisting moonsault. It’s back to Bailey, who gets elbowed in the face to cut him off rather quickly. Austin comes in and stomps on Bailey in the corner, setting up Bey’s kicks to the back. Bailey is back up with a middle rope dropkick to Austin, meaning Seven can grab a DDT. Seven’s swinging slam gets two on Bey but it’s way too early for Bailey’s shooting star press. The crash leaves everyone down and we take a break.

Back with Seven and Bey coming in off the double tag and an exchange of shoulders. Bey’s DDT is countered into a suplex but said suplex is countered with a knee to the head. Everything breaks down again and all four are knocked down in a hurry. ABC stomps away to take over but Bailey superkicks Bey to the floor. Seven drops Austin for two but Bey knocks Bailey into the cover for the save.

ABC is sent outside and Mountain hits a pair of dives to drop both of them. Back in and Bailey hits Bey with the tornado kick but gets sent outside. Austin hits the big flip dive to take Mountain out at the same time. We pause for Austin to yell at Ali, leaving Bailey to kick Bey into a dragon suplex from Seven. Austin gets Birminghammered into the Ultimate Weapon for the pin at 17:00.

Rating: B. Fast paced back and forth match here and the stipulation made things all the more interesting. TNA is doing some good work with figuring out some unique ways to set up title matches. Mountain isn’t exactly a great team but they are a thrown together pairing who are doing well enough. ABC isn’t doing much these days, but there isn’t much else for them to do as a team anyway. Maybe we’ll get another singles run from both of them, though almost anything they do is likely to work out.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a weird place as there wasn’t much at Under Siege and yet they needed to get things going for the next show. The big tag match next week should be good and I’m curious to see where it goes. Other than that, we had enough good action to get by, though it was more a show designed to get us to the bigger stuff than anything else.

Results
First Class b. FBI – Frog splash to Jaz
Rascalz b. Jake Something/Deaner – Backbreaker/double stomp combination to Deaner
Jonathan Gresham b. Will Ferrara – Mandible Claw
Speedball Mountain b. ABC – Ultimate Weapon to Austin

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 25, 2024
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Rebellion and now it is time to start the fallout. The big story was the return of Broken Matt Hardy, who seems to want the World Title back. I’m not sure how well that is going to go but it seems like we have at least a general direction for Under Siege next month. Let’s get to it.

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

Long Rebellion recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Nic Nemeth to get things going. He appreciates the welcome but thought he would be here as World Champion. There are no excuses because he left it out there in the ring and he failed. His family was right there in the front row and he let them down. Right now he doesn’t know what to do next and he feels broken inside…which brings out Broken Matt Hardy to interrupt.

Matt had a pre-mo-neetion that he would be in the ring with the World Champion at the end of Rebellion, which he was hoping would be Nemeth. We look at the end of the match, where Nemeth’s shoulder was clearly up. Hardy wants the World Title and says Nemeth can have a shot down the line, but here is the System, including World Champion Moose, to interrupt.

Moose says Hardy thinks he is the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, which is why the team is so bad. You can’t challenge a play in wrestling but Nemeth says come say this to their faces. Eddie Edwards says Nemeth is here to be the next Kurt Angle but he might not even be Eric Angle. Nemeth challenges Edwards for tonight. This was shorter than I thought and set up a main event, plus pointed us in the direction for some other stuff. That’s not too bad, unlike Hardy, who is rather bad.

Santino Marella oversees the ballot box for crowning a new #1 contender to the X-Division Title. Jordynne Grace comes in for some glaring.

We look at some of the insanity in the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion, with PCO interfering and Sami Callihan returning before Jordynne Grace retained over Steph de Lander.

Grace is glad she had PCO on standby but didn’t know Callihan was coming. Next week, the title is on the line again Miyu Yamashita, who comes in to say she’s winning the title.

Mike Santana vs. Myron Reed

The Rascalz are here with Reed and offer an early distraction so Reed can jump him to start. A slingshot Codebreaker gives Reed two but Santana is back up with some chops. Santana is knocked to the ramp but manages to block the jumping cutter. The Buck Fifty drops Reed and a running Blockbuster takes out the Rascalz for a bonus. Back in and Spin The Block finishes for Santana at 2:57. They packed a lot in there and Santana continues to look good.

Post match here is Steve Maclin (who Santana beat in his return at Rebellion) to ask the Rascalz to go after Santana. That’s a negative, so Maclin tries it alone and has to run from a Spin The Block attempt.

Steph de Lander and Kon issue the challenge to Jordynne Grace and PCO for Under Siege.

Here is Josh Alexander for a chat. He declares it a good day because he is in a TNA ring. At Rebellion, he showed what this place meant to him and you can call him the gatekeeper around here. The one thing he hasn’t been called around here in far too long is World Champion, but here is Frankie Kazarian to interrupt.

Kazarian won at Rebellion too so he should be getting that World Title shot. Alexander is down for a #1 contenders match but Kazarian says he’s too banged up after Rebellion. That’s fine with Alexander, who is cool with being #1 contender without a match. That doesn’t work for Kazarian (yes he says brother) so the match is on…right now.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Josh Alexander

For a future World Title shot, with Kazarian in street clothes and Alexander in a track suit. Kazarian throws a jacket at him to start and chokes in the corner but Alexander makes the clothesline comeback. We take a break and come back with commentary saying this is NOT a #1 contenders match, despite it being kind of perfect to be one.

Alexander misses the running crossbody on the apron and Kazarian hits a slingshot legdrop for two. A running Russian legsweep gives Kazarian two more and a fisherman’s suplex is good for the same. Alexander fights back and hits a Regal Roll for two of his own but Kazarian pulls him into the chickenwing. That’s reversed into the ankle lock but Kazarian slips out and hits the apron Fameasser.

Fade To Black and the C4 Spike are both blocked so Alexander goes with the ankle lock again. With that broken up, Alexander snaps off a German suplex for two more. Frustration is setting in so Kazarian sends him to the apron for a slingshot cutter. Kazarian brings in a chair and a chain, with the former being taken away so he grabs the latter. Cue Eric Young to take the chain away, allowing Alexander to grab the ankle lock for the tap at 12:52.

Rating: B-. This was the weekly “let two good wrestlers have a wrestling match” match and as usual, it went pretty well. Alexander getting back into the title hunt is a good thing, but egads Young vs. Kazarian needs to either be over or take a long break. They just had a big bloody match over the weekend and they’re already back at it? That’s a bit much.

Santino Marella says Jake Something can’t have another X-Division Title shot. Hammerstone comes in and wants to talk about Rebellion, but gets in Something’s face instead. Santino makes the match at Under Siege.

Here is First Class, with hip hop legend Bun B, for a chat. AJ Francis tells the fans to make some noise for B before telling them to shut up. B praises the first class accommodations with First Class before Rich Swann brags about beating Joe Hendry. Cue Hendry, to say he suffered an injury after the match but he knows he owes Francis an apology. That comes next week.

Ash By Elegance vs. Xia Brookside

They glare at each other to start before slugging it out, with Ash getting the better of things. Ash stomps away in the corner and gets two off a suplex. They go to the ramp where Ash drops her again, setting up a chinlock back inside. Brookside fights up and sends her into the corner for some running knees to the back. A high crossbody gives Brookside two but Ash sends her crashing out to the floor. Back in and Ash loads up a foreign object, which is quickly taken away, allowing Brookside to roll her up for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C. That one surprised me as I wouldn’t have bet on Ash losing anytime soon. The good thing here is it was presented like Brookside catching her rather than flat out beating her which leaves Ash looking a bit stronger. You can pretty much guarantee a rematch, maybe as soon as Under Siege, but for now, it was an intriguing enough twist.

Trey Miguel has won the election for an X-Division Title shot but there are allegations of BALLOT BOX STUFFING! Mustafa Ali says he shouldn’t defend the title at all, but Santino Marella says we can have a run off, in the form of a #1 contenders match next week.

Here are the Good Hands to complain about Sami Callihan attacking them at Rebellion. They wanted a match with Callihan, who wants to fight both of them.

Sami Callihan vs. Good Hands

Sami jumps them to start and uses a picture of PCO to paper cut their fingers. Skyler manages a quick spear off the apron and Hotch adds a moonsault off the apron. Back in and Callihan knocks Hotch out of the air, setting up the Cactus Driver 97 for the pin at 2:40.

Steve Maclin offers an alliance with Frankie Kazarian so they can deal with Eric Young and Mike Santana. Kazarian seems to be pondering.

Here’s what’s coming at Under Siege.

Eddie Edwards vs. Nic Nemeth

Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are here with Eddie while Nic’s brother Ryan is in the front row. They go to the mat to start with Nic getting a headscissors into a headlock. Eddie reverses into a headlock of his own but Nic slips out. The superkick is cut off by an Alisha distraction though and Eddie hammers away on the ropes.

Eddie whips him chest first into the chest for two, followed by a snap suplex into a knee drop for the same. Nic fights up and hammers away but Myers offers a distraction so Eddie can knock him out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Eddie kneeing him in the ribs for two, setting up the chinlock. Nic fights up and hits a neckbreaker out of the corner, setting up the rapid fire elbows.

The running DDT gives Nic two but Eddie rolls outside to avoid the superkick. Back in and Nic gets crotched on top, setting up a superplex into a tiger driver for two. Eddie takes too long setting up his own superkick, allowing Nic to superkick him into an Angle Slam. They slug it out until a double clothesline leaves both of them down. The referee has to yell at Ryan and Myers for fighting on the floor, allowing Moose to run in with a belt shot. The Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 16:30.

Rating: B-. Much like the other long match, you know you’re going to get at least pretty good stuff out of these two because they’re both polished veterans. They had a good match here and the ending should set up something at Under Siege. It’s not a classic, but it worked well for a first time TV main event.

Post match Moose wraps a chair around Nic’s neck and smashes it with another chair. Speedball Mountain runs in to chase the System off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the kind of show that the company needed with only eight days to go before Under Siege. They set up a bunch of the show’s matches in a hurry while giving us a pair of rather good one off matches here. As usual, TNA knows how to get things done when they need to and they did just that right here.

Results
Mike Santana b. Myron Reed – Spin The Block
Josh Alexander b. Frankie Kazarian – Ankle lock
Ash By Elegance b. Xia Brookside – Rollup
Sami Callihan b. Good Hands – Cactus Driver 97 to Hotch
Eddie Edwards b. Nic Nemeth – Boston Knee Party

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: April 18, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the last show before Rebellion and the show is mostly set. As tends to be the case around here though, there is a good chance to add in something at the last minute, perhaps on the Kickoff Show. In addition, the Motor City Machine Guns are getting a Tag Team Title shot against the System. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Hammerstone vs. Guido

The rest of the FBI is at ringside and Josh Alexander is on commentary. Hammerstone throws him into the corner to start and easily blocks a single leg attempt. Guido cuts off a charge with a raised boot but Hammerstone runs him over again. The rest of the FBI offer a distraction so Guido hammers away, only to get launched to the floor off the kickout. Back in and Hammerstone puts Alexander’s headgear on Guido, setting up the torture rack for the win at 4:09.

Rating: C-. Nothing to see here as Hammerstone, who is looking more and more like Brock Lesnar every week, gets to smash through someone before his match with Alexander. It’s as simple of an idea as you can ask for and they made it work. Guido isn’t going to be hurt at all by a loss to a monster and doing it in the ECW Arena makes it that much better.

Ash By Elegance is going to be ringside for the Knockouts Title match at Rebellion. Xia Brookside comes in to say she’s got a match with Ash next week, which doesn’t please Ash.

We look back at Steph de Lander, with help from Matt Cardona, putting Jordynne Grace through a table last week.

Grace has heard that Cardona has hurt but she knows de Lander will have a trick up her sleeve. Grace will have one too.

Joe Hendry vs. LSG

Before the match, Hendry promises to make Rich Swann say uncle at Rebellion. As in Uncle Phil, where did you get that hideous gear? They fight over arm control to start until Hendry powers him up for a fireman’s carry drop. The Standing Ovation finishes for Hendry at 1:46.

Video on the Motor City Machine Guns vs. the System for the Tag Team Titles later tonight. The Guns have been having tension and it’s time to show they can still do it. The winners get Speedball Mountain at Rebellion.

Grizzled Young Vets/Mustafa Ali vs. Jake Something/Cody Deaner/Rhino

Rhino is a mystery partner after Deaner polled the fans on if it should be 3-2 or 3-3. Something powers Gibson around to start and it’s off to Rhino to stay on the arm. The villains are sent to the floor and we take an early break. Back with the Vets double teaming Deaner, including a spinwheel kick to the face. A backbreaker gives Drake two and we hit the chinlock. Ali comes in for his neckbreaker and the chinlock sequel goes on.

It’s back to Drake but Deaner slips over to Rhino to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Something launches Deaner onto Gibson with Ali having to make the save. Drake has to save Ali from Something and it’s a bunch of dives to take Something down. All three go after Deaner and stomp him down in the corner, only to have Rhino make the save. Deaner fights up and catches Ali on top but gets sunset bombed down. The 450 gives Ali the pin at 12:13.

Rating: B-. This is one of the areas where TNA tends to shine: taking some wrestlers and putting them out there for some perfectly watchable wrestling. Ali gets a win over someone with very little to lose and they had a good match all the way through. Something needs some more juice for the title shot, but Ali losing is hard to fathom anyway.

Steve Maclin promises to make his mark at Rebellion despite not being on the card.

Eric Young talks to the Sickness version of himself and thinks he might need him at Rebellion. Young is scared of what he’ll become if gives in to the violence. The masked man takes the mask off to reveal Young and violence is promised.

Rosemary vs. Jody Threat

Havok and Dani Luna are here too. Threat slugs away to start and knocks her into the corner for some early clotheslines. Rosemary is back up with a dropkick, setting up the Upside Down. A German suplex sets up a Last Chancery but Threat is out in a hurry. The pump kick rocks Rosemary and a hard clothesline gets two. Something like an STO puts Rosemary down but she pops right back up. The other two get on the apron for a distraction and Rosemary hits a spear for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: C. I’ve lost track of how many times TNA has had one member of a team beat half of the Tag Team Champions to set up a title match. It’s a simple story but it is something that has been done so many times now. That is something they might need to work on, along with getting some more teams into the Knockouts tag division.

We get more from Jonathan Gresham’s therapy session where he talks about hiding behind his mask. Everyone makes him do it, but the group leader doesn’t want him to. Then he sits next to someone in the octopus mask.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. System

The System, with Alisha Edwards, is defending. Shelley ducks a chop to start so Eddie grabs a headlock instead. With that going nowhere, it’s off to Myers vs. Sabin, with the Gunns quickly taking over. Stereo kicks to the chest have Myers down and we take an early break.

Back with Eddie sending Shelley into the corner, only to get sent into the other corner. The Gunns take turns working on the leg, with Sabin tying it in the ropes for a dropkick to the knee. Shelley grabs the Figure Four and Sabin gets one on Myers at the same time. Both of them are broken up and Alisha gets in a distraction, allowing Myers to take over on Shelley. The chinlock goes on for a bit and we take another break.

Back again with Eddie grabbing a front facelock as the slow beating continues. Eddie gets up and knocks Sabin to the floor, just as Shelley gets over for the attempted tag. Said tag goes through a few seconds later, with Sabin coming in off a high crossbody. Everything breaks down again and Sabin hits a heck of a suicide dive.

Back in and Sabin superkicks Shelley by mistake, allowing Myers to hit the running knee to leave everyone down. The Backpack Stunner/top rope elbow combination gets two on Sabin but the Roster Cut is countered into a rollup for two. The Skull and Bones is loaded up but Alisha offers a distraction, meaning it’s the Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party to retain at 22:06.

Rating: B. This was a good, long match with both teams working hard until the end. The Gunns having issues does not exactly bode well for their future and it might be better to give them a break at the moment. Other than that, it’s good to give the System a huge win over one of the biggest teams in the history of TNA, even with some shenanigans. Rather strong mach here with the right ending.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. Nemeth talks about going to Las Vegas to face the System…and here is Moose to interrupt. They argue over whether or not Nemeth is going to be able to finally win the big one, but Nemeth has heard this far too many times. Nemeth promises to win the title and they glare at each other to wrap it up.

A big Rebellion package wraps up the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the show to get you ready for the show and it went well enough. What mattered here was getting the announced matches primed up and they didn’t have very far to go. With only a few things added and a big main event set up, this show did a nice enough job to make me want to see Rebellion without rocking the boat. Nice show here, but Saturday is what really matters.

Results
Hammerstone b. Guido – Torture rack
Joe Hendry b. LSG – Standing Ovation
Mustafa Ali/Grizzled Young Vets b. Jake Something/Cody Deaner/Rhino – 450 to Deaner
Rosemary b. Jody Threat – Spear
System b. Motor City Machine Guns – Boston Knee Party to Sabin

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: April 4, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Matthew Rehwold, Tom Hannifan

We are just a few weeks away from Rebellion and the card is starting to come together. At the same time though, the Motor City Machine Guns are not having the best times as of late and the question becomes where they go from here. That every well could be down but we might see some more of it this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Rhino

Non-title and this is Old School Rules, meaning anything goes. Rhino starts fast by sending him outside before going with the more simple beating back inside. Ali is backdropped out to the floor as commentary debates what a real X-Division star is. A hard whip sends Ali into the post so it’s time for the weapons, with the ECW chants beginning. Rehwoldt: “IT’S BEEN TWENTY YEARS!” Twenty three actually but who’s counting? Ali fights back and grabs the book of a former Philadelphia Flyer, who happens to be in the front row.

Instead Ali grabs a cardboard cutout of his Pro Wrestling Illustrated cover, allowing Rhino to fight back. After rescuing the book (and posing with its author), Rhino goes back inside but gets caught with a Coast To Coast. For some reason Ali tries his own Gore but is cut off with a trashcan. The fans want tables, though they have to settle for the one that Rhino sets up in the corner. A spinebuster puts Ali down again but his security cut off the Gore. Rhino fights them off and the Gore…hits the table to give Ali the pin at 8:34.

Rating: C+. There is a formula to these matches and they followed it just fine, which is all it needed to be. The fans are always going to respond to the ECW stuff and Rhino can still have a perfectly acceptable match. This worked out well and I had a good time with the whole thing, so nice choice for an opener.

Post match Jake Something comes in and lays Ali out.

People are excited for Alex Shelley vs. Nic Nemeth tonight.

Here is Hammerstone for a chat. He’s down for one more match with Josh Alexander and they can do it at Rebellion. Then he beats up a cameraman and puts Alexander’s headgear on him.

Here are the Rascalz, with Trey Miguel running down various ECW legends that he can’t remember. Bring out some ECW guys right now.

Rascalz vs. FBI

Make that the NEW FBI, with Zack Clayton and Ray Jazz (?), as managed by Little Guido. Jazz, an All-American wrestler, takes Miguel down to start but Miguel sends him into the buckle. Wentz comes in so the Rascalz can kick him down, setting up a quick shooting star press for two. Jazz fights his way out of trouble rather quickly and it’s off to Clayton to clean house. Everything breaks down and cue Myron Reed to spray paint Guido. That’s enough for the Rascalz to hit a quick backbreaker into a middle rope elbow for the pin on Jazz at 3:21.

Rating: C. Major points for having a fresh team using the old ECW name instead of having the same old guys come out for one more ECW reunion. It wasn’t a great performance or anything but at least they did something new. Guido is fine as the manager to tie things back to the old days, but they didn’t go with the expected idea here and I’ll certainly take that.

More wrestlers are excited for Alex Shelley vs. Nic Nemeth.

Jonathan Gresham is at his group therapy session, where he says you have to lie to get people to listen to him. The group’s therapist says lying is over.

Trent Seven is cut off by the System and gets a non-title match with Moose as a result.

Chris Bey vs. Frankie Kazarian

Ace Austin is here with Bey. The bell rings and Kazarian insists that he be recognized as the King of TNA. Bey uses the distraction to jump Kazarian from behind (the bell had rung so that’s hardly cheating) and an elbow to the back gets two. Kazarian pulls him down from the middle rope for a crash and sends things outside as we take a break.

Back with Bey slugging away against the ropes and hitting a spinebuster for two. Kazarian can’t hit the slingshot DDT but Bey’s connects for two more. The Art of Finesse misses though and the slingshot cutter gives Kazarian two more. They go to the floor where Kazarian grabs a chain, which Austin takes away. Kazarian pretends to get decked with it so Austin gets tossed, only for Bey to hit a quick dive. A low blow on the way back in drops Bey though and Fade To Black finishes Bey at 12:02.

Rating: B-. TNA has long figured out the value of putting two good wrestlers in the ring and letting them have a match with some time. There was almost no way these two weren’t going to do something at least decent and that’s what we got here. Nice match as Kazarian gets another win and the ABC doesn’t do so well on their own.

MK Ultra have been having issues in recent matches.

Masha Slamovich isn’t happy when Alisha Edwards cuts her off. Killer Kelly is gone and they both want the Knockouts Tag Team Titles so they could be a team. Masha can think about it.

More people are still excited about Alex Shelley vs. Nic Nemeth.

Kon is ready for PCO in Monster’s Ball.

Xia Brookside vs. Ash By Elegance

They argue to start with Brookside chasing her to the ropes early on. Brookside grabs a hurricanrana out of the corner and it’s already time for a breather on the floor. A distraction from the concierge lets Ash get in a posting to take over and they head back inside. Stomping in the corner gives Ash two but Brookside is back up with a crossbody for the same.

Ash is back up and sends her outside for a crash, only to have Rarefied Air broken up back inside. The Brooksie Bomb is broken up as well but Brookside makes the comeback anyway. A ram into the corner and a neckbreaker get two on Ash, meaning it’s time for the concierge to throw champagne in Brookside’s face. That and a rollup give Ash the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C. Ash is already more interesting than Dana Brooke was for a very long time and that was the case again here. You can see the character rounding into form as the weeks go by and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her getting into the title scene sooner than later. Not a great match or anything, but it suited Ash well.

The ABC aren’t happy with each other but First Class interrupts. They seem to recruit Chris Bey, who isn’t interested in that but is interested in beating up First Class soon. Deal.

We look at Steph De Lander becoming the new #1 contender to the Knockouts Title, albeit with an assist from Matt Cardona.

Cardona and De Lander are ready to win the Knockouts Title.

Nic Nemeth vs. Alex Shelley

This is billed as the Generational Class. They go to the mat to start with Nemeth grabbing a bodyscissors as commentary goes through their accolades. The threat of a cross armbreaker sends Nemeth over to the ropes and it’s time to go back to the mat. Shelley kicks the arm away to take over and the arm goes into the post to make it worse.

We take a break and come back with Shelley hitting a baseball slide before driving the knee into the arm. A cross arm choke with a backbreaker has Nemeth down again and Shelley sends him back to the floor. Nemeth manages to counter a ram into the post though and we take a break. Back with Nemeth in control on the mat and starting away on the arm to even it up a bit.

The dropkick cuts off Shelley’s comeback attempt but Shelley goes after the leg to put Nemeth down again. Shelley twists the leg around in the corner and we hit the Figure Four. Nemeth makes the rope and enziguris his way to a needed breather. A neckbreaker sets up the rapid fire elbows but the jumping version hits raised knee.

There’s a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle, setting up a tornado DDT for two. The Border City Stretch stays on Nemeth’s arm but Nemeth makes the rope again. Back up and Nemeth hits a running DDT for two, followed by a superkick for the same. The Border City Stretch is blocked so Shelley tries Shell Shock, which is reversed into the Danger Zone to give Nemeth the pin at 24:56.

Rating: B+. Remember the Kazarian vs. Bey match being good because the people involved are that good? That was the case again here but on a bigger scale. These two had a long match that was given the chance to be built up as Shelley loses, just like Chris Sabin did last week. It seems that TNA is moving forward and that may well be a good thing, though it’s still weird to see the Guns losing like this.

Overall Rating: B. There was a nice mixture of solid wrestling and quick stuff to set up future shows and that is a nice way to go. While the Scott D’Amore firing still feels rather unnecessary, the company is still rolling along with good television. That was the case again here and it went rather well with one of the better shows they’ve done in a bit.

Results
Musafa Ali b. Rhino – Pin after a missed Gore
Rascalz b. FBI – Backbreaker/middle rope combination to Jazz (3:21)
Frankie Kazarian b. Chris Bey – Fade To Black
Ash By Elegance b. Xia Brookside – Rollup
Nic Nemeth b. Alex Shelley – Danger Zone

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American Dream 2024 In The Keystone State
Date: April 4, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Lawlor, Veda Scott

So this is from Stardom, the Japanese women’s promotion, who are in town for Wrestlemania Weekend. I was in town for the weekend and since I’m not likely to ever see something like this again in person, it was worth a look. I’m not sure what to expect from this and that’s part of the fun. Let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the corner of the arena for this show with the entrance on my right and the ring pretty much straight in front of me. Keep in mind that I do not follow Stardom whatsoever and will likely have no idea what is going on as far as characters or storylines. I apologize in advance for any errors but I’m coming in mostly blind.

The opening video runs down the card, which is only five matches.

High Speed Title: Mei Seira vs. Ram Kaichow vs. Saki Kashima

Seira is defending and from what I can tell, this is similar to the X-Division/Cruiserweight Title. The audio mix is really missing as commentary is barely audible over the entrance music and I can’t make out more than a few words of what they are saying. Seira has two belts and Kaichow has one, making things all the more confusing. The fans seem to like Kaichow, who might be a bit dead.

Kashima locks up with Kaichow, who has dust flying off of her to scare Kashima away. More dust gets Kaichow out of a double wristlock before they pick up the pace with Seira hitting a running basement dropkick on Kaichow. They run the ropes until the challengers fall down, leaving Seira as the only one standing. Kaichow rolls Seira up for two and an exchange of rollups give not-Kaichow two each. Back up and Kaichow throws more dust, allowing Kashima to pin Seira for the title at 5:06.

Rating: C+. Well they weren’t kidding about the HIGH SPEED part as this was rather fast paced until the ending, which came out of nowhere. I got the concept well enough and Kaichow’s dust thing made her stand out, but the other two didn’t do much to separate themselves from the other. Either way, it was a nice introduction to the show as it was flying by and kept me interested.

AZM/Saya Kamitani/Camron Branae vs. Stephanie Vaquer/Starlight Kid/Momo Watanabe

Saya and Kid start things off, which is apparently a big rivalry. They go to the mat and get nowhere so they both flip up for a staredown. Branae comes in for part of a triple Gory Bomb to put Kid down for two and it’s back to Saya, who gets caught with a headscissors. Watanabe crushes Saya in the corner but gets cut off with a spinning kick to the face. A springboard crossbody gives Saya two and a triple dropkick takes Watanabe down again.

Back up and Watanabe kicks Saya in the head and the double tag brings in AZM and Vaquer. AZM kicks Vaquer in the head and it’s back to Branae, who gets caught with Eat Defeat. Some running knees give Branae two but the villains (I think?) take her into the corner for the train of running shots. Everything breaks down and Kid dives onto the floor to take out AZM and Saya. That leaves Vaquer to headbutt Branae in the corner and go after her recently injured knee. Branae manages a neckbreaker but walks into a package piledriver onto the knee to give Vaquer the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here as they had a bit more time to showcase the people involved. Six women spread over nine minutes isn’t much but it’s better than cramming it into even less time. Vaquer felt like a star and that makes sense as she is the New Japan Women’s Strong Champion. Not a great match, but if the idea is to get as many people on the show as possible, they’re doing well.

Willow Nightingale/Saki vs. Konami/Syuri

Syuri is one of the most revered names going today and I might have seen her once before. Saki and Syuri start things off with Syuri grabbing a rollup for a fast two, giving us an early standoff. Nightingale comes in for a double shoulder to Syuri but she’s back up t kick Saki in the back for two. Konami comes in for a dropkick and a one kneed cover gets two. It’s already back to Syuri for a kick to the back but Saki suplexes her way to freedom. Nightingale comes back in to run Syuri over, setting up a spinebuster for two.

A Cannonball misses though and Syuri gets two off a DDT. Everything breaks down and Syuri and Konami grab stereo holds, both of which are broken up just as fast. Syuri chokes Saki on the floor, leaving Konami to missile dropkick Nightingale. Saki is back in to make a save and Konami is tossed onto Syuri. Nightingale has had enough of this and hits a heck of a Pounce on Konami, setting up a DDT for two. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 8:28.

Rating: B-. Another fun match here but they were blazing through it again. That’s been a trend with this show, which isn’t the best idea for a five match card. Nightingale continues to be a ball of energy no matter where she is and it’s great to see her getting a win like this. Now give her a win with some gold on the line and it’ll be even better.

Mayu Iwatani/Tam Nakano/Momo Kohgo vs. Mina Shirakawa/Mariah May/Xia Brookside

This is Stars vs. Club Venus, the latter of which comes off as some kind of pop band/Mean Girls deal. Venus seems to be mainly about Shirakawa, with the other two being her henchwomen. May ducks Kohgo’s running dropkick to start and plans her with a very spinning side slam. Brookside comes in for the running knees to the back and we get a triple Venus pose.

The fans approve of Shirakawa coming in and grabbing a quickly released surfboard. May comes back in but gets caught with a dropkick, allowing Kohgo to hit a crossbody. Iwatani comes in and gets to pick up the pace, including a double springboard wristdrag to May and Shirakawa. May is back up with a Sling Blade and it’s Shirakawa coming in for a kick to the head. Nakano comes in for the first time for a shake off (just go with it) with Shirakawa.

A hanging suplex gives Shirakawa two and it’s Brookside coming in with a neckbreaker for the same. Everything breaks down and a double 619 hits Brookside to give Nakano two. Venus is back in with a double Paige Turner to give Brookside her own near fall on Nakano. There’s a running Codebreaker to drop Nakano as everything breaks down again. Iwatani hits a big dive to the floor and a kick to the face gets two on Brookside, with the rest of Venus making the save. Nakano has had it with this and grabs Twilight Dream (tiger suplex) for the pin at Brookside at 12:13.

Rating: B-. This was another case where the extra time helped but the other thing here was it felt like Venus came off as a full time team rather than two people thrown together. Everyone got a chance to shine here and it felt like more of a showcase, with Brookside getting a lot of time in there. Good stuff here, and probably the best match of the show so far.

Post match the winners leave….and here is Toni Storm, with the AEW Women’s Title and a bouquet of flowers. She talks about the time she has had in Philadelphia, where she started with Easter Championship Wrestling. Storm: “I’ll have you know that this is the very place where I entered Sandman.” She puts over Stardom and praises May, even giving her the flowers. As for Mina Shirakawa, who is standing in the ring as well, the Forbidden Door is always open. Shirakawa is game.

We recap the main event. Maika is the World Champion, Megan Bayne is a power monster, they’ve teamed together and fought before, title match on.

World Of Stardom Title: Maika vs. Megan Bayne

Bayne, billed as the Megasus and the much larger of the two, is challenging. Maika tries some running shoulders to no avail so she tells Bayne to come on. An armdrag works better but Bayne is back up to run her over with a real shoulder. A butterfly suplex gets two, followed by a Samoan drop for the same.

Back up and some running clotheslines in the corner give Maika two and she goes after the arm. Bayne powers up and suplexes her way to freedom, setting up a side slam for two more. Maika puts her up top for a superplex and another near fall, followed by a cutter for the same. Bayne is back with a big boot and a heck of a running clothesline to leave them both down.

Back up and they slug it out until Maika snaps off a powerslam. Maika catches her up top with a powerbomb for one but Bayne is back with a heck of a spear. An apron German suplex gives Bayne two more with an F5 getting the same. They go up again and this time it’s a super Michinoku Driver to give Maika two of her own. A Michinoku Driver II gives Maika the pin at 14:24.

Rating: B. This was just starting to cook when they went home, with Maika being a good fighting from underneath champion. Bayne is a monster with something of a Beth Phoenix look/style so there was an obvious story to be told here. Good match and the best part of the show, though they could have gone longer.

Post match respect is shown and here is Momo Watanabe to say she’s the next challenger. Watanabe pulls back her baseball bat to swing at Maika but Bayne gets in her way and sends Watanabe bailing. Maika says they’re on for April 27 in Yokohama before leading the fans in the WE ARE STARDOM chant to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. That’s it? The show didn’t even run an hour and forty five minutes, with the longest match out of five lasting less than fifteen minutes. I’m not sure if that is Stardom’s style, but this was really short and felt like it could have gone another hour or so. What we got was good, but I was sitting in the crowd wondering what else they were going to do because it wasn’t even two hours and then the show just ended. For the prices being charged, this should have been more, as it just didn’t last long enough. What we got was good, but egads give us more than that.

Results
Saki Kashima b. Ram Kaichow and Mei Seira – Crucifix to Seira
Stephanie Vaquer/Starlight Kid/Momo Watanabe b. AZM/Saya Kamitani/Camron Branae – Package piledriver onto the knee to Branae
Stars b. Club Venus – Twilight Dream to Brookside
Maika b. Megan Bayne – Michinoku Driver II

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: March 28, 2024
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are less than a month away from Revolution and that means the card needs to start being filled in. The top matches have already been announced but there are still some things that can be added in advance. TNA has been doing rather well in recent weeks and it would be nice to see that continue. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Xia Brookside vs. Ash By Elegance vs. Dani Luna vs. Alisha Edwards vs. Havok vs. Jody Threat vs. Masha Slamovich vs. Rosemary

For a Knockouts Title shot at Rebellion and this is an 8-4-1 match, meaning we start with an eight woman tag (Ash/Brookside/Rosemary/Luna vs. Havok/Threat/Slamovich/Alisha). The winning team then has a four way and the winner gets the title shot. Hold on though as Elegance has a toothache and is out. Therefore we have a replacement in the form of the returning Steph de Lander.

De Lander starts with Havok, who scares her over for an early tag to Rosemary. Havok is sent into de Lander so it’s off to Alisha, who is powered down by Luna. A bulldog gives Alisha two and Slamovich comes in to take over on Luna. Threat gets to fire off some clotheslines in the corner to Brookside, who is back with a running headscissors. Everything breaks down and Luna hits a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Slamovich.

They trade rollups for two each until Luna small packages her for the pin at 5:16. So now it’s Luna vs. Rosemary vs. Brookside vs. de Lander for the title shot. Hold on though as Slamovich jumps Luna and sends her into the post to leave her laying. Brookside is sent crashing into Ash (at ringside) so Ash posts her hard. That’s enough for an elimination and we go back to the ring where Matt Cardona runs in to hit Radio Silence on Rosemary. A sitout TKO gives de Lander the pin and the title shot at 8:10.

Rating: C. This is an interesting concept in theory but there is only so much that you can do with an eight minute match that runs two falls and had a bunch of stuff on the outside. The final four were only in the ring together for a staredown before three people interfered. De Lander and Cardona being back is a big deal, though I’m not sure if this was the best way to bring them back as the match was kind of all over the place and rushing through with the limited time they had.

We look at Chris Sabin and Steve Maclin getting into it earlier this week to set up a match tonight.

The Motor City Machine Guns and Kushida are in the back with Sabin being glad the tension is over. Alex Shelley gets offended by the idea of Sabin having issues over a singles match and leaves.

Ace Austin isn’t happy with Chris Bey going after the X-Division Title last week when they have a rematch for the Tag Team Titles coming up. Bey brings up Austin facing Frankie Kazarian so he’ll go find Kazarian too.

The Grizzled Young Veterans call out Deaner, who comes out to say he can face either of them right now. Deaner puts it up to the people and Zack Gibson gets the call. Well actually we’ll make that both so Deaner goes after both of them. Sure.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Deaner

Deaner slugs away to start and it goes as well as you would expect to start. Drake knocks him down and it’s off to Gibson, who is caught in an atomic drop. The Deaner DDT is broken up and it’s a cheap shot from Drake on the apron. Grit Your Teeth finishes Deaner at 2:22.

Nic Nemeth…is interrupted by Alex Shelley, who knows how to beat the System. Shelley praises Nemeth, who says he’d be honored to give Shelley the first title shot after he beats Moose. Shelley would rather do it tonight so they’ll try to get it set up.

Here is Josh Alexander who wants to get revenge on Hammerstone. He has an open contract for tonight and calls Hammerstone out but gets….Tracy Williams instead. Williams is ready to fight because he has been wanting his opportunity around here. If Hammerstone doesn’t want to fight, Williams will do it. Works for Alexander.

Josh Alexander vs. Tracy Williams

They both try a hold to start but it just leads to a standoff. Alexander loads up a suplex and they go over the top to crash out to the floor. Back up and Alexander hits his running crossbody to send Williams outside again and we take a break. We come back with Williams blocking a C4 Spike attempt and dropping Alexander instead. A butterfly superplex sets up an armbar on Alexander, who bails straight to the ropes.

Alexander is back with a Regal Roll into an ankle lock but Williams makes the ropes this time. That earns Williams a powerbomb backbreaker for two but he breaks up another C4 Spike. Williams DDTs him onto the turnbuckle and hits a Death Valley Driver into the crossface. They trade shots to the face until Alexander rolls into the C4 Spike to put Williams away at 10:24.

Rating: B-. This was the weekly good match of the show and that’s a nice tradition to have. Williams coming in, even for a one shot, is a fine addition and I could go for having him around more often. He’s the kind of wrestler who can work well with anyone and it gives Alexander another boost before his likely showdown with Hammerstone at Rebellion. Should Williams stick around, he should work out well as he has the skill to back up the pretty intense promo he had here.

Post match, respect is shown but here is Hammerstone (looking very Brock Lesnarish) to jump them both. Williams gets torture racked.

Mustafa Ali is happy to be on the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated but tells Santino Marella that he shouldn’t be defending the X-Division Title against Jake Something. Ali mocks the name, with Santino saying anyone with any name can be X-Division Champion. Like Rhino! Ali wants to know what kind of a name that is. Ali: “He’s behind me isn’t he?” Rhino pops in and gets an Old School Rules match with Ali next week.

Mike Bailey vs. Eddie Edwards

Trent Seven, Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are all here too. Bailey kicks away to start and knocks Eddie outside for the dive. Chopping ensues but a Myers distraction lets Edwards take over with some chops of his own. Back in and Bailey fights up with a kick to the chest but gets poked in the eyes for his efforts. A middle rope dropkick works a bit better for Bailey and he kicks Eddie down, setting up a running shooting star press.

Bailey kicks him outside for a corkscrew Asai moonsault, only to miss the tornado kick back inside. Eddie’s Backpack Stunner gets two but Bailey is back with the very rapid fire kicks. The moonsault knees hit Eddie but Myers offers a distraction. Seven cuts him off, leaving Bailey to kick Eddie in the head. Alisha’s distraction doesn’t work though the Ultimate Weapon misses anyway. The Boston Knee Party finishes for Eddie at 10:56.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, though the ending was a bit weird as it looked like Eddie just beat him clean. I’m not sure how that makes me more interested in seeing the title match but at least it was a singles match rather than a tag match. That being said, seeing Bailey lose after doing all of his ridiculous kicks is often soothing and that was the case again here.

PCO wants Kon in a Monster’s Ball match.

The FBI is coming next week. For those of you keeping track, it is only a mere 23 years after ECW ended.

Frankie Kazarian is ready to end Eric Young for good but Chris Bey comes in to say he wants Kazarian next week.

We look at Rich Swann joining forces with AJ Francis.

Here are Francis and Swann for a chat. They are collectively known as First Class, with Francis getting to mock the Philadelphia Eagles. Swann talks about how he is a former World Champion but he has been in a slump lately. Francis was the only person there for him and he offered to take Swann to even higher heights than ever before.

Swann wasn’t sure, but then he was about to get his first win in a long time. Joe Hendry made that blind tag and stole the win though and Swann was crushed. Then he saw Francis again and the persistence impressed him. Swann won his World Title when there was no one around, so he doesn’t need these people. If you’re not First Class, you’re last.

Laredo Kid talks about his history in wrestling and making it up the ladder. He tries to have success everywhere he goes but after winning a big match over El Hijo del Vikingo, he had a serious internal injury and almost died. It made him want to work harder and now he is coming for Crazzy Steve’s Digital Media Title.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Chris Sabin vs. Steve Maclin

Sabin snaps off an armdrag to start and then does it again for a bonus. The wristlock doesn’t work so Sabin armdrags him into an armbar as the slow start continues. Maclin fights up and they go to the floor, where Sabin sends him shoulder first into the post. Back in and Sabin grabs another armbar, with Maclin not being able to roll his way out of trouble. Instead Maclin sends him into the buckle for the escape and we take a break.

We come back with Maclin loading up a superplex but Sabin breaks it up and hits a missile dropkick. A neckbreaker sends Maclin into the corner and a quick DDT gives Sabin two. Sabin stays smart with a crossface but Maclin gets out to the floor. Maclin knees him out of the air for two but the spear in the corner misses.

Instead Maclin grabs Mayhem For All for two and they’re both down. The Jar Headbutt misses as well and they slug it out until Maclin forearms him to the floor. Maclin’s Scud misses on the floor and they’re both down again. After barely beating the count, Maclin charges into a tornado DDT to give Sabin two. Maclin catches him on top though and now the spear hits in the corner. The KIA finishes Sabin clean at 15:23.

Rating: B. It’s strange to see Sabin losing clean like this but it does give Maclin the big win that he has been needing for more than a bit. I’m not sure what Maclin is being built up for but it doesn’t likely mean anything good for Sabin and company. Sabin is still capable of having a good match with anyone though and beating him is a big deal for Maclin, so well done if that is the direction things seem to be going.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this show a good bit as they advanced some things for Rebellion and had the good action to back it up. While there is still a long way to go before the pay per view, there are enough stories that have me wondering where things are going. Good show here, which is a pretty longstanding tradition around here.

Results
Steph de Lander b. Xia Brookside, Dani Luna, Alisha Edwards, Havok, Jody Threat, Masha Slamovich and Rosemary – Sitout TKO to Rosemary
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Deaner – Grit Your Teeth
Josh Alexander b. Tracy Williams – C4 Spike
Eddie Edwards b. Mike Bailey – Boston Knee Party
Steve Maclin b. Chris Sabin – KIA

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: March 21, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are getting closer to Rebellion and last week saw what will likely be the setup for two title matches on the show. The good thing about recent weeks around here is that there is a lot more going on than just the main event. That should help get us ready for the pay per view next month so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Leon Slater vs. Chris Bey vs. Alan Angels vs. Jason Hotch vs. Kevin Knight vs. Jake Something

The winner gets an X-Division Title shot at Rebellion so Mustafa Ali is on commentary. Knight sends Hotch outside for the big flip dive before everyone else goes after Something. The other three go at it inside until Hotch comes in to jump them from behind as we take a break. Back with Hotch and Angels double teaming Knight, much to Ali’s happiness. Bey is back in to pick up the pace but Something comes in to take over.

Knight, Hotch and Angels get together to take Something out, leaving Slater to come in with a powerbomb. Bey fights up and grabs a spinning tornado DDT on Something but Slater is back in for the dive. A high flip dive to the floor takes out some people on the floor (Ali takes credit for bringing this version of action to you), leaving Something to powerbomb Knight. Into The Void gives Something the pin on Hotch at 10:03.

Rating: B-. Good, fast paced match here, though as usual there is only so much you can get out of having this many people out there at once. Something continues to be a dominant monster when he is given the chance, though it is hard to imagine Ali losing the title so soon. Something needs to win something but for now he might just have to win a title shot in a scramble match.

Dirty Dango, with company, complains about how people only care about match ratings instead of promos. He has two anchors weighing him down so Oleg Prudius walks off.

AJ Francis says Rich Swann will give his explanation next week. Now go away.

Here is Deaner to say he has had a lot of failures in recent years and those failures are because of him. When he was a kid, he decided he loved wrestling and now he wants to get his passion back. Therefore, every decision he will make will belong to the fans. Cue the Grizzled Young Veterans to say Deaner needs to listen to them because he is nothing. Now jog on! Deaner puts it up to the fans, who think he should stay. The people have spoken and the fight is on, with the Timesplitters (scheduled to fight the Veterans) to clear the ring. It’s a new thing for Deaner, but it’s still Deaner and that’s hard to overcome.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Timesplitters

Shelley runs Drake over to start and it’s off to Kushida, who gets taken down rather quickly. That doesn’t last long so it’s back to Shelley, who takes Drake down by the arm. Drake is sent cashing out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Shelley fighting his way out of the corner and taking out Gibson’s arm, including what might be seen as a cheap shot.

Gibson goes after Shelley’s knee though and they head outside, with the knee being dropped onto the apron. Back in and Shelley reverses into some kind of a leglock, only to have Drake make a save of his own. Shelley fights up and grabs a hiptoss of all things, allowing the tag back to Kushida. House is cleaned but the Veterans cut him off with an assisted Sliced Bread #2. Everything breaks down and Shelley comes back in with the Shell Shock. Kushida grabs the Hoverboard Lock to make Drake tap at 12:15.

Rating: B-. This is another example of a match where the talent involved was enough to carry them to a good result. Shelley continues to have an edge in there and the heel turn seems rather imminent. For now though we’re getting to see him do well with his other partner, which isn’t the kind of result you often see. At the same time, it would be nice for the Veterans to win something bigger than one fall in a series against the ABC.

We get a sitdown interview with Hammerstone, who talks about how he had a match here on Xplosion several years ago. He was told he wasn’t ready, and that gave him a big chip on his shoulder. Then he came back and attacked Josh Alexander, though Hannifan points out that Hammerstone lost. Hammerstone: “Are you an interviewer or commentary?”

Hammerstone says he showed he was smarter and holds up Alexander’s headgear as his trophy. If Alexander wants another shot, he can get beaten up. Hammerstone was quite the villain here, with little things like asking if Hannifan preferred Tom or Thomas and then calling him the opposite making it better.

Digital Media Title: Crazzy Steve vs. PCO

PCO is challenging and they go to the floor to start with PCO sending him into the apron. Steve sends him into the post though and hammers away back inside. Some more shots just wake PCO up though and he hits a Codebreaker out of the corner. A middle rope legdrop to the back of the head sets up the DeAnimator but cue Kon with a bunch of weapons.

Some of those weapons are thrown inside so PCO goes outside for the brawl. As Steve has the referee, the chairs are set up (the fans prefer tables) but PCO takes too long, allowing Kon to drop him onto the chairs. That’s enough for Steve to grab the pin and retain the title at 8:24.

Rating: C+. This was a two part match, with things being split between the match itself and everything between PCO and Kon. They needed a way to keep PCO strong and avoid him winning the title, which they managed to do (albeit with the referee looking rather incompetent). Steve’s nice run continues and that’s another name he can add to his wins list.

Decay wants their rematch with Spitfire but MK Ultra interrupt. They should get the first title match so a #1 contenders match is set up.

Here is Eric Young for a chat. Young says Frankie Kazarian should watch what he wishes for, because he has Young’s attention. The challenge is on for Full Metal Mayhem at Rebellion.

Ashe By Elegance vs. Seleziya Sparx

Sparx talks trash to start but gets punched/kneed in the face for her efforts. We pause for Ashe to have her hand checked on by her handler, setting up a handspring elbow in the corner. A rather long Rarefied Air finishes for Ashe at 2:35.

Post match Ashe stays on Sparx but Xia Brookside runs in for the save.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. He wants the World Title but he respects everyone in that locker room far too much to be handed a title shot. He proved that to Steve Maclin but Moose couldn’t wait, which has gotten Nemeth a title shot. Cue the System to interrupt, with Moose saying that if anyone knows Nemeth’s career, they know he can’t beat the system. And that’s it. Rather short here and it almost felt like they were rushed for time.

Knockouts Title: Tasha Steelz vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace is defending and knocks back a charging Steelz as we take a break less than thirty seconds in. Back with Steelz being dropped again, setting up a spinebuster to give Grace two. The Juggernaut Driver is blocked and Steelz grabs a triangle choke, which is broken up with a powerbomb for two.

The MuscleBuster is countered as well and Steelz hits Sliced Bread #2 for two of her own. Steelz sends her out to the apron so Grace goes up top, where she is kicked in the head. A hurricanrana brings her down but Grace is back with a discus lariat. The Juggernaut Driver is enough to retain the title at 11:15.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as Grace kept fighting back and never felt like she was in serious danger. Then again there was little reason to believe that Steelz was going to be a threat, as Grace is pretty far ahead of everyone else in the division. There is a good chance that Ashe By Elegance will be the next challenger, but Grace looked dominant here, with Steelz’s best stuff not getting her very far.

Overall Rating: C+. They covered a lot of things here and it made for a good enough show, though there was nothing worth going out of your way to see. At the same time, a lot of the big stuff at Rebellion is set and they enhanced some of it here. With so many weeks before the show, they have time to use a show like this, though the rest of the card needs to start being set up soon.

Results
Jake Something b. Leon Slater, Chris Bey, Alan Angels, Jon Skyler and Kevin Knight – Into The Void to Skyler
Timesplitters b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Hoverboard Lock to Drake
Crazzy Steve b. PCO – Rollup
Ashe By Elegance b. Seleziya Sparx – Rarefied Air
Jordynne Grace b. Tasha Steelz – Juggernaut Driver

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